*Chapter 15: A Mr. Doyle Sarver*

It was late January, the first days of February right around the corner, when a reluctant animal shape-shifter agreed to live in his human master's stately mansion. The shifter had moved out from his stall and into the bedroom of his master and though the shifter was in fact still upset about abandoning his fellow Mystics, he had to do what he wanted for a change and what he wanted was to spend every moment with his master, his lover. The two males have gotten so close to each other that the master even decided to give the shifter a tour of his factory and even started to give the Mystic an allowance of sorts and not to mention freedom to go into the city whenever the shifter pleased. Though the shifter did not usually go venture out to town alone, he was still in charge of one of the maid's upcoming wedding and small trips over were sometimes required. Currently the Mystic sat outside on the front porch of the master's mansion on a wooden bench, reading a book the shifter had discovered in the darkest corner of the human's grand library. It was a Mystic book, written only in Mystic with the occasional human speech.

Kurt flipped the page of the journal-like, hard covered, worn book. The story intrigued Kurt. It was not much of a fiction story, it was completely a non-fiction tale as a Mystic solider, to be more specific the Mystic was a centaur, wrote down his time in the Great War that happened just centuries ago. Though as deep into the book as the shifter, he still noticed Blaine tip-toeing silently up behind him. "Blaine, when will you realize that you will never be able to scare me?" Kurt asked without looking up from the neglected, yellowed pages.

Blaine chuckled and walked around the bench to take the empty seat next to his shifter, in his hands a portable stationary. "Scare you? Oh no my darling Kurt I would never scare you." The human sighed deeply and leaned back in the bench, the stationary on his lap. Blaine then looked down at the book that has the utmost full attention of the human's lover. "What are you reading?" Blaine asked, not immediately recognizing the book in the shifter's hands.

"Contes de la Gran Guerra." Kurt replied in Mystic before translating. "Tales from the Great War. It's pretty good."

"Oh? I've never read it."

"Probably because it is mostly in Mystic."

"What is it about?"

"Obviously the Great War..." Kurt paused as he turned the page. "It's the diary entries of a centaur called Carles." Blaine nodded, sounding a small 'ah' as he did so. "I heard there is a sister book to this from the point of view of Carles' sweetheart who worked healing the sick and injured. He's mentioned her quite a lot in his entries but from what I read he never sees her and right now he fears that she may have been killed because news just reached to him that an Alliance camp was attacked and that there were no survivors."

"Well if you would like I could look for the book for you."

"That would be great thank you." Blaine breathed once quickly and sharply. During the whole conversation, Kurt had still not given him so much of a glance. Blaine could see that Kurt was very into the book. In fact the shifter was more than halfway through the good sized book and if Blaine is correct, he started the book just yesterday. Feeling a trifle bit brave, Blaine quickly reached out and snapped the book out of the Kurt's hands, shoving one finger in on the page Kurt was on, before stretching the book far behind him. Kurt blinked in shocked. One moment he had the book, the next it was gone. Kurt glared at Blaine, eyed his book and then glared back at Blaine again. "Blaine." Kurt scolded extending a hand out towards the human. "Give it to me."

"No." Blaine replied stubbornly.

"Blaine…"

Blaine grinned broadly at his lover. "No." Kurt stood and then walked to Blaine extended hand to try and retrieve his book. Blaine quickly moved the book out of Kurt's hands and with one hand moved the stationary on his lap onto the bench while he stood and skipped backwards away from Kurt. "No." Blaine repeated again as he smiled at the angering Kurt.

"Blaine Anderson you give me that book right now." Kurt threatened. It was a hollow threat, they both new it, but Kurt really wanted to get his book back.

"Hm… I'll give you the book… If you give me something in return."

Kurt fisted his hands and placed them on his waist. "Blaine…" Whined. "Please?"

"Give me something in return Kurt."

Kurt sighed and nodded. "What do you want?"

"Hm…" Blaine's face twisted as he thought about what he wanted in return for the book. It did not take long for a thing to pop into his mind. "Kiss me."

Kurt blinked quickly and shook his head. "Out here? In the front of your house? Blaine no!"

"No one would see us." Blaine reasoned. He then dangled the book in front of him, a finger still wedged between the pages of the book. "But if you wish to prolong this I could just remove my finger…"

"No don't! I don't know what page I'm on!"

