AN: Originally only had twenty chapters planned, surprisingly it's now twenty-one. Seemed to happen quite suddenly, not complaining though, means I still have a little left to write ~ Hannah

Nineteen

Mercy found herself standing next to Sam on the top of a cliff in the middle of nowhere, the sun was beating down and there was a haze on the horizon. This time the four Guardians accompanied them. It was decided that it would be difficult to explain such a large travelling group in this area, so they had decided to split up. The rest of the group were happily sitting in a five star hotel, taking in the sights and enjoying their thirsts. Mercy could have taken anyone with her as the sixth person and indeed some of the stronger males; Lorenzo and Gustavo among others had argued that it be them she take. Since she had opened up her emotions and feelings some of the others seemed to view her as more fragile and unable to defend herself. It was most annoying. However she chose Sam to accompany her. He was so looking forward to seeing the wild animals and she wanted to be the one responsible for bringing a smile to his face.

It was childish but he was as much hers as she was his and with that came her territorial and protective feelings. Even though Valencia was very much enamored with Frederick, Mercy still viewed her with hostility as she did whenever a female looked at Sam.

Mercy didn’t understand how any vampire would want to live here. She understood that some of the vampires she now counted among her company had taken up residence in secluded areas but here there was practically no other human for hundreds of miles. What on earth was the vampire doing here? Mercy shuddered as a thought past through her, with so much wildlife here, was it possible that the Guardian they were seeking for had begun feeding off the animals instead of the humans. It made Mercy sick, she couldn’t imagine anything worse that feeding from an animal, it was just too disgusting to imagine.

The group was standing on the edge of Sanabona Wildlife Reserve. They’d had to run from Cape Town for just under an hour to get here. Apparently humans actually visited this place for holidays. That was something Mercy just couldn’t imagine, the wildlife here was dangerous and roamed free, surely this was the last place a human would willingly want to go, considering how fragile their lives are. However, she was not concerned for the humans, merely baffled and soon she forgot all about them, especially when she saw the smile on Sam’s face.

‘It’s spectacular’ he whispered.

Mercy nodded in response but she wasn’t looking at the horizon, she was gazing at Sam.

They’d done some research on the reserve before they decided to venture in and Illenia had even called ahead so the humans at reception knew that the group was to be expected. The wildlife reserve hosted a range of activities, they all seemed quite dull to Mercy but Sam was particularly excited about the prospect of bird watching, nature walks, rock art and stargazing. According to the human on reception that Illenia spoke to, the Guardian they were visiting had been staying at the reserve for several months and was known for going out and creating his own rock art. The keepers of the reserve had made it a game with the humans, encouraging them to go and seek out the art he’d created.

He was staying at Tilney Manor, as the group neared the welcome center (also known as the reception), they learnt that Tilney Manor was a further fifteen minutes away. Under normal circumstances the group would have just run the extra way but here they were supposed to be acting human and thus had to endure the slow journey to the Manor in the back of a safari jeep.

Sam was amazed as they drove to the Manor, the driver was pointing out things along the way and talking about the kinds of animals they had here in the reserve. Sam was lapping it all up like a kitten with cream. His eyes twinkled with enjoyment and excitement. Mercy knew they were on a tight schedule but hoped they could find enough time for Sam to have at least a little tour around the reserve and see all the animals, especially the giraffes. Mercy didn’t understand why Sam was so interested in seeing a giraffe but she found she wasn’t inclined to ask.

Soon enough the jeep was pulling up to some grand building, Mercy was relieved as she was beginning to think that the journey in the jeep would never end. The building was so grand that Mercy almost felt it was out of place in such a dusty destination.

Mercy was expecting the Guardian to answer the door, she’d been told by Olga that they were looking for a male vampires. So she was caught unaware when a female answered the door, as far as she was aware the Guardian had taken up residence alone but apparently this was not the case.

‘Can I help?’ asked the woman who answered the door.

‘We’re looking for someone’ replied Mercy vaguely.

The woman looked troubled; she looked behind her and made a movement with her hand. She apparently got some response because she opened the door wider and allowed the group to enter the house.

As the group walked into the house they were treated to the amazing décor that reflected the wonderful wildlife that was outside; they stayed in a group, reluctant to separate into the seating before them. The woman who answered the door was joined by three other people that joined from different doorways. The two groups seemed to stop and stare at each other for a while.

