Chapter Nine: Desmond Tiny
Evanna returned the next evening just after sundown. The vampires and Harkat had being active for some time before that and an eyebrow was raised at the sight before her. Vancha and Darren were both sparring, Vancha swinging a stick and Darren watching his movements for the time being.
"Darren wasn't to learn to fight like Vancha," Kiara explained, though guessed that the woman did not really need an explanation.
"Pathetic," she shook her head, gesturing for the group to go inside. The youngest girl was the first to follow, her mood rather fowl. Darren had soaked up all of Vancha's attention which should have being on her.
"You don't agree?" Darren quizzed Evanna curiously.
"Swords, hands, weapons it's all the same. Fighting should be done with the mind." Her explanation was simple.
"But how do you-" Darren began asking but only moments later he'd fallen to the floor.
"Everything in your body connects to the mind, disable that and you win."
"Vancha we should be hunting," Vancha's assistant snapped, ignoring both Evanna and Darren for the moment. He was asking to be taught how to fight with the mind, something that didn't interest the half vampire.
"It would be rude to leave when we have not spoken of Des Tiny's prophecy," Vancha put a comforting hand on his assistants shoulder. "Don't let it bother you. I'm sure Evanna can shed some light on this after all."
Evanna called her guests over to eat, possibly hearing what Vancha had said. The vampires and Harkat feasted yet again on what Kiara could only call 'rabbit food' but under Evanna's roof, meat would never be allowed to be eaten in front of her. The fruits and vegetables tasted a lot better than anything Kiara could cook up at least.
"The three hunters," Evanna started once we'd all finished eating. "I have been waiting for you for many centuries."
An eyebrow was raised from Kiara instantly as Evanna's words struck her. Three hunters? Larten had told Vancha and Kiara that it was four hunters. Four vampires were here…one of them was not a hunter?
One of them had to stay behind?
"You have?" Larted gasped in a startled tone.
"I lack Desmond's clear insight into the future, but I see some of what is to come, or what might come. I knew three hunters would emerge to face the Vampaneze Lord, but I didn't know who they'd be," Evanna explained. Though the other three vampires listened to Evanna's explanation, not of them seeming to notice the number of hunters she'd given.
"Do you know if we'll be successful?" Vancha quizzed.
"I doubt if even Desmond knows that. Two strong futures lie ahead, each as possible as the other. It's rare for fate to boil down to two such evenly matched eventualities. Normally the paths of the future are many. When two exist like this chance decides which the world will take."
"What about the Lord of the Vampaneze? Have you any idea where he is?" Larten's tone was an urgent one.
"Yes."
"But you won't tell us will you?" Vancha snarled in disgust.
"No," she grinned almost mockingly.
"Will you tell us how we are to find him? And when?" Larten asked with the same urgency in his tone as his previous question.
Kiara fell into her own thoughts, she'd caught Evanna eyeing her with one of her eyes and a sinking feeling of not belonging welled up in the pit of the half vampire's stomach. Was it she who was not supposed to join in the hunt? Would she have to separate from Vancha without even becoming a full vampire? Was Evanna's prediction completely wrong about the future? Desmond saw four…or was the mysterious man lying? If her mentor was anything to go by, he trusted Evanna a lot more than he did Desmond.
"Kiara we're leaving," Vancha nudged her away from her darker thoughts. When her eyes met with Vancha's he instantly knew something was amiss with his assistant. "What's wrong?"
"One more thing," Evanna spoke up before his assistant could respond. "Desmond should have told you this, but he obviously chose not to, playing games no doubt."
"What is it Lady?" Vancha asked, though his gaze didn't stray from his assistant.
"It concerns the hunt for the Vampaneze Lord. I don't know whether you'll succeed or fail, but I have seen into the future for each possible outcome and learned some facts of what lies in store.
"I will not speak of the future where you succeed, it is not for me to comment on, but if you fail…" she paused, taking Larten and Vancha's hands, and kept one eye cast on Kiara and the second on Darren. "I tell you this because I think you should know. I don't wish to frighten you, but I wish to prepare you."
What could possibly scare us? Kiara thought bitterly.
