CHAPTER 11: Differences of Young and Old.


Eris froze where she stood in a dark backstreet of the London suburbs, she could sense a strain in her bond with Luca and it was putting her on edge. She couldn't quite define it; the bond was weak because it had been so long since they'd shared blood, but it was always there. It had always been a bond of unwavering loyalty on his part, but recently that had been changing. She knew she should've paid more attention to Luca's activities, but with her territory being stolen by the General, Eris had been rather preoccupied.

Luca had been young and impressionable when she'd first met him and she had been drawn to his beauty and his charms for a source of entertainment, but after a while, the elder vampire had grown tired of him, and she'd lost all interest entirely; she'd kept him around as a mere slave. But now perhaps he was developing thoughts of his own, and now that Eris could sense this indescribable feeling in their bond, she was suspicious and furious. This had all started when LaCroix had arrived; this was all LaCroix's doing. It only further fuelled her already considerable rage and she narrowed her eyes and hissed cruelly into the air.

It wasn't that she cared for Luca's well being; in fact she didn't care a thing for the younger vampire at all, but it was the principle that really mattered. It was the fact that because of LaCroix, her world was falling to pieces all around p, and Eris found herself powerless to stop it. And now it seemed her worthless fledgling was the next thing to go. Like many vampire masters, Eris didn't even give that a second thought as she stared through the streets and envisioned one particular house.

She'd already spread rumours of several murdered young vampires and blamed LaCroix as the killer in an attempt to bring the community out to watch her victory over the Roman. It surely wouldn't take long once her attack started for the other vampires to sense something wrong. Eris chuckled into the shadows in anticipation; she was still quite a few streets away from the vampire LaCroix, whom she fully intended to murder this night.


"I think, you've been out of war for too long, Nicholas," LaCroix hissed at his wayward son. All the while he didn't take his eyes off the youngest vampire, Luca, who was still leaning against the wall and holding one hand loosely to his neck.

"And I think you've been in war too long, LaCroix," Nick retaliated.

"How else am I to survive?!" his master ground out with menace.

"By being smart; this is an opportunity to outsmart Eris..."

"No, it is not. Even if he is speaking the truth, Eris will sense his betrayal and he'll lead her straight here. You children can never understand how an ancient can feel the connection to our fledglings. You don't think!"

"...I..." Luca tried to speak.

"Silence!" LaCroix growled at him and Luca's words fell from his pale lips in fear. "If we keep him alive, he could turn on us as soon as she follows him here, if she hasn't already started to do so."

"And she'll bring it here with her!" Luca spoke up again, in fear. "She'll kill me for going behind her back like this...why won't you believe me?!"

"I believe you," Nick said to the younger vampire and LaCroix sighed deeply in frustration.

But Nick knew what it was like to disagree with ones master, and he knew how difficult it was to go against them; emotionally and physically. He could see that same feeling in Luca as he'd had himself over a century ago when he'd left LaCroix. Nick just knew for sure, that Luca was telling the truth - convincing LaCroix of that was going to be almost impossible though...Or was it? LaCroix had gone against his master as well. He had killed Divia because he disagreed with her ideals, so perhaps there was a chance for Nick to convince him.

"Nicholas..." LaCroix began.

"He doesn't agree with his master; I know how that feels, and so do you."

"This is different..."

"How is it different?" Nick demanded, and the older vampire glared momentarily at his son.

LaCroix hated to admit, but perhaps Nick did have a point. But he had no way of knowing for sure; if he drank Luca's blood, Eris would surely sense it and she would come charging in like a bull in a china shop and she'd try and kill all of them...and if she really did have that creature still, then the odds were not so good. It didn't leave him with many more options to chose, from, and running away seemed like the only one he hadn't contemplated - for good reason. A general never fled.

A distant rustling in the wind suddenly drew the old vampire's attention away from Luca, and he was able to sense the nearing of a great anger.

