AN: Soooooo very sorry about the long wait for this! Maybe the new chapter will make up for it... methinks! xD
A hand grasped Dominic's shoulder before he plummeted to his death, pulling him back into safety and pinning him up against the stone wall. The blood mage- Isaac, he remembered the mage being addressed- simply held him, examining him with those eerily red eyes. All the events leading up to this point fueled Dominic's struggle against the hold, no matter how futile it seemed. "Let me go!" he insisted, trying to pry Isaac's hand from his shoulder. By the Maker, how strong is he?
"I cannot do that," Isaac replied. His eyes cleared to show a normal brown iris color, but they remained glued to Dominic's face.
Gathering his mana, another mind blast rocketed from Dominic; unfortunately, it had no effect on Isaac. The blood mage's fangs flashed in warning, a low, guttural hiss escaping as well. With a courage he didn't feel, Dominic challenged Isaac. "What, are you going to bite me, use my blood for whatever ritual you have planned?"
"Ritual?" Isaac repeated, grinning a sinister smile. "There's no ritual involved with sating our thirst." He paused to let it sink into Dominic's mind, his smile falling as he waited. "But, why waste my energy when I can simply return you to where you were?" Isaac threatened back, nodding to the end of the cliff hallway. "You threaten my clan with your very presence. Your arrival prompted me into harming one of my own just to save her life-"
"She brought me here!" Dominic protested. "I had no idea all of this existed-"
"- And you would dare to harm her yourself, after she saved your life!"
"She was going to bite me with her... with her... fangs! FANGS! Sharp, pointed teeth that belong to animals and monsters, and they're aimed at my neck! What was I supposed to do, as her politely to stop? Or just go ahead and let her kill me?"
Isaac stilled, the air around him growing absolutely lethal. "If you are to know anything about my daughter, mortal, it is this: she would sooner end her own life than so much as misplace a hair on an innocent's head... a compassion that I'm finding difficult to emulate." His hand clamped on the mortal's neck, tightening as he lifted the mortal from his feet. It would be so easy to throw Dominic off to the side indeed, easier still to simply turn the boy's head and feed from him, taste the essence of lightning and mint that ran rampant in all mages-
Hurried steps behind him interrupted his thoughts. "Father, please; no!" Samantha quickly beseeched him, stopping with a gasp at the sight. "Don't hurt him!"
Isaac had to school the more impulsive parts of his temper to keep from snapping back at her. Turning his face away from the struggling mortal and his choked noises, he replied in clipped tones. "This mortal is a stranger, who must be taught by example if he wishes to live."
She was quiet, filling Isaac's sensitive hearing with the rapid heartbeat of his prey. It stuttered mid-rhythm when she finally replied. "Then let me teach him. Let me be responsible for him-"
Isaac dropped Dominic and stood in front of Samantha, silencing her with a finger held just over her mouth. "Be careful how loudly you say such things," he warned her. "There are those who would take you seriously."
"Good," she said. "He's here because of my actions, and he'll stay here because of me. I'll take responsibility for him."
He detected a wavering in her voice, but she still stood her ground, not looking to her feet in a submission that spoke louder than words. She could be feeling guilt over the initial action, and is wanting to atone using any means necessary... she's turning into you, Isaac's inner voice cautioned. As his rage cooled over her plea, he thought back to mere moments before, when her fangs sank into his arm. If Master ever found out about this, of her insistence on taking from safer areas of the body instead of the normal vital points, it wouldn't bode well for either of them. It could be possible that he was spurring some parts of her caution, and thus hindering her kinship potential, but she was his daughter. She filled the dark void in his existence when they first locked eyes on each other those years ago. As such, he would do anything for her... even accept this.
He turned away from her, back to Dominic, before picking him up and quickly returning him to his holding room before the mortal was aware of what was happening. The heavy door slid back into place, enough to keep him captive by conventional means. Through all of this, Samantha didn't move. Before he could say something, teach her the meaning of having someone in their care, she spoke first. "Please don't be angry with me, Father," she softly begged.
