Hello everyone!
Just want to take this opportunity to thank my beta reader, who unfortunately, due to health reasons, will no longer be able to continue lending me her talent. Hopefully this won't affect the quality of my work too much, I'll try to be extra careful with my spelling and sentence structure in general, but as I'm not a native speaker there will be times when a few things might slip under my radar.
Also, sorry for the long delay in updating both my stories (if you're also following The S Supremacy, another chapter is already on the works and shouldn't take long to come out).
As she's driven to the Council's meeting, Delphine wonders how she ended up in this position. She certainly never wanted it, didn't even dream of such a thing, in fact, its existence was unknown to her until a week ago. And now, here she is, in the back of a luxury car with Ferdinand by her side, willingly heading into what may very well be the her end. She could rationalize it, believe her position within DYAD and the information she's capable of providing gives her some sort of privilege or protection, but that's uncertain. Especially if she is forced to reveal all she knows. How will they react? And more importantly, who will be there to safeguard her wellbeing?
She can't count on Ferdinand, who obviously sees her as disposable. And she's not even sure Cosima's going to be there, or what condition she'll be in. If the last time they met is anything to go by, probably not very well - Cosima might be willing to keep Delphine safe, but she could be too weak to defend her, or too out of her head to even realize what's happening around her.
Then again, maybe not. After much insistence, Ferdinand has revealed that Cosima's condition has improved exponentially, that the treatment is taking effect, and she's nearly returned to full strength. Perhaps Delphine's fears are less founded in her distrust of Ferdinand's words, and more because she fears that Cosima will hold Delphine's role in the vampire's near demise against her.
Either way she looks at it, Delphine is all too aware of the danger she's walking into, and even if she could try to ignore it, she wouldn't. Fear will keep her mind sharp, ready to react quickly to adversities, however feeble that reaction may be when compared to the faster, more reliable instincts that vampires naturally have.
The night is fully set, Delphine notices as she gazes out the tinted window. They've left the city and have been driving through secondary roads for about 30 minutes. A few cars pass them by, but the further they get from any sort of residential or industrial area, the more sparse it becomes. Delphine has no idea where she is or where she's going; despite the occasional glance outside she's completely turned around. At first she thought their driver was just making sure they weren't being followed, but the longer the vehicle drives from any main artery, the less she believes it. Now she's convinced the meeting is happening well outside city limits.
Delphine has occasionally regretted her request to remove her security detail, as Marion calls it. She had proclaimed that if the vampires were to notice the tail, they would call the whole thing off, and this opportunity would be lost. Reluctantly, Marion had agreed, probably thinking she's disposable as well. For all she knows, she's on her own with no one to come to her rescue.
Next to her, Ferdinand tries to make small talk, doing his best not to look as nervous as he evidently is. Delphine's just not sure if that is because this would be the first time he's attending one of these meetings, or if it's because his neck is also on the line. He's the one who delivered the message, it's more than likely that if Delphine fails to deliver, Ferdinand will pay the price.
"Have you ever attended one of these?" Delphine asks when she's done with small talk.
"I'm not sure there ever has been one of these," he answers, looking at her and chuckling nervously. "I doubt they ever granted an audience to an human, that is. But no, I was never invited to attend of the Council's meeting."
"So, you don't know what to expect either," Delphine comments in a low voice, turning away to peer into the darkness that surrounds them.
"I know not to speak out of turn," he responds, returning the jab, "and I'd advise you to do the same."
Delphine hums. "So you don't report directly to the Council then," she observes.
"No, I have a middle man… well, woman really… a… a female vampire," he stammers, and it's a far cry from the confident man she has seen so far.
The doctor raises a brow, but makes no further comment. She's aware that there's a complex dynamic in relationships between vampires and humans. She's not daft, she knows it's not uncommon for humans to be willing to tie themselves to vampires, volunteering a regular source of food in exchange for protection. It's seen throughout nature, why should humans be any different? However, Delphine suspects that in Ferdinand's case the host-parasite dynamics might be a little different. It's not exactly protection he wants, it's something more. He acquires a more significant status when aligning himself with the vampires. She believes that, in his mind, Ferdinand feels superior to most humans, and to be a lap dog for this vampire woman is a small price to pay for that.
