Author's note: Look at that! Despite the chaos of the week and having no sleep at the airport last night, I am still getting this out on time. I am unstoppable!
Esial missed the night when it was daytime, and the day when it was nighttime. The violent swing in temperature was obnoxious and hateful. He was glad that he would be looking at another night soon. Though he was sure he would change his mind again a few hours in.
The camp of humans had spent all day running around, moving tools, making plans, and bringing supplies in from the couple of trucks that had stopped there. The real project hadn't begun yet, that was pretty clear. Esial wondered how long it would take for them all to be ready to start. And how much he would hate it. He decided to try and enjoy what he had now in case whatever came next was deeply unpleasant. It probably would be.
Let's see, now, what did he have? He had some water every few hours. Amon had commanded the humans to bring him water after that first night. That was good, even if it was brackish. His aches and pains had mostly subsided from the blood he'd had the night before, which was incredible. The rope tying him to the canopy was long enough to lay down which was absolutely fantastic, and he was going to get to eat again that night.
Poor Khalid. Esial had only seen the boy the evening before. Even though it was only his second time feeding a vampire, he had been very still and calm. Even brave. He didn't look at Esial, though, and once Esial was done, he had left as quickly as he'd come.
Esial faintly wondered what the boy had done with muzzle. He was very glad it had been taken away. He had been a bit concerned that if it had been left nearby Amon would have gotten some thoughts about putting it back on Esial for kicks and giggles, even though Esial had been very well behaved.
He had to be. He would do anything to avoid the muzzle.
Esial licked his lips and shifted a little around the pole. There were a few holes up in the canvas that sent light chasing him across the hard packed sand. He had made the mistake of taking a nap earlier and now had a line burned across his ankle. He hated having to shuffle away from it. He wasn't very graceful at the moment with his hands still tied behind his back, so he was terrified that he would make the wrong move and the pole would come toppling down on top of him, losing him his shelter. He had it pretty good at the moment. He wasn't going to do anything that jeopardized that.
Esial heard a shout of greeting go up. That was pretty common. The humans here were industrious and friendly. Well, friendly-ish. It was a weird kind of friendly where they were all aware they would sell each other out for half a cup of water and were all fine with it. Esial found it almost impressive, to be honest. Shouts of greeting and laughter all throughout the day were common enough, only quieting for the hours at the hottest part of the day where the men slept.
No, what was strange about the greeting was that the words had cut off about three fourths of the way through. Like it was strangled by fear.
Esial lifted his head anxiously, drawing his foot away from another spot of light as he shifted up to his knees. He found himself panting in the heat, wondering idly when he was going to get water next as he looked for what was wrong.
Any thoughts about water or tracing the sun patterns to plan where he was going to take his next nap evaporated from his head when he spotted the movement among the tents. There was a predator prowling through a forest, the humans taking flight like birds and squirrels to find somewhere to hide. Amon was furious. He had abandoned his parasol somewhere and was beginning to smoke gently in the desert sun, but he didn't seem to take any notice as he strode toward Esial's canopy.
Esial shrunk back gently against the pole he was tied to, unable to put even that small piece of wood between himself and Amon for fear of the sun beyond. He was good. He was well behaved. He hadn't done anything wrong. He knew he hadn't. Amon would just ask him if he'd seen any humans misbehaving, whatever that would mean to Amon, and then he would leave after Esial made it clear he hadn't seen anything.
He hadn't misbehaved. He knew he hadn't. Amon didn't have the muzzle with him. It would be fine. He hadn't-
"Esial," Amon hissed. "Sit up!"
Esial trembled, but he did as he was told. He would be good. No muzzle. He could still keep his shelter and his meals and his water. He had been good. Hadn't he?
There was a little part of him, a part that sounded a little like Muir, that sneered a bit at his behavior.
The oldest vampire in the world beyond the Sire himself and you're acting like a kicked puppy.
That wasn't fair, Esial told the voice. He deserved to want to be safe and slightly comfortable. At least fed.
Amon grabbed Esial by the hair, giving away what he wanted and Esial closed his eyes, swallowing down on a gasp as Amon bit into the side of his throat and drank.
That's right. The false sire bond. It hadn't been refreshed in a while. Not that Esial would want to disobey Amon now. Not with where they were and the consequences for disobedience. Esial was not strong enough to try and fight Amon or actually manage an escape. This was all he could do.
The Sire would hate him for his weakness.
Esial pushed the thought away. He didn't care what the Sire would think about him.
Amon pulled away, Esial's blood coagulating quickly like most vampire blood did. Amon bit into his arm and presented it. Esial couldn't help but pull a face at it, but he wrapped his mouth around the wound and drank Amon's stale blood, sealing the bond between them again.
