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The Lone Wolf
Nobody explicitly said it, but there was a definite air in the train that the only reason Kahn and Selene hadn't been killed by the security team was that they were known figures in the coven whose reputations ensured that people would at least listen to their side before taking any action. Selene was privately ashamed to wonder if it was her skill in the field or Kahn's record as the coven quartermaster that had given them this opportunity, but either way she was grateful that Amelia was giving her this chance at all. They still had to wait a few minutes as their own weapons were confiscated and the appropriate arrangements were made, but in the end it only took a few minutes for her and Kahn to be brought before Amelia as she sat in her private cabin in the train.
The female Elder could have set aside an entire carriage for herself, but she contented herself with a larger-than-average compartment, allowing her to meet with guests in one area while setting aside another for when she wanted to sleep. Amelia was already wearing an elegant silver gown, in preparation for the Awakening ceremony that she would be taking part in when she arrived, but she still gave every sign of being ready for whatever threat might come at her.
"Greetings," she nodded politely at the two vampires as they were shown in. With Selene and Kahn already disarmed, they were left alone in the cabin with Amelia; there were other Death Dealers just outside, but Selene knew all too well that Amelia wouldn't need any help to deal with her or Kahn if either or both of them turned out to be hostile.
"Greetings, my lady," Kahn nodded at her. "I am Kahn, the master of arms at Ordgahz; this is Selene, one of our best Death Dealers."
"My lady," Selene nodded. Unlike with some of the nobles Kraven invited over, Amelia had enough of a reputation as a warrior to have legitimately earned Selene's respect, even if they hadn't met that often.
"Well," Amelia looked at the two with a slight smile, "would you care to explain how you came to be here before we arrived at the station?"
"We believe that Kraven is working with the lycans and planning to attack your train when you arrive."
"Kraven?" Amelia raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Viktor's regent?"
"Indeed," Kahn nodded.
"And you… have evidence of this?"
"Not entirely," Selene said, feeling a need to take over; Kahn had helped her come this far, but she was going to take her share of responsibility for this situation. "I am sure that Kraven is going to do something soon, and I… believe that Lucian is involved, but I cannot give you any proof…"
"Lucian?" Amelia said, a new edge to her voice as she looked at Selene. "Lucian is alive?"
"I believe he is, at least," Selene nodded. "I saw a lycan that greatly resembles available images of Lucian during a recent confrontation, but… circumstances prevented me from confirming his identity at the time…"
"Battles are always difficult; you cannot blame yourself for not keeping track of everything in such a situation," Amelia acknowledged, giving Selene a brief nod before she settled back in her chair. "In any case, you have yet to explain your reasons for being here?"
"Kraven ordered me to let his men pick you up at the station rather than leave it to my own forces, and Selene… expressed concern that Kraven intends to assist the lycans in ambushing you," Kahn explained. "We thought it best to make direct contact and warn you about the situation in person."
"I see." Amelia stared at Kahn in a contemplative manner. "You truly doubt Kraven's intentions?"
"I trust Selene, my lady," Kahn replied. "Kraven has been a… competent leader in the absence of an Elder, but are we so set in our ways that we would allow an individual to coast through immortality on the strength of one alleged victory centuries ago? At the very least, his actions of late have demonstrated a growing willingness to ignore possible lycan activity if it doesn't fit his own views…"
"Enough," Amelia held up a hand as she looked firmly between them. "On the one hand, you must recognise that I cannot act against Viktor's chosen regent solely on your word-"
"We're not asking you to act against Kraven-" Selene began.
"And I recognise that, which is why I will take your advice and take appropriate precautions," Amelia cut the younger vampire off, glancing at a clock on the wall. "We are due to arrive in ten minutes; that should be enough time to prepare…"
As the train pulled into the station, Soren watched in silence, aware of the various forces massing around him even as so many of them remained hidden from view. As per Kraven's instructions, his own men were set up in most of the usual positions of Kahn's standard defence perimeter, but he'd taken care to only maintain a token force in each position. It would be enough to assure the Death Dealers in Amelia's entourage, but there was no point keeping too many vampires exposed to the lycan forces about to arrive.
His team all knew to allow the lycans to finish their job, but Soren and Kraven had each agreed that there was no sense risking putting their men too close to the action in case the lycans became too feral. The rest of the team were just waiting outside the station, keeping the location secure but distinctly separate from what would soon be the danger zone. They all knew their job was just to clean up after the lycans did the dirty work, and soon they would have the power and authority that had long been hoarded by the Death Dealers.
