La Dolce Vita
By Seniya
H is for Heir
"There was always someone ready to cut the heir with a knife"
Terry Pratchett
Cedric arrived, without much fanfare, in Heatherfield in the pre-dawn hours of one Monday morning. It had taken him longer than he had anticipated finding a vacant rip in the veil, and as a result he was at least three earth days behind schedule.
His master, now more demented than ever before, had practically chased him out of the castle, (in front of his own men) after another failed attempt to extract information from the black witch. Personally, he was certain that he could have done a better job of getting that whore to talk – but his master had not commanded it.
Needless to say, Cedric was pissed as he walked along the deserted streets. The moon was still in the sky, (one moon, he noted, but didn't think too much about it) although closer to the earth as the sun inevitably prepared to catch it. The street lights were still on, casting an eerie white-gold glow across the cemented streets and tidy, faded green lawns.
The night was chilly – not that he noticed. And his breath appeared in short cloudy puffs alongside the hideous human nose that his master had made.
Truly, this form was revolting. However, he couldn't think too much about that either. Instead, his mission echoed endlessly in his mind. Walk faster, the voice chanted, turn here. He listened, having no choice – it was, after all, the voice of his Master.
The voice directed him past a long series on neat bungalows, towards one in the middle of the street. It wasn't as tidy as the others – actually the shiny, red, wheeled creature stationed beside the house was obviously given far better care.
Of course, he paid that no mind either.
He followed the instructions onto the front porch, obediently pressing a small button next to the door. Once, twice, three times, four – ah, yes.
"Coming! Coming!" A groggy voice came from inside, followed by heavy footsteps on the wooden floors. Cedric waited patiently outside as the lights on the inside flashed on and then finally, the front door opened.
Cedric pulled his muscles into a tight smile. "Dean Collins?" He inquired.
The man, dressed in an old collegiate sweatshirt and thick flannel pants, nodded as he tried to force his glasses on his face. "Yes," he breathed, "can I help …"
He didn't get to finish the sentence, because at that moment, bathed in the soft moonlight dancing across the purpling sky – his intruder's jaw unhinged, and swallowed him whole.
"I am pissed." Yan Lin sulked over the wok, stirring furiously even as she ranted. Her son and his wife were coming back next week, and would want to review the restaurant's books, meaning that she had approximately six days to make a very substantial profit.
"Well, at least we have all these … new ingredients." Hay Lin had been called away from her studies to help during the lunch time rush. She was mashing oranges and pineapples for the sweet and sour chicken, while trying to decide just what to do with the several bags of chicken feet and rosemary bushes that had been left over from Halloween.
"Two goblins and a pixie!" Her grandmother was outraged. Halloween had been a bust. No ghouls, boogiemen, poltergeists, zombies or headless horsemen. It had been the most uneventful thing in her lifetime. Which was saying a hell of a lot.
"Maybe it's because of all the activity in Meridian?" Hay Lin suggested, but her grandmother disagreed. "Maybe it's because Lilith is going through menopause!"
Hay Lin was about to note that she doubted that the Queen of Hades had time to ruin her grandmother's Halloween fun, but she doubted the message would penetrate. She already had the manic glint in Yan Lin's hooded eyes. It meant that she'd already made up her mind.
"Are you gonna call her?"
"Yeah, right after lunch. She's always in a better mood after she'd had her barbequed baby souls."
Hay Lin nodded, before going back to her mashing. A conversation with Irma flickered through her mind – something had happened during Halloween, but she couldn't exactly tell her grandmother about it. First of all, Irma had summoned the dead, ditched the mission and provoked a demon all on the same night. It wasn't good. If that wasn't bad enough, Irma had sworn her to secrecy – and since Irma was essentially her only real friend, she didn't want to upset her.
"Nana, Nerissa is the old woman who summoned Will that one time right?"
The stirring behind her stopped. "Yes. Why?" The way her grandmother had asked, made Hay Lin's blood chill, "Um, nothing. Just wondering if you know… you'd dealt with that problem."
"Actually, I have." The stirring resumed, "she shouldn't be bothering Will anymore."
