Camrille XVI

Yes, I'm afraid it has come to this, another part of camrille. I can stop anytime I want, I can.

Anyways, this chapter will introduce some new characters and a lot of old ones, are they getting to many to keep up with yet?

Without further ado; the first 1000 words of Camrille XVI

Father was not an easy man, in any way. Neither was he, technically a man, vampire as he is. And yes I meant man as in human because he surely is of a male persuasion. This time he had been obnoxious, if I’m allowed to call him that. I’d asked why we were called back so suddenly and what, exactly, the mission had all been about. I was pretty sure I hadn’t found anything special, except maybe for the new technique the slayers used to hunt vampires, by using lures or bait. Father had said that he was going to warn the other coven’s about that but it truly couldn’t have been the only reason for sending his daughter and heir into the viper’s nest.


In short he had refused to tell me anything, really. He congratulated me on a job well done, well I say congratulated but what he said was closer to ‘not bad’ and then he’d grown all cryptic again. It wasn’t as if he didn’t talk, he just didn’t give me any information. He had sat there in his comfy chair behind his large desk looking smug while I reported to him. Something which I felt completely unnecessary since he’d gotten continuous reports both by mail and by ‘mindspeak’. I had stood there, before his desk, getting more and more uncomfortable and tired with the whole thing and not been able to do anything about it. When I had longed for the coven and my home, when I was outside, I hadn’t really wished to return to this. I had known, somewhere deep inside my mind where decent thoughts didn’t go, that father would want to speak to me but I hadn’t realised that it was this soon or this long. My bed had been beckoning for the last three hours, and not really because I was tired, no, it was more because of the comfort and homey feeling it can give me when I’m feeling down.


I hadn’t more than just arrived before he’d asked, ordered, me to his rooms and kept me there for an unreasonably long time, considering. And all I wanted was to come home, to my rooms, but I cannot deny my father, or the High Prince, or the Rector Lamia. And I had even been missing Styx, I hadn’t been happy when he first entered our lives but he had become such a fixed piece that I had missed his silent, though sometimes intimidated, companionship.


At long last I was again heading towards my rooms, where Emilio had disappeared to I had no idea. He had mumbled something about checking up on something or other before I’d gone to father’s though I hadn’t had time to listen closely nor look at where he was heading.


What I hadn’t been expecting when I opened the door was to see a woman sitting in my favourite chair, the one next to the fire and the small table. Emilio was nowhere to be seen and neither was Styx. Why had this lady, for she was every inch a lady, been allowed into my rooms? I wasn’t really possessive about ‘my space’ but why had she been allowed in here when neither Emilio nor me were present? There were guards outside, as usual, and I had no doubts that she had been let in, but why? And why hadn’t the guards outside said anything to warn me? They were usually much more attentive than that, and only father could tell them not to tell. I think, but that still left all the questions.


Nothing seemed to have been disturbed, it was just a lady vampire sitting in my chair in my rooms looking not one bit out of place. She was tall, I could see that despite her sitting down, she was dressed in a wonderful dress in dove-grey with a few decorative accents in a dark blue. The dress, in itself, was very sophisticated; it was long and modestly cut, just showing a hint of bosom. It was made from some silky material and fitted her long and slim body like a glove. Her hair was black as a raven’s wing, its highlights matched the dress perfectly, and her complexion fair. Despite all this, her eyes was the most captivating feature, they was a slight tilt to their outer corners and they were as black as her hair. I hadn’t know that you could have that colour hair, naturally, and eyes with that complexion, but I was wrong.


In short, she was beautiful, stunning and all those other words you usually don’t use to describe your own sex, there are a few exceptions to that but I chose to overlook them at the moment. When I had stood there gawking for long enough she rose and came closer. She moved very softly but there was still power hidden in her step. We vampires are stronger and better than humans and it shows, though often in small things like that, things you never notice yourself doing.


She smiled and I think I saw a dimple, if it wasn’t for her apparent age, and the understated one, I would have gagged from the sweetness of it all. She was almost too perfect to be true; perfection has always been one of those things that scare me.


“Hello.” She said, her voice cultured and soft, sounding as sophisticated as the rest of her demeanour. “It is an honour to finally get to meet you, doubtful as it may be.” I think I heard a hint of an accent there but I wasn’t sure. I was pretty sure she had just insulted me.


“And who might you be?” I asked, not as refined as her and only possibly less rude. At that precise moment Emilio chose to walk through the door, startling me, though I refused to let it show. Both me and the strange lady turned to look at Emilio and in chorus we said his name.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(see, I'm using lots of exclamation marks to show how much I liked it, not just because I'm mad . . . . . . )

I have two theories as to who this mysterious lady might be and I can't decide which would be most frustrating to Alexis.

For the first time in… I don’t know how long… Emilio ignored me. Even when meeting with father he usually managed to keep a least some attention at me but not now, not this time. When he first saw the lady he kind of froze, though he unfroze so soon again I almost missed it, when she spoke his name there was no longer any question about it, this lady made Emilio nervous and tense. Whet he did next kind of surprised me, he took five quick steps towards the unknown vampire, although Emilio and she seemed to know each other, and bowed his head. With the same reverence in his voice that he used when talking to father he said just one word.


“Master.” Ah, so that was who she was, Emilio’s Sire, the one to turn him into a vampire. And in all honesty I should at least have noticed that she wore the same colour clothes as he did. Father had raised me to be more observant than that… well, maybe not raised as such, but most definitely trained me.


“It’s nice to know you haven’t forgotten me, childe. I had begun to wonder.”


“I did not know I was required to report to you as well.” Emilio said, still reverent and still keeping his eyes from meeting hers.


“Don’t take that tone with me.” She sneered, I almost wished that someone would introduce me to her so I could use her name but another part of me did not want her attention focused on me. She was rather old, and rather powerful, though she’d to be, having turned Emilio.


“I apologise most sincerely.” The way they talked seemed almost rehearsed to me, as if they’d gone through this conversation before, again and again.


“I doubt it.” Her ire was clear in her voice, she was almost as good as father with her voice, but not quite. This ire, though, was real, and it made her voice crack ever so slightly.


“I am sorry, please tell me what I can do to convince you that I’m telling the truth.” Emilio said and though the reverence was still there, something caused a discord. When I listened closely I could hear resentment in his tone, this was getting more interesting but no less dangerous. I had no doubts that Emilio’s master was here for a reason and her being in our rooms wasn’t by chance either and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what she had in mind. She was old enough, and experienced enough, to be very well versed in the favourite game of us vampires, politics. I wasn’t. while I could possibly compete with a human I wasn’t much of a threat for a three hundred plus year vampire.


“There is nothing you can do to make me trust you again.” She stated in a clipped tone. I was getting more and more convinced that I didn’t want to know what had conspired between these two. Emilio was silent. I had never seen him like this and that kind of scared me. He was the one that was supposed to know about vampires and customs and most everything, he wasn’t supposed to be all still and silent like this.


“But you are being very rude, I though I taught you better.” She said and even though I had no idea what she was talking about Emilio apparently did.


“Master, this is Alexis Dracula, Heir of Camrille and Ryttir. Alexis, this is my master Ellionora Fuxerna.”


“Pleased to meet you.” I said, though I didn’t really mean it, but I didn’t really fancy getting on her bad side either.


“I wish I could say likewise but that just wouldn’t be the truth.” She definitely did not make it into my top-ten list of people I liked. I could tell that Emilio did not really like her comment either, in fact he seemed to react more now than any other time during the conversation. Ellionora also noticed and spoke again before Emilio found time to do so.


“That does not matter, though, we have more important matters to discuss. As for example why I had to hear about you and her from another rather than from yourself.”


“I did notify you.” Emilio said, and somehow he could still keep his eyes from her and his voice still kept the respect, though when I listened closely I realised that it was fake. He did sounded sincere, if you hadn’t heard the real thing often enough.


“I got a letter saying that you had become appointed teacher to the Rector Lamia’s daughter. That is not the same as telling me that you are courting.”


“It is not allowed…” Emilio started, hesitantly and he must have been expecting to be cut off because he went quiet as soon as he was.


“Do not presume to tell me what is allowed and what is not. I know the rules very well, you should not forget who taught them to you. The student will never surpass his teacher, I’ve made that clear before but it seems as if you have not been listening.”


“I don’t understand what you are asking of me, master. You tell me I should tell you about the courting but you also tell me it is not allowed.”


“You are so very dumb. I don’t know what I was thinking taking you on.” I really did not like the way this going. A vampire’s master is much more than a human parent can ever be, to be told that she, or he, regretted turning you…let’s just say that I wasn’t very happy at the moment. I wanted Ellionora out of our rooms, out of the coven and out of our lives, for good. All those three wishes almost came true, only common curtsey stopped it, and of course the fact that not even the Rector Lamia could go around killing his subjects for no apparent reason at all.


Father close to stormed through the door. We all hit the floor rather fast, father was not pleased and it showed, that did not happen often.

“What is going on here?” He demanded and I chose to stay quiet because I wasn’t sure I had understood everything. Emilio also kept quiet, possibly because of Ellionora. Ellionora didn’t say anything either, why I have no idea. Maybe she was hoping to blame all this on someone else.


“I asked you something, I want an answer.” He said when a few minutes had passed and none of us seemed inclined to answer. “Alexis.”


“When I returned from speaking with you Ellionora Fuxerna was waiting for me, us, and she started talking to me when I entered. Emilio came and it sounded as if she started picking on him but I’m not quite sure I understood why. She was rather rude over all.” I said, trying to condense what had happened as much as possible while not omitting anything that could be considered important. Father didn’t comment.


“Fuxerna?”


“Like she said, I waited for them and then I talked to them, I wasn’t rude though.”


“Why did you come here?”


“I heard some rumours about my childe and I wanted to check if they were true.”


“What kind of rumours could possibly bring Ellionora Fuxerna away from her home?” Father asked rather sarcastically.


“That he had bonded to her.” I was getting tired of being spoken about in that way, I could hear the contempt in Ellionora’s voice every time she referred to me.


“Emilio?” Emilio hesitated before answering, father seemed to accept it though and waited unusually patiently.


“I do not know what happened before I arrived but when I did, both Lady Alexis and my master were here. Master claimed to want to talk to me, since I had been negligent. I hadn’t told her about the change in my relationship with Lady Alexis.”


“If you had you would have broken the law. Fuxerna’s treatment of her only childe is widely know, though. Despite that I will not make any hasty decisions. But I want to know the real reason for you coming here, Fuxerna.”


“It is the real reason.” Ellionora said not the least bit intimidated by father, though I thought she should be.


“Just not all of it, is it?” Father replied, he was getting shorter and shorter. He hadn’t been happy when he entered and even though he seemed to have calmed down a bit he was even less happy now.


“I can visit my childe whenever I want.” She sneered, not a very good thing to do when it was aimed at father.


“You have not left your home in the Karolinska coven for more than 300 years, your childe left you more than a hundred years ago, I find it very hard to believe that you felt an overwhelming urge to visit him now. But enough of this, you will leave these rooms now, if you require you may stay in one of the guestrooms the Camrille coven can supply, but you will not be allowed in here again, Sire of Emilio or no. Am I understood?” Father asked, Ellionora nodded her head yes but I was on her level, we were all still kneeling because father hadn’t let us up, and I could see the anger marring her features.


