Chapter 14: Kindred Laws
"Luna!" Sabine snarled, pushing herself off the floor. "Do you think you can scare me with your pitifully force?" she mocked, eying them with contempt. "I knew you would try to rescue the bitch," she snarled. She turned abruptly to the rear of the room. She had a contingency plan. "Peter! Peter!" she screamed, her nostril flaring.
In the shadow, Peter separated himself from his companion and rushed across the room. "Yes mistress," he said his voice cracking. He didn't want to be here. When he met Sabine sixty years ago, he didn't know what she had in mind. She had filled him with dreams of power and glory. She talked how they would rule San Francisco together. First San Francisco, then the world. He had grown power mad. Sabine had evened threaten others into not holding the position of Primogen. She wanted that for herself.
His job was to spy upon the prince and his family. But during the years, he had grown to like the man.
"Ah, Peter," drawled Julian mockingly. He was leaning heavily against a wooden wall. He still has recovered his full strength yet.
Daedalus continued to eye him in concern. Only he knew noticed Luna's weakness.
"I so disappointed in you. You had potential," Julian said, swiftly eyeing his wife. 'Are you okay?' he asked telepathically.
Buffy nodded. 'I'm fine,' she said. 'Julian?'
Julian exhaled a long sigh of pleasure, then turn to Peter. "What you have to say to yourself," he asked.
With his eyes downcast, Peter clasp and unclasp his hands. "I am sorry my Prince," he said his voice quavering.
"Prince?" Sabine cried indignantly, her lips curling in disgust. "Do you forget your loyalties so soon," she said sharply, her nostrils flaring.
Peter eyes widen. "No-no mistress," he stammered. "I would never do that."
"Get our guests," Sabine snarled with a furious gesture.
He nodded and gave a low bow, rushing from the room, almost tripping over his own feet in his haste.
After Peter had left the room; Julian with his strength now in tact walked over Buffy and brought her into his arms. He breathes in her special scent noting the fading cuts and busies that dotted her skin. "Are you okay," he asked again.
"I'm fine," Buffy said, snuggling close.
"How sweet," Sabine mocked with gritted teeth, eying both Julian and Buffy maliciously.
"What did they do to you?" he asked caressing her face.
"Later," Buffy said stiffening; her eyes had caught something behind Julian.
Julian turned to followed Buffy gaze. What he saw caused him to curse in several languages.
Peter had brought in Cash and Charity. Cash was struggling that the two men that held him down could hardly hold him, while Peter held unconscious Charity.
"Charity!" Paavo cried, but Daedalus unyielding hand restrained him.
A muscle flicked angrily at Julian's jaw.
Paavo growled, and his fangs elongated dripping saliva.
Peter put Charity tenderly on the floor and back away, putting his hands up in a defensive mode.
"Coward!" she snapped. "Ah," Sabine said turning towards her Julian her face lit with bitter triumph. "I see that you like my surprise."
Julian eyes were icy and unresponsive.
"I'm sorry boss," slurred Cash with a groan as his face contorted with pain. "I don't know what happened."
"It's not your fault," said Julian gruffly. It was heart breaking to look at Cash. Half his face was ripped literally apart, both his jaw and teeth was broken and one of his eyes was swollen shut, both his ribs and his right hand seemed to be broken. And what Julian could see through Cash bloodied shirt was several deep cuts as if someone took a sharp instrument and slice him up and when that didn't worked to their satisfaction, dig the wound bigger.
Ignoring them, Sabine walked across the room to caress Charity pale cheek. She lie on the floor limply, blood seeping sluggish from several lacerations. "This little one is barely alive. It seemed that my men like how she tastes inside and out."
Paavo growled his hands fisted at his side. "Keep your filthy hands to yourself," he yelled.
"What are you going to do," she asked dismissing him as coward. "There was anything barely enough for me," she drawled sweetly.
"I am going to kill you," cried Paavo fighting to get out of Daedalus hands, but he just tightens his hands tighter.
"Step in line," Julian growl, his hands claws. "What have done to my man?" he demand, his eyes flat, hard.
"This one," said Sabine derisory, looking at Cash with contempt. "He just didn't want to corporate, so I have to teach him some manners."
"I show you who needed manners," Julian snarled, making threatening steps towards her. Buffy hand tightens convulsively on his arms. He looked down at her and frowned. 'Caution' she said. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "You have me here, so what do you what?"
