Birthright

Chapter 8: Night Out


"Care to enlighten me?" Cedric enquired about their destination as Sofia led him out of the cemetery.

She only shook her head, unwilling to spoil the surprise. What she needed - what they both deserved - was some normality, no matter how fleeting, if they expected to maintain their sanity. She had just the place in mind, somewhere they could pretend they were ordinary friends on a night out, friends who hadn't nearly just lost each other for good. As they strolled through the cobblestone streets of the village, Sofia hummed and pounced upon every stray leaf that crossed their path, purposefully leaving all the ugliness of the night behind them at the graveyard.

"A tavern?" Cedric's expression was a perfect blend of perplexed and intrigued as they slowed to a halt in front of the small stone building, warmth and cheer practically radiating from within its walls. "I hardly think–"

"Don't. Don't think about it. Just relax with me for a little while?"

For a moment his expression was unreadable, and she truly suspected he would refuse her request, but soon a crooked grin lazily traced its way across his face, and he breezed past her to hold open the door.

Sofia bobbed her head in appreciation as she entered, leading the way to the bar in the centre of the sparsely populated establishment.

"So, what'll it be?" Cedric questioned, joining her side and browsing over a chalked menu on the makeshift wall above the shelves of colourful glass bottles.

Sofia didn't need to read it. she knew exactly what she'd come here for.

"Hot apple cider", she answered enthusiastically, already rubbing her hands together in anticipation of the seasonal beverage she always waited the entire year for.

He quirked an eyebrow at her request, but relayed it to the barkeeper when he took their order. As she expected, Cedric ordered himself a whiskey — though he did select a cinnamon-flavoured one instead of his standard fare.

While they waited for the burly but sweet-mannered man to return with their drinks, Sofia scanned the room for a good place to sit. The perfect spot awaited, a cosy secluded corner near the lit fireplace, containing two inviting arm chairs. Worried that it wouldn't stay vacant for long, she hurried to claim the seats, sinking into the mustard yellow chair with a heavy sigh of relief. Parts of her she barely knew existed still ached from battle, and the heat of the fire eased the tension in her bones far better than she had anticipated.

She stared into the flames, lulled by their hypnotic dancing, until Cedric handed her the mug full of cider, which she pressed between her palms. This was what she wanted: a safe, happy night out with her best friend, filled with comfort and pleasant conversations. Fighting might help to clear her head temporarily, but it could never lift her spirit the way five minutes in the pub had already done.

"Are you going to drink that or stare at it all night?" Cedric teased, sneaking a quick glance in her direction before discreetly withdrawing his wand and whispering a few words in Latin, his magic coaxing the small fire to attention.

"I was just thinking", Sofia admitted with a soft smile.

"So was I. Something keeps nagging at me", Cedric mused between sips of his whiskey, the drink already colouring his usually pale cheeks. He removed his robe and discarded it on the arm of his chair before easing back into the tufted seat. "Four vampires in one night, several in the last few days… I wasn't under the impression that Dunwiddie had such a high population."

Sofia tried her hardest to mask her disappointment in his choice of topics. He was more knowledgeable about the subject, after all, and if he felt something was amiss, it was worth discussing. There would be time for relaxing once his worries were addressed.

"You think there's something strange going on?" Sofia enquired, leaning forwards to maintain the intimacy of their hushed conversation, one that demanded privacy due to its sensitive nature.

Cedric frowned into his glass, swirling the liqueur absently. "It might be nothing, but yes…" He sighed, raising the drink to his thinly drawn lips again only to stop before imbibing further. "Typically they gather in one spot when something foul is afoot."

"Samhain?" she offered, believing it reasonable to suspect that the darker nature of her favourite holiday would make it a major night for the forces of the underworld.

Cedric set his glass aside and shook his head, his smile suggesting otherwise.

"What is it?"

"There is surprisingly little activity on Samhain. You'll basically have the night off. It's like an… undead holiday, if you will", Cedric explained, much to her disbelief.

