(AN: Here is the third in the series, A Dark Price to Save a Life. It was originally going to be called A Teaching, but then this title grabbed me by the throat and threaten me... If you have not, please read the first two, A Cause and A Hope first, as they will help make more sense. This story is rated T for violence and death. Please read and review.)
Life is a lot like a fight; you get a few bruises and cuts here, you give some right back, yet you still only have half a chance at winning.
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Hershel Layton would be one of the first people to admit that the Harpy Evita Cross was a force of nature to be met.
Especially when she was emotional, like she was now.
"OH, I can not wait to see the looks on their faces when they see us, just imagining it makes me want to sing!" Evita cackled, actually cackled, as she rubbed her hand-like claws together.
"Uncle, Mother is acting scary."
"Very scary."
"So very, very scary." taking his gaze from the cackling female Harpy, Layton looked down to the young Harpy's who decided taking shelter behind him was the best idea.
"Your mother is just a bit stressed; after all, we are leaving these lands today. I'm sure she's just a bit excited to be finally leaving." Hershel explained, smiling softly at the children.
It was still a bit surprising with how fast time went after the young had hatched. When they had been just simple eggs, it had felt like time had just crawled by, ever so slowly. But after they had hatched, it was as if the flood gates of time had been opened, and sped them by. It was rather strange, how much had changed for all of them in the months that had followed the hatching. The experiences that he had with Evita and her offspring were ones he would always treasure.
But that was all in the past, what needed to be focused on now was the present.
It was going to be interesting, leaving these lawless lands, and going back to a sort of civilization. He hadn't been in one since he was human, so it would guarantee to be an experience, especially with him having to register with the Vampire Community. Apparently, all Vampires, from Turned to Pureblood, had to be registered in the Community, making sure they could protect their own.
"More like keep an eye on everyone, making sure they are not up to anything" had been Evita's opinion on the matter.
Layton figured the smart thing to do was research a bit before he registered, that way he could see what laws he would have to follow under the Vampire Community. After all, it was better to be informed of what you are signing into, then signing in blind.
"Hey, what's that?"
"It's moving really fast!"
"It looks weird."
"Huh, looks like they sprung for a Flying Carriage; guess I'm more valuable then I thought." Evita said bitterly as she watched what was coming their way.
The Vampire in the group could understand why it was called a Flying Carriage; it looked like a Victorian era style coach, done in the colors of gold, bronze, and mahogany. Though it had nothing to lead or drive it, it seemed to move(and fly) quiet well on it's own.
Soon, the elegant mode of transportation landed about a few feet away from the nest, the young ones taking to hiding behind their Mother and 'Uncle', who were standing side by side. Soon, the door to the carriage opened, causing both Evita and Hershel to stiffen, watching to see what happened next.
When the door was opened the whole way, a rather finely dressed, though obviously powerful person came out. Hershel would have thought them Human if it hadn't been for the runes he could see all over the person's body.
'So that's a Warlock.' Layton thought, taking in the obvious male. From what Hershel had learn from his Harpy friend, Witches and Warlocks were ranked in the higher middle class, a class below Harpies and Vampires. They were the only sorts of Humans to rank so high in status, as Humans usually were only ranked around the lower middle. The only way to tell a Witch or Warlock from a regular human was the runes on their body; as they were born with them, they would die with them.
"Evita Cross: Harpy. Here for return of Honor. Is that you?" The warlock said, sounding rather emotionless as he asked. From what the Vampire noticed, he was rather attractive, with his bronze wind-swept hair and dark almond eyes seeming to glow with a strange inner power.
"Yes, that is I. These are my offspring, who have done no wrong, and this is Hershel Layton, a Vampire who has done no wrong as well and to whom I owe my life. Will you give us all passage?" Evita asked, acting like the noble lady she was.
Frowning, the warlock cast Layton a considering look, mumbling a few words under his breath. After he did stopped mumbling, he seemed to zone out for a moment, just staring at the Vampire. When he finally came to, he just nodded.
"You have been judged innocent, you may come. Follow me." The Warlock replied, sounding emotionless once more as he walked back into the carriage.
Glancing over at Evita, who just shrugged, he went to pick up Theo, while Evita got Arles and Eve. Together, the all entered the carriage, ready for anything.
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Hershel had know that the world he was in was completely different then the one he had left, after all, magic existed here.
Knowing something was totally different from experiencing it.
