Chapter 23: The Hunger of the Hunter
Claire awoke in a nest of blankets and tangled limbs—a little confused to how she got there at first. She blinked in confusion as she looked around the room as it all came rushing back to her.
She looked down to find Alisaie cuddled up with her, a slight contented smile on her face and Claire smiled at the sight of it as she gently ran her hand through Alisaie's hair, and stroking her face. Her fingers brushed up against Alisaie's cheekbones and traced her eyes as she remembered before they fell asleep.
She didn't want to wake up from this warm nest and face another long, grueling day… but after a quick glance out the crumbling window, she could see the color of the sky was turning light already. They couldn't have been sleeping for long, it seems.
They had to hurry… if they left now than they should be able to make it back to Lakeland before sunrise… if they tried to cross the desert during day then it was going to be a struggle. So she gently poked Alisaie, cooing at her to wake up because they had to go.
It took a few minutes before Alisaie finally stirred. When her eyes opened and spotted her right above her, she smiled warmly back and greeted her with a loving kiss on the cheek.
Claire smiled back, her feelings still a confusing whirlwind inside her chest, as Alisaie redressed and Claire packed their few belongings up again. She was both anxious in an excited way to speak with the twins but also in a worried way about what would be decided. She hoped that Alphinaud was waiting for them back at the Crystarium.
They moved quickly across the darkened sands, the chill in the air fading as they grew closer and closer to daylight.
By the time that sunlight began to stretch across the land, they had reached the very borders of Lakeland, having left the sands behind. Alisaie had pulled her hood up to cover her head but it was clear that she was slowing down at this point. They were both still very tired and were looking forward to a rest when they made it back to the city. Claire kept her hand upon Alisaie's shoulder, making sure that she was able to keep up and to support her should she stumble. There were a few scattering of clouds here and there so they were able to relax slightly when they were in shade. But eventually, Claire spotted the bright violet of the trees ahead of her and sighed in relief when she could spot the very tip of the tower in the distance.
"We'll be back soon," she reassured Alisaie, who only nodded dully.
They sped up a little bit as they walked along the lake, taking a short detour to cut through the forest to bring as much shade as possible for Alisaie. As they passed through though under the trees though, Claire suddenly sensed eyes watching her and she instantly tensed up before Alisaie raised her head and sniffed the air curiously.
"What is it?" Claire asked but when she saw Alisaie smile, she understood.
"Alphinaud? Is that you?" she called out and they heard a rustle of some branches and looked to some nearby shrubbery where they saw someone stepping out.
Claire smiled and hugged Alphinaud tightly before drawing back and the twins hugged the other as they quickly caught up. It turns out that Alphinaud had returned to the Crystarium, but he had been unable to bring himself to show his face to their grandfather yet and had been waiting for them.
"I could sense you coming closer. And coming out to meet with you seemed preferable to staying and waiting at the Crystarium. Estinien returned to the Crystarium around the same time I did yesterday and spotted me. As well as gave me a good telling off," he mumbled. "He—ah—heard how we lost control and he… wasn't impressed with that. Told me to face up to it like a man."
"That sounds like him," Claire smiled fondly. "It's been awhile since I've seen him. Well, either way, I'm glad to see you well. And I found Alisaie, so we seem to be back on course."
She then watched how he seemed to sniff the air and she felt herself grow red when she realized that he could probably smell Alisaie on her skin as well—just like how Alisaie knew about the two of them before. She cleared her throat and then offered that they return to the tower and they would have that talk that she promised them.
For a few minutes, everything seemed to be going well for them… but she should have guessed that it wasn't going to last. For despite the fact that they were all reunited, she couldn't help but feel those same eyes watching her. She could feel the hairs on the back on her neck stand on end and an odd chill going down her spine. What was going on?
While Alphinaud and Alisaie talked with each other, she was looking around, squinting at the trees around them, trying to see where this unease was coming from.
Alisaie soon noticed her nervous stance and asked, "What is it?"
