Sacrum - 25. Chapter 25: Ciprian’s Awakening

Deep amidst the windy howls of the Moldovan wilderness and darkness emerged a shadowy figure. There was an ominous chill that carried the scent of wet pine in the air, and a mass of dark clouds on the horizon. The wind whisked dry leaves up in the air every few seconds, making it difficult to see ahead. The vampire walked quickly and with purpose, determined to get somewhere fast. There was another behind him, a skinny figure trailing in the back, watching his steps with care.

“I think this is it,” the younger one spoke, staring off at a large estate in the far-off distance.

“It’s dangerous for you to be here,” the older one replied, finally catching up. “You should have listened to me and stayed home.” The young vampire glared at him for a brief and terrifying moment, his eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, flashed red in anger at the chastising comment. The other vampire quickly changed his tune as if realizing he was no longer talking to a child but a grown adult—someone important. “Forgive me, Salvatore. It’s just that the League seems to be everywhere these days. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you when we’re this close,” his voice trailed off.

“Don’t worry, as far as the Protection League is concerned, I’m safely tucked away at home, visiting my poor and lonely mother for the weekend,” he said automatically. The older one gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Yes, but they keep watch. They stalk your every move; you must know that.” The younger vampire’s brow furrowed, he looked tired of arguing.

“They don’t know about the tunnels. And this was too important for me to miss,” he replied with a finality in his voice, and began moving towards the property, knowing the other wouldn’t dare to question him further.

A distance that would have taken a human an hour or more to reach took them less than a few minutes. There was a fluttering of curtains in the windows, and suddenly a light came on. A rather timid looking vampire opened the door wearing a black suit.

“Alexei, my friend,” the older vampire greeted the homeowner. There was a female vampire and two children peering out from behind him.

“Lawrence Ekhart, it is great to see you again,” the timid vampire replied, shaking hands with him.

“Alexei, let me introduce you to Prince Salvatore Carandini,” Ekhart said, turning to the younger vampire. Alexei’s expression changed drastically, as if he wasn’t prepared for such a special visitor. His smile fell and he leaned into a deep bow.

“Your Highness, it is an absolute honor to host you at our place,” he said with his strong Moldovan accent, and the rest of the family behind him made a low bow as well. The young vampire acknowledged them with a solemn nod.

“Thank you for lending your home to one of my kin. Your kindness will not be forgotten by me,” he replied politely.

“Can I show you around, your highness?” The host inquired.

“That won’t be necessary. Forgive me, but I am in a hurry.”

“Of course, I understand,” Alexei replied sounding almost relieved. “Please come in,” he said stepping back and holding the door open.

“Are the humans here?” Salvatore asked walking through the large doors and into the opulent home.

“Yes,” Alexei nodded.

“Are they ready?”

“They are.”

“And they understand what’s going to happen, correct?”

“They both consider it a great privilege, your highness.”

“Very good.”

The three vampires walked down a long hallway until they reached an elevator at which point they asked Alexei to wait. The elevator took them underground and when it opened, they entered a rather spacious but empty room. Empty, except for the two female humans who giggled in excitement upon seeing them. A lovely blonde and a vibrant brunette.

“Hello ladies,” Salvatore greeted them, and they giggled even harder.

He didn’t bother with any more pleasantries and walked toward the center of the room, the older vampire following behind him. The floor was white marble, but he seemed to detect something in the middle and stopped.

He beckoned the blonde toward him with a flick of his hand. She quickly obliged, shooting her companion a delighted look.

“Your wrist, please,” Salvatore said, in a honey smooth tone, and she held out her hand and shivered as the handsome vampire wrapped his long pale fingers around it. With his free hand he pulled out a blade from his pocket and with a quick swipe he sliced her petite wrist then turned it face down so that her blood dripped over the white marble. Ekhart turned his head and pinched his nose, as if the sight and smell of human blood was too enticing of a temptation to resist.

When the scarlet blood deposit seeped through the small line that ran down the middle, there was a whir and suddenly the marble was parting in half, revealing a grandiose crystal encrusted tomb.

“Who dares to awaken me?” The low voice came from underground, yet somehow it echoed all throughout the room, simmering with rage. Ekhart, who was standing next to Salvatore, shuddered in fear.

The young vampire stood unmoved and unafraid.

The tomb slowly rose out of the ground in its opulent glory. When it came to a halt, Salvatore leaned down and opened it, revealing a skinny, dried-up corpse. It still had skin covering its bones and well as some hair on its grotesque shriveled-up head.

Salvatore held the blonde’s wrist over the corpse’s mouth and her blood trickled down gently, in a slow stream. He spoke.

