A.N. So yeah update sooner that I thought but that is because after I finished the first chapter of my new replacement fic titled Dreaming Reality my Twin started bugging me about updating and I easily complied due to the fact that after the whole Vampire Mountain arc comes the more interesting stuff so yeah... Here you go. Also this chapter switches quite a bit between Mia and Dorene so heads up on that, and depending on were I end this Chapter I may go to Victoria in the next one. and this is probably over one of my largest seeing as how after this chapter the good stuff is just a little ways away so yeah I am really packing this one full of stuff and words.
Disclaimer: Cirque du Freak is not owned by me in any way shape or form.
Chapter 38
*Mia's POV*
I sat in the snow a wolf pup napping in my lap as when my nose caught a familiar scent in a down draft. It appeared that the two wolves that Darren dubbed Streak and Rudy as they began making their way in the direction of the scent. I decided to just stay where I was and wait for the three to come here.
It didn't take long and when I saw Darren I couldn't help but notice that he was badly bruised and limping horribly. I also couldn't help but notice that he was completely clothes less. I blushed as I adverted my gaze from him, I mean I know that we shared a tent and all but I was always somewhere else when he was changing.
Gently I shifted the pup from my lap to the cold snow and made my way to my bag grabbing a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt, for Darren. Without turning around I tossed them in the direction that he went and kept my back turned wondering if in his condition if he would be able to put them on.
I waited and waited until finally Darren, with the help of Streak limped his way over to me wearing the sweatshirt and sweatpants. Then the two of us sat in silence, a silence which Darren broke with a sigh.
"Thanks Mia..."
He simply said but when I looked at him I could tell that he had so many things to talk about and something in me could tell that something happened that was causing him internal pain. I wanted to comfort but didn't know how seeing as how I didn't even know what had happened to him that would casue him to end up out here the way that he did.
"So Mia what are you doing out here?" Darren asked after a minute or so spent in more silence. I reached into my pocket and as an answer I wrote all that was on my mind from what Desmond said to how I imagined Victoria feeling about me at this point. Before I showed the note to Darren I thought to how much I wished that Victoria was still the quiet shy girl that Evra and I found that one day and that she was still clinging to me and was my little shadow.
I showed the note to Darren and when he finished reading it he looked at me, more questions piling up on those that already existed. But the one that Darren asked first was the one that I was still debating about whether or not I heard it myself.
"Did Desmond really say that?" I nodded and once again puzzled over the almost advice like words. Darren and I broke into Silence once again.
*Dorene's POV*
A few days past and during that time I haven't heard from Gavner at all even though he said that he would come right back once Darren was out of the mountain. I had asked Mr. Crepsley if he could feel that mental connection that he and Gavner shared that only full vampires could create. I silently watched as he tried to get a connection but then his face fell to one of sorrow.
"I am sorry but I can not able to form the connection."
I stared at the orange haired mentor of Darren in shock not even knowing what to say, how could he not be able to get a connection. I stared at the ground trying imagining all the things that could've happened to Gavner not wanting to any of them to be true.
"We have to try the stone of blood than." I almost wanted to run without him, without even saying the last thread of hope I had left seeing as how that one thread of hope could also be my down fall seeing as how if the Blood of Stone could no longer find him he truly was dead. The two of us made our way to the Hall of Princes in silence and on the way there we ran into Kurda.
Even though we were on our way to the Hall of Princes I just had to ask.
"Kurda you wouldn't happen to have seen Gavner anywhere have you?" I asked eyes on the floor waiting for the inevitable, but if I were looking up I would've noticed Kurda flinch at the mention of my mentor's name.
Kurda kneeled in front of me and looked into my eyes tears streaming down his face. "I am sorry I have not seen him nor could I make a connection with him." Tears began streaming down my cheeks as I realized the direction that he had been coming from. "I went to check for him with the stone of blood but could not locate him."
At this point I actually fell to my knees and cried right in the corridor leading to the Hall of Princes, shoeless, and well aware that any vampires passing by would see me in my moment of weakness. In this moment I began thinking back to the stupidest moments between the two of us and some of my fondest memories of the two of us together, the main one being that night in the woods when we first met.
