A/N: Disclaimer in Chapter 1.
Chapter 25: Anarchy
Vlad sped over to the window, shielding his eyes from the bright light. He knew what it was but at the moment it was the least of his concerns.
He looked over at the blood bag, hitting the wall light bracket had cause a small hole to be punctured into the bag. Blood slowly trickled from the bag and directly onto the book. The book was greedily absorbing Erin's blood, not losing a single drop.
Everyone watched in amazement, the Count's eyes flicked to Erin and Vlad. Their looks of horror were undisguised and he knew why they'd kept it to themselves.
The book was flickering and flashing violently, moving from side to side frantically. He didn't have a clue what it would do as reading it hadn't been his main priority since the text had been revealed.
"Get the blood away from the book!" He called to Erin as he approached Ingrid who'd stumbled backwards. He advanced on her making his sister walk into the table.
Erin concentrated trying to make the blood fly to her again but this time it didn't work.
Bertrand shielded the book from her; it would be foolish to attack him. He was more skilled than her not to mention stronger. Bertrand smirked at her.
Vlad extended his arm and the blood rushed towards him. It went over the palm of his hand making him grimace in disgust. For once his fangs didn't twitch down but he guessed he was probably already immune to the scent of her blood now.
Ingrid sped beside Bertrand seeing Vlad was distracted.
Bertrand bent down and picked up the book, the fingers twitching as they prepared to open but they stubbornly refused to unclench under his fingers. He felt like throwing the book down. He wanted the power he'd get from reading it. He could read Aramaic but Vlad hadn't given him the change to study even the first page.
Now Vlad would bow down to him.
Vlad knew what Bertrand was doing; he knew it was impossible what Bertrand wished for. Erin had some power but she was the exception she was linked to the book, it was her blood like it was his DNA and power that could open the book. Bertrand was only its keeper. He didn't have a connection like they did to it.
"Come." Vlad whispered and the book landed in his hands within a seconds. He caught it firmly. Bertrand let out a small roar, his fangs gnashing at Erin.
Erin revealed her own, copying his actions perfectly. It seemed to startle Bertrand for a few seconds but he didn't back down.
Seeing the book safely in his son's hands the Count pointed behind them out of the window.
"What's that?" The Count asked, breaking everyone's concentration on trying to see what the book was doing. Erin didn't comment, she had an idea but she didn't want to voice it.
Vlad spoke slowly and quietly. "Something to keep us in and let the slayers in and out." There was no point in hiding it; only the slayers could have designed such a weapon. Vlad wanted to know how they'd managed to plant it without anyone noticing. It must have been done while he was away; he would have sensed the slayers otherwise.
Ryan could only have given their position away just before they saw him. The slayers had probably sent him there to get as much information as possible on them in the hope of release but it backfired.
"Food." Ingrid smirked at Bertrand, it had been a while since she'd had eight pints of fresh blood and she was looking forward to it.
They were trapped in a cage – a giant UV cage.
Vlad looked down and the hands on the book automatically opened.
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Vlad placed the book down on the floor as it threatened to topple out of his grasp onto the floor.
He knew he should have burned that book when he had the chance.
The book began to twist and morph, a face appeared in the pages, forming as if pushing its way through cling film.
Erin sought Vlad's hand, clutching it to her tightly. He squeezed it lightly.
The shape was nothing more than a silhouetted as it twisted and turned in the bright light. Clenching and unclenching its body as bones were heard to snap into place. The paper moulded together to form skin, spreading along the body to cover the bones.
The binding of the book became the clothes, clothing the figure with ease. The hands of the book forming shoulder pads.
They stared as a bald man had appeared from the book, Aramaic words appearing all over his head. He was dressed in the clothes of an ancient vampire, a tattered and torn cape hanging limply.
This was the last thing any of them were expecting.
"I am Sethius. Chosen One."
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They all shared a look with each other. The Count went to move forwards to object but Vlad shook his head. He was going to remain as quiet for as long as possible.
Ingrid had a smile at those words; she always knew Vlad couldn't be the Chosen One. She began to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Sethius asked the female.
"He's supposed to be the Chosen One, I knew he couldn't be." So much for keeping it quiet.
