A/N: Hello, everyone! I know, it's been a long time since I last updated, and I apologize for that...one of my friends talked me into doing NaNoWriMo this year, which has been keeping me quite busy. But I promise I'm working on this story at school, I promise! Anyways, you're probably tired of my excuses and just want to read the damn chapter, so here it is for your reading pleasure! I'd like to thank SpeedDemon315, keili77, Rushwriter, and me12243 for their reviews!
Disclaimer: Underworld still isn't mine. It would be awesome if it was mine, though XD
"Yeah, I get it, you're an outcast
Always under attack, always coming in last
Bringing up the past
No one owes you anything
I think you need a shotgun blast, a kick in the ass
So paranoid
Watch your back
Oh my, here we go
Another loose canon gone bipolar
Slipped down, couldn't get much lower
Quicksand's got no sense of humor, I'm still laughing like hell
You think that by crying to me, looking so sorry
That I'm gonna believe you've been affected by a social disease
Well then, take your medicine."
-"Sound of Madness" by Shinedown
Chapter Seven: An Exchange of Words
"Out of curiosity, why am I being summoned to this meeting?" Selene asked the maidservant, who was, at the moment, lacing her into a very stiff, very tight corset, presumably of the whalebone-and-cloth variety.
The maidservant shrugged. "Lord Viktor gave me no reason-his reasons are his own and it's not my place to question them."
The vampiress nodded, standing still and grabbing the edge of her desk. The maid pulled the strings of her corset tight, so tight Selene was amazed she could still breathe. Had she been human, though, a large meal would have been out of the question.
Two days had passed since the lycan horde had swarmed Ordoghaz. The remainder of the night that had followed the attack, as well as the night after it, had been dedicated to cleaning up the mess that had been left. The vampires that had fallen during the attack (which there had been a surprising amount of, given the brevity of the onslaught) had been buried with all proper honors and send-offs, while the lycan corpses had been cast into a large fire that had reeked of burning lycan flesh and hair as it consumed the bodies. The coven members chipped in, however reluctantly, to help the maids scrub dried blood from the floors and walls. Damaged chairs had been sent into the nearby hamlet for repairs, as had damaged tables; craftsmen had been summoned to repair damages done to doors and walls.
Before the coven had retired for the day, Viktor had announced a meeting-mostly for the higher-ups of the coven, including Kraven, who had returned the night before, giving no indication of where he had been or what he had been doing. Selene hadn't expected to be invited until the maid had shown up at her door with a bundle of clothing in her arms.
"There we go-done with the corset," the maid announced, reaching for the dress Viktor had sent for his protégé to wear. She helped Selene pull the dress over her head, laced up the back, and then moved on to help her comb and style her hair.
When all was said and done, she found herself decked out in a beautiful dress of samite the color of blood. The sleeves rested off her shoulders, exposing smooth alabaster skin for anyone who wanted to see it. Her hair had been left loose, small braids scattered throughout as finishing touches. The maid smiled, pleased with her handiwork.
"You look beautiful, Lady Selene," she gushed. A mischievous smile overcame her face, and she leaned in, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Jarek won't be able to resist you, milady."
She almost blushed.
The rarely-used dining room had been converted to a meeting room for the night, the table cleared for everyone to sit at. By the time Selene arrived, several others were already seated at the table, including Edward and Catherine, who sat side-by-side, talking in low murmurs. Nearby, on the floor, Michael sat, playing with a few carved soldiers. When she walked in, he looked up, and instantly abandoned his toys, rushing to her on unsteady toddler legs and throwing his arms around her legs.
"See-lene!" he exclaimed. "Hi-hi, See-lene!"
"Hello, Michael," she replied, unable to stop herself as she smiled down at the little boy. She then glanced up to his parents. "Edward, Catherine, good to see you."
Edward nodded. "Well met, Selene."
His wife waved. "And you as well, Selene." She glanced down, spotting her son clinging to the vampiress's skirts; an amused giggle bubbled from her lips. "As you can tell, he was very excited to see you-that was all he talked about last night and this morning, how he was going to get to see Selene again today."
"Really? I'm flattered!" She looked down at the young boy. "I had no idea he liked me so much."
"He certainly does-especially because you saved him from that werewolf two night ago." A small smile curled Edward's lips. "You've made yourself a lifelong friend."
More vampires had filed into the dining room, taking seats along the table. She waved when she saw Jarek, who took a seat at the right of the head of the table; she had to fight to keep herself from rolling her eyes at Kraven, who sauntered in and haughtily took the seat directly across from Jarek. Tanis filtered in, taking the seat next to Kraven, laying out a blank scroll and preparing to record the meeting, presumably for posterity's sake.
