THANKS TO! ---- Kari073 and LadyDragonWolfKnight Its for you guys I decided
to write some more! Thanks so much for the Reviews!!
I hope you enjoy the next chappie!!!
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"Who's out there?" A deep voice croaked from inside one of the cells "Are you friend or foe? If you are a friend I beg you to help me for I have no wish to die. If you are no friend then this plea can do no more harm than I am to suffer anyway."
"My Name is Wu-Fei Chang, you know my face and I am a friend, I am your Guardian, and I will free you! Now stand back, I don't quite know what will happen next."
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"Art thou ready Wu-Fei?" came the voice of Ce'Yae in Wu-Feis mind. "The word you require you has been used before by you."
{Thank you Ce'Yae.} Wu-Fei said in his mind, and then, focusing his will, "Elequarte" he said aloud and pushed against the door with his will.
The lock in the door clicked once, twice, thrice, and the door swung open. Wu-Fei stepped inside, a growl escaping his throat at the state of the captive.
The Denarins face was a mass off cuts and bloody bruises, one of his arms hung in an odd way at his side, clearly broken, and the other he held gingerly against his chest, maybe sprained. Also, Wu-Fei noted, he stood like a lame horse, putting most if not all of his weight on his right leg alone.
Wu-Fei stepped forward and the Denarin flinched. Wu-Fei stopped. "Do you know my face?" He asked, keeping his voice to a whisper. "If you do you will know that in the throne room earlier, it was the only one that did not face you with hostile eyes. I am your friend and Guardian. I am Wu-Fei Chang. I wish to help you."
"Guardian." Wu-Fei heard Duo breathe. He looked up at Wu-Fei a small smirk on his lips. "I trust you, not that I have many other options at this point, umm, are we gonna get out of here?"
Wu-Fei nodded, "Yes, but one thing first." Wu-Fei quickly sent a though to Ce'Yae, who answered him.
{Can I heal him with the book?}
"Yes. Herala. Say it slowly and quietly, you are new to this and the book saps your powers when you heal, this you will learn as you read it. Work slowly, and not beyond your strength."
Wu-Fei nodded. "Duo. For that is I believe, your name." A nod confirmed this. "I am going to heal you, do not be alarmed, I am a scholar and I shall use magic, please, trust in my ability."
Do nodded again, happy to accept anything the Asian looking Akumai said. Guardian. It struck a cord somehow, and Duo knew this Akumai could be trusted.
Wu-Fei knelt beside Duo and held his hands over him, reaching out with his will he probed the hurts the other Vampire had taken and focused his will on rejoining the torn flesh, soothing the bruises and fixing the broken bones, all the while murmuring "Herala." Slowly under his breath.
When Wu-Fei could feel no more damage on Duo he got to his feet, his own legs slightly shaky.
{Damn.} He cursed in his mind. {How shall I learn to use this book if I have not the strength to perform a task so simple?}
"Fear not Scholar. Your strength shall grow with your understanding. The more you learn of the book the better you will become at using it and the greater your powers shall be."
Wu-Fei, pacified, turned to Duo, who, in absolute awe was running his hands over his face, arms and legs.
"How the HELL did you do that? That's amazing!" The Denarin was apparently impressed.
Wu-Fei smiled slightly and then held up a hand. I will explain all in due course, but now we must leave. I must think of someplace safe for us to hide."
Duo nodded and was about to step out of the cell, when he walked straight into Wu-Fei, who had completely phased out. Suddenly Wu-Fei came back to himself.
Duo blinked as the Akumai shot out of the cell and out of a door at the end of the corridor. Making hand motions for Duo to follow him. Duo, with only a moments hesitation, followed him.
No sooner had he stepped out of the dungeon door, when he was pushed back into an alcove as Wu-Fei disappeared back into the dungeon with a brisk. "Stay."
Duo, had he not been so grateful to the Akumai, would have objected to the tone of Wu-Feis voice, but he was too glad that he had a friend in this hostile place to risk offending him.
