Chapter 12
It was dark out. The summer moon, so full at the blood eclipse, was now nothing more than a dark disk in the sky. Wind twisted through the sand dunes trying to eat away at the scrub that acted as a barrier between savanna and death.
It worked, for now.
Settled high up in one of the Senegal he looked back the way he and his family had come. The sand dunes where something he knew intimately. He’d grown up in the ever shifting sands along the Nile, playing in the oasis’s that begged to never be forgotten, and hunting for a god bird to call his own.
Trees where something he knew as well, the temple gardens and palaces where covered in the shade delivering plants, but they were not as dear to him as the sands where.
This was the first trip he’d embarked on since his father’s death. Nothing more than a child and yet the throne had been delivered to him as an act of the gods. It was something, even now, that he had trouble understanding. Why had their divine father chosen now to claim the only parental figure he had?
There was no answer to this question. A question he had asked too many times to count over the past ten years. Gods, it had been so long already. A decade without his father, a decade on the throne without even his cousin as a guide.
“You must rest, Per–a’a.” A voice he knew very well said from a couple feet below.
Red eyes looked down spotting the purple haired vampire perched on a branch. Mahada, high priest of Menhit , and one of his dearest friends happened to have a great distaste for heights. It was the reason he’d picked this tree to climb, what with it being sixty five feet tall. He’d hoped to have some time to think without everyone worrying about him.
Looked like that hope was not to be.
A sigh escaped him, and he resumed his vigil. “I’ve slept enough, Mahada. The only reason we’ve set up camp is that mortals are traveling with us.”
“You act like they are holding us back.” Mahada pointed out disapprovingly. “They happen to be feeders, our feeders. We would never have been able to travel as far as we have without them.”
“Your feeders.” He bit out. “Mine was poisoned in the Indus Valley by a vampire that thought having me drink poisoned blood was a wise assassination technique. And that was two seasons ago, Mahada. I’d promised to keep her safe. I could have taken anyone as my feeder, but I’d chosen her. The daughter of a lowly farmer, and look what happened.”
Purple eyes looked up at him with concern. “Is that what this brooding session is about? Merynefer’s death?”
Nothing was said for a long while, the he sighed.
“No. Father’s death day is coming once again, and it reminds me of the mistakes I have made. All the people who I have lost because I could not become what everyone needed me to be.”
A scowl took over Mahada’s face. He climbed higher up the tree until he was standing next to his king. Gently he took one of his king’s bejeweled hands and kissed it.
“That is all a lie made up by your own mind. You made mistakes, Atem. All new leaders do, but you need to realize that you did better than anyone thought you would. You where twelve when you took the throne to the Vampire Kingdom. Twelve. Most kings take the thrown when they are around five hundred years old. And you’ve done so much good for the world in the short amount of time you’ve been king. Imagine what you will do in the coming years!”
Mahada squeezed his king’s hand. “You will not be taken seriously because you are still a fledgling and will be for another four hundred and sixty years, but that just means that they will underestimate you. An advantage you have already used to gain the upper hand against political adversaries.
“What I’m trying to say is that you are strong, you are smart, you are quick witted and manipulative. You can use anything to your advantage. Anything. So learn from you’re mistakes and you will be the greatest king the world has seen.”
He felt warmth spread through him at Mahada’s words. A chill that had been curling around his ribcage since Merynefer’s death was slowly falling away. Her death was on his hands, but Mahada was right. He learned from his mistakes, and the future was as bright as Ra’s light upon the sands.
“Thank you.” He said quietly.
The wind shifted, blowing sand to swirl around them until nothing else could be seen. It didn’t startle him, not as the world fell away and amethyst eyes opened to the real world.
Yugi blinked up at the ceiling of his bedroom. Well, that had been interesting. He’d never dreamed someone’s memories before, and it had to of been a memory. Dreams didn’t have the same feel as what he’d just experienced…
The memory played through Yugi’s mind once again. This time analyzing the situation. One word stuck out among everything else.
Atem.
As in the vampire that he’d met in front of Hura Reference Library. The vampire that had nearly succeeded in seducing him outside one of the lecture halls. The vampire that Yami hated and yet wanted to see again at the same time. The vampire Yugi wanted to see again, if only to understand his classes.
Atem.
The Pharaoh of Shadows. The King of the Vampire Race. The most powerful Shadow Wielder on the planet.
Yugi didn’t know what to think anymore. He liked Atem. Really, really liked him. But…Atem was everything the Hikari had been hiding from. If he knew that the Hikari existed–it would be bad. No, that wasn’t the right word. It would be catastrophic.
So what was he going to do? It wasn’t like he could sneak around Domino with the Pharaoh of Shadows seeking him out at every turn.
