Instrument of Chaos

by Rebecca Hall

  “It’s time,” Nikola said. He traced out a series of sigils and stepped aside as their reflection fuzzed out and was replaced with an image of Mitch’s baby brother.

  “Happy Birthday Mitch,” Cullum said, bounding off the leather couch and stepping up to the mirror.

  “Back up Cully,” Mitch said. He did not need a close up of his brother’s nose for his birthday. Behind him he heard the door swing shut as Nikola left.

  “Are you really a vampire Mitch?” Cullum asked, flopping back onto the couch.

  No I’m the fucking purple people eater, Mitch thought. “Yes,” he said instead. He stared at the ring on his finger. He honestly hadn’t thought that his parents would tell Cullum the truth though he supposed that the Academy could have done it. Or Belle.

  “But you don’t have fangs like Miss Bordeaux.”

  Mitch shivered, remembering the first time that he’d seen her fangs. He hesitated for a second and then slid the ring off. He smiled as widely as he could though it was really more of a grimace. He might as well get this over with.

  “Cool,” Cullum said. It was possibly the only time he’d ever used that word in reference to his older brother. “Why didn’t you come visit over summer? Mum started crying every time someone mentioned you.”

  “Umm…” Mitch said, jamming the ring back onto his finger. She hadn’t cried while disowning him, though his parents appeared to have left that little detail out when explaining what had happened to Cullum. “I had to stay with the other vampires for a while,” he said at last. It seemed like a safe answer.

  “You should have visited,” Cullum pouted. “The holidays were boring. Mum kept crying and they wouldn’t let me go out or do anything.” They were probably worried that I’d attempt an unauthorised visit, Mitch thought miserably. Maybe he would have eaten his annoying little brother or something equally insane.

  “Mum and Dad thought it was a bad idea,” Mitch said. At least that wasn’t a half truth or lie, they’d been quite clear on that point. They’d probably throw a fit when they found out about this call. God only knew how Nikola had managed to organise it.

  “I’ll just have to visit over Easter then,” Cullum declared.

  “Cully,” Mitch said.

  “What? You’re my brother, they’ll let me won’t they?”

  Mitch shrugged. He’d been allowed to go out and visit a vampire over Easter but he’d been seventeen. On the other hand Cullum was his brother. They’d let Belle run off with her ‘step brother’ Daniel, though he was prepared to admit that they were probably revisiting that particular policy. Mitch wasn’t even sure how Belle had managed it in the first place, the Academy knew that she didn’t have a step brother.

  “I guess you’ll just have to ask,” Mitch said. He suspected that it would depend on whether or not Cullum’s teachers had to check with his parents first. There was no way they’d ever approve of this but they’d basically abdicated all parental responsibility to the Academy years ago and even the Twisted Curse hadn’t changed their minds.

  “I will,” Cullum said. Mitch was almost convinced that he meant it. A bell chimed in the background. Their time was nearly up.

  “It was good to see you again Cullum,” Mitch said.

  Cullum rolled his eyes, “Bye Mitch.”

  “Bye.”

  Cullum vanished and Mitch was back to staring at his distorted reflection in the mirror. He sank back into the chair, blinking inexplicably watering eyes. His brother didn’t hate him. His brother thought that being a vampire was cool. His brother was a moron.

  “Are you ok?” Nikola asked. Mitch jumped, he hadn’t even noticed Nikola slipping back into the room. Mitch nodded.

  “Happy birthday Mitch.” Nikola sat on the armrest and wrapped an arm around Mitch. Mitch leaned into him and closed his eyes as he tried to gather himself.

  “How–” he swallowed, “how did…”

  “I always wanted my family,” Nikola replied. “Are you ready for the rest of your presents now?” he asked after a moment. Mitch nodded and straightened, allowing Nikola to pull him to his feet.

  “Thank you,” Mitch said, he pulled Nikola into a tight hug, careful not to squeeze too much. The Academy had always let them call their families on their birthdays but it wasn’t something that he’d appreciated until now. Nikola probably had appreciated it, Mitch thought, but his birthday was in the middle of winter. He’d been too sick to get out of bed last year. Nikola coughed and Mitch hastily released him with a mumbled “Sorry.”

