Chapter 4

As the council dismissed for the evening Sonja and her father were the first to rise. Sonja looked over to catch one final look at Lucian. Though he did not show it she knew he was upset. She silently cursed her father for making him watch that lycan's death. Her heart ached for him. She and her father proceeded out with two deathdealers marching out in front. Following behind the elder and his daughter were the council members and lastly the remaining deathdealers and Lucian. Sonja turned back for a moment to see Lucian when she saw her father was preoccupied with answering one of Colomon's nettling questions.

In between the throng of people she saw the deathdealers marching in front of him. Then something caught her eye. She saw a brief exchange between one of the deathdealers, it looked as if one of them were telling the other something. Their malicious looks turned to Lucian but Lucian was not yet aware. Sonja saw one of the deathdealers slightly move his leg outward and she knew what he intended. Lucian tripped and landed hard on the floor spilling all of the chalices and their contents. The loud echoing sound of the tray hitting the stone floor brought everyone to a halt.

Blood covered Lucian's clothes and a splashed onto his face. Sonja saw the deathdealers chuckling amongst themselves and she also saw Lucian, his hands flat as he hunched over in the bloody mess.

Viktor immediately turned and a path was cleared. Sonja followed closely behind him. When he stood before the source of the commotion he towered over Lucian but he did not speak to the deathdealers. Sonja could see Lucian's fury. His eyes turned into their vicious cobalt blue, he was growling, and his chest heaved.

No, Lucian, please don't, she thought silently to herself. The image of what the moonshackle would do to him entered into her mind and she felt a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She was grateful that he seemed to have calmed a bit at the sight of her father but his eyes still remained. Sonja could see him fighting for control. She knew Lucian wanted nothing more than to rip at their throats and she didn't blame him.

Viktor regarded him coldly. "Clean it up."

"Yes." He said simply, his voice straining for control. And Viktor turned to take his leave, the others following after.

Later on that night, Sonja stuck her head out of her room making sure no one was around. She stepped out of the door and gently closed it behind her. Still dressed in her silk black kirtle she hadn't bothered to change and instead had waited patiently until she had been certain that everyone had retired to their chambers. But she still had to be wary of the deathdealers that patrolled the halls lest they report back to her father. She descended down the tower steps from her and her father's bed chambers down through the great halls of the castle moving swiftly and silently. She avoided archways and peeped around walls watching the deathdealers circuit back and forth. Some of the rooms were occupied with other vampires laughing and lounging about as they drank from their cups too lost in their own needs to care or notice her wandering about.

Finally she came to the door she wanted and inside she heard the sound of gentle scrubbing. She stepped inside and was rewarded with the sight of Lucian on his hands and knees scrubbing diligently at the bloody floor. He was concentrating so hard on the mess that he hadn't even noticed her coming in.

She took several steps toward him when he stopped, his nose twitched a little and his head jerked up looking directly into her eyes. He was handsome.

He jumped to his feet and bowed "My lady, I am sorry, I did not hear you come in."

Sonja smiled " 'Sonja', Lucian, remember. You don't have to say 'my lady' when no one is around"

"Yes, my- uh Sonja."

"If we are to be friends, Lucian, then you are going to have to start learning my name."

That caught his attention. He looked up at her, his eyes wide. "Friends?"

"That's right. You do know what a friend is don't you?"

"I know what a friend is….but I'm a…..and you're a….. I've never had a friend before."

"Well now you do." She moved over to the wash bucket and pulled out another rag.

"What are you doing?" he asked

"I'm helping you."

"No. you—you shouldn't do that. I'm supposed to besides you're Viktor's daughter and you…"

"Lucian could you please just grab a rag and help me. This will get done a lot faster with two hands instead of one and once we're finished we'll have more time to ourselves."

His eyebrows bunched together but he did as she said. For a moment the two of them scrubbed the floor in silence and Sonja's eyes wandered up to look at him as he did. She saw the beads of sweat on his face and found his nervousness to be amusing in a charming sort of way. It brought a smile to her face.

