“But I saw them. They’re hooked up to a machine and there were tubes coming from them… tubes which collected their blood,” said Ari.
“True,” said joseph, “we are collecting blood from the humans, but not for the reason you thinks.”
“Then what?” asked Lea, “You can hardly expect all the vampires to follow behind you, and when the rest of the world finds out… the witches will stop you, not to mention-”
“-ah the little witch,” Lace said quickly, smiling sickly sweet at Lea. “Such brave words, and yet you have no circle, you are all alone. Where are your witches now?”
“She’s not alone,” said Chris, and Joseph and Virgil laughed, the sound of their mirth dancing off the stone walls eerily.
“The half cast is here to save the day,” said Lace, standing dramatically from her chair so as to approach Chris. “Does your daddy know you’re here? How does he feel about you aligning yourself with witches? You’re supposed to be a necromancer and you’re pretending to be some sort of goodie too shoes… hiding under witches shirts.”
“He’s not pretending,” said Lea, “Chris is good.”
“Foolish little witch,” Lace spat, and her voice hissed like a snake, recoiling just before it struck.
“You see,” said Virgil, “we are tired of living in the shadows… hiding from the humans of whom we feed.”
“But you can’t just change the way things work,” said Lea. “You can’t take control of every human.”
“And why not?” asked Lace. “You think witches can stop us?”
“It’s not just witches,” said Ari, thinking of the coven and April, “not all vampires will want this. How did you force them to do this?”
None of the Ancients spoke for a moment. A low hiss had escaped the lips of many of the vampires in the crowd; there was muttering and angry growls, and for the first time Ari looked at them. The vampires sitting in the chairs seemed different; there was no other word to describe it, and yet Ari was certain that there was something very similar about the blood shot eyes and drawn out expression on their faces. Even Gwen, with her perfect blonde hair and manicured fingernails, looked unlike her normal self. She was glaring at Ari, her face contracted and menacing, but there was something desperate in her eyes, almost as if she were hungry… starving even.
“Pasteur had it wrong,” Lace said finally, “we did not need to create a vaccine to fool the humans of our existence; what we needed was to control them… all of them. Why should we, the hunters of the night, hide from the world? It is our rightful place to rule over the humans. Evolution dictates that the strongest species should be at the top of the food chain. Even the humans enslave their animals for food. Why should we be any different?”
“But,” Ari said, struggling to find words.
“Lace, sister dearest,” said Virgil, his eyes narrowed as he stared at her, “we have said enough.”
“Virgil is right,” said Joseph, “we should focus on the reason why we have travelled here, to our beloved Pasteur Institute.”
“Ah yes,” said Lace, her green eyes wide and excited, “the trial.”
“What trial?” Ari spat.
“We have been informed that there are still waeres in existence,” said Joseph.
“Bring in the prisoners,” said Lace, her eyes alight with malice.
At these words, two vampires in the front blurred from the room. They had gone for only a short time before they returned. Each of them was carrying a girl. Ari looked up at the mop of blonde hair that draped down the arm of one of the vampires, and saw with a pang of horror, that it was Riley. Her large stomach was pronounced by the way she was being carried and Ari feared from the way her hands hung lifelessly out to the side, that she was already dead. Pulling her eyes to the next girl, Ari saw Natalie.
Both girls were dropped on the stage, their bodies clambering to the floor heavily. Natalie’s head rolled to the side, her strawberry coloured hair covering her face, but Riley’s hands had jutted out when she had been thrown, protecting her stomach from hitting the hard floor. Struggling to sit up, Riley shuddered when she looked up and saw the Ancients, wincing as if the mere sight of them was painful.
“Riley!” Ari screamed, moving to race towards her but before she could take even one step, James had grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to a stop.
Ari felt a painful twinge in the palm of her hand, and quickly pulled her hand away, as though burnt. Next to her, James mirrored this reaction, looking down at the palm of his hand, also in confusion. Ari’s eyes widened curiously, having caught the faintest glimpse of a black image against the skin of James’s hand, but then Lea spoke, and her attention was pulled back up to the stage.
“Why are you doing this?” said Lea, her voice thick with fear.
“You see the threat of the waeres existence before you,” said Lace, leaving her chair and walking to stand behind Riley. “The child this waere carries in her belly is the result of her breeding with a…” Lace paused, looking around the room of vampires, her eyes thin slits as she added in a whisper, “vampire.”
There was a long silence after this. For the first time, the other vampires seated below the Ancients pulled their hungry eyes away from them, looking instead at Riley in disbelief.
“But…” asked Gwen, her hand in the air as if she was a student asking a question, “but, do you mean to say that a vampire has fathered a child? That the foetus inside this waere is part vampire? How is that possible?”
For answer Virgil glared at Gwen, as if the hopefulness in her voice was a personal insult.
