Mortality: The Story of Mortanius

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Part One

The Pillars of Nosgoth

Chapter One

“You are now the Guardian of the Pillar of Death.”

Mortanius could not hear the voice of the vampire standing over him. He was screaming too loud to hear anything. Pain washed over him, seeping into his body and searing his nerve endings, filling him with a previously unknown sense of agony. His hands, placed upon the huge marble Pillar, burned like fire.

Finally, he went numb, and collapsed in a trembling heap on the marble platform that formed the base of the Pillars. He rolled onto his back and stared straight up into the sky. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains, painting the sky a glorious red-gold. Piercing that beautiful sunset were the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, soaring up into infinity, reaching so high into the sky that they disappeared into the clouds.

A vampire, he couldn’t tell which one because they all looked the same, lifted him up effortlessly and carried him over one shoulder. Mortanius gazed weakly at the Pillars as the group of vampires left the platform. He was too tired to speak, too exhausted to ask them what was happening and why it was happening to him.

Just hours before, young Mortanius had been helping his father pick vegetables from the garden. He had just celebrated his tenth birthday a few days before, and was finally old enough to tend the garden by himself while his father could spend more time on the crops. Just hours before, he had been plucking tomatoes from the plants and placing them gently in a basket. Just hours before, he had been watching his sister playing in the grass with her wooden dolls. And then the vampires came for him.

Despite his weariness and pain, Mortanius could not find the strength to even pass out. The vampire carried him like a sack of flour across a meadow to a wide, flat building made of dark gray stone. Now that twilight had arrived, torches had been lit around the building’s entrance, and they cast a fierce orange glow across the features of the vampires guarding the arched doorway. They raised their clawed fists in greeting and allowed the other vampires to pass inside. Mortanius could still see the Pillars as they went inside, but the vampires turned a corner, cutting off his line of sight.

The inside of the building smelled of candle wax and blood. The vampires themselves always smelled like blood, and Mortanius could not escape the odor, slung over the vampire’s shoulder as he was. He could see thick tapestries adorning the walls of the building and long tables covered in silver and gold dishes and goblets. The candle light reflected and glittered off all the metal, making Mortanius’s eyes hurt, and the hazy smoke from the candles and torches began to make him light headed.

Weakly, he lifted his hands and looked at them. Despite the unbelievable pain he had felt when they made him touch the Pillar, his hands were unharmed. There were no burns or blisters, and even now, the memory of the pain was fading rapidly, leaving only the vague imprint of a distant injury. He felt as if it had happened years ago instead of minutes ago.

Suddenly, the vampire carrying Mortanius knelt over and set him down on a straw-filled mat on the floor. On a small metal tray beside him, was a hunk of cooked meat, some fresh fruit, and a tall goblet of sugar wine. Although Mortanius still felt too tired to move, he managed to lift his head and look up into the vampire’s shimmering eyes.

“Eat this,” the vampire advised gently. “Regain your strength. Someone will come talk to you in a few moments.”

“What’s happening to me?” Mortanius managed to choke out.

The vampire looked down at him with a peculiar combination of reverence and pity. “You have been chosen,” he said simply, and left the room.

Mortanius had heard that already. When they came for him to take him from his home, practically stealing him out of his parents’ arms, they said it over and over again, as if it explained everything by itself. Mortanius had been chosen. He was one of the chosen ones. The Pillars had chosen him. If the vampires thought that explained everything, then they were wrong. To Mortanius, it explained nothing. For all he cared, the vampires and their stupid Pillars could go right ahead and choose someone else.

The smell of the food was too strong for him, and he managed to grab the knife and fork they gave him and cut into the meat. He ate all the food ravenously and washed it down with the wine, barely coming up for air. It was the most delicious food he had ever tasted.

Again, the questions began nagging at him. Why had the vampires taken him? He had nothing to do with the Pillars, he had never even seen them before. He had never even seen the vampires up close until today. He just didn’t understand why they had to take him away from home. What was going to happen to him now? Was he allowed to go back home or was he stuck here forever?

