Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 20:32:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: NCfan <ngclle@yahoo.com>
Subject: boy-bands/heir to the darkness 5

Disclaimer: I do not know the BSB nor do I know their orientations.  The
following is a work of fiction.  All under 18 are advised to not continue
reading as this material contains content of an adult nature.

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

We stepped beyond the gates of our city--the city of vampires--and I was in
complete awe.  Everything was majestic and luxurious.  The gates were made
of gold.  The buildings so ancient yet so rich with culture.  I had to hold
my breath to let all the thoughts sink in.  So this was the land of our
ancestors, where all had began.  This was our history and hopefully our
future.

I turned to gaze at Kevin, who smiled at me.  He knew I was enjoying this.
Younger vampires always were mesmerized by the view.  I looked to AJ who
smiled nervously.  He loved it here as well!  I could tell by the gleam in
his eyes.

I sighed in relief, happy that we made it here.  Although in my heart,
there was something missing-Nick!  I wish he were here to share this
incredible moment with me, to share his thoughts with sweet whispers into
my ears.  True, we weren't lovers, but still, he would always humor me with
his eccentric ideas.

We continued walking down the ancient streets of Sangria, feeling the pride
in our fellow vampires.  But along with the pride were the underlying
currents of conflicts between the sentiri and saberi races.  Many vampires
looked at me and the others, shocked that two saberi and two sentiri
vampires were walking together in a closely knit group without any feelings
of anger or wrath towards one another.

I didn't care.  Why was there a war in the first place?  Besides being
annoying sometimes, I didn't find anything else wrong with AJ or Howie.

"Careful!" Kevin looked at AJ, Howie and me and warned us against giving
anybody snide looks.  "The hostility between the sentiri and saberi species
are strong here.  Be wary of everything.  And stay together, okay?"

I started to tremble.  It was scary walking amongst a crowd who looked like
they were going to start a violent battle at any moment.  It was as if the
city were waiting to explode with aggression and violence; and vampire
would be pitted against vampire, fighting for an evil cause.

AJ, Howie and I snuggled up closer as we followed Kevin faithfully towards
an Inn.  Kevin asked for a table so that we could feed.  Then, the waiter
immediately seated us.

"Here, we do not feed on blood.  This is real food, boys.  You eat like
you're in a restaurant back home, okay?"  Kevin instructed us.

"Ew!" AJ commented.

Howie was more receptive to the idea.  "If you say so," he replied.

It would have been more bearable had Nick been there to eat the stuff
because he would have enjoyed it and made the food look more appetizing.

"Why is it that we're in a vampire city and we don't eat vampire food?" AJ
asked.

Kevin looked sternly at him.  "We are trying to mimic the mortals, to blend
in with them.  To the mortals, vampires are mere myths.  We are trying to
keep it that way rather than flaunt our existence in their eyes and force
them to wage war against us!"

"Oh," AJ replied.

We quickly replenished our nutrition.  To my surprise, the food was
actually very good.  I ate every last bit on my plate.  It was nicely
seasoned with blood.

Once done, Kevin ordered a room for all four of us.  "We need rest, guys.
We can't just barge into the castle and demand that our Goddess Mother tend
to Nick.  We need a plan.  This hotel will provide us with a nice place to
stay while we figure out how to go about doing this."

"You mean you're not that powerful?" AJ blurted out.  "I mean I figured
with your seniority, we would at least be heard."

Howie snorted.  "Aje, you're too young to really know about this seniority
stuff.  The thing is, Kevin is actually a young one as well.  He may not
act like it, but he's considered still a 'child' in this kingdom."

"By the way," I started, "do you have that much power, Kevin?"

Kevin looked at me strangely.  "Why do you ask?"

I sighed.  "Just curious."  I must have looked really sullen because within
seconds, Howie was beside me, soothing me.

"Kevin was created by the third most powerful vampire in this kingdom, but
he was not the only one.  Plus, he was disowned by that vampire.  Kevin's
in sort of a difficult situation.  We must be alert at all times, okay?"
Howie explained.

AJ shook his head.  "But Nicky . . . "

Kevin sighed.  "We will find Nick, but we need a decent plan and some
connections.  I'm going to go out and scan the terrain.  One of you should
try to obtain lots of food for tonight.  One of you can follow me.  And the
last person needs to go out and find out recent events or happenings.  We
need to get oriented."

