different set of rules in hell—the laws of physics were altered—and everything bowed to the will of the demon lords. His knees clattered together, causing water to swish over the edges of the tub— please gods, let just a few of the hideous creatures wash out of the tub…away from my flesh.
He bucked. The poison was mounting in his bloodstream now, burning like fire, eating away at his body from the inside out. He felt his sanity slowly ebbing away, and he greeted the inevitable fracture of his mind: Any break from reality would be welcome.
No, no, no! he shouted inside, angry at the tears he could feel welling up in his eyes. Think, Nachari! There has to be a spell…an incantation. If death of your mortal body is the only way out, then so be it. Conjure death. Command your body on earth to die! You are a Master Wizard. Concentrate!
Grim Reaper, Death, Eternal Sleep,
harken to my voice;
Beseech the gods on my behalf,
grant me now, this choice:
Extinguish breath; expunge my life—
to earth from lands below;
return my heart to join my flesh,
At last, release my soul.
Just then, a powerful current shot through him like an enormous pulse of electricity, and he felt his soul hurtling forward, traveling at enormous speeds, even beyond that which he knew on earth as a vampire. The sound of wind was deafening, the feeling of being encased in a tunnel beyond what his senses could comprehend, and then all at once he was there!
At the Dark Moon Vale Clinic…in the parking lot…his ethereal body less than fifty feet away from his mortal flesh. If only he could get to his body, repeat the refrain one last time, he could end his life for good—once and for all.
Yes, he could do it. He would do it.
Grim Reaper, Death, Eternal Sleep,
The hour’s drawing near;
return me to my resting flesh—
Just then, something caught his attention.
As he drew closer to the ground, in an effort to locate his body, a startling scene swept up to meet him, commanding his attention and bringing him up short.
His brothers…all three of them…they were standing in the parking lot, surrounding a woman; and she was the most beautifully exotic creature he had ever seen. Instinctively, he drew closer.
They called her…Deanna.
“You belong to Nachari,” Marquis said in a harsh voice. “It is that simple, and now you must come back inside with us.”
Nachari jolted, awestruck. Somehow, his vision suddenly came into clear, dramatic focus, and he instinctively glanced up at the sky…and then at the woman’s wrist.
Perseus : his reigning constellation.
A Blood Moon.
Was this really happening?
His heart stopped beating for a second: The woman was his destiny; and she was there in Dark Moon Vale, at the clinic.
And his brothers had her surrounded .
She was in their care.
His determination instantly faltered, and he abruptly lost his focus, launching back into the tub in the Abyss, descending into an otherworldly body covered with spiders and scorpions, convulsing in pain. He screamed in agony as the pain seized him like a long lost lover, and his teeth clamped down around the thick bit of iron. As he grappled for air, forcing his lungs to expand and contract, he tried to process what had just happened.
If only for a moment, he had left his prison in the Valley of Death and Shadows. He had traveled, however briefly, to earth, and he had seen…
His destiny .
Nachari locked eyes with Ademordna and nodded his head in vigorous compliance, trying desperately to gain the dark lord’s attention.
“What’s this?” the dark lord snarled. “Do you wish to speak?”
Nachari nodded again.
Shrieking his delight, Ademordna waved his hand over the tub, and the creatures immediately ceased their assault. He reached down and yanked the bit out of Nachari’s mouth. “Speak now, Wizard—and do not try my patience.”
Nachari stumbled over his swollen tongue and fought to keep the dark lord in focus as he slowly bowed his head.
He bucked. The poison was mounting in his bloodstream now, burning like fire, eating away at his body from the inside out. He felt his sanity slowly ebbing away, and he greeted the inevitable fracture of his mind: Any break from reality would be welcome.
No, no, no! he shouted inside, angry at the tears he could feel welling up in his eyes. Think, Nachari! There has to be a spell…an incantation. If death of your mortal body is the only way out, then so be it. Conjure death. Command your body on earth to die! You are a Master Wizard. Concentrate!
Grim Reaper, Death, Eternal Sleep,
harken to my voice;
Beseech the gods on my behalf,
grant me now, this choice:
Extinguish breath; expunge my life—
to earth from lands below;
return my heart to join my flesh,
At last, release my soul.
Just then, a powerful current shot through him like an enormous pulse of electricity, and he felt his soul hurtling forward, traveling at enormous speeds, even beyond that which he knew on earth as a vampire. The sound of wind was deafening, the feeling of being encased in a tunnel beyond what his senses could comprehend, and then all at once he was there!
At the Dark Moon Vale Clinic…in the parking lot…his ethereal body less than fifty feet away from his mortal flesh. If only he could get to his body, repeat the refrain one last time, he could end his life for good—once and for all.
Yes, he could do it. He would do it.
Grim Reaper, Death, Eternal Sleep,
The hour’s drawing near;
return me to my resting flesh—
Just then, something caught his attention.
As he drew closer to the ground, in an effort to locate his body, a startling scene swept up to meet him, commanding his attention and bringing him up short.
His brothers…all three of them…they were standing in the parking lot, surrounding a woman; and she was the most beautifully exotic creature he had ever seen. Instinctively, he drew closer.
They called her…Deanna.
“You belong to Nachari,” Marquis said in a harsh voice. “It is that simple, and now you must come back inside with us.”
Nachari jolted, awestruck. Somehow, his vision suddenly came into clear, dramatic focus, and he instinctively glanced up at the sky…and then at the woman’s wrist.
Perseus : his reigning constellation.
A Blood Moon.
Was this really happening?
His heart stopped beating for a second: The woman was his destiny; and she was there in Dark Moon Vale, at the clinic.
And his brothers had her surrounded .
She was in their care.
His determination instantly faltered, and he abruptly lost his focus, launching back into the tub in the Abyss, descending into an otherworldly body covered with spiders and scorpions, convulsing in pain. He screamed in agony as the pain seized him like a long lost lover, and his teeth clamped down around the thick bit of iron. As he grappled for air, forcing his lungs to expand and contract, he tried to process what had just happened.
If only for a moment, he had left his prison in the Valley of Death and Shadows. He had traveled, however briefly, to earth, and he had seen…
His destiny .
Nachari locked eyes with Ademordna and nodded his head in vigorous compliance, trying desperately to gain the dark lord’s attention.
“What’s this?” the dark lord snarled. “Do you wish to speak?”
Nachari nodded again.
Shrieking his delight, Ademordna waved his hand over the tub, and the creatures immediately ceased their assault. He reached down and yanked the bit out of Nachari’s mouth. “Speak now, Wizard—and do not try my patience.”
Nachari stumbled over his swollen tongue and fought to keep the dark lord in focus as he slowly bowed his head.
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