‘Something tells me that your group is normally bigger’ said one man; Mercy guessed he was the one in charge.

‘I didn’t think you’d take well to a larger group’ said Mercy.

‘Who are you?’ he asked.

‘A vampire’ she replied cryptically.

He glared at her.

‘Oh you want a title’ she said sarcastically.

‘It would be nice to know who I am talking to’ he replied.

‘My name is Mercy, Princess Mercy of the vampire realm to be exact’ she said while expecting her finger nails.

The man who had been asking the questions paled slightly and looked as though he was deep in thought.

‘You have come for me?’ he asked.

‘Depends on who you are’ replied Mercy.

‘Dominick, a Guardian of Six’ he said.

‘Then I have come for you’ replied Mercy.

‘The others, who are they?’ he asked.

‘You do not recognize your own kin?’ asked Billy.

‘I’m sorry, I have been in seclusion for some time’ he replied.

‘Perhaps we should explain ourselves first’ said Sam calmly.

Dominick smiled and nodded ‘please sit down’.

The two groups sat down on the various seating available. It seemed that Sam’s voice had calmed some of the nerves and worry that was floating around the room. Sam looked at Mercy to start, after all this was all down to her.

‘I came from my world to this to search for vampires that the King, my brother, had banished. Through meeting these vampires I came across the term the Guardians of Six. I have been searching for them along my journey’ she gestured to the four vampires to her left ‘these are four of the six Guardians, they each have a special talent as I’m sure you have and have pledge their loyalty towards my cause. I intend to return to my work, defeat my brother and take my place as Queen of my kingdom. I have offered safe passage and a chance for a fresh start to all bitten vampires who have decided to join my cause’ said Mercy.

Dominick nodded and then looked at Sam.

‘I’m Sam; I was turned by Mercy soon after she arrived in our world. We share a special bond. I have grown to care for the people in our company. It is true that some of us do not get on particularly well but we all have a common goal. It may seem to you that Mercy is cold hearted but she has suffered a childhood that would put all others to shame. Do not judge her actions too harshly when you do not know what she has endured. Her brother the King is a tyrant that needs to be stopped. He became King through murder and lies and he is slowly killing the Kingdom. Mercy cares for her citizens and cannot stand by any longer. Her brother sent assassins after her but I killed them in my new born lust, we believe her brother has allied himself with unsavory fellows but we have been training our group up so that we are not at a disadvantage. We have one more stop after this and one more Guardian to find before we return to the vampire world’ said Sam.

‘I see’ replied Dominick.

One of the women rolled their eyes ‘don’t mind him; he always speaks with little words. Said he wanted to live in the middle of nowhere yet he is obsessed with asking questions. He’s very nosy’ she said.

‘What are your names?’ asked Mercy.

‘I’m Denise’ said the girl who’d been talking ‘that’s Miranda and Geoff’ she added pointing at the other two.

‘How did you all come to be here?’ asked Mercy.

‘The other vampires here, they come in two kinds. Either they are desperate to get their humanity back or they are plotting for world domination. We got bored of the politics and the violence. We met Dominick and he shared our view, we decided to retreat to a place that was removed from the rest of civilization. Now I know what question you are going to ask next’ she said while smiling.

‘Then why not just tell us the answer’ replied Mercy.

‘Because I wish to hear you say it’ replied Denise.

Mercy sighed ‘fine. You live so far from civilization, how do you feed with so little humans nearby?’ she asked.

‘There may not be any humans near here but there are plenty of animals. I know you find that disgusting, and honestly we agree with you but there is so much death in this world. Even if we feed and kill only the criminals, it still doesn’t make us any better than them’ said Denise.

‘You have strange ideals of life’ replied Mercy.

‘To you perhaps, can you not say you have felt guilt in your killings?’

‘It is in my nature’ replied Mercy ‘I had been bought up to believe that the chase was worth the prize. Hunting is not as simple as draining a person to death, there is no enjoyment in that. It is far more fun to devise a game around the chase. Showing emotion was always seen as a weakness. If I chose to let a human live now, it is just a choice. I should not feel guilty for feeding; you do not feel guilty when you eat the meat of your animals. It is all in our own natures’ she said.

