Chapter 38

Connor was damn sick of being stuck in this room. He figured it'd been three or four days at this point, and he couldn't find any way out. The walls, floor, and ceilings were solid, so he hadn't been able to break through by punching or kicking anything. Maybe he'd have made it given enough time, but the one time he thought he might have made a dent, he'd been gassed and put to sleep. He'd tried kicking the toilet pipe enough to make a flood, hoping that they'd change his room and he'd have a chance to escape, but again, once he did any damage they gassed him.

He had no weapons, not even the pocket knife, stake, wallet and cell phone he'd had when he was kidnapped. They hadn't let him keep his belt or shoes. Food slid through a slot in the door twice a day, and no one talked to him.

The not talking was going to be what broke him, he figured. This whole incident had been a painful reminder of living in Quor'toth, after almost two years living quietly in the 'real world', and his hard-won stability was starting to slip. He started calisthenics again, just to keep his mind and body occupied, but quickly grew bored and started pacing.

He was about to start trying to hit the walls again, just for something to do, when the door opened. A blonde guy a little older than him, wearing a nice suit, entered with two other guys backing him up. Connor realized they were vampires and immediately went on the attack, but the head guy was faster than him. Instead of landing a solid hit, his punch whiffed, and a fist landed hard in his gut. Before he could get his breath back, the back-up grabbed him, one on each arm, and he couldn't move.

"Well, that was bracing." Gregor shook his head. "Just like your father, aren't you? So impulsive."

"Who the hell are you?" Connor growled, sucking in more air to get his breathing back to normal.

"Ah, I am Gregor of Marcomanni. I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Connor of Aurelius." The vampires bowed formally. "My wife was great friends with your mother, you see."

Connor blinked, intrigued despite himself. "You…You knew Darla?"

Gregor smiled and nodded. "I did, indeed. And Angelus, Drusilla, and William as well. For many, many years." He strolled deeper into the room. "I would be happy to tell you all about them. You may consider it an exchange, or an apology for all the inconvenience you've been put to, this last week."

"A week!" Connor bucked against the vampires holding him. "You asshole, and you're just coming to me now? My family's gotta be worried sick!"

"Family!" Gregor snorted. "Who, that traitor, Angelus? He hasn't even responded to my messages about meeting Saturday night! Or, do you mean the Slayers?"

Connor felt a trickle of unease at the knowledge that Liam wasn't responding to messages about his kidnapping. Could be he didn't care. Then again, he could have just as easily been mounting a giant rescue mission, or have left his phone turned off in a drawer somewhere. "I have adoptive parents, also. I was supposed to meet my mother Colleen for breakfast when your people nabbed me."

Gregor shrugged. "Unfortunately, it couldn't be avoided. You're the best bait I could ever find to lure Angelus here." He crossed his arms, a thoughtful look coming over his face. "I do acknowledge, however, that I may have caused you more distress than I intended, and I humbly apologize. I suppose that, like Darla, you prefer to negotiate honestly than to manipulate people's emotions to gain advantage. That was always more Angelus' tactic, and I know Darla and William both found it challenging to deal with. You may also find it not to your taste."

"How well did you know Darla?" Connor's curiosity got the better of him.

"I knew her through my wife. My late wife, Antonia, was turned by The Master, Heinrich Nest, in 1609 as was Darla. I didn't come along until 1720, when I met them on a tour through Spain with my sire. I was little more than a fledgeling, barely ten years turned. They were so beautiful, so special; one dark, one light, and both viciously delicate. Perfect manners, able to dance and make conversation and lure in a kill without any human the wiser. I was smitten." Gregor sighed at the memory, and turned back to focus on Connor. "No offense to your mother, she was a very lovely woman of course, but…Well, in some ways she reminded me too much of myself. She wanted a comfortable life, a nice view, an enjoyable evening. She wasn't ambitious. My Antonia, though, she had something more. She wanted to learn about the world, about power. She wanted to be in charge. Back then, there wasn't necessarily a place for a woman like that, especially one born a commoner. Even in vampire society, the women were forced to fight human traditions. When I realized I could give her something she wanted, I wooed her with my connections. Lured her away from Nest and to the Court of Marcomanni, and eventually out on our own, with our own people. We later married in the human way, and I turned all that I was over to her.

"Throughout the years, we saw Darla periodically. We met her in Ireland after she'd sired your father. Antonia didn't think much of Angelus, so for a while there were just letters, or we saw them visiting court. Later, when he'd get obsessed with torturing someone, she might come visit. After he was cursed in 1898, Antonia spent almost two years running to Darla whenever she called, until he came back. Though of course that only lasted a few months." Gregor shook his head. "She was a shell of her former self for almost two decades. Eventually she rebounded, but she was more interested in keeping close to family after that. We'd see her when she met up with Drusilla and William or whoever else. She didn't really become her whimsical self again until the late 1930's, when Nest went into his restorative sleep and she spent more time in Europe again."

Connor shook his head, trying to absorb everything he'd been told. "I have so many questions…"

Gregor approached and patted him on the shoulder. "If you're really interested in learning about Darla, I'd be happy to tell you, though you must promise not to attack anyone."