Still, it doesn't make him any less dangerous; in a way he does have an advantage over Delphine, his connection with a powerful vampire giving him influence as well. Delphine understands she's below Ferdinand, even if he's not at the top. Caution drive Delphine to not forget that and, perhaps, if she acts according to her place, she too will be granted some sort of favour. The only question here is if she's of the disposition to do so, to keep her head down and act subservient, give them what they want and maybe she'll get what she wants in return.
When the car stops in front of the gates of a large, abandoned looking old house, Delphine still isn't sure how she should proceed.
Cosima has been given relative freedom after she recovered from the second dose of the treatment. She can wander throughout the large house and has access to every division except for Shay's quarters. There hasn't been any mention of her being confined within the house, but there's a guard at the door constantly, and whenever she approaches it they give her an ugly look that Cosima doesn't want to put to the test. At the moment, she's probably strong enough to push by them without finding much resistance, but it's probably not worth it only to buy another battle with Shay and those under her rule. Besides, she's not fully reestablished, and leaving the house also means losing access to the remainder of the antidote. She'll stay put for now.
At least she can spend more time with Felix, whose humor improves as Cosima's health does, even though he remains unable to bring her news from the outside. His movements are still being watched, and he says that it's better not to give them any more reasons to suspect his activities. He has kept his distance from the Nightcrawler and everyone associated with it. In a way, he's also a prisoner of sorts. He can come and go as he pleases, but is unable to contact anyone who matters.
The most relevant information he gives, however, comes from the movements inside the house. Cosima, although living with the family, is still left out of the loop regarding everything that is happening around her. People she once trusted, and who once trusted her, now become silent when she passes by, the conversations are hushed whenever she's within earshot. Makes no difference though, Felix's little act of rebellion is to inform her of all that she's not privy to. He brings her news of talks of an urgent Council meeting being called, even if he doesn't know the reason for it.
The two of them spend some time speculating, wondering if it's in any way related to the investigation they were conducting before it was cut short due to Cosima's condition. What they couldn't predict was about to come next, when Shay had called Cosima to her study and said that the younger vampire's presence in the Council was requested.
Years ago, such a request wouldn't mean much, Cosima attended several of these meetings as Shay's right hand. Now, however, circumstances have changed, and she was no longer considered part of Shay's family, let alone her inner circle. It has been made abundantly clear that Cosima was no longer worthy of trust. So, it was with much astonishment that Cosima received news of the summoning. Perhaps the time has come for her to face the consequences of her actions, her fate in the hands of not only Shay, but the Council of Elders. Perhaps they fear Cosima has revealed something that would jeopardize the secrecy they treasure so much.
She rides with Shay to the meeting in the back of one of their huge, black SUVs. Other than the two of them, only the driver and one muscle man sit in the front. Not only because Shay's confident that, even if Cosima attempted an escape - which is very unlikely - the older vampire is perfectly capable to put an end to it by herself, but also because the people who summon and attend these meetings value privacy. The fewer people who know about it, the better.
Still, it's not until Cosima notices their drive taking them out of the city that she knows something very serious is about to happen. While the Council never meets in the same venue, they still value comfort and convenience.
They must be an hour outside the city when the car comes to a stop. Two big men, whose glacier eyes immediately give away their nature, open the rusty gates for them to pass. At the end of the road, a large house comes into view. Decrepit, the once salmon paint is faded by decades without proper care, and high vegetation covers the grounds. Half the windows are broken, and stained, ripped, white curtains dance freely at the whim of the wind, lending a ghostly appearance to the large house. And yet, there are lights coming from several windows on the ground floor...flickering and wavering, they cast elongated shadows of figures to the outside.
"Park in the back and meet us inside," Shay says in a commanding voice to the two men in the front seat, and then turns to Cosima. "Let's go!"
