(LIB:I) Chapter 24

The haze that covered her eyes slowly cleared with each blink, she could feel her hands above her. Looking up she found herself attached to a cross, tied above her with her waist bound in the center. Dangling beneath her was her own feet, she tried to move them but found them not responsive. She could barely see the bone that had protruded from her right leg. It took that much to realize that she was in agonizing pain, and her body was not healing. She was also nude, except for a pair of blood soaked white underwear. Her abdomen and legs had been cut into and blood seeped from the wounds, and onto the ground below.

She was only five feet from the ground, and could make out every drop of blood that fell from her toes to the puddle below. The slurping sounds echoed in her ears as seven Mephis minions licked the blood from the ground beneath her. They had no intent on killing her and so they could freely drink her blood, yet not receive any strength because it was not given to them.

Kailin pulled on her left arm to free herself from the ropes, pain jarred throughout her body causing her to whimper. Her shoulder was dislocated, and there was a sharp pain in her chest. Looking up, she first noticed the large fire pit in the center of the room. Ancient writing was placed in three circles around the pit, and though they seemed familiar to her, she couldn't read them. The fire burned ferociously and she swallowed afraid of what it would be used for.

Pipes lined the walls, and there was a large doorway across the room to her right. Following the wall to her left, she could make out two thrones and several Sups standing guard of them.

"Hey!" Kailin yelled, "Hey!" The Sups paid her no attention.

The slurping sound from below became louder and she looked down to see one of the minions licking the wooden pole she was attached to. With her left leg she kicked out and the minion flew backwards, it hissed at her, but immediately returned to the blood pool beneath her.

She heard a chuckle from across the room, and looked across to the doorway. Anthony grinned, while Samuel walked to his throne to await whatever deed his master would be performing.

They were both dressed in black robes, and both had their long hair in pony tails. Anthony walked over to stand in front of her and ran his index finger down her bloody mid-section. He sucked the bloody finger for a moment and then ran his hand across her sweat covered face.

"I apologize for having to break you while you were unable to protect yourself, but it was better this way. I can't have you running off before we are finished." He looked up at her, but she only stared down at him with heated anger in her eyes. "Broken bones and lack of blood have made you physically weaker, but at least you are once again in control of your own mind."

The look of anger vanished and was replaced by that of realization. She was in control of herself, and there were no whispers.

"Don't worry about Marekio, he went home and left you with something you could handle." He continued to pet her cheek.

Something was missing, and it wasn't just Marekio either. She felt strange and cold, as if all that she was had been hidden from her. Yet, she was here, alive and awake, able to think and do as she pleased. She didn't understand why there was such a vacant spot within.

Anthony flicked his other hand and with several hisses the minions left the blood beneath her alone. It soon began to run into the ancient writings around the pit, and slowly filled them.

"Strange how I can drink all that I want from the floor, and steal as much from you as long as I have no wish to kill you and I shall live on. Yet, there will be no power in it for me, though it is sweet and life giving." He sniffed her bloodied abdomen.

"You are disgusting." Kailin tried to kick him, but he caught her leg in his hand.

Stepping closer to her, he squeezed her mid-section and more blood oozed from her wounds. "We are so lucky that Marekio feed you so well before bringing you to us. Or else we would have had to force it upon you." He continued to crush her with his hands.

Kailin cried out in pain, causing Anthony to look up and smile.

"Did Leila cry when you beheaded her? Feel betrayed by her own sister?"

Kailin clutched her teeth together, "You know damn well that Leila didn't want to live life as a cold blooded killer! She wanted it to end!"

Anthony brought his hand up and slapped her as hard as he could. He cupped her face with his hands immediately afterwards, "I'm sorry, mother. Sorry, so sorry."

Kailin's eyes widened, he was insane. After all this time, she thought he was just evil, but he was demented. She looked around the room at the other Mephis. Was it possible that they were all disturbed?

Her eyes went back down when she felt Anthony's soft tongue lick from the blood from around her navel.