"Looks as though the meeting's about to commence," the raven-haired vampiress remarked. Her keen eyes spotted an empty seat on Catherine's right. "Mind if I take that seat?"
"Of course not."
She slipped into the empty seat, and Michael retreated to his spot on the floor, happily resuming whatever adventure his toy soldiers were in the midst of. No sooner had Selene settled herself in the seat than Viktor strolled in, resplendent as always in his fine black robes. Everyone quickly got to their feet as he entered, taking their seats only when he had sat.
"Good evening, a pleasure to see all of you," he greeted cordially, but with an undertone of impatience, as though he were only greeting everyone because he didn't want to seem rude. Everyone murmured rushed greetings in return.
"I presume you all know why I've called you here tonight?"
Up and down the table, nineteen heads bobbed up and down in unison.
"Good. Then you all recognize the severity of the situation-the wolves are at our door, literally in some cases." His face twisted with a sneer of disgust. "This simply will not do. The beasts have become unusually emboldened since Lucian's death." He rested his gaze, which was presently piercing blue, on Kraven. "Why, Kraven, do you suppose this is?"
Kraven's Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped nervously. "I'm not sure, milord."
His head whipped around to Jarek. "Have you any ideas, Jarek?"
"Plenty, milord. The question now is which one is the correct one."
"Revenge," Edward stated simply.
Suddenly, nineteen pairs of eyes flickered to him, surprised, as if he'd just spoken Greek. He settled back in his chair, looking for all the world as if he wanted to prop his feet on the table. "It's quite simple, really-this coven killed their leader, no? Naturally, they're probably not happy about that. So they're lashing out against the coven, leader or no leader. And, knowing how revenge can be sometimes…I'd say those lycans will not be deterred. At least not until you and the other two Elders are dead and your coven lies in shambles, Lord Viktor."
"An eye for an eye," Selene concluded quietly.
"Precisely my point."
"Interesting," Viktor mused, stroking his chin in thought. "You make a fair point, Edward-one that I should have thought of before."
"Thank you," he replied quietly.
"Now, the question is what we do about the lycans."
Silence fell over the room. It was practically a rhetorical question; the answer was obvious. The only solution to their problem was to kill all the lycans before the lycans killed them. They all knew that, and Viktor knew they knew that. The only question was…
"How do we get rid of them without the loss of all our Death Dealers?" a noble with fiery red hair, known as Lennox, questioned.
"Welcome to my nightmare," Jarek commented from the end of the table, his face suddenly weary, even though his quip earned him a few snickers. It was an arduous task to plan, and no one at the table envied Jarek's task. No doubt, trying to plan a battle strategy that would successfully decimate the werewolves without destroying the vampire population in return would require many a sleepless day for the captain.
"Has anyone ever thought of declaring a truce?"
The room was suddenly plunged into icy silence at these words; even little Michael's animated babbling in the background had stopped. Everyone turned their attention to the speaker, eyes wide, mouths agape in astonishment. Cold, seething anger filled Viktor's eyes (which we dark once more) as he glared at the speaker. He stood to his feet, menacing in his fury.
"What was that?"'
"I did not stutter, Lord Viktor," Catherine replied, standing up as the Elder did. "Have you ever considered a truce with the lycans?"
"And why would I do such a thing?" he snarled.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, Lord Viktor, you'd be a fool not to." She looked up and down the table, meeting the eyes of every vampire. All of them, Selene included, stared at her with a baffled look. Only Edward seemed to understand what she was talking about; he gave her a small, reassuring nod, and with a nod in return, she gave her attention back to Viktor. "I know this may sound unlikely, but you'd benefit greatly from a treaty with the lycans."
"What could those beasts for me?" he spat.
"Well," she began, squaring her shoulders resolutely. "As vampires, you cannot go out into the sunlight, and thus, your manor is left unguarded during the daylight hours. And lycans are not the only threat-humans threaten you too, Lord Viktor, they threaten to come down upon the manor bearing torches, stakes, and all other superstitious methods of killing vampires that they believe in. But, if you forged a treaty with the lycans, your coven could band together with their den; the lycans could guard you during the daylight hours, and you could watch them during nighttime hours."
"And you expect me to entrust my life to savage, bloodthirsty beasts?"
"If I may point out, the few human slaves you employ now to assist and to guard you are just as likely to kill you in your sleep, particularly if they are aware of your nature. After all, are humans not taught to fear and hate what they do not understand? They do not understand us, Lord Viktor, and to pretend otherwise would be fallacy. As a matter of fact, I believe that trusting the lycans to guard you while you sleep would be better than trusting the humans."