Claire shushed her as she seemed to focus upon a particular spot where she saw something glint. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of what it was when she saw the glint again… shining off the edge of a piece of magitek weaponry. Her eyes widened in shock before she turned and dove on top of both of the twins, bringing them down with her when she heard the gunshot. They hit the ground as she felt something whizz overheard and knew that they missed being shot at.
The twins immediately got down the moment they felt her grab them and she could hear them hissing in anger once they realized what happened.
"Move," Claire commanded as they all leapt up and began to move out of the trees. But it was too late since, seemingly out of nowhere, Imperial soldiers began to flock to them, surrounding them nearly on all sides and Claire forced both of them behind her as her eyes flashed about, trying to figure out how so many had been able to surround them without her noticing? Had her senses really dulled so much that she couldn't sense danger unless it was staring right at her?
"Kill the bloodsuckers," she heard one of the Imperials, a commander judging by his helm, ordered too his troops, "But remember, our lord wants the Hyur wench alive!"
Claire blinked at that. Her? They were after her? For what purpose?
Well, there was no helping it.
"Get ready to run," she whispered to the two of them, "Try to make it back to the Crystarium. The people there will not allow Garleans to invade them."
She felt their hands squeeze hers tightly, signaling that they understood as she tensed up her body, ready to move.
"Fire!"
Everything that happened after that was quick and she almost missed it all. When the command was given, the three of them moved and the bullets ended up missing them and even hit several of the Imperials. They broke into a run, with Claire giving the command for the other two to get away from her, since she was their target. The twins did what she ordered and disappeared into the flora around them as Claire began to run.
All her surroundings were a blur as Claire pushed her body to keep running—trying to ignore the Garleans who were on her tail. She did her best to try and separate them so that she could take care of them one by one.
She had managed to take care of a handful of them with this tactic, but with more back up coming in until she was sure that she was completely outnumbered. The twins were the ones in the most danger though, and she decided the best thing she could do right now was try to draw them away from Alphinaud and Alisaie.
The problem was that with all the trauma she put her body through in the last few days that she knew that she wasn't up to her full strength. Her body was hurting something fierce and she was now gasping for air—she knew she couldn't keep running for much longer.
She heard more gunshot behind her and knew that she narrowly avoided getting a bullet in her. She was still exhausted though and felt pain throughout her whole body as she gradually slowed down.
Pain suddenly shot through her shoulder and she cried out, stumbling and falling to the ground. She grabbed hold of her upper arm and felt blood and knew she had been shot. Seriously? Why was she constantly getting hurt these days?
She had just pushed herself back up when she heard the same commanding voice state, "Give up now. You're surrounded."
Claire sighed, not needing to really guess to know what happened… not that she was going to give up yet. She spun about and pulled out her trusty old knife from her boot and gutted one of the Imperials nearest to her.
They must have lost four of their own before she found herself with the blades right at her throat.
"Enough," the commander hissed through his helm as she looked about her. There were at least a dozen left… but she was already light-headed again. She felt that she could probably take out another 3… maybe 4 before they killed her. There was nothing that she could do and was forced to raise her arms in surrender.
"Why are you after me all of a sudden?" she couldn't help but ask. "Normally, it's the other way around."
"Don't ask me, we're just following orders," he growled, now looking thoroughly put out with her as he looked to the dead men at their feet.
"Give up, you've got no chance now," he said, "You are coming with us.
She was still breathing hard as she scanned around her, not able to see any way out this time. But, she reasoned that if she took care of things here before they found Alphinaud and Alisaie, then they could still get away… she had to deal with this for now since they were still in danger.
No sooner did she think that did she hear the roar of rage and her head turned, regardless of the guns pointed at her head, and spotted Alisaie having already launched herself at one of the Imperials and bringing him down. They heard shouts and looked up as the guns turned to them… but once they were off her, she bolted towards the twins and standing right in front of them after forcing their heads down.
