Blood Rider

When the carriage stopped they waited for the door to be opened by a footman before stepping out. The impassive servant was dressed in a neatly tailored uniform of pale blue and a white shirt with excessively ruffled material at the neck. The whole ensemble looked tight and itchy.

Lee knew how the Changed had initially developed a class system, as it was those with the most powerful traits running through consecutive generations who were elected to lead. Those lines of blood were cultivated ruthlessly so that a family didn’t lose their status. A baby born without a trait, or a weak trait, were sometimes disposed of or given up.

The servant class often had weaker abilities, or unique abilities, that made productive or useful to those they worked for. The working class didn’t even consistently produce abilities, sometimes there were Skips, who were generally used for labor.

This footman was a Skip. She scanned over the stable boys and found they were as well. The only reason someone hired Skips is if they didn’t want servants who could turn to spies and glean information. A Skip though was different than hiring a Mundane. No well to do family would hire a human south of the river. To them, mundane humans were genetically stagnant and not in any way to be mixed with their society and blood.

Lord Ross had certainly had it made. The estate was massive, in a city that usually was crammed. With the queen’s revamping of the city though Drake had at least a few acres of just land. Perfectly cultivated land, lined with rows of mature trees to create the illusion of being separate from the rest of the world. He had his own stable, looking to be able to hold at least twelve horses. The horseshoe lane ended and in a circular courtyard, with an impressive statue in the center. The manor stood three stories high, with angular edges to the structure and windows. From what she could see of the roof structure, there was another courtyard in the middle. Architecturally she found it to be beautiful. The front lined with supportive columns, balconies on the third floor, stain glass images in the windows and sculpted frames.

Just off the road, she could see the Palace on the Hill. The area was known as Jasper Hill, the palace and surrounding noble estates were made up on the high end of a hill that led to a road called Jasper’s. Queen Linora’s father had made the strategic choice to build the palace on high ground, but of course, it also worked for sanitary reasons, although they had spent a good couple decades on an upgraded sewer system that drained into the SasKat River. What had once been there had not been destroyed in a day but the plague had caused famine, famine had caused war. War had hit the city hard at the core. Not many of the massive structures had survived. There were still relics of them around to be cleared. And massive machinery they hoarded to do the task.

Richard dismounted and gave Lee a thin smile. “Impressed?”

“The Changed have one thing right. There should be beauty in your environment. They are making their city alive again and theirs.”

“As the Council wishes to do in the south.”

“No, Richard, they cling to the past in some important ways. They mesh in the new with the old, but they have made no effort to truly make this city their own. To make it live again and sweep away the ashes and artefacts of a long dead society.”

“We can never forget the past. The past is what made us.”

It was a rather funny statement, since humans readily forgot the past, twisted and changed history until they were fanciful stories.

“It’s what made your ancestors. And it no longer suits the situation now. Keep some monuments of the past, make museums, but move on.”

As they approached the door it swung open and Drake himself stood there waiting.

-Ain’t he looking good for a man approaching his second century.-

Drake looked to be a distinguished and fit fifty year old man. Whether he was aging extremely slowly or it had taken him fifty years to figure out how to halt the process was debatable. What she could tell was that he was indeed feeding on the life-force of other humans. His aura was as sharp and bright as any wizard, but there was an actual haze she could pick up visually; a sort of brown-yellow shimmer around him. She had seen it before on weak witches, who tried to enhance their natural ability to pull energy from others.

-Icky.-

No different than any other overly aggressive witch as far as Lee was concerned, although he was actively doing it to the extent of extending his lifespan. As they approached Lee studied him critically. He was still a handsome man, in a more aged human sort of way. His curly auburn hair glittered with a splattering of grey. There were laughter lines around his eyes and mouth and a strong frown line between the eyes. He still had a firm jaw line, but now flouted a finely groomed moustache and had some whisker growth. He was surprisingly undressed for a man expecting company. He wore a loose white shirt, undone, and comfortable doe-skin breeches.

Drake watched her as well, with a small half-smile and hooded hazel eyes.

They stopped at the doorway, mostly because Drake was blocking the entrance. She was waiting for him to make some general welcoming comment, but he didn’t.

