A continuation of the previous chapter. Thank you to those of you still reading and reviewing. Always appreciated. In this chapter, Hal realises the depths of James's deception and he's not a happy boy. All errors are my own and unintentional.
Chapter Ten:
There's a subtle shift in the atmosphere and Hal sees Mr Snow enter. With him are two other vampires, they are tall and powerfully built and Hal recognises them as bodyguards. He eyes them warily. He straightens in his chair as Snow approaches them, he slowly rises. He waits as Snow looks at him.
"Hal." he greets and there is a benign smile on his pale face. Hal swallows.
"Mr Snow." he murmurs back.
"Edgar has explained the situation to me, rather unfortunate it would seem. Please, sit down. I don't mind in the slightest." he turns and looks to Wyndam.
"Everything is arranged?" he enquires and Wyndam nods.
"Their arrival is imminent." he tells him and at that moment Maria strides towards them both.
"They're on their way." she tells them in a low voice and Hal wants to know who it is that they're talking about. Wyndam turns and looks at Hal.
"Remember what I said." he murmurs and Hal nods and watches as both of Snow's bodyguards stand in front of the table, in front of him, effectively blocking him from view. Snow and Wyndam stand a little further along. He lifts his head and watches as Maria comes to sit beside him. She sees the question in Hal's eyes and she lifts a finger to her lips. Hal frowns.
"Ah…Mr Winterbourne and Louis…I'm sorry we weren't formally introduced so I have no way of knowing how to address you." Wyndam's tone is solicitous and Hal's head snaps around when he hears their names being spoken.
Then he remembers what Wyndam has instructed him to do. Remain quiet, in his seat and to listen.
Wyndam watches as both James and Louis enter the Great Hall. The room is lit with torches and it sends a flickering glow around the interior of the large room. He sees how they glance at Snow's companions.
"I did not realise that we would have an audience sir." James begins. He sends another wary glance Snow's way.
"This change of circumstances requires my permission James. Did you think that Edgar's decision to replace Hal is a decision made by only him? No." He straightens slightly.
"When I decide to send a vampire to be…educated and polished, it has to be done correctly. I need to see for myself that the choice is a correct one. Hal would have been a perfect pupil for Edgar. Such a shame…" he sighs and Wyndam glances briefly at him.
"It was indeed a shame. He had such potential. I had such hopes for him, hopes that I shared with you if you care to remember?" Wyndam looks at him. He sees how James looks between them.
"How long has it been since you were recruited James? Where were you recruited, you will have to refresh my memory. I follow the progress of many vampires but quite a few slip through the net. Hal was such a vampire."
"I was recruited a century ago sir, just after Agincourt." he answers and Wyndam nods thoughtfully.
"And how long have you been a member of Mr Snow's household?"
"I'm not sure sir; I know that it has been quite a while."
"Hmmm…and Hal was recruited … barely ten years ago I think." he looks to Snow as if looking for confirmation and Snow nods. Wyndam sighs.
"It must have…annoyed you that that…upstart managed to acquire something that you had hoped for so long would happen to you. Ten years or less in the making and here he is, appearing out of nowhere, his arrogance attracting all sorts of attention, the women flocking around him and Mr Snow summoning me from my cosy estate in England to give him a little bit of a polish. It must have galled you that this happened to him and not to you." He stands up straighter, his gaze fixed on his face, a face that is gradually becoming paler.
"Sir…" Wyndam lifts an imperative hand and James's words halt.
"You thought that you were being so clever. You knew about Hal's friendship with Mary, you knew that despite everything, despite his nature, that he would never harm her. You also knew about Mr Snow's rule about no one being harmed, especially Mistress Mary but you were jealous, insanely jealous of Hal weren't you? and you wanted to teach him a lesson."
"No sir…Hal is my friend…when he arrived Louis and I took him under our wings, we took care of him, showed him the ways of the household." Wyndam's expression darkens.
"I remember our conversation of the night that I arrived Mr Winterbourne. You told me that Hal was sweet on Mary and reluctant to leave her, that he was thinking about recruiting her. I may be an Old One but I am not an idiot." he hisses at him.
"This is just rumour sir, a theory…" he begins. His words stutter to a halt once again when Wyndam takes a step back and extracts something from this inside of his coat. It's a piece of paper.
"No Mr Winterbourne, not a rumour. You yourself gave me my proof…in this letter." he holds it aloft before reading it. He looks at James once more.
"This letter is…rather…expressive don't you think, a plea from a man pining for his love to pay one last secret visit before his departure?" he reaches inside his coat again. He takes out another similar piece of paper.
"During my meeting with him, I asked Hal whether he could read or write and he told me that he could…passably." he places the paper on the table beside James and he looks down at it as Wyndam extracts the first sheet of paper which he also places on the table so that they're side by side.