Soren almost allowed himself a smile when he heard the first howl of their lycan associates moving into action, but that smile died before it could reach his lips when the howl was cut off by gunfire, followed by a series of pained yelps. Obviously nobody had believed that the lycans would get through this assault without any casualties, but the idea that Amelia's Death Dealers had scored a victory that early when they were meant to have been taken by surprise-
The sound of guns being fired from behind him turned Soren's attention away from the train to look at an even more horrifying sight, as he saw a new wave of vampires coming up from behind to take down most of his own men. He could just see them using the vampires' own versions of night-vision goggles- modified to track lower body temperatures in the rare cases when the Death Dealers were sent after rogue vampires- but he had enough light to recognise a few of the attackers as some of the more prominent members of Amelia's entourage. Worst of all, while the lycans were their obvious focus, some of his own men had also been targeted by the new arrivals, which ruled out the possibility that Amelia's men had just gotten lucky and noticed the approaching wolves early.
If it had just been that, his own men might have been able to turn the tables on Amelia's forces and still complete Kraven's plan- they had all been prepared to accept vampires being killed by lycans in the name of their own power- but when they were already being hunted, he didn't have many options.
He had long accepted that he was the brawn to Kraven's brain in their schemes, but it was still possible that he could find a way out of this. Whatever Lucian's goal in assassinating Amelia now, that part of the plan had failed, but if Soren was quick he might still be able to help Amelia's forces fight off this attack and claim there was a traitor elsewhere but convince her that he was blameless-
The sound of a gun safety clicking off once again ended that particular hope as Soren felt a barrel pressed up to the back of his head.
"Feel free to give me an excuse," Selene's voice said, clearly identifying her as the one holding the gun.
For the first time in decades, Soren cursed Kraven's scheme. Working with lycans had been a risk Soren had been willing to tolerate in the name of their own authority after so long being dismissed by Viktor over those rare past mistakes, but Kraven should have recognised long ago that Selene wasn't interested in anything Soren's associate had to offer her. If Kraven had just shifted his focus elsewhere, Selene might have left him alone, but clearly something had gone wrong…
"How did you know?" he asked; if he was certain to die tonight anyway, he might as well try to satisfy his curiosity.
"Kraven isn't as smart as he thinks he is," Selene said, her tone cool but professional as the gun remained steady against the back of Soren's head. "He was so determined to stop me investigating things that he made me curious."
"Lycans," Soren spat bitterly. "If Raze hadn't used that ultraviolet ammunition-"
"There were other reasons for me to be concerned," Selene said, before her gun left his head. Soren already knew that he wasn't going to be allowed to leave, but it was still a shock when he felt a bullet penetrate his knee from behind, forcing him to the ground with a barely-restrained yell of pain.
"Now then," Selene said, moving to stand in front of him, keeping a tight grip on his shoulder, "I think Lady Amelia wants to have a word with you."
Shit.
From this point on, Soren knew that he was basically dead already; everything else would just be a matter of when rather than 'if'.
As much as Selene wanted to make this a purely professional matter, after everything Kraven had put her through while she was unable to do more than reject him again she'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the chance to deliver some punishment to Soren. The wound she'd inflicted on his leg might be healing up already, but it wouldn't be an easy recovery with that bullet still lodged in his knee, particularly when she was making him walk so soon after the injury.
"You caught him, then?" Kahn said as he saw her approaching the train, currently working with Amelia's own security forces to clean up the remaining lycans.
"He likes to watch, and he indulged himself for just too long," Selene shrugged, as she looked around the train. "How are things here?"
"A few potential lycan escapees, but we're satisfied that all of Soren's men have been caught or eliminated," Kahn confirmed.
"What about him?" one of Amelia's guards indicated Soren.
"Lady Amelia wished to speak with him in person," Selene said. Once she had received confirming nods from the other Death Dealers, she led Soren into the train and towards Amelia's private office. Amelia had been ready to act if any of the lycans got too far in, but when the female Elder had almost certainly been the target she had agreed to remain behind to serve as bait for any potential attackers.
"Soren," Amelia said, arms folded as she sat behind her desk once Selene led her prisoner in. Selene was particularly satisfied to see that Amelia was looking at Soren as though he was essentially something that she had to scrape off her shoes; after all the times Soren and Kraven had basically avoided confrontation because of their social standing back at the manor, it was a pleasure to see someone else give him the contempt he deserved.
"Talk," Selene said, making sure that Soren was aware of her gun in his back.
"…Kraven and Lucian have been working together since the Battle of the Alps," Soren affirmed. "The obvious goal was to depose the Elders, although Lucian always made it clear that eliminating Viktor was the priority; you and Marcus being gone would just ensure Kraven's own rise to power."
"If that was the goal, why did Kraven not simply kill Viktor while he slept?"
"The goal for Kraven was always to take power afterwards; he could never find a way to eliminate Viktor that would not immediately expose his own role in the death," Soren replied, his tone growing increasingly resigned as he spoke. "The intent was for you to be eliminated here at the station, and then Lucian's forces would strike Ordgahz while the rest of the vampires were trying to determine the policy if you died before you could awaken Marcus."
"Indeed," Amelia said, eyes narrowing as she glared at Soren for a moment before she continued. "And from there?"
"Kraven and I would stage an attempted rescue once the most significant of our rivals had been eliminated, and he and Lucian would feign surrender and draw up a treaty to end the war," Soren explained. "Viktor's death was always the main goal, but Lucian affirmed that he would support Kraven taking charge of the council in return for a treaty between the two factions."
"A treaty?" Amelia repeated, eyebrows raised. "Your master would tolerate a treaty with lycans?"
"He believed in our superiority, but he was practical enough to recognise that he couldn't stop Lucian's forces in a straight confrontation," Soren affirmed. "Lucian was content to remain anonymous so long as he achieved his victory, which would allow Kraven to present himself as the man bold enough to take a new approach and end the war through negotiation rather than do what everyone else has done and continue a war that had just cost us so much."
In a grim way, Selene could at least see what Kraven thought he would get out of this. With the Elders dead, Kraven could potentially get away with presenting himself as the 'noble' peacekeeper who wrote up the final treaty with the lycans after the Elders were lost in the final battle. She had to assume that the lycans' numbers were still fairly low even if Kraven had helped Lucian conceal the extent of their presence, so Kraven could probably argue that Lucian had accepted the conflict was over now that the vampires' original leaders were dead and the lycans didn't have the numbers to mount an effective campaign against the rest of the species.
Which doesn't explain where Michael fits in to this scheme…
"What do you know of Lucian's plan to attack the mansion?"
"Only the basics," Soren shook his head. "The intention was that Lucian would mount his attack while the coven as a whole was dealing with your loss; my own men would have officially been on lockdown until Kraven decided how to deal with us after our failure."
"He seriously thought that he would be able to escape being questioned when he was the one who sent you here?" Selene looked incredulously at Soren.
"Mistakes happen," Soren observed.
"And Kraven being in power for so long was clearly one of them," Amelia said, standing up and walking around her desk to stand in front of Soren. "Thank you for your information."
With that, Amelia reached up and broke Soren's neck, his body collapsing to the ground with his head facing backwards.
"Does that tie in with your assessment of Kraven?" Amelia looked at Selene.
"He's arrogant enough to believe that he could get away with sending Soren's men out to collect you and have nobody seriously question how they fell for this kind of trap," Selene observed. "Kraven's greatest flaw is his sheer ego; the fact that he spent decades pursuing me no matter how clear I made it that I wasn't interested should be enough evidence that he can't imagine losing."
"Quite," Amelia nodded, before she looked at the younger vampire with a more solemn expression. "Regardless of why we failed to uncover his treachery earlier, you and Kahn have done a great service in exposing the treachery of Kraven of Leicester and his associates. Obviously any accusations made against you by Kraven shall be stricken from the record, but is there… anything else that I can do for you both?"
Selene liked to tell herself that she would never have accepted such an offer normally, priding herself on doing her job first and foremost with no thought of reward. Right now, faced with such unconventional circumstances, it occurred to her that this was the best chance she would ever have to make this particular appeal.
"Actually…" she looked cautiously at the Elder. "There is one thing you could do for me, but it is… unconventional."
"What is it?"
"A few months ago, I… made the acquaintance of a young man named Michael Corvin," Selene explained, grateful that the two of them were alone apart from Soren's cooling corpse.
"And you wish for him to be turned?" Amelia looked at Selene in surprise. "That is hardly unconventional-"
"It is… more complicated than that," Selene said, suddenly struck by the knowledge that a part of her was actually grateful that she and Michael had met this way. She would have certainly noticed his compassion and courage even if he was human, but would they have had the chance to truly get to know one another if it wasn't for his unconventional circumstances? "Michael is… he is a lycan."
"…A lycan," Amelia repeated, looking at Selene with an intense stare. To Selene's relief, the Elder didn't immediately reject her request, looking probingly at the younger vampire for a few moments before she continued. "And… why should I do anything for a lycan other than kill him?"
"Because Michael isn't part of this war," Selene said. "He was only turned because he crashed into a lycan that apparently scratched him with its teeth in its death throes, and he's spent every full moon since that night isolating himself to avoid hurting anyone. I did what I could to keep him secure and give him somewhere he could be sure that he would be safe, but if we can capture Lucian… I want a guarantee of Michael's safety."
"You expose a lycan conspiracy to kill me, and in exchange you wish for me to spare the life of a lycan?"
"I ask for you to spare the life of a man who became collateral damage in a conflict that he has never taken direct part in," Selene responded. "Michael has never fought alongside the lycans, he has never attacked a vampire, and he has done his best to control what he has become; he doesn't deserve to die because of what he became by accident."
"…Very well," Amelia said at last, giving Selene a contemplative nod. "I will… meet with Michael Corvin and establish that he is everything you say he is."
Selene just nodded in acceptance of that decision. Anything she did to try and protect Michael put him at risk, but at least now she had a chance to make an appeal to someone with the authority to protect him.
She just had to hope that whatever the reason for Lucian's interest in Michael, it wouldn't impact Amelia's decision before she was committed to her course of action…
