2. Preparation
Caius and Markus –
"What are you saying?" Caius' cold voice contrasted greatly with Markus' energetic nature and volatile behavior.
"I'm saying that you are talking about an all out war! With both the Lycans and the Death Dealers! Not to mention our brother's Brood." Markus didn't understand Caius' adamant nature about becoming more powerful than he already was. He had already banished nearly half the family to different corners of the earth and no one really knew where father was. Markus on the other hand, was the only surviving member of his direct family to not have a death warrant on his head. And for that he was grateful.
"Yes, I am." Caius remained quite placid in demeanor even though this was an issue to hold with the utmost concern.
"And how, brother, can we even think of returning from this conflict alive?" Caius' face distorted into one of disbelief and then quickly into one of darkest and most bloodthirsty looks Markus had ever seen. If Markus had not seen lesser bloodthirsty looks of his brother, he would have crumpled on the floor right where he stood. But the times had changed. Warfare was not so much who had the most power anymore but who had the better tactics.
Then Caius disappeared from HIS stone throne in the middle of HIS throne room. The next thing Markus knew Caius was holding him by the shoulders, applying just the right amount of pressure to make Markus wince in pain. Caius always did this to show that he was physically more powerful than anyone on earth or heaven. Or hell, which is where Markus considered himself to be in now. However, Markus never told Caius that he could always and always could see him while he was running. It was all part of Markus' plan.
Caius suddenly reappeared behind Markus' other shoulder. Markus flared his nostrils as the disgusting scent of his brother invaded his nose.
And he fancies himself to be the eldest, Markus thought bitterly. Even though Markus himself was the eldest and Caius was actually the youngest of the three brothers. But Markus swallowed his pride as his brother's even more disgusting voice pierced his eardrum.
"Am I not the strongest of us all?" He disappeared back to his throne in another effort to demonstrate his power. Markus was seething in his pig-headed brother's ignorance of his own strength. Markus was the first vampire and even turned Caius, as he was just a human when HE was born. But Markus and William were born immortal, and that made Caius jealous.
So one day, about a decade after William and Markus had lost their humanity, Caius wandered up to his big brother and started bragging Markus on how even the virus, which gave Markus his present form, could not harm him. Markus was reluctant on being goaded by his little brother, but soon enough Caius claimed he was stronger than Corvenus and much stronger than Markus and William combined. That snapped Markus and, in the blink of an eye, he had latched on to Caius' throat and was sucking the life out of him.
When he finally let go, the virus ravaged Caius' system, and killed him. But he wasn't destroyed before he was turned into the first diamond vampire; an abomination in his entire family's eyes.
After that everything went to hell. Caius seemed impervious to any blade and sunlight had no effect on his skin. Except that it danced wildly across his skin's gleaming surface. It was only after Caius had taken the throne from Corvenus and banished William to the furthest corner of the earth, did Markus find out of his kind's weakness to fire. And that was only because one of his brother's friends tripped, in a drunken state, and lit himself on fire. After they doused the blaze, all that was left was a pile of noxious smelling ashes. That day was the day that Markus came up with his plan.
Now, centuries later, Markus finally had a chance to send that plan into a full scale coup. Markus had long since begun working with the Death Dealers, where he believed he truly belonged, not to Voltura. And Caius was hardly hospitable to the Lycans and soon, unintentionally, they joined ranks with those against Caius.
Markus had to focus everything he had in him not to smile at his foolish brother's ignorance; who sat atop that stone throne, calcifying. While Markus blossomed inside. His kind of vampire could lay dormant for literally thousands of years, with no lasting side effects. But Caius' skin was becoming brittle and his eyes had acquired a milky film over his cornea. Soon, Markus' time would come. But not yet.
Markus gave a deep, sweeping bow as he tried to display his façade of devotion. Caius' frail lips lifted into an evil smile. As Markus was walking out of the throne hall, Caius remarked,
"I am."
Rage flooded Markus' bloodstream. The arrogant bastard was going too far for Markus' tastes. Markus swore on his slowly beating heart that the white-haired tyrant would pay for his transgressions with his head. But there were things to do to make that future a certainty.
Being the first vampire, Markus had inherited part of the bat's form, and opened his fleshy wings to take to the skies.
He flew through the night until he saw what he was looking for, a seemingly abandoned dump for a city. Markus flew straight into one of the crumpling structures and landed silently on the rotting floor.
The room he flew into looked like an office. It had a desk, cabinets and chairs. But throughout the rooms guns cluttered every open space. Markus didn't like guns, they were too noisy but he knew that the Lycans had produced a special bullet, crafted especially for vampire hunting. The Lycans had indeed proved to be helpful tool and a powerful ally in this plot. Markus folded his wings and started wandering around the Alpha Lycan's office. It was a clean place. But it showed obvious wear and tear. A sign of use. Everything back in Italy was so clean, not because they tried to keep a clean house, but that everything was so slow in their world. Markus was so much happier in the Death Dealer's world; where there was always something to do.
Finally Markus grew drained and fell into one of the chairs. They smelled a little of wet dog, but anything was better than diamond vampire. Not only was Markus tired but he was exhausted. He had stayed up for nearly four days, trying to hold this plan together, the time was soon arriving. The Death Dealers had learned of Caius' war through Tanis, Markus' dutiful informant (for a price), and the Lycans were more than happy to assist in ending the reign of hateful and hated Caius. Feeling content with how the world was turning for once in nearly a thousand years, he drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face.
