Ace in the Hole
Summary: [Sequel to Celtic Aurora's Dark Ripples in Blood] When an arcane necromancer offers his allegiance and powers to help him defeat the vampires in the grisly war, Lucian cannot refuse. With Kraven as an unpredictable factor in the game, he needs an ace in the hole to win. [LucianxSonja & other various parings]
Chapter XI: So Many Questions, So Little Answers
Text:
"Speech"
Thoughts
Flashbacks
Music/Poems/Sonnets:
"Lose Control" by Evanescence
"Depths of Hell" by Iced Earth
Disclaimer: Yeah, that ain't going to happen. It's a pipe dream. Nothing more to it.
"You don't remember my name.
I don't really care.
Can we play the game your way?
Can I really lose control?
Just once in my life,
I think it'd be nice,
Just to lose control, just once,
With all the pretty flowers in the dust."
-Lose Control, Evanescence
Tomorrow came too quickly.
Selene was already up, hours before the second meeting with Amelia. She did so for two reasons: 1) to slip out and visit Tanis unseen and 2) to avoid running into Kraven. If she ever saw that oily regent again, she wasn't so sure if she'd be able to curb her mounting rage and pummel him until he resembled a bloody pulp. Amelia wouldn't approve of her actions and look upon her with disfavor. The female Elder might even believe that she, Selene, was compromised by her emotions and was blinded to all reason, hence making her unworthy to lead a military operation. And that was the last entity Selene needed the Elder to think of her, as someone irrational.
"Selene!" Selene was relieved to see that Kahn had already found her. "Selene, are you going somewhere?"
She nodded. "I have to slip out before the meeting–and before Kraven notices my absence. He's been trying to keep me on a tight leash these days and frankly, I'm at the end of my rope here. I don't how much longer I can stand him before I snap."
A sympathetic expression was awash on Kahn's dark features and he nodded understandably. He could tolerate Kraven more than she but that didn't mean he was a fan of the regent. "I will see what I can do, Selene. I can probably distract him a little but as for how long, I can't say."
"Just use Erika to distract him," grumbled Selene, reloading her second gun before slipping the polished weapon back into her holster, "You'll have all the time you need." Kahn chuckled at her answer, a small smile slowly creeping on his lips.
"Maybe but as for now, I don't think Erika would be the best idea for that." He paused, noting Selene's bemused look. "You haven't heard? Lately, Erika has been spending less of her time pursuing Kraven and more time with herself. I heard from one of coven members that she and Kraven had a little spat and later on, she left the coven. She came back later, of course, but seemed extremely content." He then shrugged.
"But it's just gossip so I won't pay much attention to it."
"Still, if that is true, I'm going to have to applaud Erika. She's been hounding him for ages, craving for attention. I always believed she could do better." Selene remarked succinctly. Albeit a small part of her curiously wondering what could have Kraven done to irate Erika so? There were times her affections for him got Kraven off her back and yet despite all of Erika's groveling, Selene still believed Kraven was a two-faced, slimy bastard who didn't deserve anyone. "And before I forget, Kahn, if I don't come back in time, fight for my plan. Do your best to convince Amelia that I am right and Kraven is wrong."
The tiny smile of Kahn's transformed into a regaled one. "It will be my pleasure. Hopefully, you'll come in time to see it unfold."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. By then, I'll have more information to battle Kraven with." Confident with her new mission, Selene don her leather trench coat and after making sure Kraven wasn't nearby to intercept her on the way out, Selene exited the coven and left Kahn to deal with a soon-to-be enraged regent who wanted to get some alone time between him and Selene.
Tanis didn't expect to receive many visitors. That was the price of exile, the price of telling the truth in the face of a cloaked tyranny. The members of Ordoghaz coven could lie about the joint, equal powers in their Elders and cover up the facts, but Tanis knew his former coven and his brethren certainly lived under a tyrant, a monarchy of three. Victor was the tyrant, of course– just ask the lycans and his dead, scorched daughter, Sonja.
