"For as long as there has been a Kinship, in the first days of our freedom from the one called Thalsian, there have been many supporters under one rule," Master stated, the beginning of the small speech he gave each time for new members of council. "Since we truly could not have gained our freedom from the magister's oppressive rule, so could we also not keep ourselves as a whole strong and united well into the present day, and into many days in the future, without our brethren at our side."
As the crowd murmured its approval, Victor leaned over to Leo. Quickly, he whispered, "Who's Thalsian?"
"Archon Thalsian, the infamous magister who claimed to have contacted the Old God Dumat, and learned blood magic from him," Leo quietly reminded his brother. One of the first things that every new Kin member had learned once adapted in their new life was that the Chantry had been wrong about everything they were taught; magic, both drawn from energy and blood, were accepted as normal in the era of the Tevinter Imperium's rise. While blood magic had a source that could be returned to the owner once the spell was complete, those who drew from their own energy could not. That changed with the discovery of lyrium, a mineral powerful enough to rise the latter mages up to the same level- if not higher than- the blood mages.
From there, chaos ensued as a scramble for power began. With more and more lyrium being discovered and augmented for greater usage, blood mages felt they had no choice left to them, and turned on their sources of power. Once slain, they found the amount of power they needed, but it didn't last. Experiments, done on those who remained alive in an effort to increase their mortality, were performed; in the end, it worked all too well as the first of the Kin were created. Stronger, sturdier, and able to replenish what was taken from them, the Kin were first seen as the never-ending power source the rest of the world could never achieve. They were also slaves to their creators once the process was shared, made to turn on each other for sport, and to hunt down other mages in the growing war.
All of this had gained the attention of the Chantry as it rose to power, growing mighty enough to topple the regime that was Tevinter as they continued to fight amongst themselves. In the battles and confusion that followed, mages were banned from their previous freedom, and blood magic was marked as wicked and evil. The Kin, using their heightened senses and power, hid themselves from the world, leaving behind a half-crazed lad behind who spoke of nothing but making a deal with demons. His name went down in history as the father of blood magic from that lone incident, and the Kin were never seen again.
"Ah," Victor replied, before forcing himself to pay attention again. But how could he, when there was a lovely Kin member all but ready to fall out of her flimsy robes and onto his fangs? It was no secret amongst the Kin how to manipulate a bite to make it pleasurable for both parties, especially if one was as much a scoundrel as he was, and it all served to be plenty distracting. However, as important as this was not only to his sire and blooded family, but to his Kin members and Master, he forced his eyes forward.
"This united front is a symbol of that memory of greatness in our dark past, and will indeed look kindly on your long and prosperous futures," Master finished, before beckoning the protégés forward. Victor strode to the raised dais with three others, their identical red robes donned prior to the service sweeping across the floor behind them. As one, the four of them knelt down and bowed their heards in respect.
Master brought a chalice of blood forward, presenting it to the crowd by raising it overhead, and with smooth, practiced moves, drew his own dagger from its sheath. The sharp edge grazed across the skin of his forefinger, and the entire crowd watched as the lone drop of Master's blood trailed down, to drip with the barest of ripples into the chalice. He swirled the red liquid around, thoroughly dissolving his blood, as he sheathed the dagger and stepped to the first protégé. As he intoned many times before, he would continue to ask as he stepped down the line:
"By kneeling before me and drinking my blood, you call yourself forward to the service of mine and of your Elders, until we release you from your blood debt. It would be best to abandon the servitude now if you believe this a promise you cannot keep. What do you choose?"
One by one, each member replied:
"I choose to serve you, my Master, and my Elders."
Once the last word echoed in the room, Master's eyes rose to Isaac's as Victor drank from the chalice, easily meeting the other man's amidst the crowd. He knew that Victor would be a rather valuable warrior- though he still proved to have a few rough edges that would smooth over with time- but what he wanted, what he truly wanted, was Samantha. Ah yes, that rather infuriatingly *human* Kin member,' he couldnt help but snap to himself. As much as he hated to admit this, she was vital to him, even in her current fragile state.