“Good, now leave.” The last order was obviously only aimed at Ellionora so both Emilio and me kept still, kneeling on the brown rug. I had been fortunate to end up on it, kneeling on the stone floor would have left my knees very sore by now. When Ellionora had left father seemed to relax.


“Emilio, I know that you and your sire isn’t on the best of terms but that should not affect my daughter in any way, shape or form. I am not pleased with having her here, but I won’t hold it against you since you didn’t have anything to do with it. I trust you to deal with it.”


“Yes my Lord.” Emilio answered but he did look doubtful and I could understand it. One does not cross one’s master.


“I do not require that you do anything that violates our laws or traditions but you should do your best.” Father added, having picked up on Emilio's uneasiness.


“Thank you, my Lord.” Emilio said, looking very relieved.


“As for you, daughter, I expect you to stay out of the way and do as little as possible to aggravate her, though I hear avoiding it altogether is impossible. I do NOT want to hear any reports about her and you having ended up in any kind of bad situation. Most any kind of reports about you two will be most unwelcome since I doubt that Ellionora will change her ways anytime soon.”


“I understand Father and I will also do my best.”


“I know you will. Despite this you two were handling things pretty well until I arrived, I trust that I will not have to come running to your rescue, again, because a guard heard some really odd parts of a conversation.”


“We will try our hardest.” I answered, not daring to promise anything, especially since father was still agitated even though the anger had receded. Also, what I had pieced together from these two conversations was that Emilio’s sire had a history of not behaving very well. In fact, it sounded as if Emilio had been sired by the bitch from hell. She had had the guts to tell him that she found him a waste of time and space, a hard thing to hear from someone that were in all aspect a parent. Father hadn’t been very warm towards me the first years but he hadn’t disapproved of me, ever. Not when I did stupid things, not when I did down-right moronic things or even when he had to punish me. In the last few years he had even gone so far as to take pride in me, something I had almost doubted he’d be able to do. I know I wasn’t always the perfect heir, but I was trying… most of the time anyways.

Oooh, somebody even Drac thinks is a bitch... with added Emilio overtones.

What happens next? Tell me Myn, tell me now! or at your earliest convenience, whichever

The next day found me in my office trying to sort through the heaps of paper that seemed to have bred on my desk. I honestly had no idea from where most of them came, I doubt that some of them belonged here but I had enough paperwork that did belong so I didn’t have time to worry about it. A soft know brought me back from the plains of unknown in which I had been contemplating some of the reports on the wereleopards that lived outside of the coven. Apparently some of them wanted to stay in the coven instead, though a few of them rather humbly asked for greater allowances. I was going to write letters to the ones that wanted back to welcome them home though the ones needing more funds would have to wait for an answer until I’d spoken with father and investigated some.


“Come.” I told the door, well actually the person behind it but since I couldn’t see him or her I was looking at the door. The door in question was gently opened and a small and very timid figure entered. She had a head full of light brown hair, in fact more than a head, it easily reached her waist, her clothes were a blue sweatshirt and a pair of jeans coupled with a pair of blue sneakers. I couldn’t see much of her face since her hair hid it and she was looking steadily at the floor. She sidled closer, as if uncertain of her really being allowed in here, and she stopped about midway between the door and my desk.


“Yes?” I inquired, I had no idea what her name was or why she was here, that she was a were was clear but other than that, I had no idea.


“Um… they told me I should talk to you.” She almost stammered to the floor.


“Who are they? And you for that matter?” Even though I was Ryttir and supposed to keep all weres’ interests in mind, I couldn’t read their minds, they had to tell me what they needed and wanted.


“I’m sorry… I’m Ulrica. And the others told me I could see you.”


“Well, if you tell me why they told you to come and see me maybe I can help you.” I tried sounding as gentle as possible, gentle isn’t a natural state for me, not any more.


“…erm… something happened… with one of the vampires… and she threatened me… and they said that they can’t do that… and that I shouldn’t just take it… and that they shouldn’t.” It took some puzzling to make out what she meant, using ‘them’ for two different groups of people in the same sentence like that isn’t advisable, it’s very confusing.


“Ulrica, I think I can help you but you have to tell me what happened. And what the name of the vampire in question is.”


“I don’t know… she is about this tall, blond hair and always dresses in pale cream and powder-blue.”


“That should be Camilla.” I said and I was suddenly even more alert. Camilla had been in trouble before for mistreating the weres, and she’d been punished for it, it would seem as if that punishment didn’t take. Another issue to discuss with father.


“I… I don’t know, I’m sorry.”


“Nothing to be sorry for. Please continue.” I tried to encourage her but she was still more interested in the floor, or possibly her own feet, than me and that worried me. Even Robin had dared to look at me, although he didn’t dare to meet my eyes.


“She… she told me to do some things I didn’t want too… horrible things, and then she told me to keep quiet… and not to speak to you about it.”


“Why did you choose to come to me despite that?”


“Because she made me do it again.” If possible Ulrica seemed to shrink into herself even more, her shoulders hunched and neck bowed.


“What exactly did she make you do?”


“She… I… shemademeeatahumanalive.” That last part was said in such a rush that I had trouble understanding it, she was also speaking very quietly. When I had deciphered it I couldn’t believe what I thought I’d heard.


“What?” I must have sounded very sceptical because she actually raised her head and looked at me for a short second before returning her gaze to the floor. It hadn’t been long but it had been long enough for me to notice her incredibly blue eyes, they were so dark and so intense, and so very scared.


“I’m sorry…. I had to eat someone… while he still lived. I didn’t want to but… but she just laughed and forced me to anyways… I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to.” She sounded very pleading and I could understand her, she hadn’t been forced to do it once, but twice. And though it sounded very strange, and very cruel, it also sounded like something Camilla was very likely to do.


“You know what? The others were very right in telling you to come here. I will see to it that it won’t happen again. You can return to your friends now, if you want to.” I had barely finished speaking before I heard a very small ‘thank you’ and saw Ulrica disappear out the door.


Ulrica had presented me with a serious problem, Camilla could not be allowed to continue her behaviour, but how to stop her? Add to that that Camilla, along with some of the other older and more tradition-bound vampires already disliked me and my authority over them, the little I had. I had thought, at first, that the members of the sect would be happy to have a Heir, if not only to take father’s place if something happened, but that hadn’t been the case. Well, some of them were, some were content and didn’t care either way, but some definitely weren’t happy with me. I don’t know exactly why and that really bothered me. Also, I didn’t know whether or not father knew about it but I hesitated to bring it up, it might be just another one of his ‘tests’.

Just as I was getting up to go to father, I’d finally decided that this was something he had to know about, and preferably soon, Emilio entered.


“Are you going somewhere?” He asked, possibly because I was standing right before the door he’d just opened with my arm stretched out before me.


“Eh… Yes. I was going to see Father, there are some problems with Camilla and the weres again.” And yes, I was still holding my arm out. I pretended I hadn’t noticed when I pulled it back, though Emilio’s smile indicated that he might have noticed something… damn.


“Her again?”


“Yes, and it has gotten worse, she made one of the weres eat a human alive.”


“Hasn’t anyone reported a human missing? Even if it’s one of the prisoners they must be accounted for.”


“She forced the were to do it twice so two humans should be missing. If it has been reported, it hasn’t been reported to me, which is all well. I’m not the one in charge of those particulars... which is a good thing. I have enough on my plate as it is.”


“You just think you do. Remember when you stood in for our Lord?”


“Yes, it was horrible. Now, will you come with me, or stay here?” I asked, he really didn’t have anything to do with this but I liked having him there. And there was usually some kind of reason behind him visiting me in the office, even if it was nothing more than a desire to see me.


“I will so that I can tell you the good news while we go there.” He acted the gentleman and held the door open for me. The good news would have to be rather short since it doesn’t really take a lot of time to walk to father’s office from mine.


“So what are the good news?” I asked as soon as he’d closed the door behind us.


“Grace decided that what Clay did was honourable so they have gotten back together and she has said she won’t trouble him over wanting to be a guard anymore.”


“That is excellent news, I’ve been kind of worried about them, they’ve always seemed a good match and I was sorry to see them fall apart. They deserve to be together.” I said and it was about the extent of that conversation because we had arrived at father’s door. His guards, however, weren’t here, instead they stood outside his private rooms and though I loathed to bring business to him while he was there, this business couldn’t wait. I did tell Emilio to stay in the corridor, I knew father wouldn’t mind me, overly much, but I didn’t know about Emilio.


“Alexis? Did something happen? It wasn’t really that long since I last saw you.” Father looked really comfortable in his favourite chair, though it looked very worn by now. He’d have to get it exchanged soon but he seemed to be enjoining it nonetheless. He was clothed in Dracula, or was it possibly Camrille, colours as always but his shirt was unbuttoned and he looked more relaxed than I’d seen him in a while.


“Father.” I said as I rose from the bow. “Something did happen, but it’s not connected to what happened yesterday.”


“No? Then was it is?”


“I hate to bring more work to you when you’ve retired for the day but something rather important came up and I’d like to talk to you about it, Father.”


“Please tell me. I trust you not to bring something unimportant, because as you said, I’ve retired for the day.”


“Thank you. One of the weres, Ulrica, came and told me that Camilla had made her eat a human, alive. She was quite distressed about this, and I can understand her. They weres aren’t here to be abused like that, Father.”


“You do not have to defend them in my presence Alexis.”


“Sorry Father.”


“But I do understand your concerns. Camilla has been warned before, for the very same thing, but it doesn’t seem as if we did enough to discourage her, and if that were is telling the truth it has gotten worse.”


“If, Father?”


“If, I don’t think any of them would lie, but it is a bit extreme even for Camilla.” Father said and got up and walked past me to the door. I think he was going to ask a guard to fetch someone but his eyes had obviously found Emilio. “Emilio, go fetch Friewalds, Nestod and Orvald,.” I heard Emilio murmur a positive answer before just hearing his soft footfalls move away. Most vampires move very silently and even with superior hearing it can be difficult to hear them. I’m not sure we move silently because being vampire makes it so or because of training or because it would echo something fierce in the rather bare stone corridors if we didn’t. Maybe it’s a cross between all three. Father turned his attention back to me.


“We’d better take this to the office. I allow you to take business in here, but I refuse to let anyone else.”


“Of course Father, and I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”


“I know. And I already said it was all right. You can stop worrying Alexis.” We got to his office, it’s really only next door so it’s not like it’s far. Father did notify the guards, of course, that took it with the same stoic silence they treated most things. Unless I was alone, when they would tease me indefinitely about some things. Since there was only one chair in the office and father didn’t seem inclined to fetch another one, or more accurately tell someone else to fetch one, I opted to stand slightly behind him and to the side. I would be ‘out of the way’ but still close enough to refer to, and my position also indicated that the meeting wouldn’t be between father and us but rather father, me and the others. It didn’t take long for the three advisors to arrive, not that I had expected anything else, really. They all kneeled as they entered and paid their respects to both father, and to my surprise, me.

Ooh, is the were lying, or half-lying, or quarter-lying or is Camilla really that foul? I guess someone's going to get the blame eventually *hopes it's not me*

An extra long chapter... just because I felt like it

“The Ryttir just notified me of an interesting problem and I want your help to solve this. Has any of the humans been killed or disappeared lately?”


“Not that I know of, Lord, and I checked them only yesterday.” Nestod, the vampire responsible for everyone’s health and wellbeing, said, slightly confused, but only slightly. Father didn’t really have a good track record when it comes to explaining things to his underlings.


