Breathless, Azrael staggered through the forest. Even if May had been trying to hide her tracks while holding Evangeline hostage, Azrael would of been able to find his way to the home of Horus blindfolded. He'd stayed in Horus' little 'Winter Kingdom' for almost a decade, catering to his Lords wishes, fulfilling tasks similar to what Raleigh and May had to do. Azrael trudged through the light blanket of snow for the better part of three hours before reaching one of the lesser known entrances to Horus' hideaway. He would of gotten there a lot faster, but the scuffle he had had to endure with Raleigh turned out to be somewhat more challenging than Azrael had first assumed it would be. Well, the kid had turned out to be a equipped with a bit of a surprise, but that was to be expected of an Underling of Horus. Azrael looked over his shoulder at the bound and unconscious young Vampire who he had dragged with him all this way. It was undeniable to say that the cub had skill, but he would need to put in much more time and effort before he could outmatch someone of Azraels skill. The fact that the left hand side of his body was virtually numb to the bone was testament to the fact that Raleigh possessed a high ability in combat, and although the numbing effect was down to the weapon that the boy had possessed, Azrael grinned at the replaying image of when Raleigh made his only successful attacking move. It turned out that the blade, that Raleigh had been gifted to by Horus, was in fact a magic imbued dagger. Such things, although not generally hard to come by, did require someone with a proficiency in magic to imbue the weapon. Not doubt Horus had such a person, or probably persons, locked away in his dungeons, creating things like Raleighs blade whenever he should require. Magic weapons were generally used by high-ranking humans in their armies, a gift presented to those who had brought fame or fortune to their liege. Most of the time it was simple magic, making the blade glow or emit flames and such, showy things to scare your enemies and inspire your allies. But this numbing effect was the sort of thing used by Assassins and such, the sort of profession Vampires generally shy away from, there was no honour in stabbing a man in the back or finishing off a weakened opponent. But, such things rarely bothered Horus, that much was true, he had always been somewhat of a black sheep, a stain on all Vampires have ever believed in. But, who was Azrael to judge whether his behavior was acceptable, such things were above Azraels rank within the realm of Vampires. Instead, Azrael had just left Horus' group. He'd never looked back. Azrael dropped Raleigh on the floor and then placed his hands on the stone wall in front of him. For a moment it just looked as though Azrael was doing stretches, but suddenly there was a clunking sound and a rectangle started to form in the rock face. As he pushed the door shaped object moved into the cliff with Azrael. After a couple seconds Azrael came out from the dark of the corridor and grabbed the young Vampire once again and dragged him into the dark of Horus' Lair. "Welcome home, kid. I sure hope your Master will be pleased to have you back." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horus had been casually waiting on his throne, wishing Azrael would hurry up so that Horus could go and play with his new toy. He had no doubt that Azrael would outmatch Raleigh, so it was only a matter of time before the Elder Vampire would arrive at Horus' doorstep. He sat patiently and waited, twiddling his fingers and started reminiscing about the days when Azrael was his pawn. He settled into a warm feeling of nostalgia only to be interrupted by a loud clunking sound to the right of his throne. "Ah, he sure does pick his moments wisely, that Azrael." Horus said with a large grin. He was looking forward to meeting his long lost friend. They had a lot to catch up on. He stayed seated on his throne but rested his chin on his fist and gazed toward the opening that started to appear in the wall at the side of the room. Azrael stumbled through the secret doorway, still dragging his unconscious adversary. The first thing he saw was Horus, with his beaming innocent smile, sitting on his throne. Azrael propped Raleigh up against the wall and made his way over to Horus. He bent down on one knee and and placed his hand over his heart. "My Liege." Horus' smile cracked and his burst into uncontrollable laughter. "Oh Azrael, must you mock me everytime? I thought that we were friends now." Azrael scoffed and tried to stand. His body shook under the effort, still weary from the effects of the magic weapon that Raleigh had struck him with. He nodded in Raleighs direction. "You should send the boy to somewhere that he can rest. It would be a shame to lose such a talent, even if some of his skill comes down to your dirty tricks. Where did you get such a weapon anyway?" Horus smiled wide. Looked at Raleigh and nodded with pride. "Yes. He is quite the treasure I must say. Anyway..." Horus whistled and a sprightly young Vampire, large scar across his nose, sprinted into the room. He came over to Horus and gazed at the floor as Horus spoke. "Would you please take Master Raleigh back to his quarters, and bring in some tea for our guest, he'll be staying for a little while." The young Vampire nodded and promptly left, Raleigh slung over his shoulder. "Now, Azrael, where were we." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He'd talked for quite a few hours and was looking forward to getting some sleep now. He walked through the hallways, until he found the room where he would be staying. He grabbed the door handle, turned it, and walked in. Evangeline was sat on the bed. "Hello Evangeline, did you miss me?" Said Horus.