Isaac pulled her into a gentle hug. "I never could," he replied, which was true. She was learning; however slow or cautious it was in the eyes of Master and the rest of the Elders, she was still learning. He couldn't fault her this. Yet, Master's words still echoed in his head: "I let you have your daughter; now let me have my warrior." Like it or not, a countdown had begun, and he had to get her ready if he still wanted to see her.
As he led her away from Dominic's holding room, he spoke aloud. "Come, then. I will help you recognize your hunger, so your next visit here will not be so disastrous."
o0o0o
He had no idea about Samantha's hunger, but Dominic's was growing. The mage didn't keep track of the days he had refused any sort of meal (which in all honesty looked the same to him) for fear of becoming one of... them. He wasn't sure if that was even the way it happened, or even if food was just a first step to the process, but he couldn't trust anything that was placed in front of him. As it was, he couldn't trust leaving his spot in the corner, save for the apparent last minute urinal set up for him as he slept. Both that and the uneaten food was routinely refreshed/cleaned during those hours as well. He had also kept a wisp up, to keep his mind's eye from turning the dark room into darker shadows of fanged blood mages...
He felt he was going mad.
A knock sounded through the thick door, able to be heard, and once again showing their strength. He couldn't let himself respond; better to let them think he's dead than come in and actually kill him. His hand ghosted to his neck, where Isaac's grip bruised him. Templars were starting to look more appealing than this torture he found himself in.
"Can I come in?" Samantha asked him.
Yet another reason for his sense of insanity. She was one of them, and had still insisted on treating him with any common courtesy. Save for the time she tried to bite him, of course... No, he wasn't going to trust her. He couldn't afford to; the second he did was when they were going to get him, he was almost sure of it.
"Dominic, please answer me... I promise that I'm not going to hurt you."
Dominic stubbornly tucked his knees up, wrapping his arms around them and digging his fingers into the flesh of his legs. He couldn't give in...
Outside the door was quiet, long enough for him to almost think that she had left, when it opened anyways. The soft light spilled in, outlining her shadowed form on the wall opposite of where he was sitting. Samantha sighed when she spotted him, looking down to the tray of warm meat in her hand, and slid it over to stop in front of his feet before sitting in the doorway, cross legged. She gently studied him before speaking again. "I can understand how you feel... I've been there myself before. Only, Father's memories on how the living cared for themselves was a bit dim... you can only imagine how that was."
Dominic was sneaking glances to the food. It had been so long, and so long as it wasn't darkspawn, he'd be ready to eat anything placed in front of him. That had to be what she wanted, though, and what they all wanted was his blood on an altar. Or worse, in their stomachs... he quickly turned his head away.
"I know you don't trust me," Samantha calmly continued. "I don't blame you for that. But I do want you to believe that I won't try to hurt you anymore." She paused, before adding with a touch of mirth, "Even if I did try again, you certainly know how to stop me."
"So what you mean to say," Dominic stated, working through the light rasp from misuse and injury, "is that I should forgive you for trying to kill me, because at least I know how to stop you for Maker knows how long, and that's only in your case, because against anyone like Isaac, I'm essentially dead before I know it. Am I right?"
"I don't care if you never forgive me. In fact, I'd be surprised if you do. Much like you insinuated, I am a monster."
This time, he did turn his head to her. "You know you're a monster, and I'm... human. I know I have no place, and you even said you wanted to help me escape. So why am I here?"
Her eyes turned down to her fingers, before cautiously making their way back to his. "This is only my tenth year like... this," she explained, gesturing to herself. "My eleventh living here to begin with. Most of us can't say this, but I remember what it was like to feel hungry, to have hopes and dreams of a future, to breathe the air and have it sustain you. So when I went out into the snow to find you with pale skin and frostbitten fingers... I couldn't simply stand by and let your life slip from you."