"Sweet nectar. She will be pleased." He looked back up at her, blood had covered his chin. "Let us begin."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a clear vile. There was a gray ashy matter inside that he held up for Kailin to see. "Know what this is, mother? It's your sister's remains, I found them after you buried her." He opened the vile and let her blood drip into it. "Now, her creator's blood must be used to summon her to return."

"Summon her?" Kailin asked as he turned around and tossed the vile into the fire pit behind him.

Immediately the flames turned red, and began to raise and lower. Within the center of the pit a fiery human form began to grow. The flames swirled inward to the human form, until the skin started to solidify. Kailin's heart dropped when Leila's face began to take shape. Eyes that she had never expected to see again were now staring back at her, as she was reborn from the flames.

Long dark blonde, curly hair flowed behind her, and her angelic face gave no expression. Underneath her the fire formed a floor, and Leila walked towards Anthony and her sister. The Mephis in the room all fell to their knees, including Anthony. When she arrived in front of Kailin, she looked up with a wide grin on her face.

"Caitlyn, I have been waiting for you. I knew you would call me forth again someday." She looked up at Kailin, who said nothing to her. "I need more, Caitlyn." She licked the blood from the pole. "Please, permit me…"

Kailin kicked her away, and Leila stumbled back almost falling into the pit. Anthony had jumped up and caught her, he snatched a robe from a minion's hands and offered it to Leila.

"I see, this wasn't your doing." Leila said as she took the robe from Anthony.

"I fear not, my love." Anthony answered, "The Hallowed Elders have meddled in our affairs, and you are quite a few centuries early."

"Then there is much that needs to be explained to me." Leila was still glaring at her sister.

"Come I have some humans awaiting to fill your hunger. We shall leave mother to her thoughts."

Leila agreed and followed behind him and Samuel. Even the minions left the room, and Kailin was left dangling upon the wooden pole.

She knew that being was not her sister, that was not Leila. Whatever that thing was had the look of evil in it's eyes. Leila had never carried that look within her, and though Kailin felt her heart fill with joy for a moment, she knew the truth. This creature was nothing more then a demon inside a shell that looked like Leila. The true person that was her sister remained with her aura in the grasp of the Higher Being. Perhaps that was the plan all along. Kailin shook her head, no it wasn't possible that Leila had planned this. She hated the Mephis, but Leila was different, she truly didn't want to be evil.

Taking a moment to calm herself, she looked up at her ropes. Pulling on them had done nothing for her, she felt weak and her mind blurred as she tried to think of an escape. The sound of footsteps could be heard from the hall behind the doorway, and Samuel walked into the room. A knife in his hand, he continued towards her.

She wasn't afraid of the knife, after all, it couldn't kill her. Watching him carefully, he came to stand in front of her. He looked up and gave a half grin, before cutting away at the ropes above her and around her waist. She dropped to the ground, Samuel didn't try to catch her.

"Head down the hall to the left, you will come to a ladder. Climb it and it will take you up to an alley. I left some clothing there for you, but after that you are on your own. Understand?"

Kailin nodded.

Samuel turned to leave the room, but she grabbed his foot.

"Why are you helping me?"

Yanking his foot away from her, he shook his head. "I'm not." He said and dropped the knife to the floor for her to take as a weapon.

With that, he left her in the room alone. Blood was still pouring from her abdomen wounds and she knew she wouldn't be able to make it to Tzion's house. She would have to go to her apartment, she hoped that would be closer. Before leaving the room, she placed her lips on the blood that filled the ancient writing grooves and began to drink.

When she was finished she crawled to the wall near the doorway, picking up the knife along the way. Her right leg was broken in several places, and pained her to stand up. She didn't understand why she wasn't healing, these wounds should have been no match for Mathias' healing ability.

Using the wall and the pipes that lined it, she pulled herself into a standing position. No weight could be placed on her right leg, so she began to hop bringing herself closer to the doorway. Halfway there, she changed her mind and fell to the ground. Though she would be in a vulnerable position, it would be much quicker to crawl out then to hop out.

