Myths of Power

Joseph quickly backed against the wall.

"Come out where I can see you then." His eyes darted from one side of the room to the other. There was still nothing there.

"That would be a little hard."

"What's so hard about showing yourself?"

"Firstly, keep you voice down or the guard will hear you. Secondly.." the voice trailed off a bit.

"Secondly, I can't come out because I'm not really here, per se."

Joseph started turning his head trying to pinpoint the source." What do you mean 'Not Here'?"

"Tell me...What do you know about Vampyres?"

" 'pyres? Blood-sucking, pretty strong, can take a lot of damage...look look...what does this have to do with you 'not-being-here'?"

"Calm down Joseph..."

"And how do you know my name?" Joseph began to scratch at the bricks in the wall looking for some type of hole.

"Here's the thing Joseph. Most of those things are true. However..."

Josephs eyes tightened. He knew something bad was going to come out.

"In every clan there are two or three that are, shall we say, different."

Joseph managed to place his head in his hands and shack it. " You're really starting to get me mad and this damnable collar will kill me if that happens so ,please, just explain yourself."

"My apologies. These 'special' vampyres look act and have the same abilities as the others except for them to survive, they don't just drain a victim of their blood."

"I don't understand...."

"Normally blood draining can keep a vampyre alive forever. That's not enough for the others. It may keep them alive for a longer time than a normal human, but not much more. At some point he needs to perform a blood-transferance."

"What, by the gods, is that?"

" They tranfer all of their blood into a new host body, which is then transformed into a new 'special' vampyre."

Sweat began dripping down Josephs brow. "What are you telling me?"

"I'm so sorry Joseph, I never intended this to happen." The voice slowly changed to a more familiar one.

Joseph's eyes widened fully. "MEYLISS?! What the HELL?!?"

"Some of my blood must have mixed into your body during our first fight...turn away from the bucket."

Joseph quickly turned to his side and vomits anything that was in his stomache, and spits. "What have you done to me?"

"While my host body was still alive, i was surpressed, but after those wilds...I started becoming aware."

Joseph laughed. "So your timing is just great! Maybe you can take me over before they hang me!"

"That's another problem."

"Oh fantastic...what's next?!"

"Well, none of my kind have ever been able to take over another faerie kind. Just humans, so this is new to me as well."

"Well I'm glad to be the first." he said sarcastically.

"The good news here, Joseph, is that only a small amount of blood-transferance was done. I don't think I COULD take over your body, even if it was possible."

Joseph falls back onto the cell wall, drained by the realization. With a flick of his leg, the bucket is thrown across the cell.

"I'm sorry Joseph, I'm so sorr.."

"Just shut-up...just shut-up and let me sleep."

".....sorry....."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wasn't liking the style that I was using so I have switched to something more common.**

--The Dungeons of Haladan--

Pain shoots up and down Josephs arms. The darkness was deafening.

"Wake up" the voice echoed in his ears. "Wake up, now!"

Joseph head slams against the wall as he bolts awake.

"Arg!" He tries to raise his hands but is stopped by heavy chains." Well that's one way to take my mind off my arms."

He squints and looks around trying hard to take in any light.

"Who's there? Leland?"

"No." the voice sounded close. Joseph leans and looks around into the room.

"Where are you? I can't see."

"Don't worry about that now..Do you still have that collar on?"

Joseph felt up towards his neck and his fingertips met up with cold, hard iron. The pain shooting through his body was stopping him even feeling its' dead weight. Before he could answer, the voicemused, "Well, I guess that will stop you from changing."

Josephs eyes were slowly begining to soak in some excess light. He couldn't make out much, but he was aware that he was in the dungeons. He looked around for the source of his new found friend but there was still much hidden in darkness.

"You seem to be able to see well enough in this bleak...I presume, dungeon. Who are you? Where are my friends?"

"Who I am is not important right now. You must find a way to remove your shackles and collar.The guards here don't take well to your kind."

The comment made the hairs on the back of his neck stand and he could feel the collar tighten. "MY kind, huh." Joseph had heard this comment all through his life. It was as if the person saying it was treading him under foot.

With this the voice took on a more apologetic tone. "I'm sorry. I did not mean it in that way."

Jospeh turned and grabbed one of his shackle chains in both hands and began to pull.

"I'm used to it, unfortunately." he pulled the chain taught a few times and released it.

"Doesn't look like these are coming out of the wall any time soon. You didn't answer me, you know."

"As I said, My name is not.."

"I mean about my friends. Have you seen them?"

There was an uncomfortably long silence. "I have not."

Joseph sniffed the air. "Hmph. Hiding your answers like you hide in the dark huh?"

"I'm not hiding Joseph. At least not..."

Before the voice could finish, a lid at the top of the cell slid open. A guard leaned over the top.

" Quiet down there you animal."

Sounds of pouring liquid and solids echoed above followed by the banging of block and tackle. Joseph eyes were half blinded by the light but through his squinting he could see a bucket being lowered.

Laughter screamed from the opening. "Ha ha ha...enjoy you dinner, dog!" The cover slid across but the lowered rope prevented it from fuly closing alowing light to stream in. As Joseph's eyes became used to the light, he took a look around for his cell mate. And found no one there.

"I told you I wasn't hiding Joseph."