Eclipthos: Book One - Battle For The Throne

Eclipthos
(Book One: Battle For The Throne)
By
Eternaldreamspace


Chapter One: Prisoner Unto Darkness

The loud crack of an old leather whip, echoed again through out the small chambers of the old cell. It was quickly followed by another, then another and the sounds of a man's concealed grunts of pain.

His name was Nathanial Ashcroft and he was one of the many Knights who fought behind the Mytherian Kingdom. The leader of his fleet, Nathan ruled over one thousand men and had lead them to victory twice in battle. He was not only a skilled fighter and trainer but an incredibly brilliant and honest man. One who quickly rose in the ranks with his King.

Under oath, he'd swarn himself to his army and his Kingdom. A solemn promise to keep honor and justice to the people of his land. To serve and protect all who needed it and to bring swift, firm punishment to those who broke the laws of the city.

Not only did he swear to keep these promises, but swore away his own blood and his own life. Trading it in to live a pure, uncorrupted and untainted life. Free from love, free from family and free from crime.

His family had long since passed, his life was his service to the city and his purose seemed to be very clear. He'd mapped out his years from day one, but one thing he didn't count on, was the King James beautiful Daughter, Layla Deshaveron. Whom he fell madly in love with, almost instantly when he was taken into the King's Castle.

Almost everything he stood for was torn down and his perfectly planned out existance was shattered by his overwhelming love for her. Things couldn't have been anymore trying, but at the same time there was a war breaking loose in the land.

It was a war between man and Vampire. One that had been growing for decades, though only now was proving to be stronger then before. Nathan had to make plans for battle, which left him little time to secretly meet with his beloved and somewhere during all this his focus had become lost and he was captured by the Vampires army.

Now, even the bravest warrior in all the Kingdom stood helpless. Shackled in the center of this damp, bare tomb. His feet fastened to the ground, bound at the ankles and wrists with heavy chains that forced him to stand upright, with his arms wide apart and legs close together.

The blood he'd sworn to his people, freshly spilled across the cold stone floor, as he was struck yet again, on the bare skin of his back, by the leather whip one of the two Vampire guards in the room weilded.

By this time, tears had begun to stream down his face, from his brown eyes which watered from the great sting. His torture had gone on for hours, but it had been at least two days since he'd eaten or had water and his body was beginning to weaken, though his spirit struggled to remain perservierant.

After one final strike to the back, the Vampire who stood before the man, gestured ever so slightly for his guards to stop. Then, he took a few steps towards his prisoner, wearing a proud and pleased smile on his handsome yet sinister face.

Squinting his eyes in disgust, Nathan never wavered, though his body trembled, his eyes revealed his true strength one that was much more then physical.

The Creature who stood before him was none other then the Vampire's leader, Darius Kriticos. Quite a hideous, vile man who'd been hell bent on claiming the throne for decades.

Nathan had never seen Darius face to face, though the gruesome tale's of his reign of terror were legendery. It was only that night, he came down to the bowls of his tower to meet the Knight he'd heard so much about.

"Have you had enough? Or are you at least ready to reveal the location of your King to me?" He asked, the tone of his voice so sinister and cruel, while his hateful and cold eyes fixed on Nathan's.
The prisoner said not a word, keeping his silence and in turn, quietly begging for more torture.

Darius gestured once more to his guards, an no sooner after, Nathan felt the sharp and horrid sting of the whip again. Fiercly breaking the flesh on his back and re-opening old dried up wounds from the night before.

His face was pain striken, but the guards carried on. Though Nathan would not give them the satisfaction of his cries, he seemed to conceal them rather well. But his trembling form told different story.

"Your bravery is most amusing." The Vampire smiled, evilly, as he circled the man, watching his torture continue. "You have been in my capture for nearly three days, without food, without water and without rest." Darius explained, as he now faced Nathan and the whipping was ceased momentarily, "Your body is growing weak and if you insist on bearing this torture, you will soon die." The Vampire hissed, placing his finger under the prisoners chin, "For you cannot survive much longer under such extreme conditions."

Jerking his head away, Nathan refused to break the silence and again, his beating was carried out. This time almost non stop for fifteen minutes, until Nathan looked as though he could not stand any longer and would collapse.

"Tell me, where is your King hiding?" Darius asked, his voice gravely deep and serious.
Nathan slowly raised his head as sweat trickled down his brow, and with an almost invisble smile on his face, he said nothing.
Darius paused, becoming increasingly weary with this man's strength and it was beginning to infuriate him.

