A special thank you shout out to Kurox, DarkAngel, Queen of Flesh (new reader! and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! Thanks for your support!), Marrosa, Cinnebar, and clusterlizard (Hey I wrote that in the other chapter and I DID update that one that week, just as promised. This one is just months late LOL.)
A great point that clusterlizard brought up, was the worry of me dropping this story completely. I don't believe that would ever happen. I don't stop on account of any writer's block, in fact I have a rough plot outline to follow. I stop due to real life distracting me from writing every couple months or so. There are great things to come, and I want to show everyone them as much as you all want to read them. So no, this story isn't going to be dropped. It just goes on a hiatus now and again.
True Blood starts back up in June! That's next month! I can't wait :)
And I'm not sure if any of you have been keeping up with Allan Hyde's personal projects, but has anyone seen his new little Alla Salute shorts? Its on GourmetFilm(dot)com and jesus christ his body is ridiculous! Absolutely perfect...I could barely read the goddamned subtitles because they were on his fucking abs for christ's sake! Mmmm...
The daylight hours went by agonizingly slow. It was literally painful for Crystal, as she sat at the window of the motel she booked last night. It was Godric's idea. He felt it would be better for her to distance herself from the commotion of Sookie's situation, and the drama of Alcide and Debbie.
She watched the bright sun in the sky, and she felt empty and alive at the same time. The feeling of knowing she was loved by someone so amazing, was gone. She was normal alright, living. A human.
The words of the witch rang in her mind. The advice she gave her about the demon taking over her entire being. Was this not true? Weeks ago she had attacked Godric, weakening him vastly that evening. Crystal didn't know what to believe. The witch could have been lying to gain ahold of a very old power...or she could have been right and Godric was just afraid of losing her.
Well...Crystal chose not to flatter herself that time, and went with the prior.
She didn't realize how good the sun felt on her skin until now, though. She used to cringe at the feeling of the warm rays upon her butterscotch skin; but now it felt welcoming. There was nothing inside of her that wanted to fight the vitamin D that was soaking through her pores.
A rapid knock sounded upon the door. Quickly, Crystal leapt to her feet...her nerves buzzing more frantically than normal. "Who-who is it?"
Another rapid series of knocks. "It's me, Itza!"
The voice was legit. She rushed to the door and opened it, and in came the mayan indian girl, her curls sticking to her sweaty face, her breathing heavy, body battered and bruised. Crystal grabbed her, extremely concerned and alarmed.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked, looking the girl over frantically as she led her over to the bed and then rushed to close the door. "Itza! Breathe!"
"It's Sookie! She-she's gone!" Itza babbled.
"Oh, Itza!" Crystal scoffed and stood up. "Sookie's always off and running after that stupid vampire since we hit Jackson, that doesn't shock me-"
"No! She was kidnapped! By Weres, I swear they were. They looked like Weres at least. Big, burly guys Crys. Sook was gonna try to find this Russell Edgington person and they just kicked the door down, came in and wrestled her down! I-I tried to help but...I just couldn't do it." Itza gestured to the bruises on her arm.
"I need to verbally argue with someone to affect them, I tried shouting but they laughed."
"Where the hell is Alcide?"
"At the hospital visiting Debbie. She's still down from our confrontation and her outcome isn't looking too good either." Itza put her head in her hands and sighed, "Things are going horrible, I just don't know what to do. I can't reach Eric, it's daytime."
There was silence as Crystal sat on her bed and tried to think of something to do. Anything at all. What would a bunch of Weres want with Sookie? And in broad daylight no less? She had a sick feeling that this wasn't just some coincidence, especially with Bill acting so...strange. To Crystal, he had just rejected Sookie...but the southern barmaid just insisted that he never behaved or spoke to her in the manner that he did that night on the phone. Crystal had grounds to believe her now.
"We've got to do something Crys." Itza pleaded, her eyes wide.
"I don't know Itza...Godric gave me strict instructions to stay here in this motel. I've already fucked things up, I don't even have anymore power. What chance do I stand against whatever this is? Plus, we have no leads-"
"They're headed to Russell's place. Look, I overheard them mumbling about how happy he would be to have the telepath. Something about the Queen, heck I didn't understand it myself but I know for sure that Russell wanted Sookie. For what, I don't know." Itza explained hurriedly.
Crystal waved her hand to stop Itza as she spoke, "Wait wait wait, you keep mentioning this Russell kid, who's that?"
"When Sookie was talking to Alcide, he was yelling something about Russell being the vampire king of Mississippi, with a pack of Weres serving him for hundreds of years."
