New Kingdom: American Court Ch. 12

"An act that was committed by all brothers except Gabriel," Efisio replied.

"The blood was here! The children were created in his hospital! How can that not be considered negligent?"

"Because Edward recognized the enemy's presence eight years ago and asked us to assist him in defeating it. What have we done? Handed a death sentence to numerous vampires? How have we fulfilled our obligation? Edward has but the laws of the New Kingdom to fulfill. We took an oath to stand with him in this fight but we quickly became comfortable in our complacency. Now, I ask you to give your vote of confidence in support of Edward as our king and, in doing so, you will reaffirm your vow to fight for the New Kingdom, our people and our lives. Call to vote."

Before the first member could speak, Gabriel bent over at his waist. With a growl, he turned to the door and pulled Alena behind him. He spared a quick glace to Edward and crouched into an attack pose.

"Gentlemen," he said, "you are about to see your enemy."

Once again, the doors to the chamber opened and Helen strolled into the room. Forgetting Gabriel's orders, Alena looked up to see the female vampire's entrance. The woman's hair and eyes were richer in color. Her skin was glowing in flawless pale color similar to that of cream. She had changed into a flowing blue dress that added the perfect effect for the erupting drama. She was beautiful before. Now, she was walking perfection.

"Talk, talk, talk," she chimed in her melodic voice and smiled stretching her plump red lips over her brilliant white fangs. "Even now, you talk about the years you have wasted away talking."

"Why is this woman free?" demanded one of the Council members.

"Because I have not lived five hundred years to be imprisoned by you," she hissed with her eyes flashing in anger. "Your time has ended."

The following silence was soon interrupted by a sound similar to the loud beat of a drum. As the sound grew closer to the chamber door, Alena tried to look and felt Gabriel push back into her body. He quickly glanced her way with an expression of concern. Once again, she dropped her eyes to the floor but focused on the nearing sound that pounded like the heavy, exaggerated steps of something very large and heavy approaching the door.

When the steps stopped at the threshold, only twenty feet from where Alena stood, she concentrated on the veins running through the marble floor. At the sound of someone's startled gasp, Alena nearly collapsed. Forgetting Gabriel's warning, she lifted her eyes to look towards the doorway and into the eyes of the beast from her nightmare. Red skin, fangs and wings.

"What is it?" someone in the Council asked in a whisper.

"It?" the beast asked looking straight into the man's eyes. "I am Nafar, prince of this land given to me for faithful service, master of you who choose to obey and destroyer of those who refuse. My people are the Panthralges, loved first but betrayed by our love, who sought a second love and now betrayed them. Together, the first and second will rule heaven and earth and remove the unfaithful love and the Third Creation."

As he spoke, Nafar advanced into the room towering at least a foot over everyone. When he approached Helen, she fell to his feet in an expression of devotion. He gently reached one clawed hand down to lift her face and assist her to stand.

"Rise, my little queen," he ordered. "All of the strength found in the New Kingdom is now in you, mother. You have given the life and tasted the blood of the Third Creation. Soon, you may have the reward you seek. Now, bring me the child."

As Helen approached the children, Alena turned to Gabriel eyes full of panic. She could see the indecision on his and face and was confused by his hesitation to rescue the children. Since he had not repeated Helen's plan for her destruction, she could not know why he delayed leaving her side.

"Gabriel," she whispered. "Please. Save them."

As Helen lifted Joshua from his blankets, the child struggled in her arms and began crying as though he understood the impending danger. With a smile to the entire audience, she raised him to her face and inhaled as though savoring the aroma of a fine cuisine. Slowly, she guided her hand down the boy's arm breaking his skin with her nail.

The scent of the blood, containing the essence of six of the most powerful vampires, filled the room. Hisses escaped the stoic faces as their self control crumbled into desire to sample the child's sweet bouquet. Alena looked around the room seeing the diplomatic men creeping closer to the scene.

With a laugh, Helen turned to face Alena and opened her mouth to reveal the brilliant white fangs. Her attack was quick but not quicker than Gabriel's. As she descended her mouth to the child, Gabriel moved so fast the rush of wind stole Alena's breath. Before touching the child with her lips, Helen felt the vice grips of Gabriel's hands on the sides of her head. In less than a second, she transitioned from the victor to the defeated.