He smiled, as though amused. The man had a mobile mouth and a grin that made a person want to laugh with him. “Lee, only you can demand a meeting like this, expect me to give into the whim and stand there as though it is your right.”

She scowled. “I think its fine for old friends to call on each other. It’s not as if I beckoned you over to my side of the fence.”

“And that is what we are? Old friends?”

“I expect when you have known someone nigh two centuries we qualify as such,” she replied.

“That so? How very mature of you.”

Lee narrowed her eyes. She was beginning to suspect he was intoxicated.

His eyes fell on Laura and his smile faded. Then they skid to Richard, who he gave a short nod to, before turning back to her. “You do have bad timing, Lee.”

“You did accept this meeting.”

“Right. I did. I would invite you in, but I don’t think that would be a smart thing, all things considered. Even if we are such good friends.”

“Ah, are you saying that you don’t want the meet? That is a little rude, Drake, since I even came across a river to see you.”

“I didn’t say that. I said I wouldn’t invite you in. I would understand if you would like to reconsider.”

-He wants us to break Threshold. I don’t like the sounds of that.-

She froze and stared at him.

“Drake, are you saying that I should invite myself into your home, even though vampire protocol says that I cannot?”

He snorted. “Vampire protocol, Lee? You can hardly be a vampire when you’re a Council peon. And as you say, we’re not on the same side of the fence.”

Lee narrowed her eyes and considered her options. They were not good ones really. Leave or let herself in. “That is hardly fair. I didn’t come for a confrontation. Just to ask a favor. If I break Threshold I wouldn’t even be able to defend myself.”

“If you didn’t come here for a confrontation then it hardly matters,” he replied. “If it makes you uncomfortable I understand. We can arrange a meet somewhere else, some other time, on neutral territory.”

Lee scrubbed a hand through her hair and looked at Richard. The wizard shrugged. “It is common, Lee, when you meet with a vampire to take precautions.”

“Yeah, common if it’s a human, not a wizard,” she replied.

“I’ve no reason to trust a Council vampire, not when we haven’t seen each other in a century. The human mind, you understand, thinks this is a long time,” Drake said with a shrug.

“Is it customary for vampires and humans to have such long discussions about entering a house?” Laura asked.

-Don’t be stupid, Lee. Let’s get out of here.-

If you forget Wilhelm will be on our ass soon, then you should still consider he is our best trail to horde leader.

-Or he is the horde leader.-

And he also knows more than he ever said about me when we first met. When I thought we first met.

-Damn it, Lee. I get it; your father killed your mother right in front of you. And you freaked out and repressed it. But seriously this isn’t the time to obsess over the fact you can’t remember every detail of what happened. It’s plain stupid to give up our strength when he has plenty of his own.-

“Well?” Drake asked. “The night is only so long.”

With Charlie cursing Lee walked up the steps. Drake stepped back, avoiding making any welcoming gestures as he did. His smile looked forced and Lee couldn’t help but think he wasn’t happy with her choice. Perhaps that implied guilt, but over what would be the question.

She felt the Threshold when she stepped in, like the snap of a bubble and momentary vertigo. She hadn’t intentionally broken it in decades. The last time she had, she did it simply to shut Charlie up, since their connection was severely dampened. It certainly cut off Charlie’s tirade. It was not greatest of options, but she could be cautious.

Once inside she shook her head and looked around his receiving area. It was as impressive as she thought it would be. High ceiling, with a spectacular chandelier and a wide staircase front and center. It took her a bit to orient herself, since crossing the Threshold was a lot like a human having a severe sinus cold; all muffled and unpleasant. Her hand fell to her scabbard, for reassurance that she was not entirely defenseless. Although, that hardly mattered, since Drake was a wizard. It was the only reason Lee had invited Richard to this party. If things went wrong having wizards battle it out seemed the ideal choice. Even if they were buddies, Richard would feel somewhat obliged to protect a Council asset.

“If you can stand to be without Richard for a moment we can chat in the living room.” Drake gave Richard a long hard look, until Richard nodded.

“All right,” Lee said. She didn’t really want Richard lingering for the majority of her potential conversation.

