Thank you once again, dear readers for the lovely long comments for Chapter II. I was rereading the comments when I stumbled across one which wanted me to do a Prologue. Personally, the idea hadn't come to my mind and immediately I wrote the Prologue. You can find it in the first post and mind you... it's not very long... Those who probably didn't know where this story was heading, then you can check out the prologue at the front. It should give a basic idea of what you can expect to happen in this story. Thanks for reading! 😊 By the way those who wanted to know my name it's Raffaella. (Yeah, I know it's horribly weird but my parents are Italian and therefore they labelled me with this one. Those of you who are unsure if it's a female name or not then I assure you it is. People often confuse me for a boy because this name is so similar to the male form of Raphael.) 😆
Disclaimer: The fight is inspired from the book Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. If you haven't read it and the entire series then you must; it's absolutely amazing!
Warning: Coarse language. Not suitable for young readers.
Chapter III
Dehradun, 3012
The scream was so intense that it raddled the entire Raichand mansion like a chaotic pinball machine relaying more than one ball. The adrenaline was shooting through her as her limbs separated one by one from their respective places. A sickly feeling came over and she wanted to purge but knew she couldn't for the barbaric vampire would only increase her suffering. His eyes, she noticed were pitch black with anger and hate but not with a single drop of exhaustion or pity.
Another bloodcurdling scream escaped her and a surge of electrons were shooting to every dead organ of her body. Her muscles were tightening and vision was blurring but the pain was only intensifying with every passing second and soon she grew exhausted from trying to wiggle herself loose from his iron hold.
"Enough now, Abhay..." cooed a manipulative, soft voice from above her head. Almost instantly, she felt him releasing her and stepping away. "You've done more than enough, child. Perhaps some bourbon should help?"
The metallic cellar door slammed shut and everything was eerily silent again. She knew he had done enough damage since she could smell the bland smell of her own limbs radiating from every corner of the room. It was expected because he had used every corner of the room to torture her mercilessly. She groaned in agony when she had craned her neck to look behind her.
And almost instantly, a wooden stake plunged through her abdomen. Again. And again.
And again...
***
Fights between vampires were common, and the interest of many citizens. For a vampire to kill another was rare, however, when that happened it would raise an uproar among the whole community. Cases of straightforward murder, like Chand Raichand's killing of his own friend were rarer still.
But there were times when the only way to settle an argument was a fight to death. And for that, a whole ceremony was arranged in the Vampire Institute. Vampires fighting were allowed to bring their family members, friends, supporters and on some cases their soul mates too that was only if they recognized them with the yellow peony just like Abhay had.
Today was a different matter though, for Abhay Raichand stood in the arena, posed elegantly with his family members sitting with enough confidence as if they had already won. The crowd filled with humans, grim reapers, witches, ghosts, vampires and hybrids was going wild with excitement because this was the first vampire dispute in 3 years. Nearly everyone had attended but her but he had assured himself that she was lightheaded when it came to fights.
He chuckled ominously at the weak and slightly overly paled vampire who had gulped 30 times as of now and his left eye twitching nearly 10 times. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself but a longing was still deep inside his heart for he wanted his love to be there to congratulate and support him even if victory was set for him only.
"Quieten down, all of you!" yelled the announcer agitated from all the havoc and chaos. He could see some of the humans desperately fighting past the security guards to scamper inside the overly filled arena. They were thrown outside immediately but no one noticed. Everyone was too involved in cheering for the competitor: Abhay Raichand.
"Silence, I say!" The announcer gestured with his hands madly. Parts of the crowd quietened but the vampires were still cheering. They whizzed around the arena jumping from one place to another like a bunch of monkeys in a spacious forest. "Settle down, or I will cancel this-" His eyes widened when Chand Raichand glared at him. Gulping he rephrased his sentence. "Settle down, so I can start this match!"
And almost instantly everyone hushed. For a second, the immediate silence was overbearing for the vampire's ears but he proceeded anyway. "Thank you, dear creatures!" He smiled tightly and turned to the arena where both competitors stood trembling with rage like a great dynamo.
