Yay! Another chapter. How lovely.

Kellen dropped into the bell tower at dusk and pulled his mask off. His pale face was sweaty from being covered in the heat of daytime and flying for such a distance.
I grabbed his arm as he swayed from exhaustion. "Kellen? Maybe you should stay here?" I asked cautiously. His blue eyes locked onto mine.
"No. You don't know what you're in for when you get down there. You need me." He jumped down the center of the tower, past the bell before I could object. "Kaliber! Jump!" His cold voice echoed up the tower.
"What?! Unlike you, I can die!" I hissed back to him in a loud whisper. I heard him sigh on the other end.
"I'll catch you. Just jump!"
Kellen had proven that he was trustworthy and without much thought I jumped. I didn't really have a choice. He caught me at the end and fell back against a wall.
"Kellen, you should stay here. You're exhausted."
The Vampire shook his head and put a hand over my mouth. "Can you hear that?"
I listened and heard no sound at all. I looked at him, pulled his cold hand off my face, and said, "No. I don't hear anything!" At that moment, the sound got close enough for me to hear. Three voices, two males and a female.
"Duncan! Hold her tighter, she'll curse you!"
"I'm doing everything I can, Vincent! I can't hold a Witch like her for very long!"
I recognized the voice of the female. Damiana Mortalado, First Rank Witch of the Light. I grabbed Kellen's arm. "I know her," I mouthed. He nodded.
"You let go of me, you big brute! I'll curse you to hell and back again if you don't get your puny, greasy little hands off my arms!"
"OUCH!" Vincent's voice filled the stone corridors. "Don't bite me, you wench!"
Kellen stepped out of our corner. "Hello boys," He said softly.
Duncan eyed the Vampire with a scornful look on his face. "And who do you think you are?"
I stepped out beside him and both men dropped Damiana. "Wizard Kaliber! What are you doing in the Citadel?"
I would have lit something on fire had I the energy left but I didn't. "Damiana? Would you give us a little light?"
The woman stood and two glowing orbs of energy levitated above her open palms. "They have a price on your head, Kal. You had better be careful."
I nodded and grabbed Duncan by the back of the neck as Kellen took Vincent. "Hungry, Kellen? You can have them." I threw Duncan at his feet and looked at Damiana. She stared in shock as Kellen's fangs dug into Vincent's neck and the man went limp.
"H-He's a Vampire!" She said in a shaking voice. I nodded.
"He is. Damiana, do you know where the Orb of Alexander is kept?"
Damiana nodded. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be in trouble."
"What does that mean?" Kellen asked as he dropped Vincent's body and picked up a cowering Duncan. His blue eyes took in the Witch in front of him.
"I tampered with it when I found out they were going after Kaliber's army."
"That was you?!" I asked in alarm.
Damiana nodded. "Yes, it was me! You and I grew up together, Devon! I wasn't about to see you die!"
I winced at the sound of my real name. "Fine, Krissie. Call me Devon, but we have to get that Orb."
Kellen dropped Duncan next to Vincent and wiped blood of his mouth. "Yes, we do."
Damiana rolled her brown eyes. "Who do you think you are, Kal? The heir to the Orb himself?"
Kellen laughed. "That's exactly who he is."
The Witch stared at us. "You're kidding me, right? You aren't Thomas's descendant. You just can't be!"
I shrugged. "That's what they tell me. I wasn't affected when you tampered with the Orb. Everyone else was."
Damiana grabbed Kellen's hand and my hand and then took off down the hall. The Orb was in the lower keep of the Citadel, near the Mage's training room. She went deeper into the story of Alexander as we walked. "Alexander was from Iliop. Everyone there thought he was evil because he could make 'things happen.' There was a murder in his village and the people tried him for paganism, which is illegal in Iliop to this day. His mother found out they were to drown her only son at dawn of the third day after the trial. She told Alexander and he escaped into the Gylli Forest, which is now Olarion. A few men and women followed him, believing he was innocent of his crimes. They become the Council of Blood. They were Tessa of the Wind, Melanie of the Earth, Corella of the Sky, Alexander of the Fire, Edward of the Water, and Peter who turned out to be a prophet. There were seven others that are unimportant right now.