Sethius moved towards Vlad, looking down at him. Vlad didn't flinch once.
"He doesn't seem much like one." He reached out to grab Erin from behind Vlad. Vlad grabbed his arm; Sethius seemed surprised and strengthened his attempt to touch her. Vlad's lip curled slightly but he didn't let go he forced Sethius' hand down and to his side.
Vlad used his left hand and placed it on the small of Erin's back, reassuring her – Sethius wasn't going to touch her.
Sethius seemed surprised by his actions in the past when he wanted a female no one stopped him. This young vampire had guts.
Sethius sniffed Vlad slowly before sniffing Erin. His face took on a curious look. "She's yours." He saw the scar on her neck, "A half fang." Vlad nodded slowly, Erin was his. He deliberately lifted his hand to caress her neck showing his possession of Erin. He hated doing it but he wanted Sethius to understand completely that Erin was his.
Sethius was impressed by Vlad's bold moves. "We should work together."
"Never." Vlad answered immediately. No matter what he said Sethius would go back on it. His father seemed disappointed that he'd refused his offer.
Sethius seemed bored now that Vlad had refused changing the subject, clearly he didn't think that Vlad was much of a threat. "What's that?" He pointed to the bright light.
"A slayer weapon, they're obviously in the school, your Grandness." Ingrid answered, sucking up to him. "It stops us from leaving, like sunlight Your Majesty."
Bertrand quickly interrupted, "Or would you prefer your Highness?"
"You're Excellency?" Ingrid tried again.
Sethius was a man of short temper he wasn't in the mood to listen to this. "Stop kissing my coffin," Immediately they quietened, "Slayers?" He licked his lips. It had been a while since he'd had a good hunt.
"Of course you're thirsty. We've got blood in…"
"I want fresh blood." Sethius told them sharply. "It's been a while since I've been hunting, I'm looking forward to it." The pair bowed, unsure of whether he would survive this. "No slayer is a match for Sethius." With that he vanished from the room.
"I hope you're happy." Vlad snapped at his sister.
"Kiss my fangs." Ingrid smiled at him; at last they had a real vampire in charge.
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Ingrid's half fangs brought a trembling slayer in front of Sethius. Clearly he was too 'important' to do the dirty work himself so he'd delegated it to them. The slayer looked up at Sethius. Sethius smiled cruelly at the slayer his fangs dropping.
He was going to bite him in public to show his authority, it was how things used to be done before there was a Grand High Vampire.
Vlad grabbed Erin's head and sharply turned it to bury it in his chest so she couldn't watch. He'd been brought up watching this so he knew what to expect – she didn't.
He winced as he watched Sethius bite into the slayers neck. A scream filling the air, there was a way to drink blood painlessly, clearly Sethius enjoyed the pain he inflicted. He squeezed him slightly too tight and Vlad heard the fragile bones of the breather's body break. Cries of agony doubling. Vlad watched as the slayer twitched and seized in his last throws of life before dropping to the floor. The wound open and raw, the skin pure white.
He was glad Erin hadn't seen it.
This was what he wanted to stop. This death had been meaningless, only there to show his power.
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"We're sitting ducks." Erin whispered to Vlad as she watched Bertrand and Ingrid fawn over Sethius. It was disgusting. She felt like she was about to be sick. "If we destroy the transmitters Bertrand's 'friends' will arrive." Erin shook her head as she spoke, they couldn't have even more people against them. They already had who knew how many slayers.
The slayers would pick them off one by one and they wouldn't be able to do a thing about it.
"We'll figure something out." Vlad promised her, Erin looked up at him and into his hope filled eyes. She nodded slightly pressing a kiss to his lips. The kiss lingered for a few seconds before they pulled away. Vlad tipped his forehead down pressing it against hers.
He slowly turned to address his breather friend. "You need to go." Vlad told Robin, if Erin was a breather she would have been told the exact same thing. "Its not safe for you here."
"I'm not going anywhere!" Robin told his friend sternly.
"Robin we don't have time to argue!" Vlad told his friend, "First chance we get we're getting you and Wolfie out of here." As if on cue Wolfie sat on Erin's lap. Erin stroked his hair tenderly; she could feel the young half wolf shaking with fear. She kissed his temple slowly and he wrapped his arms around her.
