Chapter 2.
Eventually Isaiah's full form comes into view. Pale face, red eyes, he is tall and skinny so I'm guessing he was a Moroi before he was turned. Thin black hair sat just above his shoulders, he was wearing a cold expression, typical for strigoi, and ironically, a scarlet red shirt. He approaches us and his eyes twist in amusement.
"That's far enough" Max says sternly. How much more protective can he get? Though I'm grateful, I'm not in any condition to stand up for myself. I'm surprised I haven't passed out yet.
Isaiah's eyes twist again, his gaze moves beyond Max and his eyes meet mine. A cold shiver spreads through me.
"I'm sure the girl can speak for herself, can she not?" He says glancing directly at me with a sardonic smile. This guy is old, I realise. I can feel it. And I'm not talking like 50 – 60 years old, like centuries old. I straighten up slightly and come to a stand next to Max.
"Don't move any further." I tell him, my face hard. Isaiah surveys me, looking at me top to bottom.
"And what exactly is a teenage Moroi doing prancing around with a newly turned Strigoi? You two certainly make an odd couple don't you think?" He asks. I feel Max tense beside me.
"We're not here to talk about odd couples or whatever else. You're going to help us with something." I tell him. Surprise flits across his face but it's gone almost as fast as it appeared.
"Now why would I do that? I'm much older then you and your strigoi put together, you're no match for me." He says threateningly. Max tenses abit more, I can't see his face but I can tell he is getting just as frustrated as me. We need to end this fast before I pass out.
"I have a feeling you're not going to have much of a choice." I whisper. Isaiah looks amused again, clearly thinking this is a joke.
"Oh I very much have a choice. I'm getting very hungry, stop wasting my time or I will kill you both." Isaiah smiles slightly, exposing his fangs and though I'm used to Max's, it startles me. Max moves in front of me again.
"Lay a hand on her and you'll regret it. You're not only one who can rip off heads here." Max answers. In a split second Isaiah moves and so does Max, both clearly analysing each other as the threat. Well Isaiah is the threat. He clearly thinks Max and I are lunch. Before any damage is done I summon all the magic I can manage. Time to see if my control is limited to just Max.
Once I have all the magic I can, I move my hand and whisper a few words in my head for extra support, all at once both Max and Isaiah freeze. They sway in their spots a little and Max registers what happening and doesn't fight me. Isaiah on the other hand is completely dumbfounded. He looks at me and his eyes widen.
"Witch" He hisses, showing his fangs.
"You won't fight me, or I will make sure you don't live to see another day." I say with gritted teeth. I'm going to have one hell of a headache in the morning. I look at both the Strigoi standing before me, Max is looking tired again and Isaiah is just starting to fatigue.
I hadn't even registered what he just said, he knows what I am. I stare down Isaiah again and I let some of my magic go, releasing Max but still holding Isaiah. I move my wrist again and Isaiah doubles over screaming. He clutches at his chest, trying to pry away the pain I'm sending through to him.
After a few moments of his screaming I drop the magic.
"Try attacking us again, and I won't have to use magic to make you feel like a stake is in your chest, because I'll put one in you myself." I tell him. He recovers quickly and takes a precautionary step back.
"Well, well," He starts, "It's been a long time since I've been around a witch. What's your name?" He asks. I survey his question and his face, looking for some sign that he only wants my name so he can joke, but I can't find any.
"Vienna." I tell him.
"Vienna Nesahla. What a pleasure to meet you. Never thought I'd see another descendant of that family again. But here you are."
"You know my family?"
"Of course I do. I was around when the last of your family was killed. Well supposedly." So he is old. "You have your own pet Strigoi, why do you need me?"
"My family has a book, I trust you've heard of it," he nods, "The guardians took it from me and I want it back. You're going to help me."
"And how can I be of service?" he says, amusement etched over his face again.
"You're going to help me send a message."
"You ok?" Max and I are on our way back to the hotel. After another hour or so of talking with Isaiah, we came up with a plan to meet tomorrow night. Right now, I need to rest.
"Yeah I'm fine, just a bit tired." I tell him. I'm a little bit more than tired. My legs feel weak and shaky, my head is pounding and I feel like I'm going to vomit. Of course I'm not going to tell Max that, lest he decide to take advantage of it and run. Without warning Max turns and picks me up, one arm under my legs and the other around my back.
"What was that for?" I ask him, though I'm not really complaining.
