need to kill, the desire for destruction, will be partially sated. The soul will be restored, returning the ability of free choice between good and evil. You will be able to give the Children of Darkness a new beginning, an opportunity to reclaim their own destinies and walk in the Light, if they so choose.”
Rory paused. “What if the soul isn’t welcomed back?”
“If the soul’s return is resisted, the White Wind will lack the strength to defeat the Red. The two spiritual principles will war with each other until both are destroyed. The body will die, and the soul will be free to ascend and face judgment.”
“So any vampire touched by this power will either be saved or die.”
“Yes.”
Rory took a deep breath while he ordered his thoughts. “Will it work on me? Can I be saved?”
“You have retained your soul, Sean Magister Jiao-long. Your salvation remains in your hands alone.”
“You said magic requires sacrifice. What is the price for this power?”
“Service.”
“What kind of service?”
“For you to wield this power, the strength of the White Wind instilled by the Sentinel Gift must be increased. This will bind your soul more tightly to your body in response to the power of the Red Wind, for which your body has been made a vessel. As a result, while you will be vulnerable to the same weaknesses as a common vampire, you will always regenerate from such damage. Your body will survive any injury inflicted upon you until we withdraw the power, or your soul is severed from your body. Your work will be to redeem the Children of Darkness. When the last vampire has either been killed or purged of the Red Wind, only then will you be released from the power and be able to die.”
“How long will that take? Decades? Centuries?”
“That will depend on how you choose to apply this power. If you accept the bargain, you will serve until the Red Wind is defeated, or until the Sun expands to consume the Earth. That is the price of this power. Say ‘yes,’ and you will become our instrument in your world. Say ‘no,’ and you may bargain with the lower planes or allow yourself to die.”
Rory closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. “I need to know something before I make my decision.”
“Ask.”
“You said the Sentinel Gift awakens in response to being confronted by a vampire agent of the Red Wind. Will the Gift be awakened by a vampire who has been saved?”
“No.”
“So, if I succeed in this task, then the Gift will remain dormant in every successive generation.”
“Yes.”
“Swear it!” Rory shouted. “On the Light! Swear that if I do this, if I win, that none of us will be forced to fight in your war again. That our descendants will not inherit the duty to die protecting the world, as we did. The legacy of the Gift will end, forever! ”
“I swear it on the Light.”
Rory took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “Yes.”
CHAPTER 13
“The pact is made.” The light flared, and Rory was drowning in music again, the echo of the voice thundering in his ears.
Time moved forward again, though he remained a phantom in the room. From his astral viewpoint, Rory saw the underground chamber explode in pure white light—a power exceeding anything he understood of magic. He felt the psychic shockwave that smashed the stone walls to rubble and blew the roof of the underground chamber all the way up to the surface, the fragments of the ceiling raining down upon the mesa above them. A column of argent fire burst upward from the detonation into the starry sky and burned away the overhanging clouds. Through his soul’s connection to the vampire senses of his new body, he shuddered at the sensation of the sunrise in the middle of the night.
Anaba stood gingerly and assessed her injuries, finding herself to be completely healed.
Rory saw himself kneeling in the center of the room with his hands clasped in the same position as before—the flames extinguished as if
Rory paused. “What if the soul isn’t welcomed back?”
“If the soul’s return is resisted, the White Wind will lack the strength to defeat the Red. The two spiritual principles will war with each other until both are destroyed. The body will die, and the soul will be free to ascend and face judgment.”
“So any vampire touched by this power will either be saved or die.”
“Yes.”
Rory took a deep breath while he ordered his thoughts. “Will it work on me? Can I be saved?”
“You have retained your soul, Sean Magister Jiao-long. Your salvation remains in your hands alone.”
“You said magic requires sacrifice. What is the price for this power?”
“Service.”
“What kind of service?”
“For you to wield this power, the strength of the White Wind instilled by the Sentinel Gift must be increased. This will bind your soul more tightly to your body in response to the power of the Red Wind, for which your body has been made a vessel. As a result, while you will be vulnerable to the same weaknesses as a common vampire, you will always regenerate from such damage. Your body will survive any injury inflicted upon you until we withdraw the power, or your soul is severed from your body. Your work will be to redeem the Children of Darkness. When the last vampire has either been killed or purged of the Red Wind, only then will you be released from the power and be able to die.”
“How long will that take? Decades? Centuries?”
“That will depend on how you choose to apply this power. If you accept the bargain, you will serve until the Red Wind is defeated, or until the Sun expands to consume the Earth. That is the price of this power. Say ‘yes,’ and you will become our instrument in your world. Say ‘no,’ and you may bargain with the lower planes or allow yourself to die.”
Rory closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. “I need to know something before I make my decision.”
“Ask.”
“You said the Sentinel Gift awakens in response to being confronted by a vampire agent of the Red Wind. Will the Gift be awakened by a vampire who has been saved?”
“No.”
“So, if I succeed in this task, then the Gift will remain dormant in every successive generation.”
“Yes.”
“Swear it!” Rory shouted. “On the Light! Swear that if I do this, if I win, that none of us will be forced to fight in your war again. That our descendants will not inherit the duty to die protecting the world, as we did. The legacy of the Gift will end, forever! ”
“I swear it on the Light.”
Rory took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “Yes.”
CHAPTER 13
“The pact is made.” The light flared, and Rory was drowning in music again, the echo of the voice thundering in his ears.
Time moved forward again, though he remained a phantom in the room. From his astral viewpoint, Rory saw the underground chamber explode in pure white light—a power exceeding anything he understood of magic. He felt the psychic shockwave that smashed the stone walls to rubble and blew the roof of the underground chamber all the way up to the surface, the fragments of the ceiling raining down upon the mesa above them. A column of argent fire burst upward from the detonation into the starry sky and burned away the overhanging clouds. Through his soul’s connection to the vampire senses of his new body, he shuddered at the sensation of the sunrise in the middle of the night.
Anaba stood gingerly and assessed her injuries, finding herself to be completely healed.
Rory saw himself kneeling in the center of the room with his hands clasped in the same position as before—the flames extinguished as if
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