Back in the Dungeon, Wu-Fei had already been supplied with the word he needed. "Alm." And the cell door was once again locked. "Feren alumay imanelt. DUO!" And a great deal of concentration, had arranged an image of Duo to occupy the cell for twenty-four hours, and in no time Wu-Fei was back out of the dungeon, panting slightly and locking the exterior door with one last "Alm."
Duo watched with a raised eyebrow as the Akumai suddenly seemed lost in his own thoughts yet again, clutching the strange glowing book in his arms more closely.
When his eyes snapped open there was a look of relief in them. Duo heard the Vampire mumble something quietly, as if to himself and then, holding out a hand, he said a word that Duo felt he should have known but yet couldn't remember.
"Cla'vani." Then he fell quiet and stood panting slightly for almost five minutes.
When his breathing had calmed, Wu-Fei stepped away from the door and, shoulders sagging, walked over to Duo.
"So," Duo said, stepping out of the alcove to meet him. "Where are we headed?"
Wu-Fei raised tired eyes to Duo and, finding himself to tired to form the words, pointed down the corridor and set off at a slow pace, trusting Duo to follow him.
A few steps later Wu-Fei felt his arm slipped round someone's shoulder and another arm go round his back. A look to his left showed Duo smiling up at him, for he was an inch or so shorter than the Akumai. Wu-Fei, unused to people helping each other; shot the Denarin a questioning look.
Duo shrugged slightly. "One good turn deserves another, you looked tired, I don't know why that is, but I do know you have helped me a lot, and that I can call you my friend with little or no fear of being wrong, and friends help each other, now, I just need you to give me directions."
Wu-Fei smiled, gratitude evident on his face and raised his arm to gesture left. In his mind he was talking with Ce'Yae.
{Your son is noble Ce'Yae. Be proud of him.}
"I am scholar, I always am."
{I am honoured to be his companion, I only hope I do not let him down.}
"You will not. You will aid him well Wu-Fei. And in turn he will aid you if you need it."
{I am also honoured to be his friend. I would never have made it back to my rooms if it were not for his trust.}
"Fear not, you have done more than many managed on their first try with the book, you will strengthen fast Wu-Fei. Now, talk with Duo for a while, pack, leave and then tell him what he wishes to know about the book, I will let you know if he seeks to know too much, some things he must not know. I will guide you to a safe place."
After a painful half hour of the slow walking that was necessary with Wu- Feis depleted strength, the two companions reached Wu-Feis chambers.
Duo helped Wu-Fei to settle on the bed in his room and, at Wu-Feis direction, filled a goblet with blood from a jug that the scholar always had warming by the fire.
After the goblet of blood had been drained Wu-Fei looked and felt a little better.
"Now." He said, getting to his feet. "I must gather some things. I cannot leave without certain items. I will explain to you a little about what amazed you so much earlier, how I healed you and where the words come form."
Duo, deciding he didn't want to get in the way, settled on the bed while Wu- Fei pulled a shoulder bag out from a wardrobe.
Duo listened intently as Wu-Fei began to tell him of how he had discovered that he could, using the strange white book he always carried, perform tasks using his will and a certain word which the book supplied him with. He also explained that he was new to the task and did not fully understand it, but that his knowledge would grow in time, he also explained that an over use of his will and energy earlier had weakened and tired him, he also explained that that effect would continue until his power had grown significantly. As he talked Wu-Fei began to ready his pack.
Quickly he changed out of the scholars robes he had been wearing for the official meeting and into more serviceable clothes, in this case a pair of dark grey Chinese style trousers and a dark grey tank top.
Into the twin strapped bag he folded a second outfit and a selection of documents from his desk. As an afterthought he added his set of herbs bindings and other healers materials (in case there should be some problem with his powers) to the pack as well, followed by some parchment and a quill and ink and a purse filled with a small amount of coin.
