Ace in the Hole

Summary: AU When an arcane necromancer offers his allegiance and powers to help him defeat the vampires in the grisly war, Lucien cannot refuse. With Kraven as an unpredictable factor in the game, he needs an ace in the hole to win. [LucianxSonja & other various parings]

II: Love Resurrected

Text:

"Speech"

Thoughts

Flashbacks

Music/Poems/Sonnets:

"Because I could not stop for Death" by Emily Dickinson

"Paradise Lost" by John Milton

Disclaimer: Guess again.

"Because I could not stop for Death—

He kindly stopped for me—

The Carriage held but just Ourselves—

And Immortality."

-Because I could not stop for Death, Emily Dickinson

Selene paced furiously in her room, her eyebrows furrowing in utter frustration and rage as she sat back down in the chair. Her little run-in and the unsavory discussion with Kraven left a bitter taste in her mouth and sent her blood boiling more so than ever. Pushing her indignation of Kraven's pig-headed tactics aside, the composed Death Dealer opened the pictures stored on Rigel's camera, silently thanking him for taking so many photos on the enemy and their target before his death.

Why would they follow a human? It doesn't make any sense.

But hardly anything ever did, ever since Viktor went to rest and handed over the chain of command to Kraven as Amelia became the ruling Elder for both vampire covens. Kraven…why him? He did not possess the true skills of a warrior; he was an aristocrat, a bureaucrat if nothing else. Yet he was appointed by Viktor himself to rule in his stead, which still baffled her to this day.

Her inner musings gradually faded away as Selene studied and indentified the young man whom the lycans were stalking. His name was Michael Corvin and his flat was nearby, a couple of miles from the manor itself. She could drive there in less thirty minutes and slip inside his room with no one the wiser. That is, if he was still at work when she broke into his complex and investigated his effects.

Well, the longer I sit here and do nothing, the more of the chance he'll be home.

In one smooth, quick motion, Selene had grabbed her coat, slipped it on and sprung out of window before Erika or Kraven unceremoniously entered her quarters, regardless if she wanted to see them or not.

At first, Lucian didn't know what to think when he beheld a small posse of six people practically materializing out of the shadows and into full view. And Thanatos regarded them with firm familiarity, as if they were his devoted and loyal subjects.

"Lucian," drawled out Thanatos, "I would like you to meet my followers–or soldiers, for lack of a better term. Ukon, come forward." He gestured with one hand, beckoning the man called Ukon to step up.

The lone Oriental man of the group separated himself from his peers, a blasé, alert expression etched on his defined features as he rested his full, onyx eyes on the lycan leader. For a moment, the two men gauged each other carefully, taking in the other's image for future reference. This Ukon man was donned in what looked like to be a traditional Japanese hakama(1), his entire outfit was black as the night–save for a crimson sash tied around his waist. A golden symbol of a lordly dragon swallowing a bear in whole was stitched at the very end of the garnet material.

Abruptly, he bowed low before Lucian, dipping his head forward so no eye-contact was given. "Hajimemashite(2), Lucian-san," he greeted placidly, bending himself back up, "It is an honor to meet the man who fights for the freedom of his people."

Lucian couldn't fully understand why, but at that precise moment, he took an instant liking to Ukon, no matter how strange he seemed or smelled. It wasn't because he praised or bowed to him like he was king, the reason was something else. Whether it was Ukon's sincere cordiality or the true fidelity glowing in his eyes as he flanked Thanatos's right side protectively, Lucian knew he could trust him.

The two people he was introduced to next were Jacob and Blanca. Just by one brief, cursory glance at them Lucien fathomed they were a couple–and a rather darkly peculiar one. Jacob was a middle-aged man with pepper-speckled whiskers around his chin and jaw line and streaks of faint grey mingled subtly with his inky hair. His mate, Blanca, was much younger and possessed a beautiful, shimmering mane of silky, curly black hair that's color could rival the starless nights. Yet Lucian noticed a swirling mix of cruelty, sadism, and malign glimmering in their deep, chocolate brown eyes. As soon as they had their word with him, the two bounded off into a shadowy corner, giving each other heated, wanton looks.

"Pay those two no mind, darling," purred a mellifluous, seductive voice in his ear, "They always had quite a barbarously salacious relationship."

Startled by the overly nigh and intimate proximity of next henchmen of Thanatos, Lucian whirled around with casual and quiet force to face a stunningly gorgeous and striking young woman. She was generously endowed, her graceful body voluptuous and curvaceous that could drive the Greek goddess Aphrodite insane with jealously. Soft, downy burnet tresses flowed past her slender shoulders, resting near the mid section of her back. Her lips were full and sensual, designed to tempt and tantalize men with its charming pout or simper. Adorning her form was an unadulterated, albicant dress that possessed deep slits along the sides which ended up somewhere near her thighs.

"And you would be?" Lucian forced out, tearing his eyes away from the sensuous lady. She offered him a wanton smile, her golden eyes sparkling with untoward lust and ardor.