  “I’m fine,” Nikola said once he’d caught his breath with the aid of the glass of water that he kept on his bedside table. “Now let’s get back to Amelie before she gets jealous.”

  “Jealous of what?” Mitch asked.

  “Dragging the birthday boy off to the bedroom is usually the girlfriend’s job Mitch,” Nikola replied. Mitch groaned and followed him back to the living room.

  Amelie didn’t say anything but she did sit very close to him on the couch, using magic to ferry his presents over from the table instead of doing it manually. The presents consisted almost entirely of junk food but Sieg had sent him a computer game and a new pair of sunglasses and Rana a token for a week’s supply of blood.

  “I only met her once,” Mitch said, reading the card again.

  “It’s called customer loyalty Mitch,” Amelie giggled. “Rana did go to business school.”

  “I guess,” Mitch said slowly, he didn’t even remember telling her his birthday. He tried not to advertise that fact that he was the youngest vampire in existence. God only knew what kind of awkward questions that would lead to.

  “She guest lectures on some of the business papers,” Nikola said, “she probably has access to the university records.” He passed Mitch the next present and Mitch opened it to reveal a coffee machine, beans and over-sized cups.

  “I’ve never used one of these before,” Mitch said, hoping that there was a manual in the box. It looked easy enough when the baristas at the coffee shop did it but he was prepared to bet that it was much harder in practice.

  “Open this next,” Amelie said, handing him a present with a card attached. The card proved to be a gift certificate for a café coffee-making course and the present the apron listed on the course requirements. “I have one too,” Amelie said, “and Nikola promised to make dinner later on Wednesdays.”

  “That’s everything,” Nikola said. Mitch looked over his haul, it was pretty good and for once Nikola has resisted the temptation to get him a rare first edition maths book. “All that’s left is the cake.” He got up and retrieved the elaborately decorated cake from the kitchen, using magic to light the eighteen strategically placed candles.

  “What?” Nikola asked innocently when he arched an eyebrow, “it’s not like we have a lighter.”

  “I guess,” Mitch shrugged and blew out the candles. Tried to blow out the candles. He glared at them and tried again, the trick candles stubbornly kept burning. Amelie giggled. Mitch froze them. He might not be able to teleport or clear a table with his mind (at least not any faster than he could do it manually) but he could beat a set of trick candles on his third try. No wonder no one was afraid of vampires any more. At least the cake tasted good.

  “I’m going for a walk,” Nikola said when they’d finished eating and tidied up the wrapping paper strewn across the floor.

  “It’s a bit l–” Mitch began before Amelie clamped a hand over his mouth.

  “Have fun,” she said, not releasing Mitch until Nikola had left.

  “He’s sick,” Mitch protested.

  “He’ll be fine.”

  Mitch scowled, that was exactly what Nikola would say.

  “You’re looking after him when he’s too sick to get out of bed,” he said.

  “It’s a nice night,” Amelie said, “and he’s trying to give us some time alone.”

  “Oh,” Mitch fell silent. Apparently turning eighteen had done nothing to affect his ability to be a complete and utt
er idiot on occasion.

  “Smile Mitchell,” Amelie said, “this is the best part.”

  “What is?”

  “Bed of course,” Amelie said, pulling him to his feet and down the hall. “Nikola didn’t leave so that we could snuggle on the couch.”

  “Oh,” Mitch said. He had slept with her before but that was all he’d done. A healthy fear of her parents and sudden onset vampirism had dissuaded him from anything else. Clearly Amelie meant to change his mind.

  The Morning After

  Mitch’s alarm clock didn’t wake him but apparently his internal clock had adjusted to his ungodly schedule. Amelie was still asleep next to him and he eased himself out of bed and tiptoed out of her room. The rest of the house was strangely silent. Nikola was usually in the kitchen or dragging him out of bed by now but today his bedroom door was still closed. Mitch tapped on it and went in.