“The time has come for you to rise from the dead, Ciprian.”

“He dares speak my name!” The voice howled in pure rage, even though the corpse was perfectly still, and his mouth hadn’t opened.

“I need more blood,” Salvatore said, looking at the other woman. She came forward and he repeated the same wrist slicing ritual on her, directing her blood onto the corpse.

The sight in the tomb was abhorrent. The dried-up face was now soaking in the blood of both women…as if slowly marinating. “What torments are you seeking? Traitors, usurpers, filthy animals. Away with you all!” The voice howled.

“Careful, it’s your King you’re speaking to,” the younger vampire warned, but there was a light smirk playing on his lips, as if he found the situation amusing.

“King? How dare you besmirch the royal Carandini name with your filthy tongue. When I rise, I will cut it out of your mouth and feed it to the wolves in the woods! Better yet, I’ll make a human sandwich out of it and feast on your useless peasant flesh, then bathe in your blood you scoundrel. I will shower you in terrors of which you haven’t even dreamt yet.” There was gurgling coming from the tomb now. Blood bubbles forming at his mouth.

Salvatore spoke loudly.

“Rise from your slumber and pledge your allegiance to me now, Ciprian. I am the survivor of the bloody massacre that claimed the life of your brother, Romero Carandini. I am the son of a mother that gave up everything to save the only child she had left. I am the rightful heir to the throne.”

“Salvatore,” the ancient one whispered, his glowing red eyes finally flying open. “Is that you?” He uttered, still in shock. His face was filling in slowly.

“Hello uncle,” the young vampire smiled, dropping all theatrics aside.

The ancient one slowly made his way out from the elevated tomb. His face and body were transforming with each step. Every second he seemed to grow younger, until the sharp Carandini jaw was acutely visible, and he no longer resembled a corpse, but a handsome middle-aged man.

Naked, he wiggled his fingers and laughed at the sensation.

“Welcome back into the world of the living,” Salvatore greeted him.

“At last, you come for me Salvatore. And what a sight you are! You look just like your grandfather,” Ciprian replied, greedily gazing upon the youth’s face for the first time in eighteen years.

“So I’ve been told.”

The ancient one walked towards him and seemed to be getting stronger with every step. When he reached Salvatore, he gracefully fell to his feet, taking his pale hand and placing a lasting kiss on it.

“Know that you have my utmost support and loyalty, Your Highness,” he stated, still clutching the hand.

“Thank you, uncle. No need for kneeling.” Ciprian stood up.

“Lawrence, my friend. It has been too long,” he turned to the older vampire who placed his arms around him.

“It’s good to have you back, Ciprian.” After a brief hug he pulled away and turned to Salvatore yet again.

“My lovely nephew, forgive me, but having been asleep for so long, my urges call,” he said with a rueful smile, then turned to look at the two females with hungry eyes. Salvatore chuckled.

“They’re here for you. But uncle,” he warned just before he left the room, “Feed just enough to turn, not to kill.” Ciprian looked slightly surprised but simply replied, “As you wish.”

Then, in a second, he was at the blonde’s throat, and he released a sigh of pure ecstasy as he bit into human flesh and drank blood for the first time in eighteen years.

When he joined Salvatore and Ekhart upstairs a short while later, he seemed to be in chipper spirits and thanked Alexei for the new clothes and for hosting him all these years.

“Ahh, fresh air,” he said, breathing in the crisp Moldovan night after the three of them left.

“How are you feeling uncle?”

“Like a brand-new baby,” the ancient one replied with a long smile. “Now tell me, my handsome nephew, have I missed anything in my slumber?” Salvatore smiled.

“Not much. Although, you’ll find that the Carandini name doesn’t hold the same weight that it used to.” Ciprian stared at him for a moment.

“Well, we’ll change that, won’t we Salvatore? We’ll restore the name to what it once was, with you at the helm. Just as my brother would have wanted it.”

“That is the plan,” the young one replied. “We also live in a Democracy now.”

“A Democracy?” Ciprian laughed. “Vampire Democracy…very well. How’s that working out?”

“It’s not. The State is corrupt.”

“Shocking,” the ancient one replied with sarcasm.

They set out for the long journey back home where Princess Alessandra Letizia Carandini was awaiting them.

“This…this is where we live now?” Ciprian asked entering the small dark home from the underground tunnel which ran underneath it. He didn’t even attempt to conceal his disdain for the shabby surroundings.

“Not suitable to your tastes?” Salvatore teased him.

“Surely they didn’t murder our entire family and take all our money on top of it. Did they?”