"If you want to hurt them, then you gotta kill me first!" she yelled in warning. "And you said your master wants you to bring me in alive, right? Well, go ahead and kill all three of us and then answer to your master!"
She was taking a gamble here, but from what she knew of Imperials and their commanding officers, they tended to be very harsh with their punishments should they fail their missions.
"Enough!" the commander called and Claire realized that she was right. They really only wanted her for some strange reason and were willing to broke some kind of deal. It seemed that they were that scared of their 'lord' whoever he was and even willing to allow a couple vampires to run free if they can get her without any more of a fuss.
Claire didn't see any other way out of this, she had no choice.
"If I go with you, will you let them go?" she demanded coldly. "It's me you want right? I'll go with you. I won't try to escape. But only if you swear that you let these two go. Otherwise, how many more of your men are you willing to risk losing before attempting to subdue me?"
She could tell the Garleans were wary of her, especially seeing how she was able to fight off their attacks for as long as she did. They didn't want to risk her killing no matter how many more they had.
She watched as the two Imperials, two commanders by the looks of things, whisper to each other for a moment and overheard parts of their conversations.
"Lord Zenos said that he was only interested in her."
"You willing to risk two bloodsuckers running loose? Especially since we have their caretaker?"
"Yeah, but they won't risk hurting us so long as we have her. Her, meanwhile, doesn't seem to mind killing us and I rather not have to drag home anymore bodies."
She waited for a moment, just willing them to agree to her terms.
"Fine," the first Imperial called. "You call them off. Send them away… do so, and we will overlook them just this once. In exchange, you come with us quietly. Don't put up a fight or try to run away. Do you agree?"
Claire nodded.
"Claire… no, don't!" Alphinaud said, taking a step forward before Claire spun around and put her hands on their arms to stop them.
"Enough," she whispered, hearing the loading of guns all around them. As much as she hated to admit it, they were well, and truly, trapped. She couldn't get them out of this mess unless she agreed to go with them.
"Please…" she whispered, knowing the guns were all being pointed at them. "It's our only choice. I don't think they mean to kill me. I'll go with them until I see a chance to escape. I'll be back as soon as I can but in the meantime, please return to the Crystarium. Look after each other for me until then."
"Claire… no, you can't do this," Alisaie begged as Claire smiled up at her. She then stood on her toes to be able to kiss both of their foreheads… their hands entwined with hers as the old, comfortable familiarity they used whenever they needed to calm down.
"Promise me that you two will run from here when I tell you to," she whispered. "I don't trust them but I have to do this. Just promise me that you won't let them catch you."
She then drew back, her hands leaving theirs and they looked ready to have a panic attack at that as she smiled reassuringly at them both.
"Don't worry," she whispered as she drew back and slowly turned to face her capturers.
They were very much on guard with every step she took, but she ignored them, her senses on high alert as she drew closer and closer. She could feel the eyes of the twins on her and it felt like a knife to the heart with every yalm she took from them.
You can do this… it's for their sakes… don't blow this now.
She was soon surrounded on all sides by Garleans as they kept their weapons trailed on her and she headed deeper into the woods where she could make out the very edges of a small airship. She chanced a glance back and saw how Alphinaud was holding onto Alisaie, who looked ready to run to her at any second… her eyes widened with terror. But before she could fully turn back around, her vision was clouded by a thick suit of armor and she felt pain in the back of her head.
She saw stars as she stumbled. Then she made out two familiar figures run towards her, calling out her name in a desperate attempt to reach her.
"Claire!"
"RUN FROM HERE!" she screamed before darkness finally claimed her.
*Dream*
Alisaie just bolted from the safety of the camp, running straight out into the wilds on her own. Claire knew how dangerous it was for her to be out there, especially after she got a good look at some of the beasts that roamed the lands.