He sighed through his nose. This was ridiculous. Yugi knew what he needed to do first. He needed to talk to Yami. After that, well, Marik and Ryou needed to be told…and Seto.
Yugi groaned. “Seto is going to kill me.”
Fog engulfed the bluffs in a veil. A semi-transparent shroud painted golden by the sun. It reminded Ryou of England, the sheer cliffs and ever changing weather that on occasion gave unique perspectives to those who truly looked.
He’d taken Ahriman out past the ranch’s border before sunrise. A quiet ride to a place he’d discovered on accident.
High up in the mountains a small shrine stood unattended. It overlooked a sudden drop off into the sea below. Bluffs stood tall against the battering winds and waves, refuge for the hawks that called these mountains home.
On mornings like this one – when there was so much going on in his life it made him want to scream – Ryou would visit Layal well before dawn and take one of the horses out for a ride to the shrine.
It was peaceful up here in the mountains with no phone service, no technology that could disrupt the natural beauty of the land. The shrine and the mountains surrounding it had become a sanctuary for Ryou. A quiet place he could come to to relax, to think, to be with nature.
He always brought gifts for the shrine spirits. The one’s forgotten by everyone else. It made Ryou feel like he was doing something important, and it emboldened him. He was doing what thousands before him had done. Honoring the spirits of the past, the very earth and sky and sea.
Ahriman knew the way up the mountain by now. Every treacherous pass and rocky outcropping. It was her resillance that made her even more precious to Ryou. She was the only horse that would willingly leave the stables before dawn to climb high into the mountains.
Ryou had a feeling Hadi knew where he and Ahriman went when her stall was empty before dawn, and he was grateful the vampire had never forbid him from taking Ahriman so far from the ranch.
We should get going, little thief. Bakura murmured into his thoughts. We’ve been out here for a couple hours and I know Ahriman is going to get hungry soon.
Brown eyes looked away from the fog laden bluffs.
Do we have to? Ryou asked, brown eyes searching the area for the shadow form Bakura was utilizing.
Leaves crunched from behind Ryou. A subtle way for Bakura to let him know that the spirit was approaching. Arms – cool to the touch, but a solid mass all the same – wrapped around Ryou. Bakura’s darker fingers grazed down Ryou’s arms and interlinked with his own pale fingers.
Ryou was pulled backward into Bakura’s embrace. “You were always one to enjoy the solitude of nature.” The vampire rested his chin on Ryou’s head. “Why is it that you can find peace in the silence when our species’ have long feared it?”
“I thought humans feared it, the silence, the nothingness of the void.” Ryou returned to staring out over the bluffs.
He could feel the vibrations of Bakura’s amusement through his back. The simple feeling brought satisfaction to Ryou. There were only so many days a year when Bakura could manipulate the shadows and create a body from them. Bakura had done his best to always take a physical form on those days, to give his mate the comfort physical touch gave.
Hopefully Ryou wouldn’t have to wait for those few days the rest of his–
“Darkness and shadows have always been feared.” Bakura quietly said. “Humans cannot see in darkness and that is why they fear it. Vampires on the other hand…we can see that which should not be seen. The shadows are a gift, and a curse. They are a reminder that everything returns to the void. Returns to the shadow of nothingness.”
“Umbra Nihili.” Ryou murmured.
It was something his mother used to say. All human life stands under the shadow of nothingness, the umbra nihili. But,” she said smoothing the quilt around Ryou’s small form, “Love is the sister of the soul. In and through the warmth and creativity of love, the soul shelters us from the bleakness of that nothingness. We have to go deeper into that emptiness; then we will find beneath nothingness the flame of love waiting to warm us. I hope one day you will find a love that guides you and together you will defeat the Umbra Nihili once and for all.” She smiled, an emotion Ryou didn’t quite understand darkening his mother’s eyes. “Goodnight, my light.”
Ryou leaned farther back into Bakura’s embrace. “There is something waiting for us all in the nothingness. A truth that changes everything. The void came first, but the void is the womb, the love from which everything can grow.”
Bakura hummed but said nothing. Instead he watched the landscape before him, allowing everything to seep into his being and quieting his mind. His mate was closer to the truth then he knew.
However…it was not Bakura’s place to speak of such things. Only Yami could explain and the Pharaoh couldn’t as he was now. There was so much Yami meant to the world. History showed him as a monster that wished to devour the world and Bakura hated the fact that he knew differently. It would be so much damn easier if he didn’t remember what Yami had been like all those years they had worked together. All the years they had played a game of death and manipulation that confused even the King of Vampires.
There was a reason Yami had survived as long as he had when even gods had wanted his death…the void was a womb indeed.
