Picking up writing again to procrastinate actual work. Can't promise frequent updates because life is busy but I'll do my best and I genuinely do want to finish this story.
Elena woke to the sound of screams. Harkat was thrashing his short arms, yelling about dragons and a Lord of Shadows. Jumping to her feet before anyone else had the chance to open their eyes, she ran to shake the Little Person. "Harkat! Harkat wake up!"
A spark of recognition gleamed in the Little Person's luminous green eyes as his screaming ceased. "I'm sorry Elena," Harkat gasped, clutching her arms as though his life depended on it.
The screams had roused the rest of their travelling companions, "It's perfectly alright Harkat." Elena said, gently lowering his arms, "You can't control your dreams."
"Well I don't think it's alright," a rough voice snorted, Vancha running a snot covered hand through his hair. "You're bound to bring more vampets down upon us any second with all that screeching Mulds."
Elena shot him a steely glare, "Well we'd better get a move on then shouldn't we sire." She said coldly. "Or next time you have nightmares I'll tell the vampire hunters myself." She muttered under her breath. Vancha harrumphed and made his way out the door into the fading evening sun.
Arra cautiously put an arm around her daughter, "You realize you do have to work with him for the next several hundred years." She admonished quietly.
"I don't know, the sun might roast him first." Darren joked, a smirk lighting up his face.
"It has not succeeded thus far." Larten said, scratching his scar while he yawned. "Sire March is far smarter than he lets on, and I should not have to remind you that he at least is still your superior." He addressed the last sentiment towards his daughter.
Elena raised an eyebrow, "Thought all the Princes were on even footing."
"To the rest of the clan they are," Larten admitted, "But the most senior of them have always had the tiebreaker vote amongst them."
"When he earns my respect he'll get it." Elena sniffed, turning her nose to the air and following the prince she was so unimpressed with out the door.
Larten glowered after his daughter, skin turning the same colour as his hair. "Larten calm down." Arra chastised, "She'll come around."
"This is your influence," Larten growled, "She never would have gone around disrespecting her elders had you not got it in her head she was entitled to wait to pass judgement on people, and a prince no less."
Arra trained a steely glare on him, but before she got the chance to say anything Darren snorted, "That's not even remotely true and you know it." Larten turned his own glare on him and stormed out the door, lips pressed together so hard they were white. Darren sighed, "Well the rest of this roadtrip is going to be fun isn't it?"
"Seems it will be… eventful in any case." Harkat murmured with a toothy smile.
Arra wrapped an arm around Darren, leading him out the door, "I think that about sums it up," she sighed.
Larten was outside speaking with Vancha about the direction to Evanna's. Elena was sitting moodily on a rock skipping stones in the shallow pond nearby. Arra used her mental link to connect with Mika. Met up with Vancha, he's the fifth hunter.
Her mental connection sparked a reply instantly, figures. It was near impossible to transmit a tone through a mental signal but Arra knew Mika well enough that she could picture the derisive eye roll and snort that accompanied it. How are the little ones?
Arra almost snorted out loud herself, decidedly unimpressed with your colleague.
Elena?
How'd you guess?
She's like you. Arra cut off the connection after that. The rest of them could hold onto their old ideas that your elders and successful brethren are owed respect simply on account of them being elders or successful. For her part, she was glad her daughter was cynical of those ideals and she was rather infuriated with her mate for his views to the contrary.
Vancha caught her eye, "We're heading out Sails, Evanna's due west, we should get there before sunup, or slightly after if we're lucky didn't get as much as I'd hoped I would this evening." Arra smiled, Vancha at least had earned her respect but Elena's judgement was her own she knew it would come with time.
"Come on you three," she said, addressing her children and Harkat, "Sire March may enjoy being roasted but I'd rather not."
She blithely stepped away from Larten's outstretched hand, turning her nose up to the sky. Vancha howled with delight, "In the dog house I see Crepsley! Perhaps my shot has not been wasted after all."
"In your dreams Sire." Arra called behind her.
"Always Sails." Vancha said with a wink. Larten rolled his eyes at his old friend.
"You would think that you would know better than to attempt to court another man's mate sire." Larten admonished.
"Why? Afraid she prefers green to orange?"
Larten smiled, "Afraid she prefers loneliness to any colour when accompanied with stupidity."
"Damn, she has you whipped this time huh?" Vancha chortled. Elena pushed ahead to walk in front with Arra, too far away to listen to the rest of the conversation.
Darren jogged to catch up to the two men. "So is anyone going to tell me who Evanna is before we get there?" He complained, slowing to a stroll beside his father.
"A powerful sorceress," Vancha said solemnly, his mood shifting into a far more serious one, "One that knows a lot about things that have been and a little about things to come."
"So like a fortune teller?"
"A bit more serious than that. Just don't call her a witch."
"So I've heard."
Most of the rest of the walk was quiet. Vancha and Larten caught up with eachother and Darren was mostly content to listen to their stories about old times. Eventually the group came to a swamp, gaseous, foggy, and filled to the brim with hundreds of croaking bull frogs. "Don't touch them." Arra warned, "Evanna breeds them herself their skin is poison."
"How do you know that?" Elena asked.
"Your mother was my assistant once." A voice said. The group looked up startled, to find the owner of the voice. A short woman wrapped in a dress of ugly ropes.
Evanna gave the teens a Cheshire cat grin, "I see you've grown since the last time I saw you."
"I should hope so, considering the last time you saw them they were only several months old." Arra said with a chuckle.
"You!" Darren gasped, "I remember you! You were the one who brought Steve's father to the Cirque!"
"Very good little Crepsley. Not so Arra, I saw them once more, when I led reunited dear Gannen with his boy. " Vancha raised an eyebrow at this statement but remained quiet.
"Several months?" Larten turned to Arra.
"Perhaps we should go inside to discuss this." Evanna said, holding the corner of her tent open. "Lead the way Elena."
Elena did as she was told silently entering the tent and was amazed by the inside. It was far larger than it appeared on the outside and far cozier than any tent had any right being. Pillows were scattered across the floor, a large iron cauldron sat in the corner bubbling with a delicious smelling stew. In a separate room, Elena could hear the croaking of more frogs and caught a glimpse of several cast iron tubs steaming with water.
"Sit down dearies," Evanna said, addressing the whole group and indicating the comfortable pillows on the floor. Vancha ignored the silent request, throwing the pillows away in favour of sitting on the cold hard ground. "Silly boy." Evanna grumbled.
Larten grabbed Arra's arm and whispered in her ear, "several months?"
"Now Larten, there will be time for that later, I'm sure you're all very hungry." Evanna walked over to the cauldron and spooned out several bowl of stew.
"Vegetable stew!" Vancha moaned, watching chunks of veggies slip from the spoon he held a foot in the air above his bowl slop over the sides.
"Someone has to make you eat your veggies." Evanna chastised.
"Why? Raw meat and ale are a perfectly balanced meal for a vampire!"
"There will be no meat consumed in this household!"
"Why not?" Darren interrupted the argument.
"I made a vow young Crepsely, to never harm a living thing."
Vancha pouted but tucked into his veggie stew all the same along with everyone else. It was as good as it had smelled. "Thank you Lady." Arra said.
"You're quite welcome dear, now–"
"Could we return to the several months bit of information?" Larten asked.
"Alright then if you insist on being so impatient Larten." Evanna chastised, "I'm sure Arra has told you she came to me when she realized she was with child." Larten nodded his assent and Darren and Elena and Vancha were suddenly listening with rapt attention. "It should come as little surprise to you that the body takes time to heal after birth Larten, I assisted with that as well." Larten began to relax, "Of course, with vampire healing, the process took much quicker, Arra was fit as a fiddle within a matter of weeks." Arra let out a groan, "You see I was trying to convince her to return to you with your children so you could raise them together, as good vampires. That option was the best resolution for the future of the clans. But alas, she was free to make her own decisions and Arra's always been stubborn particularly in her womanly ways and after six months she dropped the little ones at the orphanage with no one but me the wiser. Of course, you found them and it was happy chance that you did, the future where you did not was very bleak indeed." Evanna concluded.
Larten turned to his mate, face white, "You could give them up after six months?"
"It wasn't without difficulty." Arra said quietly. Darren and Elena both glanced down. Elena had already had this conversation with her mother after the battle in the mountain, but it still hurt nonetheless.
Vancha glanced at the teens sympathetically. "All's well that ends well Larten. Your cubs are with you both now. And if I trust my colleagues judgement they've both become fine vampires indeed."
Elena glanced at the smelly prince curiously, but grateful for his intervention. They were further saved any dwelling on the tender matter by Darren's untimely commentary, "What do you mean those futures were bleak? Can witches see the future?"
Vancha and Larten both let out loud groans and Darren immediately turned a bright shade of pink, remembering the warning. Evanna glowered, seeming to grow taller and ever more threatening, "What did you call me boy?"
"I'm sorry." Darren squeaked. "I forgot." Arra simply rolled her eyes.
Evanna shrank down to size giving him a wicked grin, "I knew those fools would have told you not to call me that." She laughed at Larten and Vancha's startled faces. Then her gaze softened slightly, "To answer your question Darren, yes I can see the future of sorts but it's always changing. You see the future is dependent on people and their choices, and those I'm afraid are often unpredictable. The past however, that is crystal clear."
She turned to Larten, "Speaking of which…" She reached a hand out and ran it down his scar, "I never did get to apologize properly for this."
"You gave him that ugly thing?!" Vancha chortled in delight. "No wonder he never said, normally vampires brag endlessly about how they got their battle scars." Arra pressed her lips into a line, trying hard not to smile at Larten's misfortune.
Larten grimaced, "I made a stupid mistake Lady, there is no need for any apology."
"Still," Evanna mused, "I'd like to offer some consolation. You cannot keep this gift, but I do hope that it gives you comfort." She made some croaking noises and piles of bullfrogs filled the room, in the center. The others leapt to their feet, quick to avoid the poison amphibians.
A face formed from the spots on their backs. Arra let out a gasp. The fallen Gavner Purl's face emerged out of the frog backs. The image was uncanny. Larten dropped to his knees before the image, holding his head in his hands shoulders quivering. Vancha's solemn nature resumed. He put a hand on Larten's shoulder gave a small salute to the frogs and was the first to exit the tent for the other room Evanna following close behind.
Darren and Elena did not quite know what to say. They had both witnessed their father fall to pieces over their older brother's death but did not know how to return to that now. Arra solved the problem for them, "I think your father need some privacy." She murmured, gently prying their shoulders towards the exit where Vancha left. Before she followed she knelt by Larten hugging his shoulders and kissing his cheek tenderly, previous quarrels forgotten for the moment "We'll be here when you're ready."
Several hours later Larten emerged, eyes reddened but smiling. "Thank you Lady." He said appreciatively.
"I figured you needed to see him one last time." Evanna said kindly. "Now, another favour I need to address, Mulds, are you still having those pesky nightmares?
Harkat gasped. "How do you know about those?"
"I know many things." Evanna said simply, "I know you're going to go mad if you do not find out who you are sooner than later."
"I cannot… give up the quest for the vampaneze lord my…lady."
"Are you sure Harkat?" Elena asked, "Surely if it means going mad that's a good enough reason, you aren't bound to it the way the rest of us are."
"True princess," Lady Evanna said, "But I do have an alternative solution." She offered Harkat a drink, "This will alleviate the nightmares for some time, but I warn you Harkat Mulds, you will have to learn who you are at some point."
"Thank you lady." Harkat said, accepting the drink from her.
"You are most welcome," Lady Evanna acknowledged, then she clapped her hands together, "Now, since we're all fed and debts have been paid let us turn to the matter of your quest."
"Any guidance you can provide is most appreciated Lady." Arra said.
"I'd advise you to start where Destiny first drew you to his path."
They all stared blankly at her, then Darren remembered, a certain feeling on a crisp day in the soccer field when a voice told his to close his hand and grasp a ticket for a certain show. "The Cirque du Freak." Darren answered questioningly.
Evanna nodded with a smile. Vancha chortled, "Not as dumb as you seem little Crepsley, perhaps I've misjudged you." Darren made a face, he wasn't a huge fan of Vancha's nickname for him.
"All paths lead to the Cirque" Larten murmured under his breath.
"Quite often." Evanna said with a smile. "As it is, you are welcome to stay as long as you'd like to rest before the next leg of your journey. Ta Ta." She vanished into the next room.
"Well troops, time to get some rest," Vancha declared, clapping his hands together.
Arra arranged some of the pillows into four makeshift beds. "I presume you're most comfortable on the floor sire?" She asked teasingly.
"Of course!" Vancha thundered, "Nothing more comfortable in the world besides a hard wood coffin or the floor of a cave!"
Arra chuckled slightly and the party settled in for the day, Vancha curled up on the floor like an ugly green dog, Elena, Darren, and Harkat on respective mounds of pillows. Arra fell into Larten's arms to his great surprise. "I am sorry." He said, "I often forget life in the clan is different for women, I know you just want to protect yourself and her."
Arra snuggled into his arms, "I'm sorry I never took them to you when I had the chance, that we became a family so late."
"I shall forgive you if you forgive me." Larten suggested wiggling his eyebrows.
"As charming as ever Quicksilver." Arra laughed and pressed a kiss to his lips.
Not a single one of them was plagued with nightmares that day.