"I do." Blaine said simply. Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Blaine once more. Blaine could not help but take a step or two closer to the angered Kurt. "It's just a kiss in return for your book Kurt. I'm sure you could handle it… Amongst other things."

The shifter turned red and turned his head away slightly in embarrassment. "Blaine, please..."

Blaine chuckled and once again took two steps closer. "What do you say Kurt?" Blaine then hid the book behind his back and stood waiting for Kurt to close the distance between them. Kurt sighed and closed the space between them. The Mystic leaned in to kiss the human when he spoke up. "And it better not be a peck Kurt. You ignored me through our small conversation earlier and I did not appreciate that." Kurt rolled his eyes and finished leaning in to Blaine. Two pairs of lips touched softly and Blaine stood still and unmoving as Kurt kneaded his lips through Blaine's. Kurt breathed in during the kiss and Blaine moved his free hand up to rest on the side of Kurt's face. One of Kurt's hands mimicked Blaine's and rose to rest on Blaine's face. The two kissed slowly and deeply, eyes shut and breathing deep. Soon Kurt pulled back, a small 'pop' sounding as the two broke apart.

The shifter looked into Blaine's hazel eyes. "Can I have my book back now? Please?" He asked a tad bit breathlessly.

Blaine smiled faintly at Kurt, his hand lazily stroking the side of Kurt's face. "Of course Kurt." The book appeared and Kurt took the book with both hands, being careful not to lose his spot.

"Thank you Blaine." Kurt said softly as he very quickly pecked Blaine's cheek.

"You're welcome my darling."Blaine replied.

The two moved back to their spots on the bench and wordlessly the two started with their own tasks. Kurt got back to his reading and Blaine began writing business letters. It was peaceful and quiet as the two males basked in the others presence. As the minutes passed Kurt nuzzled up closer to the human, leaning a part of his back on Blaine's side and lifting his one leg up to rest on top of bench. The minutes soon turned to an hour and Blaine released a yawn as he stared tiredly at his last letter. Glancing over to Kurt he saw that the shifter had gotten a lot done in his reading. It was not long before the shifter finished the book. Blaine began writing again, anxious to finish these letters. Kurt on the other hand had successfully toned out the human as he read. The book was one that screamed to Kurt. It screamed to him of its importance and that it might come in handy. Kurt could not understand why, but it was as if someone was telling him directly how important this one book was. Kurt could not quite put his finger on it but he knew it was to do with Carles' journey through the war and the different movements the army has made.

As Kurt finished a chapter and placed a bookmark in its pages a tremor ran down the Mystic's spine. Kurt was jolted wide awake. He slowly closed the book and felt another tremor run down. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. The tremors were of fear, of pain, and worse of all darkness. Kurt leaned away from Blaine and leaned back into the bench as this time not only the tremor ran down his spine, but his leg twitched. Within seconds he twitched again, this time in the arms. The random twitches were coming quicker then as the tremors came ever once in a while. Kurt's breathing quickened and the Mystic felt more fearful of his life than any other moment that has come before him. He stood abruptly, book abandoned on the bench.

Blaine stared at Kurt questioningly. "Kurt? Is everything all right?" Kurt was about to answer when all hell broke loose. Kurt collapsed on the floor and his ears picked up the frantic neighs of Scarlota in the barn before Blaine could hear the whole barn erupt into sounds of pure terror. "Kurt?" Blaine asked in concern, glancing back once towards the barn before dropping to his knees beside Kurt. "What's wrong?"

"I-I…" Kurt stuttered, not knowing himself what was wrong, but something was terribly out of place. "I don't know." Kurt's eyes shot upwards then, down towards the driveway and a new wave of emotion spilled through him. Protectiveness. He shot up to his feet, more specifically his toes even though the shoes he wore were heavily retraining him. Blaine stood beside him and looked down the driveway. Once again Kurt's advanced senses saw before Blaine what exactly was coming down the Anderson driveway.