"Alexander wove Magic into all of them and made them into the power they possessed. With Peter though, something went wrong. The spell took part of him to another world. A world where he could see what was to happen in the future. As if he were looking a time-line of our world.
"They then built the Citadel, or part of it and established Olarion. It was a haven for people that were shunned. Around seven years later the population was up to six hundred and the east wing was added for more living quarters. Not all these people were Magic though. There were families of the Wizards. Children, wives, mothers, sisters, brothers, everyone. This was when Alexander first took a liking to Tessa. She was a very noble woman with black hair and blue eyes. She admired him for what he had gone through and done for the people. They fell in love and got married. Within a week she was pregnant."
Kellen laughed. "They were busy, now weren't they?"
Damiana looked at him and smiled. "That's what I've always thought. Anyway, with everyone moving in more diseases reached the 'Haven' as it was called. When little Thomas was born the viruses lived amongst the sewer rats but soon spread. By the time he was three a rare string of it had captured his father. The thirty-three year old Wizard suffered from internal bleeding, wheezing, delirium, hysteria, fevers, and cold sweats. A month after the deadly virus claimed Alexander's mind, he had a rare sane moment where he linked the Council to an Orb of his power. This was to ensure that no one could take the Citadel as a monarchy. Even a mortal could easily stop them. The best part was, the spell is still irreversible by anyone not carrying Alex's genes."
I swallowed hard. "What happened to Thomas?"
Damiana giggled. "That's the part not many people know. It's a mystery really. Some say he was sent back to Iliop to live with his grandmother. That story ends with him having his father's fate and being drowned. The second, more appealing version says he lives today in the Valley of the Dragons with his ever faithful companion."
"Companion?" Kellen asked.
"The only shape-shifter in Olarion."
"Callahan? He's a myth!" I snapped. "Callahan Young will never be a true fable. Its impossible."
Damiana stopped. "Just around this corner there will be gaurds. Kaliber, can you fix that?"
I shook my head. "I used my Magic's energy killing sixteen of my father's Warrior Sorcerers."
Kellen grumbled and pushed me into the hallway snapping a rather quiet, "Then act like you can!"
I stumbled to my feet and looked up at more than thirty very large Warrior Sorcerers and Sorceresses. "I am," I looked at Damiana who was mouthing 'Mage' over and over again. "I am Mage Kaliber of the Inferno! You should be cowering before me!"
The men stared vacantly and a woman spoke. "They have a hefty price on your head, Mage. A very hefty price." She walked toward me, a glowing mace in her left hand.
"You think that would scare a Mage? You are foolish!"
Kellen stepped out behind me. "Hello my lovely friends." He bared his teeth. "Hungry? I am."
The woman looked at Kellen with a grim face set on her features. Before the Vampire could act she brought the mace handle into his stomach. He doubled over, frothy, hot, bloody, vomit rushing from his gut onto the floor when the mace connected with the soft part of his belly. Damiana grabbed his shoulders and threw him backward out of the way of a crushing blow from the same Sorceress. The First Rank Witch stopped the woman but not for long. The other soldiers came at as like bees swarming a hive.
They grabbed Kellen and snapped a lance in half. "This'll teach the bloodsucker not to show his face in the Citadel. " He brought the wood down hard, piercing the blonde's chest. Kellen gagged. The man jerked the wood upward and hissed, "Casper's vermin. That's what you are!"
Kellen grasped the lance and tugged it out of his chest. "You missed," He said breathlessly.
The soldier gaped at him. "You aren't dead!"