They exited the receiving room passing by a straight backed man in a black suit, who Lee assumed usually handled the door. Rich people always had people to handle the door.

Drake led her down the hall, walking beside her. “You really shouldn’t have come.”

“Why?”

“Doesn’t matter. You‘re here now.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Not yet, but give me time.”

As they entered a living room, entirely designed for comfort rather than to impress, Lee knew this was where he laid back and relaxed not entertained nobles. She sat down and stretched her legs out. “You have me a bit disconcerted. Big fancy house and you take me to this room clearly where you relax on your own. Does the opulence bore you so soon? And then I find you half corked for no reason.”

He laughed and plopped down on a half couch. “Half corked. Have not heard that phrase in a while.”

A servant stood by the door, literally waiting for anything they needed. Lee couldn’t understand how nobles could be surrounded by people and ignore them. Did they think these people didn’t have ears? The man was also a Skip, but that didn’t mean he was deaf as well.

Drake ordered drinks and appetizers from the man and watched him leave. “And this house is just a house. Just another place to put things. You don’t decline gifts from a queen. As for drinking, I suspect meeting a friend from so long ago inspired me. What do you want?”

“As it happens I come for a favor. I would like you to ward me from my Handler’s detection.”

He flicked a wrist dismissively. “Done. Within this house anyone would be hard pressed to locate you through magical means. Even him. It is on a strong ley line, which fuel enough spells without any effort on my part and gives off a little of its own static interference. I’m surprised you don‘t feel the thrum of it.”

“I rather meant for walking about, not hiding. Although, if I was going to hide, this old style opulence would be the place to do it.”

“You think I can just draw forth enough ley line energy to spin a spell like that? One that persists and is strong enough to mask you from Wilhelm? Have you met Wilhelm?”

“Funny. I was thinking more of a charm, but if you want to impress me with some flare I wouldn’t be adverse to it.”

Before he could reply his servant came back, served refreshments and Drake ordered him to leave them in private. He sipped on a brandy and looked like he was brooding over her. “I find it hard to believe of all the wizards in the city you would come to me.”

“Of all the non-Council affiliated wizards with enough strength to ward me against another strong Essence Wizard?” Lee said, lifting an eyebrow.

“Yeah, Lee, that’s what I mean.”

“Tia mentioned you were working with Richard,” she said, leading into some more depth, since the man didn’t seem in the mood to play all nice and chatty.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I have. Funny how he was willing to work so close with a wizard associated with Whitecourt.”

“That’s the name Queen Linora is going with? Whitecourt. Creative.”

“It goes by many names. Things change. Faster here since we don’t involve ourselves in the constant bickering the south does. But you have to know her influence is spreading to many of the Chosen and she owns a great deal of the north now.”

“I’m fully aware of her movements. While she hasn’t made any move on the southern Quarters or southern colonies, she is making progress in the smaller settlements in the north with predominantly Changed, vampire and were-cat population. I pay attention. Because I know in the end she will have a country, in the north of this region. However, what will become of the south is under debate. Then, naturally, as these things go the two sides will have a long drawn out war to control the whole area.”

“Yeah, well, politics bores me. Richard has been quite eager to support me. You should talk to him about that. You should have already.”

“I may not always trust his motives, but I don’t get up in all his business either.” Lee took a tentative sip of her drink.

“I heard at Viona’s you were hit with a shard bomb. Isn’t Richard the only one that produces those?”

“Maybe, but likely he sells them. And how did you hear about that?”

“I heard Viona’s was attacked by blood starved vampires.”

“Not quite.”

“Did Richard suggest you come here?”

“Of course not. He doesn’t want me to hide from the Council. The Council doesn’t even want me on the job I’m on. Tia mentioned it. And then I heard your name referenced in the case later.”

“And Richard said something to Tia.”

“What you think Richard wanted me here?”

“I expect it would be beneficial to his goals. As they are now.”

“What goals?”

“You’d have to ask him.”

“I don’t get what you getting at. But you’re beginning to annoy me.” Drake grinned. “And never mind that. I heard you were trying to help Viona to find who stole her stray fledgling.”