When they had entered the carriage, he had been a bit shocked seeing that it had the space of a small house, when outside it look quiet a bit smaller. While Evita had treated it as if it were normal, Hershel had immediately put on his poker face as he looked around. Evita's offspring on the other hand had a ball, with Arles and Eve practically running around and exploring every nook and cranny of the new place. Theo on the other hand had decided to stick with his 'Uncle' Hershel, much shyer in new places.
While flying had been an interesting experience, Hershel decided that it was just not for him. If he needed to get somewhere, he would just either travel by shadows or turn to his mist-like form if he had to. Theo had been very adamant that they never fly in that "scary, scary box thing" while his siblings wanted another go at it. Evita had been rather indifferent about the whole thing, not caring either way, as long as it got her to where she needed to be.
Stepping out of the carriage had been another adventure in itself.
They had been let out at a station, that while similar to some in his world, was to strange to ever be one.
First was all the beings around; while they all looked humanoid, they obviously were not. Layton found that he had to strictly remind himself that a gentleman does not stare to make sure he didn't.
Then their was the blatant Supernatural happenings that would happen; Bags levitated above peoples heads, people walking on air, and others making things just appear out of no where.
With all these people around, it had made the ex-professor rather relieved to have decent clothing on. The warlock had been kind enough to magic them all some proper clothes, but warned them that they would disappear in 24 hours.
"Alright, we'll all walk down to our home first before anything else, so lets go!" Evita said excitedly, smiling as she carried both Arles and Eve. Chuckling to himself, Layton picked up Theo, who stared nuzzling his face into the Vampire's neck for comfort.
Smiling softly, Hershel thought of Evita's three young. Arles was a rather rash, excitable youth, who constantly seemed to be getting his wings into trouble. And the one to always follow his lead was Eve, who while had a kind soul like her mother, was prone to follow Arles for some amusement, usually at said brother's expense. Then there was Theo, who preferred to stay on the side of caution and tread carefully, watching everything and everyone around them.
And while all the children cared greatly for their 'Uncle' Hershel, it was rather obvious that Theo cared for him far greater then his other siblings. It was in the subtle things, like when he wanted his Uncle to hold him or when he wanted another story instead of playing with his siblings. In fact, when they had still been in the nest, Layton had woken up more times then he could count because Theo had gotten up to cuddle with him and sleep. It had been a bit bewildering to both him and Evita, but both agreed that it was probably the kindred spirit Theo saw in his pseudo-uncle that was the reason for the youngest Harpy closeness.
Following Evita, everyone soon came to a rather small, but obviously well taken care of manor. Reaching the door, Evita excitably knocked on the door.
"Whos bes at the doors, who bes its? Ifs its lovely Lady's nasys families, I's won'ts be happys!" a sudden voice called from the other side of the door, their accent rather interesting.
"Now, Dongle, I thought you spoke much better then that, after all, you always were so proud of your speech." Evita called back, sounding rather amused.
There was a long silence on the other side of the door, before suddenly the door flew open as if a great wind blew on it.
"My Lady! Oh, thank goodness you are back. Your family has just been so dreadful, what with all their attempts at harming the Master. No worries, I have taken care of any threats to the Master myself, not a hair on his head has been touched." Was said happily by a rather tall, light brown being.
He, as the being was defiantly male since his chest was bare, looked to be about seven feet tall and rather lean. He was well muscled, but not in a way to be worrying or gross, his skin an actual brown coloring. He was exotically attractive, with copper colored eyes and wavy dark brown locks pulled back in a low pony-tail, he was sure to be a heartbreaker.
"Thank you Don, I knew I couldn't have picked a better Brownie for the job." Evita said, a deep pride in her voice as she spoke.
Blinking, Hershel took in Dongle, surprised to see that this was a Brownie. From what Evita told him, he knew that Brownies were attractive, he just did not expect them to be this much. It was surprising to him that this being before him could do magic powerful enough to destroy mountains, but only wished to serve others and follow orders. Brownie help was one of the most sought after help one could get, since all they wanted in return was a place to sleep and food. Of course, a Brownie picks it's master, not the other way around, to the chagrin of many.
"Dongle, I would like you to meet Arles, Eve, and Theo. Young, say hello to Dongle, our trusted family servant and friend." Evita said, drawling Dongle's attention from her to her offspring.
"Are these…?" Dongle choked out, staring at the young Harpies in awe, as if they were the most amazing beings in the world.
