Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Bloodlines or Fullmetal Alchemist
The spell to locate Sonya took a bit more mental focus than some of the others I had learned, but it was still fairly simple. With how much I had been learning from Ms. Terwilliger, I was quickly becoming skilled with the art of magic, so a spell like this was nothing for me. Still, it did not help me to interpret what I saw, since I had no idea where the compound I had seen was. It was nearby, clearly in the desert somewhere, but other than the stylized sun symbol I had seen, there was little to base its location off of.
The others were upset with how little I had to offer, but they seemed to accept that I had nothing else to offer for help. Going back to classes after that was hard, since my mind was focused on Sonya and how much trouble she might be in. I knew there was a big chance that she could be killed simply because of what she was, but I could do nothing to stop it.
On top of that, I noticed that one of my few friends had been strangely absent over the last few weeks. I had been distracted by Zoe earlier, but as I sat down in my history class, I noticed that Trey was gone, and realized that he hadn't been in for quite some time now. Thinking of him and what I knew, it seemed rather unlikely that he was involved in Sonya's disappearance, but the timing was just too strange for me to ignore. With no other leads to follow up on, I had to ask about Trey somehow, I just needed to figure out when.
I had been on my way to the other building to try and ask Trey's friends if he had been seen when I noticed someone strange on campus. He was lounging out in the parking lot, grinning over at a group of girls that seemed to be gushing over him. By his side was a girl, looking tough and willing to fight if necessary right now. Both of them had blond hair, and it was obvious that they were friends. My issue was that neither of them were students here, making them suspicious.
I waited until the crowd cleared away, slowly realizing that the man wasn't interested in them. "Looks like you've got another guest, Dave." the girl said, while the man grinned at me. He had blue eyes, and he seemed to think that one smile would make me feel weak and cave in to his demands.
"Indeed we do. What can I help you with, Gorgeous?" he asked, while I crossed my arms over my chest, staring at him closely. I had to be missing something, some clue as to who these people were. They seemed to be acting relaxed, but that girl was far too tense to be here just for socializing. She had the body language of a body guard, ready to move at a moment's notice, reminding me somewhat of Eddie.
I narrowed my eyes at him, still trying to put together what I was missing. "You're the ones sitting on my school's campus. Seems to me like you're the ones looking for something." I countered, watching as the man laughed, amused with my deductions.
"Clever and pretty, I like that." he commented with a smirk, making me wonder why I was even bothering with him. He was far too flirtatious, thinking he was the greatest guy on the planet based on his attitude. Yes, Adrian did so at times as well, but he was more light-hearted about it than this Dave guy was. At least Adrian was aware that he had faults. This guy acted like he had none.
The girl frowned at his comment, not looking pleased with his interest. I noticed the way her eyes flickered to my cheek ever so quickly, but it was enough for me to realize what it was I was missing. They knew about the Alchemists, and they were human. With the tension in her body, and the way she seemed to carry herself….they had to be part of the Warriors. "You're one of them" I stated, watching both of them look at me in surprise and confusion.
"I'm sorry? I'm afraid I don't quite know what you mean by that one." Dave tried, but I was already moving, grabbing Sabrina and moving to pin her against the ground. She moved quickly, pulling free of my grip and slamming the heel of her boot into my side, making me groan as I fell back onto the ground.
I debated using alchemy to fight at this point, knowing it would give me the upper hand but also not wanting to reveal it to my enemy quite yet. Instead, I quickly rolled away from the girl, giving myself some time to get to my feet before she reached me once more. When she swung at me with her fist, I dodged and grabbed her by her shoulders, using her own momentum to send her flying to the ground behind me.
She glared at me, looking angry that I was actually managing to do so well. This time, she changed her tactics, my fear growing when she pulled a gun out that had been hidden underneath her jacket. "Not so tough are you now, huh?" she taunted, smirking as she got up, keeping the gun aimed at me.
"Careful with that, Sabrina. We don't want the Alchemists down here investigating the death of one of their own." Dave stated, making me roll my eyes.
"All I want are answers, I have no intention of turning you over to my superiors as long as you give me what I want." I told them, watching Dave seem to think about it for a moment. He seemed to be the leader of their little pair, though the girl seemed like a far better fighter from what I had just witnessed.
"I suppose my reply depends on what you want to know," he said after a few moments, making me nod.
"Sonya Karp, a moroi who was in the area, went missing not too long ago. We believe that your organization is holding her hostage," I told them, watching as Dave actually began laughing in amusement. Sabrina grimaced, looking rather disgusted at what I had implied, making me wonder where I had gone wrong in my assumptions.