At the very front there was a red, thirty foot Fafnir dragon. It looked positively devilish with its red color and spikes that came out from the neck, ran down the spine, and at the end of his tail. A small horn came out from his muzzle and his combination arms and leathery wings were painfully tied to the dragon's torso as a pair of big strong legs pulled the animal forward, the tail for its balance. Behind it came a fully black, covered carriage with burgundy curtains covering the windows. Driving the dragon was a tall and muscular man with long black hair pulled back tightly and tied in a long tail with long bangs framing his face in the front. He wore a long black coat and nothing underneath minus a strap that came across his chest and black trousers. As the carriage neared Kurt could see that this man was no human but was in fact a vampire. Behind the dark carriage was a covered wagon tied straight onto the carriage and behind that was what struck Kurt the most. Four Mystics, four animal shape-shifters, chained from their necks, wrists and feet, all malnourished and neglected, much like Kurt was when he first met Blaine but far, far worse. The males, there were three, only wore a pathetic excuse of a loincloth around their waist while the female wore a small top and the same loincloth.

Kurt felt sick to his stomach as the train pulled up right before the house. Blaine this time was rigid with the shock, sight and anger towards the encroaching trespassers. At this distance Kurt could see that all six Mystics had an over abundance of magic repellent. The dragon's harness was nearly completely magic repellent, the vampire had two bracelets, and wherever iron touched the skin of the shape-shifters had a line of repellent running down the half of it.

The vampire helped himself down from the carriage, not even bothering once to glance at the two beings on the porch as he came to the door and opened the carriage door outwards. The door opened towards the driver's seat and Blaine and Kurt breathed in deeply as one black boot stepped out from the carriage and then another, the person's face still covered by the curtain that closed off the window. Soon a man stepped out from the door. He too had long black hair that he tied back, though it only stopped at his shoulders while the vampire's went down to his mid back. He was pale, much like Kurt was, and wore a high collared white shirt, a black vest, black cotton pants, a black ascot tucked underneath the vest, and a brown and red Vienna brocade tailcoat. Kurt stiffened more, if it was even possible, as the man looked up towards the two and smiled slowly.

Blaine took the initiative then and walked down two steps of the porch. "You there." He called out to the man. "Who are you and how dare you trespass on my estate?"

The man's smile grew slightly at he bowed at Blaine. "Pardon my intrusion sir. I am Doyle Sarver, a collector of Mystics and a trader of sorts. Is this the home of a Mr. Blaine Anderson?"

"It is." Blaine replied briskly. "I am Blaine Anderson."

"Ah, Mr. Anderson." Doyle walked away from his carriage, Blaine moving forward to meet the man halfway. Meanwhile the vampire closed the carriage door and Kurt came to stand on the bottom most step of the porch. Blaine and Doyle shook hands. "You see I've traveled a long way here to Ohio because I heard that you were the manufacture of some fine instruments and I was wondering if you would like to extend your business eastward."

"How far east are we talking about Mr. Sarver?"

"The eastern coast as well. Even Andorra."

Kurt's ears perked up at the mention of Andorra and stepped off the step and walked towards the two men. At that close distance Kurt noticed that the vampire had striking, deep blue eyes and Doyle had amber eyes that shined gold in the light. "Andorra? What business would you possible have in a Mystic habituated island?"

Doyle looked at Kurt. "I suppose you have forgotten that the Mystic Woods that flanks Ohio's eastern border is the last place for Mystics to run free. That and of course the oceans."

"I don't believe that." Kurt replied. "Andorra is the birthplace of the Mystics. No Mystic with self preservation would ever let Andorra be completely habituated by humans."

"True but you forget that Mystics have to rights. Perhaps centuries ago, but not presently." Kurt glared at him and almost instantly the vampire walked up behind Doyle. He glared at Kurt and Kurt's eyes drifted to the slightly taller vampire. Doyle on the other hand smirked at the events that were unfolding. "Mr. Anderson, who is this very Mystic advocate person?"

"He is my cousin, Kurt Anderson." Blaine answered shortly.

"Ah, yet another Mr. Anderson. Do you go by another name Mr. Kurt Anderson?"

Kurt's eyes snapped back to Doyle. "I would prefer that you not call me at all."

Doyle chuckled. "It seems I have made an instant enemy. Don't worry sir; I have no use for you but for your cousin." Doyle paused, aware of the glares the Anderson 'cousins' were shooting at him. "Antoni, why don't you walk Mr. Anderson's cousin around the others?"

Antoni, the vampire, bowed his head towards his master and stared heavily at Kurt. "No thank you sir. Perhaps later." Kurt replied. There was no way he was leaving Blaine alone with this mysterious man.

Blaine jumped in then, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the thickening air. "Perhaps we should move inside and talk about business then?"