Tanis glanced sorrowfully over at his prized collected of books and tomes. Very few people had wanted to learn about the truth and those same people were either hunted down or killed when they attempted to expose said truth. One of them was Catherine Van Helsing and even to this day, Tanis still had no idea if she was alive or not.
I rather hope she lives. That would be a nice thorn in Victor's side. He could always use a few more of those.
All of sudden, the door slammed open, jarring Tanis out of his reverie. Whirling around, the former scribe of Victor only saw Lucian entering his humble abode, shutting the door carefully behind him. Inwardly, Tanis breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought Victor had come to covertly end his life, right then and there, to prevent him from spilling any more flagrant secrets and facts.
"Hello, Lucian," he greeted cordially, plastering an uneasy yet somewhat amicable smile on his face, "What can I do for you today?"
"Many things, Tanis. But first, I have a question for you. And I want your utmost honesty."
Tanis inwardly gulped. He didn't like the sound of where this was going. "Yes? What is it?"
"Besides me, Tanis, have you had any other visitors?" Sharp, deadly eyes, the color of perse, whizzed back at the said vampire, piercing him with the intensity of Lucian's uncompromising gaze. Lucian's eyes almost seemed to say "lie to me, I dare you" to Tanis. But he was no fool, Tanis knew lying right to Lucian's face was never a good idea. Besides, the lycan leader had been good to him, even for a price.
"To be frank, yes, I have. One of Victor's Death Dealers came here asking for information regarding a mysterious yet highly alluring woman. After further discussion, my books and I ended up concluding that woman was a succubus. I went along with her demand because I assumed the succubus wasn't linked to you…" He paused, a nervous expression overcoming his features as the cogs in his mind rapidly started churning and putting the puzzle pieces into place. "Or was I wrong? Do you now have a succubus in your midst?"
"That and so much more," Lucian replied with a nod, a small frown on his face. "How much did you tell her about the succubus?"
"Just the basics; like what is a succubus or an incubus, their powers, what they do, and how…to kill one," finished Tanis, looking at Lucian warily, "Lucian, if I had known that succubus worked for you, I wouldn't have told her so much."
Lucian waved his concerned remark away. "What's done is done. The succubus lives so don't you worry. Now that I know one of the Death Dealers has visited you, is it likely that she will return?"
At this query, Tanis pondered the notion long and hard. One could never be certain when it was about Selene; she was unpredictable at times. In fact, even now Tanis still couldn't believe she came to him for facts on the succubus. Would she still come back for more information? There were so many answers to that question.
Weighing his words carefully, Tanis finally answered, "With Selene, it depends. It is possible she might come back for more facts about the succubus." He looked at Lucian straight in the eye. "If that happens, what do you want me to do? Lie to her?"
There came another nod. "Precisely! Somehow, find a way to misdirect her and make her suspect that this succubus is a third party and busy nabbing men left and right for her own 'coven'. I don't want her blame any other disappearances on me and my men, whether or not it's true."
The vampire scholar and scribe did his best to suppress the dry smirk threatening to overtake his mouth. "I do believe I can do this. However…what do you mean by 'disappearances'? I know you are after that Michael fellow for his blood but what else have I missed?"
For a few minutes, Lucian didn't respond to his inquiry. He simply studied him for a bit, as if he was debating whether or not he should know and if he trusted him enough. At last, the lycan answered. "Apparently, a rogue vampire–some say–infiltrated the Ordoghaz coven and stole away Markus, right under the security guards' noses."
Tanis practically gapped at Lucian, hardly able to comprehend this fresh bit of news. He knew how meticulously guarded the tomb chambers were–and how bloody heavy hauling the sarcophagus was (he would know, he dragged all three of them in a short matter of time!). The rogue vampire either had helped from someone on the inside or wasn't truly a vampire at all and something else altogether.
