Chapter 8: Vengeance Taken

Anaya and Godric came upon the enemy caravan in a matter of hours. Stalking through the trees, they studied the soldier's ranks, devising the best plan of attack. There seemed to be about 20 of them at the most.

"There are the villagers," Anaya said, pointing to an iron cage cart in the middle of the caravan. She knew her sister and brother were cramped in there among the others and all she wanted to do was attack.

Godric leaned in close, his eyes fixed on the men on the trail below. "When we attack, it must be quick and crippling. Go for their commanders first, without them, the rest are but confused soldiers."

Anaya nodded as she pulled her father's sword from the sheath on her back. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the weight of it in her hand. This was her moment to strike at those who had destroyed her family. She was ready.

"Father, with your sword I will bring us vengeance," she vowed, her breath falling on the air in soft trundles of fog.

Then, swift as the wind itself, she charged down the hill, her blade in hand- the steel ready to taste blood. Godric followed after her, keeping his distance so that she may have her fill of carnage. Flying through the line of soldiers, she dispatched the two closest to the slave cart. She did not stop, but rather continued to sprint into the trees on the opposite side of the trail for cover. Godric, close on her heels, ripped the throats from two more men as he made his pass across the road.

The remaining soldiers looked around in confusion as to what had just happened. They drew their weapons and started to form a circle around the cart, shouting to each other to look for the attacker.

Anaya pressed herself into the back of one of the nearby trees like a patch of moss. She did not think the men saw where she had gone. Godric appeared in front of her in an instant, his mouth stained red with fresh blood. Dragging his fingers into the human paint on his lips, he reached out and smeared three fingers down Anaya's forehead to the tip of her nose and over her mouth.

"Take your revenge, little one," he whispered to her, his feral gaze unwavering.

Anaya nodded sharply before turning and sending two daggers sailing through the air. They made their home in the chest of an unsuspecting soldier. This stirred the anxiety of the enemy causing them to become disorientated. Gripping onto her father's sword once more, she headed back into the fray to face them head on.

Blood covered the ground, mixing into the mud and dirt as soldier after soldier fell by her hand. Godric watched from the edge of the forest as she fought with an untold fury. She did not seem to tire; in fact her strength grew with every swing of her sword.

Once she had brought the last man down to her knees she cleaved his head from his shoulders in a fit of rage. Blood dripped from her hair and limbs and cooled in the winter air. Godric slowly approached the warrior, pleased by her animalistic display of skill.

Anaya sheathed her sword and crossed her shaking arms in front of her as she breathed heavily from exhaustion. She then remembered her sister and brother and the rest of the villagers in the cart. Wasting no time, she headed over to their cage and set about freeing them.

"Anaya," Gallia breathed in relief as she clutched their brother protectively to her. "I never thought I'd see you again, dearest sister."

"Nor I," Anaya replied with a smile as she helped some of the villagers from the wagon. "Are you or Caio hurt?"

"No, thank the gods," she said, jumping down to the ground. "Father, is he?-" Gallia squeaked out, she could barely ask the question. Anaya's eyes flickered to the ground as she shook her head. It was all Gallia needed to see to confirm what she already thought she knew.

"He fought to the very last," Anaya told her. Gallia nodded as she helped Cioa jump from the cart to the ground. It was somewhat of a comfort to know that their father had died with honor.

Anaya bid each one of the villagers to make for home as she sliced the bindings from their hands. Terrified and confused, they promptly obeyed her. Gallia, however, stayed behind. She looked over to Godric and immediately recognized him from her wedding. Unsure of what to say to the stranger her sister seemed so attached to, she just stared at him curiously.

Anaya left Gallia's side and went to unharness the horses from the cart. "You should take these horses back to the village. They are very valuable."

"You're words suggest that I will be taking them alone, why? Do you plan on leaving us?" She asked, confused as to why her sister would even think of abandoning her family.

"I must, Gallia," She answered, looking over to Godric who regarded her with a serious nod. She had given him her word that she would allow him to turn her after she had taken her vengeance. Now that she had rescued Gallia, she had to honor her promise.

"Does this have something to do with him?" Her sister asked, pointing to Godric who remained completely did not answer, validating Gallia's guess. "You cannot go with him! He is a runaway slave, Anaya. Owen told me so when he noticed the brand on his back. People are bound to be looking for him."

It took everything in Godric's power not to bare his teeth at her insult. Still, he stayed silent, knowing that this was Anaya's argument to settle.

"I already know this, Gallia. He told me himself. I am going with him regardless," she said completely unbending. Turning back to the horses, she continued to strip them of their bridals.

