Chapter 81

We step out of the Polugonos and into the entry way, the counsel dismissed for the day. Night had fallen and I felt hollow from the continuous onslot of Aname's emense power, like a deep hum in my body. Security checkpoints were now in place at the five entry points of the Curriculum by the Night Hunter's and a party was being set up to help ease some of the tension of the Phantasma.

I couldn't even believe it was suggested. It was a quick distraction that could cost lives. Stepping out into the cold night I look up at the veil of ice that kept this city secreted away from the human realm.

As we step out Venus comes forward and Nick asks, 'What seems to be the issue Venus.'

'The Grand Seeker asks for an audience with you.'

'Now?'

She nods, holding out a note to him. He takes it and I can feel his irritation even though he looks calm. Nodding, he murmurs, 'Thank you. If you'd be so kind as to take Nina home.'

She bows and replies, 'It would be my pleasure.'

With that Nick takes the Escalade and drives off. Venus motions to another sleek black vehicle, 'If you'll come with me milady.'

With Nick gone, Venus's power slammed around me and sweat started to pool on my lower back. I was already exhausted by the day and now I could feel another test coming. She opens the door for me and I slide into the backseat.

When she shuts the door it sounds like a gunshot, my fatal mistake. She gets into the drivers seat, starts it, and drives away from the counsel building. My body was rigid as she followed the streets I knew to be the way home. Everything about her said calm, but I could sense her hatred.

'You are too weak.'

I jerk, look up at her. Her eyes looked back at me from the rearview mirror as she said, 'Too weak to be our queen.'

Slowly I felt her pheremones slowly unlease. It was terrifying, her pupil's becoming slits as she says, 'You don't deserve such a title.'

I simply stare at her as she snarls, 'It should have been me! I have been with him for almost seven hundred years and risen beyond the ranks of all his generals. I rule my clan justly.'

A mocking laugh comes from her as her voice goes quiet and she accuses, 'What have you ever ruled but yourself?'

'You hate me.'

'Is that a question?!' She practically spits out, 'None of us respect you or ever will whether you breath or not!'

'It wasn't a question and by we I know the other generals' don't respect me. I completely understand why, I am unknown and a threat to what you know and have established as your leader.'

My exhaustion starts to morph, deep inside me something stretches, sits up like it started to do earlier with Aname. It seems to stare through my eyes, speak my voice, 'But I am far from weak.'

I watch as she jerks, her eyes flashing back to me in rage red, her pheremones blasting. But instead of them slamming into me they ping off me. I stare at her as I feel this thing, this part of me seep into my mind, my muscles, and bone.

Her eyes widen as another part of me snaps and a blast of power burst from me, a slight breeze of it touching my face. Stark terror radiated from her, the acrid scent of fear coming off her as she whispers with trembling lips, 'Wh-what are you?'

'Believe me, if I knew I would tell you.'

Her eyes turn away from me in absolute dread, her body rigid, sweat popping out over her skin, fear and almost a belly up dog came from her. I stare at the back of her head, this thing saying, 'Hate me all you want, but know you can't hurt me.'

A jerky nod came from her as my eyes widen. What was I doing? This numb rage wasn't me? Why had it returned? I pull back on it and feel this power rip from me and then slam shut deep in my mind. Both she and I gasp, the sense of sudden loss of control was terrifying. What was this? What was I becoming?

My eyes meet hers in the rearview mirror. She looked just as scared and nervous as I looked myself and I whisper, 'Don't tell Nicholi what just happened?'

She nodded vigorously, her pheremone of acrid fear powerful in the vehicle as we turned into the drive of the Dracul palace of Kotowa.

I touch my head as she opens the door, and she whispers hoarsely, 'I was wrong about you.'

Slowly I step out on shaky legs and I say, realizing I had to get whatever this power was under control, 'No, you are right. I am weak.'

With that I walk up the steps on shaky legs, leaving her staring after me.