"I don't believe it…that's incredible!" he murmured, shaking his head as he sat down in one of his richly furnished wooden chairs, "Such a feat is nearly impossible and yet one lone person accomplished just that. It's either a very good or bad thing for us, Lucian. You better hope whoever this person is, they don't have a grudge against you too. As I recall, Markus wasn't in the best frame of mind when he was coerced into slumber and let Victor take the reins of the coven."
"Duly noted." Lucian didn't seem too worried about Markus's disappearance–for the most part. "But remember what you are supposed to do if or when that Death Dealer returns. Lead her astray. I know how wonderful you are at weaving fables and stories." While he watched the lycan leader exit his tiny, humble abode, the corners of the scribe's lips quirked upwards, in which resembled a small, dry smile.
"Now, now, was that meant to be a compliment or an insult?" Tanis called out drolly, chuckling to himself as he went over to his bookcases to begin preparing his tale for Selene.
Just as he expected, he heard no answer from Lucian. The only sound that greeted his words was merely the quiet resonance of his footsteps on the pavement, fading away.
Hard, distrusting, and wrathful eyes swept the basement and the occupants in it. Three women stood before him, two brunettes, one blonde, all with serious expressions on their faces. Markus snarled at them, tugging on the chains he had been strapped to while blood was pumping into his body, awakening each and every tiny cell.
"What's going on here?" he demanded in a low, dangerous voice, "How did you manage to get me out of Victor's coven?" He pulled harder on the metal bonds, irate to see they did not break from his might. Just what material is this thing constructed of?
"That task was mostly mine alone," spoke up the blonde, her icy azure eyes shimmering with unspoken delight and mute satisfaction, "I had some help but I'm the one responsible for your Awakening."
Markus scowled at her viciously, his dark eyes flashing into an alluring but frightening shade of electric blue. That deadly look of his could have shattered swords with one casually glance and yet the female didn't even bat an eyelash. She returned his glower with what one could only describe as a mongoose glare. For a few seconds, Markus noticed that the woman's wintry orbs seemed a tad shade lighter, almost highlighted with thin shots of cerulean–or was it more of a denim?–streaking around the irises. But the different color was gone and her eyes were back to their normal hue of winter streams and skies.
"Is that so?" Markus said dryly, eyeing her coldly, "And why would you commit such an act?"
The woman's stoic demeanor changed slightly, for one corner of her lips twitched upward into a half-smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she murmured in an almost humorous manner but Markus detected the steely edge of her words, the bitterness that lied underneath them. Her face might have remained emotionless (to some extent) but she couldn't fully quell all the depths of her feelings from her eyes. They explained everything to him.
Those deep, frosty blue eyes of hers were rife with utter loathing.
Drawing himself away from those startling eyes, Markus nodded stiffly, saying, "Of course. I have every right to know why I'm bonded and chained down here with three people I don't know and have never met!" His voice rose, increasing in volume, just like his temper. The corners of blonde woman's mouth quirked up again and his fury flared anew. She was enjoying this, triumphing over his captivity, no matter how hard she was trying to be impassive about it. If he was free, he would destroy that victorious glint in her orbs and tear out all of their throats for imprisoning him like this!
"Zael, he sort of has a point," said one of the brunettes and upon closer inspection, Markus noted that the young woman was blind. Although the strange entity about her eyes was they would be milky white for a minute and then become hazel the next. Markus took a sniff in the air and a rush of herbal essences and a perfume of smoke, ink, and sorcery slammed into his olfactory system with such a force that even Markus was surprised by the keenness of his smell. However, he at least now knew two things about his captors: The blonde one was called Zael and one of the females was a witch. Somehow, he had a feeling none of these ladies in this room where human–at all.
"Oh, I know," replied the woman called Zael, her frosty, hard-eyed scrutiny never leaving Markus, "He'll know soon enough why he is here."
"'Soon enough' is not good enough," interrupted Markus irately, "I would like to know now."
"Too bad, so sad," mocked Zael in a dry, indifferent voice, "I don't care what you think or like, Markus."
"Perhaps we should go," Markus overheard the other brunette whisper to the witch. She cast a wary glance at Zael.
