The Coven
Chapter 7: Michael
The hunt the next evening went as planned. Elizabeth's arm healed good as new, and they all renewed their strength. Blood was the best medicine for a vampire, even better than the modern practices that surrounded them. Even the most fatal and disastrous wound could be healed, if only there was enough blood.
"So how are we going to confront Michael? I doubt he'll just pop up and let us accost him with questions about his maestra," Victoria lounged in the same den she'd thrown a tantrum in a few nights before. Her face and clothes were all clean of the blood she'd gorged herself on earlier.
"He'll come to us. If only I shall call…," Elizabeth didn't want to call for him, however. He'd only rub in the fact that she did in fact need him after all this time.
"He won't knock us out again, will he?" Victoria's cheeks flared at the embarrassing memory of her slapping Miranda unjustly.
"I doubt it. You don't pose a threat anymore," was her quiet reply.
"Not a threat? Me?!" Miranda bristled. She took pride in being the 2nd strongest vampire in the coven.
"He's a second-generation vampire. You're a fourth-generation. The gap is big enough for even you to not be a match," she stared out the window as she had before, scanning the tree line.
"Will he answer you? Truly? You didn't seem on very cordial terms on his last visit," Elaine intoned. She was sprawled on the floor, looking at the ceiling, painted with scenes of vampirism long ago.
"He knows that I have to call on him eventually. He's irritating that way. He won't have strayed very far from here."
"Are you sure there's no other way?" Victoria sat up straighter, keeping her violet eyes on Elizabeth.
"Yes. No one else knows of her except us, him, and the other ancients, and he's the only one who'll tell us where she is."
Silence creeped upon them then. They sat in place for a long while, listening to the outside world, still busy with insects and wolves in the forest. The night was just as noisy as the day, but without the buzzing of humans going about their business.
"So what do we do for the rest of the night?" Miranda sighed exasperatedly. She hated having nothing to do.
"How about Victoria enchant us with her turning story? It's been a while, and it's a nice one," Elizabeth smile warmly from the window, still not turning around. Once again, she needed a distraction from thoughts of Michael. Stories were the only way she knew how to drown his voice out of her head.
"Not now, Elizabeth. I don't feel like reminiscing right this moment. How about you tell us about the vampire 'family tree' again? I love hearing about the lineage," Victoria smoothly changed the subject while satiating her thirst for knowledge at the same time.
"Well you know there are four ancients, yes?" Elizabeth began.
"There's Jacob, Maria, Marcus, and of course, Isabelle," as she said each name, a picture of the vampires appeared in their heads. Elaine was reading Victoria's mind and projecting the image for effect. Only the book-smart vampire had seen actual images of the ancients.
Jacob and Maria both had black hair, and normal tanned faces. The ancients were the only vampires in existence that had retained their original skin color after changing. Marcus had long, curly blonde hair, styled like the ancient Greeks, which he claimed to have originally been. Isabelle's hair was as red as a ripe cherry, long and straight down to her waist.
"Then there's the second-generation vampires. Isabelle only turned two people, Michael and his sister, Abrielle. I've never met her, but Michael always told me to steer clear. She turned about four people that I know of. And none of them know where she is now.
Marcus turned only one woman, by the name of Claire. She was engaged to be married, but she ran off with Marcus the night before the wedding. I've actually had the pleasure of meeting her. She's a lovely singer, but a bit sad.
Of course the ancients also turned their courts: servants, soldiers, select loved ones. They weren't going to spend eternity alone without their human comforts. That's part of the reason why there's so many today.
Maria turned three people. All boys, by the names of Killian, Sean, and Aidan. None are over the age of twelve I believe. She couldn't have children, so she simply made some."
"Are all vampires barren?" Victoria inquired, fascinated.
"No. We have the human's drive and ability for procreation, but she was already unable to bear children when she became immortal."
"I think I've seen Killian before," Elaine added, "he was at the circus often, and he always visited my booth. I thought he was just a nobleman's song, getting his kicks."
"Killian was always the curious one, I'm told. Sean's the brave, stupid one, and Aidan's a psychic like you. That may be why Killian was curious. He probably thought that there was only the Gift among immortals."
"And then there's Jacob, the Lost One. No one's seen or heard from him for centuries, not even his own brethren. As far as I know, he never turned someone. He didn't want to condemn a human to suffer like us also."
"He sounds a lot like you, Elizabeth," Miranda commented, pretending to be bored, but still listening intently all the same.
"That's not quite a compliment. For he's rumored to be the most bloodthirsty," she responded, "he either didn't harm someone at all or drained them dry."
"What about third-generation like yourself?" Elaine asked.
"Well there's me, the only one Michael ever turned. He said to me once that he only needed one companion for eternity or none, and he wouldn't turn anyone but me once he'd watched me for a while."
"That's very romantic," Miranda said quietly.
"And it was complete rubbish. Abrielle, as I said before, turned four people. Kai, a man of about 21, Ian, his younger brother, Morgan, Kai's wife, and Morgan's best friend, Aina. She only turned them so she could have people to fetch her food, for they don't speak to her unless she wants blood.
Claire turned only one little girl, who was dying of the plague. Her name was Raine, and she was killed by Jacob about three years ago."
"Jacob killed a vampire?" Victoria gasped.