"Yes, they are… Now is the time I think they all meet him, don't you think?" Evita said, such hope in her voice that it could not be mistaken for anything else.
"Yes, yes, most defiantly yes. Come this way." And with that, Dongle stepped aside, letting Evita and Hershel in, who were holding the much awaited young.
Taking in the manor from the inside, Hershel knew that Evita's young were going to be rather spoiled, if the finery around them was any indication. Done in earthy colors, the house also gave off a warmth most other manors didn't have, due to the owners focusing more on grandeur. Here it was the opposite, the focus being on the comforting atmosphere and relaxation. Smiling, Hershel calmly followed an excited Evita and Dongle, Theo watching everything from the safety of his shoulders.
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Entering what must have been the master bedroom, Hershel was surprised to see someone was already there, and asleep. Though, judging by the restless turning, the moaning, and the tears, the dreams he had could not be pleasant. Though his thrashing, Hershel could see that Eve and Arles bore a striking resemblance to the male harpy on the bed. Though his coloring matched the second hatched, the bone structure was more similar to his first hatched.
"Oh dear, oh dear, we'll have to wait for him to ride it out; he could hurt one of the young if we get to close." Dongle said, sounding a it depressed.
"What's happening?" Evita whispered, holding both her young close, watching in distress as the male she loved was suffering.
"It seems that that…. Waste of important air did not only have a comatose spell on him, but also had a nightmare spell put upon him as well…" Dongle trailed off, cringing.
"Will it go away with the other one is gone?" Evita asked, worried.
"Oh, yes, defiantly. The nightmare spell ends when one wakes up, so naturally when he does, it will be over." Dongle said, slightly more cheerful.
It had only been a few minutes longer before the sleeping male Harpy stopped thrashing, his breath coming out in pants, but tears still coming out of closed eyelids.
Going over to her love, Evita gently set her young on the bed next to him, Hershel doing the same with her youngest.
"Now, Arles, Eve, Theo; what do you have to say for your father?" Evita asked.
"We love you, Father."
"I love you, Father"
"…love you, Father"
At first, it was almost looked like nothing was going to happy, both Evita and Dongle looked rather distressed, before a gasp was heard from the bed. Looking over, everyone saw the male open clear, yet troubled blue eyes.
"…Evita?" was croaked through a strained throat.
"Adel!" Evita cried, rushing over to her love and her young's father.
Hershel politely looked away, knowing that this was a private moment between Evita, Adel, and their young.
Deciding he had given them enough time, he turned to them, smiling fondly as he saw the two lovers clinging to each other, their offspring between them.
While he didn't want to ruin the obvious family moment, he knew things had to get back on track.
"Evita, what happens now?" the vampire asked calmly, getting everyone's slight surprise, and Adel's suspicion
"And you are?" he asked, his voice still slightly horse, but the strength undeniable.
Before Hershel could say anything, Evita beat him to it.
"This is Hershel Layton, a Vampire to whom my young and I are indebted to… And who is more family to me then most." Evita said, smiling over at the said Vampire.
At that, Adel seemed to transform; instead of regarding Layton with caution and wariness, he changed to respect and curiosity.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for taking care of my bonded and young when I could not." Adel said respectfully, with a hint of gratitude.
"It was my honor to aid them, as they are like my sister, niece, and nephews. They have become my family. And as family, I believe it is unnecessary to say, but if you are to cause injury to them, I will take great pleasure in ripping you apart, starting with your wings." Hershel said, meaning every word he said.
There was a short silence, broken by Adel's joyful laughter.
"Well what do you know, an in-law I actually like. And just so you know, if I were to hurt my kin, I deserve every torture your wild Vampire mind can come up with." The male Harpy replied, the respect in his eyes growing.
"Alright you two, while the threatening has been fun and all, Hershel does have a point. The only reason we were able to get this far was because my other kin thought I would be alone and to weak to move. The had asked the Warlock they hired to carry and direct me if necessary when he retrieved me. Luckily, he took the necessary part literally, so since I didn't need the help, he let me go. One should always be careful with their wording around Witches and Warlocks." Evita said, a slight grin on her face, before schooling it back into a serious one.
"But this will only buy us a bit of time. As I have gained honor in the Trial I went through, others will be placated. And as they never said I had to survive on my own, just any way possible, they can not fault me on allying myself with a Vampire. The two things that need are focus is how to deal with my kin and Haledon." The way Evita had hissed the name told Hershel that this was probably the name of the ex-suitor who caused her so much pain.