Kurt stared shockingly at Blaine. "Why that would be wonderful Mr. Anderson. Antoni, follow me in."

"Will your dragon stay in place Mr. Sarver?" Blaine asked as he turned and Doyle started to walk with him, Kurt and Antoni following behind their respective masters yet careful to keep space between the two.

"He will if he doesn't want Antoni to track him down. Antoni is a hunting vampire. He could track down anything."

"I never knew there were different types of vampires." Blaine small talked as he led them in, Kurt quickly collecting the stationary and his book before following Antoni into the mansion.

"Yes. Most male vampires are hunters while the females are more with aura and spells. For you know witches and female vampires have the same ancestor."

"No I did not know that. What about the males?"

"They are straight from the animal they are symbolized by Mr. Anderson, a bat. For you see, when a dark witch laid with a bat a daughter came forth and she was known as vampire as she processed more physical features of her father and yet processed all magic the mother held. Male vampires on the other hand are usually," he paused, thinking of the more suitable word, "morphed from bats."

"Interesting."

"Quite."

They all entered the drawing room and all took a seat at the table, Blaine and Doyle sitting across from each other and both Mystics sitting closer to their respective masters. As Doyle began to speak Kurt placed the stationary on the desk and kept his book on his lap. "So about this proposal Mr. Sarver."

"Of course yes. I am proposing that you sell your instruments to me, at a good rate mind you, and then I sell them back on the eastern coast."

"For a profit." Blaine said.

"Yes but you see, I will send you a small cut from that and give myself the rest."

Kurt spoke first before Blaine could. "If that is so, then why not just take the instruments, sell them on the eastern coast and send the money over while you take a cut for yourself?"

"I do not believe in just taking something, especially when it comes to business." Doyle said as Mercedes and Rachel quickly came in and placed a tray with biscuits and tea. The women began to pour tea and Doyle paused to take his cup and raise it to his lips for a sip. "That is why I would rather pay for them and then take my cut later."

"That is a risky business move Mr. Sarver." Blaine commented as he took a sip from his tea and set it back down.

"It is but instruments are in great demand over back home. We only have one major factory over there and it has just gotten to the point of near insanity."

While the humans continued their business conversations Antoni and Kurt stared down at each other. It was some thick moments before Antoni spoke for the first time. "I saw the book you retrieved, Contes de la Gran Guerra. I have read it before. It is quite the read."

Kurt felt the corner of his lips curl up, but not in a smile, in a grimace. "Oh you have?"

"Yes, of course my copy was much like yours. Completely in Mystic."

"Oh?" Kurt sounded, not really knowing what else to say.

"It tends to be a book only Mystics read if they are lucky enough to be educated." Kurt remained silent. "Tell me, shifter, when did you first got educated?"

Kurt tensed up but held his neutral face. He knew it was no use to pass of his being a Mystic as false to another Mystic. "Master Blaine taught me."

"I see. So you are not really cousins... That was to be expected. You two look nothing alike."

"Antoni," Doyle spoke up attracting the attention of the Mystics. "Now would be the time to give the cousin a trip around our little train."

Antoni stood and started to walk out towards the door, his tea untouched. Kurt looked at Blaine with a pleading face. Blaine nodded his head sadly. "Kurt, please, go with him. Mr. Sarver and I need to discuss business."

"But, but..." Kurt tried but soon gave up as he stood, leaving his book in the chair, his tea also untouched.

Once outside the vampire led the Mystic straight to the Fafnir dragon. The vampire stood silently as Kurt stared into the menacing dragon's sad eyes. "This dragon follows the path of light."

"Yes, but not for much longer."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked, glancing back at the vampire.

"The Mystics Master Doyle tends to lose their religion after a while after of course they lose all hope. This particular one has just been lasting far longer than expected."

Kurt remained silent for a moment as he looked back into the dragon's eyes. Cautiously he rose a hand up and gently pressed his finger tips into the scales of the dragon's muzzle. The dragon immediately flinched away and Kurt's heart broke at that. "You have not lost your darkness yet."

Antoni chuckled. "Of course you would realize I follow the path of darkness."

"Most male vampires do, as well as half of the females." Kurt said his hand falling to his side. "It is a shame."

"It is a shame to think that just because you follow the path of light means that you are so much greater than any other Mystic who does not." Antoni said curtly as he started to walk towards the back of the train. Kurt walked with him, refusing to follow the vampire.