His gaze relaxed as she spoke, starting to soften to her side, but not completely. "You saved me, because I'm alive? Aren't you?"
Slowly, she shook her head no. "My heart hasn't beaten for ten years."
He released a shocked breath. "All power comes with a sacrifice," he mused aloud.
"Yes," she agreed. "Some more terrible than others."
"I can't think of anything worse than this."
"If you do, I hope you never find it."
Dominic's eyebrows furrowed together. "Did you want this?"
Eyes trained to a spot on the floor in between them, she replied, "Eventually. Even then, I wasn't told the full cost." Her eyes raised, but she still couldn't look at him, looking saddened over the tale. "It took Father a while to gain my trust again after I was turned." As she finally matched his gaze, she finished by saying, "I'm happy Father turned me."
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Instead of answering, she nodded to the platter at his feet. "You should eat. I was wanting to take you to bathe as well, if you wished."
Looking down to the platter once more, he studied the slightly charred, headless animal on the tray before him. It was meat, and it wasn't raw... but what was it exactly? Against his better judgment, he asked, "Do I want to know what I'm eating?"
"It's best if you don't," she replied. The missions to get Dominic fresh food always made her nervous, since no one in the Kinship slept and was prone to go hunting at any time. The drained deep stalkers were always left to rot- or be consumed by other unknown things- and were thus not going to go missing. After removing any dangerous parts, along with the rest of the head to be safe, it was then cooked in secret over a lava vein. He took a cautious bite, then dug into the meal with earnest, making Samantha smile and feel that her efforts weren't in vain.
o0o0o
Despite Samantha's wanting to get to know her newest charge better, the journey from Dominic's holding room to her and her family's living quarters passed in silence. He had the smart sense to not openly gape at any passing kin members (though the same couldn't be said of them), but the intricately carved ceilings towered high above them, lit with the controlled lava flow on the sides of the large stone path held his attention surely enough. He was led through an open entryway into one of the many buildings he had seen, and as she moved to the side to admit him entrance, she noticed his gaze dart from a more elaborately dressed kin member to her own body. Noting her own gaze on him, he quickly looked ahead and stepped through.
Her hands brushed against her clothing as she looked down, searching for anything amiss, or an appearance of stains. She then had to stop her head mid-turn, because she was not going to compare her normal dress to those distinguished enough to be permitted to wear such elaborate styles like a schoolgirl pining for pretty things to impress boys with... And if her cheeks could blush, it would surely reach her ears at this point. Incensed, she followed Dominic inside.
He was stopped just before the large sitting area, softly lit from lyrium pieces enclosed on metal stands, and beyond him was absolutely silent. Peering over his shoulder, she noticed her 'siblings'- three boys and two girls- staring right back at him. Her eldest sibling, a dark-haired man by the name of Leo, noticed her appearance first and chuckled. "This explains certain things," he announced. "I nearly had forgotten the news of our Samantha and her new... shall we say, friend."
A rich, auburn haired woman, Margeaux, laughed as well while standing. "Ah, yes," she spoke aloud, her Orlesian accent softened with time. "Her new friend with such a scandal tied to him." Walking considerably closer, she toyed with a low hanging chain from the elaborate choker on her neck. "Does this friend have a name?"
"Dominic," Samantha answered, stepping around him as she noticed him growing apprehensive with Margeaux's approach.
Margeaux's blue eyes met Samantha's, losing a touch of the amusement behind them. "I am sure this Dominic can speak for himself, no? Perhaps if I ask another question of him...?" Her hand reached out, intending to go over Samantha's shoulder and closer to Dominic.
She made sure that didn't happen by grasping Margeaux's wrist as it reached her ear. "While I'm not going to hinder your curiosity, I will ask you to keep your distance," she firmly requested, watching her sister's surprised look start to harden.