Crystal's mind's eye flashed to Godric's phone, when she had been scrolling through his recent calls. "So that's where he's..." She murmured. "Ok, ok."
"If you've got the fight of a pitt bull in you...then here's what we're gonna do..."
For once in his many years of death, Godric had absolutely no idea what to do. He had no route to take, no positive experiences with witches. They were power-hungry and a vampire's worst enemy, even above filthy Weres. Witches had the abilities to do great harm to vampires, whereas Weres could be killed off...even with V. Encounter a witch who's ingested V and is well trained in black magic? That was a situation even Godric did not want to put himself within.
Witches remained deep undercover, and had not tampered with the vampire lifestyle for quite a while...at least within his Area. Louisiana held one of the highest concentrations of them...passing down spells and hoodoo from generation to generation. Even Eric had encountered one within Fangtasia every once in a blue moon. Though he would promptly take care of that.
Godric pulled on a white v-neck top and a pair of black pants. He stared at himself in the mirror and turned around, lifting his shirt up only halfway to glimpse the intricate serpent that now seemed lifeless. A showcase of art, no longer a symbol of a connection. He recalled many a time his lover's nails would run down the center of his spine and awaken his nerves like wildfire. He hoped those feelings would return somehow.
He walked downstairs, noticing Talbot doting heavily on Eric who was...smiling? Though he was not feeling in the least bit amused by his own situation, he could not help but to chuckle to himself. The second time his progeny showcased a false pretentious grin, and he wondered how the other vampires could not see through this mask. Quite obviously, Eric was a master at deception.
"Good evening, Godric." Talbot acknowledged the elder vampire, who nodded in return as the two younger vampires ventured off into a room full of artifacts. Their voices were muffled to human ears, clear to Godric's; but he tuned them out until he felt an uneasy brewing of anger from within that most certainly was not coming from his own feelings. His hand remained on the doorknob as his brow furrowed only slightly. Godric allowed the words to pass through his filter.
"And this?"
"Some random tribal crown. He has a hundred of them...eh this one is Scythian I think."
There was a heavy pause, and the anger building increased. "Viking." Eric's voice was low, bitter, intense. Memories of his past flooded his mind's eye of when he was human and his father was the King. After his family was brutally murdered by Weres, a cloaked man took his father's crown and left. Hundreds upon hundreds of years later, Eric had now happened to stumble into the very presence of the man who ruined his human life so long ago.
"It's beautiful." Eric said, his voice soft.
"Quite..."
Godric vamped into the room and Eric looked up from the beautifully carved crown he held in his hands. His eyes spoke volumes to his Maker, and he returned the crown to it's spot in the display cabinet.
"Something wrong, Godric?" Talbot asked, his accent thick.
"I have some business to tend to within your Area, Mr. Northman, that require your permission to allow." Godric said quietly, his face blank.
"By all means, let's discuss this matter." Eric turned to Talbot and placed his hand upon the younger vampire's shoulder, giving him a seductive raise of his eyebrow, "I shall only be a few minutes, excuse me." He assured, before vamping from the room with Godric, who opted for them to speak outside of the estate.
"Your anger is worrisome to me. I should hope you do not do anything you will regret, Eric."
Eric's slender fingers balled into tight fists as his jaw clenched in stress. "I have yet to avenge my family, Godric. I am finally close to what I have been wanting for hundreds of years. Don't you know what this means?"
Godric closed his eyes momentarily and nodded slowly, opening them again. "I understand that Russell is behind the death of your family, and is quite obviously behind these mongrels that run amuck this city and estate. I, however, am also aware that you have a child in danger of a true death."
"He understands that and will take care of the Magister for me. I will not lash out in anger, Godric, you have taught me greater skill than that." Eric's brilliantly blue eyes glinted in the moonlight. "I will pledge loyalty to Russell, and after he solves my issue, I will find the most opportune time to kill his progeny so that he may feel the pain that he caused me those many centuries ago."
"I am not an advocate of violence, however I do understand how much this means to you; and something that you hold of such great importance, is just as important to me. I see this is the only way for you to become at peace with that part of your past." Godric paused, taking an unneeded breath and releasing it in contemplation.
Eric smirked, "You have taken on human characteristics. Perhaps you have been spending too much time with Crystal?" He said, her voice leaking sarcasm.
Godric was slightly amused, enough for the corner of his lips to tug upward in a small half grin, though his eyes remained sad and determined. "Not enough time. Tell me, my child, do you know anything about witches?"
Eric's brow furrowed, "A bit." He paused, "What would you like to know?"
"How I may track one down and perhaps even...kill her." The thought felt foreign to Godric, but once he said it, it confirmed aloud what he had been thinking all along...that he wanted to viciously murder this woman for tampering with his blood bond, his power, his history.