Kellen stood up, holding his stomach. "I don't die easily." He took the man by his shirt and threw him into three other Warriors. They toppled under his weight and let go of Damiana. She sent cascades of Light power on some, killing them and blinding the ones around them. I jerked away from my blinded captor and opened my eyes. "Kellen! Are you alright?"
He looked up from the bloody hole in his chest. "He missed, but not by much. This is going to take a long time to heal over."
Damiana put his arm over his shoulder and pushed him into the Orb's room. I followed and summoned barely enough power to lock the door behind us. "Damiana? Where is it?"
Kellen looked up at the ceiling and pointed. "Up there." I followed his arm up to a bright blue, glowing, rotating ball that floated just below the ceiling. I stared.
"How do we get it down?"
Damiana grabbed a book from a shelf to her left and hurled it at the Orb. It hit and burst into bright blue flames. "I don't know. But that's how I did it last time."
Kellen frowned. "You're the one the prophecy said would get it down," He snapped to me. "Now go claim what belongs to you!"
I glared at him. "I can't fly!" I looked up at the Orb.
Damiana walked beneath it to a plaque on the opposite wall. She read it twice before looking at me. "Call it, Kaliber."
I crossed my arms. "How? I can't summon it, Damiana. I'm drained!"
She shook her head. "No, say your name and title. Tell it you're the blood of Alexander. It will come down and touch you. If you are his, it will rest in your body. If you aren't, it will kill you."

Kellen laughed but it turned into a hacking cough and he winced. "You've got a fifty-fifty chance, Kal. Go get 'em!" He gestured to the baseball sized Orb.
I looked at the blue ball and spoke. "I am Mage Kaliber of the Inferno. I am the descendant of Alexander from Iliop, creator of the Citadel and you!"
The Orb began to glow a hot white and it shot toward me, hitting me square in the chest and knocking me to the ground. There it rested, a pulsing blue glow back on its surface. Being knocked to the ground didn't hurt, but the next part did. The Orb began pulsing faster and the light turned a bright, fiery red. It dug into my skin, embedding itself there. I could hear myself screaming but couldn't make myself stop. I could hear Kellen speaking. "I think we were wrong!" He had grabbed Damiana and they were pressed against the wall. The Orb was still digging into me and then it stopped, a bloody circle surrounding it that closed itself from the heat of its maker.
The pain ceased abruptly. I stood up. "Damiana, what was that?" I asked. She never got a chance to answer because an image shot from the Orb and projected itself against the opposite wall.
"Hello, Devon. I was starting to worry about when you would claim the Orb I made."
I stepped backward. "Who are you?" The person's voice came from the ball that was now in my chest.
"I am Alexander, or I was. I'm dead now, of course. Just a memory preserved in a simple Orb. You have to save what I've created, Kaliber. You know how to do it."
Kellen grabbed my arm. "I really don't trust this," He whispered.
Alexander, or whoever he was, laughed. "Kelly McKarthy. So glad to see you survived that staking. I was worried they had pierced your heart."
The Vampire jumped backward. "How do you know about that?"
"The Orb knows everything Magical that goes on in Olarion. It relays that information to me."
Kellen's blue eyes took in the ghost in front of him. "Can you-I mean," He stopped. "Why?"
Alexander's features turned grave. "Kellen, Capser targeted you for a reason. You were important to him. He was a prophet too, you know. He didn't think anyone should have the gift he couldn't keep. He had but one soul, and he lost it to the first Vampire in Olarion. So now Casper forces himself to hunt the prophets like animals. You happen to be one powerful prophet, Mr. McKarthy.
The Vampire stepped forward. "That's not what I meant! Why did you bring one to Olarion? Why did you curse me like this? Why am I still haunted by these ghost visions?"

Damiana stared at the two. This didn't seem like a battle Alexander had much control over. Kellen was angry and lost. Understandably so. He was forced into being something he didn't want.
"I didn't bring one, Kellen. He came later. His name was Yuri. He was staked fifty years ago. As for still having visions, you still have an immortal soul. You are lucky for a Vampire."