"Wait, you think we're both one of those nuts? Sorry, we don't roll that way, we actually like vampires," Dave told me, while Sabrina nodded in agreement.
"Well, do you know where my friend is anyway?" I asked, watching as they glanced at each other, frowning slightly.
"Tell you what, darling, you help me and I'll help you. You want to find your friend, while I want to find a renegade Alchemist," he told me, making me stare at him, a sinking feeling in my gut. "I heard a little rumor running around that Keith Darnell is hiding out somewhere around here. I'd be rather interested in recruiting him for my cause, considering that I honestly never expected someone from that family to see the truth about vampires."
"I can't offer that, not when it risks someone else's life," I told him, but I did have something else in mind. "However, if you need a renegade Alchemist, I'd be happy to point you in the direction of someone who isn't all that happy with the way their group functions as of right now," I added, watching Dave seem to consider my offer.
After sharing a look with Sabrina, he sighed and nodded. "Alright, I guess I can't blame you for protecting your friend. I'll take you up on your offer. Your friend is being held in a compound not far from here. Sabrina, go get her a map and directions to the place," Dave stated, watching as the girl reluctantly left us alone. "While she does that, it is your turn, darling. Tell me all about your renegade Alchemist friend, and while you're at it, tell me why you haven't turned them in. Something like that can get you a promotion, or at least some good rep with them," he told me, while I shook my head, giving him a cold glare.
"That would be me, actually," I told him, watching his grin widen.
"How did I know it? Well, if you're interested in joining me, you've got a ways to go. You're gonna need to do something to prove that you're not with them anymore, before we can trust you," he insisted, while I laughed at his comment, shaking my head.
"Is that so? Well, your group sounds intriguing, but I highly doubt I'll be signing up anytime soon," I told him, but he grabbed my wrist, stopping me from turning and leaving him here.
"Wait, you don't know the truth yet!" he stated, making me freeze. Anytime someone mentioned the truth, even if I knew they meant it differently, it made me think of the Gate and the creature that guarded it. "So long as you have that tattoo, you will always be their slave. They put compulsion magic in it, not just to keep you quiet, but also to make you loyal." he insisted, making me reach up to touch my cheek.
"Well, I suppose it is a good thing the compulsion is long gone from my tattoo," I told him, shrugging as I moved to walk away again, breathing a bit easier now that I was certain he hadn't done anything similar to what I had done.
"We are working to make things better for everyone, both vampires and humans," he insisted, keeping his voice low as he tried to talk me into joining his little cult. "Look, I used to be one of the Alchemists, too, but I left them behind years ago. My real name is Marcus Finch, and I'm probably the number one enemy they've got right now," he continued, while I felt like I disagreed. Ed was a far greater threat than this idiot, and they didn't even know the kid existed. Surprise was a powerful tool in a war, and that was on our side for now.
Staring at Marcus, I could already tell that he was too idealistic to truly accomplish anything. "That may be what you want, but it isn't what you will accomplish in the end. I am with people who are actually capable of beginning the change you want to see, and I'm not going to stop it now," I told him, but he still seemed desperate to win me over.
"Come on, at least get your tattoo broken. Whatever you think you did to get rid of the magic, trust me, it didn't work. They turn silver when the magic fades away," he insisted, while I sighed, glancing around to make sure no one else was around.
"I suppose I don't have a choice but to show you. There is no magic in my tattoo. It is gold simply because I made it that way." I told him, knowing that I had manipulated the metal to keep its color and sheen within my skin. With a slight frown, I transmuted the tattoo yet again, watching as he stared at me with wide eyes. Just a few seconds later, my tattoo was silver and I had an orb of gold in my hand. "The magic was gone long ago, the first time I did this. Without gold to bind it to myself, the magic faded from my system naturally."
"How….that's impossible," he said, sounding awestruck at my abilities.
"Like I said, I actually plan on doing something to create this change. Now, I'll be taking that map and leaving," I told him, but he shook his head, his gaze turning focused for once. I was done with this already, returning the gold to my tattoo as I waited patiently for him to deliver on his side of the bargain.
"No, you're not. We're going to show you just how strong we can be. Maybe with someone with your skills, we can actually do something to penetrate the Alchemists, get inside their ranks somehow," he stated, sounding interested in the possibility. I debated, wondering if I should let him come or not. In the end, more help was better, so I nodded in agreement to his offer for assistance.
Sabrina returned at that moment, glaring at me as she handed me the map. "There you go. Now leave and don't bother us again," she insisted, her gun safely hidden away once more. Marcus wrapped an arm around her shoulders casually, shaking his head as he grinned over at me.