Chand Raichand touched his son briefly on his waist where he felt wooden stakes lined up neatly ready for use. "Fight well, Abhay, my dear. You're in the right and he's nothing compared to you." Then he stood back.
"Creatures!" Abhay Raichand roared. His echo rang back from the stage walls to the back of the arena turning everyone's attention to him. He carried on. "The conditions of this match are these. If Danish Singh kills me, then the rule of the yellow peonies will remain, safe from anymore competition or dispute. If I kill Danish Singh, then the use of yellow peonies will be forever eradicated. My first order to all humans will be to remove those f**king flowers, that piece of mockery and hurl all of them into the sea. Danish Singh, here has changed the mindset of many humans by leading an illegal campaign advertising and portraying vampires in a negative way. Danish Singh, I challenge you,"
And then Danish Singh finally stepped forward to the crowd who had momentarily quietened after his opponent's speech. "Creatures!" he bellowed in his comeback. "Abhay Raichand has dared to challenge a decade old rule. I called this match upon therefore it is up to me to decide the terms of this match and they are these: if I kill Abhay Raichand, his soul mate who is very likely to respond back with another dispute shall also be killed. His limbs shall be torn apart and his body shall be burnt and the ashes spread in the sea. All his family members will leave the continent and the use of yellow peonies will remain..."
He continued and only a few humans and witches cheered. Other vampires, grim reapers and ghosts sat angrily and some even dared to straightforwardly swear at his speech. They however didn't notice the fuming almost demented vampire that stood clutching his iron fists at every word he spoke against her survival. He wanted to kill him and his family for this but he was not Danish Singh. He was a vampire of his word and if Piya remained near him nothing could hurt her.
Piya Dobriyal looked at the two vampires, so wholly different: Abhay so confident and powerful, endless in his strength and courage, perfect at using the wooden stakes, proud and healthy; and Danish leaner with small almost unnoticeable muscles here and there, though she had never thought he would look so small, and badly equipped, his hands and face bruised from the earlier fights and the measly amounts of wooden stakes still intact with splints and a blunt end. But his armor was his cunning mind. She could already see his dull, evil eyes so sharp and cunning that she almost had to look away. Her eyes cast over the rest of the silent, angry crowd and could see the comparison in their eyes too. Moreover, Abhay's supporters sat content and relaxed, some having bourbon or some taking a drag of cigarettes whereas Danish's parents and her own family were building his spirits by raising banners and screaming at the top of their lungs.
She felt slightly out of place at the back of the arena hiding behind the chairs to avoid him seeing her. It was very obvious that at times he was disappointed as his blue, lapis lazuli like eyes swept across the audience and then turned back to his opponent. And every time she would want to connect to him telepathically but she kept her mind blank. But she heard his clearly enough with thoughts of murder and sometimes anger poised towards her for not being there with him. She could only sweat in anticipation of the next day.
Finally the warriors were still and silent, watching each other face to face across the width of the sandy arena. Then with a purr and the blur of the sand, both vampires leaped at the same moment. Like two speeding cars coming from opposite sides and knocking trees into splinters, until they crash into each other so hard that both are smashed to pieces and flying chips of glass: that was how they came together. The crash as they met resounded in the air and bounded to the back of the arena to Piya's ears. Many humans and witches clasped their hands on their ears but she kept hers folded praying to someone for the well being of her soul mate.
But they weren't destroyed, as the cars would've been. Instead, they both fell aside, and the first to rise was Abhay. He grappled his opponent, clawing at his scratchy, rock like skin and made an attack to a vampire's most vulnerable area: the jugular vein. Sensing some danger, Danish grabbed a sharp wooden stake from Abhay's side with easy access and stabbed him across the shoulder separating the two vampires away from each other.
Piya felt her own breath knocked out of her by the force of her soul mate's crashing fall. The ground beneath her shook vibrating madly before he lay squirming in agony. How could Abhay survive that? From what she had researched, a wooden stake was such threat to a vampire that it could reduce their strength very quickly. A stake in the heart was immediate death but in the shoulder was not so far of from killing. She squeezed her hands together tightly while more of the crowd cheered and supported Danish as he walked around sharpening his own wooden stake. Clearly he had cheated using his opponent's stake but if he was to try that again, the referee would be quicker to kill him instead. So he sat talking joyfully sometimes affirming his victory and throwing obscenities at Abhay.
She knew that was the end. Abhay had failed and he would not be able to rise now. His strength was dying out and she could feel his immense and unbearable pain in her own right shoulder. Tears sprang to her eyes and she wept loudly but no one heard her from the loud clapping and yelling.
Rise, Abhay! she finally communicated pressing one hand to her shoulder and one to her temple. Please don't die, Abhay! Rise for me, fight for me.
And the only minimal response he gave before standing up again was Piya. Then he attacked Danish from the back with two stakes like a powerful deer killing it's prey with it's horns. The sound was sickening and strong enough to quieten the crowd. Some were shocked and some were proud but there was one distant, agonizing cry as Panchi Dobriyal fell to the ground.
***
The two soul mates scampered past the cries of sadness and cheers, the strong security of the vampires and finally met alone at the lakeside where water flowed down the fountain and the temperature was slightly more colder than the rest of the areas. But neither cared as they stood face to face empowered by the strong proximity which rose a vibration of electricity and love between them.
He was ready to hug and admit his feelings for her no matter what she thought of him. His heart was swelling with pride and contentment that he didn't need wings to fly. Today, he was alive because of this girl in disguise of an angel. This girl whom he hated for sparing when she was young and for having an identical face to his ex-lover Maithili. And since then he had regretted meeting her but today he didn't. He only felt sorry for himself for being a demon and unworthy of her love. But he wanted it anyway.
She only stared at the healed skin which looked as if it had never been touched in the first place. Only the sleeve of his shirt was torn and smeared with sand otherwise he still looked as clean and handsome as before. But what she didn't understand was the increasing pain in her own shoulder which should have disappeared just like his. But since he was fine, she would go home and see Panchi who was in dire need of support and in much more pain than she was.
Her feet didn't find the courage though and she spoke lightly. "You were good back there," she bit her lip to not cry out in pain and continued. "How's your... um, shoulder?"
He approached her slowly as if a person who approaches a butterfly to analyse and touch it's beauty but slowly enough to not scare it away. She stood there watching him, her hands and feet twitching nervously at the growing electricity and love. She could see his eyes more clearly now, grey and shining with love unlike before.
"May I?" he asked in an unfamiliar gentleness. His hand hovered above her paining shoulder and she nodded hoping he would free her from this unbearable pain. And he did after pressing down hard on it and allowing her to scream out in agony. Then the pain stopped and so did her tears.
"Thank you, Abhay," she replied, smiling gratefully to his worried, Adonis like face. He only nodded and continued the silent staring treatment while she decided to return home but before that she remembered Panchi's pain. "Will you... heal Panchi? She's hurt and... and..."
"Never!" he bellowed, turning away and stomping on the stones crushing them one by one. He kicked the debris in the waterfall and then turned towards her once again with blue, murderous eyes. "She was the soul mate of our enemy! He was threatening your existence and she sat cheering out for him! I. Will. Never. Save. That. Sonofabitch's. Soul. Mate," he yelled, enunciated every word to show how firm he was with his decision.
Piya wept in return. "She's my sister too, Abhay..." Her tears froze almost instantly as they poured out but the crestfallen face was enough to show that the young girl had been weeping. "Please, Abhay..."
He roared in might breaking the trunk of an oak tree and sending it sprawling down the massive waterfall. Scared, she only stepped away from his line of sight and ran into the dense forest leaving an angry vampire behind. This was a mistake! Must... run, she panted running faster than ever leaving everything in a mess.
***
Edited by Joker - 11 years ago
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