Disclaimer: The world is AAR's, except for a few customs. And Uberwald belongs to Terry Pratchett. Go check out his stuff, it's hilarious.
Ac_bworm: hope you like it.
Aleandra Alyra Sarienna: here's some more.
Lannan: I hope this chapter is long enough for you. ;)
TigrisInHiding: I'm a big fan of them too. Have you heard the Origin cd?
Thanks to Griffinkhan and Almondgirl for beta-ing.
Chapter Five: Warnings
Alexander. I can remember so little of our mother, and yet I think that had she lived, she would have been as gentle and kind as he was. He always let the dogs in when it was a freezing night, and made sure the cats and livestock were safe and warm. He never raised his voice, except to admonish those who committed injustice and cruelty to others smaller than him. He was a quiet, caring protector.
I sit up in my bed. Why am I thinking these thoughts? I have not thought like this in years, and it is disturbing that I should start doing so now. The encounter with the witch must have affected me more than I thought.
My brother is not kind, nor gentle. He has killed, ruined the lives of many. From his point of view, I'm sure he believes the killing was moral, since all he has killed were vampires. If he were truly gentle, he would find another way to fight the vampires. If he were truly kind, he would still care for me, no matter who or what I am.
But he doesn't care for me. He most likely hates me for who I am, for being something I cannot control. I cannot stop being a predator any more than he can stop being a Trieste. Those who think otherwise, like the ones at SingleEarth, are idiots. You cannot deny your nature.
Or can you? My brother used to plead to spare the lives of the chickens when we were children, but now he kills as if there is nothing wrong with it. What happened to make him think and feel this way? He must have made a choice, somehow. A choice between killing and redeeming, between life and death. How and why did he make it?
I think I know how. My brother loved to save people. He liked to do good. If he believed that by killing vampires he was doing good, then he would gladly do so. If it entered his head that perhaps vampires were beings too, he would never be able to pick up his blade again. He dehumanizes them, sees them only as objects that must be gotten rid of.
Perhaps I was wrong, when I thought that he never should know how easy killing could become. He does know, or at least thinks he does. He is not an innocent. But at the same time, he still seems to have clung to the part of himself that still feels, lives, breathes.
So did I, to a certain extent. True, I did not kill Aubrey. However, I didn't need to. He cannot hurt me now. If he were to try to plan anything to harm me, I would know of it.
I can feel Aubrey, in the back of my mind. I can feel his actions, his intents. I can block the thoughts out if I want to, but I can feel them, still there. He cannot do anything that I wouldn't know about. However, I cannot quite feel his emotions, other than anger and hate. That was why I was so surprised when he did not kill Jessica. I had not thought it was in him that he should love her like he does. It also surprised me, that I could not feel this emotion happening.
I have wasted enough time thinking. The sun is setting, and I still have yet to change out of my clothes from last night. But before I have a chance to do so, I become aware of an aura outside. It was faint, and the bearer of it had left quite some time ago. Intrigued, I go to investigate.
The aura is strongest by the front door, and as I open it, I see an envelope lying on the porch. Picking it up, I sense it was left by a blood-bonded human, though not belonging to any vampire I recognize. I turn the envelope over, and see the seal on the back. The black rose, the crest of the Council of New Mayhem. I go back inside, shutting the door behind me.
I sit at the table in the dining room, curious as to why the Council would send me this letter. True, I had applied for the cottage last night, but I did not think they would answer so quickly. I open the letter and read it.
To Risika, of Silver's line,
While your request as to the cottage on Serenity Avenue was appreciated, unfortunately it did not go through. However, I have been advised by the Head of the Council to let you know that there is an apartment free at the Uberwald building, at the junction on Fall and Dark Moon streets. As no one else has yet been informed of this opening, it is advisable that you do not tell others. The apartment has five rooms, is furnished and awaiting the arrival of another occupant. Be there by ten tonight, or deliver a letter to the council by that same hour if you cannot come. Leave the letter on your doorstep and a worker for the Council will pick it up. If you do not come tonight to close the deal, the apartment will go on the open market.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Matt DeShayne
Secretary for the Council
Katama line
I look up at the clock. The sun sets early now, and it is barely six. I have more than enough time, as I had awoken earlier today than I normally do. I might have time to hunt for a light snack, before having to change to go to see my new apartment. I go upstairs and change out of last night's clothes into something more suitable for hunting. I then leave for my territory.
New York's social life is just waking up as I arrive. The clubs are opening, and everywhere people are hurrying. No one would miss just one person. I hide myself in an alley, disguise my power, and wait.
I wait longer than I thought I would before someone comes stumbling down the alley. I stay still in the shadows at the end, waiting for my prey to approach. When the person, a girl, is close enough, I reveal myself to her, and before she can run, catch her eye and command her to sleep. She slips into it easily, and I catch her and feed.