"Sorry, looks like we're going on a rescue mission. Sydney over here has got some pretty sweet skills, and I'd love to see her in action," Marcus stated, making Sabrina look rather upset. "Who knows, maybe she could join you and spy on the Warriors for us?" he added, making me scoff at the implication. I was not having anything to do with them either, not even if it was just to get information out of them.
"My focus is the Alchemists. So long as the Warriors are focused on Strigoi, I honestly don't care what they end up doing," I told them, watching him shrug, clearly still thinking I'd be useful to him in the end. "Look, if we're going there now, I've got to make a phone call. I have some friends that would like to tag along on this." Ed and Al had been fairly vocal about saving her life, and from what I could tell, they wanted to be directly involved. They might not have alchemy anymore, but apparently it did not prevent them from utilizing magic.
Marcus nodded, standing around and waiting for me to begin my call. I dialed Adrian, since the other two didn't have a phone of their own yet. "Sage, wasn't expecting a call from you today. What's up?" he asked, while I smiled. Even just hearing his voice calmed me down, which was strange considering I was about to take on a group of humans that had worked to be able to kill strigoi.
"I've met some….people who are willing to help rescue Sonya. They know where she is, and I was just calling to tell Ed and Al. They seemed interested in helping out before, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to have some backup," I said knowing he would be thrilled to hear that his friend was being rescued at this point.
"Wait, you've found her? That's brilliant, Sage, I knew you could do it. While I wish you had called me so we could go through with escape plan twenty five, this works too," he teased, making me raise an eyebrow at his comment. I hadn't expected him to bring that joke back up, though it seemed rather fitting considering our current situation.
"What exactly is escape plan twenty five?" I asked, already imagining his grin as I did so.
"Join a traveling circus and see the world together, Sage, that's what it is," he replied, making me laugh out loud. Even when we were trying to be serious, he could still make me laugh. Seeing how Marcus was watching me though, I decided I should at least try to calm down and focus. "Anyway, I'll go get them over here and I'll meet you at the school. You're leaving from Amberwood, right?" he asked, clarifying where I was.
I paused for a moment, understanding that he was planning on coming with. From what I had heard, Adrian ended up inheriting most of his father's wealth after the funeral, and he had used some of it to purchase a car to help him get around Palm Springs. "Adrian, you're not a fighter. You really shouldn't be coming along. It's dangerous." I told him at last. Even if I did want to see him, I wasn't going to watch him carelessly put his own life at risk.
Understandably, he was a bit upset by this. "Neither are you, last I checked. I don't care if you've been training with Castile in your free time, you are not an expert in fighting," Adrian countered. In my defense, I actually had been training with the dhampir, when the sun was too high for Jill to be out and learning from him. In just a month, I felt like I had improved greatly in my ability to defend myself, but I needed to learn more to go up against the sheer numbers of the Alchemists. "Damn it, Sage, you aren't making me sit this one out. Remember what happened last time you got in a fight?"
That wasn't exactly a good example, considering I had simply used alchemy and focused on Ed and his family instead of trying to win that battle. "I know what happened, and you know very well why that happened," I told him harshly, glancing at Marcus who was beginning to realize that there was an argument going on. He seemed a bit concerned, glancing at Sabrina for a moment before sighing, walking over to me.
"Come on, your friends don't have to come along. We've got plenty of strength with my group. We're a bit larger than you think," Marcus insisted, but I shook my head, focusing on Adrian instead.
"I'm not going to just sit around and let that happen again! Do you really think I could go through that a second time, Sydney? I thought you were dead!" he said, practically shouting in my ear. I flinched, remembering how distraught he had been when I returned from the Gate the second time. "I get that you're worried, and I appreciate that you care enough to do so, but please, don't make me sit this one out," he begged, his voice a bit softer and more pleading.
I closed my eyes, knowing he had gone through so much already over the last few weeks. He was coping with losing his father, and he had to deal wit three new roommates living with him. If he really wanted to come this badly, I was not going to stand in his way. "Alright, I won't stop you, Adrian. Just please, be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt either," I told him, wishing he was actually standing here with me now.
"Thanks, Sage. Am I meeting you at the school, or not?" he asked, while I shrugged, knowing we could wait a few minutes while Marcus gathered his people.
"Sure, that'll work. Don't forget to bring Ed and Al, they'll be disappointed if they miss out on this chance." I said, hearing him agree to do so.
"Oh, and Sydney?" he said just before he hung up. "Just wanted you to know that I'm still here for you, if you're interested. I know we haven't exactly been able to talk much lately about us, but I figured I'd put it out there," he added, making me smile.
