"They've been here," Marcus said, observing the tire tracks on the snow-covered ground.
"If they were, then they know the truth – the truth about the keys. Michael carries my sister's necklace, one that does not belong around his neck," I hissed. Seeing Sonja's most prized trinket on the hybrid's neck had enraged me, although I tried hard not to let it show. Marcus knew that Sonja's necklace acted as one of the two keys to William's grave. Where the other one was, we did not know.
Marcus and I made our way into Tanis's lair, where we noted that he seemed to live in luxury. "I thought he was in exile," I said, sliding my hand across a silk tapestry. "I remember my father giving him drabbier living quarters than this."
"We shall find out soon enough," Marcus stated. When we rounded on the corner, we saw Tanis standing just outside a large chamber. He gave a frightened squeak and slammed the doors closed. I nearly laughed at the stupidity of his move – how could he expect to keep me and my husband out with a few brittle planks of wood?
Marcus gave the doors a push and they swung open. His coat swirled as he walked, his strides long and purposeful. I saw Tanis standing behind a mahogany chair, one of the few items my father had left him.
"Hello, Tanis," I greeted, smiling at him coyly. "Long time no see."
"Hello my lady," Tanis replied. I could tell he was fighting not to let his fear show. "What – what can I do for you both?"
"The key," Marcus rasped. My husband was not a man to mince words; he quickly went to the task at hand.
"The – the key?" Tanis stuttered. "I don't know anything about a key."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. I, on the other hand, began examining the items that seemed to be haphazardly crammed on the side. A small beam of blue light caught my eye and I approached, finally throwing back the curtains to see a small arsenal.
"Radiation bullets," Marcus breathed, turning his head towards me.
I looked at him quizzically. "Bullets, my love?"
"I see it in Kraven's memories. Those weapons can kill vampires using radiation as powerful as sunlight."
Both of us suddenly heard a sharp sound, and I whirled around to see Tanis pointing something metallic at me.
"Get back," Tanis said desperately, his eyes wide. "Get back, Sophia!"
I felt a snarl erupt from my throat, one that was drowned out by the sound of my husband's angry roar. "YOU DARE THREATEN HER?"
One of Marcus' sharp wings suddenly erupted from his back, slamming onto Tanis's shoulder with brute force. The item dropped to the floor and Marcus swung Tanis onto a chair. I knew Marcus was about to go into one of his rages, so I calmly strolled to his side and placed a restraining arm on his shoulder.
"Hush, dear husband," I whispered in his ear. "We do not need him dead. Calm yourself."
My words seemed to break through to him, for he quickly retracted his wing. "You will tell me all that I need to know, Tanis." His hand wrapped around mine as he said it, and I squeezed it gently.
Tanis was now trying to staunch the flow of blood that slowly trickled past his fingers. He looked at me and Marcus, finally resting his head against the chair's backrest.
"I have already told Selene everything, Marcus. All of the coven's secrets," Tanis said, his voice shaking. "I know no more than you."
"You know the location of the key to William's cage, Tanis!" I declared sharply. "You know, and you will tell us."
Tanis jerked his head, which Marcus seemed to take as a 'no'. With another cry of fury, Marcus's wings erupted, stabbing Tanis through the neck and torso, dragging him to the center of the table.
"If you will not tell me yourself, your blood will," Marcus rasped, sinking his fangs deep into Tanis's throat. I watched my husband idly, thinking of what Selene could be doing this very moment. I heard a wet squelch, and my husband's hybrid form looked up from Tanis's throat.
The once proud historian of the coven was dead.
I strolled over to my husband and wiped a smear of blood from his lips, tasting Tanis's blood. "Have you found out what we need to know?"
"Yes. We must pay my dear father a visit."
My eyebrows raised. "Your father? So he's still alive, then."
"Apparently so. Come, my love."
Together we walked out of Tanis's hideout, both anticipating the encounter that was to come.
Selene wound her way down to the docks, where Lorenz Macaro's ship was moored. She could see a number of guards walking on deck, as well as a small checkpoint close to the wooden platform.
Two guards spotted the incoming vehicle and walked over to meet it.
"Halt," one of them commanded.
In response, Selene slapped Sonja's necklace on the window, which caused the guards to let them through without further delay. Selene and Michael stepped out of the car and were directed up a plank that led directly onto the deck. A guard with high cheekbones and an intense gaze met them there, and directed them straight into the main cabin.
An old man stood in the middle of the room, who had hair as white as snow and a pragmatic smile. He was wearing a dark coat and had his hands clasped behind his back. As Selene and Michael entered, he dismissed the guard with a curt nod.
"Selene," he said, all traces of his smile now gone.
"I was told you could help us," she said, walking towards the man and showing him Sonja's necklace. The man smiled and took it in his hands, walking over to his desk and laying the trinket in front of him. He then ran a finger down the center, triggering the mechanism.
"You're familiar with this necklace?" Selene asked, surprised.
"Intimately," the man answered, running his hand down the pendant. It was then when Selene saw that the man was wearing a ring, and that it had an insignia: that of the Corvinus clan.