"Four times your paths are fated to cross with the Vampaneze Lord. If they do cross, on each occasion you will have it in your power to make an end to him. If you fail, the vampaneze are destined to win the War of the Scars. This you already know.
"But what Desmond didn't tell you is by the end of the hunt, if you have faced the Vampaneze Lord four times and failed to kill him, only one of you will be around to witness the fall of the vampire clan," she lowered her eyes and dropped Larten and Vancha's hands. "The other two will be dead."
She could hold it in now longer as Evanna still spoke only of three vampires, not four.
"Evanna," Kiara put forward, not allowing silence to collect over the group. "You spoke of only three hunters, and spoke of only two dying and one surviving to witness the fall should we fail. There are four of us however."
"Correct," Evanna nodded, her eyes turning fully on the girl. "Desmond and I have conversed many times on the fourth. The fourth hunter should not be here. The fourth hunter should not be a vampire. The fourth hunter…" she mused for a few seconds.
"What of the fourth hunter?" Kiara pushed, that sinking feeling growing the more Evanna spoke. She knew somehow that the fourth hunter was herself.
"The fourth hunter has being masked from every path the future holds. The fourth hunter is you Kiara Darcy. Never have you being seen in the future. Not even when Vancha blooded you was it seen. Many times Desmond has being back and forward to find any links of you. Your life, your future, everything is masked from Desmond and I."
"How can that be?" Kiara asked, unaware just how much the revelation would impact her life.
"We do not know. Nor can Desmond play with the future you hold. You Kiara Darcy are a mystery to all. Whether your future is masked from us for good or for bad we do not know," Evanna explained and spoke no more, instead she began leading the way out of her cave, the vampires falling into line behind her. The three proper hunters thoughts on the deaths, the final hunter though, the one that shoulder be. Her thoughts were clouded by much darker thoughts, thoughts which she couldn't voice instantly.
Was I not meant to exist? Was her initial thoughts and it worried her. Desmond and Evanna could see everybody's future. Everything that was to happen in time Desmond could see and control if he so wished. It was possible that she wasn't supposed to exist. No past, no present and no future according to time itself. Desmond was a powerful man of time, governed by laws unlike any other.
That man was time itself.
Then why did she exist? Why was she here if she couldn't be seen? Did Vancha know? What if he did know and had kept the information from her? Was that why Desmond visited Vancha some time back?
Too many questions plagued her mind, so much so that as the vampires settled for the morning, she found sleep impossible. Nobody had spoken, everyone stuck to their own thoughts, though none as dark as the thoughts at plagued Vancha's assistant.
The group came upon cities, towns and deserted areas in their travels, though the vampires, Evanna and Harkat began discussing their thoughts now, one member of the group remained silent throughout. Vancha was worried, his worry only growing one night when they were feeding and she didn't keep a track of how much blood she was taking in and almost killed a human whilst drinking.
Vancha had stepped in that night, the first time he'd had too since her first four feeds. Still she did not speak, only wiped her mouth and left the unconscious human. It was at that moment the rest of the group minus Evanna began worrying for the health of the young half vampire.
A destination did come into view after a few nights of walking. It was moments before hitting their destination that the half vampire finally opened her mouth to speak her thoughts and worries.
"I should not exist," she stated, mainly to Vancha but the others and their acute hearing also heard her.
"I believe you should be thankful that Desmond cannot toy with your future as he can with others. I know Vancha would want to be as you are right now," Larten offered to which Vancha began nodding in agreement. It brought a small smile to the half vampire, but her dark thoughts still loomed over her.
Their destination was the Cirque Du Freak, she'd heard Darren mention something about it, though when she'd heard it she couldn't quite recall. All she knew was each where happy to be there for their own reasons. Darren and Larten had both travelled with the Cirque during Darren's early years of vampirism. Larten had being with the Cirque for much longer though, his past linking in with the Cirque a lot.
There was one thing that pulled Kiara out of her dark mood, one thing that brought her usual self back to normal. Vancha was his usual self, and one reason flared Kiara's reactions.
Vancha was happy to be at the Cirque because of a woman. A woman named Truska.