“Ah. That. I was successfully trying to point her way. You saw the result of that.”

“So you might have succeeded and then Viona’s was targeted to get rid of Viona?”

“Something like that. That is why it was not a good idea for you to come here. I guess though if that’s the trail you followed then it’s my fault and I have to apologize for that. Obviously Viona trusted you with that information. Nothing to be done about it now. But I suspect you have other reasons. I suspect the real reason you couldn’t resist coming to me and breaking Threshold is your goddamned obsession with your past. The Council will kill you if you did remember. Is that why you wish to be blocked from Wilhelm?”

Lee suspected she was being side-tracked, but it was a track she wanted to get onto anyway. “I know you lied to me. I have been remembering things that don’t match up.”

“Ah, so you want to know what my role was?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“I’ll tell you then. You must have thought I would not tell you. But I will.” He was definitely on the edge of being drunk. Perhaps he had decided to tell her as soon as he heard of the meeting just to spite the Council.

“I worked with the Council and I did as I was told. Back then things were crazy and unsettled and the United Council was new. We were trying to preserve the other races, to protect them from the massive attacks on them. Then everything went to shit and we were trying to re-establish order as the city fell apart.”

“I know all that.”

He gave her a tired glare of impatience. “You lived through all that, even if you don’t remember it. Every child raised then got traumatized by it. Your mother belonged to our organization. She was a witch and therefore she was a target to the right wing humans who wanted her dead. She wanted to protect you from the Clan and from being killed by the humans. From United’s point of view taking vampires away from Clan influence was vital. How could they integrate with others if they were not? And the Clans were starting to show their influence and their level of organization.”

“So what went wrong?”

“Everything went wrong with you, Lee. Because it became known to those in power that you were a born vampire, when such things were thought impossible back then. Your father was a Master and wouldn’t have willingly given you up, but the Council wanted you bad. Because you hadn’t been influenced by the Clan, because you were a born vampire with pure genetic code, without being human at all and a prime opportunity to study the vampire nature. That objective I couldn’t disagree with, not when back then we knew nothing about vampires except from old myths, movies and stories. Some actually believed it was a mutation, like any other.”

“So Lucien was in their way,” Lee said.

“Yeah. He was. He was in fact captured and tortured for information on the Clan. And starved. And studied. As you might realize this upset your mother greatly. Council spies said she was going to run, with you.”

Lee let out a slow breath as a picture began to form of the situation. She didn‘t remember her mother but she thought she could understand her panic and fear at that point. “So she was in their way.”

“Now you get it. I was in the unit that came to retrieve you. We had Lucien with us. He was out of it. They did a real number on him and he was so starved. They released him on your mother. He didn’t know it was her when he began to feed; all he knew is that he needed to. At the end he knew, when he had bled her to death, he knew. He went crazy after that. We lost control of him and he escaped. I heard he never recovered from that incident.”

“I would say… not.”

“But neither did you. You went completely comatose. It was just like a puppet with your strings cut. You just dropped. Not unconscious but not aware at all. It was decided we would stash you at the asylum, since as you might now know, that was in the center of the area we had power and were securing, even if the City wouldn’t be made until a century later. And you were secure, since Lucien never came for you, nor did anyone else. When you came out of the coma, your memory was impaired. There were some concerns over your mental health. And it was too dangerous to keep you elsewhere. So you stayed until we had established ourselves and could easily take you to a secure location.”

She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her flesh. Lucien had been right. “And did you know what that place was like? What they did to us there?”

“Not then I didn’t. I swear, Lee. I wouldn’t have released you to them had I known that. I was just a good little soldier back then. Just doing what I was told and blind to all the darkness, even in the beginning. Especially in the beginning. The main part of the asylum was a front and it looked completely normal and I wasn’t permitted in the lower levels were they contained everyone else. We were just instructed to bring any supernatural in for containment or training. That was it. It wasn’t until the place was being shut down because of what was going on that I knew any of the details.”

She nodded numbly.

“So when I got out…”

“When you broke out and killed fifteen attendants.”

“Yeah, broke out, you came and found me. Since I didn’t remember you, you said you were a representative of an organization to protect people like me.”