"For what he has done, I could demand a challenge to the death." Adel said, his voice filled with a dark excitement.
"But Master, I must protest! You are in no condition to fight at the moment, and you certainly won't be able to fight at the next meeting. Your muscles just can't handle any strenuous activity at the moment. And even when you are ready, it would be too late, since you must place the challenge at the closest meeting following the offense." Dongle said, worried for his master.
"Don is right, but it would have solved so many problems in one go… with him out of the way, no one else would be able to challenge you. The main branch wouldn't have a chance replacing you, since all my other ex-suitors are either bonded or courting someone else now. And since no one would fight… THAT'S IT!" Evita cried suddenly, her excitement back in full force as she turned to Hershel.
"Hershel could be a Second Honored!" She exclaimed.
"A what?" Layton asked, frowning at the term.
"Basically, a Second Honored is someone who fights on the behalf of another who can not fight, whatever the reason. They would fight and if they were to win, the person they fight for would get what they want. Of course, the Second honored does not leave empty-handed, getting his own prizes from the loser, and a gift of gratitude from the being they fought for." Dongle explained, regarding the Vampire carefully, before nodding. "It is a sound idea, but honorable Layton will have much to learn, before he is to fight Lord Haledon at the next month's meeting. Come, I will teach you all you need myself." The Brownie said, his voice think with determination and purpose as he led Hershel out of the room.
"Now that that's one problem on the path to being solved, lets focus on the next…" Hershel tuned Evita's voice out, focusing more on what Dongle was telling him he would learn in his teachings.
Layton loved to learn. 123456789
Dongle, or Don to his friends, was impressed.
He had served under a variety of peoples in his long life. While he had a wide skill range, his greatest skill lied in teaching. He had taught young nobles politics and youthful paupers how to earn a coin. But out of all of those he had taught in the past, he had never in his life met someone who loved to learn as this Vampire, Hershel Layton.
"So what you're saying, if I want to defeat this Lord, I don't just head for the wings, but the spine? Makes sense, since the nervous system is connected to it and he would not be able to move if any irreparable damage were done there." Layton mumbled to himself, writing down notes.
Did he also forget to add that had also never met anyone as intelligent as this Vampire?
While he defiantly had holes in that knowledge, that was easily fixed by giving him books on subjects he missed. It was a shock to the scholarly Brownie when he would give Layton a book one day, the next he would have the book practically memorized.
Personally, he blamed that on the Vampire's sleep schedule, since he only need about 3-4 hours of sleep a day, he could read as long as he wanted, and not forget it. Don would admit it made him a bit jealous of the Vampire, learning so fast and retaining it all. Then again, Don was teaching the prodigy, so he was rather happy with that, even if Layton did most of his learning on his own. It still made Don happy to know someone appreciated a good education.
Thinking on the thought of education, Don had to hold back a wince at what he was going to teach his Master's children. While he did respect and trust his Master, Adel Kildee (now Cross due to the fact that the Cross name was in much higher standing) had been a little terror to teach when younger. And it looked like Arles and, to a lesser but no doubt as troubling extent, Eve. Those two got up into so much trouble in one hour that Don was afraid to leave them alone for a second. He had even started getting nightmares of teaching those two, shivering at some of the more creative horror he recalled.
"So, if I want to fly, I need to make sure I have enough thrust before I do so? How do I get thrust?"
"Well, there are a multitude of way you could go about getting the thrust you need, Theo. One of such ways…"
Getting out of his rather terrifying thought, the loyal Brownie took in the scene before him. They were all in the small manor library, which had plenty of giant pillows, chairs, and perches one could sit upon and comfortably read. Don was sitting in a comfy loveseat across from Layton and Theo, both who were sitting on a soft lounge chair, Layton informing Theo how a Harpy could take off.
It was a calming balm to Don's horrified soul that the youngest Harpy, the albino Theo, loved to learn and seemed to do so easily. Ever since Layton had started learning from him, Theo always joined in, asking when necessary for elaboration, the Vampire easily explaining it in terms the youth could understand. With the way he explained a subject, with such utter patience, it made him wonder if Layton was a tutor once, before he was in the Exiled Lands.
As they finished their lesson in Harpy Anatomy (A.K.A Where to Cause the Most Damage on Haledon) Don was rather excited, a grim smile on his face.
Soon, soon that despicable Harpy will get what was coming to him.