Hush, child

The darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And carry you down into sleep

The Omega vampire Carbel stood at the top of the hill overlooking the home he and his brothers had once lived within. Their mother, the Omega Kogome, had died giving birth to the youngest of them, Salthazar. Carbel and his other brothers were knowledgeable about the ways their mother had taught them, but Salthazar tried to take what he wanted through force. Their mother had not died in childbirth with Salthazar, she'd died trying to give rise to a good man who would truly know what it meant to be king.

Salthazar was a brash and violent child, lashing out at the slightest of provocation. He'd lashed out at their mother one too many times, when he turned on in age Salthazar ended up murdering their mother...

Their poor mother who spent her entire life raising the children of the man who was King in title alone.

Carbel stared down at his old home with disdain. Their mother had toiled away to care for and protect her children. He smiled recalling her gentle hands combing through his hair on snowy winter nights.

Her life had been unfair and unkind, as had her death.

Carbel's blood boiled at the thought of his long suffering mother's untimely demise. She had refused to show Salthazar what kept his brothers looking so youthful even though they were older than him by a few years each.

She told him he was too ill tempered to learn such a thing just yet and once he got himself under control she would teach the spell to him. He lost patience with her and with his cruel act, lost his chance at eternal youth or in Carbel's case, eternal youth on into eternal middle age.

He wanted to look at least slightly aged, it presented a far more mature air about him. That compared to his brother's foul attitude.

He shook his head, walking away from the hill, he had a party to get to tonight. Tajit, the king of the land of Dirue with it’s vast mountain ranges and deep mysteriously beautiful forests. Their father had requested them join him in court and the brothers were making prepared to leave on the journey to the capital of the Vampire Kingdom of Dirue, the city of Koras.

Carbel knew that Salthazar would already be there, Taijit had taken him away from the others to raise in his castle long before their mother had passed away violently. Salthazar was being groomed to become the next king. Carbel growled under his breath as he spread his black feathered wings and flew back to the tower he stayed in when not near his brothers.

Though the skies soothed the worst of his anger, the anger remained all the same. He could not bare the thought of that murderous, shiftless, traitorous bastard sitting on the seat that by birthright as the eldest should have belonged to he, Carbel!

Wings folded behind himself, Carbel walked up the long black stone marble stairwell of the tower on the cliffside he called home. He pushed the door to his chambers open, after walking through the small living room that held not more than a long couch and a crystal ball sitting on a silk tablecloth upon the table in front of the seat he usually found himself sitting in.

Carbel's gaze shifted from the stones that made up the foundation of the building to the dark red door that led to his personal bedchambers.

Entering he sat down on his bed and pulled a book from beneath it, it was leather-bound, dusty and made from human flesh, dyed and shaped. Opening it the pages began to turn rapidly, the window opening, sending the thick black curtains that covered it billowing on the rushing air. Carbel looked through it, eyes glowing red with black swirling inside them, inherited from his mother's witchcraft being passed down to him. Holding a clawed hand out, the vampire waved it over the pages and chanted softly. Soon enough, voices began to whisper on the winds that blew into his room.

To become Queen, you must give birth to a King...

Once the deed is done,

and the babe's first breath taken ...

His eyes spun wildly as a lullaby was sung to him by the voices on the winds...

Carbel roared in rage, hair whipping around his head like tendrils as the spell worked its way through his system. Falling to his knees the vampire grunted and nodded at the voice as it faded away. Back to ride the winds, the window closed with a loud bang! The raven stood up, he knew then what he had to do. And he had to use his body to it, it mattered not to him, he would do what he must, to give birth to a King.....

He stared at the many books and scrolls on his shelf, analysis of each prompting an idea to slowly form within his mind....

He decided then that he would don the female garb and see if those other, more secret rumors about his Alpha brother were true...

Once dressed, Carbel left for the masquerade ball, finding his brother quickly, he led him into one of the many rooms and locked the door behind them both...