Blood of the Skies and Shadows - Chapter Ten

Hello everyone, I'm so happy I got quite a few comments for my last chapter! Anyway I'm on a mission to not take a while to post a chapter, so yes cheer for me! Oh I forgot to put in my last chapter 'Merry Christmas!' he..he, its way too late but yes! And 'Happy New Year' everyone, I hope your new year resolutions come true this year! Cross my fingers mine do! Anyway I really hope you enjoy this chapter, please comment on what you think and thanks for reading! Oh and thanks to fans of 'Blood and Shadows' who have kept reading my series, I love you guys the most! Anyway next chapter will be out hopefully shortly after this one!

All my love, Caelia.
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Ian.
My annoying vampire instincts were warning me, screaming at me to leap up and recognize the threat and get my ass out of there. My eyes flew wide open as I remembered what the hell had happened. I let my instincts invade my mind over me, pulling me up on to a crouch on the ground. Slowly I took in my surroundings, examining everything with cautious detail. It was dark, real dark except for the small line of moonlight that shined through a small barred window above where I crouched. I switched senses, letting my nose take over. There was a faint smell of earth. Moist soil, I thought. The ground beneath me was cement but dead leaves scattered the ground. That meant I was close to where she knocked me out. I continued smelling. Rusted metal. Bars most likely. I looked around vigilantly, sure enough I was in some sort of cell. The bars were darkened with age and rust, but still seemed strong. Next to me was a dark hunter green folding cot, but it could have been made dark because of the lighting around me. My guess was, that was where I'd leaped up from. I continued scanning every inch of the cell. Around me and stretching outside the cell were walls of endless smoothed granite stones. Outside my cell a couple of feet away was a small bricked staircase leading to a heavy steel door.

I ran my fingers out the granite wall that opposite the cell bars. Granite was one of the strongest stones around but it wouldn't be extremely hard to break through, it'd take a couple punches, it would make a lot of noise and it would take me at least three minutes to break through. The metal bars would be by far the easiest to get through and I could rip off the steel door with no problem but I wouldn't know how many vampires or whatever the hell I saw out in the forest there would be that I'd have to fight, I wouldn't know how big the place was and I wouldn't know where the exit was. Since I was in some kind of underground cell there was better chance of me breaking through the granite and get a straight exit or at least soil. I'd have to dig my way out but it'd be easier than risking it with whatever was outside the door.

Just as I was ready to start breaking through the granite, my hearing perked up on low murmuring of several voices.

"I told you to be careful. Oh well, at least we've Ian now. You made it easier to capture him." Isabeau's sweet cruel voice said. I could see the delighted smile that matched her cold black eyes that lusted for blood.

"I don't see why you need him, Kyle is much better than that traitor. Why didn't you just give Ian to one of the demons?! Since Alexia and her friends ambushed us, our numbers are lingering! We need all the shadow creatures we can get! That traitor is strong and if we put a more smart demon in him, we'd be more likely to wipe out more of those filthy humans! And kill Alexia and her damn friends in the process!" Ruby's high pitched voice wailed, obviously pissed. I'd seldom saw her calm unless she was in front of Helios. A long pause followed, the animosity filling the silence evidently. Ruby never really knew how to control that kid temper of hers.

"Don't forget to whom you speak to Ruby Pierson. I'm not like your master Helios, you aren't a pet who amuses me. I'll kill you as I did to him and his brother without any hesitation if I wish." Isabeau said, her sweet feminine voice turning flat and cold, her tone full of hidden vehemence. After a moment her voice turned sweet and amused again.

"And I've already thought of all the points you've brought up. But only Ian's body is capable of holding Matthias' power. If Kyle tried to contain Matthias' soul and power he would surely die." A gleeful and sadistic giggle filled the pause. Isabeau.

"My demons are working and are already gaining more shadow creatures, so our numbers are building quiet fast. Therefore when they feed next we'll be able to exterminate a handful of humans. Besides my other demons are rising steadily and roaming all around the human world. It's only a matter of time before everything is ready." Isabeau finished chiding, her sweet voice eager with excitement.

"And Demetri's group?" I heard Kyle's voice ask. Blank and aloof as always.

"Oh they're no problem. One by one his companions are being caught by my demons. When they are at their lowest in numbers we just have to snatch him and whatever others we can use." Isabeau answered, the excitement in her voice rising.