Wolfie didn't seem to want anything to do with Ingrid at all.
"You think I'm going to go…"
"You're the only one who can look after Wolfie." Erin told Robin quietly, none of them could go outside and Renfield would be too busy helping them if he was needed. Robin knew about their world, he could look after Wolfie until something could be done.
"What are we talking about then?" Sethius looked at Robin, undisguised hunger on his face. Robin clutched at his neck trying to protect it.
"Leave him alone." Vlad warned fiercely, he wasn't going to let Sethius touch Robin. He stood slowly and the others mimicked his actions.
"A vampire protecting a breather?" Sethius seemed surprised at Vlad's actions.
"He *likes* breathers." Ingrid scoffed at Sethius.
"Well that won't matter once we've drained them all." That wasn't a casual statement that was a perfectly serious one.
Vlad couldn't help himself. "What?" Biting breathers was one thing but wiping them out was another. Their kind wouldn't survive at all. He knew drinking soy wasn't an option for some vampires and there were ways around that which didn't involve biting breathers but they still needed to be involved in the process.
"Our future is chaos, food is ours for the taking. We'll drain them dry every last breather on this planet until there is not one left." He sniffed the air relishing the scent of the slayers; he'd be hunting them soon. He could hardly wait. "When we run out food we'll fight amongst ourselves until only the most powerful survive. Clans will turn on each other and be torn apart, husbands will kill wives, children will slay parents. Blood Mirrors will be destroyed wiping out whole clans. I'll rule and create a new more powerful vampire nation. Total anarchy." He laughed in delight at his plan.
The scales dropped from Ingrid's eyes, "You're crazy." Ingrid muttered, staring at him. She thought Vlad's idea for the future was a stupid but at least he'd never considered wiping out their food source.
"The vampires in my day thought so too, that's why they put me in the book. Thanks to all of you I'm out a free to rule." He didn't sound grateful; Vlad gave Ingrid and Bertrand the most scathing look he could muster.
"Our kind will be a mere handful." Bertrand whispered to him, he couldn't see why he wanted to destroy their kind. Vlad wouldn't lead them to glory but he wouldn't sacrifice their kind.
"Survival of the fittest, to do that we need to get rid of the half fangs first." Before Ingrid or Bertrand could protest Sethius released what looked like a boomerang made of bone.
It cut through the air, aimed directly at the remaining members of the netball team.
As if they were pillars of salt the moment the boomerang touched them they crumbled to the floor. Four half fangs wiped out in less than a second.
Ingrid and Bertrand looked at each other in fear.
Sethius looked at the way Vlad protected Erin, a hand on her back and pulled close. There was no room for that in their world. "Next to go will be his claimed."
Sethius aimed a fireball at Erin. Erin immediately reacted throwing her arms up in front of her trying to shield herself. Vlad deflected the fireball with his eyes, focusing it back on Sethius. Sethius only just managed to deflect it.
It scorched the mahogany panelling of the throne room.
Sethius was surprised at Vlad's power; he hadn't expected him to deflect it.
Sethius stumbled; attacking Erin had used more power than attacking Vlad. He felt drained.
Vlad saw his chance he launched a larger fireball at Sethius and it went spiralling over him. Vlad could risk it hitting someone in the room this small. The aftershock would kill them all. It was more for display purposes than actual damage. If it hit someone they'd know he was deliberately using it as a decoy.
Vlad concentrated, trying to ensure he used the right level of power with his powers slightly uncontrolled strength wise at the moment.
The vampires all ducked, shielding their eyes from the blast as the orange rippled and spread along the walls like waves.
Vlad pushed Erin towards the door; they couldn't do anything in that room. It was too small to talk without being overheard. They needed to regroup to form a plan later. Vlad's conscience rebelled against running away but he had no choice at the moment, he wasn't leaving the school even without the giant cage he wouldn't leave the school.
They were cut off from the outside, a mad man was loose in the school and slayers roamed the corridors.
And it was all Ingrid and Bertrand's fault.
From the looks of it they were already beginning to regret it.
TBC
A/N: Thanks for reading.