"Yes. He has a certain calling card on his victims: a single drop of blood on their forehead. Marcus found Raine lying dead in her coffin one evening, and the word spread," Elizabeth said sadly, "and then he disappeared again."
"I hope the Reaper finds him," Miranda said darkly, "no one, not even an ancient, has the right to kill innocent children."
"Do not say such things. He's your blood. On with the genealogy," Elizabeth continued.
"Killian, Sean, and Aidan have turned many a human, so many I don't know any of their names. They run rampant and unwatched in America I hear.
Now for the fourth-generations. Your generation. There's you, Victoria and Miranda, who're the only ones I've turned. Kai, Ian, Morgan, and Alice haven't turned anyone yet. They don't want anyone else to suffer their lifestyle. Alice and Ian do, however, have twins. Nathan and Nadie are as opposite as can be imagined, inside and out."
As the images of the twins formed in their heads, Miranda frowned.
"I've seen Nathan before, I believe. I can't remember from where, though," she closed her eyes, focusing on the picture more clearly. When she couldn't remember, she opened them and shrugged.
"He's not dangerous, so it's not really a concern of ours, though I'm surprised that he was that far from his family. They usually travel in packs. Might as well not dwell on it, I suppose.
As for the offspring of Killian, Sean, and Aidan's little ventures, I can't name their number, so I'll just leave it at a lot of impulsive, unsupervised baby vampires running amok.
There are thousands of thousands of fifth generation and beyond vampires, but here's the few that I know of: Elaine, who we know was turned by Miranda; Nadie turned a boy who she fell in love with, David; and Nathan had a fling with a few girls and wound up with a half-breed son, Dante. Quite the scandal among us immortals," at this, Elizabeth chuckled.
There was not image of the half-breed, and when the girls looked at her, she just shrugged, "Victoria didn't know of him, so there's no picture for that one."
"A half-breed? Does he age? Is he strong? Does he have powers?" suddenly, Miranda wasn't pretending to not be interested anymore. New types of immortals meant new challenges. She hadn't tested her strength in a while.
"He doesn't age that I know of, yes, I hear he's especially strong, and no, he doesn't have any powers," Elizabeth quickly answered her questions.
"You aren't interested, are you?" Elaine teased from beside her, smiling jokingly.
"Are you kidding?! Of course I am! This guy sounds like a challenge!" Miranda stood up and punched the air in excitement.
"You're so excitable. Calm down, you'll hurt yourself," Victoria teased. Miranda blushed and sat back down quickly, embarrassed at her hyper reaction.
"Well, it's getting early. I think we'd better call it a night," Elizabeth interrupted the teasing. They looked outside and saw the beginning of another sunrise.
"Already? Time does fly when you're entertained," Victoria complained.
"and tomorrow is the reluctant night we begin our new task," the thinnest vampire finished.
"At least it's different than sitting around here all night," Miranda added. She was already halfway out the door and taking Elaine with her by the hand. They all left to go to bed, except for Miranda and Elaine, who were now in Elaine's chambers deep underground.
"Why the secrecy, Maestra? What do you want me to see?" Elaine gently disentangled her hand from Miranda's grip. Miranda blushed at her question.
"You see right through me so easily?"
"You're not hard to see through. I'm your creation, after all, the one who knows you best," she answered. Now she was curious to her question. What was so embarrassing for the strong Miranda to ask?
"Uhm, I was thinking about how Elizabeth and Michael were, you know, a couple, and all those other couples she talked about while telling us our lineage. I was just wondering…um," she stuttered, trying to rush it out.
"Maestra? I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous," Elaine was serious now, having them both sit down in plush chairs she hardly ever used.
"W-well, can you try and see if..um..I ever, you know, fall in love?" she blushed even redder, hanging her head in shame.
"Of course. Is that all? You had me worried, Miranda," Elaine breathed out the breathe she'd been holding unconsciously. She was only asking if she ever fell in love, not something as serious as she'd thought.
"It's not something I thought I'd ever be curious about, okay? It's just eating at me," she mumbled, keeping her eyes down and away.
"Well let's see if we can ease that, shall we?" Elaine held out her hands, palm up. Usually, she didn't need to touch anyone to get a vision, but touching the person she was trying to see for helped.
As Miranda haltingly put her hands on top of hers, Elaine felt an electric shock run up her arms. Miranda gasped, feeling it too. A picture formed in Elaine's mind, and she smiled.
With a physically flash, she disconnected their hands, giggling slightly. It grew to a delighted laugh as Miranda finally looked straight at her and glared.
"What?!"
"Nothing. You do fall in love, maestra. I'm tired, now, good morning," and with a final burst of laughter she shooed Miranda out of her room, locking the door. She heard and embarrassed growl and a kick as Miranda stormed off.
As she got into her bed, she couldn't quit smiling. Her maestra? In love with that person? She was still having a small laugh as she heard Miranda still grumbling in her head. There wasn't a chance she was going to ruin the experience for her. If she knew who it was, she'd avoid them at all costs, just to be defiant.
She went to sleep with a smile still plastered on her face, while Miranda slept embarrassed and curious. She couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment for even asking such a thing. Tomorrow was not going to be a good night, she could already tell.
End Chapter