"That's probably a prudent idea, Catherine," the witch responded back just as quietly and triumph surged through Markus. He had himself another name.
Zael must have heard them as well, for she told them, "You two can go ahead. I will deal with Markus here." The witch sighed, a worried expression awash on her features.
"Okay, if you say so… Just don't overdo it, Zael." With that said, the two women left, leaving Markus alone with this strange and stolid lady named Zael.
He truly preferred his centuries-long sleep instead of waking up to this annoying conundrum.
"Are sure it was all right to leave her alone with him?" queried Catherine as she and Bristol walked back into the living room, "I mean, what if he tries to escape and kill her?"
"Nah, I used magic on those chains. He's not busting out of those anytime soon." the American witch responded casually, plopping down on the sofa. "But I must tell you, I needed a break from all the scrying and peering down into the water mirror. My hand and eyes hurt so much." She rubbed her temples as she spoke, closing her sightless eyes.
"But how to do you See the future if you're blind, if you pardon my asking?" questioned Catherine.
"Magic," Bristol explained bluntly, opening her eyes again, "When the future calls and is present, my magic, the Seer blood within me, briefly opens my eyesight for me to witness the events in the water mirror. The future lies not only in the water but also plays in my mind–that's why the images remain so strongly with me: They are etched in my brain." She tapped her head lightly, a regaled beam on her face.
"I suppose I understand that…" replied Catherine, looking away at Bristol and back at the kitchen, where Bristol's water mirror was placed. As she did so, a faint shimmer of iridescent light came from the bowl and Catherine blinked, wondering if she was imagining the glow or not. "Hey, Bristol, your—"
But the witch had already bolted up from her seat and cruised over the bowl, not even hearing the rest of the sentence. She had sensed the magic beckoning to her and seated herself right in front of the water mirror, heeding the future's call. It was then Catherine saw her albicant eyes changing into a soft, warm shade of hazel and during that moment, Bristol could see the world through clear lenses.
Curious but patient, Catherine sat back down on her coach, waiting for the premonition to end before she started questioning Bristol about the future. If there was anything she learned about witchcraft, it was to never both a witch while she was in a middle of spell or anything magic related. The consequences could be sometimes nasty.
His instincts, his theories, were keen as ever.
It had been only hours after Lucian's departure when Selene came strolling right on in without a single world, as if she still had the recollection of the mischief he had wracked upon her during her last visit. A hidden smirk suddenly found itself on Tanis's lips. He had so much fun ruffling her feathers, despite all the attempted shootings and physical pain on his person. She had forgotten what it was like to live a little and sometimes, Tanis wanted to help her in remembering that. He missed what the old Selene use to be like, full of promise and excitement. Of course, she always had been quite serious to a point but never so…austere.
But what he missed most of all were Selene's laughter, her smile. Even when she had reserved them solely for Jarek, he still enjoyed those smiles and laughs anyway.
Mentally shaking himself out of these sentimental musings, Tanis banished the past to the recesses of his mind and rose from his chair to greet Selene, pulling his usual strange but amiable smile back on his face. However, Lucian's command echoed ceremoniously inside his head, cautioning and directing him towards his next actions.
"Somehow, find a way to misdirect her and make her suspect that this succubus is a third party and busy nabbing men left and right for her own 'coven'. I don't want her blame any other disappearances on me and my men, whether or not it's true."
"Why hello, again, Selene," he began, "Did you reduce my sentence at all?" That was meant to be a jest (sort of) but she just shot him a dirty look and Tanis simply let the joke die. Back to business then, as usual.
"Tanis, I desire to learn more about this succubus. More problems have risen in the coven and I wanted to see if I missed anything of importance." For a second, she seemed anxious, uncertain even but Tanis reckoned those feelings had something to do with Markus's abduction and she wasn't sure whether or not to inform him. Before she could say anything else, Tanis deliberately dragged one of his tomes off the shelf and plopped it down gingerly on the table.