"I'm Clarissa, dearie," she purred, filtering her fingers through Lucian's scraggy yet smooth dark umber hair for a fleeting moment prior to she withdrew her hand, the same amorous gleam in her amber orbs. "If you or your boys don't want to be alone for the night, I'll be available for your company...and so much more." Winking, she waltzed off, probably scope her surroundings in high hopes that there would be a young lycan to ensnare with her magnetizing allure.

Well, that was…interesting, for lack of a better term.

"It'll take awhile to resist her charms, you know. She was practically created to entice the opposite sex," drawled out a pale, slender fellow off to the side, the wispy, faint glow of the three-quarter moon glimmering off his spiky, jet-black hair. The alabaster young man stepped directly into the waning moonlight, his caliginous eyes boring into Lucian. "I'm Edward, by the way." He brought out his hand for Lucian to shake and the lycan slowly accepted, feeling more and more discombobulated by all these introductions and new faces he would have to memorize.

"And my name is Magna!" cackled a shrill, raspy voice which was revealed to belong to a hunched, wrinkled old crone who carried a solfernia tinted vassal that appeared to be an urn. Before Lucian could inquire why there was an urn present, Thanatos stepped up and ended the little conjunction instantly with the smooth richness of his timbre.

"We have to work quickly, Lucian, if we want to gain the advantage over the vampires," he stated placidly, nodding his head to Magna who opened the lid to the urn. Meanwhile, Edward, Ukon, and Jacob brought out a small coffin, placing the open sepulcher in front of Magna. The archaic woman then began carefully spreading and sprinkling the ashes all over the bottom of the wooden chest.

"What are you doing?" Lucian demanded earnestly to Thanatos, both men's eyes fastened on the working Magna.

"She's unloading the ashes of your beloved, Sonja," the arcane necromancer answered promptly, a barely inscrutable smirk curling upon his lips, "It took us quite some time to find her ashes but we preserved and succeed. Every grain of ash is an iota of her, not a single particle must be lost in this process. I'm going to need full concentration for this double resurrection." The last sentence caused Lucian to snap his head around, completely forgetting the strange ritual Magna was performing.

"Wait, you said double resurrection. Who else are you are planning to bring back to life?"

Thanatos's smirk widen at the lycan ruler's question, his smoky viridian eyes gleaming with mild amusement. "When Sonja burned, she wasn't the only one who died. Your child perished along with her."

Lucian stared incredulously at him, unable to comprehend what his potential ally was insinuating. "Are you saying—"

"—that I am also going to revive your unborn child? Yes, I am. I can be very generous to my abettors."

"Master, it is done," croaked out Magna, "the ashes have been scattered."

"Which means it's my turn to finish this spectacle," mused Thanatos thusly, striding up to the coffin, a besmirched cross attached to ebony rosary beads dangling loosely from his hand.

Hanging the blackened cross over the casket, he fixated his ruthless gaze intently at the body of ashes and foreign, unintelligible words started pouring profusely from his mouth. Lucian strained his ears to understand the dark incantation but the speech was unlike he had ever heard of before. The litany trickling out of Thanatos's lips definitely had to be the language of the dead, the main power of necromancers.

"Don't you want to take a look to see the progress Master is making?" Clarissa purred inquisitively in his ear, her soft, beautifully shaped hands placed affectionately on his shoulder and back as she guided him closer to her master and the coffin. "Just don't produce much noise, we wouldn't want to disturb his concentration now, would we?"

Begrudgingly taking her advice, Lucian peered down at the casket and by one glance, he was suddenly seized with a spasm of shock and astonishment. The ashes, once fine and tiny, were molded together, forming a rough replica of a body–a female body. The charcoal color was rapidly fading, a pale, pearlescent hue replacing it while the roughness of the figure became unbelievably smooth and soft that Lucian almost doubted that if he reached out to touch the body, he wouldn't feel skin but something altogether ethereal. Yet flesh did indeed presided over the bodily form and long, thick inky hair soon sprouted from the scalp and flowed downward like a dark wave of silk. Though he could hardly register the concept, Lucian knew right before his very eyes was the body of Sonja, being reconstructed back to her former glory as life was slowly being restored back to her. That included their baby, the blending of two potent species that Viktor had feared so much through out his entire existence. And now, this peculiar necromancer was hauling the brutal vampire Elder's fear straight out of the ashes—literally.

Just then, Thanatos's voice delved into an imposing, compelling crescendo, each word turning more passionate and lucid, as if he was reaching deep into his soul to call the spirit of Sonja and her child to come away from the dead and rejoin the living. As the final note of Thanatos's spell rang across the vast, barren region, two extraordinary actions happened: Sonja's eyes shot open and a huge gasp erupted from her, her bare chest heaving outward.

"Lucian?" she panted, her seemingly sable eyes resting on his quizzically as she dubiously began rising out of her makeshift casket.

"Sonja," the said werewolf breathed, sinking to his knees to wrap his arms around his love, unable to fathom that he was embracing a live, breathing Sonja. "I can't believe it worked…"

"What worked?" she asked, looking more perplexed than before. Lucian smiled softly at her and turned her head slightly around so she could behold Thanatos.