Amon dragged him off, throwing him down hard enough Esial was terrified his little shelter would come down around him. He managed to catch himself slightly, just barely keeping from pulling at the rope that connected him to the pole.
"I-" Esial started, uncertain what he was going to say. Maybe an apology? Maybe just a question to figure out what he had done wrong?
"Silence," Amon said sharply, and Esial's mouth snapped shut, thankfully not on his tongue.
Esial watched him for a moment before he lowered his eyes, sufficiently terrified. The silence stretched on and Amon made a noise of disgust.
"So this is to be my brother, hmm? This sniveling creature, unsound and unfit for the title my Sire bestowed upon it." Amon kicked Esial in the side and the smaller vampire slipped in the sand, sliding past the pole, curling around his fractured rib.
He attempted to crawl back into the shade, but Amon had stepped forward, blocking his path.
Esial only had a minute or two before he really started burning.
"Wait, please. Amon, please, just let me back into the shade. Please I haven't done anything. I haven't misbehaved."
"Oh, haven't you?"
Esial's breath caught in his chest. His arms and shoulders were beginning to heat, like the sense you were in the process of getting a sunburn. "I haven't, Amon. Please. I've been here the whole time. I haven't spoken to anyone. Please. Let me back into the shade, please."
The sun was burning past his sun protection shots. He was going to melt very soon. He could feel blisters forming on his shoulders where his shirt had slid down his bound arms. He strained his hands to try and hide them in the ragged fabric of his shirt before blisters could form around his joints.
Amon stared down at him, annoyance and disgust clear in his eyes. Esial whimpered, trying to bury his blistering soles in the sand. It was all very well packed here, though. Stepped on, wetted, stepped on again, and baked. Over and over again.
Esial tried very hard not to find that relatable.
"What do you want me to do?" Esial asked in a whisper, eyes darting for some sign of what Amon was mad about. Something he could do to get back into the shade. The skin on his back was starting to feel like it was boiling, and Esial didn't know if he would have the self control for very much longer not to immediately dive back into the shade.
Amon clenched his jaw, watching Esial down the tip of his dark nose.
Esial saw it. He wanted Esial to suffer. He wanted Esial to give him a reason. He was furious about something, and he needed to take it out on someone. Esial desperately did not want it to be him.
"I c-can't- It hurts Please let meintheshadepleaseI'm-"
Amon stepped back and Esial flung himself forward, gasping as the pain truly hit him through the fear. He tried to look up, but the way the skin on his neck pulled convinced him to keep his head down. It hurt. It was a familiar kind of hurt. Burning and melting and as ever present as a stomach ache. 5000 years spent in the sun made it familiar, and yet it still hurt despite his endless experience with it. One would think he would have gotten used to it at some point, but it still bit into his flesh, like a happy child given their favorite snack. He wondered if the sun, if the light, knew him as intimately as he knew it.
Did he know it at all, or did he only know the pain?
Amon stared down, watching for any sign of rebellion, any sign of a struggle. Esial was too scared to give him what he really wanted.
"Esial."
"Yes, Amo- Sir?"
"Can I trust you if I release your hands?"
"Yes, sir."
"You will need to wear a collar and chain rather than a rope."
Esial thought about it for a moment and nodded. "I.... I can live with that, sir."
Amon hummed, watching him for a moment before he turned and left.
That evening, Esial sat more comfortably than he had for two days. His arms and shoulders hurt, and he let his shirt stay slipped down his arms, unwilling to let anything touch his bubbled flesh. He swallowed uncomfortably around the collar. It looked rather beat up, but the silver was still well wrapped. The chain, on the other hand, was unwrapped silver, and he had to be very careful where and how he moved. Still, it was good to have his hands again, never mind how nice it was to relax his shoulders.
He watched as Amon stalked through the camp, throwing glares in Esial's direction, like he was waiting for Esial to make a mistake.
What could possibly make Amon that angry? They hadn't even started working yet, and this didn't seem like impatience.
Esial.... had a hunch. He hoped it was true. Joseph escaped.
If he had died, Amon would have told Esial and let the guilt cripple him from there. If Joseph escaped, it would explain Amon's need to strengthen that thrice cursed bond between them, and if he had escaped it would explain why Amon was so angry.
Still, Esial was trapped in the desert. There was no promise that anyone would discover where he was and who had him, and even if Muir or the police in general figured it out, it wasn't like they would be able to reach him here. Esial had heard some of the men talking. They were in Sudan, a country at war. A country no one was allowed to enter, and who was too busy with it's one deeply troubling problems to work out a rescue and return plan for a lost vampire, no matter how much money or help another country might offer the warring groups. Esial was on his own.
The desert seemed to watch him as sharply as Amon did.
Part 22
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