She followed after her across the snows of Eureka as Alisaie continued on to the north. Claire looked up and saw the Arsenal in the distance and guessed that she must be heading there for whatever reason. She began to run even faster, glad that not only did she have the longer legs, she was in better physical shape and was able to easily keep the girl in her sights.
Alisaie clearly had some kind of plan in mind since she was so focused upon her own actions that she didn't even notice that someone was right behind her.
Did she even realize the danger she was in? Claire wasn't sure what was going on in Alisaie's head right now, but she knew that she had to stop her before she got crushed underfoot—especially since some of the creatures around here were literal giant monsters. They ran—sprinted across the frozen wastes as they continued more to the northwest. Claire thought that with all the running she was doing that she was just keeping herself warm but actually it was the air that was warming up. Soon she was making her way across more slush than snow and she could hear the rush of water from nearby. It seems that they were leaving most of the snows behind them the closer they moved to the Arsenal.
At this point, Claire didn't even think that they would be able to make their way back to camp and made to yell out to Alisaie to stop moving. But at that moment she saw something moving from the waters… something huge and covered in thick scales was slowly rising up from where the snows were rushing off into a shallow river. Alisaie didn't seem to notice it, having been so fixated upon the Arsenal that the beast almost completely missed her eye. But Claire saw how the beast let out a roaring yawn, stirring from a nap of some sorts, and if Alisaie didn't hide now then she would surely be spotted and made into the beast's breakfast.
With an extra burst of speed, Claire caught up and tackled Alisaie; knocking them both to the ground and rolling. Alisaie let out a scream until Claire clamped her hand over her mouth to avoid being heard. Using only one arm to crawl them back, the other fixed firmly around Alisaie's waist, she tried to move out of the sights of the dragon-like creature. But the beast seemed to sniff about them and Claire whispered, "Take a breath."
She didn't even bother to wait to see if Alisaie did what she was told and pulled her down with her into the river. The water was very shallow, barely enough for it to rush over their heads when they laid down… but she could see the beast above her as it sniffed about. She felt Alisaie's hands hold tightly onto hers; she was shaking—though that may have been from the deep cold—when she finally realized what was going on.
Claire didn't dare move as the creature continued to look about it… but her lungs were quickly burning and knew they needed air. She then slowly continued to move backwards, using the current to help lift them a little more downstream and away from the dragon. They moved further and further back until she was able to get a glimpse of some rocks nearby and pulled them around it so that they could put their heads up and get a lungful of air without being spotted.
It was a tense few minutes as they waited to see what was going to happen… but finally, their 'friend' seemed to realize that lunch wasn't going to go to him and slowly began to move, lumbering away as it seemed keen to start hunting. Claire and Alisaie remained where they were for a little longer until they were sure that they were alone before they came up for the last time and began to suck in lungfuls of air, grateful not to have been found.
Well, one of them was.
Alisaie coughed and spluttered as she demanded, "Why did you follow me?"
"You're welcome," Claire said absent-mindedly as she pulled herself out of the water and began to wring her tunic out before she ended up freezing. She was drenched and shivered the moment she climbed out of the icy river. But Alisaie seemed keen on continuing to pick a fight.
"I had everything under control!" Alisaie snapped. "I was just…?"
"On your way to the Arsenal and didn't notice that you woke up a sleeping dragon," Claire answered sharply. "Do you even have a weapon? What would you have done once you got there?"
"I was looking for that thing!" Alisaie hissed. "Look, I know about the stupid keys! Those damn guards watching us talked about it. And I know that the final key is supposed to be a piece of scale from what they called the Crystalline Provenance. Did you see the way those scales shone? It has to be it!"
"And what were you going to do?" Claire demanded, "Hope that it lets you steal a scale without wanting to eat you?"
"I didn't ask you for your help! What are you even doing here!?" Alisaie yelled as she made to turn and it couldn't have been more obvious that she was planning on going after that thing again. But Claire had enough of this stubborn attitude of hers and stepped in as she grabbed hold of Alisaie from behind and held her tightly.
