Chapter 155: 155
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Silver injections?
No wonder Soren is so subdued. Raking my eyes over his limp and rather lifeless form, I at last understand the reason for Soren's obedience to Azrael, and quite possibly why Azrael managed to capture Soren in the first place. Silver injections- likely dilute ones, (as I doubt Azrael would want to kill Soren just yet, else he would have no incentive for his game) are enough to knock even the strongest vampire off their feet. Including Soren.
It is a medieval tactic of control, ones angels used to use on the battlefields of war when the opportunity arose- pack a warrior with a handful of silver filled needles and you were all set. Issues later arose of course, the first being it was particularly hard to manoeuvre a battlefield when needles were being thrown let right and centre, and the second being that it was a huge waste of valuable materials that didn't even necessarily kill the vampire.
Methods have since moved on to much more suitable uses of silver, but that does not change the fact that Azrael's use of it is disgusting- enough to make my skin boil with rage. To do that to your own kind, not to mention your brother!
Maybe it is naïve of me not to expect this from him by now, but that doesn't make him any less despicable.
Soren you idiot, I cry softly to him in my mind, tears welling up on the swell of my cheeks as I desperately curl my fingers out towards him. Upon hearing my words, Soren's form goes rigid, listening attentively to the sound of my voice, as if it has transformed into some source of comfort.
I am not letting him take his soul, I am getting us both out of here, no matter what. You wouldn't let me die, remember? Well I am not going to let you die either.
Before I can say any more, Azrael narrows his eyes at us, glancing between us suspiciously with a series of flickering looks. Then he whirls his fingers in a spiralling motion and something appears in his hand- a long needle syringe filled with an opaque silvery solution. Dread settles in my stomach like snow upon the grass. I realise what's going to happen a second before it does.
"From the way you two are looking so intently into each other," he starts snidely, raising the syringe as though to assess the quality of the liquid inside, glowing a faint red at his presence.
"I might presume you are trying to communicate- though I could have sworn I blindfolded and gagged you. Clearly, you two are doing something behind my back, and I can't have that, can I? Don't want to spoil the game," he sighs in a manner that makes all this seem like little more than an act of frivolity, as if he wasn't prepared to simply pluck someone's soul from their body on a whim of his own creation.
"We weren't-" I start desperately, but Azrael is hearing none of it. Edging the syringe closer to Soren's bare flesh, he watches with a cold blooded glee as I fall obediently silent, partially out of fear, but mostly out of pure, hot headed rage. Not that it makes a difference to Azrael, anyway.
"No lies, Serena, do not presume me an idiot," Azrael clucks his tongue disapprovingly. Carefully, a sadistic smile growing on his face- one which I would very much like to slap off if my mate's life wasn't on the line, he points the needle down against Soren's arm, the flesh pricked with the fine metal point. Soren stiffens.
Suddenly, just before the needle sticks into his flesh, a burst of darkness forces Azrael back, sending him staggering backwards a few paces into the small anesthetized white fox on the ground. Shadows of darkness claw at Soren's blind fold, his gag, as he shakes himself free, obviously weak, straining against the silver chains wrapped tightly around his body. His breathes are laboured, body bruised, face raked with already fading claw marks, yet the darkness continues to exude out of him in a tidal wave of power, forcing Azrael back further and further.
Kal calls out in distress, blasting out a whirlwind of dark matter at the white haired vampire, who continues to stagger against its influence. But time is ticking, and soon enough Azrael will be up again.
Urgently, Soren eyes lock with mine.
"Serena," he calls from across the room, his voice full of pain, cracking under the weight of what is about to happen to him. "Remember to look for the heart. Find it, Serena. I know you will."
Next to me, Kal falls down with a blood curdling scream, clutching his head in his hands as Azrael rightens himself from the ground, pushing the forward now, uninhibited by any further magic. The dark power bursting around us is fading quickly, dissipating as Soren's strength continues to wane in his already weakened body.
My mind is racing, blood pounding through my veins. Heart, what heart? What is he talking about?
But the time for thinking is already up.
Just as Azrael looms over Soren, the silver syringe raises, Soren's voice goes soft as his eyes meet mine for the last time.
"I love you, darling."
Without hesitation, Azrael jams the needle into Soren's arm and pressed down on the plunger. Covering my mouth to hide my scream, I watch as Soren's body flares red with pain, a scream claw its way from his mouth as he writhes against the silver liquid coursing through him, then all at once he falls, his body collapsing beneath him, his voice going silent.
Rage consumes me.
Enraged and heartbroken, I cry out, scream at the top of my lungs, desperately reaching an arm out towards him, but Kal grabs a hold of me, tugging me backwards away from Soren's body.
Azrael merely watches as I throw a series of insults at him.
"How dare you! How dare you, you evil bastard! I am going to kill you! I am going to…" my voice fades out into a choking sob, my attempts to strain against Kal's grip becoming half hearted. I know if I wanted to, I could possibly blast Azrael into the next room, but what would be the point? All he would do would be hurt Soren or Ithuriel even more, maybe even kill them, and if that happened, I could never live with myself. My face screws up in distress.
Azrael reaches out to touch the two figures either side of him, causing them to disappear into the smoke screen of rubble and chaos, the only notion they were ever there left by the outlines of their silhouetted forms on the ground, grim and already fading. The Prince discards the needle on the ground, silver liquid leaking from the tip as he flicks it away with his boot into the broken pieces of marble flooring without a second glance.
Sighing, he runs a long clawed hand through his hair, obviously unfazed.
"You were lucky that was a dilute solution of silver, or he might be dead. Take this as a warning, little girl. If you try even once to mess with me, I will just keep giving him more and more, and you shall watch as he screams in pain, begging for death. By the time I have finished with him, there will be nothing left for you to have. Now, you're incentives have been established, it's time to start the game. You have a day to find me while I prepare the ritual for taking a soul- it is such an arduous process. And if you don't find me by then, I am sure you understand the consequences," he snickers, his eyes flicking towards the needle as he brings his hand up once more to flick his nails in my general direction. I grit my teeth, anger rising, bubbling up in my insides like a molten pit of lava.
With each word that slips for Azrael's mouth, I am one second closer to breaking my cool entirely.
Of course I know the consequences. But I am not going to let them happen. Not on my watch.
"Well, tah tah my pretty little things. Enjoy finding your husband, Serena. Or not."
My vision bubbles at the corners, red with the blistering heat of rage. I lunge for him, but it is all too late. Azrael vanishes from sight.
As soon as he has gone, I let out a viscous scream. My body erupts in anger, flames boiling around me, heating the air so much that Kal has to step away to avoid the shimmering steam that spills up around us. Shaking, he attempts to calm me down, but calmness has since become a foreign notion to me.
"I'm going to kill him!" I scream shrilly, launching a ball of fire at the nearest wall, the impact shattering fragments of marble chips all over the floor in a smattered array of broken pieces. The whole ceiling shudders precariously. Angrily, I curl my fingers around my sides repeatedly, my breath raw and hot in my throat. Inside the cavity of my chest, my heart pounds so loudly that I think even Azrael, wherever the devil he has gone to, could hear it. Good, I think arrogantly to myself.. I hope he knows I am coming for him.
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Silver injections?
No wonder Soren is so subdued. Raking my eyes over his limp and rather lifeless form, I at last understand the reason for Soren's obedience to Azrael, and quite possibly why Azrael managed to capture Soren in the first place. Silver injections- likely dilute ones, (as I doubt Azrael would want to kill Soren just yet, else he would have no incentive for his game) are enough to knock even the strongest vampire off their feet. Including Soren.
It is a medieval tactic of control, ones angels used to use on the battlefields of war when the opportunity arose- pack a warrior with a handful of silver filled needles and you were all set. Issues later arose of course, the first being it was particularly hard to manoeuvre a battlefield when needles were being thrown let right and centre, and the second being that it was a huge waste of valuable materials that didn't even necessarily kill the vampire.
Methods have since moved on to much more suitable uses of silver, but that does not change the fact that Azrael's use of it is disgusting- enough to make my skin boil with rage. To do that to your own kind, not to mention your brother!
Maybe it is naïve of me not to expect this from him by now, but that doesn't make him any less despicable.
Soren you idiot, I cry softly to him in my mind, tears welling up on the swell of my cheeks as I desperately curl my fingers out towards him. Upon hearing my words, Soren's form goes rigid, listening attentively to the sound of my voice, as if it has transformed into some source of comfort.
I am not letting him take his soul, I am getting us both out of here, no matter what. You wouldn't let me die, remember? Well I am not going to let you die either.
Before I can say any more, Azrael narrows his eyes at us, glancing between us suspiciously with a series of flickering looks. Then he whirls his fingers in a spiralling motion and something appears in his hand- a long needle syringe filled with an opaque silvery solution. Dread settles in my stomach like snow upon the grass. I realise what's going to happen a second before it does.
"From the way you two are looking so intently into each other," he starts snidely, raising the syringe as though to assess the quality of the liquid inside, glowing a faint red at his presence.
"I might presume you are trying to communicate- though I could have sworn I blindfolded and gagged you. Clearly, you two are doing something behind my back, and I can't have that, can I? Don't want to spoil the game," he sighs in a manner that makes all this seem like little more than an act of frivolity, as if he wasn't prepared to simply pluck someone's soul from their body on a whim of his own creation.
"We weren't-" I start desperately, but Azrael is hearing none of it. Edging the syringe closer to Soren's bare flesh, he watches with a cold blooded glee as I fall obediently silent, partially out of fear, but mostly out of pure, hot headed rage. Not that it makes a difference to Azrael, anyway.
"No lies, Serena, do not presume me an idiot," Azrael clucks his tongue disapprovingly. Carefully, a sadistic smile growing on his face- one which I would very much like to slap off if my mate's life wasn't on the line, he points the needle down against Soren's arm, the flesh pricked with the fine metal point. Soren stiffens.
Suddenly, just before the needle sticks into his flesh, a burst of darkness forces Azrael back, sending him staggering backwards a few paces into the small anesthetized white fox on the ground. Shadows of darkness claw at Soren's blind fold, his gag, as he shakes himself free, obviously weak, straining against the silver chains wrapped tightly around his body. His breathes are laboured, body bruised, face raked with already fading claw marks, yet the darkness continues to exude out of him in a tidal wave of power, forcing Azrael back further and further.
Kal calls out in distress, blasting out a whirlwind of dark matter at the white haired vampire, who continues to stagger against its influence. But time is ticking, and soon enough Azrael will be up again.
Urgently, Soren eyes lock with mine.
"Serena," he calls from across the room, his voice full of pain, cracking under the weight of what is about to happen to him. "Remember to look for the heart. Find it, Serena. I know you will."
Next to me, Kal falls down with a blood curdling scream, clutching his head in his hands as Azrael rightens himself from the ground, pushing the forward now, uninhibited by any further magic. The dark power bursting around us is fading quickly, dissipating as Soren's strength continues to wane in his already weakened body.
My mind is racing, blood pounding through my veins. Heart, what heart? What is he talking about?
But the time for thinking is already up.
Just as Azrael looms over Soren, the silver syringe raises, Soren's voice goes soft as his eyes meet mine for the last time.
"I love you, darling."
Without hesitation, Azrael jams the needle into Soren's arm and pressed down on the plunger. Covering my mouth to hide my scream, I watch as Soren's body flares red with pain, a scream claw its way from his mouth as he writhes against the silver liquid coursing through him, then all at once he falls, his body collapsing beneath him, his voice going silent.
Rage consumes me.
Enraged and heartbroken, I cry out, scream at the top of my lungs, desperately reaching an arm out towards him, but Kal grabs a hold of me, tugging me backwards away from Soren's body.
Azrael merely watches as I throw a series of insults at him.
"How dare you! How dare you, you evil bastard! I am going to kill you! I am going to…" my voice fades out into a choking sob, my attempts to strain against Kal's grip becoming half hearted. I know if I wanted to, I could possibly blast Azrael into the next room, but what would be the point? All he would do would be hurt Soren or Ithuriel even more, maybe even kill them, and if that happened, I could never live with myself. My face screws up in distress.
Azrael reaches out to touch the two figures either side of him, causing them to disappear into the smoke screen of rubble and chaos, the only notion they were ever there left by the outlines of their silhouetted forms on the ground, grim and already fading. The Prince discards the needle on the ground, silver liquid leaking from the tip as he flicks it away with his boot into the broken pieces of marble flooring without a second glance.
Sighing, he runs a long clawed hand through his hair, obviously unfazed.
"You were lucky that was a dilute solution of silver, or he might be dead. Take this as a warning, little girl. If you try even once to mess with me, I will just keep giving him more and more, and you shall watch as he screams in pain, begging for death. By the time I have finished with him, there will be nothing left for you to have. Now, you're incentives have been established, it's time to start the game. You have a day to find me while I prepare the ritual for taking a soul- it is such an arduous process. And if you don't find me by then, I am sure you understand the consequences," he snickers, his eyes flicking towards the needle as he brings his hand up once more to flick his nails in my general direction. I grit my teeth, anger rising, bubbling up in my insides like a molten pit of lava.
With each word that slips for Azrael's mouth, I am one second closer to breaking my cool entirely.
Of course I know the consequences. But I am not going to let them happen. Not on my watch.
"Well, tah tah my pretty little things. Enjoy finding your husband, Serena. Or not."
My vision bubbles at the corners, red with the blistering heat of rage. I lunge for him, but it is all too late. Azrael vanishes from sight.
As soon as he has gone, I let out a viscous scream. My body erupts in anger, flames boiling around me, heating the air so much that Kal has to step away to avoid the shimmering steam that spills up around us. Shaking, he attempts to calm me down, but calmness has since become a foreign notion to me.
"I'm going to kill him!" I scream shrilly, launching a ball of fire at the nearest wall, the impact shattering fragments of marble chips all over the floor in a smattered array of broken pieces. The whole ceiling shudders precariously. Angrily, I curl my fingers around my sides repeatedly, my breath raw and hot in my throat. Inside the cavity of my chest, my heart pounds so loudly that I think even Azrael, wherever the devil he has gone to, could hear it. Good, I think arrogantly to myself.. I hope he knows I am coming for him.
Silver injections?No wonder Soren is so subdued. Raking my eyes over his limp and rather lifeless form, I at last understand the reason for Soren's obedience to Azrael, and quite possibly why Azrael managed to capture Soren in the first place. Silver injections- likely dilute ones, as I doubt Azrael would want to kill Soren just yet, else he would have no incentive for his game are enough to knock even the strongest vampire off their feet. Including Soren.It is a medieval tactic of control, ones angels used to use on the battlefields of war when the opportunity arose- pack a warrior with a handful of silver filled needles and you were all set. Issues later arose of course, the first being it was particularly hard to manoeuvre a battlefield when needles were being thrown let right and centre, and the second being that it was a huge waste of valuable materials that didn't even necessarily kill the vampire.Methods have since moved on to much more suitable uses of silver, but that does not change the fact that Azrael's use of it is disgusting- enough to make my skin boil with rage. To do that to your own kind, not to mention your brother!Maybe it is nave of me not to expect this from him by now, but that doesn't make him any less despicable.Soren you idiot, I cry softly to him in my mind, tears welling up on the swell of my cheeks as I desperately curl my fingers out towards him. Upon hearing my words, Soren's form goes rigid, listening attentively to the sound of my voice, as if it has transformed into some source of comfort. I am not letting him take his soul, I am getting us both out of here, no matter what. You wouldn't let me die, remember? Well I am not going to let you die either.Before I can say any more, Azrael narrows his eyes at us, glancing between us suspiciously with a series of flickering looks. Then he whirls his fingers in a spiralling motion and something appears in his hand- a long needle syringe filled with an opaque silvery solution. Dread settles in my stomach like snow upon the grass. I realise what's going to happen a second before it does."From the way you two are looking so intently into each other," he starts snidely, raising the syringe as though to assess the quality of the liquid inside, glowing a faint red at his presence. "I might presume you are trying to communicate- though I could have sworn I blindfolded and gagged you. Clearly, you two are doing something behind my back, and I can't have that, can I? Don't want to spoil the game," he sighs in a manner that makes all this seem like little more than an act of frivolity, as if he wasn't prepared to simply pluck someone's soul from their body on a whim of his own creation."We weren't-" I start desperately, but Azrael is hearing none of it. Edging the syringe closer to Soren's bare flesh, he watches with a cold blooded glee as I fall obediently silent, partially out of fear, but mostly out of pure, hot headed rage. Not that it makes a difference to Azrael, anyway."No lies, Serena, do not presume me an idiot," Azrael clucks his tongue disapprovingly. Carefully, a sadistic smile growing on his face- one which I would very much like to slap off if my mate's life wasn't on the line, he points the needle down against Soren's arm, the flesh pricked with the fine metal point. Soren stiffens.Suddenly, just before the needle sticks into his flesh, a burst of darkness forces Azrael back, sending him staggering backwards a few paces into the small anesthetized white fox on the ground. Shadows of darkness claw at Soren's blind fold, his gag, as he shakes himself free, obviously weak, straining against the silver chains wrapped tightly around his body. His breathes are laboured, body bruised, face raked with already fading claw marks, yet the darkness continues to exude out of him in a tidal wave of power, forcing Azrael back further and further.Kal calls out in distress, blasting out a whirlwind of dark matter at the white haired vampire, who continues to stagger against its influence. But time is ticking, and soon enough Azrael will be up again.Urgently, Soren eyes lock with mine."Serena," he calls from across the room, his voice full of pain, cracking under the weight of what is about to happen to him. "Remember to look for the heart. Find it, Serena. I know you will."Next to me, Kal falls down with a blood curdling scream, clutching his head in his hands as Azrael rightens himself from the ground, pushing the forward now, uninhibited by any further magic. The dark power bursting around us is fading quickly, dissipating as Soren's strength continues to wane in his already weakened body.My mind is racing, blood pounding through my veins. Heart, what heart? What is he talking about?But the time for thinking is already up.Just as Azrael looms over Soren, the silver syringe raises, Soren's voice goes soft as his eyes meet mine for the last time."I love you, darling."Without hesitation, Azrael jams the needle into Soren's arm and pressed down on the plunger. Covering my mouth to hide my scream, I watch as Soren's body flares red with pain, a scream claw its way from his mouth as he writhes against the silver liquid coursing through him, then all at once he falls, his body collapsing beneath him, his voice going silent. Rage consumes me. Enraged and heartbroken, I cry out, scream at the top of my lungs, desperately reaching an arm out towards him, but Kal grabs a hold of me, tugging me backwards away from Soren's body.Azrael merely watches as I throw a series of insults at him."How dare you! How dare you, you evil bastard! I am going to kill you! I am going to" my voice fades out into a choking sob, my attempts to strain against Kal's grip becoming half hearted. I know if I wanted to, I could possibly blast Azrael into the next room, but what would be the point? All he would do would be hurt Soren or Ithuriel even more, maybe even kill them, and if that happened, I could never live with myself. My face screws up in distress. Azrael reaches out to touch the two figures either side of him, causing them to disappear into the smoke screen of rubble and chaos, the only notion they were ever there left by the outlines of their silhouetted forms on the ground, grim and already fading. The Prince discards the needle on the ground, silver liquid leaking from the tip as he flicks it away with his boot into the broken pieces of marble flooring without a second glance. Sighing, he runs a long clawed hand through his hair, obviously unfazed."You were lucky that was a dilute solution of silver, or he might be dead. Take this as a warning, little girl. If you try even once to mess with me, I will just keep giving him more and more, and you shall watch as he screams in pain, begging for death. By the time I have finished with him, there will be nothing left for you to have. Now, you're incentives have been established, it's time to start the game. You have a day to find me while I prepare the ritual for taking a soul- it is such an arduous process. And if you don't find me by then, I am sure you understand the consequences," he snickers, his eyes flicking towards the needle as he brings his hand up once more to flick his nails in my general direction. I grit my teeth, anger rising, bubbling up in my insides like a molten pit of lava. With each word that slips for Azrael's mouth, I am one second closer to breaking my cool entirely.Of course I know the consequences. But I am not going to let them happen. Not on my watch."Well, tah tah my pretty little things. Enjoy finding your husband, Serena. Or not."My vision bubbles at the corners, red with the blistering heat of rage. I lunge for him, but it is all too late. Azrael vanishes from sight.As soon as he has gone, I let out a viscous scream. My body erupts in anger, flames boiling around me, heating the air so much that Kal has to step away to avoid the shimmering steam that spills up around us. Shaking, he attempts to calm me down, but calmness has since become a foreign notion to me."I'm going to kill him!" I scream shrilly, launching a ball of fire at the nearest wall, the impact shattering fragments of marble chips all over the floor in a smattered array of broken pieces. The whole ceiling shudders precariously. Angrily, I curl my fingers around my sides repeatedly, my breath raw and hot in my throat. Inside the cavity of my chest, my heart pounds so loudly that I think even Azrael, wherever the devil he has gone to, could hear it. Good, I think arrogantly to myself.. I hope he knows I am coming for him.