Looking around the room, and seemingly deciding he had all he would need, Wu-Fei lifted the pack with one hand, a considering look on his face. After a moment of thought he walked briskly across the room, and took a cloak from the wardrobe and wrapped it about his shoulders, after a critical look at the state of the Denarins clothes, threw one to Duo as well, pulling the pack onto his own shoulders as he did so.
Duo grinned and wrapped the fabric around him. "Thank you Wu-Fei." He said in a quiet voice. He glanced around the luxurious chamber. "One last thing, before we leave."
Wu-Fe raised an eyebrow and nodded for Duo to continue.
"Well. Why have you given up," he gestured around him. "All this, for me?"
Wu-Fei sighed and fiddled with the fastening on the cloak. "I am not leaving anything behind that I cannot do without Duo. I am a warrior as well as a scholar, and no one here has ever really taken me seriously. Besides, the way the Akumai race treats the Denarin is barbaric, you are no different from me Duo, and I can stand the bloodshed no longer. Now come, we leave."
With that the Akumai swept out of his room closely followed by the Denarin that he had rescued.
They crept together down the darkened corridor of the palace, Wu-Fei with some surety in his step, Duo with worried looks over his shoulders at shadows and suits of armour, as if afraid they were alive and about to try and grab him.
Duo stopped dead when he heard Wu-Fei growl.
"What is it?" He whispered, peering cautiously around Wu-Fei's shoulder.
"Bennir." Wu-Fei said, his voice still sounding more like a growl than anything else. "One of The Princes guards, and one of the ones who brought you in. He's one of the four on watch tonight."
"Oh." Duo's face darkened. "What do we do, they're blocking the way?"
Wu-Fei shrugged and his face went blank, for a second, unsure what to do, Duo nearly panicked, peering around him for any possible way out. When he turned back to his friend, Wu-Fei looked very much awake.
"Stay quiet Duo. I know what we are going to do."
Duo was instantly silent. Wu-Fei turned to face him.
"Listen Duo. Bennir has never held any particular fondness for me and after dark each face leaving the Palace are checked, there is no way I will be able to convince him to let me through with you. So were going to have to try a different method. If it were only one of them I would be able to put him to sleep, but for four I lack at the moment both the power and the experience, and though the uproar caused from my using magic would buy us some time I have not sufficient energy yet."
Duo nodded, "I can run fast on my own but I doubt I would be able to move that fast helping you as well."
"As I thought. So there is one chance left. I shall have to cloak you. This will weaken me sufficiently and I have no idea how long I will be able to hold the cloak in place, we will simply have to hope that I can hold it long enough to get you away from the palace grounds."
"And then?" Duo prompted, dragging Wu-Fei behind a suit of armour as one of the door guards walked past.
"And then you will have to help me I'm afraid. There is a house three blocks from the castle where we will be safe for a short while at least, the owner is Akumai but she will let you in graciously if I am there, she was a student of mine a while back, she came with me when I became the palace scholar, her name is Merian." Wu-Fei then proceeded to give Duo directions on how to reach safety.
Once he was sure Duo knew where to go, Wu-Fei began to cloak Duo. He decided that the best way for him to get the Denarin out would be under the guise of his own servant, Mahkin, Wu-Fei had enough credibility within the castle to be allowed to leave when he wished, and the company he kept was his own business.
Wu-Fei was breathing hard by the time he was finished, and he had to take a few seconds to compose himself. A look over at Duo steadied his nerves and he was able to relax.
Where Duo had stood seconds before stood a shortish vampire with a shock of grey hair. The was a purple scar running down one of his cheeks that caused him to only have the use of one eye. The other eye was a dark red colour.
Wu-Fei managed to compose his face into an imperious expression and, despite the strain he was under, compose his haggard breathing, and with a nod he signalled for Duo to follow him.
Wu-Fei strode purposefully down the hallway with Duo scampering along at his heels. When they reached the guards they were, as Wu-Fei had expected, stopped.
"Who is it that seeks to leave the strong hold at this hour?" came the gruff voice of the Akumai that Wu-Fei had identified as Bennir.