"I know, I wish we did have more time. Unfortunately, now is still not a good time to talk about it. You have no idea what they can get their hands on, Adrian, we've got to be careful." I told him, hearing him sigh on the other end of the line. He would understand who I was avoiding, that the Alchemists had ways of tracing calls and retrieving data if they truly wanted to. "Still…if we ever do get the chance, I did deal with one of those problems in my life. I might be handle taking something else on too," I told him, hoping that he would be able to understand the hint.
"Sydney….thank you," he said at last, aware that he couldn't really say much else over the phone. "I'll see you soon," he added, hanging up and leaving me to deal with Marcus and Sabrina for a few minutes while they were on their way here.
"You're taking a random civilian into a fight with us? That's rather cruel of you, Gorgeous," Marcus commented, having understood that much from my side of the conversation.
I glared at him, immediately moving to defend Adrian. "He isn't that bad, and when he wants to, he can hold his own in a fight. He's a moroi spirit user," I told Marcus, watching his eyes widen.
"Wait, you know one of them? We've heard rumors about what they can do….looks like you're even more connected then we are with their kind," Marcus commented, looking pleased. "Still, I don't think a healer will be all that useful in a fight, especially when there isn't enough time for him to heal anyone that gets injured." he added, while I frowned, remembering Adrian and how he fought against Robert. When he was pushed to it, Adrian could use his magic to fight, but he had to truly be angered to do so. Even then, it came with a price, bringing darkness into his mind and clouding his judgment. Either way, Adrian would get hurt, so I just hoped he would be smart enough to stay out of the way.
"He's just worried about me. There really wasn't a way to convince him to stay behind," I told Marcus, well aware that Adrian's personality would likely make him follow along regardless of if I agreed or not. He didn't care for rules and he followed his heart, something that I admired about him. "Anyway, the two others coming are good in a fight. They've been through far more battles than anyone I've met," I said to Marcus, not really wanting to reveal much more than that about Ed and Al.
He nodded, glancing at Sabrina who shrugged. "Well, I've never heard of them. Are they dhampirs? Sounds like they'd be kind of useful for a rescue mission like this," he asked, while I shook my head. I should have thought far enough ahead to tell Adrian to pick up Dimitri as well, but just Ed and Al would have to suffice. Perhaps Eddie would be willing to join us, but I didn't want to risk putting Jill in danger by taking away her only Guardian on campus.
"So, you called a moroi…to bring more humans to help us out? Sorry, that just doesn't make much sense to me." he told me, but I wasn't planning on revealing any secrets to this guy. He had yet to earn my trust, and in the end, it was up to Ed and Al to decide how much he learned about them.
I nodded at him, glancing around to make sure we were still alone. The grounds out here were pretty deserted, with most of the students in their dorms at this point. It was getting late, close to curfew for Amberwood, but I knew that I would be able to get an exception made quite easily for me to leave. Ms. Terwilliger was known around campus for sending me out on strange errands at random times of the night, so it wouldn't be entirely unexpected for me to vanish and return on some trip for her. She had told me I was welcome to ask her for favors of that nature, if my job ever called me out after curfew.
I sent her a quick message on my phone about it, ignoring the way Marcus still seemed to wait for an explanation about my friends. "Just so you know, we aren't too fond of secrets around here. If you want to be trusted, you've gotta start giving us some trust first," Sabrina said after a few moments, clearly disliking me still. I didn't blame her, considering her first impression of me had been a bit of a fight.
"Then don't trust me. I never asked you to do so, because it would be unfair of me to ask for trust from you when I don't trust you in return." I told her, watching her blink in surprise. Marcus seemed to be a bit concerned as well, but I didn't care. "I place a strong value in equality, in all matters, that is all. If I can't bring myself to trust you, I do not expect you to trust me in return," I told her, explaining my comment a bit further. It still followed the principles I had known for the entire time I could remember. Everything was paid for equivalently, whether that was physically with alchemy, or emotionally with trust or friendship.
"I'm beginning to see why you aren't too fond of your superiors. You've got a bit of guts, and that's something they don't exactly appreciate where you are now," Marcus commented, while I decided it was best to not reply. Maybe I did have a bold streak right now, but that did not mean I wanted to fight. I preferred a battle of wits, using my words and knowledge to win as opposed to my strength. Even so, I was willing to defend myself and my beliefs with my abilities, which was why I was planning on fighting the Alchemists in the end.
"That is not the reason I am unhappy with them. I have my own reasons for rebelling against them," I told Marcus, knowing he would be confused but at this point I didn't care. I could see Adrian's car pulling in anyway, my ride out of here and to the compound where Sonya was held. Even without a plan in mind, I knew we would find a way to save her. Our group right here was stronger than anyone could imagine, and if I had learned anything over the last few months, it was that everyone always underestimated humans.
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