Nocte Rapit Die: Chapter II

"Enid, why the hell did you bring him here?!" The angry voice of a young woman echoed down the hallway where Enid had been trying to discretely carry the unconscious Geraint down to the dungeon.
Enid had froze when he heard this voice, cursing under his breath before he turned to face his wife. She too had had a good relationship with Geraint, and she had wept her share of tears when he'd been kidnapped, but all relationships turn hostile when one becomes a member of the undead.
He stiffened when his beloved treaded down the hall toward them, her steps swift but quiet. She too had been a vampire hunter, a very good one. But she set down her blade when their child was born. It wouldn't do to have two parents risking their lives in their daily work, and it'd be better to have one's mother around all the time. Despite her happiness with her decision she still yearned for the thrill of the hunt on occasion, are all hunters are ought to do.
"Maria…" Enid began, his tone pleading, but she cut him off.
"How dare you bring such vermin into this house?!" Her tone was low and dangerous, not quite a shout but very much one as well, "How dare you endanger this family?! Do you even care for us? Do you not care for Elizabeth? Or me? Or the unborn child in my womb?" Her voice grew quieter as images of her child being slaughtered ran through her mind. Quiet tears ran unbidden down her beautiful face, and Enid was quite certain that his heart broke for her yet again.
"Maria, you know that I won't let any harm fall upon my family." Enid said softly, trying to both comfort her and calm her.
"Then why did you bring him here?!" She yelled, wiping angrily at her tears.
Enid sighed, "Because I couldn't leave him there! I couldn't kill him. I know this was foolish and will probably end badly, but it was my only option. Just know that I will not let him hurt either you or Elizabeth, he wouldn't want that either." He looked down at his wife's tear stained face with sad eyes. He bent his head to kiss her forehead, relieved that she let him.
"Go back to bed, dear. You need your rest." He coaxed gently. He smiled a bit when she nodded.
"I will… but do you think Geraint will retain his sanity?" She asked softly, her face the very image of despair.
Enid hesitated a moment before answering in confidence, "Yes, I do actually. He'll just need a little help." He watched as he wife managed a small smile before she turned and walked down the hall. He watched her figure until she disappeared around a corner.
He heaved a sigh before continuing on his way to the dungeon. The halls he walked through were filled with signs of his family's vast amount of wealth; silken drapes covered the windows, priceless paintings and weapons covered the stone walls. The halls were always lit, even late at night. Those who hunted the monsters of the night soon became paranoid of the dark. One could never tell when a dark creature was going to attack, though if the lights were on...well, that put the vampires out of their element, now didn't it?
The Grendel's, Enid's family, had been royalty a long time ago, though now they were only wealthy lower aristocrats who lived in a castle worthy of kings. Granted they had only recently regained their wealth, through the remuneration by those who paid to have vampires hunted down. It wasn't always a paid job, so they had to be wise with their money, though joining with the Venantium de Nocte helped them gain coin.
Enid finally arrived at the locked doors that lead down into the dungeon. He slid the key into the lock, having slight difficulty as he didn't want to drop Geraint. But he managed to twist the key and pushed the door open, crinkling his noise at the stale air that rose to meet them.
He stepped into the well-lit staircase and shut and locked the door behind them before continuing down. The winding staircase spiraled down quite a distance, and the stone walls on either side made for an uncomfortable trip. But Enid was used to all of this; it didn't bother him anymore, as it once had.
He and one of his well trusted servants, Yori Kokoro, were the only ones who had the key to this place. Both of them frequented the dungeon quite often. Yori mostly came to clean up and make sure Enid hadn't killed himself. Enid himself ventured to the dungeon for less benevolent reasons.
He heaved a sigh as he finally stepped off the last step and quickly strode across the room, dumping the man as gently as he could into a chair that was against the wall. He took a step back and gazed down at his unconscious friend with another sigh. He soon turned away and strode over to the table that was in the middle of the room.
On this table were many things. Papers were scattered on it and the floor around it, books stacked up haphazardly on the floor, vials in stands filled with odd liquids, empty vials, and syringes. There were other things as well, some right side up, others lying on their side. His table was a mess, a dangerous one. But it was obvious what he did down here. He experimented. He'd brought vampires down here before, to use for these experimentations. And he'd managed to find a way to keep a vampire's hunger at bay.