“No you say?”


“Yes my Lord, no human has been killed the last month and none have been reported missing. It has been very quiet lately.”


“Strange.” Was all father said and I suddenly thought that I had committed a serious mistake.


“If I may, my Lord?” Father’s Housemaster, Friewalds, asked.


“Yes Friewalds?”


“Are those humans just the ones in the pens or are we talking about all humans in the coven? We have some visiting too, my Lord.” Maybe I would get out of this alive and unharmed after all.


“A very good question. Nestod?” The small brown-haired advisor looked worriedly at father, as if asking if any of this was her fault.


“Only those in the pens, Lord.” Nestod answered, looking slightly flustered. “Linnea should know about the visiting humans, at least how m any they are and where they live.”


“This is looking more and more like a formal meeting. Orvald you might as well fetch Evelyn and Merquise as well.” Father said and Orvald bowed and exited, supposedly to follow father’s orders.


“If I may ask, my Lord, why are you so interested in the humans?” Friewalds asked. He was possibly the only one, except for me, that would dare to ask father something like that. He had been father’s advisor for a very long time, mind, and I had no doubt he knew what he was doing.


“The Ryttir brought me some worrying news, news that includes the death of at least one human.” Father said, not the least bit annoyed with his advisor. I hoped I would become that good at reading father at some point. Father didn’t elaborate, however, and Friewalds didn’t ask anything more, until Orvald arrived with the other three vampires in tow. Linnea, an exact copy of her twin Nestod was carrying a pile of papers. Being keeper of records it wasn’t that surprising. Evelyn was dressed as impeccably as usual, her uniform clean and pressed and not a hair on her head out of place. Merquise, usually as well dressed as his general, had apparently been training when being called on because he was dressed in a training outfit rather than his uniform and his hair was braided back instead of hanging free.


“I brought information about the humans currently staying in the coven my Lord.” Linnea said when allowed back up from kneeling.


“Let me see them.” Father demanded, holding his hand out. Linnea carefully put the pile on the desk handing father only the top-most paper. Father frowned as he read the document, when he was done he passed it to me. According to this piece of paper there should be 15 humans living here as guests, for one reason or other. More than I expected but not really that many. The paper also told of their reason for being here, when they’d arrived, when they were scheduled to leave and where they were staying. There were a few odd notes in the margins about some of them but nothing really interesting to the case. Nothing in the way of ‘murder-victim-no-1-of-Camilla’s’. Why do clues never look that neat? It would make solving crimes so much easier.


“Are all those humans accounted for?” Father asked, a very good question I thought.


“I don’t know, my Lord, I only keep track of when they enter and when they leave not what they do, or don’t do in-between.”


“I see. I think we should look up on our human guests, it is, after all, in our best interest that they are comfortable during their stay here.” Father said and suddenly they were all preparing to leave.


“Lady, if I may?” Merquise asked me. It took a second or two to realised he wanted the paper still in my hand, the paper with the information about the human guests.


“Of course.” I answered and handed it to him, trying to look as if I hadn’t forgotten it at all… I’m not sure I was a hundred percent successful in that endeavour, though.


“Alexis, wait here with me.” Father said and I bowed in reply.


“Was forcing the were to eat a human the only thing Camilla did?”


“She did it twice and on top of that threatened Ulrica should she mention any of it to me, Father. The other weres convinced her otherwise, though, which is a good thing.” I replied.


“So if your were is telling the complete truth there should be at least two humans missing. Considering this is Camilla, I wouldn’t be surprised if even more humans are missing.” After that we fell quiet, to caught up in out own thoughts to worry about the other’s. I was certain Ulrica had been telling the truth, the weres wouldn’t lie to me, but what if there wasn’t any humans gone missing? Camilla could have gotten humans from anywhere; Ulrica hadn’t even said that it had happened inside the coven. Even if it had taken place on the inside, surely Camilla was resourceful enough to smuggle a pair of humans inside. The security is tight but I know for a fact that it isn’t perfect, I’ve been attacked by an assassin, something which should never be allowed to happen inside a coven. I was pretty worried about what would happen if all humans were accounted for, especially now since all father’s advisors but one had been called in to help. On top of that, I had disturbed father during his free time and even though he’d told me not to worry about it I couldn’t help worrying just a bit.


Merquise rather hasty entrance through the door startled us both, I think, but only I showed it. Father would never do something as crass as jump because someone opened a door a little too forcefully.


“My Prince, we are missing three humans. All of them part of the same entourage, that’s possibly why no one has reported them as missing.” Merquise hurriedly said, he started speaking before ha had gotten permission to do so. Albeit father didn’t seem to notice I was sure he had.


“That is not good. You are sure they aren’t just sight-seeing or something like that?”


“Of course, my Lord.”


“Where are the others?”


“Nestod and Linnea are on their way here, My Lord, they just wanted to check on something. Orvald is with them, Friewalds went to the kitchens to ask why no one had noticed that some of the humans hadn’t eaten in a long while. Your general is also heading in this direction though she took a roundabout route to alert some of the guards, and also ask them why non of them had noticed anything off, some of them were guarding that part of the guest ‘wing’.”


“Good. We had much to discuss and now I fear we have more.” Father said with something that could have been a sigh. “I never thought that Camilla could get into this much trouble, though it’s true that she is not the same person that begged us to take her in many years ago.”

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“She begged… sorry, Father, that’s a question for another time.” I said, and changed my mind even before I saw father’s expression.


“Yes it is.” Father replied. “Lets wait for the others until we do or decide anything.” He continued, as if we would do anything he didn’t approve of. And it isn’t as of he usually explained himself to anyone.


It didn’t take very long for the rest of them to arrive. They had been working for father for a long time and knew he wasn’t the most patient of men, or vampires. They were also very good advisors and they kept their things and people in order. The last one to arrive was, surprisingly, Evelyn. I’d thought that she’d the shortest route to travel and the easiest ‘mission’ but apparently that hadn’t been the case. Quite possibly the screaming at the ‘innocent’ guards that hadn’t noticed three humans missing had taken longer than I’d estimated. Father didn’t seem too troubled, though, and she didn’t arrive more than a couple of minutes later than Friewalds, who had made some yelling of his own if I knew him.


“So,” Father started as he looked at his advisors and most trusted vampires. “we have three missing humans, of which at least two are dead, and all this caused by Camilla who’s judgment has disappeared altogether. Why she would make a were eat a human, or where she got the idea of it, I do not know but I do know that this needs resolving. I tried to punish her before but it, obviously, did not work. And another important question, why did not anyone notice that the humans were missing before this?”


“Apparently the humans missing were supposed to visit Claudine, a friend of Camilla’s, and they left for her room just before a change of guards. The old ones assumed that they had arrived after the change and the new ones assumed they’d returned earlier. It isn’t a good explanation, or reason, but it is all I can offer my Lord.” Evelyn said, completely stone-faced, I had no idea what she thought about it but I could assume she hadn’t been all too pleased with the vampires on guard. Father was about as expressive as the wall behind him and I don’t know if this was better or worse than him showing anger or agitation or whatever he was feeling.


“Friewalds?” Was all he said.


“Food was delivered to their rooms and empty plates were left out for the cleaning-crew to retrieve. No one ever saw the humans, though.” The Camrille Housemaster offered. He was also not very expressive. I don’t know why they had all suddenly gone so stone-faced on me. I couldn’t help but to think that something else was happening here, outside of the… murder of the humans. Something bigger, something they all knew about without having to say anything out loud and I don’t know if they were excluding me because they didn’t want me to know or because they simply did not know that I didn’t understand. I couldn’t just ask them, either, it would have to wait unless they came out and told me.


“Alexis, go back to your office and see if you can find any more reports concerning abuse of the weres, you might want to speak to some of them face to face, too.”


“Yes Father.” I said and bowed before moving to the door and beyond. I didn’t know if he truly wished the information or if he just wanted me out of his hair so that they, the ‘grown-ups’, could discuss that which I didn’t understand. I didn’t want to doubt father but I also knew that I wasn’t aware of everything that was going on in the coven, and the vampire world in general, and that it was partly because of father’s involvement in what information was given me. This wasn’t really a subject I was comfortable thinking too hard about. It was also more likely to get me to wish that Emilio was here. That, on the other hand, was something easily rectified and before heading into my office I asked Emilio to accompany me. He did.


“So what are we looking for?” He asked, eyeing me when I handed him a pile of paperwork.


“Anything that seems fishy and is connected to the weres, or possibly humans but shouldn’t have ended up on my desk. And anything concerning Camilla and her band of accomplices is twice as interesting.” I answered, though I had already started to search through my own pile of reports. A soft silence spread then, only interrupted by the sounds of paper being moved and read.


An hour and a half later I was ready to throw in the towel, if I had had one… and if it had been allowed, which it probably wasn’t. Instead I sighed deeply and looked at Emilio, who was, of course, still reading avidly. Why couldn’t he ever tire of anything before I did?


“Have you found anything?” I asked, mostly to disturb him, I didn’t really think he had.


“Nothing relevant, though did you know that one of your weres has made an objection towards getting served mushrooms?”


“Eh… I did not.” I answered and stayed quiet for a while contemplating this. “Why?” I asked when my own mind couldn’t come up with a suitable answer. It wasn’t as if the were could choose not to eat the mushrooms, they did get enough food, didn’t they?


“She’s apparently afraid of getting poisoned.”


“Oh that makes sense… not.” That answer gave me a smile, a well deserved one, I thought. The smile was interrupted by a horrifying scream, a scream a recognised as Styx’s. I darted outside, Emilio close behind, to be met with the sight of Styx writhing on the floor in, something that looked like, terrifying pain. Something was very wrong and I hadn’t the faintest clue what. There was no blood, no bruising or anything else that could indicate damage or injuries, I was at a loss and so seemed everyone else.

Styx was writhing in pain on the floor and screaming his throat raw. His cries eventually became fainter and soon he became unconscious. He was naked, oddly enough, but that wasn’t what disturbed me, no it was that he was in pain like that but there wasn’t a mark on him. No where, nothing. The guards, and a few other vampires had gathered in the corridor after hearing his screams but they looked as lost as I did.


“Will one of you please fetch my Father?” I asked someone, anyone, I was keeping my eyes on Styx so I had no idea who went. This would be the second time, today, that father would get disturbed by me when not having work-time. Maybe it was a good idea not to go by myself.


“Here, I’ll carry him for you.” Emilio said and lifted Styx as if he didn’t weigh anything. Vampire strength is a good thing to have. Emilio carried the unconscious body of my servant into our rooms and carefully put him in our bed. It was disconcerting to see Styx hang like discarded dishrag, I wasn’t even sure he was only unconscious and hadn’t passed on yet. It’s hard to tell sometimes, it’s not like we have regular breathing or anything.


“Now what happened?” Father said. I’d missed his entrance so totally that I actually twitched when I heard his voice.


“We found him screaming and struggling on the floor outside my rooms. As you can see there are no visible signs of any injuries. I don’t know what happened, Father.”