"Well, that went over great, Lucie…" Markus semi-heard as he slipped back into consciousness. There were quiet footsteps all around him and he wondered who would be in Lucien's room this time of…
Was it day or night? If it was night, he could still fly back home. But if it was day he'd have to stay in the company of Lycans all day.
At least they aren't Diamond Vampires, he thought with a sneer. After a good couple minutes of just relaxing, Markus finally opened his eyes. He was surprised to see it was Lucien himself who was doing menial tasks around him. Lucien seemed extremely troubled but continued on his unimportant busy-work.
Then he looked up from the papers on his desk to see Markus' intense blue eyes staring at him. His face seemed to relax a little but Lucien's passion-filled eyes burned hotter than ever before. Upon seeing Markus wake, Lucien pulled a weary smile to his lips.
"Ah, my friend, you are awake. Have you enjoyed your slumber?" Markus was astounded that Lucien had the hospitality to let him, an uninvited guest, sleep in his office and even to allow him his sleep while he made sure not to wake him. Surely there was more to this Lycan than the Death Dealers give him credit for.
Markus had been working with Lucien as well for a century or two, but he still did not know much about this man and wondered that if his plan came through, he might spend more time with him. But that would be after he returned to his bride. Ah, she was a wonder to behold. The world was so much better when he thought of her.
"I have. Thank you for that." Markus remarked. Lucien was all the happier to have one less vampire who wanted to tear his throat out. Or cut it in half.
He remembered the sizzling blade on his throat. He remembered the burn in Sonja's eyes. He remembered Sonja's merciless tone of voice. He remembered Sonja.
Shaking, Lucien dropped his papers on his desk and clutched his face in his hands.
Markus leaned towards Lucien and off the back of his chair that had served dutifully as his escape from the present tense and let him serve time within the realm of impossibility.
"What is of the matter, Lycan?"
Lucien held his tongue. He did not want to give any indication of his love for Sonja. Viktor would have his head, and probably the rest of his body as well. Although Markus was not Viktor, he was one of the four Death Dealer Elders.
The Elders that had been around when he was still Viktor's pet had been assassinated in Kraven's uprising. Sonja had been the one who thrust the cold blade down the miserable underling's throat and through his even colder heart. That night had been centuries ago, that was the night when the rest of his kind had finally been freed from their captors. Lucien himself had infiltrated the vampire compound, along with Raze and a handful of others, and freed the rest of his fellow brethren, many who he remembered before his escape. He had also opened his arms to the refugees that flocked to his secret city, but he also gave them an ultimatum; never hunt around the cities, because there might be Death Dealers around every corner and never touch the female vampires or else you will be sent, leashed, to the very doorstep of the Coven.
He had explained the latter by saying that it could be Sonja or Amelia, and to hurt them, was to enrage the other Elders so horribly that their sanctuary would be found and destroyed. After a millennium of enslavement, no Lycan was willing to give up the feeling of safety this city had finally granted them. And today's demonstration of having an Elder within their walls and her not noticing how the barren kilometer was not so lifeless and desolate as she saw, sent the Lycan's spirits through the roof. But the actual reason Lucien didn't want the Lycans to attack any female vampires was solely because of Sonja. Her beauty has enraptured him but it was her independent spirit and strength that sealed his devotion to her. But he was a Lycan; an "indentured" servant to her father. He could only watch after her from afar, and to even think of confessing his love for her was suicide.
Unrequited love. It hurt more than fifty lashes from Viktor's brutal whip. It felt like his soul was caged with a million shackles and he could craft no key to undo a single lock. Only Sonja would free him from his heartache. And that was looking more like a hopeless situation by the second.
Meanwhile Markus watched Lucien's breakdown with a quizzical look on his face.
"Lucien?"
Markus' estranged voice shot Lucien back to reality. He looked up into the Elder's eyes and paused for a moment, remembering when Sonja was just a child. She didn't judge him then, they were only kids. But he wasn't staring at Sonja, or a child for that matter. His hands moved suddenly of their own accord, trying to recreate the charade of carrying on as normal. But it wasn't the same. He had held her; felt the slow heart beat through her chest. And her smell. It was like the morning dew after a rain. He gave up.
Markus watched with increasing interest as Lucien redropped his paperwork and slumped over to the chair opposite him. The worn leather seemed to envelop Lucien and he sunk further and further into the chair frame, until Markus wasn't sure this was the same Lycan that he had just been talking to. But then Lucien straightened up and put the blankest mask upon his face.
"I'm sorry, friend. What is the matter you have come to discuss?"
Markus let the suddenly erratic Lycan's behavior be forgotten and he too remembered he had not come simply for an after-midnight nap.
"The time has come." Lucien perked up and nearly forgot about Sonja.
"When?" Lucien's voice was anxious and almost exited.
"In a month's time." Markus nearly whispered.
The Lycan slowly rose from his chair and walked back over to his desk. He placed his hands down on it and thought.
Nearly a month. Is that so soon? In a month, this will be over... Lucien murmured to himself.
Well, Caius will be no more. That will be enough, for now. Lucien thought before returned to his chair and looked directly into Markus' eyes.
"Are the Death Dealers ready?" Lucien asked.
"I have given Tanis all the information he needs to convince Sonja that war is necessary."
So they are ready, Lucien thought. Sonja will lead them to battle and Caius will be no more.
"What's the plan?"
Markus smiled, nearly showing his razor sharp teeth.