Granted the result was the intent. He'd been trying to slow down the transformation into a vampire, so that Hunters could bring their fallen to see their families one last time. Instead he'd found this. He'd assumed that it'd be completely useless at the time, but now he saw its purpose.
He grabbed one of the vials filled the strange violet liquid and gently swirled it around, examining the contents carefully. He was trying to see if it had separated or decayed at all while it had lay untouched for a good three weeks. It hadn't changed at all in appearance.
So he paced over to Geraint and pulled the cork out of the vial. He poured the liquid into his friend's mouth, tilting his head back slightly until he watched the fledgling swallow.
He sighed quietly in relief and stepped away from the hunter turned vampire. He threw the empty vial across the room, listening to it shatter with slight satisfaction. It felt good to destroy things while frustrated. It helped elevate his sense of helplessness, though only a little.
He rubbed at his eyes before suddenly throwing his hands up in irritation. He could think of no solution to their problem. He hadn't been able to save his best friend's life, but he'd allowed him to have an infinite amount of time undead. His logic said yes, but his soul screamed no. But that wasn't what he was frustrated about.
He couldn't think of a way to keep Geraint hidden, to keep him safe. The Venantium de Nocte often went through Enid's house. Merely because he'd kept vampires prisoner here before. They were for his experiments, but The Venantium de Nocte fancied themselves the protectors of humanity.
The original vampire hunters, contact hunters, like Geraint and Enid were trouble causers according to The Venantium, merely because they used any means necessary to get the job done. The Venantium didn't like recklessness. They were orderly and had great strength in numbers, and what's more is that they had the blessings of the king. Meaning they could practically do as they pleased so long as they didn't anger the sovereign.
Enid found them to be as abhorrent as the creatures they destroyed. Ah, but what's better, a vile undead or a vile human? At least the undead had an excuse. The human had no reason but his own wretchedness to blame for his actions.
Enid's thoughts were cut short by the sound of Geraint groaning. The hunter flicked his eyes in the direction of the stirring vampire. He allowed a smile to surface on his thin lips when Geraint's eyes opened, his deep green eyes slightly glazed.
"Are you alright, Geraint?" Enid asked softly, walking back toward the vampire and crouching on the floor in front of him.
Geraint lifted his eyes to Enid and gave a small crooked smile, "I feel horrible Enid. It feels vaguely like I was drunk off my ass the night before, beaten in a brawl, tripped down the stairs, and was thrown from a horse. All within the same hour."
Enid chuckled, "You do realize that's happened to you before, yes?"
The vampire frowned, "Has it? Then I feel like I've been dragged to hell and back twice."
"I'll take your word on that. Can you stand?" Enid asked somewhat gently, wondering if this would truly be alright. He'd convinced himself that it would be; he'd have to make it so.
Geraint frowned again, his brow knitting in thought, "I'm not sure. Let me try."
Enid nodded and stood up, taking a step to the side so that he'd be out of the way yet still close enough to catch Geraint should he fall.
Geraint climbed to his feet but fell right over into Enid's arms. The vampire chuckled as he wrapped an arm around the hunter's shoulder to straighten himself.
"It seems I cannot stand." He said happily into Enid's ear, though he didn't know what caused his mirth.
Enid sighed, "Well, that makes things difficult…" He trailed off, trying to think of what to do with Geraint now. He certainly didn't want to carry him up the stairs again.
After a moment of silence Geraint finally spoke, "Hey…Enid…you smell delicious. I want to eat you…but I lack the urge. Did you use your odd concoctions on me?" His voice sounded a tad bit confused but he didn't seem upset about the deed that Enid had done.
Enid chuckled dryly, "Yes, I'm just glad they work. I should make more of them." He glanced back at the vials that were still on his table. He sighed lightly and pulled Geraint up again before glancing back to the stairs.
Geraint bit his lip, "They won't work forever; I am weak for a reason." He smiled a bit, "But what are you going to do Enid?" He asked softly, quite certain that something was wrong. Enid was acting odd.