“Hmm, it is puzzling, lets fetch a healer and get a human or were up here, he’ll need some blood to heal.” Father said and without getting directly ordered one of the guards left, presumably to fetch the healer, another left but turned the other way after exiting, presumably she was heading to get donor. The door to my rooms was still wide open and I could see, when my eyes shortly left Styx, that a lot of vampires had gathered outside. I didn’t really like to have an audience for this. Before I could do anything, though, my attention went back to Styx. He opened his eyes and mouth rather violently and screamed as his back arched in pain. A few agonised seconds later it looked as if he was going to pass out again, father tried to prevent it, though, by ordering him to ‘stay with us’. Yes, it sounded corny and cliché but it was the best we could do at the moment. Sandra soon arrived with a were in tow, if she’d gone to the pens to fetch a human it would have taken a lot longer. I was grateful she’d gone of the quickest alternative.


“Drink.” Father ordered in his most commanding voice and to my surprise Styx managed to bite down in the offered wrist and even swallow a bit but he keep convulsing, kept staring wide-eyed at me. He was asking me to help him and I had no idea how to, hopefully the healer would be here soon and we’d put everything right again. Styx convulsed a few more times before losing his grip on the writs and fainting once more. The healer arrived soon after that.


“What’s happening here, my Lord?” The healer asked, she did speak to father but all of her attention was on Styx, her patient. That earned her a big plus in my book. What would earn her a gold star was healing Styx, or at least telling me what was wrong with him.


“He’s having convulsions and suffers a great pain, though we cannot find a reason for it.”


“Good, good.” The healer answered, not listening at all, it seemed. She checked his eyes, his teeth, his reactions to certain stimuli but in the end she looked as puzzled as I felt.


“I actually have no idea what’s causing this.” The healer finally confessed, she was as confused as me, it was nice to know. But it was also scary, for if she didn’t know, then who did? “I can’t find any reasons for his symptoms, he rightfully shouldn’t behave this way, since there’s nothing wrong with him, unless there’s magic involved. Too bad we haven’t got anyone in the coven that knows about the arcane arts.” She continued to check on Styx while she talked and didn’t spare any attention for the rest of us.


“Who would have had the knowledge to up a spell of any kind on him, and if that case, why him? Why not my daughter or one of my advisors, or even myself?”


“I don’t know, my lord.” The healer had finally turned away from her patient to face the rest of us… well father at least. “I never claimed that it had to make sense. I was merely voicing an opinion based on the facts at hand. There is nothing wrong with his body, at least not as far as I can discern, and I though magic was the last viable option.” She used enough long words to make my head hurt but father looked pleased so I guessed it was alright.


“Unfortunately we don’t have any bloodworkers, magicians or even mages around to check if that is the case.” Father replied and that seemed to be the end of it. I just couldn’t help myself.


“Father, there is a mage in the coven, and at least two we can call upon to appear. Well, ex-mages is closer but they do know the theory of magic at least. That’s more than anyone else here does.”


“What are you talking about Alexis?”


“Rollsbo, the mage that turned into a vampire after the ritual to equalise the power, and his two compatriots who became weres.” I answered, trying very hard not to sound smug, I didn’t know if I succeeded.


“Yes, of course. It appears as if something good is going to come out of that adventure too. You seem to collect people, Alexis.”

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“Yes, of course. It appears as if something good is going to come out of that adventure too. You seem to collect people, Alexis.” I decided that that last statement didn’t deserve to be answered and so I didn’t.


It didn’t take long for someone to collect Rollsbo who looked wide eyed at the room, me, father, all the other vampires and, when he started convulsing again, Styx.
“I’m sorry… I don’t understand… I was asked here?” He ventured when no instructions seemed forthcoming.


“Oh, yes.” I answered after having given father ample time to do so, he didn’t seem inclined, though, so I did it myself. When thinking about it, I don’t think that Rollsbo had ever met with father so maybe it wasn’t very surprising that he didn’t recognise his ruler. Father didn’t approve of the ‘artificially’ made vampire and seemed to plain ignore him.


“As you can see, Styx here is in great pain and the healer can’t find any physical reasons for it being so. She propositioned that it might be magic involved and you’re the vampire most knowledgeable in the arcane arts.” I patiently explained, well, I thought it patient since Styx was still convulsing and it made me ill to see.


“I can’t… I don’t have any magic left.” He confessed while wringing his hands and looking worriedly at Styx, then up at me, then over to Emilio who hovered close to Styx, to father who kept an eye on everyone, back to Styx.


“I know you don’t, you’ve told me so before, but you still have the knowledge, don’t you?” I answered, not really being comfortable. On top of what was happening to Styx there was far too many people in my rooms, rooms that were usually my sanctuary from them. I couldn’t just tell them to leave, though. And some of them had been helpful, but still, they were too many and too close and Styx had lost consciousness again and Camilla was out there somewhere and father had kept something important secret from me and I was worried about when that was going to bite my but and Ellionora was somewhere and she was Emilio’s master and I should really stop thinking in circles now.


“Well… yes. But I won’t be sure if I can’t feel alien energy.” He said, a bit more sure of himself. He had every right to be, he was the ‘expert’ as it were and thus we all turned to him, figuratively speaking. Styx still held our eyes.


Rollsbo began checking over Styx in a way very similar to what the healer had done earlier. He muttered to himself while doing so but I couldn’t make anything out, he was either using foreign words or a foreign language, I wasn’t sure which. He poked and prodded and lifted and turned, all while his frown became more and more severe.


“Have you found anything?” I asked when he appeared to have finished. He looked straight at me, doing something he knew really had given his confidence a boost.


“I can’t say for sure until I’ve seen the place where you found him.” He said, short and to the point. Maybe this would make it end, I really believed that Rollsbo could cure whatever ailed my servant.


“Of course,” I said. “we only have to clear some of the people from there, first.”


“I’ll take care of it Alexis. There are too many spectators to this as it is.” Father said and before he even ended the second sentence most of the vampires had begun to scatter. Only the important people stayed, such as our guards and the healer.


I showed Rollsbo where we’d found Styx and he examined the floor and the walls and the door at least as closely as he’d scrutinised the vampire in question earlier.


“Could I possibly have a couple of white beeswax-candles and a handful of rags, half of them drenched in saltwater and the other half in water tainted with blood?”


“What kind of blood?” Father asked, for the first time looking directly at the being he still considered a felony against the laws of nature.


“Um… human I suppose… never done this with anything else.” He said, he started self-assured, almost cocky but soon wilted under the gaze of his High Prince. Father only nodded and glanced at Steven who left immediately to fetch the things that had been requested. I didn’t understand what he needed them for but it was clearly for some strange magic purpose. I was kind of happy that something was finally done to save Styx, to make him better.


Steven soon returned with the things Rollsbo had asked for, but instead of just soaked rags he carried two bowls, I presume that one contained saltwater and the other water mixed with blood, filled with rags. He also had two candles and a box of matches in a pocket.


“I hope this is enough.” He said as he set the bowls down before the ex-mage before reaching back and handling him the candles and the matches too.


“It should be.” Rollsbo answered, I glared at him until he added a ‘thank you’. He was soon immersed in his work, however, and I think he blanked the rest of us out. He carefully picked up both candles, choose one at random, or perhaps one of them was just superior to the other and he started to carve symbols in the candle-wax. When finished he lighted the other candle, let one drop of wax fall unto the floor and pressed the candle into that drop, thus he’d made himself an instant candleholder. He picked up one of the rags from the saltwater bowls and twisted it to get the excess water out before lighting the rune-covered candle on the lighted one and then using the rune-candle to light the strip of cloth the rag was made of. It smoked, badly, but it burnt, and Rollsbo seemed to be tracing figures in the air using the smoke. He used a few more of the saltwater rags before choosing those with blood and water, mixed, and he repeated the process of drawing in the air using smoke. There was also a lot of chanting being done.


Finally he seemed to be done; he blew out the candles and started to get up while brushing off the knees of his trousers.

“As far as I can say there has been no magic wrought here. I might be mistaken, the loss of my powers might have affected me to the degree where I can no longer perform rituals like this but it seemed to be working.” He said, all in one breath. I must confess that I was disappointed, I had, kind of, been hoping that it’d be magic because that’d mean that we could move on, find a cure, even though that might mean that we’d have to call in help from the outside. Now, we still had no idea what was wrong with Styx and thus I couldn’t do anything to help him and it was… hard. I do not enjoy feeling powerless, and I enjoy seeing my subjects in pain even less. And I had no idea what to do next, if it wasn’t physical and it wasn’t magic, what, then, could cause this much pain?


“Alexis!” Father’s voice suddenly cut through the haze my thought had left me in.


“Um… yes, Father?” I managed after a few tries, I’m not always as gracious and well spoken as I wish I could be. That’s really unfair, at least in my opinion.


“Did your search provide any results?” He asked, looking as if he’d asked the question before; he was also speaking in an overly clear manner that confirmed my suspicions in the matter.


“Not really, Father, but we also didn’t have time to go through everything. Maybe I should just talk to the weres directly.” The last bit was mostly me thinking out loud, a bad habit but one have yet to free myself off.


“Do that but make sure you have Emilio and Merquise are nearby at all times, on top of your regular guard.” So it wasn’t just me that had been unnerved by the recent proceedings, and for some reason, all of them had been aimed at me, directly or indirectly. Hadn’t they done anything but plot my demise while I’d been gone?


“Of course, Father.” I said and nodded my head once, to show that understood his concern and that I shared it and wouldn’t try to ‘lose’ my guards, something that I’d done a time or two in the past. I was anxious enough to actually appreciate the extra comfort another strong guard provided, I might be foolhardy and hasty at times, but even I could recognise the trouble we were now facing. Also, a lot of people with connections to me had been hurt in one way or other and maybe, maybe we could prevent something, anything, more to happen. Probably a futile hope, but as always when it comes to hope, even a little can go a long way towards making you feel a lot better.


As I’d had enough excitement to last me a while I decided that I needed some rest before tackling this new assignment. The only thing that stood in my way was the fact that Styx was still in my bed and he’d just woken up and started screaming again. The healer saw me looking forlornly at Styx and she approached cautiously.


“Lady Alexis, if I may be so bold, I think that Styx would be better off in a room by himself. It’d also make it easier for me to do what I can to ease his pain.” She said, an odd mix of respectfulness and authority in her manner.


“Of course, it’d be easier on us all, I think. Just make sure to place a guard outside, I don’t want any more harm to come to him. Also, I’d like to be notified of where this room is, and, of course, of any changes in his condition.”


“Certainly. If you don’t mind, I can ask one of the guards to take him there now, and that guard can then stay with him.”


“Hm, yes. That sounds acceptable.” I said and looked hard at the collected group of guards that still stood outside the door. “One of you will help the healer.” Was all I said, I trusted them to decide who was leaving amongst themselves.


I did not rest well, and yes, that means that I did manage to get at least a little bit of sleep. I think I dreamed, unusually as it was, but I can’t remember about what. I just awoke with this impression of a black and white tiled floor, the kind that resembles a chessboard, and tan, or possibly brown, fur. I couldn’t recall anything from the actual dreams, except those expressions and a vague feeling of uneasiness. Vampires do not dream often, if at all, as we do not really sleep. What we do is closer to a coma, or even true death, than the sleep of mortal beings, and because of that dreams are very rare. I don’t know why but I’d retained my ability to dream, I’d had very vivid and detailed dreams when still human, but I dreamt very seldom and could never remember what had happened. As far as I knew, no other vampire in the coven dreamt.


Emilio must have noticed that I’d awoken and had decided to stay that way because he approached the bed carrying something. I know for a fact that I’d gone to sleep with him beside me but he’d either been as restless as me or he hadn’t allowed himself to fall asleep, so that he could stay on guard.