Sabine shook her head. She eyed him with a frown. Did he think she was fool? "It's so typical of you Ventrue," she mocked. "You cannot leave the house without an entourage.
"This," Julian said expansively, taking in all his men. "This is not entourage, it's family," he said.
She frowned. "Do you think you cannot take me without your men," she ask with scorn, strolling in front of them as to taunt them.
Julian eyed her with contempt. He didn't know why Lissa was staying his hand. "I know I can take you," he said.
"Do you think your pitiful entourage can beat me," she demands, hands on her hips. "I have legions ready to fight my battle," she said with a smirk.
Julian eyed her thoughtfully. "Do you mean the men you had at Luna Enterprises or at the docks? I have being aware that you had being trying to take over my city for the past few weeks. If you had stop at just the Ventrue holdings, maybe we could have forgiving you," he said putting Buffy aside, his eyes had darkened dangerously.
"Julian," Daedalus cautioned, watching the woman intently.
"Julian!" Buffy said sharply. She knew something that Julian didn't know. Sabine was also witch.
"Yes Luna, listen to your whore," she said eying him with an impeccable expression.
"Whore?" Julian snapped with outrage. And without thinking about it, he charged Sabine.
She threw a fireball at him, and knocks him across the room.
"Julian!" Buffy cried as she rushed towards her husband.
Julian shook his head in disbelief as pain raced through his body. "What happen?" he asked with a wince.
"You stupid idiot," cried Buffy, slapping him on the shoulders.
"Ow," he said rubbing the tender spot.
"Why did you do that," she asked.
"Did you hear what she called you?" he said savagely.
"So what," she scoff, rolling her eyes. "I'd heard worse," she admitted.
"Where?" he demanded, his eyes dark with an identifiable emotion.
Buffy continued to roll her eyes. "I love you, you idiot," she said softly, putting her arms around him to lift him up.
"Ahh," said Sabine. "How sweet," she mocked with a cold smile.
Suddenly Buffy stiffened. She saw him out of the corner of her eye. Burke Levy. She blinked trying to focus her gaze. At first, she only saw a pool of blood, then a foot then the whole body. Buffy could feel her throat closing up and a raw primitive grief swelled up from deep inside her. She could smell it now, a mixture of blood, feces and urine. She swallowed hard, trying to bit back tears. Oh dear God Burke, she thought, looking at his mangled body. She could hear her heart pounding out a mocking beat. What she going to tell his parents. Her vision blurred and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the sight, but the stench remained in her nostril. Another soul on her conscious, another person she couldn't save.
Buffy turned slowly towards Sabine, who was watching her with a smirk. "Why?" she asked, her voice strangled.
"Because I can," she said malicious delight.
Buffy moved slowly off the floor, her joints creaked as if she was in pain or as if she had aged suddenly overnight. She keened softly, her arms wrapping around herself. "Burke never did anything to anyone. He was a peace maker," she cried, her eyes full of pain.
"So what," Sabine said with a shrug. "His blood was rich and sweet."
"You had over step your boundaries," Buffy snapped, her eyes glowed an eerily silver. All the anger and pain was in that one sentence. "It was me you had the problem with, not my team," she replied sharply.
Suddenly the air stirred, as if electricity had been charged. Buffy run straight towards Sabine and she dodged then swung her hand. Sabine face contorted with rage. Her fist hit Buffy with an audible sound. Buffy howled and lashed out, she grabbed fistful of hair, hitting Sabine's nose with flat of her hand. Blood gushes everywhere and Sabine screamed spitting out spittle of blood.
With her eyes glowing, Sabine licked her lips slowly tasting the rich and spiciness of the blood. "Mmm," she murmured. "You make me bleed again," she said astonished. "My own blood," she cried lunging at Buffy.
Buffy ducked avoiding a fist, her head snapped back and pain white, hot burned through her tearing a scream from her throat. Sabine slashed at her arm and lashed out hitting her in the face. She hit the ground with a grunt and rolled immediately to her feet.
Buffy shifted from foot to foot, eying Sabine with a lethal calmness in her eyes waiting for an opening. Power arched into the room sending sparks of electricity so that the others had to duck. Buffy started levitating, her hair streaming behind as wind gathered debris throwing it around.