Hay Lin was satisfied.
"So, apparently," Irma had been waiting for Will (a habit she'd adopted) right outside the first pair of metal detectors in the High School's yard, "Mr Bore Me A River, aka Mr Collins has skipped town."
Will, who was usually quiet during these meetings, (especially after morning sessions with Caleb) perked up. "What do you mean skipped town?"
"Well, from what I hear," Irma clicked her tongue, sensing an audience, and paused for dramatic effect, "the school received a letter this morning saying he'd moved to Raleigh."
"But I had class with him on Friday. He made us read three chapters of "Excrement in Ancient Rome." Will, who had actually ready two of those chapters, was now upset at the colossal waste of time. She now possessed more knowledge of feces disposal that could ever be necessary.
"Well, he's gone now Billy. But it gets better! The substitute can only be described as Gabriel Aubry in dress pants." Irma was practically salivating, but she stopped when Will looked at her strangely. "Who's Gabriel Aubry?"
"Is Texas on the moon or something?"
"Look, whatever – "
"No, not whatever. This is serious girl talk time! Not to mention my education is in jeopardy! I won't learn a darn thing staring at that man's behind." She tugged at the end of her curly brown ponytail.
Will couldn't think of a response to that. She'd never stared at a man's behind in her life. Except maybe Caleb's – but that was because he was always shoving his in her face, showing her battle stances. She frowned as the admission crossed her mind.
Irma seemed to sense it. "So, how are things with you and Caleb?"
Will's stomach flopped around immediately, wondering if Irma had somehow read her thoughts. "Things?" she recovered at once, "there are no things."
"You know what I mean," Irma paused as the morning bell rang, and the small crowds of students started to pushed towards the metal detectors. "How'd training go?"
"Well, today he showed me all the ways I could be decapitated if I didn't listen to him. You can imagine my elation."
Irma smiled before going inside, "I swear Wilhelmina Vandom. You are the weirdest teenage girl I have ever come across."
Cornelia had been overwhelmed by guilt ever since her Halloween party. She knew she'd treated Elyon terribly, and it had bothered her, mainly because she knew better. All of this stupid guardian stuff was getting in her way, messing up her life and destroying her teen years.
This morning she'd forced herself out of bed extra early, and skipped tennis practice to drive to the mall in Fadden Hills, a town just a few miles past Heatherfield. It was also the only place with a decent mall. She'd gotten Elyon a new box of eyeshadows, and her favourite brand of chocolate cupcakes – hoping those were enough for a peace offering.
As a result, she was a little late picking up Elyon for school that morning. The smaller blonde girl was sitting nervously on her front steps, fiddling with her phone when Cornelia finally drove up. Elyon was probably the most anxious person in the world, Cornelia thought, and who could blame her? He mother was a psychopath. It was a wonder that she could function.
"Hey, pretty lady!" Cornelia rolled down her window and called, "sorry I'm late."
Elyon nodded silently, grabbed her backpack and scrambled towards the passenger side of the car. She had a noticeable habit of walking with her head down and shuffling her feet. It really did hurt Cornelia to see her friend like this.
Once she was seated, Cornelia presented the gifts she'd driven out of town to get. "I know I've been a douchebag for the last few weeks. I'm sorry."
Elyon, with dull blue eyes watched the box of overpriced eyeshadows and the gourmet cupcakes, and then mumbled a quiet, "Thanks."
"You okay?" Cornelia turned her body to watch for traffic, but immediately returned her gaze to her friend after she'd pulled off the curb.
"Y-Yeah … I-I'm good."Cornelia didn't believe that for a second, for all of her blonde, self-absorbedness, she was remarkably astute. "Is it your Mom?"
"N-No. Nothing's w-wrong."
"Come on Elyon! We're best friends … you can tell me."
That got her. She started fiddling with her fingers again. Hands that were terribly abused, with nails that had been chewed on down to the quick. "N-No … i-it's nothing."
They pulled into the parking lot beside the High School then. Parking was never a problem in Heatherfield, since most people walked everywhere except when they were headed out of town. Cornelia was one of seven students who actually drove themselves to school.