"Well, it's your lucky day. In case you should return for more answers, I decided to brush up my knowledge about succubi and incubi. And I find some very interesting facts." he prattled on, flipping over several pages, searching for the one page that would strengthen his tale to Selene.
"And?" prodded Selene impatiently, "What did you uncover?"
"That in some cases, these demons are no less different than us."
He could have sworn she snorted with exasperation. "Meaning, Tanis?"
"Meaning that they like creating covens of their own," the said scribe finished, "In fact, I have reason to believe that was what your succubus was doing. After all, from what I have read, it is not uncommon for a succubus or incubus to seduce humans and either turn them into their sex slaves or fellow demons to start a coven or covert empire."
"So, you are suggesting that the succubus I faced probably wanted Michael as her sex slave or an incubus?" Selene replied slowly, mulling his words over inside her head.
Nodding stiffly, Tanis tried to maintain eye contact with the female Death Dealer without giving away anything incriminating, "Yes, it is quite possible. If she believed this Michael human to be attractive enough, there is no doubt in my mind that he's under her control already."
A defeated sigh escaped Selene's lips yet it was so soft, so feeble that Tanis, at first, didn't believe she responded to his latest report. But when the sigh reached his ears, he realized how lost and frustrated Selene felt now. She probably had different theory about the female sex demon but his lie refuted her idea and crushed it completely. Introspectively, Tanis felt rather guilty about lying to Selene but at the same time, he could not tell her the truth, she wouldn't understand. She didn't believe him the first time he opened his mouth for justice, verity, and his own nagging conscience and he doubted she would change her tune.
But maybe I can nudge her down that path…
"You know, Selene, I suggest you dig a little into the coven's past, into the books themselves."
Selene's head snapped right up, lucid sable eyes glaring furiously at him. "You know that's forbidden, Tanis. What are you trying to do, get me exiled too?"
"Well, I could sure use the company, especially from a lovely woman such as yourself," admitted Tanis jokingly, dodging Selene's sailing fist, "But no, that was not my intent. I simply wanted to direct you to another source to look for your many questions. After all, I'm sure Victor's unused library holds many valuable secrets." A light smirk grazed his lips at the thought of all those precious tomes he had to leave behind, locked away and collecting dust. One day he would rescue them, his darlings, his beloved companions.
"Why are you telling me this?" Now Selene acted more perplexed than angry, albeit there was a thin layer of annoyance laced in her voice. Perhaps fury was a familiar emotion to Selene and when she was forced to experience something different, something foreign, she panics, puts up a barrier between her and the strange force, and then retreats back to more comfortable, familiar feelings. He had noticed her doing that after Jarek's death.
Releasing a sigh of his own, Tanis replied, "Things are not always what they seem, Selene, and who knows? You might end up finding more than what you bargained for."
He'll let her figure out the meaning of that riddle.
"Darkness dwelling in his soul
True damnation no control
Shattered pieces of his past
Broken dreams among the dead
When the smoke clears he will arise
Feel the pain
Feel the shock
From the depths of hell."
-Depths of Hell, Iced Earth
Color Glossary:
Perse- dark blue
Albicant- white
So here ends chapter eleven. The plot thickens, as always (or at least, I try). Slowly, everything is following into place and now Markus has awoken, you readers will get the chance to learn more about Zael's history and later, why she seems to have a grudge on both Markus and Victor (more so on Victor). Again, I'm planning out several impending chapters and hope to receive a better, detailed version of the plot and how all the events are going to connect and fall in line. I don't want rush anything or smash certain moments together but I don't drag out things longer than they have to be. Hopefully, with some more mapping out the future chapters, I'll get better idea in how long this story will be. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter and will see you around in chapter twelve!
Before I go, I would like thank both Celtic Aurora and Beaufale for their reviews! I appreciate the feedback, no matter what kind (save for flames, I just roll my eyes and ignore them). Reviews always help to encourage me to type just a wee bit faster.
Signing off for now,
:SpeedDemon315: