A/N: I know this chapter is short, that's why it's out so soon after the last one. Don't get used to this! They won't all be this quick!! Gerrr, I just got back from a cross-country drive, driving from Chicago to Los Angeles and back in 5 days in a pick-up truck… dear God, my mother and I were trapped with each other every minute of every day that entire time… I no longer call her Mother, I call her Wench. She was feeling punchy enough when I started that she finds it amusing. Somebody shoot me. I refuse to leave my room for the next week.
*~~~~~~~~~~Chapter Ten: Blood Thirst ~~~~~~~~~*
Same time, Terreille
Hate had seethed through him as long as he could remember. He wasn't as old as some in Terreille, but for that he was glad; those who'd survived the Purge were weak, not worth the effort of rebuilding this place.
He ripped his knife through the soft belly-flesh of the bitch again. He loved the wet tearing sound, it was the only thing that seemed to cool the rage inside him. There was red everywhere, warm and sticky on his hands. He didn't know why he'd been given the job to kill her, but he didn't care; it was another Life, another Blood power flowing into him. He'd enjoyed her fear when he'd fucked her, not letting her see his face and drawing his knife over her again and again as he thrust into her. After she passed out she couldn't scream anymore; that wasn't fun. He'd waited for her to wake up before he'd really started the job.
She screamed then.
By the time he was through with her, she looked like nothing so much as raw meat. Something you'd find in the back room of a butcher shop. Still too gooey to be put out for sale, but with potential after it was cut into the right pieces.
He felt her power hanging in the air; she hadn't worn a dark jewel, but anything of the Blood was enough for him to feel in his bones and his own blood. He felt it coursing through him, renewing him; it was such a rush, he almost wanted to do another job without a fee. Almost.
He pulled off the gloves he'd worn and washed off his face, pulling the door shut behind him quietly. Wouldn't want to disturb the dead.
~~~~~~~
Four months later, Ebon Askavi
The snow was falling outside now, and everyone was still at the Keep from Winsol. Surreal paced the floor of the Library, gritting her teeth as she listened to Saetan.
"It's like they've vanished. No one's seen them, not even the kindred."
"Can't Jaenelle find them?!" Surreal asked, outraged. It was like they weren't even trying!
"She could have, before the Purge. But you know how much she lost then."
"She barely has the power of the Black now," Daemon added.
Surreal just snarled at them.
Falonar spoke up. "Do you think they might be in Terreille?"
Lucivar answered, "If they are, we'll never find them. It's damn near anarchy there, with the power from all those people bouncing around the land like it is. It's messing up everything."
"I just bet that's where those bastards went. They're probably happy as anything in that place." Surreal knew better than them what it was like in Terreille, after some of her old friends from the Red Moon houses had shown up in Kaeleer she'd had long talks with them, and they'd told her everything.
"The people in Terreille are trying. It's hard after most of your population, all the people in power are gone," Saetan interjected. He sighed, "I had so hoped we were free of people like that after the Purge."
"There will alwaysss be people like that, High Lord," said a sibilant voice. Everyone jumped; none of them had realized Draca was there. "Jaenelle jusssst gave everyone a chance, a new ssstart."
"We've all had this discussion before." Surreal made a cutting motion in the air. "What I want to know is: how are we going to get the assholes that hurt my daughter?"
Falonar laid a comforting had on her arm; she only made a minimal effort to shrug it off, stilling to stand near him.
"Surreal, Falonar…" Daemon looked uncomfortable. "We're thinking it's time to stop actively searching."
Surreal and Falonar both stiffened in rage. "What do you mean stop looking?!" Falonar growled at the same time Surreal shrieked, "You bastard, no!"
Saetan stood. "Surreal, Falonar, we want them too. Probably not as much as you, you're her parents, but we've all had a hand in raising her, and we all love her. She's just as much my family as my grandchildren, just like you became my family when you came to Kaeleer. Everyone we've been able to contact knows what to look for; if they turn up, we'll know immediately. But it's useless to keep hunting for them."
Surreals hands were in fists. This was her daughter, the one thing she'd ever loved more than her mother, the one thing she'd ever fight for more than she had for Titian, and the one thing she'd carry a thirst for revenge for longer. She wanted to bash all their heads in then go find them herself.
"Listen to reasssson. They will be found, they will at leasssst die, eventually. Then they will come into the care of the High Lord."
Falonar said exactly what she was thinking. "If they're ever found, it's going to take a long time for them to return to the Darkness. And we'd better get them."
Surreal and Falonar left the Library together.
*~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~*
That's right folks; just because all the tainted Blood were killed, doesn't mean more bad apples can't be born. Now, the only way to tell me whether or not this was good, or what you want to know more about, is in a review… (hint hint)
Thank You:
Kapies: Is this quick enough for you? :) Unfortunately, it was not them getting tortured in this chapter. Obviously, considering it was a 'she'… never mind. I'm babbling again. Thanks for reviewing!!!!
Angelajria Knight: It takes me about five minutes to type your name because I keep misspelling! Lol. Valparaiso? Can't say I've ever heard of it… then again, I've never been to Indiana. Lol, everything an hour away from Chicago is cornfields, except to the north, which is cows. You wouldn't believe how much the movie 'Children of the Corn' scared me when I was little. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!
Bunny Barton: Well, if you thought the plot was getting good then, what do you think of it now? :) Lol, nice to see people read my A/Ns. the book is called Blood Lines, the third in a series by Tanya Huff. They're great, you should read them! BTW, thanks for reviewing Harry Potter and the Moulin Rouge, too! I'll be writing the next chapter of that soon. :)
Starlight: Thanks so much! Great to hear I'm not disgracing Anne Bishop's wonderful books. Well, it wasn't much of a wait for this chapter. Although it was very short. Whatever :)
Lady Grimms: Well, you'll just have to wait and see about Ravar! He'll be coming back later… for now, we have this guy **points to chapter above** to worry about… **chuckles sadistically**
Teresa: You're thanking me?? Thank you! I'd be writing this whether or not I got reviews, but you didn't have to give me that great review, but you did, so thank you!
OoshatiElf: And the prize for strangest pen name I've yet encountered goes too… you! What the heck is 'ooshati?????' Lol. Thanks for soothing me about the fight scene, I was really worried about it. :) There will be some more of them later on! **gasps** I just read your profile: I taped every episode of Invasion America!! That's so weird, I don't know anyone else who's even heard of it! Lol. Okay, that was kind of freaky—ack! I'm a Legolas fanatic! Okay, this is DEFINITELY freaky… **scuttling away now** Thanks for reviewing!