Denise looked at her thoughtfully ‘you have seen much time’ she said.

Mercy nodded.

‘It was tradition when we started our journey that when we met a new vampire we would ask for their story. It was a way for us to get to know each other. If you do not wish to share, then I will not force you but we would me more gracious if you decided to share your stories with us’ said Sam.

Denise looked around at the silence of the others and shook her head ‘well Geoff and I are brothers. Not sure if you could tell, we don’t exactly look alike. He has black hair and I have blonde hair, I like talking whereas he prefers to be silent and brooding. We actually had a really happy childhood, good parents and lots of friends. It’s actually a blessing that I am alive still, when I was merely twenty-two I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. They told me that I didn’t have long left to live but Geoff was determined that it wouldn’t be the end of my life. He was always obsessed with the supernatural, kept telling me that myths and legends were real. I never believed him until he bought a man to the house. I’d left the hospital wanting to spend my last days with my family. I don’t remember much of my transition only that the pain was unbearable but once I had awoken it was to my new life’.

‘I was overjoyed that I was able to save my sister. As a deal I had had to offer my life to be turned as well. The vampire I had found was old and enjoyed turning humans into vampires. He didn’t do it for sport however, he only ever turned those who he thought were worthy of an extended life. I do not know what happened to him, I have not seen him since we were turned. I had thought my parents would be overjoyed that my sister had been cured but they were suspicious of her sudden recovery. They kept a close watch on us and couldn’t understand our sudden changes. It was difficult for us to remain there because of the need we had for blood. They kicked us out and we remained alone for many years. We bumped into them several times but they pretended not to know us, it was as if we had never existed but we were together and alive so we took our blessing in that and started a new life’ finished Geoff.

‘I never understand the behavior of humans’ said Mercy.

Mercy looked to the other girl next but she didn’t say anything, so Mercy looked at Dominick instead.

‘That’s Miranda, she doesn’t talk. I think it is by choice but I am not entirely sure. She uses expressive language with her hands and her face when she wishes to communicate something. I on the other hand remember who turned me, I had always hated my Mother, she had been absent for many years of my life. My father always said bad things about her, and I believed them. I was right to. She returned only to make my life worse; she hated my father because she believed he had turned me against her. So she used the only thing she had to her advantage. She turned me, hoping that I would spend an eternity by her side as her son. It didn’t work out like that, I turned and as my first act of my new life I killed her. I did not discover that I was a Guardian until I had walked this new life for ten years. I believe the one before me had died brutally, the memories I received were particularly gruesome. I have been waiting patiently for my chance to join the six and become a true Guardian. I have three abilities, I can manipulate the elements of fire and ice and I have the ability to fly’ said Dominick.

‘Somehow your stories seem more interesting than the others I have heard’ said Mercy.

‘You have overcome great obstacles to be the people you are now’ added Sam.

‘You two are a great match together’ said Dominick.

Sam took Mercy’s hand in his own ‘we are both lucky in this pairing’ he said.

Dominick nodded.

‘You do not intend to stay here long’ said Denise.

‘We had hoped we would be able to meet with you and leave within the night. We have stayed too long in this world and have heard from others of a human vampire who seeks more power and control. We cannot let him pass through the door between worlds. We already have one fight on our hands, we do not need another’ said Sam.

Denise nodded ‘then what plan do you propose?’ she asked.

‘We intend to return to the rest of our group who are waiting in Cape Town. From there we travel to Rio and discover what awaits us there’ said Mercy.

‘Do I need to pack anything?’ asked Denise.

Mercy looked at her curiously ‘you have already decided yet I have not yet asked’.

‘It seemed obvious’ replied Denise.

Mercy nodded ‘well we can add one more to our cause, what of the rest of you?’ she asked.

‘You promise safe passage between the two worlds but if there is to be a battle can you assure our safely?’ asked Dominick.

Mercy looked at him seriously ‘I cannot assure you will survive the battle. I know only vaguely what opponents we will find. Battle is a moment of fate and luck, I cannot put survival rates on that’ said Mercy.

She watched as Miranda made some peculiar hand gestures towards Dominick.

‘Alright, it seems we are coming with you’ he said.