"You know," Lucian finally said breaking the silence, "you're not at all like I expected."

"What do you mean?" she asked

"Well…vampires are supposed to be cold, soulless, monsters."

"Is that what you thought of me?" her voice sounded shocked and hurt.

"You're the daughter of Lord Viktor," Lucian said as though that were explanation enough, "all vampires are supposed to be like that."

"And I'm to assume that all lycans are supposed to be savage beasts unable to form a single thought in their head?"

His face turned crimson "I'm sorry. I just meant that you are different that's all. A good different."

"So… why did you come last night, you go around visiting lycans often?" He smiled to lighten the mood.

"No," she said with a laugh "you would be first. I suppose I was a little curious and I was worried about you."

"Really?" Lucian asked in disbelief "Why?"

"I don't know." She said simply "I could hear your screams all the way inside my bed chamber, it bothered me."

"Oh." He said.

Sonja changed the subject "Do you have any family, Lucian?"

He shook his head "No. I've lived here my whole life I never knew my father and Viktor killed my mother after I was born."

Sonja was surprised that Lucian would state it so matter-of-factly. "What about you?" he asked, "where is your mother?"

"She died giving birth to me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I never knew her and father doesn't like to talk about her I think it pains him. Every time I bother to ask he grows silent. When talk of my mother does escape his tongue it's always about how she was such a wonderful politician who was so well behaved."

"And…you don't think she was?"

"No. Well, that might be part of the truth but I don't think so. Sometimes I…." she stopped and turned her head away embarrassed. Sonja had only just realized that she was sharing her most personal self with him. Strangely it felt natural to do so.

"Sometimes what?" he asked

She laughed a little "You'll only laugh at me if I tell you."

He smiled and her knees went weak "No I won't. Tell me, what is it?" Looking at his smiling face she knew he was telling the truth. She could deny him nothing.

"Sometimes…I dream about her. She's wears the armor of a death dealer and she's standing next to a large black horse. She talks to me."

"What does she say?"

"Most of the time she says she loves me then she would kneel down in front of me, cup my cheek and say 'You are your mother's child, you will do great things'"

Sonja saw that Lucian was watching her, silently hanging on every word. She held her head down "I told you it was foolish."

"No it isn't. I think dreams sometimes just reveal to us the things we want most. How we really feel inside. You miss your mother, you never knew her but you miss her just the same."

Sonja felt her eyes becoming wet and heavy as she looked at Lucian. She blinked a few times to rid herself of it. "I don't think my mother was anything like my father says, I think she was—"

"More like you." Lucian finished

"Yes, more like me." She smiled at him and Lucian smiled back. A rush of elation moved through her, it was nice to finally have someone who truly listened an understood her. "I hate the council chamber, its dreadfully boring, I'm restless, I feel caged, and all my evenings are planned for me. That's why I want to be a deathdealer."

Lucian seemed to be disturbed by her confession, "You want to be a death dealer?"

"Of course, being a deathdealer means freedom, riding out into the night with a sword in my hand, defending my people, father thinks I can better serve them in the chamber but I'd much rather be out there with all the fighting." Sonja spoke with such excitement that she hadn't noticed the somber look on Lucian's face.

"I'm sure you would make a really good one." Lucian went back to scrubbing the floor in silence.

The smile left her face "What about you Lucian, what do you want?"

He shook his head,"Nothing, I never really thought about it."

She scowled at him. "Liar."

Lucian looked up "What?"

"You always look down when you lie." Lucian blushed "Everybody has to want something, Lucian" her hand touched his shoulder in compassion. He flinched a little. She was surprised how hot his skin was compared to hers. "You can tell me, you do trust me don't you?"

Lucian waited a moment as he looked into her eyes. "Sometimes I think about what my life would be like outside of Castle Corvinus. To be my own master and not living in a cage like an animal. The heat from the sun shining on my face, a clear blue sky, and running through open fields of fresh green grass. Just…free." His tone became bitter, "But that will never happen, especially not now" he said gripping the heavy moonshackle around his neck.

