Page 46 of Captive
The guards' voices reached him through the chamber's gentle hum, their conversation a counterpoint to the strange sensations coursing through him. Where sharp pain had dominated before, now he felt something closer to a deep ache, his body adapting to new patterns as the Heart Tree's magic continued its work.
"We should have killed him when the shaman first brought him here," Murkub muttered, his voice rough with disdain. "That's what we've done for years with their kind. Quick blade, clean end."
"The vision," Koric began, his tone hesitant.
"Visions can be wrong." The older guard's hand tightened on his spear. "We've never kept one alive before. It’s been generations since we tried to... change one. Who knows what might happen?"
Even through the lingering discomfort, Sebastian caught the fear beneath their anger. Not just hatred of vampires, that was common enough. But terror of the unknown. Of possibilities they'd never dared consider.
Sebastian remained still, letting them observe the transformation he felt rippling beneath his skin. The metal no longer felt entirely foreign, it pulsed with warmth that spread through his chest, carrying sensations his regulators would never have permitted him to process. But the evolution was far from complete, components deep within him still shifted uncomfortably as they struggled to find harmony betweenwhat they had been and what they were becoming.
A distant horn signal reached him through the chamber walls; another vampire scout spotted at the border. In the past, his mind would have automatically calculated positions, mapped patrol patterns, assessed tactical advantages. His enhancements had been designed for exactly such precision. But now, with those systems failing, the signal registered as merely sound. Important, but no longer consuming his every thought.
"If they caught any of us," Koric said, his voice dropping to a whisper, "they wouldn't waste time with mercy. Remember Thornmaker's children? Left their bodies displayed like trophies at the border. Didn't even drain them, just killed them to make a point about orc lives meaning nothing to vampire nobility."
The accusation struck deep. The casual cruelty rang familiar. Sebastian had heard his brothers dismiss such deaths countless times. Bodies left as warnings, lives taken not for feeding but for intimidation. "Primitive stock," they would say with mechanical indifference. He'd stood silent through such conversations, accepting their callousness as natural order.
"The vampires set an ambush at the eastern ridge," Murkub continued, unaware how his words struck Sebastian. "Nearly killed Silverflank. We lost three good scouts already this season."
"Which is exactly why we should end this now," Murkub added, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Sebastian. "Before the warchief's fascination with him dooms us all."
"Zarek." Sebastian spoke without meaning to, the name escaping him as he recognized the pattern. "My brother always favored that approach. Dividing your scouts, then striking from both sides."
Both guards turned, startled by his interruption.
"He plans his ambushes by watching patrol patterns," Sebastian continued, his voice steadier than he expected. "Three cycles minimum before setting the trap. The positions are predictable if you know what he's looking for."
Murkub's expression hardened. "You expect us to believe you'd betray your own brother? Your own kind?"
"I expect nothing," Sebastian replied with a slight shrug. "But the information might save lives. Take it or leave it."
The chamber fell silent except for the gentle hum of the crystal formations. Sebastian let the quiet stretch, wondering when he'd started caring about orc scouts dying in the forest. When their safety had become more important than his family's tactical advantage.
Footsteps echoed down the worn stone stairs, deliberate and familiar. Sebastian's enhanced hearing tracked each step, recognizing Boarstaff's distinctive gait before light from the upper levels began to illuminate the stairwell. Despite himself, Sebastian relaxed slightly, anticipation replacing the dull irritation the guards had sparked. The guards straightened, their casual conversation dying as their warchief's approach became unmistakable.
"Step back." Boarstaff's voice cut through the chamber like mountain wind. The guards snapped to attention, though rebellion simmered in their expressions.
"Warchief," Murkub didn't back down, his stance firm. "We were just discussing,"
"I heard what you were discussing." Boarstaff's tone could have frozen steam. "Debating murder while our prisoner suffers. Planning lies to cover your fear of the unknown."
"They wouldn't show us mercy," Koric protested, his voice rising in defense. "You know what they are, how they see us. Like we're less than animals,"
"Which is exactly why we must be different." Boarstaff's touch felt impossibly gentle as he checked the bindings, his fingers tracing the intricate runes etched into the rawhide. "If we match their contempt for life, what separates us from the monsters they think we are? We can look at an enemy in our power and choose mercy over vengeance. Even when they've never shown us the same."
The words struck a truth Sebastian had never acknowledged. His people's certainty in their own superiority had never allowed for such questions. Throughout his upbringing, his education, his years serving at Cornelius's side, the inferiority of other races had been presented as simple fact, not something to be debated, merely accepted.
"Your brother's ambushes," Boarstaff said, turning toward Sebastian. "You're certain about his methods?"
"As certain as I can be," Sebastian replied. "Unless he or Cornelius have changed their approach since I left."
Boarstaff's gaze narrowed slightly. "Do you always call your father by his name? Is that something vampires do?"
Sebastian paused, something flickering across his features. "No," he admitted quietly. "That's... new."
Boarstaff nodded, understanding passing between them without need for further explanation. "Murkub, relay this information to Thornmaker. Have him adjust the patrol routes accordingly."
The guard hesitated, clearly torn between obedience and suspicion.
