Lucius - Thousand Year Old Vampire - Part 2

3.1 One thing I never liked about carpentry is the possibility of accidents. I’ve seen it happen. There were times when a worker would get injured, luck willing it would heal with time. But some accidents are so much worse. I’ve seen men loose a finger or two. Had it been me I’d rather have lost an eye. Imagining not being able to play the lyre made me shudder. What I disliked so much was the permanence of those accidents. That finger would never recover, once lost it’s lost forever.

My entire being was numb as I watched Fabia’s lifeless body below me. Regret came in waves. The hate I felt was for both Sahylina and myself. Then the regret would ebb and I wanted to drink more from her. I did try a few times, but was too full of her already. Her blood was in my mouth but I couldn’t swallow it.

When disgust hit me again I spat out the blood. Dead. She was dead forever because of me. Not just a lost finger or an eye. Never would she smile again. Never again would I hear her laugh. Always I would live with my regret.

I tried to recall the song I once wrote to her, but it would not come. Reaching down I closed her eyelids. I would write here another song, this time not to win her heart but to honour her. Leaning forward I whispered “I’m sorry,” in her ear.

Then I bit into her neck again. Even if I didn’t shallow her blood it filled me. Then and there I didn’t understand how Sahylina said she didn’t feel any joy, this was all there was. Everything I ever needed.

That’s when he came. Aulus cried out. I looked up mortified. His shock grew as he saw my face. Fabia’s blood covered my face, I could feel drops of it dripping off my chin. My first instinct was to throw myself at my friend. I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself, what saved his life was that I’d already feed so much.

“Help me,” I said instead. I don’t think that Aulus helped me because of our friendship. No, I think he was too shocked to do anything else. Perhaps he was too scared to do anything else.

We carried Fabia’s body to the river and let the Tiber take her. Aulus then cleaned me with a cloth as I told him about Sahylina, about my condition. In a way I wanted to chase him off. I couldn’t stand the fact that he accepted what I was saying. That he was assisting a murderer. Still, I welcomed his help.

Aulus told me that he’d worried about me, that he’d searched after me for days upon trying my brother’s house when he finally found me.

After walking the city for hours not saying much we ended up at his house. He’d brought the lyre I’d left at the theatre where I played when Sahylina had turned me.

I played for him then, I wanted him to sing with me but didn’t ask. He remained silent. While he seemed to enjoy the music, he didn’t smile. For once I was happy that no one smiled when I played.

During the night he asked if he was safe with me. I wanted to reassure him, to say of course. But I couldn’t lie to my friend. Instead I told him that the smell was the worst part. That while I didn’t feel the urge to feed just then, I could smell his blood.

The next day Aulus told me to wait in his house, that he thought he had found a solution. I played on my lyre as I waited for him to return. For some reason I remembered the lyrics to the song I wrote for Fabia then. It felt wrong to sing it, but it wouldn’t be the worst of my crimes.

Aulus hesitated as he returned and edged into the house. While I couldn’t blame him, it did annoy me.

He held up a small bottle and smiled. The vial contained vinegar and six small wooden pegs. His smile grew when he saw my confusion. He couldn’t understand how close I came to killing him for that small act. I wondered at it myself, where had such a thought come from? I’m not like that.

The pegs dripped vinegar as he extracted two of them and indicated that I should shove them up my nose. I humoured him and did. It actually worked. Within seconds his scent faded.

That night we were playing music together again. Aulus sang. Everyone smiled or danced. Everyone aside from a lady sitting alone in the back. Sahylina didn’t smile, but she had a curious look as she observed me.

While I could never wipe away my sin for what I’d done to Fabia, with the pegs I wouldn’t have to repeat it with anyone else.