Howie volunteered to find out news.  AJ offered to go with Kevin.  That
left me to go out and fetch food.  I didn't mind.  That gave me some time
to do some plotting and thinking of my own.

We broke up soon after that and I stepped out of the inn and observed the
ancient roads of Sangria for the first time.  Everyone got to their
destination by walking, and so did I.  I treaded slowly through the paths,
savoring every smell, every sound I heard.  My ears were particularly keen
on trying to hear Nick's voice.  I couldn't feel his presence, not since he
was put under the spell.  It was as if his soul dissipated.  That
frightened me.

I quickened my pace and found a nice charming little store at the end of
the road.  I didn't know what attracted me to the place.  It was not fancy.
It was rather small, yet comfortable.  There were an old couple selling
gallons of blood.  The blood smelled delicious.  I stepped inside
cautiously.

"And what would the mister like today?" the lady vampire asked me.  She
looked generous.

"Ten gallons of geese's blood," I answered softly.

She paused.  "That's a huge appetite for one so young and so slim."

I smiled innocently.  "Naw.  I can handle it," I smirked.

She suddenly eyed me suspiciously, making me fearful.  "Follow me," she
made a gesture for me to follow her to the back.

"Why?" I asked, suddenly really scared of her intentions.

She eyed me cockily.  "The bigger containers are in the back."

"Okay," I replied, although my heart was beating faster already.  I
followed her to the back room, where she had the blood stocked.  I was
mesmerized by the aromas.  It was truly very intoxicating.  She led me to a
big ten gallon container that smelled delicious.

"There, you carry it back out," she ordered me.

"Gladly," I muttered.  I was about to kneel down and lift the barrel when
something caught my eye--a portrait, one that was so real, my eyes had to
strain to make sure they weren't seeing things!  It was a portrait of a
handsome young man with lavender eyes . . . not just any young man . . . it
was Nick!

I calmed myself down and looked at the lady, feigning indifference.
"That's a cute kid.  Who is he?"

She looked at me suspiciously, but used her powers to enlarge the portrait
to a lifesize portrait.  I stared in awe.  The way he stared out of the
portrait was incredible, as if he could look into my soul.  But just as I
got closer to the portrait, the lady made it disappear.  "He is not one who
we should talk about."  With that, the lady twisted her lips into a
scornful smile.  "Come, let us get back to the front."

I obediently followed her halfheartedly.  However, my heart was pacing
rapidly as I felt a twinge of surprise.  This lady knew Nick!  But then,
why was she so reluctant to talk to me about him?

I finally paid my dues and left the store, immersed in even greater
confusion.  Was it some big secret or some crazy conspiracy that we didn't
know about?

I quickly rushed back to our room to drop off the barrel of blood.  By the
time I was back, Howie had already returned, and he was pacing madly.

"What's wrong?" I goaded him.

He looked at me worriedly.  "It appears that more and more vampires are
arriving at Sangria.  Thank goodness we got a room when we did!  But just
about 90% of the vampire population has already returned by now.  There
will be a mass meeting for all vampires two days from now at the Coliseum!"

I gulped.  "So, what happens then?"

Howie shook his head.  "It appears that there will be a change in
leadership, as the Goddess Mother is relinquishing her throne to one of her
children."

"Is that reason for you to be so worried?" I asked Howie.

Howie simply looked at me incredulously, but then realized how young I
still really was and began explaining.  "Most of her children have been
known for their hostility and disrespect for both the sentiri and saberi
races.  Unlike us, they were born into a species that was neither saberi
nor sentiri.  They were the ones created by the Goddess Mother herself.
They have actually been part of the reason why our two races have been
fraught with conflict!  They mean big trouble."

"So who's going to get the throne?" I questioned, becoming more and more
confused.

Howie looked at the ground.  "That's what will be decided upon in the very
near future.  No one had been chosen, yet."  Howie's voice was soft, and it
was the first time I felt the fear in him.  His usual coolness was lost to
an air of insecurity.

"Does the leader have that much power?" I continued questioning.