“They did. They used it for their government offices and all the various protection programs they decided to form after Romero’s death. We’ve been living off the generosity of families who have secretly remained loyal. But the vast Carandini fortune has all but disappeared.”

“Those maggots. How dare they!?” He pondered looking at Salvatore.

“Ciprian, what a pleasant surprise,” came a quiet female voice from behind Salvatore. Princess Alessandra strolled over and gave him a kiss, after which she ferociously struck him in the face.

“What was that for?” He asked in shock.

“For hiding and being a coward,” she replied.

“A coward?” He recoiled as if had been stung. “You and Salvatore had already received a pardon from The State. But as the brother of the King, I knew I wouldn’t get the same treatment. I chose to go underground and wait for our boy here to grow up so that I could help him reclaim what’s ours. I hardly call that cowardice, Alessandra.”

“You left us to fend for ourselves! We had nothing and nobody to protect us. We’ve been treated like dirt for the past 18 years. Like untouchables, unworthy of even existing while you slept peacefully like a baby.” He looked visibly shaken by her sharp tone, but slowly he took her face in his hands.

“Now, now, my beautiful princess, let’s not say such harsh words to each other. I am here now, and surely that’s what matters most, no?” He kissed her perfect porcelain forehead. “I’m sorry for how you’ve suffered, but Salvatore is of age now, and we are going to take back what’s ours and make them all pay, okay?” She nodded, holding his hands with hers now.

“Come, we have a small welcoming committee here to greet you,” she told him, and they walked over to the living room where a number of vampires sat around a long table.

Ciprian approached those in the family first. “Katarina! Giovanni, my boy!” He exclaimed, hugging a dark red-haired beauty and the vampire next to her.

“Ciprian, just in time for the party, as usual,” Katarina replied.

“Uncle, you remember Professor Maratoni,” Salvatore chimed in.

“Of course, Sebastiano what a delightful surprise to see you here,” he said, shaking the vampire’s hand. “Aurori Altieri! You’re here as well. How splendid,” he called out to the vampire next to Maratoni.

“And who’s this serious-faced hunk of a vampire?” He asked Salvatore while looking at the vampire sitting on the other side of Maratoni.

“That, uncle, is Demetrius Algano. And he is our very best weapon,” he said, smiling. The serious-faced vampire made no reply.

“Scary looking, isn’t he?” Ciprian said, still watching Demetrius. “And how exactly is he going to help us? Will he scare the enemy away with his pointed glare?” He joked.

“He’s what we call a Special, uncle,” Salvatore replied, then launched into an explanation of the Specials program.

“A State weapon,” Ciprian said after he was caught-up to speed. “Extraordinary.”

“Make that two,” the female vampire next to Demetrius chimed in. Her eyes were dark and impenetrable.

“And who might you be, my fierce-eyed beauty?” He inquired.

“I’m Luciana Elise,” she replied, and suddenly all the candles in the room lit up.

“She’s Aurori’s Special,” Salvatore clarified.

“Ah! Marvelous,” Ciprian clapped in ecstasy. “Two state weapons,” he exclaimed laughing with mirth, and taking a seat next to his nephew. “Well, well, you have certainly outdone yourself your highness. Incredible! I must be there when Arani finds out. I simply couldn’t forgive myself if I missed the sight of her humiliation.”

“Three,” Salvatore corrected him suddenly.

“What’s that?”

“Three State weapons, we hope. Vinicius’ Special must come on board.”

“Vinicius’ Special? Not possible,” the ancient one replied. But upon seeing the serious look on Salvatore’s face he asked, “And what of Vinicius?”

“What of him?” Salvatore replied.

“He will pose a problem, no?”

“The eternally extinguished don’t tend to pose problems,” the young vampire said. Luciana snuck a quick glance at Demetrius, who still hadn’t moved an inch.

“Eternally extinguished?” Ciprian sputtered in surprise and Salvatore simply nodded. The ancient one took a long while to reply. “Well, that certainly simplifies everything.”

“Not to burst your bubble cousin, but it would be nice to have his confirmation by now. If he takes any longer, I will assume he is going to pose a threat to our plan,” Katarina said and a muscle on the side of Salvatore’s jaw twitched.

“No, he’s as benign as his original mentor,” Maratoni suddenly chimed in. She didn’t seem convinced.

“If Vinicius was so benign, why was he in charge of the Specials program and not you?” Maratoni looked as if she had backhanded him across the face.

“Luck. Pure luck,” he spat out. She looked back to Salvatore.

“What do you think, cousin?” Salvatore frowned.

“Leave Vinicius’ Special to me. I’ll take care of him,” he replied, and Ciprian laughed with pride, gently rubbing his shoulder.