Samuel hadn't lied to her, she found the ladder directly to the left of the doorway. She turned to sit on her rear, and looked at her left shoulder. It still wasn't in place, and in order to climb it, she would either have to play a game of chance or force it back into it's socket. Normally it wouldn't bother her to force it, but her sensory for pain seemed to have increased to that of when she was human. She looked up the ladder, and wiped a tear from her cheek.

With her right hand, she began to pull herself to a standing position. She pulled herself onto the ladder and used her left leg to balance herself out. When she had to take her hand off to reach for another bar, she would use her chin to hold on. After what seemed to be an eternity, she pushed the man hole opened and pulled herself out. There was a brown slip-on dress and overcoat waiting for her, and Kailin quickly put them on. Taking a moment, she looked around before deciding her apartment would be the best place to go.

"You are just going to let her leave?" Leila asked Anthony as they watched her last leg leave the sewer.

"The rebirth can not begin until she has died. It would serve us better if her allies bared witness to the event, as we would be free of their scorn for a time." He grinned, "At least another two hundred years, while they waited for her to be born again."

"It will be too late by then, they will have all fallen and we shall conquer all races of man." Leila turned her back to him and headed down the hall.

---***---

Baring the pain, Kailin made it to the elevator of her building. She had tried to make it look like she wasn't injured, but knew the pain was all to visible to anyone that looked. Her shaking hand reached out and pressed the up button, as someone stepped into the elevator with her. Kailin stepped back and placed her arm upon the wall, then rested her head upon it. The sweat from her forehead moistened her arm through the jacket.

The person in the elevator didn't make a move towards the elevator controls, as the door slid closed. She didn't have the energy to care for who was sharing her space, all she could focus on was the agony that engulfed her body. The ding sounded and Kailin began her wobble down the hall to her apartment. Stopping at the door, she gently twisted the knob, but it was locked. She sighed, she would have to break the knob. Placing her hand on it, she tried to pull it from the door, but there was no strength.

"Not feeling well, Kailin?" The familiar voice of an old enemy spoke from the shadow beside her.

"Not today, Damon. Leave me alone." Kailin placed her head on the door.

A movement caught her eye, and Kailin looked down at Damon's hand. There was a key laying on his palm, which she took.

"Manager doesn't guard those too well." Damon told her.

"And I am guessing that you don't want any witnesses." She began to unlock the door.

"I have to admit that I am a little disappointed about your current condition. I always dreamt of this day, but I was the one who caused the damage." Damon said looking at the puddle of blood forming under the vampire.

The door opened and Kailin stepped inside with Damon close behind her. Leaning against the back of the couch, she looked into the old man's face. He shut the door, watching her as closely as possible. It wasn't clear to him why she would allow herself to remain in such pain, he knew she had healing abilities that could of cared for at least some of the damage.

"Silver?" He asked pointing to the blood that was staining her dress.

"Just fists." She answered and then looked down at her broken leg. "I am in no mood for polite chat, Damon. Either kill me or get out."

Damon pulled a dagger from his belt and walked to stand over her. He grabbed her hair with his other hand and pulled her head back, placing the dagger at her throat. It wouldn't kill her, but it would make him feel better. Burning down her apartment after she laid dying on the floor would do the killing for him.

There was nothing that Kailin could do, she was too weak to fight him and she knew it. She had barely made it into her apartment, there would be no way she could escape.

Slowly Damon began to pull the dagger across her neck, when he made an inch long incision, he stopped. Letting go of her hair, he took a step back and shook his head. "No, you heal up and then we will meet again. I'm not letting someone else do the job for me."

"Dead is dead." She didn't know why she said that, she didn't want him to kill her.

"I know. But after all you have done to my family and my life, I'm not going to let you get off this easy."

"You think this pain is easy?"

He chuckled, "Don't try to convince me. You know I'll regret this until my dying day, and that's what your after. Allow your memory to haunt my dreams like it does now. No, when I kill you, it'll be a battle to remember."

Kailin grinned, "You've always been too proud to take advantages when they are given."

Damon turned around to grab the door knob after he placed the dagger on his belt. Twisting the handle, he let go and turned to her. "Since we are being civil, there is always one thing I wanted to know."

