Life Sentence

Endymion had changed into a navy blue trim fitted suit, his silver hair tousled over to one side, falling just below his jaw line. He walked tall and confidently, pushing a pair of large double wooden doors open to reveal a long wooden table in a large room. There were at least fifty people seated around the long table, with an empty large throne looking chair at the head of the table in the back. The room had been loud, erupting in conversations between everyone that was seated, but when he entered the room fell deadly silent. He strode past them all and went to the head of the table as they all stood and bowed to him. After he unbuttoned his suit jacket he motioned for them to sit and he sat along with them.

A butler quickly came to his side and poured him a glass of blood from a crystal pitcher that was on the table near him. Endymion took it in his hands and leaned back in the large, ornate chair, staring at the rest of the vampires and creatures at the table in front of him. "Abraham." His voice was booming in the now silent room. A man near the middle of the giant table looked up, eyes filled with worry. "Y-yes your majesty?" His hands were clasped in his lap, fingers fidgeting. "Would you care to explain to the court why one of your family decided it was a good idea to betray the throne and attempt to blackmail their king?" Whispers began to fill the room again and Abraham's face turned even more pale if that was possible. He stood quickly and bowed to Endymion in a plea of mercy. "Your majesty! I had no idea, I promise you, I didn't know what he was going to do!"

Endymion took a sip of the blood from the crystal wine glass and set it down on the table with a sigh, getting bored of the conversation already. "Is he not of your family, Abraham?" Abraham looked up to meet his eyes, scared for more than just his life. "Y-yes, your majesty, but-" "So then you've been teaching your turned ones that it's perfectly acceptable to disrespect me, this court, and everything that we stand for?" Abraham's mouth flew open. "No your majesty, I would never-" "Enough of the excuses, Abraham. You will bear the punishment so that others will know that if they ever allow the thought of crossing me enter their minds, they had better think of something else." Abraham swallowed hard and fell to his knees, begging, "Your majesty please! Don't do this, you can't do this!"

A smirk fell upon Endymion's lips as he watched the vampire beg for his life. "I won't end your worthless life yet, Abraham. You will be put on the pike. For 30 years. After that we will decide what to do with you." Abraham lifted his head and mouth open in shock, tears seemed to fill the vampire's eyes. Two men came and lifted Abraham up, beginning to pull him out of the room. "Your majesty, please! No, please!" He cried out as he was dragged out of the room to whispers among the rest who remained. Endymion stood and buttoned his suit jacket once more, draining the blood from the glass and setting it down on the table. His dark red eyes scanned the room, watching everyone's reactions. "Let this be a lesson for all. Those who to dare to cross me will not be met with a quick death and those who are complicit or aid anyone who will cross me will meet an even worse fate."

The group exited the room and followed after Endymion who headed outside of the isolated mansion in a forest. Outside the perimeter of the mansion were several large iron spikes stuck into the ground on an angle. A few had skeletons hanging off of them, and a select few had bodies that seemed fresh, hanging off the spikes. Groaning could be heard when the group approached. Endymion put on a pair of black leather gloves while the two men dragging Abraham approached. They had stripped him of his clothes and forced him to his knees in front of Endymion. Another man carefully brought a fresh spike to Endymion and he took it, exuding power with each movement. His eyes darkened as he stared at the pitiful vampire in front of him. Abraham had always been a problem. It was high time he paid for crimes, both past and present. Doing this would bring him much pleasure, the kind that couldn't even be described. The spike wouldn't kill Abraham, but it would keep him paralyzed. Sitting in a dark cell, Endymion felt, was akin to sleeping in a coffin. For someone to truly pay for their crimes they deserved to be in pain the entirety of the sentence and he was ready to scorch the Earth after what had happened to Vivienne. He was ready to burn them all if they so even looked at her. As far as the court knew, the vampire had only attacked her because they wanted something that Endymion had. No one seemed to know yet of what the vampire had discovered when he had bitten her. Even if they did, he figured, they would keep it very secret for a while.

"Your sentence beings now, Abraham. You will atone for your actions and for the actions of those that belong to you. May this be a warning to anyone who dares to follow in his footsteps. I would encourage you all to take this back to your families. The next to go against me will face much worse than this." Twisting the spike in his hands, Endymion wasted no time. He thrust the spike from behind the man until the pointed end came out of the man's mouth. Blood splattered across the dark green grass and the man's screams echoed through the trees. A grin fell upon Endymion's face when he heard the man wail in pain, a certain kind of satisfaction filling him. He then lifted the spike with the vampire attached and shoved it in the ground so he was suspended, blood spilling from the vampire's body.

The other vampires whispered and gasped as they watched the scene. The man that had brought Endymion the spike now gave him a towel to wipe himself off with as blood had splattered on his face. He removed his gloves and handed them to the man with the dirty towel, walking away from the group that remained to lurk around the tortured Abraham.