"Well..." LaCroix sighed, turning to face his son, "Either way it doesn't matter now."

"What?" Nick asked.

"She's here," he said simply, right before something smashed through the large bay window with enough force to send all three vampires hurtling across the room.


Nick found himself alone in the darkness, and even with his enhanced senses he couldn't make out a thing in the shadows. "LaCroix?" he called out but all he heard was his voice echoing back at him. "Eris!" he tried again, but once more, he got no answer.

He tried to walk around, hoping that he'd be able to see something or hear someone else but it was just an endless shadow in which he stood, alone. Nicholas had no idea what had happened; one minute he'd been standing in the living room with LaCroix and Luca, trying to convince his master of the younger vampire's sincerity, and then he was alone in shadow. It didn't make any sense.

"Nicolas..." a voice spoke up, like a whisper in the wind.

"LaCroix?" he jumped, "Is that you?"

"No," the voice said, "My son, it is I."

"...Father?" Nick blinked, and instinctively spun around, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Yes," it said.

Nick spun around as the voice of his father continued to move with the wind and it felt a though he were being stabbed in the heart each time the voice spoke. "You failed me," the voice added.

"What? How?" Nick breathed, his heart beating faster. The thought never crossed his mind that this was the work of Eris' monster; he hadn't seen or heard his mortal afternoon in so long, Nick missed him.

"Your sister. I told you to care for your sister!"

"I did!" Nick cried.

"No, no, you made her miserable! She was in love and you denied her! You denied them both!"

"I did what was best for them both!" Nick shouted, quickly recalling the expression on his young sisters' face that night.

"No, no you failed them. You failed your sister and you failed your master!"

"No...no, I did what was best for them both!" Nick shook his head in anger as the voice of his mortal father warped into a deep, manic cackle.

"You are an échec...a failure!"

"No...I..." Nick blinked, "Wait...wait...English...we've been speaking English...not French...how..." Nick frowned in confusion. "You're not real...you're not my father," he breathed quickly, string back. Never in his youth had his family spoken English, not once, but if this was the creature, why was it not speaking French? It had done so before...maybe it was still weak despite Eris' attempts to strengthen it.

At his revelation, Nick stepped back in fear as the shadows growled loudly at him but he could see that the darkness seemed to be dissipating. He saw a glimpse of pale moonlight seep through in the distance and with difficulty, he pushed all thoughts of his father and sister aside. He knew this wasn't really anything to do with his mortal family; his fears were being used against him and he couldn't let it defeat him.

Nick took a deep breath as the cluster of shadows started to surround him, like a snake encircling his limbs it spiralled around him. He could feel the pressure increase around his arms and legs as though the darkness had a tangible presence. However, he couldn't help but notice that the shadowed creature seemed weaker than he remembered; he'd seen through its lies this time and he was standing up to it...perhaps it was weakening.

Nick could see breaks in the shadows where the moonlight was seeping through growing larger and larger and the coal black eyes that stared at him grew more and more angry. He didn't know what to do for the best but he decided that, as the creature now seemed to have a physical body, or at least part of one, that there was now something he could fight. So, he bared his fangs and he bit down into it.

A second later, a loud roar shook the very foundation of Nick's world and he was thrown up into the air like he weighed nothing at all. Then, he felt something force him through a painfully hard surface, a wall, he guessed considering that he believed himself to still be in the house. He scoured the shadows in search of his enemy but it seemed to have disappeared the second he'd bitten it. Nick couldn't even say that he'd tasted blood when he'd done so; it had been a strange sensation. If he had to liken it to anything it would be popping a ballon with a needle; his teeth being the needles and the shadows being the balloon.

Nick groaned as he felt his bones crack as he was tossed mercilessly through the air and into yet another hard surface. Now he was back to fighting something he could see or feel, he wasn't sure of he had a chance after all when, a second later, he felt a sharp pressure push down slowly, right over his heart.