"What's that?"

"Why did you let me live?"

She rose an eyebrow, "Let you live?"

"Yes, when you killed my father. I attacked you when he had died, but you only grabbed my weapon and threw it to the ground."

"Do you remember what I said?"

Damon nodded, "They die, he died because he was blinded by his own hate."

"There is your answer."

He didn't say anything, just looked at Kailin's broken body for a moment. Giving a nod, he turned back to the door. "Next time we meet, one of us isn't walking away."

"Until next time."

When the door shut and Damon's foot steps could no longer be heard, Kailin slid down to the ground. She took a moment to gather herself. Seeing Damon standing there had sent terror throughout her body, she wasn't even able to feel the pain through it. She caught herself from crying, and then crawled over to the phone. Picking it up, she dialed the numbers that she hoped would lead the help and answers. Something was very wrong, she didn't feel like a vampire anymore, but more importantly she didn't feel like Kailin either.

---***---

Opening the door, Lucas looked at Kailin laying on the ground. Gabrielle was close behind him and fell to her knees as soon as she was near her friend. Placing her hands on Kailin's shoulders, she shook her gently.

"Kailin?" Gabrielle cried.

Lucas looked at the blood that had pooled beneath her. Pulling up her dress, he checked the wounds on her stomach. They had been the only two at the mansion when Kailin called, besides Kristian. He had gone to find the others who were still looking for her within the city. Tzion was also at the mansion, but had chosen to stay in case anything else came up.

"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she healing?" Gabrielle asked him with tears in her eyes, she knew on the phone that something was severely wrong. Kailin's voice had shook when she heard her asking for help.

"We should get her to Tzion." Lucas told Gabrielle.

"How? We can't exactly take a body in front of all those people."

"The hell we can't. Do you have a comforter or any type of thick blanket?"

Gabrielle nodded and ran into her bedroom, pulling her comforter from her bed and brining it to him.
"We need to wrap her up in it, make sure they can't see any blood. If anyone asks, she is sick and we are taking her to the hospital."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why wouldn't we call an ambulance?"

Lucas sighed, "Just do it, Gabby. We don't have time for this."

"They'll call the police."

He shrugged, "Let them. Now help me wrap her up."

"Oh god." Gabrielle squeaked when she went to grab Kailin's leg. "Her bone…" She covered her mouth and pointed at it.

"Aren't you a blood sucking vampire? I think you've seen worse. We have to hurry."

Gabrielle grabbed her friend's legs and lifted her up onto the blanket, where Lucas began to roll her up. Lifting Kailin up in his arms, they headed down the elevator and into the car that they had driven.

---***---

Lucas parked the car in front of the mansion, it belonged to Tzion, but from the dust that had covered it, he knew it didn't have much use. Gabrielle immediately jumped from the car and opened the back seat door, pulling her friend out and taking the blanket from around her off. Lucas tried to help her carry Kailin, but Gabrielle already had her in her arms and was up the stairs by the time he got around to her side. He followed behind her and opened the door for her. The guard outside already knew them and didn't bother to question their reason for entry.

Taking her to Tzion's room, Gabrielle sat with her, while Lucas went to locate the elders. Looking at her beaten friend, she didn't understand. The wounds were superficial to the likes of a Hallowed, and Kailin shouldn't of gone unconscious. None of this made sense, but Gabrielle felt it. There was a weakness that she had never known to be within Kailin before, no not weakness but a void. A dark bottomless emptiness that was eating Kailin from the inside out.

"Goodness." Tzion's voice said in shock. He was standing in the doorway in his black suit, his eyes showing more emotion then usual.

He came to stand over her, looking down at the accumulated wounds. Gabrielle noticed that Lucas was not with him, and she felt strangely out of place in front of the elder.

"What has happened?"

Gabrielle shook her head and took Kailin's hand in her own. "I don't know, we went to the apartment after she called."

"She did not say?"

Again she shook her head, "I think she's dying. Can you feel it?" Gabrielle looked up into the elder's eyes. "I can't sense her and yet here she is right in front of me."

