“Tabbruis’ History” snippet from “Charmeine” the First Novel in “The Light-Bearer Series” by Emily Guido

“Tabbruis” snippet from “CHARMEINE” t... “Bathsheba and Remembrance of War” sn...

“Tabbruis’ History” snippet from “Charmeine” the First Novel in “The Light-Bearer Series” by Emily Guido

Charmeine Front Cover Jpeg High Resolution

To celebrate “Charmeine” being in print on Amazon… SQUEEEEE!
I’m featuring snippets of it!
Enjoy!

Tabbruis woke up centuries ago on a rock in the barren desert by Mt. Sinai. Nothing made sense. He had no recollection of how he got there. Tabbruis’ body was twisted and broken but it healed within a few hours. A shepherd boy, named Joseph had found Tabbruis and befriended him. He understood what the boy said automatically and could speak the language with a perfect dialect. Joseph gave Tabbruis water, clothes, food and took care of him. However, the food did not sit very well on his stomach.
After nightfall on the third day, marauders stampeded the camp stealing the sheep, goats, and Joseph. They were surprised to see Tabbruis come out of the make shift tent. Intent to help his new friend, he became mad and started to fight.
To Tabbruis’ surprise, fangs poked through his gums making him shocked and senseless. The blood he tasted from the fangs poking through his gums fueled his anger. He ripped a man off his horse and tore through the skin with his bare hands. As the spray of the man’s jugular hit Tabbruis in the mouth, he could taste the blood. The man’s blood was nothing but exquisite to Tabbruis. For sheer hunger, Tabbruis leaned down and drank. The liquid ran over his tongue and it was sublime. Tabbruis pulled on the man’s blood until he was empty taking all the life force from him. By then, the other men in the marauders had left. Tabbruis sat by the corpse with blood dripping down his jaw. He said with hunger, “Blood! I want more… more!”
*****

That night was the beginning of a dark age for Tabbruis. He began taking life at an enormous rate. Tabbruis’ savagery was unparalleled. He travelled from the Sinai desert into the jungles of Africa on the trail of blood… human blood. Tabbruis found no matter what happened to him, he could not be killed. If he was injured in the battle to secure more blood, he eventually healed. Tabbruis’ strength and speed were unbelievable. He could wrestle an elephant to the ground for play, walk, run, and swim great distances. Tabbruis knew he was special…
Tabbruis thought he was invincible!
His reckoning came in an instant when he saw a young girl crying over her mother he slaughtered in his unrelenting thirst for blood. He was so remorseful and his self-hatred was overpowering, he began to detest himself. Tabbruis thought, ‘What had I done? Why? Why am I like this?’
Tabbruis turned and ran for days. When he reached the ocean, Tabbruis swam until it had been weeks since he had taken a life. Desperate and starved, Tabbruis swam to the shore. As he walked from the shore, Tabbruis saw a lion. In a ravenous hunger, Tabbruis ran after the lion, caught it, broke its neck, and drank its blood. His need… his want for blood was satisfied…. from then on, Tabbruis only fed on animals.
*****
Tabbruis roamed the Earth, for years which turned into millennia. He arrived at the shore of the Black Sea one day. While Tabbruis was hunting big game at night, he sensed a presence near him. The signature and scent of the presence rushed on him. He recognized this presence as something or someone who was like himself. He also smelled animal blood had been freshly spilled.
Tabbruis noticed there was a shadow behind a tree. He walked up to the shadow and there stood another man. He asked the shadow, “Who are you? I am Tabbruis. I have never encountered anyone like me before.”

Andrei Andrei image content-3332 Wikipedia public domain.