"His name is Thanatos, Sonja. He's a necromancer, he revived you and our child," he explained methodically. As if on cue, Thanatos took a small bow forward, mirth dancing subtly across his features.

"It's an honor to meet you at last, Lady Sonja," the necromancer remarked simply while beckoning for Clarissa and Blanca. The two women came forward, a simple yet elegant dress of blue slate and teal draped on in their outstretched hands.

"Wear this for now," instructed Clarissa imperviously and Sonja accepted the gown hesitantly, eyes darting back and forth from them, Thanatos, and the rest of his cohorts.

"Who are you? And what's going on?!" she cried out coolly, sharpening her stony gaze on the strange new people around her. She glanced up at Lucian for answers, ones he was all too willingly to give.

"They, Sonja, are my allies. They are going to help us defeat your father. Once and for all."

Far away, miles and miles from Lucian's hideout and the vampire covens, a young woman with flowing chestnut hair sat silently in her humble abode as she stared intensely at a bowl of clear, still water in front of her. She sighed, obviously frustrated with her lack of success and leaned back in her chair, ready to call it quits for the today.

However, a ripple abruptly appeared in the center of the bowl, spreading outward and forming more ripples until the water was no longer even but ragged and percolating. An iridescent luminescence sparkled majestically inside of the water and images flashed like a phantasmagoria, invoking a small gasp and cry of triumph from the female's lips.

"Finally! She's going to be so pleased when I tell her about this," murmured the brunette as she clumsily fished through her bag for her cell phone, flipping it open and dialing the number in fierce haste. The lady then placed the phone to her ear, waiting for the ringing to stop and for her companion to pick up. Finally, there was an answer and she was greeted with a semi-curt 'hello'.

"Guess what? You're not going believe what I just sensed…" commenced the lithe, brown-haired woman, a victorious smile adorning her sun-kissed visage she immediately plunged into a retelling of the visions and images and what they could possibly mean.

Outside, the wind howled and smacked itself tumultuously against the bricked house, night already encasing the land in total darkness. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, another war unlike any other was imminent and a battle was just on the rise, vengeance ready to be slacken with the blood of the enemy.

This time, we got them now, mused the brunette as she turned off her cell phone and marched herself to straight to her room, dead-tired from all her mystical work and other daily tasks she had to complete.

If by chance, she caught her reflection in the mirror and she grinned impishly at herself, touching the mirror as if the mere glass held some sort of power or connection with her. "War is already brewing, Mother, Father," she whispered, hazel eyes sparkling dully as she stared aimlessly at her doppelganger in the mirror, "Soon, the wronged will have their revenge. And then our family can be redeemed, set free from this wretched curse."

Silence greeted her bold statement yet she expected that much. Her parents had been deceased long ago and she didn't have the skills to communicate with the dead either. After quickly brushing her impeccably straight chocolate brown tresses, she slipped into bed and instantly was taken into sleep's bosom as soon as her head hit the pillow.

In the other room, where the water bowl laid, the once tranquil, crystal clear liquid bubbled hectically once more and glowed, yet in colors of deep sapphire, blood-red, and jet. Tiny sparks jumped out of the boiling water and dived back in while hazy yet powerful images blazed in the center, dark grey smoke curling underneath the prognostics.

"Kill them…" decreed a cold, brutal voice from the water, a speaker from the future. Suddenly, the water began to lapse into serenity, the temperature decreasing and the pictures and ominous light faded away. Once more, the bowl was as the female had left it: innocent, clear, smooth, and halcyon.

"All is not lost; the unconquerable will,

And the study of revenge, immortal hate,

And courage never to submit or yield:

And what is else not to be overcome?

That glory never shall his wrath or might

Extort from me."

-Paradise Lost, John Milton

Word Terms/Glossary:

(1) hakama- a traditional Japanese samurai outfit.

(2) Hajimemashite- "how do you do?"

Color Glossary:

Burnet- dark brown

Albicant- white

Solfernia- purplish red

Jet- black

There you go folks, Sonja is back, alive and kicking! I told you she would be resurrected, did I not?

Thanatos: Actually, I think I did.

…Anyway, I hope this chapter was certainly a pleasure to read after waiting a month or so for an update (I'm suppose to be working on Bringing Back What's Dead but this chapter was practically begging to be written so I complied to its wishes). The last section probably was a little peculiar for some of you, the unnamed woman shall be revealed later and the same goes for the person she was calling.

Lucian: If any of you readers read her first fanfic, BLOOD, MOON, AND WAR, before it was deleted you'll know one of them already.

-glances at the open door- I better close that before more characters start popping out and disclosing any more secrets…

Thanatos: And SpeedDemon would like to thank all those who had reviewed chapter one: Celtic Aurora, Jazza, 13139allysonfanficlover, vamplady101, Elfvamp1-13-97, Reechan37, Astrid, and Skystrike26.

I must tell you, I was only expecting in receiving one or two, not eight… Thanks again for the feedback!

:SpeedDemon315: