by Rue Volley
The guard nodded as the doors opened and five council members entered the room. The guard turned to look at them and nodded as he started to head towards the door. Caine grabbed his arm and leaned into his ear.
“Our conversation is not over as of yet.”
The guard stood very still for a moment, and then a girl stepped forward, long blonde hair and pale skin. She stared at the two of them, and Caine nodded to her and released the guard’s arm. The guard walked quickly to the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. Caine stood there and stared at the girl, then to the four boys standing behind her.
“Seems that the visitors are vast this day,” Caine said, as he turned and started to walk towards the platform.
“Lord Caine,” the girl said.
Caine stopped and turned to her.
The girl stood her ground, head held high. She had a soft look on her face, so soft it looked as if she may be a friend… but she was not. Caine squared his shoulders and waited for her to speak again.
The girl stared at him and looked up at the platform.
“It would seem that we have had many things happen recently that have caused concern here in our beloved city,” she said to him.
Caine took a breath and let his eyes wander over them all as they stood before him.
“Yes, it would seem that we are at the edge of a new dawn,” he said to her.
She stepped towards him and held her hands out.
“The passing of a protector as wise and experienced as your mother has caused much distress amongst us,” she said.
Caine stepped towards her and grinned.
“I can assure you that it will not cloud my vision in my purpose here,” he said.
“Not to appear rude to you, my Lord, but the concern lies here in the city and not with you,” she said.
Caine looked at the four boys as they stepped up behind the girl and stared at him.
“Oh, I see… this is not a call upon my welfare,” Caine said.
The girl glanced to the boy behind her.
“No it is not,” she said to him.
Caine looked at the tallest boy to her side and smiled.
“You are giving me pause,” he said.
The boy smiled as he pulled his blade.
“We simply need to be certain of your intention, my Lord. You have been gone for a long time, and we now have a council member missing, a mate to you has left the gates and not returned, and the humans are becoming restless,” he said.
“Well,” Caine said, as he paced to his right.
He stopped and placed his hands behind his back, interlocking his fingers.
The girl watched him closely, as well as the other four at her side.
“I can understand the concern. It was unlike my mother to destroy herself in such a way… I agree, but we were all aware of her history. She has never been stable,” he said… deciding to tackle the discussion of his mother first.
The boy gripped his blade and took a step forward. The girl raised her hand and stopped him, shaking her head. The boy sighed and stopped as he stared at Caine. Caine stood there and smiled at him as the boy gritted his teeth.
“What is your name?” Caine asked him.
The boy looked at the girl standing next to him and then back at Caine.
“It’s Kaleb,” he said to him.
“Well, Kaleb… you seem to be quite distraught over my mother… Would you like to explain why?” Caine asked him.
Kaleb stepped from the girl, with his blade gripped tightly in his hand.
Caine glanced at it and then to his eyes.
“I spent many hours with your mother, Lord Caine. I found her intriguing. I had intention to ask her in ceremony,” he said.
Caine laughed and placed his hand on his mouth.
“You are foolish in your endeavors, Kaleb. My mother loved no one; never took a true mate that I was aware of,” he said.
“Well, like we said… you have been gone a long time. You know of nothing here in Valon,” he said.
Caine flashed to his face and grabbed the sharp edge of the Kaleb’s blade. Kaleb’s eyes widened as Caine ran his hand along the blade and let it slice into his palm. Caine showed no emotion to the deep cut he was inflicting on himself, although it burned like fire on his skin. Kaleb stepped back and jerked his blade from Caine’s hand. Caine grinned as he clinched his fist and let the blood drip onto the bright white stone at his feet. They all watched the blood on the floor. Caine bit his lip and looked at all of them.
“My Lord…” the girl said.
Caine raised his hand to his mouth and drank it in. A light welled up in his palm, and he sighed as the warm blood ran down his throat. Kaleb looked at his blade and watched the blood run to the end of it and leave his blade, dripping to the floor and crawling across the floor to join Caine’s small pool of blood at his feet.
Caine smiled and looked up at all of them.
“As you can see, my blood will not leave me,” he said.
Caine raised his palm and the cut closed itself, and Kaleb stepped back from him raising his blade.
“It is not natural, a thing such as this,” he said.
The girl sighed and stepped towards Caine.
“My Lord, we did not come here to insult… We simply would like to have the tower find you innocent of doubt,” she said to him.
Caine tilted his head.
“You wish to interrogate me...? A new Lord to Valon...? This is ridiculous,” Caine said.
Kaleb stepped up behind the girl and pointed his blade.
“See! He refuses… this is guilt that weighs on his heart.”
Caine laughed and shook his head at him.
“I admit no such thing! I am the Lord of Valon...! These things you suggest are beneath me,” he said.
“You will be a Lord fully in ten more days… We all know that your body is still adjusting to the changes the mirror inflicted on your genetic code,” Kaleb said.
Caine tilted his head at him and grinned.
“You know your history of Lordship well… Very well then, treat me like a traitor. Cause harm to the city and to her new protector. Just understand the damage that you do to our future and the way the humans perceive us,” Caine said.