Alisaie kicked and scratched, trying to get free but Claire doubled down and held on tightly, refusing to let go. She didn't know what was going on inside the girl's head right now but she recognized distress anywhere. She felt anger and sadness in equal measure pouring out of her with every punch that she was dealt, but she refused to give up this time as she hugged her close to her and began to whisper soft words. Telling her that it would be alright soon and that they weren't going to let this Vauthry get away with what he's done. But running off and getting herself killed wasn't going to help anyone, they needed to stay put until another plan could be decided.
After several painful minutes, Alisaie's fights gradually slowed down until she was now sobbing openly and became limp in her arms. It was as if all the fight just drained out of her at that second and before Claire even realized what was happening, Alisaie was hugging her tightly back, as if terrified that if she let go then she would fall away and find herself adrift in a sea that she couldn't escape from.
Claire hugged her back as Alisaie began to shake again, only though this time it was because of tears. She seemed to be trying hard to hold it all in, but her emotions were quickly breaking through the thick walls she built up around herself. It seemed that all the stress that they went through in the last few hours seemed to be spilling out of her to such a point that she couldn't pretend to be strong anymore. Claire could only hold her, rocked her in a kind embrace as Alisaie just broke down completely. How long had it been since she had been able to let out these emotions?
"It'll be alright, Alisaie, I promise," she whispered, running her hand through Alisaie's hair. "You're not alone here."
Alisaie didn't answer as she buried her face into her front and just grabbed her tunic with a death grip.
"Now, why don't you tell me just what was going through your head?" Claire asked her.
Alisaie sniffled and she whispered in a croaky voice, "I just… couldn't stand the thought that Father and the rest of the Forum might still give in to Vauthry's demands. I know that he has the hostages, but I thought if I could get the last key needed to get passed the barrier then they could enter and give him a lesson he wouldn't forget. But… I realize how stupid it was of me to go off on my own."
"Yes, it was," Claire scolded light as she gently pulled Alisaie back so that she could look at her red face and carefully wiped the tears from her eyes. "But I understand now why. But we can't just go charging in. Something that I think your brother would agree with. Come on, let us go back and talk with the other scholars about this. With this many of us, we're sure to come up with a way to make Vauthry pay."
Alisaie sniffed and lowered her head in shame and nodded.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "For… giving you such a hard time. I just… didn't think that Grandfather was… right here. He kept saying that we needed something to teach us. But… when I saw that you could barely read those beginner books, I thought that maybe you had scammed him or… something."
"I don't know what he meant either," Claire told her as she helped her up. "He knows who I am and where I'm from. I don't know why he was so interested in me coming here either. But we can worry about all that after this is done with. So come on… let us try to find our way back to the others."
She nodded as she wiped her eyes and they pulled themselves out from the freezing waters and began to make their way back the way they came. After stepping around the area where the Crystalline Provenance had been, Claire saw something glinting on the ground and she paused.
"Look," Claire said as she approached the glittering object on the ground and picked it up. It was a scale that fit in the palm of her hand and had a luminous white shine to it. Alisaie looked at it in wonder before realizing that the pouch at Claire's side was glowing faintly. Claire looked and realized that she was right… she could see a faint light coming from it and opened it up to find the other objects inside were lightly glowing inside. The feather… the Ice shard… and the orb of flame was glowing along with the scale.
"The four keys…" Alisaie whispered. "I remember the guards talking about it… Pazuzu's Feather… Louhi's Ice… Penthesilea's Flame… and the Crystalline Provenance…? Which means…?"
"We can break the barrier to the Arsenal," Claire whispered as she stared at them before looking up to the palace-like building in the distance. "Alphinaud mentioned that there was supposed to be a fourth region closest to the Arsenal…?"
"Yes," Alisaie confirmed. "Hydatos."
Little did either of them realize that this place would be where their futures would be decided.
*End of Dream*
How did any of this happen? How could this have gone so wrong so quickly? Just when she had thought that they found their sole ray of hope, it all goes crashing down around them.