Wu-Fei stepped forward. "Wu-Fei Chang. Palace scholar and his servant Mahkin, I wish to find some fresh food this night for I have nigh exhausted my own supply."
Bennir stepped forward and examined both the Vampires faces, and with a curt nod to his three companions, the large wooden doors of the Akumai palace were thrown open, and the two were able to leave.
"Happy hunting Scholar." They heard Bennir say as he shut the door behinds them.
Wu-Fei and Duo calmly walked across the courtyard and were let out of the Palace grounds by the gatekeeper, a dark haired, dark eyed Akumai who bowed deeply to Wu-Fei as he let the past.
Once they were out of sight of the palace Wu-Fei let the cloak around Duo drop and taking an enormous gasped breath, collapsed against the wall of the nearest building.
Duo, realising just how badly Wu-Fei needed rest, picked him up, an arm behind his back and the other under his knees, and set off to find Merians dwelling.
The Directions Wu-Fei had given him had been detailed, and thus Duo had no trouble in finding the correct place.
Soon Duo was carrying Wu-Fei up the path of one of the Akumai dwelling in Upper Sanq, one of the last places Duo had ever expected to go.
The was two, maybe three stories tall, and was painted in a gleaming white that would have been grubby within minutes had it been used in the slums of Lower Sanq. There were large numbers of bay windows protruding from the doors, and creeping in-between them was a climbing plant with vibrant purple flowers, dimmed somewhat by the night time light.
Duo, hampered by Wu-Feis weight and cumbersome form in his arms had some minor difficulty climbing up the steps, but pulling the bell-pull proved to be even more interesting. In the end Duo had to result to using his mouth..
Duo wasn't kept waiting long.
The door was opened by a severe looking Akumai. She also had the tell tale Asian signs that were evident on Wu-Fei, and she also had straight black hair, bound in a tail at the nape of her neck.
When she saw Wu-Fei, breathing hard in Duo's arms, her expression quickly softened and she ushered Duo inside.
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Woo! Chapter all done!!
I hope you enjoyed!!
I hope you enjoy the next chappie!!!
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"Who's out there?" A deep voice croaked from inside one of the cells "Are you friend or foe? If you are a friend I beg you to help me for I have no wish to die. If you are no friend then this plea can do no more harm than I am to suffer anyway."
"My Name is Wu-Fei Chang, you know my face and I am a friend, I am your Guardian, and I will free you! Now stand back, I don't quite know what will happen next."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Art thou ready Wu-Fei?" came the voice of Ce'Yae in Wu-Feis mind. "The word you require you has been used before by you."
{Thank you Ce'Yae.} Wu-Fei said in his mind, and then, focusing his will, "Elequarte" he said aloud and pushed against the door with his will.
The lock in the door clicked once, twice, thrice, and the door swung open. Wu-Fei stepped inside, a growl escaping his throat at the state of the captive.
The Denarins face was a mass off cuts and bloody bruises, one of his arms hung in an odd way at his side, clearly broken, and the other he held gingerly against his chest, maybe sprained. Also, Wu-Fei noted, he stood like a lame horse, putting most if not all of his weight on his right leg alone.
Wu-Fei stepped forward and the Denarin flinched. Wu-Fei stopped. "Do you know my face?" He asked, keeping his voice to a whisper. "If you do you will know that in the throne room earlier, it was the only one that did not face you with hostile eyes. I am your friend and Guardian. I am Wu-Fei Chang. I wish to help you."
"Guardian." Wu-Fei heard Duo breathe. He looked up at Wu-Fei a small smirk on his lips. "I trust you, not that I have many other options at this point, umm, are we gonna get out of here?"
Wu-Fei nodded, "Yes, but one thing first." Wu-Fei quickly sent a though to Ce'Yae, who answered him.
{Can I heal him with the book?}
"Yes. Herala. Say it slowly and quietly, you are new to this and the book saps your powers when you heal, this you will learn as you read it. Work slowly, and not beyond your strength."