Without loosening her hold on the child, she screamed in pain and Gabriel crushed her skull. The last sound she heard was the snap of breaking bones. The last site she saw was the spray of blood leaving her body. Before her dead hands released Joshua, Gabriel tenderly transferred the baby from Helen's hands and into Alena's quickly licking the wound on the child's arm sealing the flow of blood.

With a final deed, Gabriel returned to Helen's body and separated the skull from the neck ensuring that no vampire blood would resurrect her back into his life. Turning to look at his mate, he watched in horror as Alena gently rocked the baby in her arms and looked at him with a smile not knowing that Nafar was standing a breath behind her. The Panthralges spread his wings and smiled at Gabriel.

"You have escaped paying for your crimes today Gabriel. But I will demand an eye for an eye and no Council can help you now," Nafar said as he wrapped his wings around Alena's arms pulling her close to his body.

With Joshua in her arms, she was afraid to move and cause injury to the child. In a panic, she looked at Gabriel regretting the misery she saw in his face. There was no way he could reach Nafar before she was killed. Facing the moment of death, Alena's mind raced through a multitude of thoughts of love, loss, hope, regret and happiness. Believing that she now understood the purpose of her life was to save the children, she silently offered a prayer of thanks that she had been given the chance to love Gabriel, even if it was for such a short time.

Silently mouthing the words "I love you" to him, she turned to her sister and smiled.

"Master," Iona said pulling away from Edward, "You've come for me." She kneeled before the Panthralges looking up to him with eyes of devotion.

"Iona?" Edward asked in confusion.

"Forgive me Master," Iona continued ignoring Edward. "Please forgive my weakness. I will never fail you again. Let me take Helen's place and I'll be greater than she could have hoped to be."

"Child," Nafar said touching Iona's head, "you left me."

"No Master. They took me from you. I fought them. You saw me fight," she said dropping her eyes. "I thought you left me. Forgive me for doubting you. You have returned for me."

"How can I trust you little one?" Nafar said with a growl. "I had such plans for you and you fell into your own trap. You were to seduce Edward and you let him seduce you."

"Give me the child, Master," she pleaded. "Kill this human who is too weak to change and we will share the blood of kings from this boy."

Nafar looked from Gabriel to Edward, laughing at the hopelessness that both men shared.

"Watching Helen drink the blood would have been amusing. Seeing the effect of your betrayal break Edward is priceless!" he said with a mocking laugh. "Give her the child," he demanded.

Silently, Alena passed the child into Iona's waiting arms staring into her sister's eyes for a second before looking back down to the floor. When she looked at Gabriel, she gasped at the changes transforming his body. His eyes rapidly turned from black to blue and then green and gold before finally returning to black. At one point she had seen a stronger resemblance to Edward and then to Heron.

"What is this?" Nafar demanded witnessing the physical changes in his adversary.

"You were trying to capture the power of the Third Creation through our blood," Gabriel said with a strong voice. "The strength that flows through our veins will drive any ordinary vampire insane. But now, the blood of the Third Creation flows through me. And I am not an ordinary vampire."

Nafar tossed Alena across the room crouching in defensive pose. Watching Gabriel as the sound of the woman's body slammed into the wall, he laughed out loud mocking the vampire's pain.

"Your woman is dying, your kingdoms are dying and you will be dying very soon," Nafar said with a snarl.

Iona pulled Joshua close and swiftly moved to Abigail carefully lifting her into her arms. Avoiding eye contact with Edward, she watched Nafar and Gabriel as they faced each other ready to attack. Staying close to the wall, she walked towards the door and turned to look at the scene once again. Sensing Edward's eyes following her motions, she resisted the urge to glance in his direction. In addition, she avoiding the lump of human flesh, that she had called sister, quivering in the floor struggling to hold onto her pathetic human life. With only one witness seeing her exit, she sped through the door and down the corridor.

"Thousands of years we have spent in unspeakable torture hoping for the day that we can return to our former glory," Nafar said baring his mouth full of fangs.

"You are not the Fallen," Gabriel stated.