Claire was drifting in and out from the depths of sleep, not sure if she wanted to leave the safe and comfortable darkness that cradled her so securely. But there was a dull ache in her mind as the events that led up to this moment were slowly beginning to play over in her head… she remembered that the Imperials had caught up to them… how the leading commander ordered her to walk out in front… and the blow to the back of her head. She tried to recall what happened after that but it was clear to her that someone hit her from behind. If she ever found out who it was, she was going to more than knock them out.
She tried to raise her hand to feel her massive headache… only to realize, to her horror—that her arms wouldn't move. Rather than panic she forced herself to relax to think this through… that was when she comprehended that she was flat on her back, and her arms and legs seemed to be strapped to the metal ground beneath her.
She finally opened her eyes and blinked a few times as she was able to clear her vision to notice the metal ceiling and the flickering lights that hurt her tired eyes. She pulled to get her arms to move before recognizing that she was tied down with large, metal shackles.
"Ah, so you're finally awake, my friend?"
It had been a deep voice, almost a purr of some kind of wild animal, and she looked up to see that she wasn't alone. The metal floor she was strapped to was actually a table, and judging from the slight humming and vibrating, she realized that she was on an airship… and there… sitting right at her side was a tall and muscular man with long, strawberry-blond hair while dressed in light leather royal garments and a gold pauldron that covered his right shoulder down to his arm.
Though she only knew him by name, she knew who he was.
"Zenos yae Galvus, I presume?" she asked him. She had heard rumors of the crown prince of Garlemald before, of course, but this was the first time she ever saw him upfront. She wasn't sure what she was expecting… some sort of poison-spitting snake, perhaps? But for some reason, this seemingly normal appearance seemed to scare her even more than anything her imagination could think of.
"So you have heard of me?" he asked with a rather chilling smirk. "I'm flattered."
Those eyes seemed familiar to her for some strange reason and she cast her mind back to recall where she had seen them before…? Ah, of course.
"So it was you who hit me?" she said coldly, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing any fear.
"'Tis a rather underhanded of me to knock you out in such a way, but to be fair… it was your fault for not paying attention to what was behind you," he all but purred back.
"So what?" she asked coldly, turning her gaze onto the ceiling so that she didn't have to look at him, her mind already working on an escape plan. "What do you intent to do with me now? Kill me?"
"Kill you?" Zenos purred. "Why would I do that? No, my friend, I have something else planned for you."
She didn't like how he said that.
"Look at me…" he demanded again, but still, she kept her eyes gazed above her.
He then reached out with a powerful hand, reaching for her face. She shut her eyes, not wanting to give him what he wanted… but then, to her surprise, she let his fingers gently brush her forehead, as if brushing the hair from her face. She opened her eyes to see him draw his fingers away and she never would have believed that someone like him was capable of such gentleness. But she wasn't the only one, even Zenos seemed taken aback by his own action—for he was staring at his fingers like there was something wrong with them.
"What do you want from me?" she asked again.
"Ah," he almost purred, "That is the question, is it not?"
Claire gazed at his face and realized something with a start. She didn't think it was possible, but there was no denying the dark eyes that gazed back at her.
"You're…?" she began as he smiled, revealing his sharp teeth and she forced her fear down so that he wouldn't see it.
"So the crown prince is a vampire himself?" she asked, surprising herself with how calm she sounded. "I was certain that Garlemald decreed that all such beings were a bane upon the world and were to be destroyed. Though, they were the ones who came up with Black Rose?"
"The irony is not lost on me," he chuckled back. "And in most cases, you would be right. However, I am a rare exception to the rule. As you can be considered as well. After all, most caretakers die within the first year or so of caring for a bloodsucker. You have survived several years from what I've heard… and with two of them? My, you are a stubborn one, aren't you?"
"That is the path I chosen to walk," she answered back, "To sacrifice. Not that you could understand. Have you ever cared for another?"