Enid frowned, "The Venantium de Nocte is coming tonight to 'examine' my dungeon. I am trying to think of a place to stuff you until they leave." He felt like he was hiding a criminal. No, he was hiding a criminal. His heart froze at the thought of what would happen if his felon were caught. His family would be slaughtered, merely for being in the same building as a vampire. The Venantium de Nocte was merciless and heartless, not even his daughter would be spared.
"Ah," Geraint muttered, "In that case it'd be best to put me out in the stable." He suggested with a chuckle, "I am a beast now, after all."
Enid gritted his teeth, "Dammit Geraint, do not peak in such a manner. You're not a beast, nor are you a monster. Just because you're no longer human doesn't make you such a thing." He said angrily through his teeth. He did not know who was trying to convince, Geraint or himself?
The fledgling vampire sighed, "No, I am a beast now Enid. But I will try not to become a monster. We have no time to argue this though, let us hurry now. Lest we be caught in your halls."
Enid nodded, helping the weak vampire up the stairs, though the vampire gained enough strength to be able to walk without assistance much faster than Enid had expected.
Geraint would be strong as a vampire, most likely because of who his sire was. The older the vampire the stronger they became. If an old vampire created a fledgling then the fledgling would have a portion of its sire's strength. That also meant that the vampire would be stronger than its sire as it aged. Thankfully not many ancient vampires chose to make offspring.
The two made their way through the manse in silence. Enid felt the need to fill the tense atmosphere with speech, but no words came to mind.
He glanced at Geraint every once in a while, but the vampire kept his gaze straight ahead. After a while Geraint finally spoke, "Your daughter is awake. I think she means to speak to us." He muttered his soft voice like velvet, a quality that he'd never had as a human.
Enid frowned, sighing deeply. Elizabeth was supposed to have been asleep hours ago, but then again she had vampire hunter blood flowing through her veins. It was no wonder she found it hard to sleep at night.
Sure enough the little girl peeped out from behind a corner as they approached. Enid sighed again, and gestured for her to come to him. Geraint stopped a few feet behind, standing eerily still.
The young girl ran to her father, wrapping her arms around him with a smile, "Papa, where have you been? It Uncle Geraint alright?" She spoke quickly and excitedly, though her tone was quiet, probably afraid that Maria would hear her.
Enid lifted the girl up into his arms, holding her close, "Eliza, you are supposed to be in bed. But yes, Geraint is fine." He both admonished and reassured. The girl had always called Geraint Uncle, at no prodding from anyone at all. They were not related obviously, but Eliza seemed to think that they were. Enid and Maria had never felt the need to correct her, and Geraint had taken the title to his heart.
Eliza giggled and wormed out of Enid's arms, running over to Geraint. The vampire stiffened when the girl hugged him. He locked eyes with Enid, a question in his gaze.
Enid gave a small smile and nodded, knowing why Geraint was hesitating. He didn't know if he would be alright with a vampire touching his daughter. Normally Enid wouldn't be of course. But this was Geraint. Nonetheless he did watch carefully.
The fledgling knelt and brought Eliza into his arms, a small smile on his face, "I am fine Lizzy dear. Your papa made sure of that. Now go to bed dearest. I don't want you getting in trouble." He patted her head then stood, the smile falling from his lips.
Elizabeth beamed, "Good. I will Uncle Geraint, but only because you are here now. Night!" She turned and quickly hugged Enid before running back down the hall.
Enid sighed, "She loves you Geraint." He said softly, looking over the vampire, noting his blank expression. He'd always believed that vampirism erased all of one's former personality, but Geraint had seemed much the same. Had he been wrong? This expression wasn't one that belonged to the ever animated Geraint.
"I know…" The vampire muttered, "I still hold the same feelings toward her Enid, so do not give me that look. I just don't think that I should. Affection equates to bloodlust, and I would rather die than have any in your family marred by my fangs."
Enid sighed at Geraint's sorrowful expression, "I don't think it will come to that Geraint, but come on. Time is running short." He turned and walked down the hall, his long strides quick.
The vampire sighed, "Time is the only thing I have left." He muttered before hurrying after his mortal Blade Brother.