Underworld: Beginnings

Seti traveled fast, the trained horse trampled on meaningfully crunching over bushes and rushing through the forest trees to the main road. Sonja was relaxed in the saddle; her hands were wrapped loosely around the reins as she gave him his head. There was complete trust in their relationship and she trusted his capacity to lead the group of death dealers that rode behind her. Seti’s step did not so much as miss a beat when a long howl followed by a series of snarls and barks filled the air. Sonja urged Seti on by digging her heels into the horse’s side, she’d heard that sound many times. The werewolves had spotted prey, it sounded like they were close by and Sonja had no doubt about what prey they had spotted: the werewolves had been getting bolder and were less and less weary of attacking people on the main roads.

     The screams ripped through the air before Sonja and her death dealers arrived on sight. By the time the trees parted before them and the narrow dirt road appeared blood soaked and permeated through the air. There were four werewolves still alive, one on the behind the carriage, out of sight. Sonja knew it was there because she could here the sound of eating, tearing flesh and growling. One of them had it’s head sticking in the carriage door, the door had been pulled off it’s hinges and it’s paws clawed into the wood. It was trying to fit its body in but its sheer size did not permit it. A crushing noise filled Sonja’s ears, a scream came to an abrupt end. Sonja unsheathed her sword and turned to where the noise and emitted from but, the vampire soldier was dead, his decapitated body flopped and sagged in the hands of the beast. The werewolf jaws still crunched noisily on his head it’s fur drenched in blood. It’s jaws were still masticating loudly when it spotted Sonja then it let the body in its arms fall like a rag doll, it bared it’s red stained teeth and it’s lips quivered as it growled. Sonja watched its defined muscular intently waiting for the sign, in moment she saw it: it’s muscles tensed then it charged. Sonja waited and moments before the werewolf reached her she jumped, the werewolf stumbled forward landing on all fours. Sonja touched down with both her feet then dropped fluidly into a crouch with one leg out. She spun catching the werewolf’s two hind legs, it’s body twisted to the side and landed awkwardly on the stained floor. Sword raised high in the air, Sonja jumped forward and slashed her sword slicing the werewolf in the abdomen. It snarled, its large red stained teeth glinted beneath the moon as large thick strains of saliva dribbled down its lips. The cut hadn’t been deep enough, straightening to her full height and grasping her blade tighter between two hands she delivered a powerful kick catching the werewolf square in the lungs, it staggered back clearly stunned by the sudden shortness of breath. Sonja made use of the sudden haze that clouded its pitch black eyes and swung her sword that sliced easily through its neck. It’s head, stuck in a horrid grimace flew up and away then bounced on the floor harmlessly, rolled a few paces then, with it’s mouth still agape and drool still dribbling to the floor it came to a halt.

     Sonja ran towards the carriage, she couldn’t see into it but from the high-pitched screaming that emanated from it she knew that there was at least one more living female vampire scared for her life. The death dealers were trading blows with the other two werewolves. One of them was already on the floor in its final throws and the other one was cornered, it’s eyes said it knew it’s future was bleak. After only a few steps, Sonja launched herself I the air, her sword still gripped tightly in both her hands raised high over her head. As she landed crouched on the werewolf’s back she jammed the sword through the back of its head, it went through its head and protruded through its open mouth glinting silver and gushing blood. The werewolf fell lifelessly on the floor, but to make sure it was in fact dead she beheaded it before reaching into the carriage and held out her hand for the lady in it.

     She had not yet looked up but when no one took her hand and a pair of boots stepped down beside her, Sonja looked up and stared in shock at the person before her. A man? A man made that screeching noise? The vampire before her was good looking, his almond shaped eyes were light grey, his neat hair was a honey color that fell in perfect shoulder length curls framing his face. He had gentle feminine features and thick full lips clearly visible on his clean-shaven face. He had a lanky body that had obviously never lifted a single heavy item, beautiful white marble skin that shone sickly white under the moon and his body reeked of perfume and incense. He is the complete opposite of the lycan. I doubt Lucian would ever scream like that in the face of danger and his tan skin has a lovely earthy smell that’s nothing like this pouf’s - Sonja caught herself. She stared at the vampire as he held her hand daintily to his lips and kissed it. Sonja stared passively made speechless by her own thoughts. What the hell?

“You must be lady Sonja, word of your bravery has reached far.”

“Um… Uh.”

“Milady, you seem flushed, your speechlessness flatters me. I too must confess your beauty is even more awe inspiring-”

Coming to herself Sonja snatched her hand from the vampire’s “ You know me sir, but I do not know you.” Nor do I want to.

“My name is Gerard I-”

“Lovely. I will guide you to the coven. Tell your people to make haste. These animals rarely loose the sent of blood” and as she looked at him she added pointedly “-or fear.”

     Marcus was livid, his muscles were tensed and bulging, his face uncharacteristically red for a vampire. His eyes bored into Sonja completely ignoring their guest who had left his people in the hallway. Next to the throne a slave was crouched forward, his back torn to ribbons as the sound of a bloody silver whip echoed on the stonewalls. For the most part the slave was quiet, but every so often he’d let out a low plaintive moan. A handful of courtiers had gathered in the room to watch the morbid spectacles. Sonja felt her heart drop as guilt bubbled to the surface … Lucian? Sonja bowed to the elder at the foot of the throne she heard Marcus get up and step down the stairs until he was standing in front of her.