Wu-Fei nodded. "Duo. For that is I believe, your name." A nod confirmed this. "I am going to heal you, do not be alarmed, I am a scholar and I shall use magic, please, trust in my ability."
Do nodded again, happy to accept anything the Asian looking Akumai said. Guardian. It struck a cord somehow, and Duo knew this Akumai could be trusted.
Wu-Fei knelt beside Duo and held his hands over him, reaching out with his will he probed the hurts the other Vampire had taken and focused his will on rejoining the torn flesh, soothing the bruises and fixing the broken bones, all the while murmuring "Herala." Slowly under his breath.
When Wu-Fei could feel no more damage on Duo he got to his feet, his own legs slightly shaky.
{Damn.} He cursed in his mind. {How shall I learn to use this book if I have not the strength to perform a task so simple?}
"Fear not Scholar. Your strength shall grow with your understanding. The more you learn of the book the better you will become at using it and the greater your powers shall be."
Wu-Fei, pacified, turned to Duo, who, in absolute awe was running his hands over his face, arms and legs.
"How the HELL did you do that? That's amazing!" The Denarin was apparently impressed.
Wu-Fei smiled slightly and then held up a hand. I will explain all in due course, but now we must leave. I must think of someplace safe for us to hide."
Duo nodded and was about to step out of the cell, when he walked straight into Wu-Fei, who had completely phased out. Suddenly Wu-Fei came back to himself.
Duo blinked as the Akumai shot out of the cell and out of a door at the end of the corridor. Making hand motions for Duo to follow him. Duo, with only a moments hesitation, followed him.
No sooner had he stepped out of the dungeon door, when he was pushed back into an alcove as Wu-Fei disappeared back into the dungeon with a brisk. "Stay."
Duo, had he not been so grateful to the Akumai, would have objected to the tone of Wu-Feis voice, but he was too glad that he had a friend in this hostile place to risk offending him.
Back in the Dungeon, Wu-Fei had already been supplied with the word he needed. "Alm." And the cell door was once again locked. "Feren alumay imanelt. DUO!" And a great deal of concentration, had arranged an image of Duo to occupy the cell for twenty-four hours, and in no time Wu-Fei was back out of the dungeon, panting slightly and locking the exterior door with one last "Alm."
Duo watched with a raised eyebrow as the Akumai suddenly seemed lost in his own thoughts yet again, clutching the strange glowing book in his arms more closely.
When his eyes snapped open there was a look of relief in them. Duo heard the Vampire mumble something quietly, as if to himself and then, holding out a hand, he said a word that Duo felt he should have known but yet couldn't remember.
"Cla'vani." Then he fell quiet and stood panting slightly for almost five minutes.
When his breathing had calmed, Wu-Fei stepped away from the door and, shoulders sagging, walked over to Duo.
"So," Duo said, stepping out of the alcove to meet him. "Where are we headed?"
Wu-Fei raised tired eyes to Duo and, finding himself to tired to form the words, pointed down the corridor and set off at a slow pace, trusting Duo to follow him.
A few steps later Wu-Fei felt his arm slipped round someone's shoulder and another arm go round his back. A look to his left showed Duo smiling up at him, for he was an inch or so shorter than the Akumai. Wu-Fei, unused to people helping each other; shot the Denarin a questioning look.
Duo shrugged slightly. "One good turn deserves another, you looked tired, I don't know why that is, but I do know you have helped me a lot, and that I can call you my friend with little or no fear of being wrong, and friends help each other, now, I just need you to give me directions."
Wu-Fei smiled, gratitude evident on his face and raised his arm to gesture left. In his mind he was talking with Ce'Yae.
{Your son is noble Ce'Yae. Be proud of him.}
"I am scholar, I always am."
{I am honoured to be his companion, I only hope I do not let him down.}
"You will not. You will aid him well Wu-Fei. And in turn he will aid you if you need it."