Unexpectedly Darius swiftly drew near, taking a fist full of hair into the palm of his hand and yanking Nathan's head back. He couldn't help but gasp from the surprise of this motion, and then he felt the cool breath of his enemy to his ear, "I think another twenty lashes might make him talk." He said, releasing his head and walking in front of him.

The room went silent for a moment, as Nathan screwed his eyes shut trying to prepare himself for the pain to come. Then, he felt the first of twenty painful lashes, one right after the other with no break in between, no time to catch his breath and for the first time in days, he found himself unable to hold in his screams, making his pain audioble after the first few violent strikes.

Blood painted the floors beneath him as the tortured paused for that moment. Darius stepped towards him again, a pleasant smile playing on his lips, sure he was going to get his answers now and so he asked, "Where is your King?" Stretching out his hand to the prisoner, he brushed his face, "All your suffering can end right now if you choose to answer me." The Vampire's eyes were falsely sympthetic, causing Nathan's stomach to turn as he stared back at the man.

He wanted this horrible pain to stop, his broken body screamed for it, but he would no answer to this Vampire. Instead, he looked him right in the face and then spit at him.

Anger quickly replaced the gleam in his capture eye, as he reached into his pocket, wiping his face clean with the hankerchief inside.
"Carry on." He commanded his guards and they did so, for another half an hour while he watched this man suffer before him.

Nathan had done an admirable job by staying silent, though after this great extreme he could hold in his shreiks of pain no longer. The wounds were burning unbarable, as though his back were set a flame and he could feel the hot rush of warm blood trailing down his skin.

With every crack of the whip he knees would buckle and by now he'd screwed his eyes shut tightly, swallowing hard before the next lash would rip away at his flesh and then finally, it stalled. Though there was no true release from the pain and he was sure had he recieved on more strike, he would have passed out.

The guards took a step back and Darius came forward again, this time only an inch or so from Nathan's face. His head was sunk low, staring aimlessly at the floor until the Vampire lifted his head, forcing Nathan to look at him.
"If I left you here, right now as you are, you would die tonight." He said coldly, "And if you were to die here, in this very cell tonight, your precious Princess would be left all alone."
Nathan's eyes were suddenly very alert, as if surprised and then filled with question.
"You thought no one new." He grinned, those hideous fangs glaring in the moonlight, which filled the cell. "I imagine she's waiting for you. Praying for her brave Knight's safty." Darius continued, removing his finger, allowing Nathan's head to lower again, as he stepped back, "Crying, so helplessly every night into her pillow."

Nathan raised his head, looking up at this devious man before him, wandering if he had been watching Layla. Or if he simply enjoyed the guess work and taunting him with it.

Still, Nathan would not speak. But Darius would not stop, "Layla must be miserable. What do you suppose would happen to her if you're not around, hmmm?" He asked, circling his prisoner slowly.
"She is swarn to another, is she not? A Prince called, Stefan I believe. I semise she will end up marrying him. After all, you are here, trapped like some dying animal and she is there. Awaiting the return of her lover, no one to rescue her from that awful existance she'll endure."
Nathan gritted his teeth angrilt, as Darius continued to circle him, determind to paint a very vivid picture, "If no body turns up why, you'll simply remain missing and over the years she will wonder. Did suffer some horrible fate an honerable death? Or, perhaps you never really loved her."
The Vampire's words stung just as his physical wounds, causing Nathan to shift uncomfortably.

Then, Darius stopped in front of his prisoner. "Do you have the slightest idea what your King would do to you if he found out what you've been up to with his Daughter? By law alone you would be hanged for betraying your oath. Though I have a feeling you'd suffer a much more gruesome fate at the hands of this man you're dying to keep hidden."
Not a day had passed since his capture when he hadn't pondered these very thoughts. Though if Darius knew about he and the Princess, surely others must know as well and yet he kept his silence, though difficult, all his torture would mean nothing, if he were to speak.
"Do you think your men are looking for you? Your King isn't." Darius said, turning his back to the man who was shackled in that dreadful cell, "Your men are fighting us in this war and your King is hiding, like the coward he is." He said, and then faced Nathan again, "No one is looking for you and no one is going to save you. So why not end this torture tonight and tell me where your retched King is?" Darius finished.

