As they fell back to share the view of the clear sky, they allowed themselves to get lost in their mutual emotions.
7
Plotting
Keith growled, staring at the haphazard batch of mythos sitting before him; a makeshift Council of his own design where he made the rules and called the shots.
And soon enough the real thing would be his, as well.
The table was abuzz with their collective plotting, and the murmurs between neighbors and the occasional rant from the others drew their attention inward as he stood at the head of the table. When they did not take notice of his gesture or silence their witless banter, he sneered. Shaking his head at their insubordination, he raised his arm over his head a moment before bringing his fist down on the table. The surface rocked and all of the eyes in the room widened and honed in on the source as one of the table’s legs gave out and it sagged several inches to one side. As the last of the reverberation and emotional impact dissipated, the group leaned forward in their seats and awaited his plans.
He smirked. That, he noted with an approving nod, was how it should be!
After all, he was their leader!
“We will get nowhere if our efforts are not executed! A plan—no matter how perfectly designed—is nothing until it is put into action! I need commitment; I demand it! And I’m certain that I’m not alone in my desires to see something come of our efforts.”
“Now, there is no doubt in my mind that the clan’s moves will come sooner if we are not the first to attack.” He grinned and turned to a marble chess set that adorned a shelf behind him, with a calculated movement, pinched the polished white king and queen pieces between his fingers and inspected them with a coy grin before setting them on the table in front of the others to get a clear view. “You see, we are all warriors here; warriors who are crippled by those who would use us as nothing more than fodder!” he stabbed his index finger down at the king piece, “They would have you believe that—through their oppression and iron-grip on every detail of your lives—you were something more to them; using their condescending language and structurally unsound laws—upheld by a corrupt and biased police force that hide behind the veil of ‘clan-hood’ to justify the unjustifiable!—to control and bind us.” He turned again and scooped up the pawns from the board, “And they would turn us—all of us!—into nothing more than drones!”—he began to roll each pawn across the uneven table’s surface, allowing them to reach the end and fall to the floor—“Nothing more than expendable, faceless drones!” growling, he held up the last pawn and rolled it between his fingers, “They would turn you into nothing more than pawns to be shuffled about their battlefields to protect those they deem worthy.” He sneered at the piece and let it slip from his fingers to join the others on the floor. “I’ve seen them, my brothers! Seen them first-hand from my cushioned seat amongst their foul ranks, taking up arms against those too weak to defend themselves, and honoring the mundane needs of those who benefit and empower them!
“But now,” he leered and held his index finger over the king piece on the table, “there has been a shift”—he pulled his finger back, toppling the king and letting it roll off the table and clatter against the pawns—“and the army that would hold us back from claiming our rightful glory is without rule; without direction!”
Reaching behind him with his aura, he retrieved one of the white knights and let it sweep once over the heads of his audience before it landed beside the still-standing queen piece, “And all that stands between us and that glory is an ignorant queen and a broken knight.” Again, he reached out with his aura, snatching up the remaining game pieces and letting them orbit his body as he jabbed an accusatory finger at the others, “And you choose to let this moment—this moment that you’ve waited your entire lives for!—be nothing more than pretty words on a sheet of paper that you call a plan that you’re too afraid to put into action? And for what? So that you can remain their pawns? So that the comfort of ignorance can remain and the fear of change can be avoided?
“Gentlemen,” he let the word slip from his tongue like a vulgar, oily thing, “it is time to free yourselves from their tyranny; to stop playing along with their silly games.” The floating pieces fell, one-by-one, from the air until only a white rook and a black knight remained. As the others watched, he took these into his palm and sneered. “In their weakened state, we can take their castle as our own”—he slammed the rook down in front of him—“and you can finally be free of your lives as pawns”—he held up the black knight and nodded slowly at it—“and claim the ‘warrior’ title that’s always been yours!”
With that, he slammed the knight between the white queen and knight, letting both collapse and roll off of the table, leaving only the black knight and the white rook standing. The others stared for a moment, taking in the sight of the coal-black horse that stared angrily at the bone-white castle set out in front of it, and their grins widened.
Seeing that he’d made his point, Keith smiled and sat down, steepling his fingers in front of him. “Checkmate.”
“What do you propose we do next then?” An older vampire leaned forward, “Like you’ve said, The Council is starting to get wind of our motives.”
“You leave that to me.” Keith bowed his head once, “Don’t worry about that detail. The clan and The Council will not be an issue anymore. On that you have my word. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he stood and started for the door, “I have other business to attend to.”
With that, he disappeared from the group, jumping into overdrive and seeking out his next target. Finally, sensing he was close, he allowed himself to drop out of his superhuman speed and came to stand in the forest. The overpowering stench of body odor and wet animal fur assaulted his senses and he sneered at the smell of the Therions. They really were just a bunch of beasts; only slightly more clever than the pathetic creatures they shared the features of. Still, they served their purposes.
Even if they weren’t fully aware of what that purpose was.
He sensed the pack’s leader as he stepped towards him from the side and he simpered. “Having fun, Isaac?” he glanced over, able to sense the female vampire’s auric residue in the area and shook his head, clucking his tongue, “My my… a vampire, eh? Is she as good as she looks?”
“Leave her out of this!” He snarled, stepping towards him before adding, “And leave us out of this.”
“Oh no, my friend! I am far from being done with you and yours! You see, The Council has put a call out on the Clan of Vail. It seems that those of my blood are lacking in family values, and I need your pack to take them out. All of them.” He leered, “including your little auric girlfriend.”
Isaac snarled and shook his head, clenching his fists and preparing to attack, “My pack has done plenty for The Council! We will have no more of your orders!” He growled again as his skin started shifting in his anger as he advanced another step.
“I’m not presenting this as a choice, therion! This is a command, and if you refuse a command from The Council—The Council that you’re sworn to obey—then your pack will suffer the consequences of your decision.” Isaac roared and lunged at Keith, who laughed and dodged the attack before pinning the therion against a nearby tree and extending his fangs.
“I would like nothing more than a reason, dog! Give me that reason, and I will do this my way, by killing you and taking your pack by force! It was a courtesy to ask you nicely, but clearly my hospitality is not appreciated. If you still want to defy us, I ask that you not waste any more of my time. I am, after all, in the middle of planning my next move.”
“Th-then mo… move… to Hell!”
Keith tightened his grip, “Care to repeat that?” he snarled, “I will not ask again, Isaac! Either you obey or you die! Now are you going to do as I say?”
“Y-yes…” Isaac growled in defeat, still struggling to breathe past Keith’s grip.
“Good dog.” Keith stepped back and let him drop, “You earned yourself
a biscuit!” he snickered at his own joke and turned away, “Au revoir, Rover!”
The bastard vampire disappeared, followed shortly after by his greasy, synthetic stink, and Isaac let his shoulders sag once he was certain that he wasn’t being watched. Feeling suddenly very exhausted, he leaned against the nearby tree and tried to clear his head. And while he didn’t want to condemn his pack—his family—to any more chaos, he didn’t know if he could ensure their safety if it meant going against Zoey, perhaps even killing her. Clenching his eyes shut, he desperately wanted to see her—it had been two days and he hoped that seeing her would offer some sort of clarity.
Though it had only been a short time, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything that would cause her harm.
He shuddered at the thought and cupped his hand over his heavy eyes, trying to massage away a growing headache.
“Hey, Isaac!” Zoey’s voice chimed from a short distance away as she made her way through the forest, breathing hard from her trek, “You alright?”
He dropped his hand and sighed, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just fine.”
“No, you’re not.” She stepped towards him, her stride filled with more confidence and purpose than he was used to seeing from her, “Tell me what’s wrong!” She walked around him as he tried to turn his back to her, her unrelenting blue eyes filled with determination and worry for him as she placed her hand on his cheek.