Howie nodded.  "More so that you will ever think.  The leader holds the
secrets to the existence of vampires.  He has the power to make or break
us.  He has the power to determine our destinies."

I swallowed hard, feeling the fear seep in slowly.  The sudden creak of the
door made me jump a foot into the air.

I turned around to face Kevin and AJ.  "You guys scared the heck out of
me!" I cried out.

Kevin looked at me disapprovingly while AJ motioned for me to not say
anything brash to Kevin at that moment.  That was when I realized that
Kevin looked very stern.

"What's wrong, guys?" Howie interrupted.

AJ looked at us tiredly.  "Security was tight.  But we managed to get some
info.  We weren't able to see the Goddess Mother."

Kevin interrupted AJ.  "But we found something that is very interesting.
We felt Nick's presence inside the palace.  Nick is in there, somewhere!
His scent was weak, but it was there nevertheless."

I looked at Kevin like I was mad.  "But that guy in the woods said that he
would take Nick to a place that no one would know about!" I stammered.

"Maybe his idea of a hideout is some hidden chamber in the palace," AJ
suggested.

I couldn't help but feel relieved by this news.  "So we can go inside the
palace and save Nick, right?"  My voice was urgent as I looked at Kevin
pleadingly.

Kevin shook his head.  "It's not that simple, Brian.  We need to wait until
security is lax.  We can't just bombard the palace or else we'll suffer the
consequences."

Howie jumped in excitedly.  "How about two days from now, when all the
vampires are summoned to the Coliseum to elect our new leader?"

Kevin's eyes widened.  "Is that why security is so tight?"

Howie nodded.  "I don't know exactly what is being planned, but it's going
to be BIG!"

AJ sighed.  "If it's that big, then a few of us should attend it, just so
we know what's going on in the vampire politics."

"I want to save Nick," I willingly offered.  I didn't give a hoot about who
controls our vampire world.  That fact dulled in comparison to finding
Nick.

I turned to face a very disapproving look from Kevin.  "Brian, that is very
wrong.  You shouldn't be so fanatic.  You are downright crazy about him!
Could you be any less obvious?  You're a saberi.  Act like one."

AJ and Howie actually looked like they were sorry for me.

I glared at Kevin.  "So?  That doesn't mean I can't worry over Nick.
Whatever.  I'm going to find Nick, and you guys can wait for me at the
Coliseum once I've rescued him."  I gritted my teeth and sat roughly on my
chair.

Howie tried to soften the ambience.  "Well, why don't we eat.  We've all
had a rough day.  Thanks for the food, Bri."

I looked away, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall.

AJ patted his tummy with his hands.  "I'm hungry.  Why don't we all just
chill and fill ourselves up before we continue, shall we?"  With that, he
neared the barrel of blood I brought back with me and tried to pry it open.

Howie sniffed the air.  "Smells good, Bri!"

I smiled half-heartedly.  Kevin sat next to me and sighed.  "I'm sorry.  I
just didn't want you to fall in too deep.  My guess is that Nick is hiding
a big secret from us.  I don't want you to get hurt."

I looked at Kevin pleadingly and my eyes told him my story.  He quickly
averted my gaze and went to grab some dinner.  My thoughts drifted back to
Nick.  His eyes were so amazing.  I couldn't get his image out of my mind.
Whatever his secrets, I had already forgiven him.

That night, I had really bad dreams.  Dreams of Nick being whipped until
his fair skin wreaked of blood.  Yet, he did not cry out for help.  He
simply watched as his torturer hurt every inch of his body.  He stared at
the perpetrator calmly until he slowly sunk into a coma and died.  I woke
up, sweating buckets.

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

The next day, I woke up to a lot of commotion as the fanfare outside
deafened my ears.  "What's going on?" I mumbled as Kevin shoved me.

"Guys, wake up!  The Goddess Mother is taking the streets with one of her
children."

I quickly sobered up and jumped to the window to see for myself what
royalty looked like, if the Goddess Mother's son actually looked similar to
Nick.  I quickly pushed Howie out of the way as he was the only one I could
size up.  Finally, I ducked my head out of the window.  "Where is her son?"
I demanded to know.