Tzion had felt it, he had sensed both Lucas and Gabrielle and wondered what had happened with Kailin. Her aura gave no tell tale sign that she was on his property. Lycorisa was looking around the city for Kailin, and therefore it couldn't of been her power.

Within the next few hours, nine elders stood around Kailin's bedside. All were uncertain as to what had occurred, Akela had attempt to enter her mind to find the truth but had been blocked out. They were finally left to force her to heal, and each elder began to feed her a small sample of their blood. Her wounds did not change and only bleed the very liquid they were giving her.

Lucas arrived once the triplets did, and came to stand next to Gabrielle. She took his hand as she waited for Kailin to show some sign of returning to them. "It's not working." She whispered into his ears and he agreed by nodding his head.

Kailin's body had gotten pale as the blood continued to pour from her wounds. Her lips were dry, cracked, and were also starting to bleed. Even her hair had been stained with the blood that was meant to keep her alive.
"Her body has stopped accepting our blood as a healing agent. She is to powerful now, there is nothing we can do." Akela was the first to speak in what seemed to be an eternity.

"There has to be something that we can do." Mathias was standing on the other side of the bed. He tried to hide it from the others, but occasionally he would reach down and squeeze Kailin's hand.

Her head shook, "It's up to her whether she wants to live or die, she has the blood needed to heal herself. Before our blood would of cured her instantly with or without her support, now it's no better then the human's blood." She pointed at Lucas.

"No, you can't just let her die!" Gabrielle cried out, but Lucas held her back from jumping forward to confront her.

Akela shook her head, "There is nothing else we can do, I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Tzion snapped, "That won't stop the Mephis from consuming the world. Try to enter her mind again, Akela! This time don't play games, the very fate of our future relies on this woman."

She folded her arms, "I have not played games, and have done all that I can." Her frown deepened, "We all said this was an ill-advised plan, and it would never work. You convinced us, all we had to do was wait another eight hundred years and everything would of went according to the prophecy. She could of taken our blood without injury, but you are impatient and everything must be done now. Thanks to you we may have lost our only chance!"

Tzion huffed, "Something had to be done, the Mephis were up to something and we had to stop them or else…"

"They would of never made a move until she was strong enough, and I have an eerie feeling that this is because of them." Akela bowed her head, "Perhaps, not all is lost. After all the Ancients did see variations of the enemy that the Evil promised. Even if she does fall, we might be able to stall them long enough…"

"The Ancients they see nothing, they do nothing, they leave everything to me. I am the prophet and they…"

"Do not speak ill of the Ancients, Tzion! They are the only reason we are here, they are the only reason we are still alive."

"Enough!" Khaldun yelled.

"I agree." Mathias added, "Bickering about this irrelevant topic will not help Kailin. We do not have time to await for another guardian, it has to be Kailin."

"Kailin isn't stronger then the Ancients, is she?" Lucas asked.

Akela shook her head and chuckled, "No, one could only dream to be as powerful and wise as…" Her eyes went to Tzion, "We should inform them immediately, perhaps their blood..."

"If the Ancients knew what we have done they would destroy us all, including Kailin." Tzion folded his arms and scowled down at her.

"You are wrong, they have protected Kailin since the dawn of her birth. She was their chosen one, she was the hero of their dreams with every evil monster that ever entered their minds." Akela's face held her anger.

"They only speak with the triplets anymore, and have not been seen by any but their eyes in hundreds of years. It would be pointless." Tzion argued.

"Yes, but the triplets can tell them." Akela looked at the three elders, who stood in the corner of the room.

They were pale beings who wore white robes and their hair in long braids behind them. Ramanan, the male of the group, was extremely large, even taller then Khaldun. His hair had lost all pigment in his years, just like his two sisters. Penina and Sidonia still appeared young, but one could see the agelessness in their eyes. Both stood barely to Ramanan's chest, their eyes a light blue. As strange as they appeared, no vampire or human alike could deny their beauty.

"Please, speak with Eva." Akela asked them, they nodded then left the room.

It was a mere moment later that Ramanan returned, lifting Kailin's broken body into his arms. He vanished suddenly with Kailin, and no words spoken.