The show was just ending as the group arrived, thought everyone's eyes was on the stage, Kiara couldn't help but turn her eyes to Vancha to make sure his eyes were not straying elsewhere.
They wasn't
"Twincest," she nudged the vampire, nodding to the stage where two sisters were twisting and twirling their bodies around one another. Vancha laughed at the comment
The finale was a snake and a man at the back of the theatre close to where the group stood. The finish got the audience giving rounds of applause.
"I'd get more," she commented, folding her arms causing her mentor to smirk.
At least she was returning to normal now. He had no doubt his assistant would want to get up on stage herself.
The vampires met up with the Cirque owner after that, his name was Hibernius Tall and if Kiara's height issues previous were a problem, standing before the huge man made her feel smaller than ever. He towered over everybody in the group, no ordinary man that was for sure.
After the small greetings, Vancha left with the Truska lady whom his assistant learned had the ability to grow a beard. According to Vancha the two were old friends, Truska's beauty was grand though. It was no wonder Vancha went off with the woman. Jealousy rose within his assistant but she kept herself in check.
The entire group had a place within the Cirque and all had somewhere to stay and friends to speak to within the Cirque. The dark cloud which hung over the half vampire soon rose again when she was left alone without knowing where to go within the camp.
She could go off on her own now and be an independent vampire. She knew everything of the Vampire Clan and could take care of herself fine on her own. If she wasn't seen in the future by Desmond or Evanna, would it make a difference if she stayed or left? Darren, Larten, Vancha and even Harkat had their place here. She felt more distant to the four than ever before. It was the first time she'd felt distant to her own mentor.
What did she have with the four anymore?
Kiara hadn't being paying attention to where she was walking, it was only when a twig snapped behind her did she become alert, realising she'd walked into a forest. Her sword was instantly drawn and turned to a figure that had followed her.
A little boy who looked fearful for his life faced her. Sighing, she retracted her sword and sheathed the blade.
"Who're you?" he asked, his voice full off innocence, fear and bravery.
"Kiara Darcy, Vancha's assistant. And you are?"
"Shancus!" he exclaimed happily. "Wanna see my snake?"
"Could you tell my mentor I'll be returning shortly please? I need some time and I'll see your snake in the morning okay?" she offered the boy a smile that quickly nodded and ran back towards where the lights of the Cirque stood.
She sighed, turning, her pace quickening. She had to get away from the Cirque for one night. She didn't belong there like the rest of them. She didn't actually know where she belonged anymore, not even her existence was certain to her anymore. She had a dagger in her hand though, marking all the trees she passed so she could get back without any problems.
Only a few thoughts kept her from fully falling into the pit she'd began falling into. Vancha was the first. Very soon he would also be turning her into a full vampire, which would allow her to go into General training.
"Miss Darcy," her name was spoken by a very unfamiliar voice. Her pace came to a halt, her dagger now held in a defensive stance as a small fat man, smaller even than herself walked out from behind a tree.
The man was unfamiliar; how he knew her she did not know. He didn't smell like a vampire or a vampaneze. Someone she knew from when she was a human maybe? No, it couldn't be, she'd remember someone smaller than her.
"I hoped to see you around the Cirque, in fact I was just on my way there, what brings you out here?" he questioned, his tone kind, completely ignoring the sword she'd drawn ready to kill at a moment's notice.
"Who are you?" she demanded, eyes narrowing. She didn't know if this man could be dangerous or not, whoever he was, she wasn't taking any chances and would leap into combat at a moment's notice.
"You may call me Des," the man responded, the second the words left his mouth, she understood who he was and her sword was quickly sheathed.
"My apologies for my hostility towards you Desmond," she responded, knowing from Vancha that weapons were pointless against such a man. If he wanted to cause her trouble he could do it even with the strongest defences she could muster. "To what do I owe the honour?"
"Evanna told you we cannot see you in any oath of the future, not that we have ever seen you," Desmond response was still a friendly one and he walked closer to the half vampire. Walked wasn't exactly the word, waddled was more like it. He waddled over.