She killed the engine and stared at her friend, "I said I was sorry. I'll make it up to you … I promise."
"I-I …" then, she sighed and without another word she rushed from the vehicle.
"Elyon!" Really, Cornelia wasn't used to her friend being like this. She grabbed her backpack and rushed from the car as well, only to realize that Elyon hadn't gotten out of the car park. There was a man directly in front of her, a tall, blonde man – getting out of Mr. Collins' car.
He seemed to sense the two girls were staring and turned to watch them. Cornelia's blood pounded so fiercely, it was as though she would faint. He spoke first, revealing a wide mouth, with full, generous lips and exceptionally white teeth.
"Good morning," he said, his accent was different. It was precise, upper class, and distinctly European. "I see you're late as well." He came closer to Cornelia, walking past Elyon in the process. He smiled widely, and extended his hand. "Mr. Ames," He introduced himself, captured her trembling fingers in his, "I'll be teaching History here … I fear, that I don't know the way. Would you be so kind as to show me to the Principal's office …"
"Cornelia," she breathed, loving the way her hand felt in his fingers. "Sure ... I'll show you."
Cornelia managed to keep her composure as she walked into the main school building, even when she noticed that by the time she'd torn her gaze away from Mr. Ames, Elyon had already disappeared.
Cedric seen the Earth guardian first. He could smell her, almost taste the mud on her flesh, besides that, he'd remembered her disgusting yellow hair and too pale skin. The water witch was next. She had stared openly at him for a full five minutes, even if he couldn't smell the magic on her, the garish way she exposed her fat breasts would have caught his attention soon enough.
The keeper danced on the periphery of his overactive glands. Small and red, her scent was the strongest. He wanted to tear her flimsy body into shreds. He wanted to kill her. And the blood lust was so strong that he had to turn away. He'd even smelled another guardian, this one he hadn't met. He could tell it was the fire creature from the sulphur and ash – but he hadn't paid that one any mind.
Cedric couldn't afford to blow this assignment. Master would kill him if he ever dared. He needed to focus on the princess. Although, if the Princess was there – he hadn't seen her.
Mind you, there was something else there – something mild – something he couldn't see, lurking in the corner. It was driving him insane.
When the time came for him to actually do something about this teacher façade, he was terribly annoyed. He stomped into the too bright room in front of the blur of colours and shapes. He couldn't make out much beside the rush of movement and the taste of browns and blues and reds – and the noise. The dreaded noise.
It quieted a bit when he entered the room, only a few whispers lingered, but the thudding of heavy human blood still rang in his ears.
"Class." His tongue lingered on the "s" a bit longer than necessary, a familiar trait that he told himself he should suppress. No one seemed to notice. "I am Mr. Ames-s."
There was a cat call from the back of the room, and then more snickers. "Can anyone tell me where your … last teacher would have left off?"
There was a sudden squeak and the tang of sulphur intensified. The fire guardian was speaking. "Mr. Ames, we were discussing Ancient Rome. Mr Collins had said we would begin Julius Caeser this week."
These were fables he knew precious little about. He extended his tongue slightly outside of his lip. It was still there, the muted smell of something – someone. "What do you know about Julius Caeser? We can … discuss it today."
The same voice replied, followed now by grumblings from the rest of the class. "Well, where do I start? Narcissist? Strategist? He started off in the army, worked his way through the ranks. Eventually, he held nearly almost every significant title in Rome. The Senate soon began to fear that he wanted to be King, so they killed him."
Cedric moved between the rows of students, blurs of aromas and shapes. He paused, there it was, just a hint – a garnish atop of the murky meats and seasonings. "Do you know who killed Caeser?" He turned towards the smell, soft and powdery, wetting his lips.
"Well, yeah," said the ashy fire guardian, "his best friend. Marcus Brutus."
"Your name?" He tried to focus on the smell beside him and there was a brief moment before success revealed itself. "E-Elyon Brown." He felt it rather than heard it. His new human ears were not accustomed to their position on the sides of his face.
"Please. S-Stay after class."