Without another word, Shay gets out of the car, and Cosima scrambles to follow. The moment she shuts the door, the car drives away, cutting through the tall grass and disappearing from sight as it turns the corner of the building, probably to join the rest of the vehicles that brought the people already inside. The massive front door opens with a long, loud creak when both women stop in front of it, a woman with long dark hair and a pale complexion holds it until they're inside, and the same noise fills the foyer area as the door is closed.
"Cosima!" The woman says with obvious surprise, her thin lips painted bold red draw a smile. "It has been so long."
Cosima needs to look up to meet the woman's blue eyes and attempts to mirror the smile. "It certainly has, Joanna."
The woman says nothing else, only nods and steps aside. Cosima's sure that the reason for her prolonged absence is widely known in the community; Shay would've made sure of it, painting her as an ungrateful, disloyal vampire who turned her back on the family in favour of a conventional life. She feels Joanna's eyes on her back as she walks along the corridor to the right of the entrance. The path is illuminated by several candles. They have no other option, Cosima knows that is very unlikely that the electric system is in working condition. Still, the sight is entirely in tune with tired clichés.
Their destination, it seems, it's a large space, which would've been the dining room in its most illustrious days. The table set in the center of the room is round - it's always round, symbolizing that no one is above anyone else. The chairs have tall backs but remain empty for the time being. However, Cosima knows she won't have a seat at this table, not even if she was in good graces with the elders. As before, she'll sit on one of several chairs propped against the walls. If this is anything like before, she'll be allowed to assist but not talk. In the old days, the most she did was to get up to whisper something she thought relevant into Shay's ear and her sire would voice her opinion. Democracy at work, as long as you have a seat at the table.
But that was then, and this is now. Cosima has no idea why her presence is tolerated, let alone requested.
She looks around, a painting from a life she thought she'd left behind stands before her. In this world, things don't really change much, and decades can pass before a new face comes along. The people who merely glance her way are the same who have, for many decades, received her with open arms. Cosima can't blame them, she understands. Had she been in their position, she wouldn't exactly be thrilled to have someone like herself, who turned her back on her kind, back into the heart of the power. Which, of course, only makes this particular situation more bewildering.
Still, and despite the occasional ugly looks cast her way, no one truly makes a move to have her removed from the presence of the highest ranking members of the community. In fact, if it wasn't for those same looks, she'd almost feel welcome. For every suspicious glance she receives, there's also an acknowledging head nod, even a few smiles are thrown at her. It's bizarre how all of this almost feels comfortable to her.
"Despite the circumstances, it's nice to see you again, Cosima," the deep baritone voice behind her is accompanied by a hand softly landing on her shoulder.
Cosima turns and sees a gentle smile on the man's lips. "Likewise, Francis," she replies.
His smooth skin is black marble, no imperfections whatsoever. Clean shaved head and beard, the elder towers over everyone in the room. As always, he's impeccably dressed in a three piece suit, black with a gray vest and tie against the traditional white shirt. He'd look like any other businessman around the world, an expensive lawyer, or maybe a lobbyist in Congress, if it weren't for his long white fangs and unnatural crystal blue eyes, which mask the kindness of his features.
"I'm positively curious about what your… friend has to say," he says.
Cosima raises a brow and tilts her head, but has no time to formulate a question that would convey her confusion before the man's attention is called elsewhere in the room. She looks to her side, in search of Shay for answers, but her sire is now in conference with the two men who accompanied them, just outside the room.
No one else dares approach her. When she meets someone's stare, they immediately break eye contact. Only one meets her gaze...with an unnerving smile on her lips. Rachel is by far the most recent addition to these meetings, and by recent, the time is measure in decades, not years or months. She was introduced nearly 20 years ago as Aldous' right hand - the fate of his previous associate, who had been by his side for literally a century, no one knows or cares to ask. Each family is the responsibility of its head, and they're free to run it as they see fit. Only if, intentionally or by negligence, it puts the community as an whole in danger, do the other families intervene, as long as it's approved by the Council. Still, elitist and arrogant, Rachel is the perfect addition to a family whose leader is a hardliner of vampires' values, a defender of a new order on the world where their kind doesn't have to bow down to the whims of humanity.