Selene frowned. There were only three possible people who could wear such an emblem. "You're Alexander Corvinus," she said at last.
He smiled thinly. "There was a time when I was known by that name. By any name, I am still your forefather."
"Marcus and William – they're your sons. Why haven't you done anything to stop them?" Selene demanded.
"Done 'nothing'? I have spent my entire life trying to keep this war between the vampires and lycans a secret from the rest of humanity! I hardly think that counts as 'doing nothing,'" Corvinus snapped. "I have stood back for centuries, watching the havoc that my dear William and Marcus have done to humanity – and to each other. But I cleaned their messes and did my best to hide my family's rather unfortunate history."
"But couldn't you have stopped them?" Michael asked. He knew he was looking at his ancestor, and the knowledge that this man – who looked like a kindly grandfather – did nothing to stop his sons, infuriated him.
"Could you kill your own sons?" Corvinus said, a shadow of pain passing through his expression. "I was there when they were born, I was there when my wife and I hoped that they would leave behind a legacy far different than the one they are doing right now."
"You know what Marcus will do! If he finds me, he finds William's prison! You have to help us stop him!" Selene took a few steps towards Corvinus, who stood his ground.
Her statement seemed to amuse him, for he smirked. "You are asking me to help you kill my son. You, a Death Dealer? How many innocents have you slain in your six-century quest to avenge your family? Spare me your self-righteous declarations! You are no different from Marcus and even less noble than William! At least he cannot control his savagery!"
"Everything I've done can be laid at your feet. Hundreds of thousands have died because of your inability to accept that your sons are monsters, that they create monsters!" Selene couldn't believe her ears. Even now, the man was justifying his son's actions by pinning it all on her. She knew they were running out of time, and her suspicions were right.
Gunshots suddenly blasted throughout the ship, which were soon followed by the screams and cries of pain. Blood splattered across the small glass window. Selene took one last glance at Corvinus and dived out the window, with Michael close behind.
Corvinus made his way to a wooden cabinet. Inside were sharp swords and battle raiment, but at the top was a circular metal disc that had a hollowed out center.
He must not get the keys, Corvinus thought.
The door to his cabin burst open, and in stepped his daughter-in-law, Sophia. Her long, dark hair flowed well past her shoulders, and her smooth pale skin spoke of her regal lineage. For a moment, Corvinus saw a bit of Sonja behind her features, as well as Viktor's proud gaze.
"Father," she said, tilting her head respectfully.
"Where is my son?" Corvinus asked. He knew who Sophia was, despite this being their first formal meeting.
Sophia smiled slowly, making her features appear more angelic than she really was. "He's outside. He shall join us shortly, Father. Do not worry. I only made sure that I got to see you first. I have wanted to see you for so long."
Corvinus watched her warily. "I had thought that you would be the one to curb my son's violent streak," he admitted as Sophia ran her fingers idly across a mahogany table. "But now, it appears that I was wrong."
"My husband only did the things he has done because of you," Sophia replied icily. "All he wanted was to find his brother."
"Do you know the consequences of what you are about to do?" Corvinus asked. "What William could do if he was released?"
"Yes, I do." Sophia's reply chilled Corvinus to the very bone.
She is nothing like her father, he thought. She is far worse.
Lucius turned to see Kraven stride inside his lair, seething.
"You went after the boy? You were seen! Selene is on the lookout for you, Lucian. You were supposed to stay hidden!"
Lucian flinched. He had waited too long for his revenge, and to be told off by a useless vampire displeased him.
"The plan wasn't going as planned, so I had to take drastic steps," Lucian replied, turning away. "But we've succeeded. Soon we will have the one thing that Viktor fears: a blending of the species."
Kraven made a derisive sound, which Lucian ignored. Memories of him with Sonja came flooding back, along with the times he spent playing with Sonja and her sister, Sophia.
"Sophia," Lucian murmured.
"Sophia? Or Sonja?" Kraven said from behind him. "Sophia is still in a catatonic state."
"A catatonic state? Why?" Lucian whirled around to face Kraven, who was smirking.
"She has married one of the Vampire Elders. Marcus."
"Viktor must have been pleased with the match," Lucian said bitterly.
"Naturally. He had hoped Sonja would be the one to marry him, but we all know what happened."
Lucian snarled and watched as Kraven backed away. "Is there anything else you wish to tell me? If not, you are free to leave."
"I pray for your sake Selene does not find out who you are," Kraven threatened, but it sounded feeble to Lucian's ears. The lycan's furious gaze followed Kraven out of the room. Once the vampire was gone, Lucian turned back towards the table, picked up a beaker containing lycan blood, and dropped some of Michael Corvin's blood inside.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! I've been busy writing my Left 4 Dead fanfic (Left 4 Dying), which is THE longest fanfic I've written so far. I hope you're all still with me! :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading the fifth chapter. I don't know when I can upload the next one, but in the meantime, leave me some reviews and comments, if you've got the time. Cheers! :D