“Alexis, this was delivered to you earlier. I didn’t want to wake you up for something this small, you needed the sleep more.” ‘This’ appeared to be a letter, it didn’t have an envelope, it was just a single sheet of paper, folded twice. I took it and started reading; it didn’t take long since the message wasn’t very long.


Lady Alexis

I know things look dreary at the moment, and I would have preferred to be there with you, at this time. But, alas, that cannot be, it is my time to be here, and so I will be. I just had to offer you some advice, that is, after all, what a seer should do.

Don’t stop searching for a way to help Styx, even though it may feel futile. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, and most importantly, if you find the connection, the very important but very well hidden link you will find the answer. But be careful when you do, the link does not want to be found, and will do most anything to stay hidden.

Seer Valin

Did she have to confuse me like that? Couldn’t I have gotten a letter which said something like ‘look under the third rock to the left and you’ll find a cure’? That would have made things so much easier. Instead what I got was vague promises and a sliver of hope, a hope that was almost crushed when I realised that Styx wasn’t here. It took a second or two for me to remember that he’d been moved to a room of his own. Emilio’s voice took me out of my reverie.


“Are you just going to stand there or am I going to get to know what the letter says?” I should have known he’d be as curious as I usually is.


“It’s from Seer Valin, she’s her usual cryptic self. Here, you can read it for yourself.” I said and handed the letter over; it wasn’t as if there were any dark or personal secrets in there. While he skimmed through the content of the letter I went to the large wooden dresser and picked out something for me to wear. I missed Styx even more as I did so, it was usually his task to pick out clothes for me to wear, mostly because I’m horrible at it myself. Also, come to think about it, I’d never thought I could get used to having, what amounts to, a manservant, but still, here I was, missing him.


When I looked back into the room, having chosen the outfit of the day, I glanced at Emilio who, in turn, was looking at me with a pensive expression.


“What?” I said, after first having checked I hadn’t picked something strange out of the closet because I was out of practice.


“Nothing, just admiring the view.” He answered, trying to jest it away, but I could see that there was something else bothering him, but I didn’t feel like pressuring him into telling me, it wasn’t that important. There were lots of more urgent happenings: Styx, Camilla, Fuxerna, missing humans, Styx, the whole aborted mission thing and, of course, Styx.

The night progressed way too slowly for my tastes. I didn’t make any headway with which of the weres had eaten the third human, and as far as I knew none of the weres had left the coven since the humans had arrived. Camilla had been taken into custody by father and was currently ranting some not so very nice things about me, I’d been down there for a minute and that was all I needed. I don’t particularly like getting insulted, but father had pronounced her untouchable until a sentence had been passed. And on top of everything else, a messenger had arrived from the room where the healer had stowed Styx. Apparently they had tried to give him vampire blood to speed up healing, it hadn’t helped. Well, he’d woken up but when he was awake he was in just as great amount of pain as before so it was preferable that he stayed unconscious.


There was one positive thing, since it wasn’t negative I counted it as positive to regain some of the balance of this week. Fuxerna hadn’t showed her face, nor spoken to anyone, that I knew of. Small mercies and all that. Emilio had faithfully stayed by me the whole time from when I got up until now, when I was perched in my favourite chair. He’d acted a bit tense, I think I’ll blame father’s request for that, it can’t be an easy burden, choosing between your master and your High Prince… and Rector Lamia, but I’m not sure that even the Rector Lamia could tell someone to confront their sire.


The oppressing silence had gone on for too long, so I decided to break it.


“I think I’ll go and feed.” I said, most anything but sitting here in the quiet doing nothing but driving each other up the walls.


“I’ll come. And don’t forget you have class with Raphael later.” He stood as I did it. I had really hoped that the class would get cancelled, but no such luck. I must have groaned, Emilio looked at me funny.


“His classes are important for you. You seem to forget that you need to know this, you’ve got obligations.” He even managed to look stern while he said it, though he didn’t stop me from exiting the door.


“I know, but do they have to be so boring and tedious?” I managed to add a whine to my normal tone, maybe not the way heirs are supposed to talk but at the moment I didn’t care.


“He’s teaching vampiric law and customs, even the name is boring.” Emilio knew that joking was the best way to get me out of a mood. Nothing remarkable happened on the way to the pens, and they were rather quiet this time of night. No, the thing that made this time differ from all the rest was that I’m certain I saw Stig on the way back. You know, the man who had been charged with teaching me how to fight with knives among the slayers. I did a double take but when I reached the hallway he’d disappeared into there wasn’t anyone in sight. I couldn’t have seen him, though. Stig was human, and a slayer on top of that, so there should be no way in h*ll he could possibly have been here, but I’m sure I it was him I’d seen. Emilio took my backtracking with good humour and didn’t laugh, kudos to him, at my bewildered expression.


“Come, lets get back to our rooms.” Was all he said, though I saw the little smile, it didn’t matter, I was more mystified by this random appearance of a man I was sure I’d never see again.


I think it was my imagination but Raphael’s class wasn’t as dull as they usually are. I suspect he even tried to joke once, I’m not certain though, but I didn’t dare to laugh. Emilio had, as usually, made himself scarce but he arrived just before the lesson was to end.
“Come Alexis, I have a treat for you.” He smiled that mysterious smile of his, and Raphael didn’t even get annoyed with the interruption.
“What?” I was surprised, I wondered what he meant by a treat and what that treat would be.


“No-o, I can’t tell you now, it’d spoil the surprise. Raphael, would you like to join us?”


“Unfair.” Was my comment to that.


“If Lady Alexis or you do not mind, I would like to.” Raphael said, very correctly. He’s the only person, or maybe vampire, that speaks RP, no one else bothers. I was so curious I was almost bouncing instead of walking. I’ve mentioned being curious before, haven’t I? Emilio just smiled at my, rather lame, attempts to get him to tell me what the treat/surprise was. Even Raphael seemed to take it in good stride. Usually he’d reprimand me for not behaving as I ought to.


It looked as if we were heading towards the guard’s training rooms, but that couldn’t be right, could it? I hadn’t been here since my month with the guard, there were other training rooms that I used when fighting someone, or more correctly, getting my arse kicked. I mostly felt like I did no progress at all, in fighting, because anyone who they’d let me fight was so superior I didn’t stand a chance. Since I’d complained to Emilio they had gotten better to point out that I was making progress, mostly this was done when I was on my back with someone holding me down in one of many painful ways. I still wanted to win, though. I’m not usually a sore loser but never winning kind of gets to you.


I hadn’t been mistaken, we were going to the guard’s training rooms. I wonder why we were here and what it had to do with my treat and why any treat of mind would be given here, of all places. Did I mention I was curious?

How many words has the whole Camrille story gotten to so far, Sofia?

About 150 ro 160 000 words, something. I get rather shocked when I realise how much that is, really.

But it helps with essays for Uni, I don't think that 1000 word essays are very long, unlike my friends.

Fabulous.

Thank you so much!!!

I know I haven't updated this in a while, and I really haven't got any good reasons for it. Except that Uni's stupid, I'm training and the boyfriend doesn't have word on his comp! Enough of that, more story


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In the room there was a, to me, unknown vampire waiting on the mats. There were also quite a few guards in attendance, more than usual, really. Not even when I¨’d spent a month training down here had there been so many vampires gathered to laugh at me. Thirty people, or so, were here now, something was up.


“Greetings Lady Alexis Dracula, Heir of Camrille.” The unknown said, he was wearing a rather flattering blue and silver tunic, yes tunic, and soft looking black trousers. He was fair of skin, not unusual in a vampire, I know, and his hair was chestnut which shone in the torch-light.


“Um… I am afraid I cannot greet you as graciously as you greeted me, unfortunately I do not know your name.” Yes, I kind of panicked, something was up and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a ‘treat’.


“Allow me to introduce myself, I am Aldrich Vanteerhofven, Heir of Schinsent.” He said with a bow. What was he doing here? This courtier from the middle ages, and why hadn’t I know of it earlier? Shouldn’t there have been a formal greeting and introduction where my father would have greeted him in before the entire coven? Why down here in the training room, with an audience, and how did they get Emilio to drag me here? I didn’t like this situation one bit.


“It is my pleasure, Lord Aldrich Vanteerhofven.” I said… and bowed, I still don’t know how to curtsey, I think I offended him but my curtseing would have been even more offensive.


“You are probably wondering what I am doing here.” I waited for him to continue but he didn’t, it was kind of annoying.


“I have to agree that you have aroused some curiosty, yes.”


“I have heard great stories about the prowess of the Heir of Camrille and I wanted to find out if the stories were true. Infiltrating the slayers, twice, solving mystiers that confunded experienced and old Vampire lords, and deafeating a challenger of your father’s. I just had to see this person in the flesh.” His speech, yes I dubbed it a speech, was even accompanied by a dramatic, if not theatralic, pose.


“Eh… how nice.” I said, just a tad bit of sarcasm could be heard.


“Yes, is it not? Me, an outstanding dueller, has digned you, young as you are, worthy of a duel.” It took time for me to put all the pieces of that sentence in their rightfull places. I didn’t like it one bit, and I got quite annoyed with Emilio for dragging me into this.


“So what am I supposed to do now?” I asked and looked at my guards imploringly.


“I’ll fight you, of course. And defeat you.” Aldrich said, completely, or possibly happily, unaware of the fact that I hadn’t been speaking to him.


“Do I have any say in the matter?” A lot of heads shaking answered that question pretty fast. “So how do we do this? What rules are there?”


“The rules are close to that of a real challenge, except that it is to first blood rather than to the death. No guns allowed.” Aldrich added as an afterthought. Apparently he had heard the stories, but I wonder what those stories really said. I walked close to him to get inside the marked square on the matted floor. The square measured about eight meters, a yellow marking against the otherwise yellow mats. One of the guards on the side threw Aldrich a sword, in a sword sheath, a long thin rapier type of sword.


“You’re much shorter than I thought.” Aldrich told me, I didn’t reply, I didn’t dare to.


Apparently Clay had been selected to be the judge of this little ‘friendly’ duel. I don’t care to call anything involving knives and cutting friendly. But as had already been made clear to me, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Stylishly dressed in an all over white, Clay stepped onto the mat with us, while carrying the glinting knife that would signal the start of the duel. If I wasn’t mistaken it was the very same knife that had been used to start the challenge I had, barely, survived. Maybe they had a special, ceremonial knife used only for this, and maybe I should start focusing on the fight because Clay had already thrown the knife into the air.


Like last time I focused on my opponent rather than the knife, he’d be a much better indicator to when this would get violent. Unlike last time, however, Aldrich didn’t rush forward, instead he advanced more slowly, cautiously, he did pull his sword, though, with a swishing sound. Its pointy end glinted evilly. I pulled one of my knives, as you do when someone with malicious intent advances on you with sharp, pointy objects.


I learnt something important that day. Rapiers and the likes might look fancy, and they might work when the other party also uses something similar but when pitched against someone with knives and who’s used to fighting very close to the opponent-they suck. Rapiers, maybe it even was an epee, I’m not sure, are made for thrusting, it’s kind of hard to thrust a sword into someone whose inside the reach of the weapon, it gets awkward fast. I didn’t advance at first, I’d never fought anyone with a thin sword before, I was content to wait him out, wait for him to come to me.


He did attack, I blocked it easily while sidestepping to avoid the parry that never came. That kind of threw me for a second or so but he never noticed, or never took advantage of it. He did the very same thing a few times more and his expression got more and more surprised for every lunge he did and missed.


