Samuel had already been out a while when he first came across Jakob. He was in the village, helping another resident when the man went on his atheistic rant outside the church. How could he not believe? Didn’t he see the miracle that the world around him was? That he himself was? It was fascinating, in a train-wreck sort of way. He was nudged shortly after by a young woman, one with whom he had been trying to make a deal.
“See that man?” she had said quietly, whilst holing a babe in her arms.
“I do. He’ll be stoned to death if he doesn’t stop soon.”
“Protect him?” she asked. “Protect him, and I’ll make a pact with you.”
“Truly? Is that all you want? I could do much more for you.”
“No, that’s what I want. He…He is special too me.” she said, blushing as she turned her head to check on the wee babe. Samuel lifted her chin with a finger, so that she could look at him.
“Take my hand.” he said, voice low. She shifted the child then took his hand in hers, and a slow warmth began to spread through her. “It is done.” he said, as a man made his way through the crowd to her. Upon reaching her, he yanked her away from Samuel by the hair, and began to berate her before picking up a large rock, being the first among many to throw stones at Jakob.
Samuel’s role in protecting him was minor – he merely made sure that the stones didn’t kill him. He needed to remain subtle, as doing anything big in a crowd of this size and mindset would do more harm than good. He turned to look for the young woman he had made a pact with, Tara, but saw her beast of a husband had dragged her off. In the time that it took for him to locate her, Jakob had been dragged off his stump and stolen away into the night. When next Samuel was able to find him, Jakob was already a vampire.
He felt he had failed in his pact, though his connection with her was sustained. As he could, he would follow Jakob and his sire; silently, invisibly. It continued to fascinate him that Jakob was so anti-faith, and his story as it unfolded for Matthias just intrigued him further. He’d had no idea mankind had created a book to follow, of words his Father had supposedly said or delivered unto man.
He watched as Jakob indulged in women and words, reading when he had opportunity, learning from his sire each night, at his first meeting with Avery, and the subsequent chasing of his sister, Carmen. The friendship between the two was just beginning to bud when he felt the need of his thrall. It was Tara who called him; Tara who needed him. He’d arrived in time to catch a death blow from her drunken husband. In a rage that the man would dare assault his thrall, he shifted to his angelic visage. He’d ended up badly frightening the man straight into a heart attack, soon to be called by death.
Tara herself fell to tears. She was hurt – even the children this man put in her did not respect her, though they were not there when Samuel was. He noted that she had gotten older – there were now streaks of gray in her hair. Samuel took this fragile woman – a member of the human race he had sworn to love and protect – into his arms, and held her close, until she calmed, and his visage disappeared.
“Is he still safe?” she whispered.
“Yes.” he replied.
“Tell me…is he happy?”
“He travels now, learning new things.” he said, avoiding.
She gave a small smile. “He always liked learning.” He set her in a chair. She looked weary. “I don’t think I’m much loner for this world.” she admitted quietly.
“Why is he so important to you?” Samuel had asked her.
“I love him.” she said simply, with a smile that lit up her face. “I always have. But he was sent away, and I was forced to marry.”
“I am sorry I did not come into your life sooner.” he said.
“It is alright, Samuel. Just keep your promise, and all will be right in heaven.” He smiled, though it was tinged with sadness, knowing that heaven, like hell, was not for mortals. He leaned in, and kissed her forehead.
“Will you be alright?”
She nodded. “Thank you.” she said, and bid him goodbye.
Samuel left her alone then, per her wishes, and wandered again, trying to locate Jakob. It was harder now that he was no longer human, but find him nevertheless he did, and that’s when he began to approach him – to learn more about him, to learn what his favorite thrall had found so appealing.
Samuel snapped out of his reverie when he was gently shaken.
“Samuel, are you alright?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?” the young woman in front of him smiled, and he could feel the warmth of her divinity from where she stood.
“For one, I could see you. For two, you seemed lost. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Just waxing nostalgic.” he admitted. “I apologize for worrying you, Trish.”
“It’s okay.” she said with a smile. “As long as you’re okay though.” she admitted.
“I promise you, I’m fine.”
“Alright then. Back to work!” she teased. he bowed, and shimmered out of visible existence. He left a part of him there to keep an eye on her, as he had promised the shard of his Father than he would. The rest of him co-located, to check on Jakob.
Jakob was a promise he meant to keep to his favorite thrall, despite her no longer being alive. He appeared at Jakob’s current home, to find him teaching with a master’s patience. Samuel had been watching him, and wondered if now he could truly answer Tara’s question of ‘Is he happy?’. Moreover, he mulled over the idea of telling Jakob about his tie to Tara. He’d never asked about her to Jakob directly, and Jakob had never spoken of her, so he didn’t know how he had felt about Tara.
Some day though. Some day he would tell Jakob. But he had to be happy first – well and truly happy, he decided. He left then, leaving Jakob to teach, reappearing to keep an eye on his charge.
But what of you, Samuel? He paused. It was almost like he could hear her voice. Don’t you deserve happiness? What of love? Surely you deserve that…
He shook his head. Where was this voice coming from? he looked around him, using all his perceptive abilities. There, in the Shadowlands, stood a ghost of the woman he had known. He looked startled, and she laughed.
“Worry not, Samuel. I am free now.”
“I see that, my lady.”
“Tara, please.”
“Tara then. How is it possible you are here, and not receiving a new life?”
“Too much baggage, I think.”
“Jakob?”
She nodded. “That is a great deal of it, yes.”
“Why did you love him? He comes across as a womanizing….well, not jerk. But know-it-all fits a bit better, I suppose.”
She just laughed. “He’s always been like that though. But with me it was different. He would come for me, time and time again, whereas with other women it was only once…twice at most. He said he loved me, wanted to start a life with me – but no sooner than he said that, his father shipped him off to a monastery, citing his trouble making nature.”
“So you were left to suffer.”
She nodded. “Not by choice – only by circumstance.”
“I could – if you wanted – reveal you to him.”
“No!” she shouted, then looked apologetic. “Sorry…I don’t think I am ready for that. Besides, it would be a long travel if he was here.” she said, sweeping her hand out to indicate the Shadowlands.
“Tara, my dear…he is not there. He is here.”
“How…how is that possible?”
“He is…..no longer human, but not by choice, but by circumstance.”
“I don’t understand…”
“It’s alright. There is time aplenty to help you understand, should you wish it.”
“I…thank you Samuel. In time. Perhaps though…perhaps you can help me acclimate myself to my new surroundings – by that I mean this small city. I’ve learned things over the years, as time has passed – I have seen the rise and fall of much. So maybe…with time…do you understand?”
“I do my dear. I shall help you any way I can.”
“In the meantime, I would like to understand more about you.”
“I shall try.” he said, turning away from her for a moment to check on Trish. “I shall try.”