Connor blinked, realizing he'd nearly forgotten that he was being held in place by vampire goons and his desire to break free, under the onslaught of information. "Oh, right. Yes, I promise." He wasn't sure he was telling the truth, but he did want to learn more.

Gregor nodded and gestured, causing the other vampires to release Connor's arms. "Come, then. Let me show you to my library, and we can sit and talk like gentlemen. I even have some pictures I can show you."

"Pictures?" Connor perked up, his renewed unease forgotten again. Will had promised to look for pictures in his belongings, thought he had some, but all Liam had been able to produce was drawings. Connor was desperate to see his mother's face.

Gregor smiled, knowing he had the boy hooked. "Let's look. William took a beautiful portrait of Antonia and Darla in Paris in the 1940s, but that may be at the house in New Jersey. Still, I must have something around here with your mother in it." In what was clearly meant to be a demonstration of trust, Gregor marched out the door, gesturing for Connor to follow.

Glancing at the two brutes who'd been holding him captive just a second ago, Connor stepped forward hesitantly, speeding up when they didn't grab for him. In seconds he was out the door and catching up to the older vampire in the hallway. Hopefully he could learn more about his family, and get the boss vampire to trust him enough to relax security. If he was lucky, maybe he could just walk out once he'd learned what he wanted to know. And, if he was unlucky, he'd likely be no worse than he'd been trapped in that bunker alone.

"Elise, you need to get up. I wish to 'patrol', so I can eviscerate the inferior demons."

Elise blinked up at the God-King standing in the doorway of her dorm room. It took her a minute to downshift from long division to Illyria-speak, but once she'd caught up she shook her head. "Illyria, sir, I have to finish my homework. You can patrol without me."

The Old One looked skeptically at the Slayer. "I do not believe you are taking your duties seriously."

"We've had this conversation, sir." Elise rolled her eyes, because she knew better than to backtalk or argue, but the repetition was frustrating. "My duty here is to learn, not to fight. Kennedy put together a patrol route for you because you insisted on going out, but it's not necessary, it's actually very safe here. If you feel the need to patrol, please feel free to take any of the other Slayers who wish to go."

"That is unacceptable. I am primarily here to keep you safe from threats. You will not be safe if I leave you here." Illyria declared, with more force than Elise was expecting.

Elise considered the situation. Illyria had gone out patrolling just a couple of times, and only once before had she insisted on dragging her along. "Will I be unsafe if I stay here while you aren't in the building?" She asked practically. "I haven't seen anything indicating I'm not safe here."

"You are safe here, if I am here. If I leave, you are only safe if you come along." Illyria stated. "I wonder if I am not somehow inhibiting your visions. Or, are you sometimes unable to see things relating to yourself? The texts I have studied regarding seers say that is sometimes a problem."

"It's not generally a problem I have, but sometimes what I see about me is unclear." She tapped her pencil on her math text. "Alright, I'll patrol with you, but for a maximum of two hours. Then I need to finish my homework."

The Hellgod nodded. "This is acceptable to me. Bring your jacket."

When they returned an hour and a half later, the building was surrounded by emergency vehicles. "Oh, no!" Elise gasped, looking frantically around the crowd gathered on the lawn for any of the instructors or Watchers. "Illyria, do you see Miss Gretchen, or Mr. Lindsey, or any other teachers?"

"I see the Slayer Kennedy, and Lindsey McDonald." Illyria reported. "They are in opposite directions, which would you like to head towards?"

"Mr. Lindsey, please, sir." Elise said, reaching for the older demon's hand.

Illyria tilted her head and examined the small hand in hers for a few seconds, then guided the young seer towards the former lawyer. A minute later the shorter girl spotted Lindsey through the crowd, deep in conversation with a police officer and a demon in a suit. She slowed her steps, tugging on Illyria's hand to draw her back. "That demon's bad news." She whispered.

"I would be happy to remove his head, if you wish." Illyria responded, pleased at the possibility of more violence.

"No, not yet. Let's hang back and see what Mr. Lindsey says. He'll know if it's okay to kill him or if it'll attract something worse."

Illyria felt that if they'd argued they would have won, but not arguing would make Elise more malleable for future interactions. The two of them stepped behind a tree, out of the way of the chaos, and Illyria kept an eye on the men. When the demon and police officer stepped away, Illyria nodded at the young girl, and Elise poked her head out from behind the tree and caught Lindsey's eye. He blinked when he spotted her, then glanced around carefully and started strolling slowly in their direction. Elise's anxiety increased, and she squeezed Illyria's hand harder. The Hellgod frowned but didn't say anything, trying to puzzle out the behavior on their own.

"Hey there, little one." Lindsey murmured when he finally got close enough to them. "Glad you stayed out of the way, good instincts."

"Premonition." Elise responded. "That demon you were talking to…"

"Very shady, part of the demon-human organized crime syndicate in the area we've been trying to get dirt on. He gave you a bad feeling?"

"Very bad." A siren blipped, and Elise looked up at the chaos that still surrounded them. "What happened, Mr. Lindsey?"