-D-

My eyes rove over the lineage of the Pureblood, wuth a younger Night Hunter standing beside me. Igor had pressing matters requiring his attention so he had sent this young vampire, Noah. He was a little older than I and a B rank. It was easier to concentrate without Pureblood's surrounding me. Nick had yet to return from his time with the Grand Seeker, so I had decided to go to the library. He wouldn't like it with me not beside him, but I had to keep working.

Igor was right, I needed to figure this out for Jerry's sake just as much as my own. Noah was extremely knowlesge abiyt the Pureblood lineage as he points to one, 'Namra Dracul, of the silver dragon crest of blue backdrop, died 475 AD. His body eas never recovered and no one can be sure of his death, he is a possible one to look into.'

'Thank you, how do you know so much about the Pureblood lineage when you yoyrself aren't one?'

'Oh, I guess because of General Igor.'

I blink, looking up at him and say, 'How so?'

'I look up to him you see. A lot of us young Night Hunter's do. He told me once that to become a great leader you need to learn from histories past. I wasn't born a vampire like him and lack power. But he said power doesn't always rule the day. He said it is knowledge that can lead to success. Im guessing so since he is our knowledge bearer.'

'Pardon?'

'Yeah, each of The Five have been given a task, there is The Bearer of Arms, Bearer of Knowledge, Bearer of Time, Bearer of Law, and Bearer of Ritual. So Igor is the Grand commander, leader of the one of five, Bearer of Knowledge.'

'That is a lot of titles.'

Noah nods, looking down and says, 'Yeah, he hates them all. So he tell us I am not your leader, but a comrad alongaide you, your equal.'

'Sounds like a good man,' I reply softky with a smile as I looked at this young vampire.

He nods with a blush and shrugs saying, 'He never puts us down for being low ranked.'

This makes me start as I think about him doing so to me. Why to me but not those of the Night Hunter's? Then it dawns on me, I am not one of them. It made sense he would treat his subordinates with kindness while the rest of the world only saw his coldness.

Noah says, 'Oh this one too. Nurlos Dracul, died the same year, purple dragon on bloody field, he died under mysterious circumstances.'

'How so?'

'He wasn't killed by other vamoure, but by several humans. It seems he was badly injured in battle and the humans tied him up and let him burn in the sun.'

'Oh.'

'Yeah, but that's just a story, no one knows for syre if its true.'

'True, things do tend to become complex as time goes by.'

'Yeah, like all this about the Silent Phantasma.'

I stop writing down the name on my notepad and look up at him as I ask, 'How so?'

'Well think about it. The Silent Phantasma has been mocking us vampire for months, no years. True we didnt know about them till recently, but they have hundreds of contengency plans in motion. Like this, I get the feeling they did this to spin our wheels.'

Frowning, I ask again, feeling a prickly sensation all over as if this young vampire was about to change all the theories I had yet come to a conclusion on, 'What do you mean?'

'What if they didn't rip out the names you need?'

Slowly my eyes widen as he continues, 'If I was trying to hide my identity I would hide it in plan sight like those playing cards.'

Looking down at the names on the notepad they slowly blur, as I ruminate on what he said. It was true the Silent Phantasma had left the playing cards in plain sight, it was a characteristic that was common with it as a whole. So why not with this. Subvert the truth by creating a false narrative. My heart started slamming in my chest as I wondered if it was before or after those ripped pages, how far. There were so many. But we had already gone of those names and nothing had stood out.

Suddenly it dawned on me we had only done A ranks, knce we saw the missing Pureblood lineage names we had only focused on that. My gut dropped as I realized this and look up at Noah as he replied with a shrug, 'But that's just my thinking.'

His smiling face was open, not at all realizing what he had just said, how important it was. Slowly sitting back I reply, 'I need you to get seven other Night Hunter's familiar with the lineage of the Purebloods and their history here immediately.

'Why?'

'Because you just told me something very important, and time is imperative.'