"Run," Julian yelled, as a beam slammed in the wall, where his head was.
Sabine throws a fireball at Buffy, who dodge it and watched it fall harmlessly on the dirt floor.
"Lissa," Julian yelled.
"Not now Julian, I busy," Buffy yelled.
Another fireball shot out to illuminate the room, this time missing Buffy by an inch.
"I want a duel," said Sabine strolling forward.
"A duel?" Buffy questioned breathlessly.
"All I heard how you just this great fight," Sabine mocked walking around Buffy in a circle, power leaking from her. "Fight ha," she said. "You are weakling. I don't know what Luna sees in you. You are nothing!" she screamed, shooting an arch of electricity through Buffy. "That will teach you to mess me and mine," she growled.
Buffy screamed as the electricity snaked through her body. She tumbled to the floor. She held her sides where the fire had scorched her.
"Lissa!" Julian yelled, watching in numbed horror as the fireball hit his wife. He could feel the pain leaking through their link. His first instinct was to rush towards her, but Daedalus held his shoulder.
"I'm busy," she said with gritted teeth.
"Julian," Daedalus said shaking the other man. "It's Lissa fight."
"But…" Julian said eying his wife in concern.
"No buts," Daedalus said sharply. "She has to do this. As the wife of the Prince they should know she could perform the dirty stuff if needed be."
"I'm going kill you," Sabine gloat. "After tonight none would dare questioning my powers," she said hitting Buffy with another arch of lightening. Buffy body bowed and she screamed.
Julian tried to push aside Daedalus, but Daedalus unyielding hand still his movements. "Let me go damn it," he growled, teeth elongated, and his a eyes a gray flame.
"No my prince," he said tightly, his hands straining to hold the other man. "Remember this is not your fight."
"I am going to raze this city down to the ground," Sabine said with a malicious laugh as she watches in triumph. She starts dancing on the balls of her feet, weaving back and forth. "So that no one would believed that we are lackeys to the Ventrue ever again."
"Yes, yes, yes, yes," Toreadors started chanting.
Breathing harshly, Buffy got up slowing. Pain etched in her face and blood ran in rivulets down her face. "Is that all you go," she mocked.
"What is she doing?" asked Cameron in disbelief.
"Killed her already," yelled Paavo. "Kill the bitch!"
"Stop playing," Julian shouted.
"If and when they speak of you," Sabine said "They would say a Toreador killed the mighty Luna' mate. And she throws another fireball straight at Buffy.
Buffy bare her teeth in a semblance of a snarl and took one flying leap, twisting in midair to land cat like on her feet. "Let's rock," she said catching the fireball with her telekinetic powers and held it. It was a power struggle as both woman fought for the upper hand. With a mighty burst of power, Buffy pushed Sabine off and she staggered backwards, trying to catch her breath. Smiling with her lips stretched to a grotesque mask, Buffy was on Sabine with a whirlwind of fists and anger. Throwing a punch, the force of the blow pushed Sabine the across the floor.
"Baby my strength is yours used it," said Julian, pouring his power into her.
Power surged through Buffy; blurring her vision and her body contoured, shifting, leaving behind a white wolf with black stripe across one eye. She growled and with a mighty leap charged Sabine. Sabine eyes narrowed, and she too changed. Soon both wolf snarled and growled fighting for dominance.
Sabine howled as Buffy powerful jaw locked unto Sabine's side and bit down, gushing blood. In pain and with a deep wound, Sabine couldn't sustained the image of the wolf and with a whimper she changed back to her human form to lay on the dirt floor panting in pain. Her face contorted in pain, as she tried to staunch the blood that flowed freely from the ragged wound. She lay on the floor gulping air frantically while her blood seeping slowly into the floor. All her plans gone, she thought bitterly, closing her eyes in pain. She thought of her mother dying without seeing her one last time. Julian Luna and her whore deserved to die for what they done to Lillie. As she lay there, her body was slowly re-knitting it self.
Julian walked over and looked down. "You cross the line," he said, eying her with contempt. "You are not above the law. Everyone is accountable. You introduce foreign Kindred into my city; you sire several Kindred without my permission. You cannot do that. In Kindred laws the first tradition of the masquerade is, (Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of the Blood.) You broke our number one law by revealing yourself to the members of A.D.A.P. The second tradition is thy domain. (Thy domain is thine own concern. All others own thee respect while in it. None may challenge thy work while in thy domain.) You challenged my right to be Prince of the city. I city that I own for five hundred and plus years.
