Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the sequel to my previous work, "Soraya". I will post the third installment soon. Enjoy.



Her haunting wails awoke whatever life there was throughout the dark corridors of the castle. The pain was unbearable and Hadrian was nowhere to be found. She panted frantically as her sweat soaked her clothes, and the blood continued to trickle down from between her thighs.

"Hadrian!!! Where are you? I need you!!! Hadrian!!!"

The only sounds surrounding the castle were hers, and the hope to at least hear his voice or some sort of movement other than hers vanished. She continued to push with every bit of strength she had left, until finally there was the tiniest scream, and it didn't belong to her. She felt an immense amount of pride surge through her body. Her eyes examined the creature that came from within her womb for only a few moments, before the last bit of her strength finally disappeared, and her eyes closed. The child continued to wail, without anyone there to wipe the blood off of his body, or even cradle him in their arms.

***************************************************************************

A sense of numbness filtered throughout his body as the guard continued to lash his limp body. His thoughts were with Soraya and the child she was to bear. His child. He longed to have them both in his arms.

"ONE MORE TIME! WHERE IS SHE?"

Hadrian's arms were bound by thick chains hanging from the ceiling. He managed to turn his head to face the guard, and look at him with contempt.

He only laughed. "You can torture me for all eternity, and let me die here before I would ever tell you of my wife's whereabouts."

The guard grinned. "As you wish." He lifted his arm again, and continued to lash Hadrian's slowly weakening body. There were footsteps coming from outside of the dungeon, and a tall, older man walked in. His long crimson robes whipped behind him as he quickly made his way inside to observe the man who had resisted his authority.


"What a beautiful child. He has his mother's alluring eyes." Saphirus grinned broadly, almost as if it was difficult not to. He had short, blonde hair and a narrow face. His cold, green eyes were fixed intently on Hadrian. "Your services aren't needed anymore, Gaspar. You may leave now." He nodded towards the guard, and the guard left the dungeon swiftly.


"Where are they? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM?!" Hadrian's eyes were glittered with anger and fear at the thought of his wife and child being at the mercy of a ruthless warlord. Surely his wife was still weak...she was hardly a match for Saphirus. He could drive a stake right through her heart and burn her body before she could even ask where her child is. And what of the child? The poor, defenseless creature. He could not bear the thought of losing them both.


"Relax, Hadrian. They're safe…for now at least. In the meantime, I have what I wanted…which means that I don't need you, either. Guards!" There were footsteps of at least half a dozen men from outside of the dungeon, all moving fast towards the heavy door, filtering through it one by one. "Dispose of him. Leave no traces."


At once, the heaviest of the guards lifted a sword and slashed through the chains that bound Hadrian's arms. As he fell and hit the stone floor, he could feel some of his bones crumbling. However, he managed with all of the strength that he had to hoist himself up, grab the chain that had suspended him in the ceiling, and choke the nearest guard with it. As Hadrian took his life, he managed to ward off the others as they all attacked him at once. One by one, they fell at his mercy, leaving Saphirus alone in the fight. Saphirus looked at him with a mixture of admiration and disbelief. "You know, for once, I actually thought I was going to do away with you easily. You've proven me wrong. I do love a good challenge."


"What do you want from my wife and child? What is it that interests you so?" Hadrian was still weak, but his love for them proved to be his greatest strength as he steadily kept himself standing.


For a few moments, Saphirus said nothing. Then he reached for the chain hanging around his neck, which held an amulet. It emitted the most brilliant red glow that Hadrian had ever seen…so brilliant it almost blinded him. Saphirus held it up, "Do you see this? A most valuable artifact. Your little wife stole it from me forty years ago. In physical strength, oh yes, she has always been superior. But this made her stronger. It's how she lured you into her domain." Saphirus noticed a look of confusion on Hadrian's pale face. "What? Your vampire queen never told you? This gave her the strength to take you away from your mortal family. You loved them, didn't you? You loved them so much that it didn't hurt to run into the arms of a vampire whore, did it?"


"No, it wasn't like that…" His eyes had a strange connection with the amulet's glow. He half remembered his family, and then, all of a sudden, there was no recollection.


"Of course it wasn't. You've already become her eternal slave. You can't remember everyone you've hurt. You can't remember the night you slaughtered your mortal family in their sleep, and then burned the house down with their bodies still inside. You later ran to Soraya!"


"NO! I didn't…" Hadrian's voice suddenly broke into small sobs. He can't have done all those things. As far as he knew, Soraya has been his only wife. He continued to stare at the amulet through tears, succumbing to its power. She is the only one he has ever loved, ever will love…


Saphirus kept a steady eye on Hadrian. The damage is already done. "You'll live to see Soraya's death, as it is the only way you will dismember any and all memories you have with her. Your child will also die with her, as he shares her blood. Cynthia's face will haunt the rest of your days."


Hadrian was breathing hard now. "Cynthia? Wha…"


"Yes, Cynthia." Saphirus interrupted. "The mortal wife you murdered! MY DEAD DAUGHTER! She had two little boys that were also my grandchildren! You killed them as well! I'll let you live the rest of your pathetic immortal life only so you can remember how much you made my daughter and grandchildren suffer before you slit their throats. Come, let's take a walk now…"

Hadrian heard these last few words and suddenly, lost all of his strength as he fell to the floor... his mind meandering into an eternal bliss that he thought was only theirs..."Soraya," he whispered, giving one final look at Saphirus before he closed his eyes.