Vlad 2

“Let him go.”
The words lapped at his unconscious mind like a drunken night’s memory. In dull waves his senses came back to him. The echo of a continuous droplet. Mold and earth filled the air. At first thought, he assumed a cave, lest his wine cellar. Mind still deadened by whatever effects placed on him, he was content to simply lie there were it not for his own cellular system screaming out in sudden pain.
Wildly kicking out, Vlad struggled to his feet. It was no easy task for every muscle was contracting in ways that could have torn them from his very bones. He came to recall, with his back pressed against cold brick, his situation.

Shran, soon to be king, had arrived upon the Lords doorstep. This in itself would be an odd event, were it not for the armed guards he brought with him. Be it their enraged presence or the frightened cries, Vlad was well on his way to the entrance hall. On either side, the doors burst in.
The dark blue dragon roared to those behind him. “Search every room. We aren’t leaving until we find her!”
“Sun isn’t here.” Vlad sneered as he waltzed in. “Judging by the amount of friends you brought, you’d think we’d been sleeping with each other.”
“You hold your tongue.” Her second in command stormed toward the vampire. “You think we wouldn’t catch on? I want the little bitch you’re hiding here!”
With a sarcastic laugh, Vlad gestured to the invader. “Someone has more than brass in their treasure trove if you think you can come into My home demanding things like a King. I don’t take orders from anyone! Least of all her spoiled lapdog!” A second later and a head would be rolling where Vlad once stood.
With quick steps he continued to dodge the dragon’s sword. Each arrebatar, was swung from the shoulder, intended for strength rather than speed. One such attack came quicker than the rest. A shadowy figure formed a blade in his hand in time to block the attack.
A single hand held the hilt, holding the dragon’s weapon at bay. Shoving with little to no effort, the vampire swung back. The tall ceiling echoed each clang until the room was deafening. Step for step, each thrust was parried. Neither guard could be broken.
They slid down the others fuller until the cross guards locked together. “Get out of my home.” Vlad hissed in the close quarters.
“Get out of my life.” The dragon growled back.
A scream followed by a commotion upstairs drew their collective attention. A red drake appeared on the landing holding a jolting girl. Every wild effort was a struggle for her very life. Taking advantage of the distraction, fire burst in between them. A cry of shock, Vlad pulled back trying to pat the flames out.
“I knew you were hiding her. Now I can enjoy killing you all the more.” Blade swinging, Shran hacked away. Each clang reinforced the power under those scaled arms. Blow for blow, he pushed the vampire back. When that did not succeed, another burst of fire continued his advance.
Ripping his now engulfed jacket over the top of his head, Vlad did not see the next slice. Backwards he fell, blade clattering beside him. Shran lifted his sword above his head and rocketed down a mighty cleave. Grasping for his weapon, the vampire held it aloft. Shattered. The tip drove into floor as metal chips fell only to fade.
With a frantic throw, the fractured handle soared past Shran’s head high toward the ceiling. Gripping tight near the pommel, Shran pulled his blade free. Stabbing down, he skewered the blood sucker through the heard.
The air slowly calmed as they stared at one another. “I know that won’t kill you, Vlad. It only needs to prevent you from running.” Waves of heat appeared before flames licked at his dark claws. Beyond the sizzling a groan could be heard. Casting his gaze skyward, the chandelier swayed dangerously as its supports slowly gave way.
Ripping the metal from his chest, Vlad slashed out clipping scaled legs. With a scampered crawl, he pulled himself away from the crash zone.
The hall was plunged into darkness. Dust from the ceiling rained down ash. Staggering to his feet, he retraced his steps. As he circled the wreckage of glass and metal, he located his target half buried. With a heave, he pulled the overgrown lizard free. He dropped him as his grip caused the leather binding of the sword to squeak. “You should have left when you had the chance.”
He raised the weapon. Just before he could extract his revenge, he received a mental attack. A sharp burst from a powerful mind struck out. The blade flew from his hand as he held his head. A voice rang strong. “Vladimir! Let him go.” A howl of rage escaped him as memories flooded up.
Long buried and dead, the past rose in flashes before his eyes. The scene of her betrayal replayed over what just happened. Catching her with the bastard. His friends ganging up to save his miserable life. The chandelier falling in a deafening crash. Just before his hatred was stated, she cried out.
“You filth. You whore! I trusted you.” He stumbled on his feet as the realities blurred in anger and pain. “If you want the dog to live then get out!” Dropping his hands, he glared at the figure in his doorway not seeing it for who they were but as Her. “Get out of my life!” He roared before her final attack sent him to the floor in an unconscious heap.

“You’re no better than her. I should have known.” Vlad hissed through clenched teeth. Chains about his wrists rattled as he struggled to stand. A pair of hands quickly pull the queen out of the cell. “I hope you cry when you burn me! I want your world to see you break!” He called as the thick door was slammed and their footsteps receded.
It doesn’t take him long to slip his hands through the cuffs. A hiss escaped as bones popped back into place with sluggish clicks. Glaring at the dark steel, he rushed the door. The attempt proved useless as an enchantment placed upon it threw him back against the wall.
“You’re different.” A rasp floated through the thin bars in the walls. What little breeze floated from them carried a voice as dry and unexplored as an ancient desert. “The window. Come, so I can see you.”
With hesitant steps, he approached the voice. His blue eyes shined in the semi darkness, just barely catching the milky set watching him.
“Who are you?” He spoke softly, for fear of breaking her by just raising his volume.
The shape shifted, but not by much. Time in the cramped confines seems to have warped the body. “Handsome. I can see why she’s keeps you alive, vampire.” His sneer grew a haggard laugh that turned into a fit of coughing. “She took my everything and named this Screech. What does she call you?”
Turning back to the door, he felt along the frame. “Traitor.” He growled. “Vladimir is what you can call me.”
“You can’t leave. She never lets anyone leave. Only death.” The laugh took a hold of her, shaking her frame.
“I cannot be killed, and she knows that.” He rammed the door again.
Silence fell as he battered the metal until he fell to his knees nursing his shoulder. “Finished already? You have a long wait. She won’t deal with you just yet.” There was a pause, where all that could be heard was her chains and his labored breathing. “Release me of these bindings. I can help you.”
“How?” He lifted his head even though they could not see each other. The one called Screech merely rattled her chains. “Get away from the back wall.” He ordered. Standing to peer through the bars, he located the fixture. She had inched away to the corner, eyes fixed on him.
He placed is palms on the brick. Within seconds he could feel the flesh rip open and blood well up to form the ancient runes. A sharp bang killed the silence as the metal trapping shot from the wall. The guards yelled down the hall, chastising Vlad’s escape attempts. “Now come here.” He didn’t need to say it. She was already shuffling forward, holding her hands up for him.
The chains hung loose about her frail wrists. Runes etched themselves up his forearms to the biceps. Snapping at the hinges, the bindings fell in a clatter. Before he could pull his hands back through she had a hold of them. Soft lips pressed against his fingers. “You have my gratitude.” The voice flowed softer, like a frozen river that sent a chill down his spine. When she released him, he quickly withdrew his hand. “Cover your ears. It would be a shame if you died before you made her pay.”
He did, but it did little to help. A liquid dripped down toward his neck from under his hands. Vision pitched black as he fell to his knees. Hands catching the floor, he shoved himself up. This time the door fell against the opposite wall. Turning to the banshee’s cell, he left the door swinging on a hinge.