"I can't say that I have," he smirked. "What good is caring?"
Claire just glared back, still not getting her answers to why he went through the trouble of bringing her all the way here in the first place.
"So… what is it that you want?" she asked once more, determined to get some kind of an answer. "You seem to be in control of yourself for now, so I can't imagine it's because you're thirsty."
"Oh, you needn't worry," he answered, "I already had a fair amount the other day. You don't need to fear me, for now anyway."
Well, she supposed that one was good thing. But then she comprehended what he said about the twins and her eyes flashed dangerously…?
"Where are they?" she demanded. Gods, if he hurt a hair on either one of their heads…?
"Not here, I'm afraid," he stated calmly. "You see, it was mostly you, that I was after… but I'm sure that it will only be a matter of time before your lovers come for you."
She stared at him the moment she heard that word, which he stretched out slightly so that she couldn't hope to miss it, as he smirked.
"You don't do a good job of hiding it," he stated. "I can smell them all over you. It does a fairly decent job of masking your blood, I'll give you that. But you shouldn't be so obvious."
Claire did her best not to turn red with embarrassment… which was easy since her face was now red from anger. How dare he judge her like that?
"So where are you taking me?" she asked coldly.
"Just getting everything ready," he answered. "But you see, I couldn't risk you roaming about. I've been testing the waters for far too long to allow the potential fun to be ruined because of you."
Claire blinked at him, completely at a lost.
He had been 'testing the waters'? Getting everything ready? What was he talking about? She demanded to know what he meant but he just smirked and explained, "Just making sure that I wouldn't waste moons of Black Rose production. I have weakling servants scattered about to perform tests to see where the best locations would prove the most… unexpected results."
"Testing? What are you talking…?" she began before her voice died in her throat.
Suddenly, questions that have been plaguing her mind for several years came to her and they all seemed to be lining up together. She thought of Ryne and Thancred all of a sudden—of something Thancred told her once upon a time and the pieces suddenly all fit together. So she asked, "So… the reasons that the Garleans that were capturing those girls and killing them with Black Rose…?"
"Test subjects most likely," he answered back casually. "I ordered for several groups to begin testing on groups of people… all around the same age and appearance just to see if there were any differences… they all turned out to be complete failures so they had them killed."
"Wait, so the Black Rose that those heretics up in Coerthas…?" she asked.
"Most likely stolen from us," he shrugged. "But I'll not fault them the chance to be able to create more. If only those slayers in Ishgard didn't bother going in and killing so many…?"
"Then those hunters that tracked us down both in Eulmore and Thanalan before… were also you're doing?" she asked, thinking back to the two separate incidents.
"More or less," he answered back, seemingly glad to have an audience. "I wanted them to round up as many bloodsuckers as they could find to see if the experiments could continue. Especially when I heard that there were a trio of bloodsuckers around. Well… two of them… and one…?"
He seemed unable to come up with a word for her, but she had already went on with her next question, already guessing the answer. "You… in that case, you must be the Beast of Eulmore?"
He actually laughed at that.
"That name? There's one I hadn't heard in a while," he confessed. "Yes, I was upon the isle at the time when I was overcome with a thirst. It truly is a marvelous time to find oneself—though I confess that I rarely remember everything that I kill when I'm in such a state."
"Wait… don't you have a bonded blood pair or a caretaker?" she asked, baffled at how Zenos spoke of such a thing as if it was no big deal. How many times had he been overcome though? And yet, still spoke so calmly?
"And rely upon another? No, I rather not," he answered with a roll of his eyes. "But there are times when the thirst claims me and I go on a killing spree until I've had my fill. Usually, the red haze lifts from my mind. But I've no reason to complain about them."
How was that possible? She had never once heard of anyone like that… usually, once a blood lust hunger took a vampire they become killing machines with no thought in their heads but to kill. This was something that was common knowledge… then again, most vampires are killed right away should they ever descend into such a state. Was it possible that he could survive in such forms…?