"Don't holidays typically involve feasting?" Sofia countered, scrunching her nose distastefully at her own morbid train of thought.

"Alright, it isn't the best analogy, I'll grant you that much", Cedric conceded the point, reaching for his drink once again. "But I swear it's true, Samhain is like a temporary truce between demons and humans."

Sofia considered this, trying to think of any other reason for a swell in numbers. Suddenly, she recalled something that was said to her earlier in the night, not long before all hell broke loose. She hadn't found a chance to tell Cedric about it just yet, and there was always a chance that it could be relevant.

"The hooded man", she began, trying to puzzle out the details of a conversation that felt like it occurred a lifetime ago. "He said that the man with the talons was some sort of… Master vampire."

Cedric frowned, and she wondered if he knew what their not-quite-ally had meant by that.

"The hooded man said that talon man is a master?" Cedric repeated slowly, and Sofia nodded her affirmation.

"Yes. What do you think?" she pressed, leaning even closer.

Cedric chugged some more of his whiskey, eyeing her over the rim as he absorbed this information. Finally, he nursed the mug between his gloved hands and shrugged.

"I think there are far too many men in your life."

Sofia groaned at the joke, waiting for a more substantial answer that didn't come. "Cedric, be serious", she chided, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at him.

"I am serious. Sofia, I–" He was just collecting her hand in one of his when a familiar voice interrupted him.

"Well, well… if it isn't two of my favourite people."

Sofia peeked up just in time to meet the sparkling emerald eyes of her long-time witch friend.

Lucinda perched on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arms around Sofia's shoulders and squeezing her tightly. "What are you guys doing here?"

When Cedric only stammered, at a loss for a decent fib, Sofia swept in to rescue him. "Talking about Samhain", she supplied, figuring it was more or less true.

"Perfect! Any plans? I'm off that night, so I'd be more than happy to tag along."

Her gaze travelled back and forth between the pair, and though Sofia knew there were still more important matters to be discussed, she was grateful for this nice, mundane change of subject.

"Well, there's the festival, of course," she answered, pausing to smile at Cedric, who was no doubt planning something spectacular for the event, as he did every year. "And I've just learnt that we'll be free the rest of the evening."

"Perfect!" Lucinda clapped her hands together eagerly. "We should go trick-or-treating, just like the old days."

"Aren't you two a little old for that?" Cedric countered, but Sofia was already busy considering the possibility.

"You are never too old for trick-or-treating", Lucinda insisted. "Besides, I don't know about you, but I wanna see what Sofia comes up with for a costume. Bet she'll look fantastic!"

Sofia giggled at the sing-song tone her friend's voice took on as she added the last part, but Cedric only bristled all the more.

"I'll be otherwise engaged. I have tasks to do for the festival, and after that, well… lots of reading to do, and all that."

Lucinda groaned, giving Sofia a 'can you believe him' nudge in the arm.

"Oh come on, Master Cedric", Lucinda drawled, invoking her brief period as his other apprentice in her attempt to persuade him. "Your books will survive one night without you."

"I'll go", Sofia interjected, expertly distracting Lucinda from her good-natured teasing. She could swear she saw a grateful smile flash across Cedric's face, so she nodded lightly in silent reply. "It's short notice, but I think I can manage a decent costume. Maybe an angel…?"

"That would be perfect. I could find a spell to conjure you some convincing wings", Lucinda bubbled, standing to pace while she plotted the details.

Sofia was just preparing to turn down the offer, recalling her sister's run in with magical wings when they were younger, when Cedric downed the last of his whiskey and stood abruptly.

"You're not leaving, are you?" she asked perhaps too quickly.

"Uhm, no… no, I was just going to get another round."

Though he said that, Sofia didn't miss the way his eyes landed on the door.

"Do you need more– it was Cider, right?"

She held up her half-filled glass to show that she was nowhere near ready for a refill just yet.

"I'll take a hard cider", Lucinda chimed in, but a withering glare caused her to chew her lip sheepishly.

"One regular cider it is", Cedric mumbled, taking his leave.

Both girls watched the shape of his retreating back until Lucinda shrugged, dropping herself onto Sofia's lap.

"So… am I," she paused, drawing in a deep breath and examining Sofia curiously. "Am I interrupting something?"

Sofia considered her answer carefully. It was technically true that the witch had come at an inopportune time, but she obviously meant it in a very different way, one that didn't involve the secretive discussion of blood-sucking fiends and their penchant for staying in on the upcoming holiday, nor of mystery men with their vague warnings and questionable allegiances.

"Of course not. Why do you ask?" she settled on good old-fashioned deflection, and this tactic seemed to work, at least for now.

"I don't know." Lucinda shrugged, flashing another glance over her shoulder toward the bar to check that they still had time to talk. "It just felt like Cedric was kind of cranky. I mean more than usual."

"I don't think he's been sleeping well", Sofia excused the behaviour, though she honestly wondered about his rapid change in mood since Lucinda had appeared, too.

It could just be that he was still trying to decide if they should trust what the hooded man had told her, and if it explained the phenomenon he was concerned over.

"Probably too busy planning the festiv– What?" she demanded, just now noticing the way Lucinda was staring at her.

"I feel like you're keeping secrets, and that's not allowed."

Sofia shook her head in emphatic denial, but this only prompted the witch to peer even closer.

"Come on, Sofia! We're practically sisters. You can tell me anything."

"Alright, fine. But you have to promise not to tell anyone…"

Lucinda made a hasty motion across her heart, but Sofia hesitated, praying her next words wouldn't stir up too much trouble.

...

Cedric rested against the bar as he waited for the drinks to come, keeping a watchful eye on the girls. Truthfully, the witch couldn't have come at a better moment, and he should be thankful to her for that. But all this talk of costumes and childish rituals was unsettling for reasons he either couldn't explain or didn't care to, and her presence was preventing them from making any headway on the vampire situation. If the 'Hooded Man' as Sofia had taken to calling him – and really, how else were they supposed to refer to the lad – really thought that the vampire who'd nearly bit Sofia was a Master, then that paired with her brief description of the monster might be enough for him to research further on his own, if only the persistent girl would let him out of her sight.

An angel, his thoughts sidetracked on their own accord. Of all the things she could have chosen. If he believed in psychics, he would easily confuse Sofia for one. After all, he'd made the comparison at least a few times this past week alone.

He cocked an eyebrow when both girls shot cautious looks in his direction, wondering what they could possibly be conspiring now. They returned to their whispering in short order, and the barkeep set two drinks in front of him. Alright, Cedric, time to snap out of it, he gave himself the pep-talk while downing half the glass of whiskey, then lifted the other glass to return to his seat.

"Oh, my… Gods! You're kidding?" Lucinda shouted, earning annoyed stares from most of the patrons.

Cedric hurried back, trying to avoid making assumptions about what had caused such a reaction, but only one possibility sprang to mind. It can't be, he reassured himself. If there's anything that Sofia is an expert at, it's keeping secrets.

"What's going on here?"

Both heads snapped up to face him as he spoke.

"Nothing!" Sofia blurted out, but her cheeks flamed crimson, and she failed to meet his eyes.

"Just gossiping", Lucinda chirped at the same time, her lie only slightly less obvious than Sofia's.


Author's Note: I've been battling a terrible sinus infection, but I was determined to get this done. Still, proofreading and some of the usual pains I take with chapters were light on this one, so I apologise if there's any big mistakes, but I don't *believe* that there are.

Hoping to make the empty spot between Season 1 and Season 2 (from merging the 2 shorter chapters at the end of Season 1) into a short bonus/side chapter of sorts... You know, add something interesting without having a major effect on the main story, like they do in manga sometimes. I have the basic idea already, so it's just up to when I feel better...

Full disclosure: The "too many men" line is actually a barely adapted part from Buffy, just because I really like that scene and it fit so well here. It isn't about the Master in that scene, just a random vamp who's stronger than most, but it still warrants pointing out.