Somewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere
The people can’t stop whispering.
The one The King has waited for.
He is risen.
A man is running through the streets.
His thin shoes loud against the stone.
He is of the bloodline.
For one hundred years, his human family has been in charge of waking The One Who Waits.
The King.
People watch the man run.
They are too far away, but later they will all swear they could hear his heart thudding.
His task is an honor. And a horror.
The horned guards step aside from the entrance to the tomb.
The man pulls an item from around his neck.
It’s a key. Though it does not look like one.
It fits. And the lock turns.
He presses his hands to his thighs and looks up, giving thanks.
Four guards follow him into the ancient structure. Their presence is thick in the echoing hallway.
Dust plumes up around his feet.
Passing a door locked from the outside, a woman’s dry voice screams at him.
She’s been here even longer than The King has, her crimes against innocents unforgivable.
The man keeps running.
The key shakes in his hand as he reaches the final door.
It turns in the lock. The four vampires hold their hands out, and the thick door slides open.
The man prays to his god a final time.
Then he enters the tomb.
It is empty. Except for an altar. And the sarcophagus it holds, waiting to be unlocked.
The man holds his breath as he turns his key one last time, then steps back.
The guards stand behind him as he kneels.
Then he lifts his voice.
“King Tosa. It is time to rise.”
The lid of the sarcophagus moves. The room vibrates. The lid drops to the floor, cracking in two.
The man keeps his head down but his eyes up.
He will be the first to see.
Dust floats through the air as The King stands.
The man’s eyes lock with The King’s.
Fear stains the air.
The King steps off the altar. And the floor cracks when he lands.
“What news do you bring?” His voice is dry, like the woman’s. But it is strong.
“He is awake.” The man lifts his head. “Interfector Mali is awake.”
The tomb vibrates as the old vampire tests his power.
The man swallows. He is terrified. But also excited.
He will be remembered forever.
“It is an honor to sacrifice myself for you.” The man tips his head to the side, exposing his neck to The King. “Tell all it was Micha—”
The King clamps his teeth around the man’s throat.