As I only want a light snack, I do not drain the girl of all of her blood, but enough to knock her out for a few hours. She will be confused when she wakes up, and will not remember what happened. However, to ensure this, I reach into the girl's mind and set up barriers, making it impossible for her to remember the fangs she glimpsed. She will think that she had been mugged.
Satisfied, I drop the sleeping body on the ground, and change into hawk form before leaving the city. It has been so long since I've flown, and I miss the feel of it, the way the air moves and lifts, the way it flows around you like a fast-moving river. Freedom is found in flight.
I land in my front yard, and change before making my way into my house. I appear in my bedroom, and proceed to change. It had taken me so long to hunt that I have little time left to change. I should have searched out my prey, but I didn't think it would take so long for prey to appear down that alley, and I didn't want to go all over the city. Too many humans might have seen me, and I prefer to remain invisible.
I choose a dark red top, but leave my pants and boots as they are. I do not need to be very dressed up just to be shown around my apartment. As far as I can see, the only reason vampires dress up is if they are in the presence of important dignitaries, or they wish to seduce someone.
I am seeing neither someone important, nor will I be seducing. I prefer to remain alone, and let the weaker ones form emotional connections. I do not want a vampiric partner stronger or weaker than me, and human partners are out of the question. To have a partner is to indulge in an emotional connection I cannot afford if I want to remain immortal. Trust is too often given to the ones who will abuse it.
I finish changing and appear in my back yard. Changing to hawk form, I fly to New Mayhem, and land on Dark Moon Street. I wait outside of the Uberwald building for the person who will show me my apartment. I could appear inside the building, but not only do I not know what apartment is mine, but it would be rude to do so. Vampires use their powers, but not to the extent that they unintentionally invade someone's privacy. To appear in a stranger's home without a good reason is viewed as bad manners, not to mention suicidal. What if the house belonged to a witch?
I wait for a few minutes before I sense someone appear. I turn around, and see Siete.
"Hello, Risika," he says with a smile.
"Hello, Siete," I respond, "I take it you will be the one to show me around my home?"
"Yes. Now, to get there, do you see those windows there?" he says, pointing to a row on the top floor. I nod.
"That's your room, and where you will need to appear to." I nod again, and appear in the rooms he pointed out.
The rooms are much bigger on the inside than they are on the outside. The windows are big, and there is a glass door in the living room, where I had appeared. The door leads to the balcony, from which one has a beautiful view of the sunset. I survey the room I am in, taking in the huge couch, the numerous tasteful decorations, and the television and computer.
"I see you like it," Siete says. He had appeared behind me, and was watching me as I looked around. I nod, barely hearing him. He takes me through the apartment, through the two bedrooms, the bathroom, the kitchen, the dining room, all of which are decorated precisely the way I would have. At the end of the tour, Siete produces a contract, which I read over before I sign. The terms are simple: keep the apartment clean, don't make too much noise, and inform the Council when I will be moving out. A drop of blood from the both of us seals and binds the contract. It is impossible to break.
"Risika," says Siete, after we have signed the contract, "I want you to know that if you have any trouble, any at all, I am in the apartment a few doors down, and will be glad to assist."
I am not sure if I am angry or surprised. I can take care of myself, he must know that. Yet he may have extended the invitation to be friendly, and was not in anyway trying to insult me. I decide to thank him for his offer, yet say that I will probably not need any help; I am fine by myself thank you.
"Well, do be careful," he says in reply. "There have been some troubles with the witches lately, and last night one of them appeared outside of New Mayhem. She was injured, but was able to get away from the town. There was also an aura of a vampire there." He looks me straight in the eye as he says this.
I look back at him, and feel the first twinge of fear. It is an emotion I had almost forgotten, and had not felt in a long time. But there is no mistaking it. You freeze, and your heart rate rises to combat the cold feeling of lead in your stomach. However, I am proud that none of this shows in my face. If you admit to fear, your enemy will win.
"Really," I say, in what I hope to be a casual voice. "Does any one know anything else?" Siete takes a step closer to me; I do not give my ground.
"Be careful Risika. If others know of what you have done, they will not rest until you are dead or have run away. There is a war coming between the witches and vampires. Not a shadow war, but a real one. If you do not watch your step, you will die."
He knows. He has not told anyone, but he knows, and if he does, then who else might? I do not panic, but the fear grows slightly. Siete disappears, and I do so as well, back to my home in Concord.
It will be my last night in Concord, for a while, and I wish to spend it in my home. As I appear in my front yard, I catch sight of something on the porch. Walking with swift strides, I go up the steps and reach the object.
It is a black rose, and tied to it is a note. I open the note and read it.
Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright,
In the forests of the nightWhat immortal eye or mind,
Hath witnessed thy foolish treachery?
