AJ stares at the sun as it starts to set from his balcony. He was staring at the sun intently not moving trying to take it all in. he had been doing the same thing for the past three nights they were in Lothlorien.
“What are you doing?” a voice asks behind him as Justin walks up next to him.
“Thinking,” AJ says calmly still staring at the setting sun.
“ ‘bout what?” Justin asks.
“Sunsets,” AJ says.
“What do you mean?” Justin asks.
“I’ve seen a lot of them,” AJ says, “Too many of them.”
Justin looks at him hard before shaking his head, “What do you mean?”
“I’m old Justin,” AJ says, “All this shit that is going on just makes me realize it. I can feel myself being older then even some of the elves.”
“So,” Justin says, “Vampires are always immortal though right?”
AJ shrugs, “We can die. Other vampires, hunters, magic…or we just step into the fire.”
“Fire?” Justin asks.
“It’s a ceremony,” AJ says, “It’s a fire and we just…burn,” AJ says calmly still watching the sun.
Justin shakes his head, “And you’re thinking about this?”
AJ nods, “After all this is over. I’ve done my part. I can die.”
“Where did all this come from?” Justin asks, “You were fine a minute ago.”
AJ shakes his head, “Been thinking about it for a while now. It’s not like the old days. There are too many of us now and we’re never going to be able to walk among the humans. Forever cast into darkness and myths. That’s not a life.”
“I’m not giving up,” Justin says.
“You’ll die some day though,” AJ says.
“That doesn’t mean anything though,” Justin says, “You think I want to live and be forced to be a leader. I don’t want a pack. I want to be on my own. I don’t want a wife. I don’t want kids.”
“You want to be a rogue?” AJ asks still not looking at him.
Justin nods.
“You’ll be killed you know.”
“They won’t find me. I’ll just…disappear after all this. Maybe they’ll think I died.”
“Enjoy it while you can Justin,” AJ says as the sun begins to disappear and Justin looks at him, “You think it’s worthless, but once it’s gone you want nothing but it back.”
“You miss your family?” Justin asks.
“Yeah,” AJ says as the last rays of light sink into the land and darkness takes control over the skies.
Justin stares at him hard, “Quitter.”
“What?” AJ asks snapping his head to the left to look at him.
“You’re quitting.”
“I am not quitting.”
“Yes…you are,” Justin says.
“I’ve been through enough Justin.”
“Quitter,” Justin says again.
“Stop it,” AJ hisses at him flashing fangs.
“You don’t scare me AJ,” Justin says.
“Stupid young wolf,” AJ says to him as his fangs glisten in the moonlight, “You’ll see soon enough.”
Justin stares at him before looking over the balcony down at the land, “Horses,” he says.
“What?” AJ asks.
“Horses,” Justin says before running out of the room and down the hall.
AJ stares at him as he leaves before looking over the balcony. He could make out small shapes coming towards the gates vaguely in the darkness. Justin had to have damned good eyesight to see them clearly. One. Two. Three. Four. Four horses in all. He looks hard into the night and sees three horses riding up behind the other twelve. Riders. AJ clothes his eyes and scans the area. Elves, werewolf, shape shifter… “Shit,” AJ mutters. He stands up and jumps onto the rail of his balcony looking down at the city below. He looks back out at the figures and takes a deep breath before jumping off the rail into the night air.
“Someone needs to open the gates,” Josh yells at the team rides quickly over the land towards the gates of Lothlorien.
Quest looks at him, “I can go ahead.”
Nick nods, “Go.”
She looks at him and nods before kicking her horse and she takes off into the night towards the gates quickly.
“They’re gaining,” Chris yells up from behind Lance.
Nick looks over his shoulder as the Black Riders gain on them. Brian was holding on tightly to Josh as they road over the land. They couldn’t fight. They were too tired from traveling so far. The Nexflex elves had left them on their own a short time ago before heading back to their own land. They thought they would be safe. Of course you can never act on thoughts alone here. Nick could feel the magic growing around him. He could almost feel it grabbing onto him. The sounds of hooves hitting earth got closer and closer.
“Nick!” Josh yells loudly as Nick turns around and sees a Black Rider reach him and Brian’s horse knocking Brian off sending him tumbling to the ground.
“Get up Brian,” Nick yells as Brian quickly stands up in the middle of the commotion and Riders surround him.
“Help me!” Brian yells as they turn their horses around and go back over to help Brian.
Nick pulls out his sword and rides over to help; “Lance go get help!” he yells as Lance nods and rides off towards the gates that were only a few yards away. The sound of metal hitting metal fills his ears as Josh rides up to one of the Riders hitting his sword against the others. Three Riders with only Nick and Josh to fight.
“Help!” Brian yells again as he falls back onto the ground as a Rider reaches for him.
Nick looks over from his fight with a Rider as Josh continues to fight with the other Rider. Nick feels a pull quickly and his head snaps back to look at a figure as it runs up quickly towards them. It was the size of a large dog and shaped like an over sized wolf covered in dirty blond hair, “Look out!” Nick yells as the dog runs up to Brian and stands by him growling up at the Rider on horseback. The Rider’s horse rears up away from the barking dog as its large teeth flash in the moonlight, “Justin?” Nick says.
Brian stares at the wolf with wide eyes.
“Get up!” Josh yells at Brian.
Brian looks over at him in a panic before standing up and looking around franticly.
“Run!” Nick yells at him.
Brian nods before running off into the darkness as the Rider goes to follow him, but the wolf jumps at the under side of the horse sinking its teeth into the flesh.
Nick looks over searching for Brian. Nothing.
--------------
Brian runs into the darkness franticly. He was not going back there. There was no way he was going back there. He would never let them get him. He would rather die then go back. He runs across the land hard as he hears footsteps behind him. They were catching up to him quickly now. He shakes his head and forces himself to run faster. His legs burned and his lungs protested. No he wouldn’t go back though. He feels a hand on his shoulder then and he is spun around quickly to face the person. He lets his right hook fly and it connects with something as a hiss is heard.
“Knock it off,” a voice says flashing fangs and Brian makes out AJ’s face.
“AJ,” Brian says.
“Yes,” AJ says, “Thanks a lot for frickin punching me in the face.
“Get me out of here AJ,” Brian says franticly.
“Ok,” AJ says putting his hands on Brian’s shoulders and closing his eyes.
And in an instant they were gone.
----------------
Nick looks over from his fight as he sees Josh fighting hard. Justin was pacing around the third Rider still in wolf form growling up at it leaping and biting at times. He hears a horn in the distance and looks behind him as he sees people riding up in the distance. He looks back over at Justin as the Rider raises his sword and takes a strike down at him hitting him across the right side as Justin backs off quickly. Josh looks over at Justin with fear in his eyes as Justin’s wolf form begins to stagger He could see Justin clearly now as he his wolf form collapses suddenly to the ground and slowly begin to transform back to human form. Nick looks over at Josh franticly as a sudden burst of light fills the sky. The elves were coming. Thank God the elves were coming.
“I can’t do it,” AJ says sitting on a chair as the others look at him.
They were all in a room standing looking at AJ as Justin lay in a bed in the back round sleeping and breathing heavily.
“He’ll die if you don’t,” Josh says to him.
“I won’t do it,” AJ says calmly.
“Then you’re just going to let him die?” Nick asks.
“I won’t do it,” AJ says sternly now.
“Then when he dies its on your soul,” Lance says.
“I don’t make fledglings!” AJ yells.
“It’s the only way,” Josh says.
“No,” AJ says.
“Then he dies,” Josh snaps and walks out of the room.
AJ looks down at the floor and sighs as the others follow out of the room one behind the other except Brian who stays staring at him, “You going to condemn me too?”
Brian shakes his head no, “But why won’t you change him?”
“It’s a fate worse then death Brian. You never age. You never grow. You watch everyone die around you. Your life changes time after time. You can never stay in a place long. You’re hunted…it’s not fair to do it to him when he doesn’t have a say.”
Brian looks down at the floor, “So he dies.”
“I don’t know ok,” AJ says.
“Ok,” Brian says softly before walking out of the room quietly.
AJ stays in his chair before looking up slowly at Justin lying in the bed. He sighs to himself before standing up and walking over to the bedside and looking down at him. He looked like he was sleeping to a person who wasn’t informed. His skin as a little pale and his breathing was a little shallow, but he looked asleep. The truth was though there was magic lurking through his body now slowly making its way destroying everything in its path. The magic was a dark magic used by the Black Riders. It was strong enough to kill anything-even immortals. Kevin had been struck by the same thing on the tips of the arrows he was shot with…and now Justin. Josh had tried everything to save him in his power, but nothing worked. There was a large bandage around Justin’s ribs where the sword had struck.
He didn’t make fledglings.
It wasn’t fair to take so much away from Justin…of course he would have nothing left anyway if AJ didn’t do anything. AJ looks down at Justin and shakes his head. Too young. Too young. He never got to do anything. Never got to get married. Never got to have kids. AJ shakes his head again. No he wouldn’t do it. No.
“Justin,” AJ says, “Justin.”
“What,” Justin says weakly not opening his eyes.
“How you doing man?”
“Tired,” Justin says.
“You’re gonna be fine ok.”
Justin nods slowly, “Gonna sleep ok,” he says weakly.
“Ok,” AJ says.
“You can’t let him die, AJ,” Quest says from the doorway.
AJ looks down at the ground.
“He’s just a child.”
“I know,” AJ says.
“AJ…”
“Just…just let me think ok,” AJ says.
“Ok,” Quest says softly before leaving the doorway.
AJ looks at Justin again and sighs, “Shit.”
Brian stares out over his balcony down at the city below him. Small lights burned back up at him. There was a certain chill in the air that sent shivers up and down his spine. He shrugs it off slightly before walking across his room and out the door into the hallway. He could hear voices coming from Justin’s room. They were trying to talk in hushed voices, but it wasn’t working. As he passed by it slowly and stops outside the doorway he could see Josh looking at AJ who was leaning against the far wall from Justin’s bed. Justin was still lying in the bed eyes shut tight and breathing slowly. He looked even paler then he did a few hours before. Nick and Quest were sitting on a small couch in the corner looking at AJ and Josh talking. Neither one of them looked liked they want to interrupt.
“He’s dying AJ,” Josh states the fact again.
“Not my problem,” AJ says.
“AJ…”
“I don’t make fledglings Josh,” AJ snaps standing up straight now, “I’ve told you this before ok.”
Josh stares at him hard.
“AJ…” Nick starts.
“Don’t even try and lecture me Rider,” AJ snaps, “You all are immortal, but you have no idea what the vampire world is like ok. We don’t stick with our own kind. Occasionally there will be a group because they have the same master, but we are rogues ok. He would be killed out there now. Enough people are pissed off like me because the damned new bloods are making fledglings of their own. I’m telling you this is all going to come to a climax soon and the new bloods will die. I’m not putting him in that situation.”
“Well you can help him,” Nick says.
“I am rogue,” AJ looks at Nick harshly, “I have always been rogue and I will continue to be rogue. You cannot convince me otherwise. You should know this Rider. I have only survived as of now because of how old I am. Most hunters stay away from me because of the power I carry. Him,” he says looking at Justin, “Would be lucky if he could get one hunt off. Then there are the elders. They’d rip him apart. I’ve seen it before. Vampires don’t like other vampires. I want to kill damned Dornhower. He knows I can too. I may just take it up after this.”
“Just because Calphurnia left you rogue and with a hard life doesn’t mean Justin will have the same thing…” Nick starts off. “Don’t lecture me on my life!” AJ yells raising a fist and punching the wall hard as a deep breaking sound is heard as stone splits a part and the wall racks like a spider web effect. AJ was breathing heavily and his eyes were burning as they stared at everyone. Power was radiating from him now and even Nick looked taken a back, “I don’t make fledglings,” AJ states before walking out of the room quickly hitting Brian’s shoulder as he passes lightly sending Brian flying backwards into the floor.
“You ok Brian?” Josh asks walking over to him and helping him up.
“Yeah, but…Jesus,” Brian says rubbing his shoulder, “That hurt.”
“AJ’s mad,” Nick says, “His anger is coming out through his strength,” he says looking over at the cracked stone again, “This is when vampires get dangerous.”
“What do we do about him?” Quest asks.
“AJ? AJ will calm down,” Nick says.
“No Justin.”
“Oh,” Nick says and gets quiet.
“We can’t just let him die,” Brian says, “He is dieing because of me. Kevin is already dead and I don’t want anyone else to die…”
“There will be a lot more death before this is finally over,” Josh sighs.
The others stare at him quietly as the only sound in the room becomes Justin’s shallow breathing.
“They don’t know what it’s like,” AJ says to himself as he squats beside something outside in the court yard of the palace, “They don’t know. They’ll never know,” he says as he looks down at the object in the darkness of the night. It was pig freshly bleeding from a large slash mark across its side, “No one knows how it feels,” AJ says to himself.
He was more or less trying to convince himself that what he was doing was the right choice. He was not going to change Justin. Under no circumstances would he ever change someone. Not even when faced with death. He swore that the day after he saw a young fledgling go mad back in Rome after he was changed. Changed with out his consent and the urge to die, the fledgling had gone mad destroying everything and everyone in its path. Ultimately he was tracked down and killed by some of the leader vampires. Death or insanity then death. What a choice.
Maybe it was because of the time period he had been changed in or maybe it was just because he knew how it felt to be a vampire for so long, that he didn’t want to change Justin. Helping and keeping track of a fledgling was too much work and AJ preferred to be rogue anyway. Then there was the hunting. New bloods always refused to hunt. They didn’t like to take lives and animal blood can only sustain a vampire for so long. AJ…AJ needed hardly any blood at his age.
Then there was the fact that Justin was a werewolf. AJ had never seen any vampire that was part werewolf or other creature. They were always once human or born vampires. He didn’t know what to expect if he crossed bloods with a werewolf. He had once seen a vampire end up insane from something or another. The person came back, but he was more animal then man killing everything until the Riders took charge and killed it.
“Not doing it,” AJ says to himself reaching down and pulling out the pig’s heart. He brings the heart to his lips and drains it of all the blood inside the chambers.
But Justin had become his friend by now and he had already lost Kevin, Kevin who had been his only real friend.
Death or the dark gift?
“Are we prepared for this war?” Oleander asks Westclox as they stare at each other from across a table.
“Yes,” Westclox says softly, “The warriors are ready.”
“What about the remaining of the fellowship?” Oleander asks.
“What do you mean?”
“What will they do? I suspect they will join us in battle.”
“We shall see,” Westclox says, “For now I wish not to endanger my niece further and the rest are weak. The Lore is gone and the werewolf dieing, while the others struggle themselves. If they wish to fight though…they may.”
“Will we get help?” Oleander says.
“From who?” Westclox asks, “The vampires fight for no one, not even themselves. The dwarfs…they are dwarfs. The werewolves I am not sure of. The Riders will send help I am sure of. While the fairies may or may not.”
“So the elves fight alone as of now?”
“Yes,” Westclox sighs.
Nick walks down the hall towards his room as he hears a scream rip through the air. It was a deep one belonging to a male and it almost seemed to be followed up by a howl. “Justin,” Nick says to himself as he runs down the hall towards Justin’s room. He turns quickly into Justin’s room colliding slightly with the doorframe. He sees Justin laying on the bed with his back arched screaming out in pain as tears roll down his face. Nick walks over to his bed and stops a few feet away from it. Could magic possibly be that strong to take affect so quickly? Nick watches in horror as Justin’s face twists in agony and screams out in protest of the pain. There was nothing he could do. Nothing. He needed Josh. That’s who he needed, Josh. He spins around quickly on his heels to go back out the door to find Josh when he sees AJ sitting in the corner of the room watching Justin was a blank expression, “What’s wrong with him?” Nick asks franticly.
“He’s dieing,” AJ says simply.
