The Acrobat’s Birth

Believe me I did set out to mislead you all. After a discussion with Gundren we concluded that it might be best to avoid discussing the real target of Runesabre’s hunt with you for as long as possible. But the clues were there for those who listened and eventually you had it figured out. Further misdirection or lies would only have undermined trust. So, for what it is worth, here is an account of my birth. It is not a story I enjoy telling, after all I had my childhood stolen and never knew my true father and I would hope that you keep it to yourselves.

The acrobat, Valietta, took her usual route back from the market where she performed at night. The night was strange; warm but chilling, pleasant but dark, clouds covered a full moon. Tonight was indeed different she was being trailed by an abomination.

Rosengrad is renowned for its vampires and their nobility and restraint. But this results only from vigilance, and especially vigilance from its vampire lords. While this is true, occasionally a new family attempts to penetrate the ancient order of Rosengrad with chaos. Not all vampires are handsome and noble, that is a Rosen child’s myth, some are simply psychopathic, pure evil as it were.

The Rosen woman fought, and how she fought, but her opponent was a vampire and the arena and open sewer. The fight, lost before begun, was worth the effort. But the vampire would have his meal.

‘This woman has courage’ the vampire reflected as he bared his teeth for the bite.

It was the trauma of the fight that saved Vali. One moment the foetus lay sleeping in the protection of the womb. The next moment that place of safety was doing all it could to eject the child into the world two months early. Her mother’s body, or more accurately, body, spirit and soul, made a last bid to save its offspring; the child had to be born before the vampire’s blood also took the foetus.

From the vampire’s point of view this was his favourite meal minus the starters (the father) – mother and unborn child. As he drank the mother’s blood his hunger grew, he could imagine the sweet taste of the unborn soul so soon to be taken. He felt the heart beats of mother and child rise and rise in a beautiful unison, rising finally to a point at which death should follow. The idea of taking the soul of both mother and baby alongside the driving rhythm of the hearts stirred a new level of psychosis and anger. He released a scream of ecstasy as the first soul died and his infection raced toward the placenta and child.

Although her soul had ‘died’ the woman fought on, her spirit was indomitable and her body retained its instincts; neither was ready to give up the fight for the child. Vali was born, but born contaminated. The faintest trace of vampire’s blood had penetrated her tiny body. The vampire could smell this and reflected that it might be more fun to sit back and watch the birth of a vampire baby – the youngest he had ever seen in 2,000 years.

But he was to be surprised, and on four counts. Firstly, the child’s soul did not give into his blood, so he looked closer and cast a spell or two.

‘This child is unusually magical’ he thought to himself. He studied the child more intensely than ever and cast several more spells. But now he made his big mistake. He cast the ancient rune ‘Understanding’ on the child. But he understood too late. The child also understood, but lacking the mental clutter of centuries of existence and with only the instinct to survive, the child understood the moment better and quicker than he. She opened her eyes and he was caught transfixed, paralysed unable to react when the third and fourth surprises stuck him.

The stake erupted out of his chest. He looked down, the child’s ‘spell’ was now broken, but it was he not she who was dying. Next and finally came sound, a pure ringing accompanied by swish. The vampire’s head left his body. The child lay silent as hands grabbed the now falling body before the stake impaled her mother.

“Yarramorsh at last. Your head will adorn my chambers while your spirit suffers eternal pain in this sword. Well met, well met at last. Take them and let us watch what passes. Leave the ‘corpse’ for the sun.” The last phrase caused some muttering but a group picked her and her mother up while the rest staked out the corpse.

Still attached and still fighting her mother’s blood Vali was borne away.

So that is the story. After my birth I was adopted by the same Vampire Lord who killed Yarramorsh, he was kind, if such a word can be applied to such an individual. My mother could teach me little but did care for me as any mother would. She taught me acrobatics, and I learned to swing a sword but I am clumsy next to her. Believe me the vampires do not take too much of a liking for me, they tend to be scared or jealous. The Lord and my mother, were the only two who did not display such emotions. But here I am among the living and hope that you all will accept me as I am, not necessarily nice, but certainly a friend to you all. As for Gundren, I would still die for her whether she likes it or not, indeed that may count for all of you.

Vali