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you could please take your seats, we're ready to commence," Francis' voice commands attention while he stands behind one of the chairs that he pulls out to take a seat.
It takes a moment for everyone to get to their places, Cosima takes one of the seats against the wall, right behind Shay, while across the room, Rachel sits in a chair in direct sight of Cosima and smiles at her again. She wonders if Rachel would be so brazen had Cosima never lost her position.
"First, I'd like to express my gratitude to all of you for joining us on such short notice," Francis says, taking the lead of the meeting simply because it's his turn to play host. "Unfortunately, due to the urgency of the situation, it was a necessity."
"And what situation is that exactly?" Maria, the head of one of the oldest families established in Florence, asks in an accented stressed tone. "There's a way to do these things, Francis. The Council has rules in place for a reason; they've kept us safe for millennia. When we have to rush halfway across the world to attend these gatherings, it puts us all at risk."
Nods and mumbles of agreement flow around the table, and at least it gives Cosima some comfort to know she's not alone in not knowing what the hell is going on.
"I understand that," Francis says in a patient tone. "And I present my apologies regarding how this process was conducted.
"About your question, I'm afraid I know as little as you do," he continues, bright eyes moving around the table. "Aldous was the one who requested this urgent reunion. For this occasion, I'm merely a messenger."
All eyes turn to the mentioned man. Aldous is the type of man who enjoys the attention. His thin lips spreading a grin, his blue eyes shine as he rises to his feet. He's a distinguished man, tall and lean, projecting an image that commands respect. Rigid shoulders and a straight back increase his already impressive height, the few hairs left in his balding head are white and cut short, his face with long features somehow arranged in a sinister way. Cosima doesn't know what kind of man he was in his human years, long, long ago, but she suspects he was not a pleasant character to begin with.
"Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Francis," he says with a head nod to the host, and then turns his attention to his expecting audience. "And I know all of you have made extraordinary efforts to be present this night, but, I assure you that this was an issue that couldn't wait."
He's good, Cosima thinks. Everyone is on the edge of their seats, hanging on every word Aldous says, just as he likes it, she recalls.
"So?" Gaubert, another elder who's losing his patience with all the formalities raises his hands. "Why couldn't this wait? Why all the urgency?"
"I was getting to that, had you not interrupted me," Aldous says with controlled anger. He pauses, as if to show that he's the one in control of what's happening, or maybe to make his next announcement more dramatic. He looks back to Rachel who gives him a short nod. "We have in our... care, one of the top scientists of DYAD, and we don't know how long she's willing to cooperate."
Hearing this, Cosima sits up straight, adding her surprise to everyone present. The man has effectively captured her entire attention. She looks at Rachel, whose eyes are pinned on her, the smile still there. Along with Francis' earlier remarks, Cosima now knows who they're referring to, but that still doesn't explain what Delphine is doing here. If it's true that she's willing to cooperate, and that the doctor has come here voluntarily, what exactly does that cooperation mean? As far as Cosima knows, there's nothing Delphine can tell them that they don't already know. While Cosima herself was unaware of the addictive characteristics of the treatment DYAD was providing, certainly the elders knew about it.
Cosima is at a complete loss.
"You brought one of them here?!" Maria interjects, not so much concerned about what this scientists has to say, as she is to the breach of security. "Have you completely lost your mind, Aldous?"
This is clearly not the reception the vampire expected to his announcement. His anger glares in his bright eyes, his fangs, concealed until this point, unsheathe and give him a even more menacing look.