"I asked that he show me how passably he could write and well…you can see the results for yourself." One is a page of flowing, beautifully written script and if Wyndam hadn't seen Hal's own example for himself then he may have well believed it to have come from him. The other example is untidy and dotted with ink spots. The idea is there but the letters are poorly formed and hesitant. Hal had not liked his request at all.
"They are very different don't you agree?" Wyndam enquires, looking at James. His mouth opens and closes for a moment.
"Hal is very cunning Mr Wyndam sir, who is to say that he didn't provide both samples and deliberately used bad letter formation and untidiness?" James answers defensively. Wyndam turns and looks at him.
"Because of the added bait of Mary and let's not forget about the belladonna potion. Yes, I know about the poison." He smiles at his look of shock.
"The only way that Hal would attack and kill Mary is to be not of his right mind. We have been a witness to his night terrors and I have heard it told that during his celebration Hal was loud, argumentative and especially difficult in his behaviour. Then there is the disposal of Rose, the camp follower and there is also the fact that Mistress Alice described a completely different gentleman to Hal as the one who purchased the potion though he gave Hal's name." At this, Wyndam turns his attention to Louis.
"Her description of that Hal Yorke sounded very much like you Louis."
Absolute silence falls in the Great Hall. Then Wyndam looks back at James.
"Jealousy is a dangerous, corrosive emotion Mr Winterbourne. It eats away at a soul without mercy. Hal has been punished because of you and your underhanded dealings. I am always interested in quick thinking, in strength of mind and wit. I'm intrigued by intelligence and how it is applied. While you have this and possibly more, your jealousy overpowers all of it."
"And you have called me here to inform me of that? What is to be my punishment for using my quick thinking, strength of mind and my intelligence?" James retorts. A faint ghost of a smile crosses Wyndam's face.
"Where do you think Hal is at this very moment in time Mr Winterbourne? What do you think he would say to all of this skulduggery and trickery?" he waits a brief moment.
"I know. Shall we ask him?" Wyndam turns his head and as if on cue, the two bodyguard vampires move away from their position in front of the head table. James's eyes go wide when he sees Hal seated in Wyndam's chair, his feet on the table, idly cleaning his fingernails with a long silver bladed dagger. After a moment he lifts his head and he looks at Louis who by now has moved a little closer to James, then to James himself and then finally at Wyndam.
"I only curse the fact that I couldn't see this plot for myself. That I was so…idiotic not to recognise it for what it truly was. A celebration with a cask of Mr Snow's finest wine?" he makes a rude sound with his lips as he lowers his legs to the ground and gets to his feet in one quick agile movement. "I won't fall for that ruse again."
No one else speaks as he walks past Maria and skirts around the end of the long table.
"The only way that you could hope to better me was to try and take my place. The only way that could happen was for you to implicate me in a plot so heinous that the only punishment would be my complete eradication." He stops in front of the small group.
"And the only way that was going to happen was for you to drug me, to try and poison me, knowing what you know about my past… difficulties." his voice lowers.
"You are nobody!" James bites back, his voice low and vibrant with anger.
"Yet quite innocently I managed to capture the attention of both Mr Snow and Edgar Wyndam. Imagine that? " He holds the dagger in his hand. It had been left in front of him as he had taken his seat and as he looks down at it he wonders whether it was placed there deliberately. He wields it and presses the edge of the blade against James's neck and watches as he goes absolutely still.
"Remember that conversation we had at dinner the other evening James? How you accused me of being afraid?" his hand is steady, the blade slicing into the thin skin, against where Hal knows the blood will flow the easiest. He watches with abstract fascination as a bright red bead bubbles up against the silver.
"You accused me of being afraid and I reminded you that while I was indeed fearless, I was also not stupid. Your stupidity is what let you down James. Your arrogant abject stupidity." He begins to walk and helplessly James is forced to go backwards with him. His back bumps against the wood panelled wall and both men are once again still.
"You do this to me? You sacrifice an innocent life to humiliate me? She was my friend." his voice lowers to a bare whisper.
"You would have killed her one day" James hisses back at him and Hal tilts his head to one side.
"You don't know that." he replies softly and James slowly smiles.
"It was worth it. Your public humiliation, your downfall and knowing that I had done that to you was worth all of it. She came so willingly, she truly believed you were the author of that note. Right up until I offered her the wine and tied the scarf across her eyes, she believed that you loved her." James whispers. Slowly Hal lowers the blade but he does not break eye contact. His chin comes up and emotion burns at the backs of his eyes at his cruel words.
"You've made one grievous error James." he whispers to him, pushing his face closer to him. The amusement begins to fade from James's eyes. Hal turns the blade around and presses the tip of it against his throat.
"You were so desperate for attention but you didn't best me. You only think that you did." He puts his mouth against his ear. He pauses for a brief moment.
"Think again."