Just as the glass shattered, Luca fled quickly from the room and out into the street. He could see the house engulfed in darkness, almost like it was trapped in the eye of a tornado. The young vampire knew that his master was the cause of this; he had tried to help LaCroix but he hadn't had enough time to make much of a difference. He sighed as he pushed himself up off the floor, but just as he stood up, he felt a presence sneak up behind him and he suddenly felt very vulnerable.

"Traitor!" Amelia hissed as she threw his across the road.

"Argh!" Luca cried as he hit the concrete painfully. He stared up at Amelia, knowing that the only way out of this was when one of them killed the other, but he didn't want to fight her. She was his sister and they'd always looked out for one another, they'd protected each other from their masters' rage and he'd helped her through her blood lust. But she'd always been easily led, and Eris had more of a hold on her than he did. Amelia hadn't had the time to develop thoughts of her own, and all she had ever been was Eris' puppet...just as he had been. It only made him pity his poor sister all the more.

But, he'd chosen his side, and now he'd have to pay the price; Luca flew up and he rushed straight at Amelia. Because she was so young, Amelia knew little about fighting and her only constant was her feral rage as she swiped and hissed at him.

For several minutes they tossed each other around and they danced around in a blur of red eyes and shining fangs. But it was clear that Luca was stronger and in a split second in which Amelia left herself unguarded, he knocked her down and wrapped his strong hands around her slim neck.

"Eris will kill you," she growled at him.

"Maybe," he said, tightening his hands round her neck, "But not before I see this put right," he finished. With that said, he snapped her neck without mercy, then he bit her neck and drained her of every last drop of blood.

When he was finished he looked back up to the house and the wind had begun to pick up around it adding to the tornado effect, and practically acting as a beacon to every other vampire in the city. Luca knew Eris had wanted her planned victory over LaCroix to be public, but if this kept going it would attract mortal attention as well.

"They will all be killed for this!" Luca suddenly hear another voice speak and he whipped around in search of the person.

"Who are you?" he demanded, and he saw two vampires standing there, watching the house.

"Foolish child," the first one merely scoffed at him and then the nameless vampire looked out into the street with a hiss, baring his long fangs. "Foolish children," he corrected himself and Luca frowned in confusion.

He could sense, and see, a large number of vampires approaching the area and he weighed the option of simply flying away and hiding, because this was going to get nasty. A huge hoard of angry vampires was soon gathered in the street, all seemed intent on driving LaCroix out of town.

"It's LaCroix's fault!" someone yelled, and many of the other vampires seemed to agree with them.

Luca half ran and half flew out of the shadows to stand before the mass of enraged and confused vampires of London, then with a purposeful gaze and with a calm voice, which belied none of his deep rooted fear, he spoke up.

"Before any of you act, you need to know this; Eris is responsible for the deaths of hundreds...if not thousands of vampires. She used them as nothing more than food for that...that thing," he said pointing at the shadows circling the house, "...Surely you can't follow such a person!"

"But this all started when the Roman came here!"

"Because Eris was jealous of him!" Luca shouted back, "She didn't want to lose her territory."

"You're lying!" a vampire challenged.

"Why would I lie?"

"It's a trick..."

"It's the truth," Luca replied.

"What if she decides to kill us all as food?!" one of the crowd yelled.

"Then we'll kill her!" another yelled.

"And that monster!" screamed another vampire, and there was a cry of support that spread throughout the crowd.

Then, after less than a split second, the mass of vampires grew increasingly more angry as the minutes ticked by and Luca was very afraid. He had no idea what was going to happen. If the community worked itself up into a frenzy and attacked, then it would certainly draw mortal attention and then they'd all be in trouble.


"Nicholas!" LaCroix yelled as he flew through the darkness. He had no idea where he was now, but his only concern was for Nick; he wasn't afraid of Eris and her tricks.

"Hello, LaCroix," he heard a familiar voice chuckle and he stopped flying in less than a second.