“Rise.” His level voice sounded as tense as his muscles. She did, and found herself staring up into cold blue eyes, she felt like she was looking at death. A shiver past through her body, she opened her mouth to speak and he hit her. It was a hard brutal slap and the sound of it cracked though the hall drawing the attention of the small audience. Shock rushed through her body, before a succession of another 3 slaps. Sonja staggered back.

The silence in the room drew thin “You will be confined to your room until further notice. And this slave-”

Sonja’s fell on Lucian and they’re eyes met, she was surprised to see neither resentment nor fear in his eyes merely pained resignation. “Punish me as you see fit, milord but free the lycan. He did nothing but follow orders.” She lied. She saw his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“He lied to an elder. He will be punished…severely.”

“But my Lord I-“

“You are in no position to ask favors,.. I am not opposed to having you whipped as well, however in the name of the deeds you have done for this court I will spare you. Instead you will be confined to your room until the Eve of your father’s awakening.”

“Pardon my interruption, your excellence.” Marcus looked at Gerard, his nose flared as if he smelt something nasty and a grimace flashed upon his face.

“You are Gerard, of the turned court?”

“Yes.”

“Welcome, though you have arrived at an upset time.”

“Thank you my lord,” Gerard said with a large exaggerated bow “Perhaps, instead of confining Lady Sonja to her room you would allow her to spend that time with me so that I may teach her the customs of my own court.” Sonja was taken aback, that was an odd request. And one I would prefer to avoid. “I would rather be whipped.” Sonja muttered under her breath and though Marcus looked like he was going to deny the request something seemed to dawn on him at the final moment“Ah yes…yes… You come to join your court to our own?”

“Yes my Lord. “ Marcus laughed and looking at Sonja pointedly he said “Yes, yes of course. “

“What?” Sonja blurted Marcus shoed her away.

“You will talk to her father of this arrangement. ” He stated.

“Of course. ”

Nodding Marcus dismissed him then turned to the slave who bled freely from his open wounds.

“Krevlar, Take the slave to the court yard. You know what you are to do.”

“Yes my Lord.”

 

*****

 

     Lucian moaned in agony, his eyes were watering and his stomach growled from hunger. It had been a full week since his punishment, he had been hung, as if on display, in the courtyard. There were two poles set not too far apart from each other with 4 short silver shackles hanging from them. One set were placed higher on the poles then the other, The higher set of shackles was placed around his ankles and the lower set of shackles was placed around his hands so that he was hanging naked upside down. A Long metallic rod hooked onto the moonshackles from the ground so he could not move his neck. He was whipped at dawn and noon by his werewolf brethren who showed much regret but dared not disobey; at dusk he was whipped mercilessly by Krevlar who ensured that the wounds on his back were kept fresh and bloody. He hadn’t eaten the whole week. Lucian was humiliated, hurt…and furious.

     He had felt deserving of the punishment for the first few days, but after a week of starvation, a week of being inches from death but never dying, a week of beating after cruel beating, he had began to see. He had nothing to do during his endless torture but to analyze the world in which he lived, and to judge the people with which he lived. He saw the new breed of lycans, a strain that he was responsible for, beaten, tortured and disrespected. He heard them called slaves, beasts, animals and treated as filthy, ravening mindless, compulsive and at first he believed it. He saw now that animalism was part of their nature but he saw it as part of the vampires as well. They were elegant and beautiful but they were brutal and bestial just the same. They took joy in blood shed, they took joy in beating their lessers and watching them scream in agony. They laughed and teased and in them Lucian saw impulse, they looked upon their slaves as if they were food and when one misjudged a step one was eaten alive with whips and chains and taunts and animalism. It was pure impulse on their part. They are the same as us. They are perhaps more beautiful, more organized, more cultured but when it came down to the basics they are the same as us. We are, after all, both children of Corvinus…and we should be treated as such. No one, no one, should live like this, Lucian flexed his arm and leg muscles, his strained muscles blasted pain through his body and a small scream escaped his lips.

     A small commotion caught his eye to his far right, almost out of his vision. He craned his neck ignoring the agony and was overcome with horror. He saw Dolly a Lycan errand girl, young even in human years, on the floor her large brown eyes wide and fearful as she looked up at Krevlar. Lucian’s sense of smell, under the pressure of his empty stomach picked up a scent easily, she had been carrying a jug of blood but missing a depression in the ground where she walked she had tripped shattering the jug and sending the blood splattering on the floor. Krevlar showed no mercy, his whip came up and landed down hard across the girls face. It landed again and again Dolly’s screams overtook Lucian and he struggled in vain against his bindings to help her. He wished somebody would help her, as if in response to his wish somebody did. “Stop this at once!” A female voice echoed pure and strong, Krevlar obeyed. It was Sonja, holding the girls arm she helped the child to her feet. She turned to Krevlar “But Milady-“ Sonja did not look up “The longer you punish her, the longer Gerard and I have to wait for our refreshments.”