“Exactly. And became your first Handler. They chose me because they thought since I knew your history that I might be more equipped to handle your care.”

Lee pondered what he said for a long moment. It had the ring of truth in it. “You admit to such acts, when I could easily kill you for them? If not for my father then my mother. Or myself and the torture I endured at the asylum. Or for your lying. I became your lover not knowing you caused my mother to die and my father to kill her.”

He grimaced and polished off his drink. “I expect you want to, despite your calm tone. And thus one reason for not inviting you into my home. But it needed to be said and your current Handler, so fixated on Council ideals, isn’t about to tell you their role in your capture. It was quite the coup to have you willingly on their side. When I heard of you creeping into the vampire Quarter I suspected you were looking for answers. I suspected nature was overriding nurture. And really, Lee, you never truly trusted me. You may not have known why, but deep inside you knew something.”

Lee let out a slow breath. Without Charlie she could at least react without the instincts. “It’s ancient history.” Likely when she left and Charlie rose within her, she would want to drain him dry as she wanted to Lucien. Yet it was hard to want to kill a man for acts she couldn’t remember. She had trusted him though, when she was mad and full of blood thirst in those early days. So confused and fragile. They had all taken advantage of her in the worst possible way. And broken her beyond repair.

She did remember him as her Handler and lover. While they had parted ways, their time had not been a hardship. In fact, her memories of that time had been a blessing compared to the asylum. He was not to blame for her treatment in that facility or even for Lucien’s torture and her mother’s demise. It filled in the blanks, which was the most important thing. All else would come later. Time to push him for more. “But after Wilhelm replaced you, you seemed to have done well for yourself with this self-proclaimed queen.”

“I needed to find a place in the world, just like you. It has been give and take.” He sighed. “Nothing is ever what to seems. You shouldn’t have been seeking the Horde Wizard until you had unified your essence. This duel nature of yours, this unique insanity, makes you so very fragile. As Justina said, it makes you vulnerable on so many levels. That was stupid, plain and simple. But I suppose you fear yourself and I get that.”

“I… what?” she asked, startled by the reference of a witch Drake had never met as well as the fact he knew she was seeking a Horde Wizard. And Charlie. How could he have ever learned of Charlie? She only told a few people in her entire life. Yet if he were the horde wizard then why would he be so open with information and why would he have been helping Viona? “Oh crap.”

He nodded. “So apt. It has always stunned me that you could be so trusting. And after so much time, with such work you do for the Council, you still have that ability to trust those you shouldn’t. After all you endured in your confinement and the training they put you through.”

Lee stood up. “As you said, I have never really trusted you. Or the Council. But one must survive somehow.”

He sighed and looked away. “Ah, but you did to a degree. You wanted to. Even those you have reason to distrust, you associate with. As though you expect a certain amount of self-serving betrayal, but at the same time wanting to believe in loyalty to people rather than other more mundane things. Or perhaps it is just that you don’t care enough about your life. Why else would you walk into my home, breaking Threshold, when you suspect me of being that whom you seek? It shows a disregard for your own existence. Like answers are more important than consequences. I think this disregard for your life has to do with your fractured spirit. You’re so distant for a vampire. So controlled and rational. You shouldn’t be, yet you are. It means while you’re rational, you’re also detached and unemotional. No fear. No care. Now that is pretty broken if you ask me.”

While he spoke she slowly backed away. “Well, you’re the fucker that broke me so you should know. And for the record I didn’t know you were involved. I came here for help to find Will and to hide from my Handler. I suspected the Queen might be behind this mess but it was just a thought with no evidence. I didn’t think you would really do this, Drake. Unleashing these wild feeders on innocents like this.”

He shook his head, reaching out to pour himself another drink and giving her a hooded look. “You can’t leave, you know. Trust me, I’ve tried. You‘re going to have to make the best of it. If you can. If I can.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, utterly confused by the remark.

“He means, Lee, you should have backed off when Wilhelm told you to,” Richard said walking in with Laura. “Cause Wilhelm protects you fiercely. And seeking to hide yourself from him and the Council means you are up for grabs. And I was more that pleased to help you along the way.”