"Why not just kill them? I want to slice off Demetri's head myself and the human sleaze he keeps as well." Ruby asked impatiently, her childish voice hard and poisonous. I kept a snarl from escaping my throat. Ruby was talking about Lexi. Honestly I'd never wanted more than now to rip open her throat. I shook the blood lust off and focused.

"No, do not touch Demetri! I need him." Isabeau shrieked curtly. Her French accent becoming more dominant, though her English was still clear. Her feminine voice had become terrible with rage and malice. A deadly pause followed. Someone sighed irritably. Isabeau, I guessed.

"As for the human girl, she's a strange one. Apparently according to my demons, there's something wrong with her blood. I'm not sure whether this is the truth or not, so bring her back as well, we'll see if we can use her to our advantage. Kill her if she becomes too problematic." Isabeau said blatantly, her voice still exasperated. I grit my teeth, the blood lust in me making the venom in my mouth stir vigorously and my fangs started protruding.

"I'll plan the next attack with Matthias. You two will capture more shadow creatures, without them my demons are unlikely to be able to stay in the human world for long, not before we recreate it. Also find who the human vessel is. We have to kill them or else there may be a war between the two realms. I cannot have that, it's too much of a risk." She said, the anger in her delicate voice was rising, though no one else seemed to suspect it.

"Get stuck with the errand boy jobs." Ruby muttered, still loud enough for my ears. I actually grinned smugly. Before Lexi, Ruby had always been somewhat mature despite her physical age. She'd always been cruel and bloodthirsty, perpetually filled with malice and except for the occasional temper-tantrum, with something not going her way which afterwards it always would. She'd been composed and icy cold because she was always the one with the advantage. But ever since Lexi, she was childish, edgy, made consistent mistakes and was constantly angry at someone, most times for no particular reason. I almost laughed aloud when I heard Isabeau speak again.

"Go watch over them, my plans for reunion with him can't be ruined by some lowly vampires like her." The anger in her voice was plain deadly. The sweetness of her voice had evaporated and her words sounded closer to growling than anything else. There was a low hiss and then all became quiet.

"Have you prepared everything for that thing?" The fury in her voice was dissolving slowly, she just sounded disinterested.

"Yeah, it'll be interesting." A guy's voice answered, he sounded young but something in that blank voice of his made me think he was powerful. Isabeau sighed, sounding plain bored.

"I don't see why you want to do this. It just doesn't seem interesting enough to play with." Isabeau said airily. A low chuckle.

"I want to know why it's so special to the vampires around here. Besides it will be easier to catch what we want if we have it at hand. Once we're done with it we'll just dispose it, after all, it is another disgusting human no matter how special she is." The guy said, his voice cruel and taunting. I waited to hear more but after footsteps leaving in the distance it was quiet again for a moment. The clacking of high-heels sounded and came closer towards me. The heavy steel door cracked open slowly inch by inch. As it did I stepped into the corner of my cell, away from the revealing light. When the door was fully open the entire room brightened just a bit and down the stairs came petite Isabeau. She wore tight black jeans, high-heeled black boots, black shirt and black leather jacket and her hair was tied in a loose bun. For a moment I thought she was Lexi. I chuckled at myself.

"What's funny, Ian?" She asked sweetly, an intrigued grin on her face. I cut of my brief laughter to answer her.

"I thought you were beautiful for a second, but that's only because I thought you were someone else." I answered her, my tone teasing and taunting. She smiled, her fangs gleaming in the small ray of light.

"Oh yes, that human girl. I don't know why you and Demetri are so infatuated with her." She folded her arms across her chest and turned to pace, her smile still gleaming in the glare of the fluorescent light. I had nothing to say. Was I really infatuated with Lexi? I didn't answer the question in my head but I think I already knew what it was. I didn't notice I had shut up. She giggled again and stopped in front of my cell.

"By the way, it's very naughty to eavesdrop, Ian." Isabeau giggled. I pulled myself together and kept playing her game. Whatever it was.

"If you knew, then why let me listen? And it's also very naughty to lock people in dungeons without their permission. Just saying." I countered, sarcastically yet with a playful tinge to my tone. When you're a vampire it's always better to hide whatever you're feeling thinking with some attitude. I'd learn that somewhere along the line of my history with Helios, Seleucus and Corrina. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"You aren't able to do anything with that information because you're locked up in here. Besides I locked you up because I need you and you being obsessed with that human trash would never allow you to help me willingly, so I took you by force. Simple as that." She said, brushing back a loose strand of hair. I chuckled.