"I do not think myself better."

"No you do. You think because you are so good and pure that you are automatically better than anyone. But you are wrong. Your God has had his own share of darkness." Antoni stopped at the four shape-shifters and Kurt helped himself into the group and silently started to elicit an emotion from his fellow animal shape-shifters.

"And what does that mean exactly?" Kurt asked, anger rising and faintly showing in his voice.

"At least my God never killed anyone; your God killed his own younger brother."

"It could not be helped." Kurt replied as he looked away from the female shape-shifter to look at Antoni. "Your God kidnapped the Lady Brooke and doing so, he sealed his fate."

"His fate was not to die at the claws of your God." Antoni bit back. "He never once harmed her. He only wanted his own brother's attention, the attention your Lady Brooke took from him."

"He befell to his own darkness vampire, jealously. If he would have just been happy that his brother found love then he—"

"If your God had not abandoned him, he would have never—"

"Abandoned?" Kurt asked scoffing. "His brother got mate bonded to her, he could not spend time with his brother if he could happen. The newlywed period for a bond lasts a whole five years, if he would have waited—"

"If he did not get bonded at all—"

"Bite your tongue vampire." Kurt interrupted as he stepped forward and stood before Antoni. "The God of Light fell in love and there was no way he was going to let her go."

"A meaningless human."

"His true love!"

Antoni laughed openly. "True love! What are you? A Mystic in love with a human?" Kurt tensed immediately and Antoni noticed. "Ah, you are! With no doubt your own master." Antoni chuckled softly. "Of course. It is too cliché for its own right." The vampire looked away and closed his eyes.

Kurt noticed Antoni's sudden change in mood. "You love your own master as well."

"Love him!" Antoni laughed. "Please, I am not homosexual like you are shifter. But my master is, and he does demands pleasures once in a while, and I am not to refuse my master." Antoni laughed and turned his back to the shifter. "I am done showing you the master's prizes. The humans should be done with their business by now." Antoni then walked towards the manor and Kurt breathed in deeply in an overabundance of mixed emotions. He then followed the vampire indoors, glancing back towards the other neglected Mystics before climbing the steps of the mansion.

*Chronicle of the Mystics*

Hours before, at Brookenshon Castle, Laurisane felt a tremor pass down her spine. The female vampire took no time before she stormed up towards the tallest watch tower. The guards of the castle hardly noticed her as she breezed by them in the wind. Even though she herself has some access throughout the entirety of the castle, only a few human guards know of her existence, and those humans have sworn an eternal life long oath to the Mistress. She reached the tower and locked the door behind her. She went straight to the window as another tremor, followed by a flinch, rocked through her body. She started out eastwards. She stared and she stared, enduring the tremors and increasing flinches that her body was enduring. Finally she saw it. From the woods the carriage came in through the Forbidden Road. She immediately noticed the dragon, then the male vampire, then the four shape-shifters. Her body stiffened and just as quickly as she went up to the tower she came down and hid within the shadows as the guards stopped the dragon pulled train at the gate that cut off one of the castle's many courtyards to the Road. Laurisane watched as a man got out of the carriage. She nearly flew out of the shadows to kill the man the moment she saw him.

"Not yet…" She whispered in fear, actual fear that she usually never felt. "Not yet, we're not ready." She breezed into the castle and into the Mistress' secret chambers. She did not even knock; she just barged in and fell to her knees. "Mistress! Mistress it is beginning!" The vampire cried as the tremors and the flinches were actually throwing the Mystic off balance.

The woman stood with a great sigh and walked towards the shadows. "It is far earlier than expected." She eventually said after moments of silence. "I do not even believe that he knows what his fate is."

"Neither do I Mistress. Perhaps I should—"

"No!" The woman interrupted loudly as she turned to face Laurisane. "He needs to come to his fate by himself, the prophesy says so, if not then we have doomed the world. No, he will realize what he needs to do. I just hope that he has the strength, the courage, and the will power to do what is asked of him."

Dun, dun, dun! What the Sam hell is this prophesy? What does it have to do with Kurt? Why is everyone freaking out about Doyle Sarver? Who is the Mistress? All this will be answered within the next few chapters then, the 'big one'!

PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN NEXT? WHO KNOWS YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT! PLEASE REVIEW!

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