White hair tickled Bakura as he used his ‘nose’ to breath in Ryou’s scent. “We can stay a while longer. There is nowhere we need to be.”
Returning to Layal was always tougher then Ryou expected. There was a part of him that longed for the freedom on anonymity. To be able to go were ever he wished without anyone knowing who he was. His little escapades to the shrine helped, but in an abstract way.
It didn’t matter now though. Ryou needed to focus on Ahriman – cooling her down, cleaning her off, making sure she was feed – and then see why Yugi had sent him seven texts saying they needed to talk. That in itself was worrying. But Marik and Seto hadn’t tried to get in contact with him, so it wasn’t that important.
Ryou was just entering the ‘hidden’ cleaning area when he scented a vampire. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem. Layal was run by vampires after all. However, this particular vampire made Ryou want to run and stay at the same time.
For the moment Ryou ignored the vampire, choosing to focus all his attention on Ahriman. With practiced ease Ryou slowly worked through his routine. The movements where relaxing – a moving meditation that revitalize Ryou – and before he knew it Ahriman was clean and brushed.
She nickered, nose prodding Ryou in impatience. The Hikari could do nothing but laugh quietly to himself. He shook his head before grabbing her snout.
“Okay. Okay. Let’s get you some food shall we?”
Ahriman looked at Ryou unimpressed. Well, as unimpressed a horse could look. Yet, she allowed Ryou to lead her back to her stall. It was near the back exit of the barn with a window.
Ryou let go of her long enough to open the door and walk inside. He looked back at the black Arabian, an eyebrow cocked in question. Well, are you coming in or not? Ahriman snorted and shook her head. Her ears shifted, hearing something Ryou couldn’t before entering her stall.
“Good girl.” Ryou moved around his horse, a hand along her side so that she knew where he was, and exited the stall. He closed the door. With a smile Ryou headed toward the feedroom. If he was lucky there would be some apples.
Well, there were apples. There was also the vampire Ryou had been trying to ignore. Ryou froze in the doorway, eyes drawn to Akefia. The vampire sifted through stacks of feed, muttering to himself the entire time. Ryou could only ketch a few of the word, but wasn’t impressed by what he was hearing.
“Can I help you?” Ryou asked, silently mourning the peacefulness of his morning.
Akefia jerked back.
Brown eyes widened. A warning shrieked from the Hikari’s lips but it was too late. Akefia fell into a stack of feed causing a domino effect to take place. The vampire was swamped within seconds as piles of apples, carrots, alfalfa, and hay tumbled into a giant mass.
Don’t just stand there! Bakura’s voice shouted through the mind link. Help him! Even if he’s a bloody pureblood that could very well have killed him!
Bakura’s words snapped Ryou back into the real world. Quickly Ryou went to work. He pulled bags of feed from the pile and placed them along the walls. Ryou didn’t care about the mess he was making. He had a debt to this vampire and it would be repaid when he saved the damn purebloods life.
And Ryou had a sneaking suspicion that Hadi knew this was going to happen. None of the farm hands had come running, which they should have done. After all, they were vampires with the heightened hearing all vampires have! Why wouldn’t they investigate?
Ryou growled digging deeper into the pile. He could hear Akefia breathing–wheezing really–so he was getting close. Just a little more, Ryou thought as he threw a bag of apples against the far wall. Just a little–
Carmel skin was revealed with the next bag toss. Ryou latched onto the hand and stood. He was knee deep in feed bags and the rest of the pile threatened to collapse on top of them both at any moment.
Ryou grimaced. “Ra, please let this work.” Brown eyes closed as Ryou focused on his connection to the shadows. Slowly he felt cold creeping around him until he was engulfed. The entire time Ryou refused to let go of Akefia’s hand and when the cold feel away the Hikari opened a single eye.
His living room greeted him. Opening in the other eye Ryou looked down at his hands. Low and behold it had worked. Akefia had traveled with him through the shadows.
Ryou let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t as good as Yugi when it came to traveling through the shadows. As it was, only Yugi was allowed to take passengers with him during shadow travel, unless it was an emergency.
Brown eyes studied the unconscious pureblood before him. This definitely counts as an emergency. Ryou could feel that Bakura was quietly pleased with his actions…and the fact that he hadn’t left half of Akefia at Layal.
Bakura’s next words however made Ryou paused. What exactly are you going to do with the unconscious pureblood, little thief?
Ryou released the hand and stepped away. He needed to raid the medical supplies he had and figure out where to put the vampire. It wouldn’t do for Marik to walk in to Akefia lying on the living room floor. With one last glance at Akefia Ryou darted down the hallway, praying he would still be there when he got back.