"Well…" He shook his head, "We're not sure, really. It's most likely that the syndicate was seeking revenge for an altercation Kennedy foolishly got into with some of their agents last week. Then again, they didn't actually take anything or do any serious damage to the Slayers. Krang, the guy I was talking to, wanted me to tell them if anyone was missing or unaccounted for after we evacuated the building. I had to say no, that I had accounted for all of our students, but he seemed unsatisfied with that."

"You think he was looking for me?" Elise shifted, uneasy about where the conversation seemed to be going.

Lindsey sighed. "It's definitely possible, Lise. Gretchen and I are going to work on some stronger wards, and maybe an amulet for you to wear off campus that hides your magical signature."

"Can I kill the demon, Krang?" Illyria interrupted. "If he wants Elise, I must stop him. My primary duty here is to keep her safe."

"Umm, that may…" Lindsey shook his head, "What am I saying, I can't let you do that. Not until we've learned more about this syndicate. We could end up in a war if he's more important than we think."

"Why don't we want that to happen? You're stronger than them, aren't you? And there are many of you. What would be the disadvantage of a war?" Illyria asked.

"Endangering all of our students, many of whom are not trained fighters like Elise is." Lindsey responded. "If we knew how powerful they are, or what resources they can bring to bear, we could maybe plan for fighting, but right now we're blind. That's what the investigation we've been doing is for."

Illyria nodded slowly. "I understand. I know what to do." The demon king shifted their appearance subtly. Previously they'd had short blue hair, demon eyes and a flat chest, and had seemed to be wearing canvas cargo pants and a sweatshirt. Now they had human eyes, breasts, and a low-cut top with jeans. "I will be able to infiltrate more easily than the Slayers, since I can change my appearance and sublimate my demonic essence for short periods of time. I will get you the information you need, and when we know enough you will allow me to kill many of them."

Lindsey and Elise both blinked at her. "Are…Are you sure you want to do that, Illyria, sir?" Elise finally asked.

"It will help the Slayers here in Rio, and that will keep you safe." Illyria nodded, then turned to Lindsey. "You will watch out for her when I am not here."

Lindsey nodded. "Of course I will. It will be my honor to take up your watch." He bowed his head towards the Hellgod affectedly, causing the demon and the seer both to roll their eyes at him.

"You'll have to make sure to focus on acting human when you look like that, not just keeping your essence locked down." Elise warned the demon somberly.

"I remember. You and the other Slayers have been very helpful with your 'how to blend with humans' lessons. I will keep what you've taught me in mind." She smiled her Fred smile, and shook her hair out. As it moved it lengthened to below her shoulders, and turned auburn. "I believe this will be more acceptable than the other. What do you think?"

Elise evaluated her carefully. "You look fragile and helpless, but you also look American. And, not really slutty enough to want to hang out with demon-hybrid gangsters."

Lindsey choked. "Okay, now just a minute here…"

Illyria held up a hand, "No, I asked for her opinion. This is helpful feedback." She looked down at her clothes, and shrugged. "This is fine for now. When I find where they associate with women, I can adapt the shell as necessary. I will return in a day or two with information." She turned on her heel to go, and Elise yelped, causing Illyria to spin, immediately wary of a possible attack. As she examined the surrounding area, Elise ran to her and grabbed the God-King in a hug.

"Please be careful!" Elise said, squeezing the demon tightly for a moment, before releasing her and stepping back.

Illyria, recognizing the human emotion yet still somewhat inept at processing and reacting to it, patted the young seer on the shoulder. "I will take great care with this form, I assure you," She responded. "You are reassured?"

She chuckled, blushing a bit at the idea that she'd made a scene. "Not really, but I promise not to attack you with any further emotional outbursts." She took a deep breath. "I'll go finish my homework, and hang out with my friends, and try to keep myself distracted."

Illyria nodded. "This is an excellent plan. I will return soon. Stay close to the building, and preferably with a group of people. Scream if you encounter anything you cannot fight." With one last pat, Illyria turned again and headed off into the crowd, quickly disappearing from view.

Elise sighed, and turned back to meet Lindsey's gaze. "You know, you could have just asked Illyria to help with whatever mess Kennedy made, instead of manipulating them into offering."

He smiled, "I suppose I should have known better than to try pulling the wool over the eyes of a seer." Lindsey shook his head, sobering. "I've asked her to help with several tasks since you've been here, she's never been willing to do anything that meant being away from you overnight. When they invaded the compound while you were out, it was too good an opportunity to pass up."

"You definitely should have known better than to lie to me." Elise declared, frowning at him with as much authority as she could muster.

"I notice you didn't confront me until after she agreed to go," He countered.

Elise shrugged, "She'll do a lot more good for the world out there than she would sitting here watching me." She arched an eyebrow, giving him the evilest smile he'd ever seen on a young girl. "Of course, that a doesn't mean I'm going to stick up for you once they figure it out. If I were you, I'd spend this time thinking up a very good excuse for lying. They know they're not supposed to do that." She nodded at him and headed back towards the door building, where girls were lining up to go back to their rooms.