"You really think I'd help you, after kidnapping me?" I asked rhetorically. Feeling smug. She smirked in the light. I dropped my smug grin immediately.

"Oh, you don't need to be willing, I just need you to be here. You really don't have to do anything at all." She said each word carefully, enjoying the fact I was being forced against my will. She turned and started up the stairs towards the steel door, but stopped short just before she reached the top step. She craned her neck to smile broadly at me.

"You might want to save your energy instead of trying to escape. The inside perimeter of your cell's entombed with a spell. The tomb spell will activate as soon as you touch it, you won't even be able to touch the granite after that. Besides my pets outside will wreck your pretty face if you somehow do manage to escape. Which would be very rare." She giggled gleefully once more and stepped back upstairs, bolting the steel door shut behind her. I grit my teeth and stepped forward, closer to the bars of my cell. I'd heard about tombs made with spells, they kept shadow creatures from going in places, but only for fear of never being able to escape. That's why vamps and really any other shadow hated tombs.

I inched my hand forward, palm first, in between two bars. When my fingers looked like they were going to pass the two bars, they stopped and flattened against something invisible. It was like pressing my fingers against glass. I pushed and tried to break to it but it wouldn't shatter. I pulled my hand back, clenched it and punched. It felt like my fist had hit a smooth cement wall, but I could punch through that.

"Shit." I muttered. I spun around to the granite wall. I raised my fist again and attacked the granite. Again the same feeling of hitting a glossy smooth cement wall. I didn't even crack the stone. I cursed again and continued attacking the granite, each time not any more helpful than the last. After a while, a few hours, my brain acknowledged, I felt like I was sweating, which I never would again thanks to my vampire body, and my lungs felt like they were burning a tired man's voice spoke to me. It was, well beautiful but sad, lonely and kind of desperate. He wasn't human.

"It isn't possible to break through the tomb. You'll never be able to escape the tomb unless the spell is lifted." He said. His voice though tired was somehow old but not physically, just as if he had the earth's history of knowledge weighing heavily on him. He also sounded wise and had the kind of voice that makes people know he has power. He coughed for a while and after he settled, his breaths were painful pants.

"Who are you?" I asked irritably, dropping on to the edge of my cot. I lay back, folding my hands behind my head. I stared up at the barred window above me, the gentle moonlight shining through. I repressed a sigh and waited impatiently for his breathing to calm down so he could answer me.

"Gabe." He answered heavily. I grinned. After listening to a whole world of ancient names I get a 'Gabe' stuck with me in a dungeon.

"Ian." I gave him, a smile in my voice. My head raced back to the situation and I became alert.

"Are you okay?" I asked half-heartedly.

"No, I'm on the verge of death actually. But lucky for me I'm not prone to death a lot. She's tortured me, but she's keeping me alive because she needs something of me." He said between some coughs. His strong voice was filled with strong hatred but not the blood-curdling cruel kind more like the 'I'm going to pay you back' kind.

"Knowing Isabeau, she wouldn't likely need to use someone on the verge of death. And she wouldn't torture someone unless she wants them to die just slowly and painfully. So why does she need you? And how come you're surviving it? Uhh...barely." I asked, now interested in my questions. There was a dead silence that followed and after a few minutes I realized he wasn't going to talk. So I shut my eyes and rested, but didn't sleep. A part of my consciousness was always circumspect and kept my senses on, so I'd know if danger was near. But other than that I didn't see what else I could do for now. I was a vampire stuck in a powerful as hell tomb. Somehow though I felt cautious and edgy, I knew that someone would find out soon. Demetri wasn't dumb though he always looked blank and Lexi sure as hell would find out. She was headstrong, brave and would do anything to help a person out, even if that person was a vamp. I found my lips smiling at seeing her stubborn face in my head. A stab of hot pain struck against my chest, but my lips kept smiling sadly.

I threw an arm over my eyes, like I was trying to shield them from the image of her.

"What am I doing?" I whispered quietly at myself, the annoying smile still on my face and Lexi's face still stuck behind my eyelids.