  “I guess you’re staying home then,” Mitch said, noting the bin half full of used tissues by the bed.

  “It’s morning?” Nikola croaked. He had blackout curtains on his windows and they were neatly closed.

  “Yeah,” Mitch said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Did you get any sleep at all?”

  “I think so,” he coughed and sat up a little straighter. “If you’re awake then I guess it’s time to get out of bed.”

  “Oh, no it isn’t,” Mitch said. “You’re staying home today.”

  Nikola opened his mouth to protest and sneezed instead. “Will you be okay on your own?” he asked once he’d finished blowing his nose.

  “I’ll be a hell of a lot better than you if you try to go out today,” Mitch said, patting his leg.

  “I’ve felt worse,” Nikola said, though he did sink back into his pillows a little more. Mitch rolled his eyes.

  “You’re staying home,” he said. “Where’s your maths assignment?”

  “In my bag by the desk.” Nikola sneezed again and burrowed a little deeper under the covers.

  “I’ll drop it off for you,” Mitch promised. “Do you want any breakfast?” Nikola shook his head, he never ate when he was sick. “Tea? Water?”

  “Yes please,” Nikola coughed and hugged the blankets a little closer.

  “Try to sleep,” Mitch said, retrieving Nikola’s assignment. “I’ll get you more tissues on the way home as well.”

  Nikola coughed and nodded.

  “Did you have a good birthday?”

  “It was the best birthday,” Mitch said, hugging Nikola before heading for the door. “I’ll be back with your tea in a moment,” he promised, grabbing the empty cup on the bedside table. At least Nikola wasn’t feverish.

  Mitch brought him a couple of apples as well, on the off chance that he decided that he did want to eat, and then had to scramble to get ready for class.

  By the time he made it home Amelie was awake and slicing tomatoes in the kitchen.

  “Not a word,” she said.

  “About what?” Mitch asked, flopping onto the couch. Last night had not involved a lot of sleep and he hadn’t had time for his usual morning coffee.

  “Nikola.”

  “We should have convinced him to stay in,” Mitch’s mouth said before checking in with his brain. “He wouldn’t have disturbed us.” He probably would have been perfectly happy to go to bed early with a good book.

  Amelie glared at him.

  “We could have gone out instead,” Mitch’s mouth said in a continuing attempt to commit suicide. Amelie was in the kitchen and those knives were sharp. “Spent the night in a hotel, ordered room service for breakfast.”

  “Tiptoe around Nikola for the rest of the year you mean,” Amelie said bitterly, attacking the tomatoes with more force than was really necessary. “Everyone always does.”

  Mitch glared back at her. Nikola gave them plenty of time alone together when he wasn’t sick and being sick hadn’t stopped him doing the same last night. It wasn’t as if he was constantly hanging around being a third wheel.

  “So that’s your response,” Amelie snapped, “you’re just not going to say anything, like you did when you became a vampire.”

  “I told you.”

  “By letter months after the fact! Did you think that it would wear off after a few months or were you trying to save me the trouble of dumping you?”

  “What? I was just trying to adjust,” Mitch said, running his tongue over his teeth and accidentally piercing it. He’d worried that she’d break up with him because of it. “I didn’t want to deal with anyone.”

  “So I’m a problem to be dealt with now?” Amelie demanded. “You didn’t have any trouble dealing with Nikola. You wrote to him every damn day and he was in a bloody coma.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” Mitch snapped.

  “Why are you yelling at each other?” Nikola asked. Mitch flinched, he hadn’t meant to yell or jump to his feet and he certainly hadn’t meant to drag Nikola out of bed.

  “You’re supposed to be resting,” Amelie snapped, shoving her lunch into her bag.

  “You were yelling,” Nikola coughed.

  “I have to go to class,” Amelie slammed the door behind her.

  “Mitch?”

  “It’s nothing,” Mitch said, going to the kitchen to tidy up the massacred tomato and carefully not making eye contact.

  “Then why are you so upset?” Nikola asked, shuffling over to a chair instead of going back to his room. Mitch considered lying but he had no idea how much Nikola had heard and the whole thing was replaying itself in his head anyway. Besides, Nikola always saw through him when he tried to lie.