The girl held up her hand, as the other four started to mumble behind her.
“Silence,” she said in a soft voice.
“Lord Caine… please understand that the passing of Sophia and the recent deaths of humans within the cities walls have already caused harm. We simply want to make this new transition with ease and stability,” she said to him.
Caine smiled. He glanced at Kaleb.
“I would bet that the reasoning teeters more on personal feeling then the concern for the future,” he said.
Kaleb smiled, and the girl stood there with no change in her expression.
“Regardless of your doubts, I assure you that the consensus remains solely on the safety and future of Valon and her people.”
Kaleb stepped back and placed his blade into his holder on his back.
“You have nothing to fear, my Lord… if you are innocent,” he said.
Caine looked at him and grinned.
“That I am… and I will remind you that all emotion will be stripped of me in ten days… At that time I will remember who was an ally to me… and who the enemies are,” he said.
Kaleb grinned and turned to walk out the large doors to the council room. The three other boys followed him closely behind. The girl remained and stared at Caine.
Caine watched them all leave the room and then settled his gaze on the girl.
“What is your name?” Caine asked her.
“I am a direct descendant of the fourth protectors created. I am Sia Noble,” she said.
Caine smiled as he walked towards her.
“Of course… Clark Noble’s sister, how pleasant,” he said to her.
She stood there with no expression on her face, but her eyes followed him as he
stepped up and leaned into her face.
“Your brother was a traitor,” he whispered to her.
“My brother has been dead to me for decades,” she said.
“Ahhh, as my mother was to me,” Caine said to her.
She watched him as he stepped behind her.
“Tell me… did you find it hard to find shelter here in Valon after Noble left you?” he asked her.
Sia stood there with her head held high.
“I am nothing like him, never was,” she said to Caine.
“Oh, but you are… you are one of two. Siblings find it impossible to sever the bond naturally created,” Caine said to her.
“I felt a huge sense of relief when I felt his heartbeat stop,” she said, showing the first small glimmer of emotion since she had stepped into the council room.
Caine knew he had touched on something with her; now that he knew who she was he could start to weave his charm.
“Sia, I know of what you speak,” he said, as he leaned into her ear.
Sia turned to him and locked her hands in front of her, interlacing her fingers.
“I would doubt that you and I have anything in common, my Lord,” she said.
Caine grinned and shook his head.
“I think you understand me completely,” he said to her.
Sia started to walk towards the doors, and Caine flashed in her way.
“I would love to ask for more of your company; it is rare that I find someone who I can relate similarities too,” he said to her.
Sia stopped and looked at his face.
“My only similarity to my brother is in name; I will not be easily swayed as he was to you,” she said.
Caine stepped aside as she moved past him.
Caine watched her turn the door handle and start to step out.
“If you wish to know of his last moments, you come and visit me… for I was there,” Caine said.
Sia stopped and looked down and then stepped out of the room, leaving Caine in the large hall alone.
***
Clytie’s eyes started to open, and her vision was blurred. She could barely make out the fire burning close to her. She took a breath, and her chest hurt as the air filled her lungs. She adjusted herself and realized that she was in fact naked, under a blanket of fur. She pulled it up to hide her breasts and heard a throat clear to her right. She looked over and saw Mia sitting on the ground under a makeshift tent, with a fire burning next to her. She rolled a small stick in front of her and watched the smoke roll off of it as the fire cooked the meat. She glanced at Clytie and then looked back at the food she was cooking. Clytie pushed herself up on her elbows and looked around.
“Where am I?” she asked.
Mia stood up and walked to Clytie, shoving the stick with a skinned squirrel on it in her face. Clytie crinkled her nose, and Mia grinned as she raised it to her mouth and took a bite… ripping off some meat. She “mmm’d” and smiled as she chewed.
“I don’t cook these very often… but they taste like chicken,” she said to her.
Clytie watched her and shook her head.
“I do not eat vermin,” she said.
Mia stopped chewing and shoved the stick at her, causing Clytie to jerk back from her.
“You should be thankful that there is any food at all. You should be the meal,” she said.
Clytie stared at her. Mia’s pretty face was such a deceptive ploy… knowing that she pretty much ate anything she came across. You would never guess that she was a cannibal… perhaps that was her greatest weapon. In fact, Clytie was sure that it was. Mia stared at her, and then turned as she heard Bailey come towards them. Mia turned back to her and pointed her finger, in mid-bite of her charred squirrel. She tilted her head and gave Clytie a warning.
“Bailey is mine,” she muttered to her.
Bailey flashed up and looked at Mia, as she stood there hovering over Clytie.
His eyes moved to Clytie, and he grinned.
“Is Mia messing with you?” he asked.
Clytie glanced at Mia and shook her head.
“She is a child,” Clytie said. “All children bother me,” she added.
Mia mumbled, and Bailey shot her a look.
“Go eat,” Bailey said to her.
Mia held the squirrel up to his nose, and he pushed it out of the way.