"Hm." Eric thought aloud, turning from his Maker just to take a few steps in the opposite direction. He turned around once his thoughts were collected. "Godric, if a witch has wronged you, I will gladly take care of the matter-"
"I am not asking you to do so. I am capable of defending myself, Eric. I am simply asking you for your knowledge on them, if you have any." He cut the viking short in his tirade. Eric was protective of Godric, this was a fact. He was willing to do anything for him. However, Godric knew this was a battle that he needed to fight himself. It was for his own cause...Eric had issues of his own to resolve.
"Well...they are not immortal, and are as simple to kill as humans. The only issue is that they practice spells that keep them hidden from our kind, and they can set off defense magic in the chance that they feel threatened. The most difficult part is getting a witch in a vulnerable state. Breaking down the barriers of their mind and getting to them before they can chant anything." Eric explained.
Godric took in the information mentally, the inner-workings of his mind systematically figuring out a plan. He could do but one thing at a time...and the first was-
A loud crash resounded from inside the estate, and both vampires took no time in vamping to the foyer, where a mess was splayed out in front of their eyes. Sookie was wrestling with a vampire guard, while another guard was a bloody pile of organs upon the floor. Bill Compton was covered in plaster and groaning on the ground, and Lorena stood appalled at the entire situation.
"Look who turned out to be completely unworthy of our trust." Russell shook his head at Bill. "Tried to break this one free of her dayquarters." He gestured to Sookie, who was now making a beeline for the stairs, when she was cut off by Eric who vamped in front of her path.
"Tsk, tsk." Talbot said aloud, shaking his head.
"I wouldn't let go of this one if I were you." Eric dragged a struggling Sookie over to Russell. "I don't know what it is, but I do know it's valuable."
"Eric Northman what are you doing!" Sookie shouted.
"Take Mr. Compton to the slave quarters. Lorena, you my dear, will kill him." Russell said heartlessly.
"No!" Sookie yelled.
"I'll take this one back into the library to ask her a few questions." Russell grabbed a firm hold of Sookie and practically dragged her off down the hall, only to be interrupted by two large Weres who came bombarding into the foyer from the front door. One of them held Crystal by her arms restrained behind her back. The other had Itza over his shoulder.
"Your Majesty." One Were called out. Russell turned around and rolled his eyes. "Found these two in the courtyard."
"Damn it can I get any peace in this household?" Russell exclaimed angrily.
"Your Majesty, as you have other affairs to attend to, I would be obliged to take care of these humans for you." Godric stepped forward, his fangs extended.
Russell looked from one of the girls to the other and yanked at Sookie's arm to get her to stop wriggling. "You haven't eaten since you've been here. Be my guest." He gave a tight lipped grin and waved them off, more focused on questioning Sookie than anything else. Eric couldn't peel his eyes away from Itza. He hadn't seen her in a while and he wondered what the marks upon her body meant. She had obviously been manhandled by the Weres.
"Aw man, we don't get no reward?" One of the Weres kicked at the floor.
"Do not scuff the flooring!" Talbot scolded with an evil hiss.
Godric snatched both girls up by their arms, roughly and started dragging them up the stairs. He turned around to the guards that stood at the bottom of the stairs. "I wish not to be disturbed for the rest of the evening." He said, to which they both nodded and he continued up into his guest quarters. Once safely inside, he locked the door and retracted his fangs.
"Have you gone mad? I told you to stay at the motel Crystal, how on earth did you two end up here?" He whispered harshly.
Itza looked down at the floor shamefully.
"It was my idea. She was worried because Sook got kidnapped by some Weres, so our only lead was to come here." Crystal explained.
Godric ran his hands through his short, brown hair. "Powerless? Had I not been here, you would have surely been killed! You need to scream now so they don't suspect anything."
The girls started screeching and howling as though they were in great pain for a few seconds, before quieting down.
"Now is not the time to be here, Bill Compton is going to be killed-"
"Bill's here?" Itza asked, shocked.
Godric nodded.
"And what was Eric doing here?" She realized she had seen the blonde vampire downstairs, in a cashmere baby blue sweater that matched his eyes perfectly.
"The less you know, the better." Godric said, his tone sharp but still soft. "I need to get you both out of here immediately, then we need to locate this witch, get your power back and kill her. Itza...how comfortable are you with using your draining?"
Itza sat up straight, confident in herself. "So long as I can verbally battle, I can weaken."
"Witches can have mind defenses, the question is...are you strong enough to break one down?"
"You never know until you try, right?" Itza replied, her eyes narrowing with drive.