"She informed me yes, it is why I am out here. You can see everyone's future; you can see every path towards hopeful futures. Why am I not seen in any? Why have I never been seen?" she demanded to know, but she realised something else. "How is it you knew I'd be out here if you cannot see me?"
"Chance, I suppose would be the best way to explain it. I have looked Miss Darcy, searched for the start and finish of your life but I see nothing. For one to be clouded entirely from me is something unfamiliar to me. What are your motives?" he questioned, sitting on a rock and offered her a seat beside him. She took it pretty quickly, not wanting to anger this man.
"I motives are to be a top notch vampire. I was to stand amongst the ranks of the General's and be a vampire of good standings."
"I think you have a bigger destiny than that," Desmond stated dryly. "A destiny that is hidden from all. I'd like to see what you're capable of. Unfortunately I cannot. What would you prefer?"
She knew what he was questioning. Did he want her to be seen in the future? To be controlled by the man as he could every life form on the planet.
"I can't answer that," her response was true, "things the way they are I suppose are fine. It was just-"
"A shock to you to find out that there were only three hunters," Desmond finished the sentence for her and she gave a nod. He smiled and stood. "The future is bleak either way Miss Darcy. Should the vampire's win…or should the vampaneze win, a champion will arise from either side. Should the vampire's win, one who will call himself the Lord of the Shadow's will emerge and take control of everything. Should the vampaneze win, the same fate awaits but the Vampaneze Lord will become the Lord of Shadows."
To saw she was shocked at how freely he gave the information away was an understatement. Desmond Tiny was known to never give information to such an extent out. The War of the Scar's was meaningless then? If the same fate awaited no matter what, was everything for nothing?
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I hold nothing over you, it is that simple. Be prepared for the future Miss Darcy for only pain and suffering awaits no matter who wins this pointless war. Humans will also bring about the coming of dragons. The Lord of Shadow's will gain control over these too. Who knows though, perhaps things will become more amusing for me. A third future also awaits, though that future Evanna is not aware of, it is a future which not even I can see, though it is there. "
"That future could come about if all the hunters die and the Vampaneze Lord die then, I am correct aren't I?" she spoke carefully, not sure how much Demond was willing to give away.
"That is the only thing I can think that would bring about what is hidden to me," Desmond gave a nod, looking up at the dark sky above the tree tops. "Sunrise is shortly, I believe it is time you returned to the Cirque."
"It cannot be, I haven't-"
"Time moves differently whilst I am here," Desmond cut her off with a smile, the heart shaped watch he held glowed slightly as he spoke. "Another time then Miss Darcy."
Desmond remained seated, allowing the half vampire to leave on her own accord. She didn't think twice about leaving since it was clear the conversation was over.
She held the ace over Desmond now, he could only meddle with time and the future indirectly. She had it in her hands to alter the future, Desmond essentially said it himself. One thing Vancha wanted was to go against everything Desmond said. She had the power to do that for Vancha. Only one vampire would survive to witness the downfall of the clan?
We'll see about that, she smirked to herself, any previous doubt of her own existence vanishing as she found a new means of surviving. She'd do what Vancha has going against. Vancha blooding her must have being something else working against the forces that Desmond Tiny controlled. What they were she was no idea, the Gods of the Vampires really where on her side now.
When she returned to the campsite the Cirque had set up, the vampires were gathered with Evanna and each gave her unreadable expressions when she emerged.
"What's gone on?" she questioned instantly, sensing the atmosphere upon the group.
"Where have you been?" Vancha scolded instantly, throwing his assistant into shock at the tone he'd used with her. "Sorry Ki I was worried, nobody knew where you'd gone missing to. We've had our first shot at killing the Vampaneze Lord."
"I was with Desmond Tiny," Kiara responded to the question, which threw the group into more shock, especially Evanna. "He told me basically what you said Evanna."
She sucked one side of her cheek between her teeth and chewed on it carefully. She couldn't bring herself to say what else he'd said. The Lord of the Shadow's scared the half vampire, a vampire would turn into him if he we won and form the way Desmond spoke, she guessed it could fall down to Larten, Vancha or Darren. One of the three official hunters, a vampire turning against everything, it seems impossible to her.