“We spent a long time ridding the world of any chance of such an abomination being created,” said Virgil, his large and bulky appearance at odds with that of his slender siblings. “Centuries ago, we thought that with the help of the wraiths, we had eliminated the threat. We were wrong.”
“So that’s why you started the waere persecutions?” asked Ari, “Because vampires and waeres can have children together?”
Suddenly the words she had read from Lea’s grandmother’s book ‘Known Immortals’ flashed in her head; the story of how Grandor, the first immortal, had created all the other species of immortals. She remembered the story of Sabbine, Grandor’s daughter. She was the first vampire and had fallen in love with a man, Lyall, who Grandor had turned into the first waere. Had the Ancients known this story all along? Had they killed off all the waeres because they were afraid that it would unite the vampires and waeres?
“Off course,” said Virgil. “Such an atrocity could not be tolerated. The mixing of our blood line with that of animals is disgusting… blasphemy! The waeres had to be destroyed.”
“But how do we know that a vampire fathered the child?” asked Gwen, immediately shrinking back in her chair when Lace stared at her incredulously. “I don’t mean to question you… it’s just, I thought it was impossible.”
“Disgusting, yes,” said Lace, her eyes still fixed on Gwen in outrage, “but impossible… no. We have someone who has brought us testimony. Bring in the informant.”
From the door that James guarded emerged a vampire, one who Ari stared at in disbelief. She had recognised her immediately, her long black hair gliding down the back of her dress; it was… Kiara. She wore a vibrant red shoe strap dress, with black heels and matching gloves, which reached past her elbows and settled half way down her arms. Kiara’s eyes were dark, almost black, matching perfectly with the long fringe that danced just above her shapely eyebrows. Kiara was staring, transfixed, at Ragon.
“Kiara?” said Ari, but how the hell was she alive; Ari had watched her burn in a fire.
Kiara smiled but did not speak; her eyes had darted to Lace and Joseph, though she moved to stand beside Virgil, as if she were his obedient pet. Ragon’s head had jolted upright when Ari had spoken Kiara’s name. His eyes were a mixture of confusion and disbelief, as if he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing.
“I see you know our informant,” Joseph said, ind
icating Kiara as he laughed lightly to himself.
“You could say that,” said Ari, her voice thick with rage. “But how are you…”
“Alive?” Kiara asked, finishing the question for her.
“We sent Shok, our assassin, to kill Kiara as punishment when we discovered that she had failed to destroy you as a baby,” said Lace. “Like you, we thought that she was dead. That was until recently, when she turned up in Latvia with a peace offering.”
At this Joseph indicated Natalie and said, “Proof that not all of the waeres had been killed.”
“When we questioned this one,” Lace added, pointing a long slender finger at Natalie, “she told us under torture that there was a waere with the child of a vampire in her belly, living here, in the Pasteur Institute.”
“And so you see, we had to come… to destroy all traces of this outrage,” Joseph said simply, his eyes rested greedily on Riley’s stomach. “And to ensure the end of the waere race once and for all, as we had thought we had done centuries ago.”
It was odd, Ari thought, how Lace and Joseph seemed to finish each other’s sentences, while Virgil sat in the background, apparently indifferent to the conversation.
“You attacked me and Natalie in the forest?” said Ari, recalling the silhouette of a woman with black hair who had attacked them.
“After Ragon left me dying in my house in Australia, I escaped. When I was strong enough to use my connection to him as my fledgling, I tracked him down. I knew that you,” Kiara added, glaring at Ari, “would be with him. When I arrived at the Pasteur Institute, I saw Bridget, and she told me that you were masquerading as Ragon’s source. I thought that if I killed you, the Ancients might forgive my failure, but once again you thwarted my plans and escaped.”
“And so… you sent Bridget after me,” Ari said, her finger outstretched, to point accusatorily at Kiara. “You were the friend who came and saw her, the witness that Gwen couldn’t produce.”
“After I failed to dispatch of you in the forest, I saw the girl you were with transform into an animal,” Kiara said, brushing her long black hair to one side. “When I realised she was a waere, I knew that if I told the Ancients, they might forgive my failure. But how could I keep my original promise and kill you, when I had to transport the waere-girl to Latvia? And so I caught up with my old friend… and Bridget did hate you so much. Asking her to kill you was the easiest thing in the world. Poor Bridget; it is a shame.”
Suddenly Joseph and Lace faced each other, seeming to contemplate one another’s thoughts. Ari watched them, confused by their apparent silent conversation. Then Joseph blurred over to Natalie, reaching out and snapping her neck with an ear shattering crunch. Ari screamed, shocked by the sudden violent outburst, while Natalie fell to the floor, her neck bent oddly to one side… dead. Riley woke to the sound, trembling and then reached out a hand to touch Natalie, just as slow tears fell from her eyes, blanketing her dead friend.
“That is the fate of all waeres,” said Lace, “and the fate of any vampire who dares form a connection with one,” she added, her eyes darting to all of the vampires before her.
