Chapter 4

As we headed to one of the nearest Vankari leaders, I reflected on our conversation just before Desda and I left.

"Tell me more about this dream." I said to Serris.

"There were four figures: The Lover, The Heir, The Seer, and The Necromancer. I heard the title of each of them in the Founts voice, but it was only your face that I saw. The other individuals' faces remained hidden from me. Each he said will affect our world and our future. You are the first of the four to show themselves, and I believe your coming will help us in our time of need." Serris said.

As I considered what this meant, I sensed that Desda had something to ask me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I was just thinking ... how are you planning to contact all these leaders? I got the impression from Serris that there was not only a lot of them, but it will be next to impossible to get there attention in a positive manner." Desda observed.

"You forget my sweet: He called me "The Lover". I think I should play to my strengths and since my "children" seem to share my affinity for charming others, I think it is high time they take part in an action that will insure their own survival." I explained, and so it began...

Standing in the shadows outside a large residence where the leaders of the Vankari race were gathered, I couldn't help but smile at how easily my plan had brought together. None of them were aware of me, as I had learned to hide my presence. It was a skill I had been practicing given the current dangers I was facing. I had watched each leader arrive with their bodyguard of four warriors each, and enter the home safely out of sight. Of course I didn't stand out in the open like any fool: a vampire's night vision is considerable. A wise man stays just out of sight, where you can peek around the corner and still remain mostly hidden. To do otherwise invites disaster, when they quite easily spot you. Personally I wanted to be notice on more ideal terms, rather have a group of Vankari warriors charging my position to eliminate a possible threat to each of their leaders. It was enough to know they had arrived for now, and after the last of them arrived, I decided to gather my own entourage to make an appearance at this meeting.

My people were waiting nearby and Desda breathed a sigh when I popped into sight: she was still learning how to sense me when I wasn't right next to her. This is common among vampire servants when they are first accustoming themselves to their new abilities. It is perfectly understandable, but I'll get back to the meeting. As I was saying, I met with several of my people and we walked towards the residence. A number of guards now patrolled outside, securing the grounds from any intruders. From their thoughts I sensed men that let nothing escape their notice. There are female warriors among the Vankari, but because their very traditional attitudes in when it comes to security they have always been a little backwards in that department. This means that my very carefully selected entourage of all females from among my people were immediately noticed, and not in a professional manner.

As we came to the front doors two of the guards stepped aside and let us enter. Despite the size of our group, obviously they didn't consider the eight of us any real threat. I had also considered this in choosing my people. The majority of us were chosen as slaves based off of our attractiveness. Keeping this in mind I picked the most attractive as well as individuals who "looked" non-threatening. I suppose you're asking yourselves what "looks" non-threatening? Really all you have to do is look at people in your own life. The person on your left is well built and tall, while the person on your right is small and slender. Which person looks more threatening just based off of looks? Most people would say the person on the left, and the Vankari are no different in this perception, and I've always been good at judging others perceptions, my new abilities as a vampire merely added to this. If I had chosen poorly then the Vankari would no doubt have insisted that the majority of my party wait outside, but they didn't think we were dangerous, though I knew quite differently.

It happened quite by accident ... how I discovered how much of a threat we could be. Honestly my initial contact with the Vankari did not go as well as I let on. All things considered everything went quite well, but the first Vankari I came across did try to kill me, granted he was a warrior, and some of them can be very limited in their thought process, but the threat was very real. Venturing too close to him while trying to say hello, he suddenly had me by the throat and pressed up against the wall one moment, and the next I did the only thing I could think of to make him let go and managed to bite his hand. At first he tried to clamp down and choke me to death and the next he dropped me. Scrambling away as fast I could, I watched him die right in front of me. Spitting up blood his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell to the earth and remained still. Feeling for a pulse, I felt none. It took a moment to realize that I had been responsible.

In my self education I had learned about snakes and their venom. The only explanation that made sense and would explain all that I had just witnessed, was that I must possess venom of my own. Of course I didn't just accept this answer right away, but the more I thought of it, the more it made sense. In effect the venom was a self defense mechanism. As I looked up the body of the vampire I had killed and even as I remembered him later I wondered if those I had sired would carry a similar bite. Of course there was no way to test that, at least not a way that I didn't find morally objectionable. Trust me, not all vampires would even care. Too many of them go into survival mode, and when that happens morality becomes a secondary concern. This is not to say that vampires can't be upstanding citizens, it is just something you should keep in mind. A trained lion, is still a lion, no matter how many hours you teach him to be different. Humans as well have their faults, and in dangerous situations most would be surprised how close they can come to the vampire's survivalist attitudes.