"Then you are a foolish girl to believe as such."
Catherine's sapphire eyes grew hard, icy with anger. "Pardon?"
"You're a fool to believe that we can trust the lycans. Lucian proved that his savage breed cannot be trusted. If we give them an inch, do you know what they'll do?" He peered around the table, at all the vampires eagerly handing onto his every word, before his eyes settled back on Catherine. "They would cut you down in your bed, while you sleep. You, your husband, and your child."
"But does one bad experience with a lycan instantly mark the rest of the breed so unworthy of you high standards?"
"It certainly proves that the savagery of their breed cannot be bred away. Once a beast, always a beast."
"So I take it you do not believe in second chances, Lord Viktor?" The brunette vampiress's voice was hard with suppressed anger. "There is no such thing as redemption to you, no faith in the theory that time changes all men?"
"No," he hissed back, ice-blue fire blazing in his eyes. "And that's because men do not change, Catherine. It's a hard-learned lesson for the naïve, but a lesson we all must learn eventually; a lesson that, after nine centuries of life, I believe I have learned."
She scoffed. "Naïve? I'm hardly naïve, Lord Viktor. I'm no stranger to betrayal, and the pain it brings, but aren't you capable of getting over whatever wrong this lycan named Lucian did you?"
"What if I'm not?" he asked, a challenge.
"I would ask you why you can't get over whatever happened with Lucian," she replied. "For only cravens hold on to past wrongs, and, last time I had checked, Lord Viktor of Moldavia was no craven-or was there something I was not told?"
"Enough!" the disgruntled Elder declared, his hand slamming down onto the table with such force that chips of splintered wood went flying. "We'll have no more of this insane prattle-"
"Insane prattle?!" Catherine thundered indignantly from down the table. Edward stood up, resting a hand on her arm to calm her, though anger glimmered in his dark eyes.
"-We're not drawing up a treaty of any kind with those monsters, and that is final! They betrayed us once, what would keep them from betraying us again?"
"A little trust might prevent that from happening," the brunette remarked snidely.
"By the dark gods, woman, hold your tongue!" Viktor snapped, glaring at her. "I'll not take any insolence, not from the likes of you! We're not going along with your half-brained plan!"
A predatory hiss escaped Edward. "And I'll not have you speaking to my wife that way, Lord Viktor! At least she bothered to contribute an idea, unlike everyone else!"
"You no talk to Mummy like that!" Michael echoed as he climbed to his feet, puffing out his little chest in an attempt to look more intimidating. "That no nice!"
"Besides, is her idea really all that bad?" Edward asked, looking up and down the table, his black eyes demanding an answer. "Well, is it?"
"Of course it is!" Kraven blurted out, jumping from his seat. "It's complete and utter lunacy! Not to be rude, but your wife is utterly daft to suggest making a treaty with those dogs!"
"Daft?!" Catherine snarled, a strange, vermillion tinge coming to her sapphire eyes. "Well, I'd rather be daft or mad or whatever else you may think of me than a braggart and a womanizer such as yourself!"
"You've a lot of nerve talking to my wife like that!" Edward his-was it a trick of Selene's eyes, or were his nails longer and sharper than they had been before? "She's not daft-she's a visionary, more so than anyone else here! Can't you see she's offering a way to end this petty way with the lycans? You'd all be daft not to heed her words!"
"Yeah!" Michael added enthusiastically, nodding his little head and scattering tendrils of his golden hair over his face.
"No one asked you, little brat!" Kraven hollered at the toddler.
"Talk to my son like that again and just see what happens!" Catherine snarled back, her hands and the strange reddish tinge to her eyes making her look more a demon than the docile, almost-angelic creature she always seemed to be.
"ENOUGH!" Viktor bellowed, loud and harsh enough that Michael yelped and hurried to his mother, burying his face in her skirt. "We'll have no more of this ridiculous discussion. We're not making any kind of treaty with the lycans and that is final!"
His icy eyes landed on the couple who had been arguing back and forth with him and Kraven, as if daring them to argue again. Catherine gathered both her son and his toys, then, along with Edward, they both exited the room, leaving only silence in their wake.
Viktor resumed his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache. "Jarek, step up night patrol-more Death Dealers in groups, farther boundaries of patrol-anything you can think to make better, make it better."
"I will, my lord," he promised with a firm nod.
"Good. Meeting adjourned."
A/N: Well, kiddies, that's all for now! I'll see you next time!
And in case any of you are wondering, the reason for the song at the beginning of the chapter...well, I couldn't help but think of Viktor when I was listening to this song, especially in the case of this chapter, because, as we can see, he dwells on the past. A lot.