“Maybe I underestimated you.” He said. “Maybe there is some grain of truth in the stories about you after all.” He attacked again, before I had a chance to reply, but it was executed in the same horrendous way as the previous one. I wasn’t sure what was happening. I knew that this vampire was much older than me and he fought very badly despite his high opinion of himself. A few more minutes flew past with him executing one bad lunge after another and me blocking them. I threw a glance or two at Emilio and Clay but none of them gave any indication of what was really going on. I finally grew tired of the charade and after the next block I twirled, overly dramatic but still, and made a small cut in his ear.


Aldrich startled at the sudden stinging pain and the feeling of blood running down his neck, ears bleed a lot, even on vampires, and I had been using a silver knife.


“This can’t be!” He exclaimed while it looked as if he’d break down and cry at any moment. He never did, which I was glad for, I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself if he had. Clay stepped in to diffuse the last wisps of confusion I had.


“I declare this duel finished in favour of Lady Alexis Dracula.” Some cheering occurred but mostly to conceal snickers, I suspected.


“Thank you.” I said, to all and everyone while I stepped out of the square ring we’d been fighting in. I took a firm hold of Emilio’s shirt and dragged him out of the room.


“What was that all about?” I was just a mite bit annoyed with him, it might have bled through to my voice.


“A treat.” He said while looking smug.


“That was no treat, that was a farce.”


“You complain when you can’t defeat your opponents and now you complain when you do defeat them. There’s no pleasing you, is there?” He said and despite his words his tone was jokingly.


“I simply want to know what is going on. Who was that clown? How did he get in here? Why didn’t you warn me?”


“He is who he said he was, the spoiled Heir of Sophie Vanteerhofven, Lord of Schinsent. In all of his 254 years as vampire no one has bested him in a fight out of fear of his Sire, until now, of course. We wanted you to get your chance to beat someone in a fight, but it was also a warning, this is what you could end up as, we’re trying our best to prevent it but…”


“I get your point Emilio, loud and clear. And I don’t ever want to end up like that… peacock.” I used the nicest word I could think of at the moment. The warning had been a bit over the top, I though, I mean, I wasn’t heading that way, was I? I spent at least some time every day practicing against opponents stronger and better than me. It’d take a long time before I’d forget this day.


“And before you can ask, High Prince Dracula knew of Lord Aldrich’s whereabouts, you can’t hide anything inside the coven from him. I guess it amused him, though, to go through with it, or else he would never have allowed it.

“That might be true, on the other hand, I have no idea what really amuses my Father.” I said, and it was the truth, he seemed to be amused by the strangest things. And he kept being unamused by things I did, like bringing artificially made vampires to the coven, ‘recklessly’ jeopardising my life for small things and of course me getting involved in secret underground societies that shouldn’t exist. I didn’t get it.


“I don’t think anyone does. But enough about that, lets go visit Styx at the healer’s.” Emilio answered me, steering me of to the right.


Styx was unconscious when we arrived, not that I had expected anything else. Or maybe I had hoped rather than expected, I didn’t like the way he screamed when he was awake and the other option… I didn’t even want to think about it. The healer who had showed us in left with warnings against waking her patient, I didn’t think it possible but still. I just stood in silence barely touching Styx’s arm, Emilio stood nearby but not too close to disrupt my moment with the fledgling.


“He looks so small like this.” I said, and he did, there was a certain lack of… Styx-iness about him, it made everything even worse. And then I pricked my hand on something. When I looked at it, it looked as if I’d gotten a small silver-burn, but that couldn’t be. All I had been doing was stroking Styx’s arm. As I began to stroke the arm again I felt it once more, there was definitely something wrong with Styx’s arm. Looking closer I could locate a small, tiny place where the skin was slightly reddened and where I got burned, again.


“Emilio, call the healer.” I said, and he did. The healer came very soon, not having been far away, perhaps she’d been worried we’d wake her patient up, perhaps not.


“Feel this.” I said and put her hand at the small spot I’d found earlier.


“That is very strange.” The healer said before starting to mutter to herself about something and we were promptly showed out of the room. Worried about what it was that I had found I couldn’t leave, instead I sat myself down on the floor next to Styx’s room. Emilio looked at me, that way.


“Are you sure you ought to be sitting on the floor?”


“What? Isn’t the floor good enough for vampire princesses? I answered, a bit miffed.


“There are chairs.” He said, pointing them out. But I didn’t want a chair, they were too far away and I was afraid that if we made any kind of noise the healer would find us and tell us to go away.


The following half an hour or so was filled with healers and other vampires moving back and forth between Styx’s room and wherever it is healers usually go. I continued to sit on the floor, if I’d stood up I’d started pacing and that really isn’t befitting of my station. It wasn’t until father entered the small ward that I stood, to bow of course.


“What were you doing on the floor Alexis?” He asked.


“I seemed to be out of the way, Father.” I tried, which I had been, well, no one had stepped on me for the entire time I sat there.


“Hmm.” Was all he replied, and for that I’m glad because my reasoning wasn’t that good. “What is going on?” He asked instead, taking the bustling and hustling healing-vampires with his usual calm. He didn’t even say anything when they didn’t show his the common deference, maybe healers were an exception, though I haven’t heard of any rules like that.


“I found something on Styx’s arm, it burnt me, and as far as I can tell that is now what they are working on, Father.” I replied. It didn’t sound like much but it was all I knew, a few of the healers and assorted other personnel had spoken while passing us by but I really hadn’t understood any of it.


The three of us passed a few minutes more in uneasy silence, mostly because none of us really knew what to say. I don’t think that father worried about Styx as much as he worried about a new, or unknown, threat to his vampires. And if they didn’t know what it was he couldn’t do anything about it, and whatever else you might say about the Rector Lamia, he does take his commitments seriously. At long last a nurse or something came towards us with a small thing placed on a piece of green cloth.


As she drew nearer I could discern that the mysterious object was a thin slice of metal, maybe a needle or something similar. When it became obvious that she had intended to find us we crowded together, well, Emilio and I did, Father just stood and got crowded about. The nurse managed a perfect curtsey, show-off, while holding the cloth out for inspection.


“We found this, Lord Dracula.” The nurse said, apparently ignoring me, but I was okay with that at the moment. “Or rather, we found several of these needles, made of silver, inside the blood vessels of Styx. So far we’ve found seven of them, but they are looking for more. The silver reacted to the blood, of course, and the stronger the blood, the worse the reaction. I’m sad to say that we didn’t feed him anything but vampire blood here, because he became steadily worse, and we though he needed the strength.” She said, and I doubt that she’d know this much if she was just a nurse.


“A sophisticated kind of torture.” Father said, and I couldn’t but agree. I didn’t fault the healers for giving Styx vampire blood, they hadn’t know what was wrong and when something does happen to a vampire blood is often the best cure. The one big question was now how those needles had entered Styx’s body, and who’d put them there.

Ahah!
thanks Myn!

AHHH! It's alive!


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Styx had to stay at the healers’ for observation. I guessed they wanted to be sure that they’d gotten all of the devilish little silver needles out of him. Or, maybe it was because he hadn’t regained consciousness yet.

Emilio and I strayed back to our rooms, they were still Styx-less, but that would be fixed soon, at least we hoped it would. When we got there we just sat down, both of us very quiet. I couldn’t understand why someone would want to do this to another being. I know my morals nowadays differed from those I’d had as a human. Violence was pretty much part of my daily life now, I feed off of the blood of humans… if that doesn’t count as strange…well, it ought to.

I’ve tortured, I’ve killed, I’ve assassinated, but why would someone come up with a method like the one used on Styx and use it? And leave the poor guy to be found outside the door? What was the point?

My thoughts continued to twirl like exited puppies, but like puppies, they didn’t give me any clear answers. During some part of my inner monologue, if it could be called that, Emilio had gone to find himself a book to read. I didn’t mind, but it shocked me to realise I hadn’t noticed. Could this thing with Styx really put me this severe a funk? That thought brought me to a frustrating halt, more questions, nothing but more questions. I needed to do something before those questions multiplied again.

I rose… but uncertain of what to do next. Emilio came to the rescue, not like a knight in shining armour, no, rather more like a vampire in leathers.

“Let’s go.” He said and strode towards the door, but he halted and turned around before reaching it. “You might want to change into another shirt.” He added.

I nodded in all seriousness and did as he’d suggested. Then I went and joined him by the door.

It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. He led me to one of the sparring rooms. Well there I assumed he’d spar with me, blowing off some steam didn’t sound like a bad idea. Actually, I rather liked the idea of taking some of my frustration out on him, even though I’d probably end up second best.

Once again he surprised me, my Emilio. Instead of placing himself as my opponent, he cajoled Clay into doing it.

An hour later and I wasn’t sure if I was hating Emilio or loving him. The sparring, though it was closer to a real fight than a true spar, had been intense, painful (at least on my behalf) and just what I needed. I ached all over, but in a good way. I limped away, after making it plenty clear to Clay that we were done for the day, and stood next to Emilio who looked very pleased with himself.

“You know, I can’t figure out whether to kiss you or to punch you. Unfortunately, I just can’t seem to make my body do anything but standing up at the moment.” I said, standing about three inches from Emilio.

“Well then, I’ll just have to take that kiss myself now, won’t I?” He said and promptly did. After he’d kissed me he looked at me and I did my best kicked-puppy impression. He seemed to get the idea and we walked, staggered, back to our rooms where I fell into bed, via the shower.

The next morning Styx was returned to us, to my pleasure and annoyance. I’d gotten used to having Styx around, then I’d been gone from the coven for almost a year, and I’d unlearnt how to live with him so close all the time. I’d just started to get back into the comfortable zone with him again when he’d fallen down screaming outside the door. But still, having him back, even though we were probably going to be stumbling over each other for a while, meant that everything was all right, that everything was as it’s supposed to. Life could go back to normal, or at least what passed for normal for me.

Someone once told me not to tempt fate, I think my relief about the fact that Styx was getting back had somehow been counted into the category of ‘temptation’. Just a day after Styx’s return, I once again saw a familiar face in the hallways. Was I going insane or did Stig, the weaponsmaster from one of the Slayer schools really sneak around inside the coven? And if he did, how could he do that undetected. But as last time, as soon as I’d thought I’d seen him, he’d disappeared again.

I didn’t have time to point him out to anyone, and if I’d had the time, no-one would know what I was talking about, since no-one but me had seen him. But before I could even ponder this properly, I almost ran into another character I wished I’d never see again. Ellionora was standing outside the door to my office wearing a cute little dress, a complicated hair-do and a very sinister smile. This did not look good.

“Hello.” I politely stated. I know father’d told me to keep away from her, but at the same time, I couldn’t be rude to her, well, not that rude. “Did you want anything?” I added when it became apparent that she wasn’t going to answer.

“How did this happen?” She hissed at me. The guards were now moving this way, they’d stayed at the other door, the one to my rooms, but I think they saw or sensed that something was wrong here.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” I offered her, and indeed I didn’t. I really had no clue what she was talking about but I was pretty sure I didn’t want to have this conversation in the hallway.

“Emilio.” She said. “He’s supposed to be mine.”

“Theoretically he’s supposed to be his own.” I answered. “Are you sure you want to have this conversation here?”