"I don't care that you didn't bring him! He should have been staked before he made Casper! Casper has killed so many innocent people! Take my soul! It pains me even more than this curse!"
Damiana glared at him. "And you haven't killed innocents? Vincent and Duncan were pawns, my bloodsucking friend. Simply workers in a scheme they didn't know and were to stupid to comprehend. Were they innocents, Kellen?"
Alexander nodded. "There is a way to change back. But it requires something you'll never be able to do."
Kellen clenched his fists. "Try me. What is it I have to do?"
"If and only if you can drink the blood of a fairy can you become what you once were."
I grabbed Kellen's shaking arm. "I won't let you kill one. They are innocent. You'll never forgive yourself."
"I have no emotion left Kaliber. No heart. There is nothing that can hurt me now."
Damiana crossed her arms. "Of course you don't. The immortal, ever dramatic dead guy that is in every hero's story can't have any emotion." She rolled her eyes.
Alexander laughed at the look Kellen gave the First Rank Witch before him. He mouthed 'I hate you.'
The door behind us very suddenly began shaking. I whirled around to face it and then looked back at Alexander. He was gone, receded back into the Orb that was embedded in my rib cage. Damiana looked around. "How do we get out? Kellen can't carry both of us in his condition and you can't do magic!"
I touched the glowing addition to my body and shook my head. "I think I can."
The door burst open in a brilliant bomb of light, sending Kellen to the floor hissing in agony. The Sorcerers stopped and stared at the Orb of Alexander. "You couldn't have!" One in the front said. He was one of the men that Kellen had thrown a Sorcerer on top of and his bloody forehead proved it.
Kellen stood up shakily and growled at him, showing his bloody fangs. "He did. I expect you all to leave before he blows you to hell."
A Sorceress stepped forward, pulling her helmet off and dropping to her knees in front of me. "Master Kaliber, my services are your own," She whispered.
The entire battalion dropped behind her. Damiana giggled. "You're a King, Kal. A real King."
I shoved my hands in my pockets and told them to stand up. I didn't like this kind of attention, but Kellen knew how to play it to benefit us. He glared down at them. "Your Master needs a way out of the Citadel, undetected. Can you get the three of us out?"
The woman stood. "I'm Sorceress Jenna. I command this squadron of soldiers. We will see you safely out of the Citadel to your camp, where we will join you."
I nodded. "We need to get there before first light." I glanced at Kellen. "Preferably sooner so he can rest and heal himself."
Commanding Sorceress Jenna smiled. "I know. We can get you there, or at least to a good cave or wayward pine. Come with us."
Damiana nodded her approval of the soldiers and we followed them to the west side of the room. Jenna pulled a red book with a gold embossed title in the native tongue of Iliop. The bookcase swung inward, revealing a passage way out of the Citadel. "This was said to be used by First Rank Witch Tessa of the Wind when she and her son escaped the Citadel after Master Alexander's death," Jenna said. "Only the prophets have used it since. These books are all prophecies."
Kellen nodded. "I know. I've written some of them."
The Sorceress gaped at him for a moment but kept walking. She seemed to be pondering what he had said. "Vampire, who are you?"
"Kellen. That's all you need to know. I'm a prophet."
"Vampires can't be prophets. Casper proved that."
"They can be. They have to have been half-mortal in life though," I said quietly. I had pulled my cloak tightly around my body; encasing the Orb and smothering the constant bright azure glow it let off.
I trudged up the passageway in silence. The floor was made of dirt and the passage was damp. The ceiling dripped water onto the ground, making it slick mud that Kellen continuously slid in, causing him to slip forward and grab my shoulder for support. He was in pain, I could feel it in his touch and see it in his face. I knew he should have healed by now. Tysin's sword had taken a chunk out of his head once and he had healed in less than a minute. He was bluffing when he said it would heal soon. There was something wrong with him.