I was laying on the ground and he had gotten firewood thinking that I was asleep, through my tears I actually laughed at some of the other moments we had together. Slowly and unsteadily I get to my feet and turn my back to my once hope but now my eternal down fall. I made my way back to my room, sat down in my coffin, closed the lid, and cried myself to sleep as it finally hit me that the boar faced vampire who blooded me and seemed like the closest thing that I have ever had to a father was now gone and was never coming back.
Slowly I got up the next evening, my eyes red and puffy from crying last night, and made my way to the Hall of Gathering. On my way I couldn't help but notice that most of the vampires were rushing about and then I remembered that Kurda's Investiture was a few days away.
...
Mr. Crepsley, Arra, Kurda, two of Kurda's followers, and myself went out that evening into the cold frigid air, three days away from Kurda's Investure, for one purpose. To look for Darren so that Mr. Crepsley could fulfill a promise that he made to Darren.
I thought about the promise and swore to myself that I would help Mr. Crepsley in any way that I could. We took a break in a clearing I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck and looked around the clearing eyes falling to Kurda's waist. I couldn't help myself as my eyes once again landed on the sword tied to Kurda's belt, before we left when I asked about it he simply replied that it was for protection.
I wasn't buying it, there had to be a reason to bring a sword with you during a search party and it couldn't be for protection because as Vampires our nails could do enough damage on their own. I looked to Mr. Crepsley wondering if he was thinking the same thing or if he was to worried about Darren to even notice the blade.
As I was thinking about this I heard a rustling in the leaves and as I was about to lunge a wolf came out of the bush, it resembled the one that had helped Darren against the bear that ingested vampire blood.
*Mia's POV*
While in my wolf for Darren, Streak and I went hunting away from the rest of the pack seeing as how Darren needed to get his mind off of a lot of painful things. While out hunting we stopped before a clearing and getting as close as we dared. In the clearing we saw Mr. Crepsley, the Girl we met a while back before the who Christmas incident, and a few others that I didn't know but Darren obviously did.
Yet oddly enough Darren stayed hidden his eyes locked on to the one male with long blonde hair and three small scars on his left cheek under his eye. Darren adjusted his position trying to get himself more comfortable under the bushed, but when he did he caused the leaves of the bush to rustle and the vampires in the clearing where we were. Darren physically tensed as Dorene looked about ready to lunge into the bushes and find us.
Slowly I stood causing my rustling and stepped out of the bushes glad to have been in my wolf form during the hunting like I usually was. The vampires relaxed except for Dorene who I could tell recognized me from when I helped Darren. Slowly she walked toward me her hand outstretched like someone would do when getting a dog used to there scent.
"Hey you were the one who helped my friend before aren't you?" She asked as if expecting an answer from a wolf, but even without an answer she continued. "Well we are kind of looking for him, and I thought... That since you saved him before... you might have save him again." I just continued to stare at her like any wolf would've if a stranger were talking to them and them scratched my ear and walked away, making sure not to go the way that I came.
...
I couldn't help but notice that after we got back to the pack Darren was pacing and on edge muttering to himself that he just had three days left, or 'that was his plan all along.' I stared and then watched as Darren asked Streak if he could take him to Vampire Mountain. After a while of Darren talking to Streak, the wolf lead Darren to an old, decrepit she wolf that Darren for some reason named Magda.
I ' listened' to Streak and the she wolf as Streak told her that she was to take the 'child' to Vampire Mountain. With that Darren, the she wolf, two young wolves, and I began the trek to Vampire mountain.
...
It was the first time I have ever been in the mountain and I stuck close to Darren, having him stop once so that I could shift back and follow him a bit more comfortably. Our strange group continued through the hidden tunnels that Magda lead us through and soon we made it on top of a ledge after saying farewell to the old she wolf. Darren chiseled a bit away from the wall and to his and my surprise the whole area was bathed in a bright light I looked and I found that I was looking down at a large doom that glowed with what seemed to be an other worldly light.
Darren backed away from the whole and made a gesture telling me that we had to go back down the ledge. I nodded and the two of us carefully scaled the ledge down and made it back down to the lowest level. There Darren told me that he had to find the one Vampire that he could trust named Seba, I was shocked that he didn't say Mr. Crepsley, but I just nodded and followed him through the tunnels hoping that he knew where he was going.
We soon found ourselves in front of a thick study door and quietly Darren knocked. The reply to his knock was not what I expected.