"You're not ok." He says and then doesn't talk again. We keep walking down the street, still a few blocks away from the hotel. I rest my head on Max's shoulder and my mind drifts into a restful slumber.
I hear a small bang and my eyes flutter open, Max is still carrying me but were in our hotel room again. Without talking he places me on the bed, pulls a blanket over me and silently sits in his chair. Before I can form a coherent thought, my eyes fall again.
Quiet talking invades my mind and wakes me from my dream. I open my eyes slowly and the TV is on, that's what I can hear. I look over the Max's chair, and it's empty. I jolt up and look around the room, he isn't here. Before I can summon my magic the door opens and Max walks in with a cup. The sweet smell of coffee.
"Relax, I thought you would wake up soon, I just went to get some coffee. No other agenda, promise." He says with a small smirk. He hands me the cup, it warms my hand and I take a sip.
"What time is it?" I ask.
"4pm. We're not meeting Isaiah until 7 but I didn't want to wake you. You were exhausted last night."
"Yeah well I did put up a lot of magic" I say. I rub my eyes and realise my head isn't hurting anymore, I guess some sleep really did help. I stand and quietly walk to the bathroom with my backpack. Along with having money for the hotel room, I managed to buy some new clothes considering I didn't take any with me from St Vladimir's. I change into tight black jeans, black canvas shoes and a plain grey t shirt. I tie my black hair into a high pony tail and examine my face. I still look a little tired and I have bags under my eyes. Compared the rest of me, my blue green eyes stare back at me brightly.
By the time Max and I go over the plan again it's almost 7 and its dark enough for Max and I to head out under the cover of night. Isaiah told us to meet at the tunnels because it was the safest and the darkest place for us to be. Suddenly I miss daytime. The light. I've been travelling in the darkness with a Strigoi for so long now that I just miss, I guess living, company.
I miss being around someone with warmth. I drown in my own sympathy the whole walk to the shopping centre. Max doesn't talk either, I see the solemn look on his face. I thought strigoi didn't have feelings? I mean aside from pain.
When we reach the emergency door, we find it unlocked, just like last time. I nod to Max and we head down two flights of stairs, ending up in the same spot as last night.
Isaiah is already here, leaning against the far wall and examining the wall across from him.
I look to the wall to see what he is staring at. There is writing everywhere.
The letters D, B, C, O, T, D, V, L, D, Z, S and I trail down the wall.
"What the hell is this?" I ask. Before he can say anything, I notice another figure slowly walking down the tunnel toward Isaiah. The closer this figure gets, the clearer they are for me to see. A female figure appears and she is carrying something with her.
Actually, dragging is the more appropriate word. I reiterate my first question and the female walks closer. She's dragging a person with her. A human specifically. Her red eyes shine as she surveys Max and I, then she comes to a complete stand in front of us. The man she carries with her lets out a groan.
"Will this do?" She asks Isaiah.
"Hey, wait, what are you doing? Who is this?" I yell again at Isaiah.
"Well, I thought I, we, could use a bit of extra force. So I got myself a, for want of a better word, servant. This is Elena." Elena's head swivels toward us and she doesn't say anything but turns back to Isaiah. "This will do just fine dear, thank you. I trust you've fed?"
She nods at his question, she's clearly a freshly turned Strigoi. Isaiah picks up the man Elena is holding and pulls him forward.
"Hm, yes you'll do just fine. What's your name?" he stares at the man, I suspect he's compelling him.
"K-Kyh" The man stutters.
"Well, I'm sorry Kyh, but I'm hungry." With ending that statement he bites into the human's neck and feeds. Not wanting to look weak, I don't turn away but wear a look of disgust.
"Do you want some?" Isaiah stops feeding and turns to Max with a smirk on his face.
"Every Strigoi needs a bit of a top up" he says.
"No." Max answers coldly. He had eaten before we came here. Isaiah turns back to Kyh and continues feeding. Once he has had his fill he turns back to me and wipes his mouth with a handkerchief in this pocket. I once again notice he is wearing a scarlet shirt. Does he have a lot of those purposefully?
"So," Isaiah starts. "My contacts were quick in getting me some answers. The best place for us to start would be at a house on the Montana Mountains. Its hours from here but it's a good place to start sending a message."
"Why is it the best place to start?" I ask him.
"Well, one of the … well actually, the best, guardian resides there. If we kill him, well, let's just say even I would be surprised if we could manage that." He says with a little disdain.
"And which family does he guard?" we have to make the biggest impact.
"The Badicas."