Chapter 11

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Valdis groaned as she felt herself being dropped on the sharp stoned, burning ground. Reece and Vlad stood behind her as she tried to stay conscious from the near drowning in freezing cold water; the only good thing about where she was now was the fact her clothes were completely dry already. A dark chuckle could be heard along with the crunch of rocks before a small boy with black tattered bat wings walked over to her with a sinister glint in his eyes. When he reached her however his form shifted into an older, more evil yet hansom, demon-vampire form.

            "Leave us." Valac ordered as he forced Valdis to her feet. "I wish to speak with the woman alone."

            Valdis ripped her arm out of his grip and staggered back. "Get away from me!"

            Valac smirked and came nearer. "Such a temper, I heard from the fallen you were special, different from other vampires, seems they were right... Care to show me just how special you are?" 

            She flinched away as he came closer until her back was against the wall. "Tell them to give me back my weapons and perhaps I'll show you how special it is for me to stab you in the heart."

            "I sense your fear... Tell me, do you fear me or what I may force you to do for me?" He asked with fake concern in his soft velvet voice that seemed to welcome her to come closer.

            "I don't fear anything." Valdis snapped and tried to find enough strength to try escaping while her eyes darted around for an escape route.

            Valac put one shiny ebony talon under her chin and turned her head back to him so she was forced to look into his eyes, eyes that seemed to stare into her soul, eyes that were the color of molten lava and moved as if it was made of it. He felt her relax a bit as he started putting her under his power, all he had to do to complete the process was drink her blood and then allow her to drink his. Once that was complete his control over her would never break. He backed towards his obsidian throne and pulled her along with him until he was sitting on the smooth surface with her on his lap still mesmerized by his eyes like as snake's prey right before it was killed.

            "Tell me, be honest now, how would you like to rule at my side?" He purred the question in her ear as he prepared to sink his fangs into her throat. "There are so few vampires who are as worthy as you, none quite so unique... all you have to do is pledge your allegiance to me for all of eternity."

            He could see her will was already nearly completely broke to do as he wanted but as she was about to answer Master Vampire landed at the base of the throne and went into a low bow. His presence snap Valdis out of it and she jumped back with panic flaring in her eyes as she tried to fly off only to be forced to the ground as Valac got up and glared angrily at the first vampire he created.

            "What is so important you had to disturb me?" His question seemed to echo in the smoky air as his eyes turned black with fury.

            "Your son, Vetis, has returned." Valdis' eyes widened at Master Vampire said that, he had to be kidding right?

            Valac's eyes lightened slightly at the news before looking down and giving Valdis a sharp kick to the ribs. "Have Mehmed II send him in... take this to the dungeon, I'll decide what to do with her later."

            Master Vampire didn't look up but kept his eyes on the burnt ground as he stayed where he was in a low bow. "If I may be so bold as to help you with that decision now King Valac... but I know of her powers, they are strong, you must not let her live or she will turn on you. Of course you don't have to kill her right away... I understand you love to watch others' suffering."

            Valac narrowed his eyes suspiciously but then smiled cruelly. "Very well... torture it is... Shame, if she only used her power to help the right cause."

            "I do!" Valdis growled and lunged at him only to be pulled back as Master Vampire started taking her away by dragging her roughly by the back of her shirt. "Let go! I'll kill him and you!"

            "I did you a favor!" Master Vampire hissed to the weakly thrashing, ungrateful, half-ling prisoner in his grip, as they left Valac's hearing range.

            "A favor?" Valdis spat as he threw her a glare. "You told him to torture me!"

            "If I hadn't you would be killed or under his control like your father!"

            "And you?" She scowled as she was dragged deeper into darkness until only flickering flames and the glow of their eyes remained. "You're a vampire too. Shouldn't you be under his control?"

            "I decided to help on my free will only so I would not be controlled." He growled to the stubborn half-ling. "Why can you not be grateful for my help?"

            "Oh, I don't know... because you killed my family, tried murdering me, and you're now leading me to a dungeon where I'll be tortured!" She vented and gave another attempt to break free from his inhuman grip. "Not to mention you said my brother was there to see Valac as if they worked together."

            Master Vampire tried to keep his patience, she did after all; have a point. "Can you still not see why you should have, still can, help me kill Valac? I was never your enemy! I did what I had to for the greater good! I saw your father as a son, a brother, and you as a child I could never hope of raising as my own! Killing Vetis' mother, I admit, was out of jealousy but I never would have done it if I had known about the child! Unlike your father I was too old looking in human form to start a family, it would never have worked!"

            Valdis was staring at him in shock with wide eyes as if she were a small child learning a horrible truth. Master Vampire turned back around and began walking again with her now following numbly behind him, all the fight finally going out of her. He continued down the winding slope of the dungeon path. The air was thick with heat and smoke, not that it affected the dead, and the dark void like walls sharply veered off to a labyrinth where you could be lost of all eternity if you didn't remember where you turned. Of course that wasn't a problem for Master Vampire, he just had to go straight towards the glow ahead, which came from a river of molten rock. Valdis finally looked up from the ground when he stopped at the river's edge and turned his head to speak again.

            "You will be chained on the other side, can I trust you to fly over by yourself without escaping or shall I carry you?" He asked a bit condescendingly, finally breaking their silence.

            Valdis stepped forward and quickly flew over without responding. Master Vampire joined her a moment later and guided her over to silver chains embedded in the shiny black rock. She flinched back but felt his hand press into her back to push her forward again. As she turned to face him again with a glare, as he first chained her neck then one wrist at a time to the uncomfortably hot stone. His features gave away nothing has he chained her but she could've sworn that as the burns began to appear where the silver met her skin, an apologetic look flashed through his eyes for less than a second.

            "Why don't they burn you?" Her tone accused him as she realized he didn't have any hint of injury from touching the silver.

            He stopped leaving and turned back to face her. "Those weaknesses don't affect those who are now dead."

            "I know you were lying earlier. You just wanted power, not a family." She growled, trying to ignore the pain in her wrists and throat. "I'll never forgive you, no matter what you try to convince me of."

            Master Vampire let out a short laugh. "It was true, but what I need you to answr me about, and keep in mind this is more important than the past or if you believe what I told you even though that was the truth, is will you help me kill Valac?"

            "Valdis gave him a defiant look. "I'll kill Valac but it won't be for or with you. I will never trust you to have my back in a fight."

            Master Vampire shook his head at her response but didn't say anything else as he flew back into the tunnels and left Valdis to suffer alone. She would come around, he just had to bide his time.  

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