Either way, she knew that she was dealing with a madman here and needed to get out. She raised her eyebrows before she understood.
"But why involve so many innocent people? Do you wish to die?" she asked.
"Not at all," he answered. "Just wanting to bring a little more excitement to this dull world."
"What do you mean?" she asked, not liking the glint in his eyes.
"I can still remember when Black Rose had been created," he explained. "It was supposed to be a toxic gas for conquest… at least until they realized the side effects to those whom it did not kill right away. I remember the fear and panic it caused when the very foe they had sought to kill became blood-thirsty, mindless monsters. It had been one of the few times I felt any kind of excitement to this otherwise empty world."
He got a rather dreamy look on his face, as if recalling a sweet memory. "Alas, by the time that this was realized with the—unexpected side effects—the poison had already been passed out to many troops all across the world… most of whom had unleashed it as a last resort upon their enemies so the capital wasn't able to warn them in time. As the years had gone by, its effects have spread… but if that is how only a few small concentrations of the poison are capable of… imagine if one were to unleash a larger… amount?"
Claire blinked in confusion before her eyes widened and she began to look around her as understanding seemed to sink in.
"This entire airship is filled with the Black Rose poison," he confirmed for her. "The only question now is to figure out the best place to unleash it. Normally, I am against such cowardly methods… but it won't kill everyone… ah, to just think of the chaos that it could unleash…?"
"Are you mad?!" she demanded as she tried to force herself up, but no matter how hard she tugged at the metal shackles, she couldn't free herself. But she wasn't even thinking about that as she desperately sought a way to get up and stop him. She didn't know what would happen if that much Black Rose was released… but she didn't want to think about.
"Now, now… there is no need to fuss about this," he stated. "But the thing is that I cannot allow a possible cure to live."
She stopped fighting and stared at him as he smirked back. "Oh, yes… I can sense it in your blood. Something different… something… potent. Just one whiff is enough to confirm it all for me that you have found a cure in your very blood."
"You can smell it?" Claire demanded.
"All blood is like a different wine," he answered back. "And so the smell from you is much more… noticeable than others. I was able to pick up the scent that there was something different about you almost immediately."
"How is it that you could sense it but they couldn't?" she asked coldly. She had been with the twins so long, and they both knew her blood by scent, how could they have not noticed before if there was any kind of change?
"I thought it obvious," he answered with a tilt of his head. "They reject their new selves, desperately clinging to whatever humanity that remains in them. Whereas, I, who had spent years studying and embracing everything that I now am, have tapped into abilities far beyond what most are capable of."
He smirked a little more cruelly and she really did not like how he was looking at her. He looked… hungry.
"And that's your plan? You just want to unleash an entire airship full of poison, just because?" she asked. "So you don't wish for me to put a stop to your precious plans because of a cure that may or may not be in my blood."
"You must understand that I cannot risk it," he told her. "I admit that I had originally sought you out because you seemed…" his voice trailed off as he sniffed her, and she watched how his lips curled. "Delicious."
His voice made her skin crawl.
"It's a shame," he sighed as he suddenly leaned over her and she instinctively tried to kick him away, but she still couldn't move and she was now growing angry at this lack of being able to move. "I so wanted to have a taste of your blood as well… but if there is a chance that there is a cure in your blood… I can't be sure if I should risk it…? Even if the cure is very weak inside you at the moment…?
He sighed and his mouth was now so close that she could feel his breath upon her face. She tried to head-butt him, but he drew back with a chuckle.
"You are making it hard to resist," he grinned, his face now directly over her own and his dark eyes suddenly sparked with desire. "I suppose… a slight taste… just enough to get you to behave… wouldn't hurt me."
She gritted her teeth as she glared at him… cursing him out in her mind as she felt his teeth bite into her neck.
(Almost to the end. It's a race against time to put a stop to his plans! Only two more chapters to go… and maybe an epilogue!)