Bloodlines

Ankh was awake before Ridley and snuck out their room. She headed outside, passing Ennui who was by the kitchen for his first cup of coffee. Fifi was at his desk, dusting it before he began his day. The wolf snorted at the employee who was humming to herself. “A trip to the bank, Beeno,” she asked with a small chuckle and the wolf tilted her head. “You know, to make a deposit?” Ankh grinned at her, unable to laugh out loud though Ridley heard it her unconscious head. “Come, come, I’ll take you,” she whispered then halted her chores.

She followed the wolf down the street to the nearby park. There, Fifi tore off some disposable plastic bags from the dispenser. Ankh huddled behind a tree to lay waste to her last meal on the grass. Fifi hummed while taking in the early morning people jogging through the park or walking their own canines. One man had two hyenas and a jackal!

Ankh felt lighter as she skipped away from her steaming pile. Fifi effortlessly gathered mess to throw away. The wolf yawned again then followed the scrawny huntress back with a spring in her step. Ennui was dusting off his desk when the two returned. He roughed out Ankh’s gruff then returned to his work.

Ankh shook off his affection then started for the stares. “Wait,” the inn worker called softly to the grey wolf. The wolf perked over her shoulder at Fifif. “I have a treat for you!” Fifi quickly vanished into the kitchen before coming back with a box of dried meats with the label saying ‘wild dog friendly’ in big bold letters.

The grey tail wagged eagerly as four meaty paws tapped about eagerly. Fifi dangled a large chunk over Ankh’s head. Her nose twitched briefly before her tail became more erratically. She pranced! Narrowly missing Fifi’s hand. Ennui decided to join in the fun too and look out another thick slice of dried meat.

The agile canine was more cautious with his piece. His fingers dangled at the edge of the piece while Ankh downed the last of her first meat. She purred then clenched the chunk from Ennui. She buried her face into her piece while the front door opened, alerting Ennui.

The veteran’s eyes went wide and he sneered sourly. “I told you not to come back here,” he stated.

“I am just making a delivery,” the familiar English accent clarified. Ankh - with her meat in her jaws turned to see Earnest in the flesh. Gold eyes and all. Her dried meat fell out her mouth. “For the Axel, young lady,” he clarified and laid a sealed envelope on the front desk. “I am leaving now,” he stated then nodded at Ankh before leaving.

Ankh tilted her head then shifted her silvery eyes to Ennui. “I must be out of my mind,” he stated while shaking his head. Instead of throwing out the envelope, he handed it to Ankh. The grey wolf downed the last of her dried meat then licked her lips before carefully collecting the envelope in her jaws.

She hurried back to their room and pranced onto the bed. “Ridley, wake up!” The huntress groaned then turned away from the wolf. “You just missed Earnest!” Still Ridley showed no sign of life. “Mother of God, Ridley Dominique Axel, I’m going to bite your foot off if you don’t wake up!” Nothing. “Fine.”

She snuck under the covers and started nibbling at the ankle. Ridley moaned then shook out her foot. Ankh snarled then tightened her hold on the ankle. Ridley groaned then fully woke up. “I’m awake! What do you want?”

“Earnest was here.” Ridley exhaled heavily before sitting up. “He left this for you,” she gestured to the envelope next to the huntress.

“Terrific,” she groaned. After scanning the front on the envelope she furrowed her eyebrows. “The address is Chateau du Luq.”

“That’s where Mr Wu said he was, though he called it Chateau Dumort.”

Ridley flipped it over to see the House of du Luq sigil - a male deer on its hind legs - in the du Luq house colour, honest blue wax to keep it sealed. “Hm. At least Mr Wu was able to tell us something true,” she commented while opening it to find an embossed cream envelope inside. Also with the wax seal. “It’s... an invitation?”

’Together,

we cordially invite you to celebrate with us the fifth centennial vampire masquerade hosted by House du Luq.

Our theme for the evening will be ‘come as you are’.

Tuesday, the eleventh of January

two thousand and twenty-two

seven o’ clock in the evening

Chateau du Luq

BY INVITATION ONLY!′

Although the invitation was straightforward enough, Chateau du Luq’s address wasn’t on the invite. Perhaps a security measures against The Hunt of France. Dominique put in so much thought into her invitation design, as simple as it was. Plain creamed hard paper embossed with deer antlers and leaves.

“It’s a sign from the universe,” Ankh stated. “It wants you in the du Luq’s lives.” Ridley sighed then began packing up her stuff. The wolf laid on the dog bed watching as knives and the two swords clattered into the duffel bag. “Is that everything?”

Ridley zipped her suitcase with her clothing and lifted the handle. She slung her duffle bag over her shoulder. “Hungry,” Ridley offered when her stomach churned.