In a world where money truly meant nothing, and strength came in great multitudes, there was only one thing that drove the entire race's ambitions: secrets. Isaac had indeed fallen for the pathetic girl upon first sighting and was allowed to keep her in his care, but whispers soon emerged of how positively weak the girl was. They all knew she was turned, could all sense her newly changed form for themselves, but though it seemed she was trying her hardest in training, all she could do best was disappear when things didn't sit right with her.
Her sire had to be up to something, not feeding her life's blood for as long as he had. Soon, Master would petition for a forced service for the young girl, and once she was under his thumb, he could do some thorough investigating without it being suspicious to either of them. But for now, patience had to be key. He had to move across this complicated battlefield with the utmost care, lest he risk losing what he had gained.
The chalice was returned to his cold hand, and he bid the small group before him to rise. "From this moment onward, these four are a part of me as I am of them, as all council members before them were. May their firm judgment and swift fangs set an example for the future of the Kinship!" The crowd rose in collective cheer, prompting the closing of the official ceremony. Master returned to his great seat, looking out over the crowd as he grew lost in thought. Once again, he found Isaac in the crowd, and temptation to simply call the sire off to the side for a little bit rose.
'No,' he cautioned himself. 'There's no doubt in my mind that his love for his precious children led to many secrets shared, but to reveal your strongest attack too early loses your element of surprise.' Slowly, he turned his head to Beatrice, the stern, black haired Elder on his right, and nodded out to the milling crowd. Without another word or motion between them, she did as she was asked, making her way out to the newly inducted council members.
o0o0o
"Well, well," Leo congratulated as Victor returned to his previous spot. "Look who's now a council member!"
Victor shrugged in turn. "Aside from the rather stylish outfit, I don't feel any different."
Margeaux laughed deep in her throat at the reply, before embracing her brother. "Give it time; you will begin to tell," she assured him.
"I'm very curious, but I'm almost afraid to ask," he joked easily, accepting a naturally stoic hug from Eirik. A glance to his side found Isaac staring ahead, eyes devoid of any emotion. Victor's head tipped to the side as he stepped closer, the smile fading. "Father?" he asked.
Isaac turned when he was called, finding his children looking at him in question. Instead of giving some form of answer, he set his hands on Victor's shoulders and nodded respectfully. "I could not be any more proud of you than in this moment," he stated, allowing a smile to grace his features.
Victor couldn't help but smile in return. "I'm glad," he replied.
"And be sure you do not use this as an easy excuse to free yourself from trouble," Isaac added, gaining a more natural, relaxed reaction from his children... save for Eirik. That boy could easily turn himself to solid stone should he be given the ability.
"Who, me?" Victor asked. "I never get into trouble if I can't help it."
Leo snorted aloud. "Oh, much like being caught in the midst of a marathon-"
"That was one time," Victor interrupted. "And like I said, it couldn't be helped... much."
"A moment of your time?" a smooth voice cut in. As a whole, the group turned to find Beatrice standing behind Victor, a rather expectant look on her face. As much as Victor didn't like this Elder in particular, he recognized the oncoming of a test when he saw one. Turning to face her fully, he clasped his hands behind his back, mimicking her pose, before nodding cordially to her. "As a council member, not only is it your duty to carry out whatever task is required of you, but to also provide insight to current problems facing our Kin," she continued.
"I'm aware of what's required," Victor assured her coolly. She was a rather old biddy, the wealth of her years set behind her eyes. It was impressive to think of... and starting to get intimidating the longer she stared.
"The one problem currently preying on Master's mind... well," she demurred with an amused chuckle, feeling the edges of the boy's mind start weighing down with the pressure of her gaze. "It would be easier to show you." Her own small dagger, one with golden etching in the blade itself, briefly flashed in the light as she slit her palm open. Just as quickly, it was returned to her sheath, the palm presented to him.
In Victor's true nature, he rakishly grinned at her before cupping her hand in his, gently suckling from the wound. It would be natural of her to just offer her hand for now, but he was sure that given the right amount of time and persuasion, to put it politely, she'd be offering up more intimate areas without hesitation. Forcing himself to focus on the image her blood was providing, his wayward thoughts ground to a halt. Victor slowly lifted his head, brows drawn together in confusion. "What is that?" he quietly asked.