As she slipped one of the leather straps out of the many buckles, she heard a piercing scream from Gallia. Her heart froze in her chest at the sound. Before she could turn to see what was the matter, she felt a searing pain travel through her lower back and into her stomach. Crumpling under the excruciating pain, Anaya grabbed at her abdomen and found that the cold steel of a blade had pierced it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a wounded soldier fall to the ground dead, his hand falling from the handle of the sword that had found a home in her body. He must have used all of his remaining strength to lung up from his place on the ground and stab her.

Godric immediately speed to her side, but it was too late- the damage had already been done.

"Anaya!" Gallia screamed, running over to her.

Godric caught the wounded warrior in his arms and cradled her to him. "I must turn you, little one, before you die," he told her, pressing his cold lips to her forehead in a comforting gesture.

"What? What do you mean?" Gallia asked in panicked confusion.

"I'm going to give your sister a new life," he said, hastily removing the sword from Anaya's back and gently lowering her to the ground.

"That is impossible, the wound is fatal! There is nothing we can do for her now." She cried, standing by helpless to do anything.

"It does not matter," he muttered callously as he smoothed Anaya's hair away from her neck. He could feel her pulse slowing. Without warning he then released his fangs.

Gallia jumped at the sight, her hands flying to her mouth in utter shock. "What are you?" she whispered in horror, tripping over the dead soldiers as she tried to back away from him.

"I am a bringer of death, capable of bestowing immortality on your kind," he explained. "This is how I will save Anaya."

"My sister is a warrior! I will not have you defiling her soul- let her die with honor!" Gallia cried angrily, fearful for what this creature was going to do to her sister. "Anaya, listen to me. I know you, I know your heart, tell him what you want, please. You don't have to live in darkness with him. Tell him you want to die a warrior like your tribesmen, like father."

Anaya opened her mouth as if she were about to speak but immediately began choking. Thick blood pooled up from her throat and into her mouth, it flowed heavily down her chin. She was drowning in her own blood and her body shivered in shock. Godric knew that if he didn't do something soon she would indeed die. Without a second thought, he reared back his head and bit down on her neck.

"What are you doing?" Gallia cried. She immediately went to pull her sister away from him but Godric glared up and savagely hissed at her, his sharp fangs dripping blood. Gallia fell backwards in horror. "Monster!" She yelled, but Godric ignored her insult and returned his attention to Anaya.

Once she was drained near death, he bit into the flesh of his wrist until blood began to pour from the wound.

"Open your mouth," he commanded Anaya, pressing his cold wrist against her frozen lips and trying to coax her into drinking. Her body was like ice stroked her matted hair away from her sickly face as he held his bleeding wrist against her mouth. "Thabharfainn fuil mo chroí duit (I give you the blood of my heart)," he whispered to her.

Once his vampire blood seeped onto Anaya's tongue, her stiff muscles regained some movement and her mouth closed weakly over his flesh. She began to lick at his wound- it was not clear whether or not this was by her own volition or if the power of his blood compelled her to drink. However, her body immediately began to regain its former warmth as she drank from him. The more she drank, the more vigorous her feeding became. The sensation of her life and strength rushing back to her became instantly addicting. Once Godric felt that she had enough, he pulled her mouth from his vein and held her tightly against his chest with his steel grip. She fought to latch onto his wound again but Godric was far stronger than her, even with the loss of blood he had sustained. Anaya's movements then stopped altogether as she passed out in his arms. The blood had begun to work on her.

"You had no right to do that to her!" Gallia cried angrily. Her brother was clinging silently to her leg in fear.

"She promised herself to me, human!" Godric snapped. A spark of viciousness flashed in his eyes causing Gallia to stiffen and clutch her little brother closer to her. The vampire bared his fangs territorially as he leaned over Anaya's body. He was clearly claiming her as his own. "Besides, even if she could have spoken, her answer may have been yes. I suppose, we will never know," he added mockingly as he scooped Anaya's limp body up in his arms.

"Where are you going with my sister?" Gallia demanded, running up to him.

"You have your charge," Godric said, nodding over to the small boy, "Let me take care of mine."

Gallia opened her mouth to protest but Godric had already run off into the woods with Anaya faster than she could register. She called out to him in vain, yelling at the empty trees. Gallia did not know if she would ever see her sister again or if she was even still alive. One thing she did know was that this creature had damned Anaya to eternal darkness- either in hell or on this earth.

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Sneak Peek for Chapter 9:

Godric lowered her into the hole he dug her and arranged her sleeping form. Once he crossed her arms, he placed a warm kiss on her lips.

"Sleep and be reborn, Anaya. I give you to the darkness now," he said, pushing the dirt over her. In three days time she would reawaken a vampire- his child. There would be much to teach her.