Laughter from back inside the room broke the tension. "Well, what do we have here," her other sister, Heather, remarked as she leaned forward with interest, toying with her dark brown hair and allowing the tips of her pointed ears to poke up. "The little one's finally showing her claws!" As Samantha released Margeaux, returning to her demure posturing, Heather sat back in her chair with a long-suffered groan, her hand pressing up to her tattoo-covered forehead.
"Why did you have to say something?" one of the other brothers, Victor, spoke up in an obvious tease. "She was making such great progress!"
"I know!" Heather replied. "I was simply too amazed to keep the grand sight to myself."
"Perhaps it will show itself again," Margeaux wondered aloud as she stepped down. "Maybe if prodded correctly..."
"Children," Isaac called, gaining everyone's attention. He entered the room in his best dress as well, the high collar of his shirt matching those of his three sons being carefully fastened into place. Noting a new presence, he bowed his upper body towards the entryway, adding, "And Dominic. The Council will be starting within a candlespan, so we'd best start heading on our way."
The last son, Eirik, straightened from the wall, smoothing non-existent hair back before placing a stiff-sided and brimmed hat on his head. His soft, yet deep voice carried as he asked, "Any word on the subject matter?"
"Aside from introducing newest members, I have wondered that myself." Isaac smiled as Leo mussed Victor's hair, speaking congratulatory words yet again, before continuing. "However, all the speculating in the world will not answer what appearing ourselves will. Samantha, Dominic, it would be best if the two of you remain behind with Heather for tonight."
As if on cue, all fancily dressed people exited, Samantha and Dominic stepping out of their way. With a last curious look from Margeaux, the room was nearly emptied, and silence fell once more.
Heather stood from her seat, audibly stretching her arms overhead. "Well," she stated aloud, relaxing her posture once more. "Now that the excitement's over, it's back to the tome I was reading. The night is yours, so do what you like." Directing her words to Dominic, she then said, "Be careful what you say or do, though. I have super powerful ears now, and I know how to use them."
Dominic's face blanched as Heather winked a hazel eye at him, grinning widely and showing her relaxed fangs. He was saved from the sight by a rather flustered Samantha, taking his arm and pulling him along into another hallway. The laughter that followed the two of them told Samantha of Heather's true intentions when it came to her and the 'tome she was reading'. Thank the Maker I can't blush anymore!
o0o0o
Oblivious to this passing of events, a trio of Elders were leading Master to the largest entranceway, coincidentally the same one Samantha brought Dominic through. They stopped a small distance away from the magical barrier, which glowed a vibrant red, as could be expected. What Master had never seen before, however, was the reason why he was brought to the barrier to begin with: it was now complete with arcs of lightning, lacing through the now whirling barrier.
"How long has it been this way?" Master asked one of the Elders.
"A week," came the quick answer, from a stern looking female, her black locks sharply pulled back from her face into a high bun. Her eyes glowed red as she once again looked over the barrier. "It seems to have a life force of its own, Master."
Life force... Master mulled those words over before speaking again. "How long has it been since that mortal crossed through?"
An uneasy silence fell behind him, before the same Elder replied. "It was... a week, Master. As long as this barrier was created."
An elven Elder, a male with closely cropped hair, stepped forward. "Do you think there is a connection, Master? Between the mortal's presence and this strange barrier?"
Master's eyes narrowed. Yes, he did believe what it was the Elders were now questioning. When the need to replenish the barrier's blood force easily went unanswered for this length of time, it obviously drew attention from his clan, those living close to the surface world. When word also came of how it reacted to those in the opposing clan, forced further back from the surface to prevent unnecessary exposure for the sake of a revolution/genocide, it obviously drew more attention from his clan.
The barrier always required a blood sacrifice if anyone wanted to pass through either into the underground world or onto the surface. In the past, if ignorance was to blame for the failure of this, then the barrier merely acted as a wall. This new barrier now had the capability to slay the ignorant, and had actually done so. With a last appraising look, Master turned and left the entrance, growing ever more contemplative over this turn of events.
Perhaps the mortal had more use to Master and his clan alive after all.