However much this Vampire's words cut him, he would not bleed the secret of his King's hiding place and after several moments of silence Darius's calm and cool demenour faded away into anger.

Not only did he hate the man himself, but he hated his strength and the fact that his spirit did not seem to break. Quickly Darius walked behind Nathan, stealing a whip from one of his guards hands and then violently striking Nathan's body.

He yelped in pain and then heard The Vampire ask, "Where is he?"
But Nathan did not respond and so Darius struck him again, then repeated his question, "Where is he?!"
Still, nothing from the prisoner and so Darius repeatedly hit him, harder and more violent each time without mercy, brutally shredding the flesh on his back, "You will tell me!" He shouted, as he beat the prisoner with such zeal, that he himself grew weary and stopped to rest. His guards nearly deafened by Nathan's screams of agony.

"Out! Leave us." Darius said, commanding his guards to exit the cell and they did as they were told and left hastily.
Now, it was just Darius, alone in the room with Nathan, who'd endured more then he thought he could stand and was still alive, just barely.

Darius dropped the blood stained whip and came around to face Nathan once again, only this time, he was going to get what he wanted from the man.

Tears streamed down Nathan's face, while sweat and blood ran down his body. He could no longer stand, but rather hung where he was shackled, his being shaking with pain.

"You are a strong, very brave and very foolish man." Darius started, "But you will give me what I want."
Nathan lifted his head, slowly as Darius continued, "If you do not tell me where your King resides, I will go to your beloved Princess. And I will violate her in ways you can't imagine. The torture she will endure, will be so vile, so cruel and so unspeakable you couldn't dream it in your worst nightmares. Her death with be slow and her suffering great."
His words almost hurt worse then the pain that ruled him, and Darius could see it in his eyes, the anger fused with extreme sorrow.
"Perhaps I'll even bring her here for you to watch. Would you enjoy that?" He asked, only an inch or so away from Nathan now, breathing into his ear, "Can you imagine? Her tortured screams filling this room, and can you hear her calling your name? Begging me for mercy before she cries for your help."

The anger in his eyes seemed to vanish as Darius pulled away, watching Nathan's eyes tear as he struggled to keep his face emotionless and strong. Though he had already began to break.
"Don't think I can't find her Nathan." He said, and the paused before asking one last time, "Where is your King hiding?"
Nathan choked, and began to open his mouth, before stopping himself and staying quiet.

Darius was a bit surprised, but it didn't matter. He would go and find Layla and when he did, he would bring her back and force Nathan to watch her painful death.
"Very well." The Vampire said as he turned and walked towards the door.
But before he could leave, he heard Nathan cry out in a weak voice, "Wait."

Stopping just in front of the door, Darius slowly turned around. That same evil grin Nathan had seen earlier, now stretched across the Vampire's face.

Nathan was a bit surprised he could even speak, he throat was so dry and partched from lack of water. But even more surprising, was that he spoke at all. He'd been through so much suffering, he couldn't believe he was willing to speak now. He almost didn't realize he had said anything at first, for his words were only a thought in his mind, screaming inside his skull. Yet he had spoken. Darius could finally see, he had broken the man and Nathan felt so ashamed.

He took several steps towards his Prisoner before stopping a few feet from him, "There is something you wish to tell me?"
Nathan muttered painfully in response, "Y..yes."
"Go on." Darius urged him as he came closer.

So Nathan opened his mouth again to speak, as he became light headed and dizzy from the overwhelming burn of his wounds. He tried briefly to form words, but his lips were quivering so much it was impossible and then, finally he passed out.

It didn't seem to phase Darius, who walked to the cell door and opened it. Fetching his guards, who entered the room readily awaiting their commands.
"Take this," He said reffering to Nathan, "To the infermery, I wanted him treated immediantly and with great care. I want him alive."
The guards nodded and one reached for his keys, then began to unchain the prisoner, while the other carefully lowered him into his arms.
"Once his care is complete I want him brought to my chambers straight away and restrained. Understand?" Darius said, and his guards gestured, 'yes' as they both gently carried Nathan passed Darius and towards the door.

The wicked Vampire smiled once more, and then followed his guards out of the room and shut the cell door. He did not worry or fear for the man's life, for Darius had every confidence that soon he would know where the King was, in his own sweet time.

* * * * *

Please R&R if you want more and I'll keep the chapters coming!!