“Don’t come dragging with some kind of modern idea of social equality. You know it doesn’t work. And why wouldn’t I want to have this conversation here? Do you really think I’ll be ashamed of anything I have to say?”

“No, I don’t think you’d be. And I know that we can’t work like humans, we’re not after all, are we? But that doesn’t keep me from believing that everyone here has equal value. Except for Father that is. No one would doubt his value.” I’d added the last as an afterthought, though it was true.

Ellionora looked at me with contempt shining in her eyes. Actually her whole person seemed to look down on me.

“That’s easy for you to say, being privileged and all. Being born, off all things, and as a daughter and heir of Dracula, how could you become anything but spoiled?”

I sighed. This was turning out to a conversation I really didn’t want to have in the hallway. Mostly because the guards, who were now were Ellionora and me were standing, were starting to look upset. And despite the fact that I know I was somewhat privileged, I’d worked hard for some of the things I’d gained. Others had been given me without consent.

“You know, Father asked of me to keep away from you. I was trying to be polite and try to not step on your toes. Apparently that’s not going to work. Instead, I’ll follow Father’s advice now. Good day to you.” I said and started moving towards the door. I wasn’t surprised to see her move to block my way.

“This conversation isn’t over until I say it is. You’re not going anywhere.” She hissed. She really wasn’t on my list of favourite persons, she’d never be. But it seemed that she was also not on the favourite lists’ of my guards either. Clay inserted himself between Ellionora and me, thus letting me reach the door.

“By the way, Ellionora, a conversation takes at least two people. When one decides not to join in anymore, it becomes a one man rant.” I looked at Clay. “Don’t let her in. If anyone else wants or needs me, I’ll be here for a couple of hours, they’re welcome, but she isn’t.”

As I seated myself at my desk, which was almost overflowing with paperwork once again, I couldn’t help but to hope that father wouldn’t go spare about how I’d handled this weird master of Emilio’s.

AHHH! How has it been over a since since the last installment? I only just managed to survive the wait!

*imprisons Myn in her Igloo with nothing to do but write and upload Camrille*

By some kind of miracle no one disturbed me and I’d actually managed to bring some order to all the papers on my desk. That is to say, I’d not actually done or read any of it, but it was at least in order. I had a starting point. I stuck my head out the door to warn the guards I was going to leave and found a possible reason for the lack of disturbances. Ellionora was still there. Well, not that I minded that much, I still could get to my other rooms through the back door. I just hope she hadn’t scared anyone with anything important to say off.

“I’m leaving.” I told the guards, pointedly ignoring Ellionora, who was looking rather irate at the moment. I closed and locked the door from the inside and went and hid in the comfort of my main room.

Emilio was waiting for me when I got there, he was back early from teaching. Or maybe he’d run into the same vampire I had. He didn’t look as if he’d been having a good time.

“Hello. What’s up?” I asked him, trying to be gentle. I’m usually not good at that. I didn’t get a reply other than a soft sigh and a small shake of his head.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with your master hanging around outside my office, does it?” I tried. That got a reaction from him.

“She did what?!” His head jerked up and he looked at me, angrily, as if it was my fault. I kind of knew he didn’t mean it.

“For all I know she’s still there. I assumed she’d been speaking to you because she started babbling something about how you’re supposed to be hers. I disagreed.”

“She’s partially right.” He said, in a defeated tone of voice I’d never heard him use before. “She made me, she’s my master, in a small way she owns me.”

“She does not. It’s true you’re her childe, but that doesn’t make you hers, not in that way. At some point all children leave their parents.”

“Please Alexis, don’t argue with her. It won’t do anything.” He looked imploringly at me while he spoke.

“I’m not sure I can avoid it, you know that it’s in my nature to argue about these kind of things.”

“Please, Alexis, I’m begging you, don’t aggravate my master.” Now Emilio was starting to scare me. I don’t think he’d ever begged me to do anything. He’d asked, ordered, cajoled, black-mailed, anything but begging.

“I’ll try, Emilio. I’ll do my best to stay away from her, I’ve promised the same to Father. But it’s difficult to stay away from someone who wants you to not to stay away from her.” I said and moved closer to him. His face held a vulnerability I’d never seen before. It made me want to hug him. But first I fetched the teddy bear he’d made me.

“I’ll do my best, promise.” I said and gave him the teddy bear. And hugged him. “In the mean time, it looks like you could need something to hug. When I’m not here, you’re allowed to use the bear.” That last sentence got me a smile, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

Emilio opened his mouth as if to say something but he was rudely interrupted but the door, which flew open. In came a harried looking Styx. He quickly closed the door behind him.

“Who was that?” He asked, eyes wide.

“I’d guess it was Ellionora.” I said. “Try to keep away from her, and whatever you do, don’t speak to her.” If they gave me orders like this, I might as well spread them around. And I didn’t think I was ready to go up against someone of Ellionora’s calibre, and if I wasn’t ready, Styx certainly wasn’t.

Styx was nodding his head rapidly. “I don’t want to be anywhere near her.” He said, he looked thoroughly spooked.

“Why were you out?” I asked, trying to figure it out by myself hadn’t rendered a suitable answer.

“The healers wanted me to return for a check-up. I have a clean bill of health. But I was to tell you that I’m supposed to take it easy for a few days and to remember to feed more than usual.” He looked decidedly uncomfortable about telling me the last bits. I didn’t blame him for that, though.

“It’s good that you’re well.” I said, and Emilio agreed softly. “It gets boring here, without you.” That earned me a small smile from Styx. I guess that was about as much as I was going to get. I was still worrying about what to do about Ellionora and what she was up to, but I could ignore that for a little while. Sometimes other things are more important, at the moment the most important thing seemed to be to get Emilio back together.

About an hour later, after we’d all settled down with reading material of various persuasions, there was an odd sound. It had sounded like as someone had thrown something soft into the door. It startled all three of us, though while Emilio and I faced the door and sound, Styx hid behind his chair. Not that I blamed him.

I’d thought that one of the guards would have reacted to the noise but that didn’t seem to be the case. My curiosity got the better of me, as it usually does, but before I had a chance to open the door Emilio stopped me.

“Let me.” He said and indicated that I should move further into the room. I could see his point, if there was something on the other side of that door that wished me harm, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do to let me open it. I walked away from the door and stood near where Styx was huddling.

Emilio carefully opened the door. About four inches. There seemed to be something stopping it from opening further. Emilio pushed harder and the door slowly opened wider. From where I stood I could see how a shoe and part of someone’s arm was being revealed to us. Thankfully the body parts appeared to be connected to a body, and no blood was visible.

Suddenly there was another thud, this time I could see the body connecting to the wall next to the door, which was now almost completely open. It was Ellionora. With an angry hiss she launched herself at someone who was beyond sight. I guessed it was one of the guards. I didn’t know what to do, and by the look of it, neither did Emilio. Fortunately I could hear the sound of footsteps hurriedly coming closer.

A few minutes later they’d managed to restrain Ellionora, who was acting as a cornered wild animal. She snarled and hissed, threatened anyone and everyone with bodily harm and even snapped her teeth at anyone within range. What a mess.

Just for Ben


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It wasn’t long before father came walking down the corridor, someone had obviously fetched him. He wasn’t running, he wasn’t even walking quickly, he just moved in a way that seemed to say that nothing would stop him. For a moment I wished I could avoid this… leave the area and claim ignorance. It just lasted a moment, though, I knew better than trying to avoid him.

I don’t think I’d ever seen father as upset as he was now. I kneeled down together with Emilio, Styx was still out of sight inside the room and the guards were on duty, and had their hands full trying to keep Ellionora from escaping. She wasn’t making it easy for them.

“What is going on here?” Father said, in that quiet voice he uses when he really is angry. He doesn’t raise his voice, he lowers it, and it’s scary as hell.

No one answered him, Ellionora was still hissing at and threatening everyone, I truly had no idea what was going on and the two guards who might have known were unconscious on the floor. No doubt by Ellionora’s hands.

“Take her away, put her in a cell. If she can’t be trusted to behave civilly, she won’t get the chance not to.” He told the guards, and us, I suppose. “What happened?” He repeated.

Since no one seemed to be answering this time around either, I took it upon myself to respond.

“Well, Father. We were… accosted I think you can call it, by Ellionora earlier today, all three of us. I didn’t really think anything of it, until we found her now. I think it started about ten minutes ago, when we heard a strange noise. I guess it was when the first guard hit the wall.” I offered, my speech was severely jumbled but I think I got all the vital information in there. Ellionora was still making sounds as she was escorted away, I don’t think she was even trying to speak anymore, it was just unintelligible screams.

“Why?” He asked.

“Um, I’m sorry Father but why what?”

“Why did she do this?”

“I don’t know Father. Maybe the guards do… though they are unconscious at the moment.”

“See to them. And see to it that Alexis gets new guards. I’m going downstairs, don’t disturb me.” He said and left. The guards and Emilio were arranging things according to his wishes, the unconscious guards were taken away and new ones arrived, but I couldn’t help but to wonder what he meant by going downstairs. We were pretty high up in the coven so downstairs entailed quite a large area. Though I guess that since he didn’t want to be disturbed, I would never know exactly what he meant. Unless he, for some reason, chose to tell me. Though I doubted that would happen.

Emilio and I returned to the room and Styx crawled out from behind the chair. He’d gotten very reasonable lately, had Styx. It’d taken time but he had accepted his place in the hierarchy, I guess it was soon time for him to leave me – us – and strike out on his own. I’d miss him but it would be nice not to have him underfoot all the time.

We were all pretty tense after what’d happened and none of us could seem to find peace in reading, or anything else. I tried to play a game of chess but even that couldn’t distract me. In the end, we went to bed. Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.

The next morning at least started better. I hung around in my office doing the dreaded paperwork, Styx was cleaning and Emilio had left to do something or other. And when there wasn’t a mad vampire outside the door I got visitors. Oh joy.

There was a very tentative knock on the door, considering the previous day’s excitement concerning doors I’m proud to say I wasn’t the least hesitant to open it.

“Yes?” I said as I opened it.

“Do you have a moment?” Amandus asked.

“Of course, come in.” I answered, it had been a while since I’d talked to him. And, I remembered, he was, or at least had been, Styx’s… lover? Boyfriend? Paramour? I didn’t have a fitting word for it, really. He gingerly seated himself on the very edge of the chair. I waited for him to start to speak, but he didn’t.

“What did you want to see me about?”

“Ah.. eh, well. I’ve got a favour to ask.”

“Okay, so what is it? I can’t promise to fulfil it if I don’t know what it is.”

“It concerns Alfons, he’s one of the new weres.”

“Yes, I know. What about him?”

“Well…” Amandus appeared to be very reluctant to speak about it. He was wringing his hands and studiously ignoring me in favour of the floor.

“Well, what?” Yes, I’m a bit impatient at times.

“He’s… he was… he doesn’t want to become a donor.”

“Oh? Why ever not? Hasn’t he been here to check out how you’re treated? Or is there something wrong with that?”

“Well, no… it’s just that. He is… he was treated very badly.” I don’t think that of the many things Amandus could have told me, that there could have been one that would make less an impact.

“By whom?” I angrily demanded. It didn’t do to let the weres get treated badly. I would not stand for it.

“No, no. Not here.” He hastened to reassure me. “Before, when he was outside. He really is badly messed up in the head. Not that he’s violent or anything. He’s just really, really scared.”