The shadow laughed and walked into the moonlight and said, “Oh my… young one it is because you are an Elder, a Blood-Hunter. I am deeply honored to be your first contact with your people. My name is Dmitri Maximus.”
Dmitri was very tall with straight long black hair over his coat. He said, “Come to my castle Tabbruis. We will have refuge and protection there. I will tell you of our people.”
Tabbruis was skeptical and thought, ‘Protection? From what? I am invincible.’ He was also doubtful of the existence of what Dmitri called an ‘Elder’ and ‘Blood-Hunter’. However, Tabbruis was intrigued as he had never met anyone of his kind before and followed him.
Once they reached the castle, Dmitri offered Tabbruis refreshment. Tabbruis knew immediately when Dmitri poured the blood it was from an animal. He looked at Dmitri with a questioning eye. Dmitri smiled and said, “I would have never invited you to my castle if you were a Blood-Hunter of humans.”
Tabbruis asked, “Blood-Hunter?”
Dmitri laughed and replied, “Oh my… you really have been isolated many, many years! Yes, my young one, a Blood-Hunter is an immortal who lives on blood. Many Blood-Hunters live on humans. However, there are some like you and I who choose a more civilized approach and live on animals. Those of us who do feel humans are here with a divine purpose and leave them undisturbed.”
Tabbruis ashamed and sorrowful admitted, “I was evil when I first tasted blood. I killed humans without regret. However, I realized humans are to be left alone and not to be used as fodder.”
Dmitri furrowed his brow and said, “Yes… yes, young one, it is sad to say but every Blood-Hunter goes through a period of immorality. It is also distressing that most Blood-Hunters or Elders have not come to the same realization we have.”
Tabbruis shook his head and questioned, “Elders?”
Dmitri laughed and replied, “Elders are what the Blood-Hunters call themselves. We have been on the Earth for so long, Elders is a name which we use to describe ourselves.”
Tabbruis’ head was whirling from all this information. Stunned and shocked, he said, “I… I have no words to say. This is overwhelming! There are people like me?”
Again Dmitri laughed, wiped his eyes and answered, “Oh yes, my young brother, there are many!”
All of a sudden, Dmitri’s face became dark as night and his voice strained when he said, “There is also a ruling body over all the Blood-Hunters or Elders known as the Elder Council. They are evil and debased. I am afraid they will not come to justice for many more years to come. There is an edict of the Elder Council to never make our existence known to the humans. If Blood-Hunters were discovered, the Elder Council’shunt and gathering of humans would be harder.”
Tabbruis looked at Dmitri and noticed his immense hatred for the Elder Council and wondered why. Dmitri covered his eyes with his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Then with a sigh and a forced smile, Dmitri said, “I, myself, even though I do not hunt humans, have come under speculation by the people who live here.”
After taking another drink, Tabbruis asked, “Why Dmitri?”
Dmitri grimaced and got up and went to the big picture window. Tabbruis could tell he was gazing at the full moon. Not turning around to show his pain, he answered, “After my family was killed in Greece, I came here for solitude.”
With real remorse for his new friend, Tabbruis asked, “Your family? Killed? How? How did you have a family?”
In a voice like a whisper Dmitri replied, “I will tell you Tabbruis, but not today.”
Tabbruis did not know what to think. Then he asked, “Why did you come here Dmitri?”
With a palpable sadness, Dmitri answered, “Mostly to get away to ease my heavy heart. However, when I came here, the people were barbarous compared to the idealistic and orderly Grecian race. To keep order here, I used to command a small contingent of soldiers in this area. However, I chose to move away from law-keeping because of the local people’s suspicion of me grew over time. A few times Tabbruis, I have narrowly escaped their wrath.” Dmitri smiled as he walked back to his chair and said, “The local people have made a false legend about me and my exploits. It is rather an enjoyable scary bedtime story. They call me ‘Dracul’ a Romanian connotation of ‘The Dragon’. Because of myth and lore, I just go out under cover of night to gather my meals.”
Fascinated and eager to know more, Tabbruis asked, “If you would allow me, may I stay with you and learn? I have so many questions.”
With a big smile and a pat on the back, Dmitri replied, “My brother, as long as we are in agreement no humans will die at our hands for thirst, you may stay here and call my castle your home too. However, I will caution you. The danger to you from the Elder Council, other evil soldiers of Lucifer and the humans are great.”
Tabbruis made a questioning look and asked, “Other evil soldiers?”
Dmitri said with a grin, “Oh my… you have been secluded. Yes, Tabbruis, there are many forms of Evil which Lucifer has put on Earth. You have probably encountered them and just never knew it. The Earth’s most sinister days in eras past have been because of Lucifer’s demons or Blood-Hunters like you and me.”
Tabbruis was amazed and asked, “So Lucifer has a supernatural criminal force on Earth?”

Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great (Photo credit: Tilemahos Efthimiadis)

Dmitri grimaced, got up, and started to pace the floor and answered, “Yes there is Tabbruis. For example, it was an Evil minion of Lucifer which put into motion the assassination of King Philip II. You see, in 359 B.C. Philip II became king of Macedonia. He conquered much of Greece. He brought a mix of cultures and justice to many lawless lands.
His murder occurred during October of 336 B.C., at Aegae, the ancient capital of Macedon. The court had gathered there for the celebration of the marriage between Alexander I of Epirus and Philip’s daughter, by his fourth wife, Olympias. King Phillip wanted to make sure he was approachable to the Greek diplomats. When he entered into the town’s theater, he was unprotected…”
Tabbruis became angry and his face became black as night. He interrupted Dmitri and said, “Yes… King Phillip was killed by Pausanias of Orestis, one of his seven bodyguards. Pausanias tried to escape but he was pursued by some of Philip’s bodyguards and killed…” Tabbruis turned to Dmitri said with a scowl, “Dmitri, I was one of those bodyguards…”

Hermes-type bust (pillar with the top as a scu...

Alexander the Great (photo credit Wikipedia Commons)

Tabbruis hand shook with anger as he gripped his hilt of his sword and continued as he said, “I did feel something was not right that day. I was worrisome over the fact King Philip was going into the theatre unprotected. I felt like a tiger which had been caged. Alexander, his son, was so young to succeed to the throne. However, he was a fine King and successor. I followed the young king into Persia during his campaigns. I wept when Alexander the Great died in Babylon of sickness… God, Dmitri… he was only 32. I protected Alexander the Great out of loyalty to King Philip.” Out of frustration, Tabbruis got up and stirred the logs of the fire to make them burn thoroughly.
Dmitri said with a disturbed voice, “I am truly sorry Tabbruis. King Philip did not deserve the death he was administered, but you must believe all was put in motion by Lucifer’s minion.”
Tabbruis put down the poker and sat down next in the chair across from Dmitri.
They looked into the fire and both sighed at the loss of such a great man and his son.
Dmitri turned to Tabbruis and said with a serious and black face, “Tabbruis… listen carefully to what I have to say now… Never underestimate ignorance and intolerance; they are the worse plagues on the Earth. Lucifer can weave his followers to make humans evil and debased. Most of the calamities which befall the Earth by human hands are from ignorance and intolerance.”

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This video is what I believe describes Tabbruis’ life before love, before heart, before feeling, before…. Charmeine

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