"Our gate," Beatrice cooly stated. "It has taken on a mysterious new form, not needing to be replenished. It has also openly attacked Kin who drew too close." Softening her gaze as she drew closer, her voice took on a tempting tone as she added, "We've been looking for someone who could help us figure out what has caused this, but I believe I may have found the right person..."
Beatrice watched as the young Kin's eyelids flickered, his gaze darting back and forth as he slowly succumbed to her will. Honestly, it was as easy as taking candy from a baby, the way she could bend their minds to her will. A bit of blood here and there to enforce her status and power, and he'd be hers in no time. "Who's that?" he finally asked.
"You, of course," she answered, laying on the charm.
"No, I mean, who's that?" Victor repeated, nodding over her shoulder. Beatrice turned, instantly spotting a group of people she knew couldn't belong. Wearing dustier, ragged clothes, they stood in a tight group, eyeing the rest of the Council with barely concealed rage.
Noticing they were gaining attention, the obvious leader of the group charged forward with a mighty cry, soon echoed by the rest of the charge... and added on by more people bursting out of the shadows, weapons drawn and fangs extended. Victor quickly was on the defense, casting a dark red arcane shield to block an incoming blade. Pushing the attacker back, the larger shield compacted into two smaller ones, fitting just over the length of his hands. A flick of Victor's wrist sent a bolt his attacker's way, which was dodged as he advanced once again. Each swing of the sword was deflected with the two small shields, much like each bolt was either dodged or blocked with the blade. The two had continued in a stalemate before Victor resorted to fighting dirty, casting the dark shield around the face of his foe, blinding him effectively. From there, it was a matter of ducking wild swings and landing hits to further aggravate, and eventually subdue, him.
Victor took the chance to look around, checking on the rest of his siblings. Leo, the more clasically trained fighter, had the same plan Victor did: wear out the enemy with as little effort as possible. Margeaux, the other mage in the family, had coerced dark vines from the ground to ensnare as many as possible, making it that much easier for others to kill. Eirik, far from being slow and methodical, was zipping back and forth across the battlefield, going from one to the next with what seemed like very little planning process. Which left...
In his worry for his father's whereabouts, he didn't notice the shield had worn off until the attacker had nearly struck him down. Victor darted to the side, bumping into a solid form before getting too far. Seeing his attacker's eyes meet whoever it was before he stood down made Victor turn himself. Behind him was a woman, dressed in the same fashion as the strangers, but carrying herself much like Master would. Who was she?
As he thought this, her voice rang out over the din of the fight. "Enough!" she called, waiting until her fighters had stopped to continue speaking. "There is no further need to exert your energy; I have what I have come here for."
Spotting ropes in her hand, he followed them to find both Dominic and Samantha being led, hands tied in their front. "What are you doing with them?" Victor immediately demanded.
"Nothing that concerns you," she dismissed him.
"But something that does me," Isaac's voice rang out from the center of the room. He advanced, closely followed by Master, his sword still in hand. "Seeing as how that is my daughter you are holding captive."
"And him?" she challenged.
"My newest son, though I doubt he would have us now," Isaac smoothly replied, cutting in before Samantha could say otherwise.
"Either way, they are my Kin and clan," Master growled. "What makes you believe that I will simply let you leave with anything that is mine?"
"'Tis simple enough, so much that I am sure even you would be able to understand," she cooed, tightening her grip on the ropes as she stared Master down. "Blood has been taken from me; I demand blood in return."
(A/N: Woooo, finally a new chapter! And it has been a long time coming, let me tell you! I have rekindled my love of fanfiction, at a time where I have limited internet in the household... great timing, right? XD But, for those who still read and comment and favorite, know that I really really love and appreciate you guys for it! I seriously wouldn't be anywhere close to here without you. The new chapters may come slow, but they're still coming, because I have a lot in store for my favorite little vampires!)