{I am also honoured to be his friend. I would never have made it back to my rooms if it were not for his trust.}
"Fear not, you have done more than many managed on their first try with the book, you will strengthen fast Wu-Fei. Now, talk with Duo for a while, pack, leave and then tell him what he wishes to know about the book, I will let you know if he seeks to know too much, some things he must not know. I will guide you to a safe place."
After a painful half hour of the slow walking that was necessary with Wu- Feis depleted strength, the two companions reached Wu-Feis chambers.
Duo helped Wu-Fei to settle on the bed in his room and, at Wu-Feis direction, filled a goblet with blood from a jug that the scholar always had warming by the fire.
After the goblet of blood had been drained Wu-Fei looked and felt a little better.
"Now." He said, getting to his feet. "I must gather some things. I cannot leave without certain items. I will explain to you a little about what amazed you so much earlier, how I healed you and where the words come form."
Duo, deciding he didn't want to get in the way, settled on the bed while Wu- Fei pulled a shoulder bag out from a wardrobe.
Duo listened intently as Wu-Fei began to tell him of how he had discovered that he could, using the strange white book he always carried, perform tasks using his will and a certain word which the book supplied him with. He also explained that he was new to the task and did not fully understand it, but that his knowledge would grow in time, he also explained that an over use of his will and energy earlier had weakened and tired him, he also explained that that effect would continue until his power had grown significantly. As he talked Wu-Fei began to ready his pack.
Quickly he changed out of the scholars robes he had been wearing for the official meeting and into more serviceable clothes, in this case a pair of dark grey Chinese style trousers and a dark grey tank top.
Into the twin strapped bag he folded a second outfit and a selection of documents from his desk. As an afterthought he added his set of herbs bindings and other healers materials (in case there should be some problem with his powers) to the pack as well, followed by some parchment and a quill and ink and a purse filled with a small amount of coin.
Looking around the room, and seemingly deciding he had all he would need, Wu-Fei lifted the pack with one hand, a considering look on his face. After a moment of thought he walked briskly across the room, and took a cloak from the wardrobe and wrapped it about his shoulders, after a critical look at the state of the Denarins clothes, threw one to Duo as well, pulling the pack onto his own shoulders as he did so.
Duo grinned and wrapped the fabric around him. "Thank you Wu-Fei." He said in a quiet voice. He glanced around the luxurious chamber. "One last thing, before we leave."
Wu-Fe raised an eyebrow and nodded for Duo to continue.
"Well. Why have you given up," he gestured around him. "All this, for me?"
Wu-Fei sighed and fiddled with the fastening on the cloak. "I am not leaving anything behind that I cannot do without Duo. I am a warrior as well as a scholar, and no one here has ever really taken me seriously. Besides, the way the Akumai race treats the Denarin is barbaric, you are no different from me Duo, and I can stand the bloodshed no longer. Now come, we leave."
With that the Akumai swept out of his room closely followed by the Denarin that he had rescued.
They crept together down the darkened corridor of the palace, Wu-Fei with some surety in his step, Duo with worried looks over his shoulders at shadows and suits of armour, as if afraid they were alive and about to try and grab him.
Duo stopped dead when he heard Wu-Fei growl.
"What is it?" He whispered, peering cautiously around Wu-Fei's shoulder.
"Bennir." Wu-Fei said, his voice still sounding more like a growl than anything else. "One of The Princes guards, and one of the ones who brought you in. He's one of the four on watch tonight."
"Oh." Duo's face darkened. "What do we do, they're blocking the way?"
Wu-Fei shrugged and his face went blank, for a second, unsure what to do, Duo nearly panicked, peering around him for any possible way out. When he turned back to his friend, Wu-Fei looked very much awake.
"Stay quiet Duo. I know what we are going to do."
Duo was instantly silent. Wu-Fei turned to face him.
"Listen Duo. Bennir has never held any particular fondness for me and after dark each face leaving the Palace are checked, there is no way I will be able to convince him to let me through with you. So were going to have to try a different method. If it were only one of them I would be able to put him to sleep, but for four I lack at the moment both the power and the experience, and though the uproar caused from my using magic would buy us some time I have not sufficient energy yet."
