Emerald Knights Ch. 03

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The truth unfolds, sisters reunite.
6.5k words
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Part 3 of the 3 part series

Updated 06/08/2023
Created 05/21/2011
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Damien ambled his way down the crowded streets, doing a little step as he passed the familiar places, noisy and colourful as they had always been.

Smiling and nodding to street girls and their pimps alike, he was reminded by the fact that things never really changed and history was bound to repeat itself - eternally.

He took a turn and walked down the familiar alley that led to his bar. He felt a small twinge of hunger but contained it, feeling a little too skittish to face a hunt. The news about the Baranovs had him tense, the stench of doom hanging in the air heavier than the familiar smell of urine that did so little to faze him.

He longed for blood and so he he made his way towards Voodoo Room, a hole-in-the-wall bar that he had invested in on a whim but which had proved to be a comfortable joint for him to put his legs up and feed. Had he been the kind of vampire that actually invested adequately, Voodoo Room would have actually churned out a profit over the years but as it stood, dilapidated and frequented by customers who did not always pay in cold hard cash, it had become more of an extension of his living room rather than a business.

Walking past Tweedledee and Tweedledum - as he liked to call them, but never to their faces - Damien entered the sweet smelling bar. He was looking forward to the easy banter and the loveless embraces.

Damien opened his mouth to greet Simone, the bartender - his eyes already sparkling in mischief - when he suddenly stopped and turned to face the stage. A heavenly voice drifted through the bar and pierced what little soul he had left. He stared - his mouth still open—at possibly the most ethereal being he had ever laid eyes upon. His palms, which he thought had long since lost the ability to do so, began to sweat. She stood swaying in the soft blue light and singing a sorrowful tune, her eyes closed and her fingers barely grasping what was left of her drink. He turned to Simone but before he could utter the question she answered it.

"Stranger, just walked in about an hour ago and been getting steady hammered ever since. Sure can sing." Her tone was gruff but Damien didn't register it rather, he continued to stare even as she handed him his drink.

Simone could recognise when a man wanted a woman, hell, any woman probably could but when it came to...him, she knew him like the back of her hand and the look on his face was new. This wasn't pure animal lust, this was something else, something she couldn't recognise. She turned to the next customer in the gradually filling bar; jealousy burned in her belly.

"Read her yet?" Damien asked taking a sip, never shifting his gaze from Lia.

Simone shook her head although Damien didn't see it. "She's got some kind of block, can't get past it."

"Hm" Damien replied still staring.

Lia, herself, was barely aware of her surroundings; she felt weightless on stage as if she had shed all her troubles and was standing naked and free. The melody was not new. She had been singing it since before she could remember and even now, it filled her with the simple happiness of a lullaby.

Finally reaching the end of her song she opened her eyes to a bar that was staring at her in awe. She blushed but in the dim light no one could have noticed. Drunkenly, she handed the mike back over to Old' Jim who was as wide-eyed as everyone else.

"Damn girl, where'd you learn to sing like that?" he asked and Lia blushed once more.

"Dunno" She mumbled. "Always could." She smiled nervously and began her descent from the stage. Unfortunately, a few bourbons in succession do not do healthy things to one's motor skills and she tripped on a cable and fell off the stage, hard. She stood up, rubbed her dirty hands on her jeans and groaned in humiliation and pain. A large hand gripped her by the elbow and helped her stay upright.

"Ow" She said, rubbing her knees and looked into the eyes of her saviour. Beautiful amber eyes, she thought to herself. "Um, thank you" She attempted a smile.

"Think nothing of it." He said in with a deep, deep drawl. "And may I say that you have the voice of an angel."

His eyes held hers in a long and spine-tingling

moment and Lia lost the ability to speak.

"Would you like a drink?"

Her heart finally thumped heavily in her chest and suddenly, she came back to herself. Warning bells rang in her mind and Lia instantly bristled: she was not looking to get picked up by a random stranger no matter how chivalrous he was. She pulled her elbow out of his grasp and shook her head.

"I can get my own drink, thanks" This time her smile was barely above polite.

Damien chuckled and Lia shivered. There was something about him that made her anxious and from experience, that was never a good thing. She looked up at his face, those impossible eyes shining down at her with amusement. He had the nose of an aristocrat, straight and slightly sharp but his face was rugged, tanned and tawny. His hair was chocolate brown and cut short so it barely grazed his perfect ears and tufted out of his dark green trilby hat.

"I have no doubt but 'lemme get you one and you can tell me all about it." He smiled dazzlingly and suddenly the world seem to dim in response.

Lia blinked in confusion."Tell you about what?"

"About the guy that made you stop accepting drink offers"

"What makes you think there was a guy?" She

frowned indignantly.

"Darlin', it's always about a guy" He laughed, took her by the elbow again and led her towards Simone and the vast array of alcohol behind her.

"What are you having?" He asked, even though he knew the answer.

He ignored Simone's obvious dirty look and gazed appreciatively at the red-haired beauty next to him. Unbelievable, he thought to himself, the first time in centuries that a woman had enthralled him so. She had a delicate face, soft and dotted adorably with light freckles. Her skin seemed to glow slightly and Damien was reminded about stories he was told as a child about The Fey. Her mouth was slightly wide with lips so soft and pink they were like rosebud invitations for a kiss.

Her accent was hard to place, not exactly Toussaint but not exactly anywhere else either. As he watched her mouth move, for a second Damien forgot what was happening. Shaking himself from daydreams of naked skin and heat, he pulled himself back to reality.

"Look, I don't know who you think you are but..." Lia began.

"Damien" He replied casually.

"Damien? