The dagger hit the wall with a dull thud.
It didn’t work. The dagger didn’t work. We were going to be stuck in here forever. I began to think of what went wrong, when I heard the sound of wind rushing. I turned to face Claudia, and saw her enveloped in a huge aura of magical energy. She was in wonder, looking all around her as the walls of our prison became more and more transparent. Suddenly, we all fell through the floor as the room finally disappeared from view. We landed a few feet below, all of us ecstatic.
“It worked! It really-“ Claudia was cut off by Kharjo hushing everyone. We all looked at him, and he pointed straight ahead in fear. In front of us stood two vampires, clad in black robes, backs to us. We all went deathly silent.
“Did you hear something?” One of the vampires asked.
“It’s probably just the skeevers. Let me rest some…” Both vampires laid back down in their respective beds.
“Although time was difficult to judge in the prison, I figured we couldn’t have been in there for more than a few hours, and judging from the surroundings, I’d say we’re still in Labyrinthian.” I whispered, trying to give everyone a hint at our surroundings.
“Should we take them on, or sneak around?” Bjorn seemed intent on fighting the cult of vampires.
“Perhaps we should sneak around…” Kharjo said. “This one is not so certain that it is safe to fight all of them.” Bjorn grudgingly agreed, and we left our things and began to sneak over to the sleeping vampires. Bjorn pulled out his warhammer, ready to smash the skull of one of them in, while Kharjo did the same with his sword. Simultaneously they struck both vampires, instantly killing them with little sound but the warhammer hitting straw and bone. Claudia put on a hood, and we continued onwards silently, with me in the lead.
Within a few minutes, we were back at the center of Labyrinthian. The ritual was still taking place, the sun almost in alignment with the beam of light. We were all startled by a booming voice.
“Ah, the heroes return.” Tullius stepped out from the shadows, wincing in the sunlight. “I must admit, one of you must be a skilled mage to destroy that prison. Judging from the looks of you all, I’d say that it was you.” Tullius pointed a finger at me as he said this. I swallowed nervously.
“You even brought back Claudia. Pretty little thing, although I’m afraid pretty doesn’t mean trustworthy…” Tullius smiled, showing his fangs, as Claudia stood up and walked over to him.
“I’m sorry…” Claudia muttered as she turned to face me.
“Claudia, what are you-“ I was interrupted by Claudia.
“Tullius promised me a place in his family if I took care of anyone who managed to escape…” She pointed behind me. I looked to see Bjorn and Kharjo laying on the ground, paralyzed or dead; I figured the latter.
“Yes, I did. Claudia, you’ve proven your worth, your ability to dominate. I would offer your friend the same choice, but by the look in his eyes, he’s already chosen his side.” Tullius smiled as he saw my fury, the pure rage building in my body. I was ready and willing to destroy him. Claudia looked on in sorrow and fear.
“Claudia, you know that Tullius will just use you. I know it’s hard to accept, but you have to trust me.” My right shoulder started hurting again, but I ignored it. I kept staring at Tullius, even while talking to Claudia. He must’ve taken great joy in causing me frustration nd anger, as he was smiling the entire time.
“Tullius, is that true?” Claudia asked, a tear in her eye.
“Come now, are you going to trust a weak mortal over your own kind? You can’t be serious. You do have a choice to make though: your family or your friend. I would hurry, though: we have a ritual to complete.” Claudia stopped making eye contact with both me and Tullius, and just stared at the ground. She didn’t do anything for a few seconds, then a tear fell from her face.
“I’m sorry…” Claudia said. I fell into despair. Claudia walked over to Tullius. Suddenly, Tullius found himself being thrown into a stone wall by Claudia. I cracked a smile, both because I knew she’d made the right choice and because Tullius had gotten what he deserved.
“Watch out!” I shouted at Claudia as she was surrounded by the remaining vampires. She was holding her own despite the numbers.
“I can handle this! Take care of Tullius! Don’t let him complete the ritual!” I nodded even though I knew she couldn’t see me, then turned to face Tullius as he got up. I readied both my spells and my emotions, channeling my rage through my spells.
“I must admit, I didn’t expect her to side with you. No matter; you can remain together forever in the depths of Oblivion.” Tullius rushed at me, and before I could cast a spell, he had punched me in the chest, breaking several ribs and sending me flying. I cried out in pain as I landed, and prepared a paralysis spell, which hit Tullius easily. I let flame flow from my hand like a torrent of water, incinerating several vampires that got in the way, melting snow and charring ground. When I relented, Tullius was left standing, and once again struck me, this time across the jaw.
I blacked out for a moment, and when I came to, Tullius was approaching slowly. No, he wasn’t approaching; why did it look like he was walking? I looked around, too weak to get up. It appeared as if time itself had stopped. Quite confused, I spent perhaps a minute trying to comprehend the situation. Suddenly, I heard a deep, comforting voice, but couldn’t pinpoint its location. It appeared as if it had come from everywhere.
“Perhaps I can help…”
To be continued…
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