“How scared? I mean, we wouldn’t harm him if he came here for service.” At least I’d do my best to see to it that he wouldn’t. But considering Camilla and a few others, keeping weres out of harm was hard work. Amandus didn’t answer at first.

“He panics when other people touches him.” He finally said and hid even more. I couldn’t see his face for all the hair hanging in front of it. And he hasn’t got a lot of hair.

“That really isn’t good. Is there any way we can persuade him to stay here for a while, without us requiring him to do service, of course?” It was broke, I wanted to fix it. Is that motherly feelings?

“Maybe, but he’ll need a lot of reassurance.”

“Of course. I don’t want to pressure him, and if he really is better of where he is now he may stay, but maybe he’d do better by a change of scenery?” I thought that to be a reasonable offer.

“I think he might like it. If he got to stay with Caspar.” Amandus offered.

“That’s up to Caspar, really. Alfons is very welcome to stay here, without participating in service, but Caspar’d have to have a say in this if he’s going to stay with him.”

“Of course. I didn’t think of that.” Amandus sounded contrite but hope was shining in his eyes. I liked that. I saw too much fear and pain in the eyes of those around me.

“I’ll speak with Caspar and I’ll let you know what he says. All right?”

“Thank you.” Amandus said and rose from his chair.

“You’re welcome.” I answered and hugged him. Despite everything we had grown up as siblings, though our lives had led us down two very different paths. After that talk with Amandus I felt pretty good about myself. Not a bad way to end a day.

That day had ended on a good note, Ellionora was confined somewhere, Emilio was all the calmer for it. Styx was in a happy mood, for whatever reason, and I was relieved. A good evening all in all. Of course I couldn’t last, but at least we had a reprieve until the next day.

Caspar hadn’t wanted anyone to share his rooms. He actually had very strong sentiments about it all.

“I won’t do it.” He said.

“Why not?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Does it matter?”

“Not really, if you don’t want to do it, you don’t. But I’d like to know why so that I can give Alfons and Amandus a good reason along with the ‘no’.” I answered, trying to be reasonable.

“So it’s really about you then, is it?”

“No, you misunderstand. If you give me a reason, I can present it to them and maybe we can then find another solution that will fit everyone.”

“So that you can look good.” He hissed at me. Really hissed, like cats do.

“No, so that Alfons can get what he wants… and needs.”

“Why do you care? He’s only a were after all, not a vampire or anything. And after what you’ve told me, he’s not even going to give anything back to you.”

“I care because I ought to. I’m Ryttir, but not only that, I’d like to think I’m a decent… being overall.” I was starting to lose my patience.

“Yeah, right. As if that’s got anything to do with it. You’re a vampire after all, you live of others…like a parasite.” Caspar truly was angry by now, his eyes had changed, and other parts of his face had started to move a bit. It was quite alarming to see, because it was so totally alien.

“I don’t expect you to like me, and I don’t expect you to be friendly with me, but I do expect you to conduct yourself reasonably. Yelling and well, name-calling isn’t very good behaviour.”

“Ha!” Was, obviously, all he had to add to the conversation.

“I’m sorry but I don’t understand why you’ve reacted this way. I thought you’d be happy to be able to help one of your own to heal.”

“As if your reasons are really that altruistic. I don’t care what you tell Amandus and Alfons, I’m not going to do it and that’s my final word. Bye.” He turned around, walked out the door, which he slammed, naturally, and muttering strode away down the corridor.

The whole meeting had been surrealistic. Caspar, who always before had been very adamant about the health, both physical and mental, of his wereleopards had not cared at all about Alfons. And he’d never been openly rude to me, or anyone that I knew of, before this either. I had no idea what was going on but I had to disappoint Amandus and Alfons, and that made me feel bad, for them.

That conversation had gone marginally better, but I still felt bad. Amandus had graciously accepted the no, and while he’d been worried I’d make Alfons come and stay anyway, he wasn’t impolite about. I tried to reassure him that it really was allright for Alfons to remain away from the coven. I also tried to explain that I’d only wanted Alfons to come here so that he could, perhaps, heal a bit. I’m not sure I was successful in either endeavour, but I did give it a try, at least.

Father didn’t return until the next night, well, return to me in any case. Who knows what he’d been doing for the past three days when he’d claimed to be ‘downstairs’? He did look indefinitely calmer, though, so whatever he’d done had done the trick.

He came walking into our rooms, as is his habit, without knocking or marking his impeding entrance in any way. The scene he stepped into could have been more orderly.

Emilio was halfway underneath the bed, I was hanging off a coach and Styx was balancing on a stool with his hands over his head holding a very large, and very heavy tome. Though, we did manage to surprise him, a little at least.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what where you doing?” He said after we’d collected ourselves and kneeled down for him.

“Well, Father, you see. It started with an argument over rather a silly fact, which we simply couldn’t agree upon. So we decided to look it up to settle things. When Styx pulled the book from the shelf he accidentally pulled another book along with it, which, of course, fell. And hit that table just so which caused everything on it to fly all over the room. We were trying to return those objects when you entered.” I said and showed him a small glass thing. An orb, almost, but the surface wasn’t smooth but rugged. The only thing that had saved it from shattering into a thousand pieces was that it was solid.

Father actually chuckled.

“I have been questioning your doings a lot these last few weeks, but you’ve got to admit, the scenes I keep walking into are worth asking about.”

“Yes, might very well be correct on that account, Father.” I replied, not really know what he was doing here, or what he wanted.

“It’s not important, nor the reason I came here. Come, follow me back to my rooms, Alexis.”

I started wondering what this was all about as I rose and followed him. Why hadn’t he simply sent a guard, or anyone really, to fetch me? Why come himself?

It was a short walk, and soon over with. And then we were seated in his rather cosy personal rooms. I’d always felt rather secure in here, I don’t know why since I really hadn’t spent a lot of time in here, but still. I liked it.

“Have you noticed anything odd in the coven lately?” He asked me, surprising me out of my contemplation of the qualities of his rooms.

“Er? Except for Camilla apparently going crazy, Emilio’s master showing up being even crazier and this whole thing with Styx? I’m not sure I understand what you’re looking for Father.”

“Well, that question might have been incorrectly phrased. Have you noticed anyone odd, except for Ellionora that is?”

“No… not really Father. I though I saw Stig once or twice but that’s just my imagination playing havoc with me. At least I hope it is. Or else I might fear I’m going insane.”

“I don’t think you’re quite as close to insane as you might think.”

At father’s gesture another figure melted from the shadows. It was Stig. I was beginning to believe I really was going insane.

“You see, “ Father started. “Stig is one of the Nausigr, a vampire that can pass of as human, even in front of other vampires.”

Well, that explained why I hadn’t noticed that he was a vampire when we met at the slayer’s school. It also kind of explained what he was doing here.

“Stig also has a history of being a spy, a very good one.” Father continued. At first I couldn’t understand why he said this, and then I remembered that I’d been called back from the mission concerning the slayers as soon as I’d reported about the trainers I was supposed to have. One of these trainers were Stig. Father’d recognised his description and aborted the mission. Interesting, I’d have to ponder this a bit more, when father wasn’t around.

“Well, Father. His ability certainly explains why he’d managed to get hired by the slayers. But why is he here now?” I asked when it was obvious that father wasn’t going to say anything else.

“According to himself, Stig has been doing a bit of freelance spying, if you can call it that. He’s not bound to any sect, though he’s a member of one, and had nothing to do, so he supposedly decided to go spying, just for the fun of it.” I could hear father’s doubt, not only in his words but also in his tone of voice. Stig didn’t react in any way to what father was saying, but I guess that if you were some kind of spy you needed to be in control of your body.

“Oh. But, forgive me Father, that doesn’t explain what he’s doing here. Or why you recalled me from the mission as soon as you knew he was there.”

“You must understand that apart from being a spy, Stig and some of his compatriots are very skilled assassins. I couldn’t leave you there when he was there.”

I didn’t answer him. I still wanted to know the answer to my other question.

“If I may, Rector Lamia.” Stig asked softy, way different from the voice he’d used with me when I met him before.

“You may.” Father curtly replied.

“I didn’t know what you were doing in the school, I was very surprised when I realised who you really were. I had no intention to harm you.” He’d added the last sentence after a second’s hesitation. I wanted to believe him, which scared me. If he truly was a master spy then he might be manipulating me into wanting to believe him. Ugh, this just became complicated.

“But why have you come here?” I still hadn’t gotten the answer to this question, it started to annoy me.

“When I realised who you were, I also realised what the Rector Lamia might do if I didn’t report to him, here.” He glanced at father when he said that. I understood him. Fear was a wonderful motivator, though to frighten vampires you had to be prepared to back up any and all threats you make.

“You understand, of course, that you will be needed here for a while.” Father said to Stig.

“I understand perfectly, Rector Lamia.” Was Stig’s response and I didn’t doubt it the least. Stig understood exactly why father wanted him here, and what father’d do if he wasn’t satisfied with Stig’s performance.

“Good, get one of the guards to show you a room at the 6th level.” Father said and waved at him to get out. Stig bowed and disappeared through the door. I could hear a muffled voice speaking and then the very faint sound of footsteps walking away.

“I needn’t tell you to be alert while Stig is here, do I?”

“No Father, I understand.” And indeed I did. Father sighed and looked at me.

“I’ve said it before, but it can bear being said again, ever since you arrived it has been very interesting to be around. I can’t think of an instance when this many thing has happened at once before.” He looked pensive for a moment before continuing. “Though interesting frequently means dangerous when it comes to us.”

“I will remember that Father.”

“Good. Now, be gone my little heir.” He actually smiled at me, not a big smile, but a smile none the less. I smiled back as I bowed and took my leave.

Emilio greeted me when I returned, I couldn’t hide how pensive I was from father’s odd little conversation.

“What did He say?” He asked.

“Um, I’m not sure really. I mean, I now know why I was called back so quickly from the slayer’s mission, but I don’t think I really understood everything.”

“Okay, so why were we called back?”

“I’m not sure I’m allowed to tell… well, He didn’t say I couldn’t, either. How curious are you?”

“Very, but not enough to get you in trouble because of it.”

“Well, I don’t think it’s that much trouble anyways. It started with me believing I was paranoid, or rather, more paranoid than usual. I thought I saw Stig a couple of times in the coven, which is ridiculous because he’s a human. Turned out he wasn’t.”

“Nausigr?”

“How come everyone seems to know they exist, except me?”

“I didn’t know either, lady.” Styx provided as he entered the room. He’d come from the bathroom and he was carrying cleaning supplies, I guess he’d heard the entire conversation. It didn’t matter though, he was mine, and was going to stay that way for a while.

“Thank you Styx, that makes me feel better.” I said, though in fact, it did not. He wasn’t supposed to know, he was a youngling still, I was more than 20 years older than him. Damnit.

“So that was all our High Prince wanted to speak to you about?” Emilio asked, I think he picked up on my mood’s downward turn.

“No, He also explained that Stig was going to stay in the coven for a short time. He said it in a very ominous way.” I added as I realised they failed to see what I’d understood when father spoke with me.

They both looked at me oddly and Emilio started to chuckle while Styx smiled.

“What?” I asked, I couldn’t for the world understand what was so funny.

“It’s your Father, everything He says is ominous.” Emilio answered.

“He’s not that bad.” I said, trying to defend my father, who at times, really could be that bad.

“If you say so.” Emilio pretended to agree. He continued to smile, though. I threw a pillow at me, which he avoided neatly. Grrrr.