By the time school had finally let out and the girls had made their way to Meridian, Cornelia was in a foul mood. Elyon had successfully ignored her all day, a first since the day they'd met. She'd done everything in her power to make it up to the blonde, but apparently she'd been kept back by the new sexy-ass History teacher.
Irma was green with envy. The 10 foot long water whip she was making showed her frustration. It refused to curve upwards in the centre, and it had been fifteen feet yesterday. "So did she flunk or something?"
Will, who was tired of answering these questions turned to frown at the brunette. "I dunno he just told her to stay back. I doubt he's seen our grades …"
Caleb rapped her on her shoulder with a staff while she was chatting. "Dead. Again."
"I was on time-out."
"There is no time out in battle! I have told you a thousand times! I've killed you seven times in the last three minutes."
Annoyed by his tone, Will flung her sword down on the grassy plain beside the rebel's newest hovel, and pointed at his chest, "those last three did not count!"
"They all count!" And while she was contemplating a reply, he pressed the staff behind her calves. "Eight."
The crowd of small spectators cheered from atop of the roof of the main house. It was a daily occurrence, and over the last few weeks watching the guardians and Caleb train was a favorite past-time of many of the rebel children.
Caleb always won, which made it all even better.
The new headquarters weren't yet finished, but they were already a lot more attractive than the first one. This was made of wood, rather than mud, and was set fully upright in the middle of a grassy field. Even though Meridian was perpetually dark, today, the heavy moonlight made the three story building look almost cozy.
As they practiced, men carried logs of wood for the fence, which was almost half-way done. That forty foot barrier was the only reminder that this wasn't a home.
Cornelia watched the proceedings with absolute disinterest. It annoyed her that Caleb was focused so intently on Will. It pissed her off that Irma kept talking about Elyon. She was also annoyed that she was here in Meridian, when she should be at the mall, or in her room doing her nails with her best friend, while reading Cosmo. Not to mention that it irritated her to no end that no one had even noticed that she was upset!
HayLin wasn't here today (although she may have cared) since she and her grandmother were in the cemetery giving the town gossips enough fodder for a decade or two.
Then again, she'd probably been overly optimistic to assume Irma, the bimbo and Will, the train wreck, would notice if even the world were to fall apart before them. Huffing, she folded her arms across her green sweater, and tossed her long golden hair behind her shoulder. "Are we done for today?"
Will, who had looked as though she might strangle Caleb if left with him for another instant, nodded eagerly. "Yes!"
"You are done when I say you are finished."
"You're a damn chauvinistic pig, you know that?"
"What in the name of Hades does that blasted hog have to do with –"
"Caleb!" All further conversation was interrupted by a single voice, growing thunderous as a brown figure pelted across the plain. The children on the rooftop, as well as the workers stopped what they were doing to watch. "Aldarn?" Caleb seemed transfixed by the green skinned man running towards the encampment, as though Hell itself was on his heels.
"Caleb!" With at least a hundred pairs of eyes on his back, the slender man practically collapsed onto his knees before Caleb and the guardians, "I-I" he gasped and then spat, "I have news from the palace."
Caleb sank onto the ground with his friend, "tell me brother! What news is this?"
"Cedric! Cedric has been ordered to Earth by Phobos!" There were murmurs from every corner. "They say he has gone to find the lost Princess. Phobos' sister."
"Damn!" Caleb swore, and then wiped his palm across his face, "when?"
"Not long," Aldarn breathed, "only a few days in Earth time or maybe less." His yellow eyes watched in mute fascination as Caleb began to pace.
"That snake thing is on Earth?" Irma wrinkled her nose, "gross."
"Don't be so stupid Irma," Cornelia snapped, "It's kinda hard to hide a sixteen foot snake in the suburbs."
"He wouldn't be in his demonic form," although he was speaking, Caleb's entire manner suggested that he was miles away, lost in thought. "Cedric is a creation of Phobos' magic. He may change into anything he pleases – once his master wills it."
"Phobos has a sister?" Will turned to face the rebel leader. "Why didn't you tell us before?" He was quiet for a long time, and Will was about to snap again when the answer finally came. "When I first came to Earth, I was looking for her. I thought you … might have been her. It was why I brought you here in the first place."
