Chapter Two

Nickolai

~1478~

"Hey, Sebastian, where to next"?

"I was thinking maybe we could go home".

"Where might that be".

"Russia".

I stiffened at the name of my home country. I've not been back to Russia since Annabelle and I left for France over fifty years ago. Annabelle, that's a name I haven't thought of in years. Pushing that to the back of my mind and turned back to Sebastian.

"Why do you want to go to Russia? There's nothing left there for me, my entire family has long since passed on".

"You and I have travelled together for over fifty somewhat years now and that's probably the only country we have not gone to considering that's our home. That and China which you refused to go to. I want to go home, I have not been there in a while and want to visit my family".

"What family? You're, a hundred and ten, any family you had is long gone". His immediate family might be gone but there was a possibility that he may still have some distant relative alive I had no desire to find out, especially if that meant going to Russia to find out.

"Don't be an ass Nickolai, I want to take flowers to my mom's grave". He was the one that was being an ass, I bet anything he doesn't even know where his mother is buried if she was even buried and he was starting to get on my nerves with this Russia thing. Why couldn't he understand that I didn't want to go back to that place? There's nothing left there for me.

When I left Russia, years ago I had every intention of returning. It was my first time leaving my home country and I was excited to see other parts. The plan was to travel to France and a few other places and then come back home, had I known then what I knew now I would have never left, not willingly anyway.

When Annabelle and I left France we had travelled to a few order countries before we ended up in China, and after what happened there and barely making it out alive, I could have gone back home to Russia but by then seventeen years had passed. I didn't want to return to my country as a stranger so I continued my travels alone. I met Sebastian about four years later on an island south of Spain and we've been travelling together ever since.

Unwilling to hear any more talk about returning to my home country I went for a run around the forest we were staying in. I found with Annabelle not around being a vampire wasn't so bad. I started testing my limits seeing how fast I could run and how strong I was and in doing so I was able to find myself again and finally allow myself to come to terms with and accept what I'd become. I found peace in running. Whether I was going so fast that everything around me became a blur or right now when I was going almost at human speed and could see and hear just about everything going on around me.

The sound of rushing water up ahead caught my attention and I made my way in that direction. Two miles later I came upon a small waterfall with a pond at the base. The water was coming out of the rocks about halfway up the mountainside. I figured this was as good as any place to relax and not think of Sebastian and Russia. Striping off my clothes I dived into the surprisingly warm water.

"Are you done brooding Nickolai"?

"I was not brooding Sebastian, I just wanted some space to think about what you said, "I don't relish the idea of going back to Russia, there is nothing there for me. "With that said you want to go and you have been there for me so I can do this for you as you have done for me in the past". "When we leave this place we go to Russia".

I would go simply because he asks it of me. Sebastian has been more than a friend to me, he was a brother, and though we haven't had the need to say it we loved and respected each order as such, and truthfully in all our travels, I was always the one to determine when and where we travelled I could and would give him this.

"Oh lord, that's the most words I've ever heard you say at once Nickolai".

"Don't get used to it".

"I appreciate it though old friend".

~1480~

"I hate you right now Sebastian, this is all your damn fault".

"How is it my fault that Russia's at war"? I punch him in the guts before I answered his question.

"Because you're the one that wanted to come to here, I'm not getting caught up in a war, Sebastian, we are leaving right now".

Sebastian and I have been in Russia for almost two years now. there's a war brewing, something to do about the Grand Duke of Moscow. I don't care what they're calling it I just don't want to get caught up in it. We moved through the trees at lightning speed, we were heading for Ukraine, and when we get there am going to kill Sebastian. It took us four days running at top speed to get to the border of Ukraine and after four days the thirst was making itself known. Counting the four days we were running for we've haven't fed in about ten days, everywhere we turned there was someone from either side of the fight trying to gain new fighters for their cause and if you refused one then you were deemed to be on the other side and that didn't end well for you.

"Come on Sebastian we need to feed before moving on". Another couple of hours and we came upon a small village. It was already dark out and there were plenty of people out and about that, we can feed from.

~1495~

The makeshift streets were crowded now at high sun. This part of the world was unexplored and undiscovered which was perfect for Sebastian and I. News of Columbus falling had spread across Spain like rain and at the prospect of another war, we took to the seas. We sailed for three months before making land. This land had no name and no ruler, there was only a hand full of people here when we came and joined. Everyone had a part and that part usually served the entire flock. I fear that we will have to be moving on soon though. The vessel that we sailed here upon came again to bring more men, women, and children. For people like Sebastian and I, that is never a bad thing but with more bodies, it means more homes to be built, more land to be used and it becomes harder to maintain order and share common ground. It won't be long before one will think that the rest were sheep and he would make the best Shepard. For now, we will stay but when it comes to that point Sebastian and I will take our leave from this place.