Sonja looked at the dreadful collar and reached out to touch it. "How does this feel?"

"It's just heavy; After a while I don't really notice it." She pricked herself on the inner barbs, a slow trickle of blood went down her finger and her wound immediately healed. Then she saw the burned brand on his shoulder. The ornate letter "V" for Viktor a symbol of ownership over Lucian. The wound was a ghastly sight. The skin was red and raw, most of it bubbled at its surface, tiny blue veins extended outward from the brand…silver poisoning. Lycans were allergic to silver. Her voice came with a mixture of anger and disgust, "Why hasn't this healed yet?" she asked still looking at the wound. One of the most useful abilities that the vampires and lycans both shared were their preternatural healing abilities.

"After they branded me they used grinded silver and sprinkled it into the wound, it won't heal."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes, but I can tolerate it."

"I'm sorry this happened to you Lucian." And she truly was, she wished she could do something for him.

"It's nothing." Lucian turned his shoulder away and wiped away the last of the mess.

"Lucian you can't let them get to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw what the deathdealers did to you."

"It wouldn't be the first time. I should have watched where I was going."

"No, Lucian." She said firmly, "It wasn't your fault. They were wrong, but you can't allow them to get the best of you."

"It's not as if I can fight back, Sonja. Better to let them do what they want."

"If you react to them every time then they win Lucian. I saw you, you almost transformed."

"Sometimes I can't help it, I lose control of my emotions and it just happens. Trying to keep the wolf at bay is like trying not to scream when someone stabs you in the back"

"You have to try harder Lucian." Visions of that poor lycan that was killed this evening entered her mind. "I don't want to see you get hurt. If it helps, just concentrate on something else when you feel it happening."

Lucian looked at her and saw that she was sincere. She cared she really cared. "Alright Sonja, I'll try harder…for you."

"Good, your lady commands you." She said with mock authority, sticking her nose up at him and poking out her chest. Lucian laughed when he saw that she was teasing. "Otherwise I will have no choice but to punish you and believe me Lucian you don't want that."

He laughed harder and played along "Oh no please my lady have mercy I am just a lowly slave who doesn't know any better I do not wish to feel your wrath!"

Sonja came to her feet and stood over him. Lucian crawled on his knees and pulled at her dress like a servant beseeching a queen. Sonja feigned boredom, "No, I'm afraid it's too late Lucian. Tonight you have displeased me and you must be severely punished."

"And how does my lady wish to punish me? What will it be? The whip? The rack?"

A cunning smile spread across her lips and Lucian knew he was done for. With tremendous speed Sonja tackled him to the floor and Lucian landed flat on his back the wind knocked out of him. Even though she was small he was surprised by her strength but Lucian still had the upper hand in that area. She didn't have the best of him for long when he turned her over and the two of them laughed as they wrestled on the floor. Sonja actually proved to be quite the challenge, her greatest advantage over him was her speed he was fast but not as fast as her. Every now and then he'd pin her to the floor or she had him flat on his stomach. She would tickle his ribs and Lucian would have to keep from laughing too loud or risk someone hearing.

Lucian was lying on his back eyes shut and roaring with laughter. He managed to roll away from her and came quickly to his feet she stood just a few feet away from him, a playful smile on her face. Lucian went after her but as soon as he did she was gone. He looked around the chamber and saw nothing. "Come out Sonja! I'm going to find you eventually." No answer. Lucian concentrated on all of his senses focusing mostly on his ears and his heightened sense of smell. Then he heard the slightest bit of movement, his nose honed in on her scent, she was close. There was a whoosh and before Lucian had time to react Sonja was right on top of him and Lucian found himself once again on his back. They both erupted into laughter. "Have you learned your lesson." She said with a confident smile.

"Lesson learned." Lucian said trying to catch his breath.

"I glad we understand eachother I would hate to have to punish you again."

Lucian laughed "Oh no I wouldn't want that."