Veran had been wandering the dark trees of Geo’Lora for sometime when he heard it. The soft sound of something rubbing against bark in the night. Then came the rancid stench of breath as something tickled at his neck. His hand flew to ShadowWeep’s hilt but dull yellows eyes flashed before him, their slits vertical and unnerving. He couldn’t move.
“What do we have here?” a voice, velvety soft spoke. “I usually hear the heartbeats of my victims, but you have none to speak of. And my my my, what pretty silver eyes you have. They’re like a pair of glittering stars. Hehhehheh. Why, you must be a vampire.”
The abomination seemed to be some sort of cross between humanoid and snake. Though its features showed that of an androgynous elf, a long serpent tail extended from below its waist in place of legs. Its black scales glittered as it wrapped around the branches of the tree above Veran, supporting the elven half as it suspended itself over the vampire. The skin of its upper half was corpse-gray, as was its hair that hung with the fineness of cornsilk.
Though he tried, Veran found himself unable to move. The eyes…they seemed to pierce his soul, weaving an enchantment around him that kept him frozen. Sweat broke out on his brow and panic wormed its way into his heart.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve fed on a vampire,” the abomination said.
Despite his immobility, Veran found that he could still speak. “What makes you think that I’m going to let you feast on me?” Veran said.
The creature let out a chuckle that sent icy fingertips slithering up Veran’s spine. “As if you have a choice, bloodsucker.” Fangs that looked sharper than Veran’s flashed in its mouth.
Veran refused to flinch. He had to buy himself time, before this thing decided to kill him. “You have had other vampires in this wood?”
“Several drift through here decade to decade. They all seem to want the same thing. I suppose that’s why you’re here, aren’t you, little bat?”
The spell seemed to be growing stronger. Even if Veran was able to break it, he wasn’t sure if he could draw his sword in time. Still, de had to keep reaching deeper, and deeper inside himself.
“I was told there was a way to cure myself,” he said. “To get rid of the Vampire Mark.”
The snake creature laughed. “I can’t fathom why you vampires would ever want to do such a thing. To do so is to lose your power. Then you will be mortal. Do you know why, I, who was once one of the Star-Born, dined on human flesh? It was because I knew I would become more powerful than I was.”
Veran glared at the creature. Those were words he had heard before. From Varl and Touric and the other vampires of his coven. But it reminded him most of all of Jezmara and her love for Abyssal Magic. They all wanted power, immortality, regardless of how it would affect others.
“And look at the price you paid,” Veran said. “Look at what you have become.”
A forked tongue flicked between its fangs. “It’s no matter. Killing you in a way grants your wish. If cured, you will die eventually as a mortal. Therefore, I am the harbinger of your desire, little bat.” The creature hunched its shoulders, ready to spring. “I hope you’re ready.”
The abomination shot at Veran, its maw opened wide enough to bite off his head. At that moment, Veran found what he was looking for. A fount of magic flowed through his soul, and he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Torja!”
The creature went reeling back, its serpent tail uncoiling from the tree so that it fell into a heap several yards from Veran. Before he could blink, the abomination had righted itself, propped up by its black tail.
“You dare…” A gurgling sound emitted from its throat and streaks of green venom flew from its mouth at Veran. The vampire moved with the speed of a crow, leaping from the ground to the safety of a nearby tree branch. ShadowWeep’s steel hissed malevolently as he drew it from its scabbard.
“I’ll be the last vampire you ever face,” Veran said.
“We’ll see,” the abomination muttered. Its yellow eyes flashed and Veran shuddered. Like the pulling force of an ocean wave, Veran could feel the creature’s immobilizing enchantment trying to ensnare him. Veran moved quickly, jumping from the tree and swinging out with his sword. The blade caught the monster on its side where flesh ended and scales began, ripping a jagged hole in its body. Oil-black blood streamed from its wound as it howled like a woman mourning a dead child. Its tail lashed at Veran who ducked at the last second, the rush of the great appendage tousling his hair.
The abomination lunged with fingernails the sharpness of daggers as Veran drove upward with the point of his sword. The blade pierced under its ribcage, spilling more black blood onto Verna’s hands. Cold and malodorous, Veran felt his stomach wretch. Despite being a corruption of its former self, the abomination still possessed elements of elf blood.
Ignoring his disgust, Veran shoved his sword deeper, making the abomination gasp. It grasped ShadowWeep’s blade weakly, its yellow eyes wide.
“Perhaps I should tell you something before you die,” Veran said. An old anger, flaming and enamoring flooded its way to the surface. “I am no ordinary vampire. I am Varl’s son, heir to the throne of Crimsonfall.”
The abomination’s face was a mask of shock, dark rivulets of blood dripping down its chin. “Well, then. Wasn’t I the foolish one?”
Veran smiled grimly “That you were.” He yanked ShadowWeep from the creature’s chest then swung it at the creature’s neck. A second later, its ghastly head rolled across the forest floor.
Veran stared down at the remains of the body, thoughts flowing about his mind. The creature obviously knew about the Chalice. Other vampires had sought it. Whether any had succeeded was another question. Most likely, none who had come across the snake creature. But now it wouldn’t be a concern for anyone ever again.
Veran found some leaves and wiped the gore from his sword before sheathing it back on his back. He would find the Chalice, if it was the last thing he ever did. He would remove the mark of the vampire, and find himself redeemed.