"Not all of us are satisfied with rolling over and have the humans decide our destiny for us. If we stand in the background and do nothing, soon they'll control everything. You have proof of what they can do right there!" He aims a finger at Cosima, who's caught completely off guard. "Ask her exactly what it means to have humans helping us out! Tell us, Cosima! Tell us what happened to you when you decided to take your destiny back into your hands! Tell us what would've happened if your sire hadn't come to your aid when she did. What do you think would have happened to you?"
It's rhetorical, Cosima knows no one's expecting an answer, least of all Aldous. He's using her experience to get his point across, and very effectively considering the looks everyone is turning her way. Cosima can't help it, can't call it bullshit either. Aldous, skilled manipulator that he is, is expertly using what happened to her to advance his agenda.
"That still doesn't justify you bringing one of them here, in fact, it advises us to keep them as far away as possible," another elder says. "Why wouldn't you collect the information from this human on your own, and come forth with it? Why put us all at risk?"
"I thought it would be more effective to have all of us hearing it at the same time," Aldous responds, less combatively. "For centuries we've made the important decisions together, why should this be any different?"
"You don't know what she has to say either?" Francis asks, his expression showing a mixture of surprise and disapproval. Clearly, this is news to him and he's not happy that Aldous set him up. "What if this is trap? What if this human has nothing to say and is only bait? A way to get us all together in the same place?"
Cosima looks around the group of vampires who're getting more nervous by the minute. This is not exactly a group of brave men and women, they never truly were, that's why they got together. They're more powerful physically, and sometimes mentally than their humans counterparts, but they've always been outnumbered. They're more vulnerable than they'd like to admit, so it was survival that got them together in the first place, and it continues to be the glue that binds them. A few, like Aldous, have ideas of grandeur, of taking over, but for most, it is the continuation of the species that matters. They're happy to live in the shadows of a world dominated by humans.
Interestingly enough, Cosima never truly decided on which side of the issue Shay stands. Perhaps somewhere in the middle. Shay was always very efficient in adapting to the circumstances, riding the wave that will take her further. If Aldous succeeds in convincing the majority to come to his cause, Shay will most certainly follow.
"My people have taken all the precautions, she wasn't followed," Aldous is saying as he sits down. "Is this what we've been reduced to? Scared to defend our interests? Allowing humans to use us as lab rats?" He shakes his head in a gesture of disappointment that Cosima knows is an act. All this man's actions have an intention that goes beyond face value.
"Aldous is right," Shay intervenes for the first time. "Let's hear this scientist, and if she has nothing to offer, is setting a trap, or only means to waste our time, there are ways to deal with her."
Cosima can't see her sire's expression, but she can hear how much satisfaction it gives Shay to say those words, to even contemplate the possibility of getting rid of Delphine with the Council's backing, no less.
"That seems like the perfect way to ensure that all DYAD will come after us," Francis is not happy with the suggestion.
"Maybe, maybe not…" Shay raises her shoulders. "For all we know she's only one of many of their scientists. Who's to say she'll even be missed?"
Francis twists his expression; he doesn't like what he's hearing, but will not say anything about it, certainly not in front of everyone else. "Well, she's here, correct?" He asks instead, looking at Aldous, who nods. "Let's hear what she has to say, and then we decide what to do with her."
The words make Cosima's stomach roil. Her body tenses, every instinct screaming to get up and leave, find a way to get herself and the doctor as far away as possible. What was Delphine thinking? What could Delphine possibly gain from all this? And what exactly does she have to bargain for her life? Nothing, Cosima's internal voice answers, no matter what Delphine has to say, it won't be enough to get out of here drawing breath. Even if the human has anything of value to say, she won't get out of here alive, Shay'll make sure of that. And if she wasn't sure of it before, when her sire turns around to face her with a wide smile, she's certain of it.
Cosima's jaw clenches, and her fangs ache with the anger burning inside her, searching for release. It won't do her any good, they already think her a traitor, and attacking her sire in the middle of a Council's meeting to defend a human will only cement that notion.
Cosima's eyes are glued on the open door where Rachel disappeared, presumably to get Delphine, who's about to enter a room filled with very nervous vampires. Whatever she has to say, it better be worth it.