Her deadly warning had the desired effect. Immediately every vampire in the crowd was nodding their head, clearly understanding that such a union was forbidden.
“Now,” said Joseph, moving away Natalie as he contemplated Riley.
“Don’t you touch her!” said Ari, moving towards the stage before James could restrain her.
“I don’t plan to,” said Joseph, smiling sweetly at Riley. “We need her.”
Before Ari could reach the stage, there was a sudden whirlwind. Ari looked around in confusion, and saw a man appear on the stage, next to the Ancients. He was tall and slender, his face drawn and calculating, his eyes dark. It was Chris’s father.
“Ah, Christopher,” said Virgil, and Ari was confused for a moment, until she realised that she had never asked Chris what his father’s name was; apparently they shared the same name.
“Dad?” asked Chris, looking up at the wraith, his eyes wide and his mouth open in surprise.
“Excellent,” said Lace, “most excellent. You have everything you need for the connection spell?”
Christopher nodded, reaching into the pocket of his black cloak and retrieving a small glass vial as he said, “I have the blood of three virgin witches. It should take most of the night for the spell to be complete. The girl will need to remain alive; it can’t work if she is dead.”
“What are you doing?” asked Chris, still staring at his father.
“A connection spell,” Lace said in answer. “Your father has agreed to use Riley to find the remaining waeres in the world. Once they have been identified and tracked, we can ensure the race is destroyed once and for all. Then there will be no more waeres and no chance of this disgusting union happening in the future.”
“And you still agree to my terms?” asked Christopher.
Slowly each of the Ancients nodded their head, though Ari thought that there was a sulky expression on Virgil’s face.
“The boy can go with you,” said Lace. “Ensure he does not cross paths with us again; we will not grant him leniency a second time.”
The wraith bowed slightly and moved from the stage to where Chris was standing, still being restrained by a vampire.
“You bastard!” Chris roared, his eyes becoming darker and darker, blacking out the normally green colour of his irises.
Ari recognised the change in Chris immediately. It was not just Chris’s eyes which had become dark, the light from the room seemed to have been sucked out if it, leaving large shadows in its absence. Chris’s father turned to look at him; Ari thought that he looked sad, even remorseful. In a few fast strides, he made his way to Chris and before Chris could respond, had reached out a powerful hand and struck him hard in the head. Chris crumpled under the attack but before he could hit the floor, his father held out his hands and caught him. At the same time the lights in the room returned, dispersing the shadows. Ari watched as the wraith pulled Chris into his arms and carried his unconscious son towards the door.
“Ensure you bring the girl to my room,” he said, having reached the door and turned around to face the Ancients. “I will need her for the connection spell.”
The Ancients nodded and watched Christopher leave, their eyes narrowed as they darted from the wraith to his son, clearly confused by what had just happened.
“And as for you Ariana Sol,” said Lace, “you will reconsider our original offer to join us. We would have use for your talents.”
“I will not,” said Ari, her face resolved as her eyes settled on Ragon.
“Still so determined to die?” asked Joseph, “Well, perhaps the life of Ragon and your friends will convince you otherwise. We will make it simpler for you this time… join us or they all die. There is no help for the waere girl, but you could still save the others. You cannot expect a fairer trade? You can have the night to consider our proposal. Don’t be foolish.”
“You can stay with them in dungeon tonight while you consider,” said Lace. “We won’t be making the same mistake twice. You will stay in close contact to Ragon and his other vampire traitors right up until their execution. That way if you decide to burst into sunshine, it will result in their deaths. If you defy us, their blood will be on your hands.”
“And, as for you little witch,” said Lace, “I wouldn’t try any spectacular escape efforts. Any attempt to rescue the vampires or Ariana will result in not only your death, but the death of Emily, your last remaining circle member, not to mention that of your grandmother, Chiara’s, and every other Crown witch still living.”
Lea looked down at her feet, her fists tightened into balls at her side.
“Take the prisoners away,” said Virgil.
Chapter 19- Old Feelings Die Hard
After that Ragon, Ari and Lea were dragged back to the cells. Lea was thrown into a prison next to Sandra, while Ari and Ragon were placed opposite each other, just in
sight but out of reach. Clearly the Ancients had been expecting them. The cages in which Ari and Lea had been tossed were nothing like that of the covens. Where Ragon’s cage was cut from hawthorn and strewn with silver, the cells which Ari and Lea were kept in were fashioned from iron, with tall thin bars and a large lock, sitting prominently on the outside of the solid metal door.
James opened the door for Ari and gestured for her to go inside. For a moment she hesitated. There was something about James Frater, something that didn’t sit right with her. Why was he in league with the Ancients? Why had he called them his family? Why had he not been affected by her powers? What had happened to his hand earlier when she had touched him? All these questions bubbled in Ari’s mind as she stared at him defiantly.
“What is it?” he asked, seeing the perplexed look on Ari’s face.
Bound (The Grandor Descendant Series Book 3) Page 32