"Come in Thomas, and what have I told you about knocking when we are so close to the Investiture."
Darren entered after he clarified that it was who he was looking for and soon after I entered shut the door. The room we entered was tat of a large storage room and the one to answer Darren's knock was an old man with long silver white hair with matching beard, clothes with a familiar color scheme and even with his back turned I could tell that he was very kind.
The man turned and dropped whatever it was that he was holding and stared in shock at Darren. The man placed his hands on Darren's shoulders and smiled saying that Darren was not just a figment and was truly standing in front of him. I was shocked that the man thought Darren was dead.
'what the hell happened while you were in the mountain?' I asked myself as Darren and the man spoke and Darren explained. When Darren mentioned me the man turned back towards the door and appeared to have just noticed me.
"Ah so you are a friend of Darren's then." he clarified, I nodded and the man introduced himself. Once again I got an awkward feeling as I was again not able to properly introduce myself. Darren saved me though. "Seba this is Mia and I am sure that if she were able to introduce herself she would've but she is actually mute." I flinched as Darren said mute so nonchalantly. Seba simply smiled and took my hand.
...
Darren explained everything that happened to both Seba and me, he explained more to me and then once I was caught up on the situation explained how Kurda, the vampire I saw in the clearing with the long blond hair and three scratches, had betrayed the Vampires, and killed the vampire that I slightly remember, Gavner.
With that out of the way he began formulating a plan with Seba, that would be put in to action tomorrow during Kurda's rising to the placement of Prince.
...
I was surprised to say the least when I saw just how many vampires there were in the mountain, and I quickly located, Mr. Crepsley among the crowd. It was dead quiet as a procession brought forth the vampire that we saw in the clearing the other day, and at that point while all eyes were on him Darren and I jumped down from the ledge and made our way closer to the crowd gathered.
I followed Darren and stopped next to him as he yelled out to the hall, when everyone looked at the disturbance. There was yelling and shouting everywhere and on top of it all even when my ears started ringing I was still able to hear Mr. Crepsley above every one else and he called out Darren's name and then in shock called out my name.
Three large imposing men stepped forward and demanded the reason to Darren's disturbance, to which he simply answered.
"Kurda is a traitor to the Vampire Race!"
The hall erupted into more yells and in the chaos voices that I never heard before called out and drowned out the other voices. They were imposing yet clear and rang throughout my head. The three as the head of the group demanded to know the reasoning behind this disturbance and Darren once again yelled that Kurda was a traitor.
The hall was still filled with yelling and among the shouts I heard demands for Darren's death Seba yelled out that they should listen to him, and pointed out that if it weren't truly important that Darren probably wouldn't have come back. The oldest looking of the imposing three spoke out and quieted the hall stating that if one that was respected as much as Seba was standing up for Darren then it had to be fore good reason.
The hall was quiet as Darren yelled out about the vampaneze in the mountain and at the name of those purple skinned cousins of the vampires my blood ran cold as I thought back to the Christmas spent in the sewers. Darren continued.
"Gavner Purl, the Vampire General, gone missing, was murdered. Not only that but the vampaneze located in the mountain are all because of Kurda!"
*Dorene's POV*
Darren claim rang through my ears. 'Gavner was murdered by Kurda.' That was the only thought that my mind would grasp in this moment of pure chaos. I stared ay Kurda hoping that he would meet my eyes and give me a sign that what I heard wasn't the truth and yet I was shaking with the thought that if it was true that Kurda had looked me in the eyes and lied to me about not knowing where Gavner was.
I watched in Shock as Arrow ordered for Kurda's death and as one of the two who Kurda blooded stepped up to protect him from where I was standing I could just barely make out as Kurda said that their aim was not to spill blood unnecessarily. I wasn't able to comprehend what that meant. but then my mind put what he said with what Darren said and I yelled out in rage for the first time that night.
"What does that mean for Gavner!"
A.N. Holy shit this chapter is just over 3000 words long and is now the longest chapter in Life with the Freaks *Pats myself on back* I could've made it longer but I decide that it was long enough and that I would finish up with Kurda's trial next chapter and then maybe at the end I will add a bit of Victoria, kinda all depends on where I end it next chapter. *Shrugs* I don't really know.
But hey don't forget to drop a review telling what you think.
Until next time Peace Love and Virtual Hugs