"Your tricks don't work on me," he smirked, "Is this your attempt at a more direct approach?" LaCroix asked, but Eris only smiled, appearing from the shadows, she walked over to him. "Your child betrayed you," he gloated, "Luca told me everything," he said and she glared at him.

"Luca is, and always has been a fool," she hissed, her serene countenance gone.

"But he's not your fool anymore," LaCroix chuckled back, which prompted a deeper hiss from Eris. "I wonder how long it will take for your daughter to turn on you," he smiled, "You just can't teach children to understand loyalty these days."

"And of course, your Nicholas would know all about that."

"Nicholas always returns to me; over 600 years of his stubbornness and yet each time he has returned. He understands loyalty," LaCroix said, even though he didn't necessarily believe it. He knew that Nick did not feel much, if any loyalty towards him as a master, but it was true that over the years after falling astray, Nick always found his way back.

"He is headstrong and foolish," she scoffed, "And I swear to you, LaCroix, before the night is done, you will watch your precious son die...right before you join him in hell," Eris smiled and LaCroix hissed menacingly at her.

His red eyes held her gaze with a hatred so deep, he was practically seeing red; he wanted to tear out her throat and watch as all her foul blood stained the floor. Threatening him was all well and good, but threatening Nicholas! It was suicide to threaten Nicholas in his presence and LaCroix vowed that he would make her pay dearly - he would no longer play by Nicholas' rule of 'no killing'. It was time for Eris to die.

The two vampires flew sat each other in a flurry of fangs, furious hisses and snarls as they tore at each other, both aiming for the kill. While LaCroix was stronger, Eris was perhaps a second faster because she was lighter than him so they continued to dance their lethal tango around and around in the shadows.

During their fight LaCroix noticed Eris begin to smile and laugh, lightly at first and then increasing to hysteria as they attacked and dogged each other. At first he thought she viewed the whole thing as a game, which was a concept he could understand as a solider, and then he stared to question her sanity when she showed no sighs of stopping her laughter.

It was clear that something had her very distracted because she was slowly losing their fight, and when LaCroix twisted her arm with enough force to break the bone she seemed to snap out of it. But she didn't scream. Instead she jumped back and regarded him with a curious expression.

"Don't you realise you've lost, LaCroix?" she asked and he scoffed in the shadows.

"You're insane," he hissed.

"And you, are history," Eris replied and she lifted a hand to the darkness.

Then, the shadows disappeared quickly, revealing the living room of his house which had a shattered window, broken furniture and walls which had been seemingly smashed through. "As is your son," Eris spoke again and for a moment, LaCroix wondered what she was talking about. But he soon found out.

Nick was lying with a stake pushed into his chest with blood seeping out and he had his hands wrapped around it, trying to stop it from piercing his body any further. Holding the stake was a shadow in the semblance of a body with little detail but with eyes as sharp as its weapon.

"This is my victory over you," Eris said with a smile, "But don't worry, I promised you would follow him soon after, and I meant it."

LaCroix hissed and went to attack her but as soon as he did he heard Nick cry out and the older vampire paused in his movements. "You see; I am better than you. You are a failure, LaCroix. In war, if one has a weakness it means one loses...but of course you know that, General, so consider this your defeat," she laughed.

Nick tightened his hold around the stake but it didn't make much difference; the skin above his heart was already broken and bleeding and it was sapping his remaining strength. "Say good bye to your son," Eris smirked at him, and before LaCroix could even act, Nick was pushed aside, away from the stake.

In his place stood Luca, who was instantly impaled on said stake.

LaCroix watched as surprise played out on Eris' face as the stake pierced Luca's chest, protruding from his back covered in blood. The old General himself was reeling from the surprise; he'd been so angered at Eris using Nick as a weapon against him that he hadn't noticed Luca approach. But he supposed that this was one way of proving that the child had been telling the truth about betraying Eris.