“I am not hungry,” he said to her.
Mia looked back at Clytie and took a vicious bite of her squirrel. Clytie looked at her and raised her eyebrows. Bailey sat down next to her and stared at Clytie’s face. He reached out and touched her long red hair. Clytie swiped her hand at his, and he smiled.
“You have slept for a day,” he said to her.
Clytie looked at her arm and ran her fingertips over the pink scar on her arm…the gash Theo had caused was gone. She looked up at Bailey and stared at him.
“You healed me,” Clytie said.
Bailey shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, you would have died otherwise,” he said to her.
Mia laughed, and both Bailey and Clytie looked at her.
“What...? You should have let her die, Bailey,” Mia said.
“Stop,” Bailey said, as Mia threw her cooked squirrel into the fire and stood up. She shook her head and pointed her finger at Clytie.
“She is a demon, Bailey… We cannot trust her anymore then we can Caine,” she said.
Bailey stood up and raised his hand to her.
“Mia… I will not warn you again,” he said to her.
Mia yelled out and flashed into the woods.
Bailey stood there shaking his head for a moment and then looked down at Clytie and smiled.
“She is a pain, but not all days,” he said.
Clytie leaned back and placed her hands on her head.
“Children are nothing but trouble,” she said.
Bailey leaned down over her and grinned.
“She is with me, good or bad. She belongs to me,” he said to her.
Clytie rubbed her face and rolled on her side.
“Everything belongs to something,” she muttered.
Bailey sat behind her and looked at her soft skin exposed on her back. He raised his hand slowly and gently traced his fingers along her shoulder blade. Clytie closed her eyes and remembered the deal. She rolled over and slowly pulled the fur down exposing her breasts to him. Bailey looked at her eyes and then down her body. His heartbeat sped up a little, and Clytie sighed.
“Let us get this behind us now. I have things to attend to,” she said to him.
Bailey bit his lip and lunged on top of her. He kissed her neck, as Clytie looked up into the sky and watched the stars. Bailey adjusted himself and lowered into her, and Clytie made a slight noise. Bailey held himself up to look into her eyes.
“I will make sure that you enjoy yourself,” Bailey whispered.
Clytie grabbed his hair and pulled him down hard on her.
“Do as you wish,” she whispered in his ear.
Mia walked through the woods slowly and then felt something strange coming from their temporary campsite. She looked back and dropped the frog she had in her hand. She flashed towards the camp and slowed as she heard moaning. She peeked through the trees and saw Bailey on top of Clytie moving up and down in flashes as Clytie cried out into the night. Mia covered her mouth and took a step backward as she sucked in her breath.
“Bailey,” she whispered to herself.
She turned and flashed as quickly as she could away from the two of them…as she felt her heart ache in her chest.
***
I reached the carnival first. I stopped and looked up at the stars and saw Orion. I sighed and looked out across the dimly lit camp of misfits, one I was a part of now. I started to step forward, and Sam flashed up behind me. I glanced at her just as Josh came to a stop to. I grinned at her, and Josh rubbed his neck. I know that he feels, awkward now… maybe I am just a vicious person at heart. I mean, it was 1805… I was soooo not even
around then.
I guess, and this is a secret… I was a romantic at heart. I believe that there is a ‘one’ for everybody, and that people should think about who they are with and what they do prior to finding that one person who fits you perfectly. I guess it was different when you are immortal; I mean you live forever. That leaves a lot of room for mistakes and what not. Oh well, let him deal with it. I had other things on my plate right at that moment… first and foremost, finding a palm reader.
I leaned over to Sam and nodded to her. She smiled and took my hand leading me across the grass. We stopped, as she tilted her head, and she mumbled to herself. I looked at her, and she looked at me and gritted her teeth.
“I am going to kick his pretentious ass; I swear to god,” she said.
Josh leaned up behind her and snickered.
She turned to him and raised her eyebrows.
“The two of you are going to regret messing with me… I swear,” she said to Josh.
Josh looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.
“I have nothing to say,” Josh said, as he stood up straight.
I raised my eyebrows and looked at Sam.
“Wow… that’s new,” I said, and she laughed as I did.
We walked through the carnival, and I have to admit that there is something very sad about a carnival completely dark and not running. I looked around at the rides and back at Josh.
“Why don’t they open?” I asked.
Josh looked at Sam, and she leaned over to me.
“They decided… the rogues that is, that they would observe the ummm…” she said, as she glanced back at Josh.
I looked at her, and I knew. The rogues had decided to not open because we buried Johnathan. It was a show of respect. I sighed and kept walking until Sam stopped at a tent. I looked at the dimly lit tent and over at her.
“Is the palm reader here?” I asked her.
Sam nodded. I stepped up to the tent opening, and Josh stepped up behind me.
I looked back at him and bit my lip.
“I kinda wanna do this alone,” I said to him.
He crinkled his eyebrows, and I turned and touched his face.
“Sorry… k?” I asked him.
Josh looked at my face and then looked at Sam.
“Is this freak trustworthy?” he asked her.
