The blonde woman sat still as stone, save for her right hand which stroke the chocolate brown hair of the boy in her lap. He was also still, his too symmetrical features smoothed into a calm, content mask. Unlike the woman, his mother in more ways than one, he did not understand the significance of the gray figures before them. Unlike her, he did not realize the danger.
A woman's voice behind her made her turn her head.
"What is this? Sonia, who are these people?"
In front of small wooden house, three woman were being pulled out into the open air by six, black clad figures. The woman were all tall and pale, their hair as fair as that of the woman before them. They were all in their mid-twenties, at their peak, and they were all only a few years old.
"Tatiana, do as they say," the woman commanded. There was no denying her, though her voice was not harsh.
The woman, Sonia, turned her attention to the people before her once more as one man stepped forward. His hair was black, his skin, pale, and his eyes, a deep, burning, crimson. Two others stepped up beside him, though they stayed back of him.
"Sonia, my very old friend," said the man at the front.
"Friend?" said Sonia, her voice soft, "Friends do not attack each other. Wouldn't you agree, Arrigo?"
The man shook his head, a sad smile upon his features. "I do not enjoy carrying out this sad duty but someone must. We have no choice."
"There's always a choice," the woman said, a Russian accent beginning to taint her otherwise perfect English.
"Not now," the man said, his voice and face hardening. "You know the law. You had a choice and you made it."
Again Tatiana's voice rang out. "Sonia, what is going on?"
"You pretend you don't know?" Arrigo's voice was quiet but cold and hard as ice.
"They do not pretend, Arrigo, let them be. They know nothing. You can see for yourself, I'm sure." Sonia's voice was tired but the bitter edge had not faded.
"I believe I shall. Call them."
"They are not dogs."
Arrigo glared and Sonia relented with a sigh.
"Tatiana, Katerina, Irina, please come here. This... gentleman would like to speak with you." the pause it her sentence made it clear that she had changed her word choice once or twice.
Slowly, the three women behind her moved forward until they stood beside Sonia. Only then did they see what she held in her arms.
"Sonia! How could you?" That was Irina, the youngest of the three.
Sonia didn't reply. She simply continued to stroke the child in her lap who had been growing agitated as the arguments rose around him.
With a gesture of his hand, Arrigo summoned forth the darker of his two companions. He wrapped his long, white fingers around his companion's wrist and placed his other hand on Tatiana's forehead. At first the blonde woman flinched away from his touch but after a moment she relaxed and closed her eyes. Arrigo's own eyes widened slightly as she did so.
"Truth," he said, seeming surprised. "She knew nothing."
Tatiana pulled away as soon as he had finished speaking. He glanced at her quickly, indifferently, but other than that, ignored her reaction.
"The same is true of the others," Sonia said, "so let them be."
"Sonia, I must. Surely you understand."
She did not reply and Arrigo turned his back on her and turned to the woman on Tatiana's right. He repeated the process with her and the last both, declaring them as innocent as Tatiana.
"I told you they were innocent," said Sonia, clearly unimpressed.
"The same is not true of you, however." Arrigo's voice sounded almost genuinely sorrowful, but beneath it, there was a sharp, malicious edge that might have stopped Sonia's heart if it had been beating. "Stand and face the consequences."
Sonia nodded silently and stood, taking care not to jostle the boy in her arms. Arrigo gestured again and four of his guard came forward. One by one they came and surrounded her, but it wasn't necessary. She wouldn't try to escape; to do so would endanger the three women whom she loved.
"Sonia," Arrigo said, his voice loud and clear, "do you deny that you were the unlawful creator of the creature in your arms?"
"No," Sonia replied, her voice every bit as strong as his.
"And do you accept that the penalty for this crime is death?"
"Yes." Still her voice was strong though she clutched the boy more tightly to her.
He shook his head. "I didn't want this to happen, Sonia, but I will do what I must. Goodbye." at a tiny motion of his hand, there was a blur of movement and a flash of light and then the three young vampires screamed in unison as their mother went up in flames.