  “She’s jealous,” Nikola said when he was done.

  “Of what?” Mitch asked. There was already a pile of used tissues accumulating on the table next to Nikola and he sounded terrible. Mitch put the jug on, if he couldn’t get Nikola to go back to bed then he could at least make him something hot to drink.

  “Me,” Nikola said. “I always get Morrigan and Gawain’s attention as well.”

  “She has her parents,” Mitch said, “and other siblings.” Someone had to take care of Nikola and someone was usually Gawain, healing magic was exceedingly rare.

  “That’s different.”

  “How?”

  Nikola shrugged. Mitch rolled his eyes.

  “I’m capable of loving both of you, you know,” Mitch said, taking Nikola a cup of tea.

  “I’m not the one you need to tell that to,” Nikola said. “And she does know that, I’m just not convinced she knows how to share.”

  “Then she’ll have to learn.”

  Nikola sighed. “She is your girlfriend Mitch, take her out to dinner or something, talk about something that isn’t me.” He sneezed.

  “But–”

  “I have a cold, Mitch,” Nikola cut him off and sneezed again. “You can leave me alone for an evening. I promise I’ll be good and stay in bed.” He started to cough, his cheeks flushing, and Mitch wondered if he’d be able to physically drag Nikola back to bed. There was practically nothing to him but Nikola was surprisingly strong.

  “You should drop out,” Mitch said, pulling Nikola to his feet and guiding him towards the hallway. “You dropped out of school.”

  “I’d have to stay at the Outer Court,” Nikola said. “Oberon wasn’t too bad but Isane…” he shivered and leaned into Mitch. “Besides, I’d miss you.”

  “I’d miss you too,” Mitch said, “but you should still go.”

  “I’m fine here,” Nikola said. “As long as I stay with Amelie I don’t have to worry about the other half of my family.”

  Mitch blinked at the abrupt change of topic. Nikola didn’t feel feverish but he supposed that that wasn’t the same as thinking clearly.

  “Other half of your family?” Mitch asked. “I didn’t think you knew who your father was.”

  Nikola croaked a laugh and sank onto his bed, shuffling across to the far side so that Mitch could sit next to him.

  “He’s Unseelie,” Nikola said, resting
his head on Mitch’s shoulder. Mitch sighed and put an arm around him.

  “I guess that was easy enough to work out from the compulsion and location,” Mitch said.

  “And the DNA.”

  “The Seelie and Unseelie courts do not have different DNA,” Mitch replied, “do they?”

  Nikola croaked another laugh that turned into a cough and Mitch grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table.

  “They don’t,” Nikola replied between gulps of water.

  “I have a hard time believing you were able to run a paternity test,” Mitch said when Nikola didn’t explain.

  “It was hardly necessary,” Nikola said. “It’s quite obvious really, I do look like them.”

  “Like who Nikola?” Mitch asked. Nikola might be able to read minds but he couldn’t.

  “Oberon has a brother.”

  “And naturally he’s Unseelie,” Mitch concluded. He shook his head, he’d always thought that Nikola bore an uncanny resemblance to Amelie’s family but if they really were cousins, not just the second cousins that he’d believed that Nikola and Amelie were, it would make sense. Nikola nodded. “We won’t let him hurt you,” Mitch said, though he was unlikely to be able to do much against one of the Fae. They spent centuries perfecting the use of their magic, he’d only been able to use his since he was eleven.

  “I know.”

  “How are you doing anyway?” Mitch asked, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “I mean… with your brain and stuff?” he explained, unable to think of a better way of wording it. Nikola had developed the ability to use magic far younger than he should have and it was constantly out of sync with his brain’s development. Gawain could heal the damage but things would just keep getting broken until his brain was fully developed. Everyone hoped that it would stop then.

  “Well enough I guess,” Nikola said. “The absence of angels is helping.” He yawned. “And having a more relaxed schedule is nice, I can study without wearing myself out.” He yawned again. “I don’t think I’ll ever work nine till five though.”