James's eyes bulge as with one vicious thrust, Hal forces the tip of the dagger into his throat. He chokes as blood gushes out of the wound and over Hal's hand. His hands come up and then drop uselessly by his sides as more flows from his mouth. Hal stares steadily at him and gives the blade one final brutal twist. James gives a final agonised gasp and then he is still.
Wyndam comes to stand beside Hal and he surveys James's still twitching body. He watches Hal takes a step back and James slides to the floor, the knife protruding obscenely from the front of his neck. Hal is pale but he is completely composed. Wyndam holds out a wooden stake.
"Do you want to finish the job?" he asks and Hal looks at it and then at him. A fine mist of blood droplets decorate his face. He shakes his head and turns. He sees Snow standing beside Louis and that he is flanked by the two bodyguards of before. Slowly he approaches them.
"Well met Mr Yorke, well met. And what of this one?" Snow asks, tilting his head towards Louis. Hal looks at him. He's reminded of how tall and powerfully built he is. He also sees the terror in his eyes.
"He can live and with it he will never forget my generosity. I'm sure we can find him a position within Mr Wyndam's household where I can keep an eye on him." he stares at him. Louis looks away but not before Hal sees the flash of gratitude that replaces that former fear.
"I'm certain Edgar will not have any complaints about that." Both of them turn to him, to see him straightening up, watching James's motionless body dissolve into ash and cobwebs. Hal looks back at Snow.
"If I may be excused?" he requests. Snow inclines his head.
"Of course." he demurs and Hal walks out of the Great Hall.
Snow watches Wyndam approach him. In one hand is the stake and in the other is the dagger, the blade of which he is wiping on the hem of his coat. He sees Louis still standing beside Snow and he pauses.
"And what about him?" he enquires, pointing the tip of the blade in his direction. Snow glances at him.
"Hal wants him kept alive; he thinks you may find a use for him." Wyndam arches an eyebrow.
"Does he now?"
"He spared his life and in turn that makes it his to decide upon, I think he has earned it don't you?" Wyndam casts another look Louis's way. He's waxen pale and sweating slightly.
"He has." he sighs and looks at him.
"Your life, such as it is belongs to Hal now. Be thankful for that; be thankful you didn't meet the end of your friend back there. We depart for England tomorrow." he sees how Louis nods, pathetically relieved. They watch him scuttle away. Wyndam looks around the Great Hall.
"Where is Hal?" Snow just shrugs.
"Returned to his chamber I imagine." he answers.
Hal returns to his chamber and he sits on the bed. He looks down at his blood soaked hands and clenches them into tight fists. He thinks of Mary and his throat tightens and tears swell in his eyes. He lifts his head and he takes a breath and swipes them away.
He has had his vengeance. Now he must face England's shores.
He starts when he hears the knock on his door. He frowns. Not now. He takes a deep breath and gets to his feet. He approaches the door and opens it.
The two men stare at each other.
"You did well in there." Wyndam begins. Hal doesn't answer.
"You will be better in time. We leave early tomorrow so you must be ready." Hal just nods.
"The sooner I am gone from this place, the happier I shall be." he mutters. Wyndam takes a step towards him and places a hand on his shoulder.
"You haven't fed properly, you must be starved." Hal regards him. He's right, ever since he was released from his cell he has been battling to keep the hunger pangs at bay. The lack of blood has made him a little unsteady, on edge, a little more…angry.
"Come with me. I have just the thing for you."
She looks up when she hears the scrape of the bar being drawn back from the door and the click of a lock being turned. Her previous rage has dulled somewhat and she refuses to allow the waiting fear to replace it. She watches as two men enter. She can't see their faces, they're in shadow but she recognises the outline of one of them. She straightens, her heart beat increasing. She shouldn't have believed him when he said that she would be safe, that she would be afforded safe passage from this place. She should have realised after what he'd revealed to her that her life was forfeit from the moment she stepped over the threshold.
Evil blooms in this place. It lives and it breathes like the trees, like the flowers that grow outside. The roots of it are deep and all pervading. She moves backwards as they come closer to her until her back is pressed against the cold damp wall.
"Alice...meet Hal." that voice introduces and Alice watches him step into the dim torchlight. Her eyes widen in recognition.
"You…" she whispers. Hal regards her almost curiously. Alice looks to his companion. He stands near to his shoulder, holding onto that lit torch.
"He's hungry you see. Don't worry, it will be quick." he murmurs. Alice looks back at Hal and he's still watching her and his gaze is steady. His head tilts slightly to one side and she feels honest fear curdle in the pit of her stomach.
"What…who are you?" she stammers, her eyes going wide.
"I thought you already knew what we are my dear." the other man replies. He moves away but not before Alice sees Hal's eyes bleed black, before she hears an unearthly hiss. She sees fangs and panic slams into her.
She screams as he attacks.