The Lost Vampire Prince

He ran as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. His young nephew, the prince he cradled in his chest, was shaking with fear. He looked down and saw the boy looking behind them as their pursuers chased them. "Close your eyes, Locien! Do not look at them." The young boy slammed his eyes shut as his lips quivered. He knew he had to get the prince to safety, but he was just one man, and the number of forsaken was much greater than anyone had realized. Desperate to lose the tail of flesh rotting masses, he began to fade. A risky move, knowing that doing so would deplete his energy, but it was a risk he had to take. He was a blur through the night as he left the foul creatures far behind them. But there was nowhere that he could hide young Locien without them being found. At least... not in this realm. An idea came to him. The King and Queen would be furious with him, but it was best to beg their forgiveness than ask for permission. At this rate, he and the boy would be killed, which would have made fleeing pointless. The most important thing now was to get Locien somewhere safe. With that in mind, he stopped and shifted his nephew to one side before pulling out the transport stone trusted to him by the king. Using the stone, he cast the spell to open the portal. He heard the unearthly howls and grunts getting closer, they were moving at an unnatural speed for their kind and he knew he hadn't a moment to lose. Jumping through the portal with the boy clinging tightly to him, he felt the portal close, but not before a few forsaken slipped through behind him. "Damn it." he hissed as he heard their fast approach, and the smell of death began to permeate the air. Grabbing Locien's small frame, he braced himself. "As soon as I toss you up, grab hold of the branch." The boy nodded before he launched the child a good 20 feet into the air. The child quickly grabbed the nearest branch and held himself above the chaos as the forsaken descended upon his uncle. Pulling his sword from its sheath, he took a defensive stance as they began to circle him. One by one, they tried to attack, only to be sliced with the blade, stumbling back as they let out the most grotesque shrieks. Then, one by one, they fell on uncle's sword, but one slowly started making its way up to the boy. The Locien screamed as it grabbed hold of his ankle and sank its teeth into his flesh. Without hesitating, Kade launched his sword at the disgusting creature and sliced through the center of its body, and the putrid smell intensified as it hung from the tree bleeding and shrieking before hitting the ground with a hallow thud. Exhausted from the fight, he quickly scaled the tree to retrieve Locien and examined his wound. It wasn't good. Foresaken venom could incapacitate even the strongest of vampire warriors, and Locien was still just a child. He was already coated in a sheen of sweat, and his breathing was labored. Getting him back to the ground, he laid him down gently as he brought the wound to his lips. Locien was so far out of it that he didn't even feel it when his uncle's fangs sank into the bite. His uncle knew that sucking the venom would leave him completely spent, which would leave them both vulnerable should more of the Foresaken make their way through another portal. But he had no other choice. Slowly and laboriously, he sucked the venom from his young prince's veins, spitting out the infected blood as the foul taste lingered. Once his blood tasted clean again, he ripped his own shirt and secured it around Locien's leg. The scar from the attack would remain for the rest of his life. He gingerly picked up the boy once more and began slowly walking through the woods. It didn't take long for him to realize where they were. The solitary moon in the night sky told him all he needed. They had landed in the human realm. He felt relieved, this would be the last place the forsaken would come looking for them. The single stroke of good luck on this luckless night. Locien slept semi peacefully in his arms as he trekked through the forest over stumps and uneven terrain. The sky began to lighten, and he knew he would need to find shelter soon, but he could fade while carrying Locien. To his luck, they came to a wide road that was empty save for a lone big rig truck parked on the side of the road. Upon seeing them, the driver perked up. "You boys, alright?" he asked. He was a clean looking man with his hair cut short and his facial hair well groomed. He was built larger than any of the warriors back home, but that meant very little when it came to comparing the strength of vampires and humans. Still, this man looked capable of protecting Locien from any human threat until he could come back for the prince. Walking closer to the man, he spoke out. "Actually, we're a little lost. Would you mind giving a ride?" "Of course, where you headed?" the man asked, and Kade used his power of dominion to influence the human. "I need you to take the boy to the nearest town and care for him until I can return." The driver's eyes glazed over as he nodded. "Understood, follow me. " He said, walking back to his truck. Gently Kade woke Locien. "Your Highness, we must part ways for now. But not for long, I'll be back for you soon." The boy gave him a panicked look. "No, I wanna stay with you." He said, and Kade's heart broke. "The sun is about to rise, and I must find shelter. You will be safe until I can return. Remember, even now, you are stronger than any human man." he hugged the boy tightly before lifting him into the truck. "Try not to draw attention to yourself, don't use your abilities unless you absolutely have to. I promise we will be reunited soon." The boy nodded, putting on a brave face while the driver started the truck. With a final wave goodbye, the truck pulled off. Kade watched until he could no longer see it before running back into the forest to dig a shelter to sleep for the day. Locien remained quiet for a long while, and the driver didn't pry, though that was to be expected while under the power of dominion. "I have to stop to fuel up. Are you hungry?" he asked, and Locien nodded. "I'll grab you something to eat in the station. Anything you want in particular?" Locien shrugged. He had eaten regular food before, but he had never eaten human food. "I'll grab you a slice of pizza and some chips." He said as they pulled into a large fueling station. "Do you need to use the bathroom?" he asked, and Locien looked confused. What was a bathroom? "Uh, you know, do you need to, uh, take a leak?... pee, do you need to pee?" he asked, and Locien realized he was asking if he needed to relieve himself. He nodded. "Well, come on then." He helped Locien down and walked him inside and showed him the bathroom. Quickly using the facilities, he went back to the man who was waiting for him just outside. Together, they grabbed some chips, drinks, and a slice of pizza for Locien. As they were checking out, the driver noticed a couple of men eyeing them. "Stay close, young man. Those men smell like trouble." Locien didn't know what he meant by that. All he could smell was cooking meat and cleaning chemicals. But he did as the driver asked and grabbed the seam of his pants as they walked back to the truck. Housing him back inside and opening his food for him, Locien took his first bite of pizza. It was delicious, and he quickly began eating the rest of it. The driver chuckled at him. "You're a hungry little guy, aren't you?" Locien smiled and nodded, taking a sip of the juice that had been bought for him. The driver stepped away to begin fueling the vehicle when Locien heard a commotion outside, followed by a loud bang. A moment later, one of the men who had been watching them was there. "Come here, you runt." Confused, Locien shook his head, but the man grabbed him and handed him out of the truck. He started to struggle but then remembered what his uncle said about using his abilities. He stopped and looked over to see the driver on the ground lying in a pool of red liquid. The other man was rummaging through his pockets. "Hurry up, this boy will get us more money than this son of a b***h is gonna have on him." he began walking towards a green van. He tossed Locien into the back and got in the driver's seat while the other man climbed into into the passenger seat. Without another word, they sped off, and Locien wondered how his uncle was going to find him now.