"Wait … hold the phone. Will's the princess?" Irma seemed equally concerned and elated.
"Gods no." Caleb replied, and Will frowned heavily at his tone (again). "After I met you Guardians … Phobos seemed to lose interest in seeking his sister. In truth, we could never imagine why he wanted her in the first place. So I imagined it had only been a whim. The King does not usually make sense."
When no one pried, he continued on his own. "In Meridian, the firstborn daughter is the rightful heir to the throne. Phobos' father, Ares, sent her away when she was just an infant because he refused to have a woman rule his lands. Or so … the story goes. Anyways, this Princess is the rightful ruler of Meridian."
"So, to recap, the evil King has a potentially evil sister living next door to me? And you don't know who she is?" Cornelia was getting a migraine, "and there's a snake-man in disguise also in Heatherfield. Jesus, I should have stayed home today."
"There has to be a way to find Phobos' sister. Maybe a spell or …"
"Lucia's gone. There are no spells." Caleb sighed, "I'll have to go back to Earth."
"Cedric is Mr. Ames." Will said, and Irma immediately burst into protest. "Don't be crazy Will! Evil would not have such a fantastic ass!"
"Just think about it. Mr. Collins suddenly disappears and we get a new teacher the very next day. He didn't even know anything about History today. Taranee taught the class."
Irma snorted, "In his defense, Taranee teaches every class. Her goal in life is to be reincarnated as an Encyclopedia."
However, Cornelia had paled considerably, "wait … didn't you say he was with Elyon?"
"Yeah … he made her …" Will's nonchalance faltered, "…stay after class." There was a moment when everyone realized what this could mean.
"B-But … Elyon can't be the princess. She …" Cornelia stuttered, "she's my best friend."
"Stranger things have happened Cornflake." Irma rolled her eyes, "although … Elyon lacks the … um … charm."
"Leave her alone! You don't know!" Filled with nervous energy, she turned on Will, "well hurry up! Make a portal! We gotta get home!"
Alone in the caverns below the castle, Phobos wandered along the dungeons, wrapped in his mother's favorite shawl. There was blood on the silk, blood on his lips, and now blood on the floor and walls in his wake.
He was cold.
Tonight had been a particularly grueling bout of his sickness. Now, without a question he could see the end of his life. He was one and twenty years old, and a virtual ghost. It was almost funny. Almost.
He fumbled with the latch at one of the dungeon doors, it slipped in his bloodied hands but he eventually got inside. "Witch," he hissed, "witch, where are you."
Lucia was thinner and weaker, now curled into the corner of the cell. She didn't have the strength to answer, although, she wouldn't even if she could.
"Heal me." He looked, in that moment, even inch of the crazed monster he was becoming. He wanted to smile. He would smile in the end. "Heal me, you whore!"
Phobos laughed for a mere second, before the coughing took hold again.
Lucia breathed uneasily, forcing a smirk on her chapped lips, a show of confidence. "Your majesty, you don't look so good."
"Kill me!" He mumbled, the blood bubbling in the corner of his lips. "I swore to her … that I would live, but I can't! I can't!"
His blonde hair fell in thick clumps around his face, and Lucia shifted slightly when he threw himself into her unwilling arms. "I want to die. Let me die."
"You do not deserve death, my King."
He sobbed uncontrollably then. Hot, clear tears mingling with blood for what seemed like hours before a breathless palace guard entered the dungeon. "My Lord, your man, Cedric has returned. He has your sister with him."
A moment passed, then two. "It seems like you're right."
Author: Well, sorry (again) that took so long. I've been writing it for 3 weeks. This chapter is most important for Cedric. His name, Ames, is homage to Aldrich Ames, who's listed as one of the most famous traitors in History. Also, the mention of Caeser and his death are also important, for the same reason.
Yes, I killed off Mr Collins. I never fancied him, and Will's mom is too hot in my story to date such a bore. Anyway, five more chapters in the Phobos sage, hopefully I is for Illusion will be coming soon.
Thanks for all the support, reviews are welcomed.