Those painful, disturbing thoughts occupied him until he heard someone picking up the empty tray of food beside. He opened his eyes and realized that he had fallen asleep, although only for a few minutes. He looked up at the vampire standing over him.

Like all the others, he was tall and muscular, with blue skin and shimmering golden eyes. He was dressed in a white and gold robe of sorts, and visible above his shoulders were his large, feathery wings. He smiled gently and knelt down beside Mortanius.

“How do you feel?” the vampire asked. His voice was soothing and soft as velvet.

Mortanius swallowed nervously. “What happened to me? What am I doing here?”

“The Pillars have chosen you to be one of their Guardians. It is an honor, although I’m sure you do not feel that way right now.”

“Is my family all right? Do they know where I am?”

“They’re okay. They resisted when we came to get you, but that was unavoidable. I regret that we didn’t warn your family ahead of time, but I feel it would not have made much difference.”

“Will I ever see them again?”

The vampire smiled, and Mortanius got the impression that the vampire was pleased by his questions. Most people, if vampires had kidnapped them, would be asking about their own safety first. But Mortanius had to know about his father and mother and sister.

“In time. You must stay here for a few days, perhaps weeks, until you begin to understand your new destiny with us. But you may visit your family after that. You are not our prisoner.”

“But why me?”

The vampire sighed, as if expecting the question and not liking the answer he had to give. “I wish I could explain it to you, but in time you will understand. How much do you know about the Pillars?”

“Not very much,” Mortanius admitted.

“You will learn more in time. We will teach you. For now, just understand that when one of the Pillars needs a new Guardian, someone is chosen by a natural force we do not understand. We have no control over it. You have been chosen as the new Guardian for the Pillar of Death.”

“How do you know that it’s me?” Mortanius tried to argue. “Maybe it’s someone else with the same name as me.”

A friendly laugh came forth. “It is not just your name, young Mortanius. Those who have been chosen possess an aura that identifies them to other Guardians. I need only look at you to know that you are one of us now.”

“They made me touch the Pillar,” Mortanius said, looking once more at his hands. “It burned me, but my hands don’t look hurt.”

“Yes, I’m sorry that we didn’t warn you, but we didn’t know that would happen. It’s been many years since we have required a Guardian of Death. The pain you felt was the beginning of your powers in relation to the Pillar. Every Pillar is different, and the others do not cause pain like that.”

“How many are there?”

“There are nine Pillars, and a Guardian for each.”

Mortanius had so many questions, he didn’t even know where to start. What powers was the vampire talking about? Were there any other humans here, or only vampires? How long was he going to be the new Guardian? For the rest of his life?

But instead, he asked, “Why did the Death Pillar need a new Guardian?”

“Because the previous Guardian died,” the vampire said, a trace of regret entering his soft voice.

“Was he a human like me?”

“No, the previous Guardian was one of our kind.”

“But I thought vampires were immortal,” Mortanius said.

The vampire sighed sadly. “We can live for very long, that is true. But we can die, just as humans can.”

“How did he die?”

The vampire paused and his voice lowered. “He took his own life.”

Before Mortanius could ask another question, the vampire stood up and smoothed out the front of his robe. “You should get some sleep now,” he suggested. “Tomorrow is going to be a very trying day.” He smiled and walked to the doorway.

“Wait,” Mortanius said, sitting up with some effort. “Are you a Guardian too?”

The vampire stopped, turned, and looked at Mortanius over his shoulder. “Yes, I’m a Guardian as well.”

“Which Pillar are you guarding?”

“I’m the tenth Guardian, the only one who does not have a Pillar to guard. I am the Reaver Guardian.”

“What does that mean?”

“I protect a very special sword.”

“Okay,” Mortanius said, lying back down. “What’s your name?”

The vampire smiled once more. “My name is Janos.”

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