Kevin pointed to a wild stallion in the middle of the streets that was
beside the carriage that the Goddess Mother sat in.  I squinted my eyes to
see properly although my vision was immaculate.  There, on the stallion,
sat a guy probably about Kevin's age.  He was quite attractive, but nothing
like the elegance abnd beauty in Nick's features.  I stared disappointedly
at him.  His eyes were a dark shade of blue.  His build rather bulky and
sturdy.  His face was arrogant, cold.  His nose too pointed.  His chin to
long.  His hair was wildly blond, but not the bright blond of Nick's hair.

"Is that all?" I asked bluntly.

AJ chuckled.  "Were you expecting a lot more?  I mean, he's just royalty.
Doesn't mean that he's astoundingly handsome or anything.  I'm starting to
doubt whether Nick is as 'good-looking' as you claim he is, with the
lavender eyes and all."  AJ botched his eyes at me.  I snorted.

Howie ribbed AJ.  I ignored AJ's comment.

The carriage that carried the Goddess Mother had stopped suddenly.  All
four of us looked at each other nervously.  Suddenly, the Goddess Mother's
body floated into the air swiftly.  We all looked in awe at her.  She had a
dark halo around her.  Her hair was dark black, her eyes closed.  I was
rather curious.

The Goddess Mother silenced all vampires with a wave of her hand.  "To my
children!"  Her beautiful voice echoed into the winds.  "These past
centuries, we have seen much strife and sorrow.  I am devastated to know
that the saberi and sentiri races have not resolved, but rather deepened
their wounds and conflicts.  We live in a dangerous time, when our
discontent and squabbles render us weak to the outside world.  We must know
that we have enemies outside of our realm and that we must strive to unite
against our enemies.  I am calling all vampires back to Sangria because
that war against our enemies is imminent.  And therefore, we must set our
conflicts aside and begin to plan our defenses.  I wish to invite you all
to the Coliseum tomorrow where a new leader shall be born from our kind,
one who will guide you through the next few centuries, one who will aptly
prepare you for a new problem that has arisen: the 'soul-snatchers'.  In
the meantime, our people should know that our government have taken drastic
measures to protect our people.  At the moment, we have a weapon against
them, one which we will reveal tomorrow.  Please join us tomorrow!"

With that, the Goddess Mother gently flew back to her carriage.

I looked to Kevin confusedly.  "Who are the soul-snatchers?" I asked.
Before Kevin could reply, we heard a big thud.  Immediately, AJ and Howie
fell back as did Kevin and me.  One of the Queen's guards had flown to our
window surprisingly.  The guard simply gazed at us intently before he held
out his hands to reveal a scrolled up cloth.

"The Goddess Mother wishes to see all of you at the palace tonight.  She
has an urgent message for you.  Please be on time!"

AJ, Howie, Kevin and I looked at each other in disbelief.  With that, the
guard flew back down to the Goddess Mother's carriage and escorted her
through the rest of the street.  Now, all vampires' eyes were on us.  I
bent down to grab the cloth the guard had left us.  In beautiful writing,
it read, 'you are our hope to destroy the soul-snatchers'.

AJ was the first to comment.  "Did you guys just feel the tension wreaking
in this room?"

Howie was dumbstruck and simply nodded.

"Who are the soul-snatchers?" I asked Kevin once again.

Kevin paced around madly before staring at me.  "Soul-snatchers is a
degrading term that we use to call the 'alma' race.  They are a very
evasive race that are known for killing vampires by destroying our souls.
They do it mercilessly, and they do it intentionally.  Apparently, they are
very hard to catch, as their bodies are fleeting.  They nearly destroyed
our race in the past.  The Goddess Mother was the only survivor of that era
and she managed to rekindle our numbers."

I gulped.  "So this is more complicated than we thought," I whispered.

Howie nodded.  "You are still young, Brian.  There are forces out there
that we are still defenseless against.  We are still a very fragile race."

I nodded nervously.  "If we see the Goddess Mother tonight, maybe we can
tell her about Nick, that he had been captured and locked away by that
disgusting vampire."

Kevin nodded.  "Now would be as good a time as any.  If we are to win this
war against a new enemy, we shouldn't be hurting our own kind."

"I still don't get one thing, though," I commented.