Damiana must have noticed it too because after the eighth time he slipped forward she put an arm across his shoulders and guided his steps. His blue eyes shown with relief when he felt her touch.
It took at least an hour to reach the end of the passage and even then it was near dawn. Jenna stopped. "You should stay at an inn. Master Kaliber, you should keep your hood up. Kellen, cover your face also. Witch Damiana, you can get away with being seen. The Citadel won't want the people to know the Orb is gone. I will meet you here at nightfall for the rest of your journey. I will bring my sister."
I nodded. Kellen retrieved the mask from his pocket and pulled his over his head. I tugged my hood down over my face, hiding it in shadows. We walked out quickly into the rising sun. Kellen trembled constantly and held Damiana's hand so he knew he was still with us. There was an inn right down the street. I stepped inside. There were men from the night shift everywhere, talking merrily about wives and children and their night at work. Damiana entered, causing a sudden hush. "Where is your innkeeper?" She asked coldly, her gaze sweeping over the room. A man stood up.
"I am the keeper, Witch Damiana. Would you like a room for your company?"
The young Witch's glare told the room it should keep this matter quiet. "I'm on business right now. I would appreciate a room for all three of us. Can you accommodate us?"
The innkeeper bowed deeply. "Of course. Your friend with the mask is rather fiendish looking to me. Would you explain a bit?"
I stepped forward. "We aren't looking for questions. Our friend has very pale skin and cannot be in the sun for a great amount of time. He will burn."
The man nodded. "I'm Rafael. Three rooms cost three silver Citadel marks."
Kellen produced the three from his pocket and tucked his hand back in the recesses of his trench coat. Rafael bowed again and led us to the rooms. Kellen stopped before entering. "Kal," He whispered. "I can't go in unless invited."
I grabbed Rafael's hand. "My friend will be in my room until tonight. We have matters to discuss." I took a fistful of Kellen's clothing and tugged him along. "Come along now, Kevin. We must talk." I changed his name and the Vampire followed dutifully.
Rafael left us in the room and I pulled the blinds down over the windows. "Its safe now, Kellen." The Prophet jerked his mask off and fell onto the bed, hugging his chest in pain. I sat down next to him. "You aren't okay, are you?" Damiana had obviously been just as worried because she pushed the door open and sat on the other side of the bed.
Kellen shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong. It won't heal." He closed his eyes tight and winced again. Damiana jerked his shirt up and examined the puncture. It was a half-healed, rough circle right below his heart. She sighed.
"No wander," Damiana whispered. She pulled her dagger off her belt and cut the wound open again. Kellen hissed.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped, grabbing her wrist. She wrenched her arm away and dug the tip of the knife in deeper. Kellen writhed and I had to hold him down or risk the blood that now pooled on his chest getting on the bed. Damiana held up her knife.
"There is your problem Kellen. You had a piece of the lance lodged in your chest." The cut began knitting itself together as all of the Vampire's other injuries did.
Kellen sat up. "If you ever stick your knife in me again I swear I'll kill you!" He reached for the Witch but I pushed him backward.

"Shut up Kellen. You'll get us in trouble," I said in annoyance. Damiana stood up.
"I suggest you boys get some sleep. We have a journey to make tomorrow and we can't risk getting caught. Especially Kaliber. With the Orb now claimed by its owner, it's incredibly vulnerable to outside forces. If they kill you, the Orb of Alexander can be claimed by anyone because I know for a fact you don't have children."
Kellen laughed. I scowled. "You don't know that!"
Damiana faced me. "Oh really? Who's the mother, Kal? Missy the Water Mage?"

I clenched my fists. "Fine. You win."
Kellen walked out behind her. "I was almost sure you'd have another surprise for us, Fire Mage." His tone held sarcasm and teasing but he smiled. "She likes you. I can tell."
I shook my head. "Damiana is not my type, Kellen. Go to sleep."
The Vampire laughed and his pale form disappeared from the door and it shut with a dry click.