He growled and turned his face away from her touch; not feeling worthy of it after considering Keith’s offer. He wasn’t sure he ever would again. And yet, when he turned his face back to hers, drawn in by his own needs, all he could see was the hurt in her eyes, and he saw that it didn’t matter what he did. Either way she would be forced to suffer for his choice. He bit his lip and looked down, not wanting to make the decision.
Not now…
Not ever!
“Please! I told you I’ll be okay, Zoey.”
“No, you said you were okay! So what’s all this talk of going to be okay?” She frowned, shaking her head, “Isaac… please.”
He sighed and put his hands on her shoulders. For her it would seem like a reassuring gesture, but the reality was that it was a simple way to keep her held back. “You should go home to your clan for the night. They’ll be worried, and we can’t afford to be found out. Not like this.”
“Why won’t you tell me? I thought…” she shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, “Please don’t do this!” she shot him a sudden glare, “I don’t want to have to go into your head and find out for myself! But if you won’t tell me then you leave me with no—”
He frowned, he couldn’t keep her and he sure as hell didn’t want to hurt her anymore, but if he didn’t get her to leave—get her to stay away from him and his secret—then both they and their comrades would be in danger. He shook his head and let out a small growl as he turned his shifting eyes to hers, hoping the bestial glare and animal sound would be enough to sway her. “There’s a surprise!” he spat, baring his teeth as they shifted in his skull, “A vampire being a leech!” he sneered, “You think I’d tell you anything?” scoffing, he shook his head and turned away so she wouldn’t see his tortured features. Knowing that his aura would give him away, he focused on the rage he had for Keith and hoped it would provide the same effect, “We are enemies! We were never meant to be together! You were just convenient; a toy for me to pass the time! And though it was fun while it lasted, Zoey, I’ve gotten bored. Playtime is over! Now go home!”
The air went suddenly cold and Isaac had to force himself not to look. Zoey was strong, there was no doubting that, and if she was responsible for the drop in temperature than it was obvious he’d struck a nerve. “You’re lying!” she growled, the air around him kicking up his hair and throwing it in his face, “You think you can hide it from me? I can tell; even without looking I can tell! I know we’re enemies, Isaac, I know we shouldn’t be together! But that doesn’t matter; not to either of us! When I’m with you, I feel right! I don’t care about this war or what I’m supposed to feel! I don’t even care what the others at the clan would think! For once in my life I’m being selfish and—dammit, Isaac!—I want to be with you!”
Isaac stared at her, blinking against the wave of fury and passion that had just been dumped on him. Biting his lip, he frowned as he struggled to keep his eyes on hers, trying to figure out what she was thinking.
“Fuck!” he sighed and shook his head, feeling his own expression betray his attempts to drive her away, “What am I going to do with you?”
“Well, you still need to earn my forgiveness for what you said.” She said, “So you might want to start by kissing me.”
He paused at that, trying to fight his body’s response to her.
Her pleading eyes completely undid him.
Sighing in resignation, he smirked down at her and leaned forward. “With pleasure.”
Hooking his hand behind her head, he pulled her face to his and pressed his lips to hers with all the ferocity of a predator finding a meal. She moaned against his mouth, driving him to pull her closer to his body until the space between them was nothing but a vulgar memory. Her body fit his perfectly! Every contour and every crevice seemed to exist to allow the other to occupy it. She whimpered as he ran his hands across her sides, tracing her form with his palms. Using his wandering hands and her small body to his advantage, he lifted her easily from her feet and pulled her body on top of him.
“O-oh! Isaac!” She blushed.
Blushing, but not complaining; not struggling or resisting or rejecting.
With that, they both held on tight to the other as they joined in the bliss of the night.
Their forbidden embrace holding them strong.