"It's Nickolai right". This stranger came a few days ago by a different vessel. He was of my kind and I was wary of that. I've had a few encounters with people of my kind in the past but I try to avoid them as best as possible in fear that I would meet another Annabelle. So far Sebastian and I have done great surviving on our own but you never know what could happen.

"Have we met before"? He might have learned my name from one of the many settlers and if so why then was there so much familiarity behind it? I'm quite sure I've never met him in my travels.

"Well, we meet for a brief moment around 1424 in France". I thought back to that year. That was the first time I had been to France and only met one person whom I told my given name to.

"You might not remember me led, that was over seventy years ago". The only person... but could it possibly be, after all this time could it be him.

"Vladimir, is that you"? If this man in front of me was Vladimir, then a lot has happened in the last seventy years. This person in front of me looks nothing like the man I met all those years ago but then again it's been seventy years.

"Yeah, it's me, what are you doing in these parts kid?

~1502~

"Vladimir have you seen Sebastian around".

"Left with a redhead last night, hasn't been back as far as I know".

For the last seven years Vladimir, Sebastian, and I have been travelling together. Meeting Vladimir again after all that time was a blessing in disguise and it turns out he might be older than the earth itself. He says that he has been alive for so long that he's stopped counting the days.

Some really good thing has come out of meeting him again and Sebastian and I have been learning what it means to be a vampire along with the rules and history of our kind. Things Like, there's a vampire king and queen and the fact that most vampires live in or are a part of what he called a coven that way the king and queen can keep track of all of us.

Turns out not all but some vampires have special gifts. Vladimir thinks it's to make up for us being immortal. Another thing I didn't know thanks to that she-devil. So when I thought I was blocking Annabelle from my mind by my own will it seemed that I was tapping into powers I didn't know I had, at least that's what Vladimir thinks. He refuses to say what Powers he has and we can't figure out what powers Sebastian may have if any.

Vladimir has asked Sebastian and me to join his coven but we've turned him down as many times as he's asked. Sebastian didn't say why he didn't want to join, but for me, I just didn't want to be around people. As time when on I found that being around people irks me the wrong way and when you've been alive as long as we have you meet a lot of people. Most time we get to say long enough to make dear friends, fall in love and become part of families only to leave when suspension and questions arise about not eating or aging among other things. It's hard to let go sometimes so we watch from afar as the ones we love grow old and die leaving emptiness in our still hearts and bitterness in our blood.

It weighs heavy on you after a while. Having to drink blood to stay alive doesn't help either.

"When Sebastian gets back we need to discuss where we go next, I'm bored with this place and the noise level is starting to make my fangs itch".

"I was going to bring that up; I have to be in France in three days to take care of some business with the coven, I'm not sure how long it's going to take so I might be there for a while".

"France? That's where your coven is? Which part of France"?

"The same place where we meet the first time, it was my coven's turn to host the meetings".

"Oh ok ".

"So you're coming with me?".

"Yes, as I said this place to starting to get to me".

"Okay when Sebastian gets back we can see what he says, in the meantime am going to pack up, I would like to leave as soon as possible so if he doesn't show up by then we'll have to go look for him".

"Ok, you go pack and I'll go find him, when we get back we'll leave".

A lot of things changed that day.

It took me about an hour to track Sebastian's scent another thing Vladimir had thought us to do. Sebastian was sitting under a tree in the woods when I found him and from the looks of it he had been drinking all night, a nasty habit he has picked up in the past few years. The worst part is he can't even get drunk.

"What do you want Nickolai"? He couldn't get drunk so he had no excuse to act like an ass.

"We are leaving for France shortly; I came to fetch you".

"Why France"?

"That's where Vladimir Coven is and he has to go take care of some business plus I grow tired of this place".

"I see, well I think I might say here for a little longer and you and Vladimir can go on without me".

Sebastian had spat Vladimir's name with so much distaste for a moment I was taken aback. I stood maybe twenty feet from where he sat under the tree; I never did like the smell of liquor. For the past year or so something has been off with Sebastian. He was never a man to keep to his counsel; even at his age and seeing as much as we have he's always been a happy person. Sometimes so happy that it got on my nerves. I don't know what happened to change that in the last year but all he does now is keep to himself.

"What are you talking about Sebastian? We're not leaving without you ". I would never leave him behind, he was my brother and I would give my life for him so where he goes I go and where I go he goes that's the way it's been since we met.

One minute we were talking and the next I'm being slammed into the tree behind me and brought down the tree. My shocked eyes meet the blood-red ones of Sebastian that were filled with anger and hatred something that I'd never seen on him.

"Goodbye Nickolai; I hope you find whatever it is that you're looking for with him". Just like before, one minute he was there the next he was gone, and I was left on the forest floor wondering what the hell just happened