The third law, (Thou shall only Sire another with the permission of thine Elder. If thou createst another without thine Elder's leave, both thou and thy Progeny shall be slain.)
"I don't need you to recite the laws to me," she said speaking with light bitterness. She moved slowly off from the floor; her hands stained with blood as she pressed it tightly to her stomach.
"Apparently you do," he countered.
She snarled.
"The fourth accounting, (Those thou create are thine own children. Until thy Progeny shall be released, thou shall command them in all things. Their sins are thine to endure.) The fifth is hospitality. (Honor one another's Domain. When thou comest to a foreign city, thou shall present thyself to the one who ruleth there. Without the word of acceptance, thou art nothing.) And the sixth and finale traditions is, (Thou art forbidden to destroy another of thy kind. The right of destruction belongeth only to thine Elder. Only the Eldest among thee shall call the Blood Hunt.)
Julian growled his canines extended. "You came to my city to willfully destroy it, and its kin. And I will treat you as kind because I am the judge, the jury and…"
"…and I am the executioner," continued Buffy. And she walked behind Sabine with a sword Daedalus had given to her, and with one swing she decapitated Sabine.
"…the absolute ruler, Julian said looking out at the assemble. "No one disobey the laws and get away with it."
There was a stunned silence as Sabine's head of rolled to the floor. Her blood splattered the Kindred that were standing near the body. Blood was food to vampires and fresh blood was manna. In unison, Kindred lifts up their heads up and howled. Like starving dogs, vampires rushed towards the body and the soon cooling blood.
"Stop!" Julian yelled.
A vampire looked up from his feeding; he snarled both his hands and face cover with blood.
Julian wade into the fray and thrown the vampires off the body. "I said, stop," he yelled.
"You are not the boss of me Ventrue," growled Toreador.
Peter snapped himself out of the stupor he went into when Sabine died. He went up the Toreador Vampire and slapped him in his face. "I'm now the Primogen," he snapped. "I say who's the boss," he savagely.
"You," the vampire sneered. "Ha you are a coward," he mocked turning away from Peter. "Hit me again…" was the last thing he said, before he too was decapitated.
There was a shocked silence.
"Anyone has any question?" Peter asked breaking the silence as he sung the sword lightly in his hands.
Julian eyebrows rose high in his head. He knew that Peter had it in him to be a leader. He stripped off his jacket and wrapped it around Buffy.
She blushed, taking note of her nakedness. She quickly pushed her in hands in the sleeves and button the jacket closed. The jacket reaches mid thigh, the sleeves overly long, and she kept pushing it up on her arm in irritation.
Ignoring the chaos around him, Paavo ran to Charity who they had left on the floor. She was in shock, her intestines were lying outside her body and her body was pumping blood by the bucket. Paavo closed his eyes in pain and blood tears ran unchecked down his check. She was dying. He drew her tenderly into his arms. He felt a hand rested on his hands and he look up. He stiffened; turning to look at the person who had interrupts him in his grief. It was Daedalus. "I sorry," he said deep sorrow etched in his face.
"She dying," he said his voice full of pain.
"I know," he admits.
Buffy limped over to Paavo.
"My queen," he beseeched, rocking back and forth on the dirt floor. In that two words, he was asking permission to turned Charity into Kindred.
"Do it," she said, fiercely with a pained expression.
"What!" he asked startled his stomach in knots. Is he losing his hearing?
"Make her Ventrue," Buffy said her face pinched. "I cannot bear to witness, someone else that I care for dying," she admitted with a voice tight with tension.
Paavo closed his briefly and inhaled a deep breath. He gathered Charity in his arms and disappeared.
"Is that wise," Daedalus asked, gazing after the other man.
"Probably not," Buffy said with a frown. "But they will work it out. They are in love with each other."
"That's not what I meant," he said frowning.
"I know," Buffy said bleakly. "She might be too far gone to be converted, but I had to try. He had to try."
"I hope it worked out, for his sake," he said softly.
"Me too," she said, with a sigh. "Me too."
"Cash!" Sasha screamed as she rushed into the room with Drusilla trailing her.