Isaac yawned as he woke up on the forest floor, finding himself tangled with Zoey’s still-sleeping body. He smiled warmly and worked on unraveling their limbs and set her gently against the tree as he stood up and walked to the nearby lake to get a drink.
“So good to see that my demands haven’t swayed your interest in that vampire bitch! I hope that…” he scoffed, “… acquainting yourself with her body won’t prove to be distracting in the long run.” Keith’s mocking voice called from behind him.
“Get out of here! I already said I wasn’t going to help you anymore and I meant it!” Isaac growled and turned to face him as his body began to shift.
“Oh I don’t think so, Isaac! I’m not done with you yet!” Keith grinned and stepped forward. As Isaac focused to transform his body he suddenly felt himself gripped in an invisible force that began to crush him. Unable to fight against the force of Keith’s aura as it squeezed tighter and began to weave more and more through his body and mind, he cried out in agony. “You and your pack will fight for me! There is no other option for you!” He smirked and stepped closer, “You see, I don’t need you to make the order; I just need your body! And, as I’m sure you’re beginning to realize, your body is very, very easily controlled. Now, you can choose to play along and do as you’re told, or I can hollow out your head and make you do as you’re told! The outcome, either way, is the same, but I’m sure you’d rather not let me have all the fun, am I right?”
Isaac growled and, despite the pain, glared at him, “You couldn’t control me if you—”
Keith glared, “Am. I. Right?” he tightened his aura’s hold on the therion and began to pry into his mind, easily beginning to snake his way into Isaac’s mind until…
Isaac settled, no longer struggling or snarling. “Yes, Keith. Quite right, indeed.”
“That’s a good boy!” Keith smiled at his own success and chuckled as he set Isaac down. “Now be off! There’s work to be done!”
“Yes. Of course.” Isaac bowed his head and started towards his pack.
Watching the therion disappear into the forest, Keith nodded to himself. The plan was coming together beautifully! Now there was just the simple business of Vail’s takeover. Satisfied that his work in the woods was finally done and he could be fr
ee of it, he turned away and started towards the city.
“Time for a family reunion, sis.”
8
Collapse
Serena sighed behind the far-too-fancy desk in the far-too-large room she had been given by her far-too-hospitable clan. Everything, the whole “welcome back, princess, oh how you’ve been missed”-scene that everybody—even those who hadn’t been with Vail long enough to even remember her—seemed to be playing by, felt forced. Just a synthetic comfort. No different than the fake blood they all gleefully guzzled down just because it rid them of the guilt of tapping a real vein for sustenance.
And so there she sat.
Alone in a sea of scripted loyalty…
… behind a still-too-fancy desk!
“Goddam thing’s bigger than my cabin!” she grumbled, casting an accusing glare at the massive portion of polished mahogany that was not hidden under the old letters that Zane had offered her several days earlier after their chat in the infirmary.
Several days…
And already the tides of the calm-though-scripted sea were beginning to shift.
In only a few days Zane had become nearly non-existent, growing evermore distant with each passing day. Furthermore, in that same time, Zoey had become scarce around the clan’s headquarters, and any time that she was around she seemed to be distracted; lost in her own world and leaving Serena behind in the gloom of reality to rot behind a desk.
A god-damned, stupid, worthless desk!
Groaning, she looked down at the letters that her father had been keeping before his death once more and deciphering, as she had each and every time she offered the pages her attention, nothing from them! Tapping her index finger against the wood—hoping that, maybe, she could “accidentally” gouge a piece and put some personality on the desktop—and frowned at another batch of guilt that grew in her mind like an ivy that throttled the life out of every other thought she had. Despite her many years of convincing herself otherwise, she could no longer blame her father for what had happened. It had never been Gregori’s fault. Not really! Rather, it had just been a series of shitty circumstances that she’d blamed on him; the easiest target to project her personal need for a source to all of it. She sighed, wishing again that she could’ve had the chance to apologize to the bastard before he was killed.
Scarlet Night: The Complete Trilogy Page 12