“Yes milady.” With that Sonja turned to Lucian and their eyes met again and Lucian felt drawn into them. She stood and watched him openly for a few moments and Lucian read in them something that made her different from the others. She was looking at him and he felt like, for the first time, a vampire saw a person in him and not an animal. She did that for me he realized, her eyes were telling him that she could not help him, but she could help the child for him. “Sonja, my dear, do not handle those filthy beasts.” The man reached for Sonja’s face only to have his hand slapped away before she stormed off, she sent Lucian a small smile. A smile that, in his world of hurt, was euphoric taste of paradise.

     It was late in the evening, when the vampire lords had all gone to seek shelter before the dawn, that he heard light sounds of stealthy footsteps. Whoever it may have been was clear out of sight, but on the wind there was a hint of lavender and an the wonderful smell of raw fresh meat. Pig meat… the meat that tastes the most like human flesh…he thought. The footsteps came to a stop behind him, then after a brief pause the leather clad legs walked around him and knelt to the ground so he could see who it was. “My Lady.” Lucian voice was hoarse, Sonja put a finger to her lips “Shh, your body suffers enough as is. Do not strain it.” Lucian grunted, then his eyes fell down her body straight to a small paper package from which the sent of pork emanated.

Lucian struggled to speak again “My Lady, you put yourself in danger of greater punishment-”

Sonja laughed lightly “In your state of sufferance you worry about my punishment? Never will I suffer in punishment as you do now. “

“My Lady please l-” Sonja had started unwrapping the papers making the smell of the raw pig’s flesh get stronger, Lucian began to salivate so much that his swallowing interrupted his sentence.

“Lucian, first of the lycans, are you not?” He nodded. “I remember you, I remember watching you fight those mortals many decades ago. I remember my father being most impressed with your skill and concentration… We were but children, perhaps you do not remember.

“I remember.” Lucian acquiesced; she stared at him in the eyes, for the second time that day he felt she was seeing a man and not a beast. “You brave this disgrace with a dignity I did not think was possible.” Her gaze remained on him “I feel shamed for the torture I have caused you.”

“Please, my Lady, it is not of your doing. It was of my own choice.”

“A courageous choice, as valiant and selfless as it was dangerous and stupid.”

“Marcus was infuriated and I could not bare to think of your beauty marred, even briefly, by his anger.” Lucian blurted his eyes still torn between the meat that now lay exposed on her lap and the exquisiteness of her face.

“You flatter me Lucian.” Sonja whispered a faint blush coloring her cheeks “If you were not under such a horrid condition because of my need for freedom I would be offended.”

“Then I would wish to suffer endlessly for My Lady’s freedom so I may speak to her as such.” Sonja laughed, it sounded true and wonderful.

“You have a golden tongue, Lucian…” She had cut the meat into small squares; she picked one up and brought it to his lips.

“Now as I see how you suffer in your chains, the freedom I sought seems ridiculous -It’s fresh.” She indicated as she put the flesh in his mouth. Lucian couldn’t help himself, he did not chew he just swallowed. The taste of the fresh raw, meat was an explosion of flavor in his mouth and the slight after taste of blood made him sigh. “Everyone’s chains cause bleeding may they be physical or mental. No freedom sought is ridiculous.” He answered; she smiled slightly and brought another piece of meat to his lips. For a short while she fed him in silence then as she placed the last piece of meat to his lips, his mouth close too early and his sharpened teeth nipped her finger. She gasped and pulled her hand back. “Forgive me, my Lady.” Lucian watched in fascination as she brought her finger to her own mouth and licked away the blood.

“It is I that should apologize to you… I am sorry.” Lucian was speechless, his mouth worked but he could say nothing. What could he say to her to express his feelings…What were his feelings? A vampiress, a woman who had always been out of his reach was now knelt before him, in all her glory, breathing his air as he breathed hers, with whispered apologies on her lips. She reached into a small pocket in the back of her pants and pulled out a small bottle. “Water.” She explained as she brought it to his lips, he drank deeply then, when he was done, she poured the remainder of the water on the sleeve of her shirt and carefully wiped his dirt and blood stained face. She worked in silence and he was too overwhelmed by the gentleness of her touches and the kindness in her eyes that he could not speak.

“I fear that I cannot do more, I would cover you if you would not suffer more for it tomorrow. ” Lucian was immediately reminded of his nakedness, the shamefulness of his legs splayed up in the air, his organ left to hang impotently in the cold air, the raised flesh on his filthy body, he suddenly wished he could hide. She must have seen the shame on his face because she put her hand on his face and said “Do not be ashamed, as long as you stay strong no amount of humiliation can take away your dignity …and besides your proportions are awe inspiring amongst the courtiers, there is more begrudging envy among the men then laughter.” Lucian’s jaw dropped and a half strangled pained laugh escaped his lips, shame forgotten; Sonja laughed with him. “I must be gone, I can feel the sun rising.”

“Yes my Lady…Thank you.” She watched him and seemed to hesitate then she nodded, rose and hurried stealthily away.