"Our fathers are the Fallen from the First Creation who mated with the daughters of the Second. We are the Panthralges. Submit to me Gabriel. Be the general to my army and you will know greatness beyond anything you can imagine."

"Tonight, you die," Gabriel promised and charged the beast.

As though granite were slammed into granite, their bodies crashed together echoing in the room while the Edward, Heron and members of the Council stood in fear and shock. When each resisted the strength of the other, they released their hold and returned to an attack pose.

Leaping high in the air, Nafar jumped over Gabriel's head soaring with his wings to flip and land behind Gabriel's back. Locking his arms around Gabriel's shoulders, he held the vampire imprisoned in his grasp with no way to inflict bodily damage.

With a roll of his shoulders, Gabriel broadened his chest and expanded his girt breaking Nafar's hold. Before the Panthralges could attack, Gabriel turned around facing his opponent. With all his strength, he slammed his fist into Nafar's chest knocking the Panthralges from his feet. Grabbing Nafar by the neck, Gabriel lifted him to his feet and then higher barely noticing the beast clawing at his arm in effort to release his hold.

"I am not alone," Nafar declared. "More will come and you will lose everything."

"You get to take nothing from me," Gabriel state and then with all of the strength of his brothers slammed his fist into the chest of the Panthralges puncturing through the protective wall surrounding the beast's heart. Clinching his fist, he grabbed the pounding heart and crushed the pulsing organ until it was nothing more than a handful of blood clots splashing to the floor as Gabriel removed his hand.

Dropping the body to the floor, Gabriel bent over as though he were in great pain. With a deep inhale, he stood straight, throwing back his head and yelled at the top of his lungs. He crossed his arms over his chest and bent over again with his shoulders shaking in a sob. Collapsing to the floor, he saw Edward approach him as Heron rushed to Alena.

"Take me to her," he said gasping in pain.

"What's wrong brother?" Edward asked lifting Gabriel's head. "He never hit you."

"Your blood," he said with panting breath. "The blood of the brothers is boiling in my body."

"And you are the only one strong enough to bear it," Edward declared. "Hold on, I'll take you to her."

When he managed to place Gabriel next to Alena, he cringed at the site of the girl's body. No matter how much she had changed, her remaining human frailness would not survive the trauma of her injuries. As she tried to speak, the blood pooling in her mouth would spill out or slide down her throat choking her as she moved her lips.

"Babies," she whispered.

"I'm so sorry," Edward said with a cry. "She betrayed us. I was a fool to think I had saved her."

"No," Alena said between painful breaths. "Trick. Plan. Hiding them. We had to plan. Keep from you."

"Baby," Gabriel said slowly rising to sit beside her. "You planned that? She's hiding?"

"Yes," she said with a weak lopsided smile. "Cellar."

"Have someone check the wine cellar," Gabriel said to no one in particular while stroking his fingers through her hair matted with blood. "I guess there is a reason for everything."

"Mine is finished," she said as a tear slid from her eye.

"No," Gabriel said lifting her into his strong arms. "In comparison to eternity, you are just beginning."

Biting his wrist he opened his vein and watched the blood of the Third Creation pour from the wound. Gently cradling her head, he held his wrist to her lips.

"Drink my love. The reason for your wait is so you could have the blood of every ruler of the New Kingdom."

As her lips latched on to his skin, he could feel the liquid rush from his body nourishing hers. When she let go, she smiled with the stain of red across her lips and the shadow of death crossing her face.

"I love you, Gabriel," she whispered and closed her eyes.

In silence, his brothers sat with him as the members of the Council approached the group huddled on the floor. The only sound was the unsteady rhythm of a dying heart. As the beats slowed and paused, she struggled to breathe gasping for air and forcing it back from her lungs. When her heart stopped in mid rhythm, she gasped again and tensed in her final departure from the human life that she had bravely endured.

After only three seconds, Gabriel smiled and placed his lips to hers. Weak at first, the newborn's heart started and struggled until it found its preternatural rhythm matching all others in the room.

Wrapping his arms around Gabriel and his newborn mate, Edward said loudly, "The New Kingdom population has just increased by one!"