"Tzion take the Pyrrhonian, Mathis take the human." Akela ordered.

Before Lucas or Gabrielle could understand what was occurring, they had the arms of the Hallowed around them and were blinded by the flash of a bright light.

It took a moment for their eyes to clear, but when they did they found themselves in a large dark temple. There were no candles or lit bulbs to light it, instead strange glowing white orbs encircled the area above them. Marble pillars lined the light blue rug path that led up the long stairs.

Ramanan was at the end of the temple, he walked up the long stair way to the alter above them. Laying Kailin's body down, he journeyed back down the stairs and to stand with his comrades. Once he was with them, a small pale woman came to stand behind the alter. Her eyes were colorless as was her hair, she wore a long white dress that dragged along the ground behind her. Reaching out she touched Kailin's arm with her long, slender fingers. Everyone had fallen to their knees when she came into sight, even Lucas and Gabrielle. They didn't need anyone to explain the power and greatness of the woman before them. The air was thick in her presence, as if warning them of her strength. Suddenly a feeling of sadness came over all in the temple, and all understood that their heart and minds belonged to the woman before them for a time.

A sense of failure touched their hearts, followed by more sadness and despair. In their minds they heard the angelic, calming voice of a woman and there was no doubt that it belonged to the pale woman in front of them.

"The guardian is no longer within this physical form. Nothing is left that is worth saving, what was needed as been abandoned. Another shall be born, we must pray to the Higher Being that the rebirth be delivered quickly."

"No!" Gabrielle cried out and ran up the stairs, she looked the Ancient in her colorless, expressionless eyes. "Whatever is in there is my friend, you can't just let her die. Not after all that she has suffered at the hands of your followers." She meant Tzion.

Lucas stood from his kneeling position, but did not follow Gabrielle up the stairs. "She is our friend, and you can do something I know you can. Whether the chosen one is inside her or not."

Tzion began to speak, upset by how the human and Pyrrhonian were acting. "Milady Eva, please forgive these ignorant fools."

"Hush, Tzion!" Eva rose her pale hand, "The only fool here is you!" Her voice was loud inside his mind, but calm in the minds of the others. "I warned you not to convert the Higher Being's plans to fit your own agenda. Now, look what you have done! You shall be punished, as will all who has offered their blood in this service."
"Forgive me, milady." Tzion bowed his head.

Eva turned her eyes back to Gabrielle, the anger that was once filling their heart left and was filled with regret and sympathy. Her hand reached out and brushed Gabrielle's face gently. "I am sorry, sweet Gabrielle.
Whatever I revive will not be the being that you knew. What was her is gone, what would of killed the Mephis has vanished. Do you want her to be revived and not be able to do anything that once came so naturally to her? Her aura is gone and nothing but a confused demon soul remains. A soul that does not belong here."

Lucas came to stand next to Gabrielle, realizing it was alright to stand so close to the Ancient. However, the closer he got the stronger Eva's emotions were inside of him. As soon as he was near Gabrielle, she plunged her face into his chest.

Gabrielle finally spoke after a moment, her words full of the tears she was trying not to cry. "I don't know how, but I know you can fix everything. If you say you can, then I know that Kailin would rather go down fighting then laying on your altar waiting for her last drop of blood to leave her."

"You have chosen incorrectly, but I shall bring back what I can. I fear, however, that you will regret this decision and may eventually have to end her life."

Eva raised her hands, but nothing happened. She tried yet again, and still nothing. Her face shot to Ramanan, and the feeling of horror engulfed the room.

"She can not call back her being. The Higher Being won't allow it, Kailin has gone to far to be recalled." Eva's soft voice said.

Lucas felt Gabrielle's legs give way and he held her up and she pushed herself closer to the ground. He whispered in her ear, "Kailin wouldn't want this, stand up and be strong."

They watched as Kailin's body turned to ash, all sense of hope vanished from their hearts. The hopeless was even stronger in the presence of Eva as she too felt the pain. Their savior was nothing but gray ash now, and with her disintegration came that of their own dreams.