“Yeah, I could eat.”

Carefully the huntress slid the invitation into her novel and tucked it into her backpack and headed downstairs. Ennui stiffly eyed her then furrowed his eyebrows when he saw her baggage. “And then?”

Ridley dropped her suitcase with a heavy pant. “My time here is over,” was all she said then dug for her purse. “How much do I owe you, Ennui?”

The innkeeper let out a thunderous laugh then took off his glasses. “You weren’t here half the time,” he began, “and Clarke would skin me alive if he knew I ever charged his daughter for a stay.” Ridley beamed at him smally. “Be careful out there, little Axel.” She nodded at him as he rounded his desk. “And be careful who you trust.”

They high fived and Ennui clasped her hand firmly in his. “Thanks, Ennui.”

“Au revoir, chérie,” he whispered after he kissed each cheek. “And goodbye to you too, Scooby-Doo,” he directed to Ankh who nestled into his ribs.

Fifi came bouncing from the bar to gather Ridley into a tight hug. “Bye-bye,” she sang. “Take care,” Fifi went on. “If you ever need anything...” Ridley nodded mutely.

She and Ankh were on their way. The early morning activity was a hum, in place of its usual chaotic chattering. The sitting siege bistro was quiet too. Ridley rested her bags near the wall booth where Ankh was laying. A waitress laid a menu in front of the huntress before dashing off to the bar.

There, was only one man. The man who looked too much like Marcus Sinclair. He was drinking a whiskey and he was the only other patron. Ankh gasped then lifted her head. “What,” Ridley replied.

“I know that smell.” Ridley looked around but it was just the man and the waitress. “Overwhelming about of vanilla and wet rock.” Ankh looked over to the man. “That’s him! That’s Earnest!”

Ridley glanced back at her wolf counterpart. “Stay here,” she whispered then took her menu and joined the man. “A little early for liquor, no,” she asked.

“Not if it doesn’t affect me,” he replied slyly.

“Why me,” Ridley cut in, jumping the small talk. “There’re more experienced hunters who would handle the situation a lot better.”

“None of whom have the skills you have.”

“What skills?”

“It’s not every day you meet someone who can generate a fire as frigid as the Poles,” Earnest stated. “Someone with a strong self-discipline who hasn’t let their power get the better of them.”

Ridley sighed then rested her chin into her hand. Slowly she mustered the courage to look into his eyes. They were dark with a glowing gold ring around the edge of the irises. The glow was so prominent that the whole of his irises looked gold. Upon closer inspection, it was hard to deny that he looked like Marcus.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself,” he began. “I am Earnest.”

She nodded wordlessly then looked down at the menu in her hands. “You’re Earnest William Sinclair IV,” she declared and Earnest was taken aback. “Marcus’ brother. His older brother.”

“Marcus,” he echoed softly though the disbelief spoke volumes. “How do you...? He’s alive!” It was Ridley’s turn to be taken aback. “Where is he? Is he here? Do you know where I can-”

“He’s in Monteiro,” she cut in calmly. “Dunon Academy. How didn’t you know he was alive? You both survived the fire. Your father wrote about you using your eldritch to put out the flames.”

Earnest furrowed his eyebrows then resolve crossed his face. “That was the Dark Ages,” he replied. “It was only after the Renaissance that our parents die in a fire.” He took Ridley’s hands in his. “How is he?”

“Okay, I guess. We’re not exactly friends,” she replied looking down at her hands. “He made Sinclair a noble family. Married twice, had seven kids in total, I think. His wives and children died in the Gold Noble Slaughter of eighteen twentysomething. He’s... been alone since.”

Earnest nodded ruefully as greyish-white tears pooled in his eyes. Initially it looked like a trick of the light until the tears started streaming, proving that the Source’s tears were actually a mix of grey and white. Even when they fell from his chin onto his dark blue jeans, the tears were still grey-white.

Earnest chuckled lightly then wiped his tears away. He nodded lightly at Ridley then sniffled. “Had I known my brother was alive, I would never have chosen this life.” Before either Ridley or Ankh could ask further, the Source cut in, “we should go. Too many wondering ears.” He leaped out his seat towards Ankh to pick up some of the huntress’ bags. “Quickly.” Ankh tilted her head but followed him with Ridley towing behind them. “We’re constantly in danger outside the haven. I risk too much by being here.”

Ridley furrowed her eyebrows then notched a flying blade into her arrow while following them down the street. The people in the streets gave way when they saw the huntress and her readying attack. Ankh snarled at the people who made nothing of them, scaring them aside. Earnest led them into a shadowed ally.