Duo nodded, "I can run fast on my own but I doubt I would be able to move that fast helping you as well."
"As I thought. So there is one chance left. I shall have to cloak you. This will weaken me sufficiently and I have no idea how long I will be able to hold the cloak in place, we will simply have to hope that I can hold it long enough to get you away from the palace grounds."
"And then?" Duo prompted, dragging Wu-Fei behind a suit of armour as one of the door guards walked past.
"And then you will have to help me I'm afraid. There is a house three blocks from the castle where we will be safe for a short while at least, the owner is Akumai but she will let you in graciously if I am there, she was a student of mine a while back, she came with me when I became the palace scholar, her name is Merian." Wu-Fei then proceeded to give Duo directions on how to reach safety.
Once he was sure Duo knew where to go, Wu-Fei began to cloak Duo. He decided that the best way for him to get the Denarin out would be under the guise of his own servant, Mahkin, Wu-Fei had enough credibility within the castle to be allowed to leave when he wished, and the company he kept was his own business.
Wu-Fei was breathing hard by the time he was finished, and he had to take a few seconds to compose himself. A look over at Duo steadied his nerves and he was able to relax.
Where Duo had stood seconds before stood a shortish vampire with a shock of grey hair. The was a purple scar running down one of his cheeks that caused him to only have the use of one eye. The other eye was a dark red colour.
Wu-Fei managed to compose his face into an imperious expression and, despite the strain he was under, compose his haggard breathing, and with a nod he signalled for Duo to follow him.
Wu-Fei strode purposefully down the hallway with Duo scampering along at his heels. When they reached the guards they were, as Wu-Fei had expected, stopped.
"Who is it that seeks to leave the strong hold at this hour?" came the gruff voice of the Akumai that Wu-Fei had identified as Bennir.
Wu-Fei stepped forward. "Wu-Fei Chang. Palace scholar and his servant Mahkin, I wish to find some fresh food this night for I have nigh exhausted my own supply."
Bennir stepped forward and examined both the Vampires faces, and with a curt nod to his three companions, the large wooden doors of the Akumai palace were thrown open, and the two were able to leave.
"Happy hunting Scholar." They heard Bennir say as he shut the door behinds them.
Wu-Fei and Duo calmly walked across the courtyard and were let out of the Palace grounds by the gatekeeper, a dark haired, dark eyed Akumai who bowed deeply to Wu-Fei as he let the past.
Once they were out of sight of the palace Wu-Fei let the cloak around Duo drop and taking an enormous gasped breath, collapsed against the wall of the nearest building.
Duo, realising just how badly Wu-Fei needed rest, picked him up, an arm behind his back and the other under his knees, and set off to find Merians dwelling.
The Directions Wu-Fei had given him had been detailed, and thus Duo had no trouble in finding the correct place.
Soon Duo was carrying Wu-Fei up the path of one of the Akumai dwelling in Upper Sanq, one of the last places Duo had ever expected to go.
The was two, maybe three stories tall, and was painted in a gleaming white that would have been grubby within minutes had it been used in the slums of Lower Sanq. There were large numbers of bay windows protruding from the doors, and creeping in-between them was a climbing plant with vibrant purple flowers, dimmed somewhat by the night time light.
Duo, hampered by Wu-Feis weight and cumbersome form in his arms had some minor difficulty climbing up the steps, but pulling the bell-pull proved to be even more interesting. In the end Duo had to result to using his mouth..
Duo wasn't kept waiting long.
The door was opened by a severe looking Akumai. She also had the tell tale Asian signs that were evident on Wu-Fei, and she also had straight black hair, bound in a tail at the nape of her neck.
When she saw Wu-Fei, breathing hard in Duo's arms, her expression quickly softened and she ushered Duo inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Woo! Chapter all done!!
I hope you enjoyed!!