"Damn," Buffy muttered. "What she doing here?" she asked, limping to head her off. But Julian grabbed her instead.
"He's fine," he said to a struggling Sasha, who was intent on getting to Cash. "He's fine," Julian soothed." He just little bit bruised," he admitted, trying to prepare her.
She nodded, and Julian left her go. She walked over to Cash seeing his face for the first time. "Oh, Cash," she moaned, tenderly gather him into her arms.
For the first time that night, Buffy smiled. Everything going to fine, she thought. Julian walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her inhaling her special scent. "Wow," she said as she survey the crowd and the subdue Kindred. They had come along way; she thought the smile wipe off her face. She shook her stiff leg as the healing send prickle of pain through her. Julian arms tighten around her. And she inhales sharply. He peppered soothing kisses on her hair and her cheek.
They need to say something, she thought, eying the milling vampires. She needed to say something. She looked around her gaze touching on rogue Kindred and the others. She shrugged out of Julian's arms and walked towards the middle of the room. "This is what happens when you try to over reach yourself," she said dryly with a gesture at the decapitated bodies. "We barely survived. Several thousands of years ago, a law was created to protect Kindred from humans, because there were more of them, than us. Well, time has change. There are more Kindred now, but humans still out numbered us fifty-to-one. Sabine is dead because she wanted to show us that humans were weak and that they can be easily being over-powered."
"They are weak," someone murmured.
"Yeah!"
Ignoring them, Buffy continued. "Sabine tried to set her self as a Prince, never thinking about the consequences of her act. She had broken the very laws that were put in place, not only to protect us but also to protect mortals. But everyone has to remember that everyone is accountable to some one," she said sharply. "Even the Prince of this city is accountable to someone. What was the first rule of the law?" she demanded.
They were shuffling of feet, as Kindred mumbled indistinctly. "Thou shall not reveal thy true nature to those not of the blood. Doing such shall renounce thy claims of the Blood."
"Yes, the world around us is changing, but humans continued to outnumbering us. I hated living in the shadows, we all do. We are vulnerable in light of the computer age. To the mortals we are myths, but we must accept that. If we showed ourselves to mortals, there will be the possibility that they would not embrace us. The killing spree that happened earlier this spring cannot happen again. We cannot continue to destroy those that made us because we have to depend on mortals for sustenance and for our kind to grow. This is the beginning of a new era.
We have protected the masquerade of all cause. Don't call attention to our selves. We were mortals once and they need to be protected not only for their sakes and but ours. Our Prince will be meeting with the Primogen of each clan and a council will be created. A council of Kindred. This council will monitor and police each of us and they will hand down judgments to those who break the laws."
Julian sighed and his eyes narrowed on the rogue Kindred. "I know most of you were following orders and I am willing to forget what had aspired these last few months. Your master is now dead and Peter Turk is the new Toreador Primogen. He will mete out any punishment he deems fit." Julian turned towards the quiet young man who quietly was kneeled in front of him with his head bowed.
"Peter Turk as the new acknowledges Primogen of Clan Toreador will you reside in my city and obey the laws of the masquerade. Will you be will be willing to take blood oath with me?" Julian asked one eyebrow arched in question.
"Yes my prince," said Peter. In the last few days, he seemed that he had grown up. "I will lead the Toreadors as a leader should and we will follow the laws of the masquerade and abide in your city and if we disobey any rules it will be punishable by death," he said solemnly. "My Prince," he said with a slight hesitation as he got up from his kneeling position. "I also want you to know that I do bear so responsibility of someone of Sabine's action, even though I was following orders. But one sin I never committed was the death of those young men and the young lady. I will see that those that commit the crime will be punished," he said looking Julian in the eye.
"Death," Buffy said steely. "They will die. If you don't see to it, then I will."
"Yes milady," he said acknowledge with a nod.
"What shall we tell the world?" asked Victor, who had snapped out of his trance when Sabine died.
"Yes," said Cash with gritted teeth, hobbling with the help of Daedalus to stand beside Julian. "It is too big to hide."
"Are you okay?" Julian asked, giving him a long searching look.
Cash nods. "With some blood and some rest I'll be good as new," he said with gritted teeth.
"Tell them that there was a cult," someone said. "They understand cults."
"What are you going to do now?" Victor asked Buffy, sidling beside her.