There - with unparalleled ampyra strength - he tore the manhole out of its socket. The odour burst from below. “Hurry,” he whispered to Ridley. “The consortium has eyes everywhere. I can’t hold them for long.” She gagged to herself before leaping into the hole. “Keep going straight.”

Ankh too swallowed her vomit before bracing herself for the plunge. Below, in the horrendous aroma, the huntress turned on the torch on her spyscope. Earnest dove in after them, slamming the manhole shut. The sewers, in place of being dirty dark walls with lime scale, were mostly just smelly.

The water was dark and warm with the scent of waste radiating off it. The walls were sandstone, lined with flambeaus that were extinct. Sometimes, along the pungent river, were sandstone pillars that had their own flame torches. Cautiously, Ridley led the way through the sewers.

Earnest kept his hand on her shoulder while Ankh sniffed their route beside the hunter. Queer was in the air; the silence too strange. Ridley lamented being able to smell through Ankh’s nose. The Source was deadly silent; not even his footsteps made a sound. Ridley’s ankle boots, however, echoed down their path.

There were rats scurrying along the walls and a few were unfazed by the people passing them. Ankh yapped eagerly then took off in a sprint around the next bend. Ever cautious Ridley followed her with Earnest levelheadedly behind her. Around the next bend were different paths that branched off but Ridley could sense where Ankh was.

The grey wolf patiently waited for them at the path at the end of the stretch. The path was a dead end. A dead end with a ladder. “This is-”

Monstrously snarling cut off Earnest as a Class F flung him into a wall. Ridley spun around and fired a shot straight into its head. It didn’t look like the conventional Class E or F. This one - in place of just around its eyes - all the blood vessels throughout its body were black. His skin was ashy and his body was boney.

“You good,” she directed to the Source.

“I am, but so is he.” The Feral stood up and tore the flying blade from its forehead. “They’re a different breed, here.”

“Ye think,” Ridley jeered then pulled out two more flying blades. She tossed her bow aside. “How do these work?”

“Um...” Earnest replied as it charged for Ridley. “Duck!”

Ridley obeyed effortless and shoved one blade into its core. A weak-looking ashy fist sent her spiralling into the ladder. Ankh snarled then barked angrily as she leaped onto it. She slashed and bit at its face and throat but his skin was so thick and a mere fling banged Ankh into the piped ceiling.

The Class Feral looked to Earnest who held his hands out defensively. Flames escaped his palms but no ordinary flames. These were gold. Like the metal had been shaped into flames that radiated such a pureness from them. The flames, in all their majesty, did nothing!

The man was left molten but otherwise unscathed. Ridley furrowed her eyebrows then sprinted towards the Feral with a battle-cry. When the Class F looked, two shimmering flying blades smote across his neck. The body fell lifeless but not a drop of blood spilled out. Not even from the severed head. Just a dried-up body.

“What steroids was this fucker on,” Ankh jeered, sniffing the charred head. “Urg!” The vomit she formerly held down splattered out, grossing out Earnest.

“What is this thing?”

“The next step in the evolution of le sauvage. This is what happens when a Class F is left to fester unchecked.” Earnest massaged his shoulder then led the way to the ladder. “Some say the largest horde in the world dwells down here.” Both Ridley and Ankh huffed at him. “I would have warned you had that been the case. Only an elite few, like our new friend, make it down here. They are truly horrific; capable of stemming anything that moves. Even animals.”

The Source ascended the ladder and punched the manhole so hard it flew out of the drain it covered. He let himself out, still dragging Ridley’s belongings. Ridley boosted Ankh out of the sewer before picking up her bow and following them out. Earnest sealed the manhole, like he did before, then turned to reveal Chateau du Luq’s rear garden behind them.

Earnest handed over the huntress’ belongings then nodded at her. “Follow this path to the noble’s entrance,” he ordered.

“What about you?”

“I take the servant’s way,” he replied as he started down a different way. “Now, away with you.”

The huntress slung her duffel over her shoulder then followed Earnest’s direction with the vomitting wolf behind her. Before the doors came into sight, Ridley glanced over her shoulder, only to find Earnest very gone. “What’s wrong,” Ankh asked before burying her face into a shrub to vomit a final time.

“He’s just...” Ridley sighed then shook her head lightly “... he’s not what I expected.”

“Let me guess. He’s not old, grey and talks nonsense while making wise faces?”

Ridley shrugged. “I thought there would something... more. He’s just a normal eldritch with sparkly eyes and wispy tears,” she voiced. “Regardless of that, he’s our responsibility.” The wolf licked her lips before removing her head from the bush and stared quizzically at her psionic master. “He is who everyone is after.”