"What is that?" Howie asked gently.

"How is it that we the hope to destroy these soul-snatchers?  I mean, I
don't think we have any special powers, do we?" I asked.

"No," Kevin said definitively.

"Are we of the royal family?" I asked hopefully, thinking that if Nick was
of the royal family, then I need to be in order to have a relationship with
him.  It was selfish, but I couldn't care less.

"No." Kevin replied firmly, crushing my hope.

"Then why us?" AJ mirrored my curiosity.

"To be honest," Kevin answered, "I don't know."

With that said, Kevin went back to wash his face.  I threw my hands up in
the air in exasperation.  "Great!  We're designated as defenders of the
vampire kindgom and we have no inkling what our roles are!"

Howie smiled.  "You're very perceptive today, Brian."

I threw him a nasty stare before going to the restroom to wash my face up.

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

Me, Howie, AJ and Kevin stepped into the palace in complete awe.  It was
devastatingly magnificent!  I had never seen so many diamonds line the
pillars as I did now.  I had to catch my breath before we moved on.

"Wow!" was all Howie could muster. AJ stifled a laugh.  Kevin continued to
stare at us disapprovingly.

We continued strolling down the hallways until we finally reached the
dining area, where the Goddess Mother waited patiently for us.  She was
regal, yes.  I looked at her form, poised and quiet.  She was very still.
However, she didn't fit the picture of a Goddess.  She was much too
mortal-looking.  Actually, she looked rather fragile at the moment.

"Please, sit down," she beckoned us.  Her voice was beautiful, yes.  But
still, it was very mortal-like.  Why was I having these doubts?

"Please, enjoy," she called to us, offering the servings of fresh blood.
"These are freshly done for you."

"Thank you, your majesty," Kevin began.  "However, we have quite a few
questions and favors to ask of you."

The Goddess Mother smiled knowingly.  She turned to beckon two guys to sit
down.  I assume they are her children.  They actually looked better up
close than from far away.  They looked down at her and each took a seat on
either side of her.  Finally, one of her sons spoke.  "We believe that all
your questions and your favors will be resolved today.  Please let us have
one peaceful meal before we tell you the real story.  Especially, why we
summoned you."

Kevin nodded and quietly hinted at me, AJ and Howie to start eating.  We
sipped our blood gratefully, in silence.  When done, the sons of the
Goddess Mother began.  "Before we begin our story, there is something we
would like to show you."  The two guys quickly stood up.  Their expressions
were so stern!

Kevin, too stood up.  With that, we followed the royal family like a herd
of cattle down quite a few winding and dark stairways.  AJ and Howie looked
pale as ever, despite the good sample of blood that they had just eaten.  I
was starting to get nervous.  This looked to be quite serious.  It appeared
that we were walking for hours before we finally reached a small room very
deep into the ground.  It was freezing cold.  I shivered.  Everything was
so dark, except for the small candles that lit the dark, dirty stairways.
Finally, we stopped in front of the room.

Someone stepped out of the room.  I had to squint this time to see who it
was.  To my horror, it was that blond guy, the one that put Nick into a
Trance of Acquiescence, the one that kidnapped Nick!

What the heck was he doing here?  The guy bowed to the royal family, who
actually smiled at him!  The nerve of that thing!  Before anyone knew what
was going on, I grabbed Kevin's arm.  "That's him.  That's the one that
kidnapped Nick!"  Kevin immediately snapped wide awake, as did Howie and
AJ.  The royal family looked at us calmly before stepping into the room.

Kevin hinted for us to follow.  As we walked past the blond guy, I gave the
guy my coldest stare.  He simply ignored me and followed us into the room.
I gasped at what I saw.

There, on a huge bed, lay Nick's sleeping form.  The hair was as blond as
ever.  His skin had become fairer.  He was dressed in some see-through silk
pajamas, but his body was unconscious.  If it were possible, he looked even
more attractive than ever.  Even Howie, AJ and Kevin were awestruck by the
sight of Nick.

"He's beautiful!" AJ blurted out.

One of the Goddess Mother's sons walked up to Nick's sleeping form and
threw off the blanket that was covering Nick's body from the waist down.
"Beautiful . . . and dangerous.  He is the enemy."

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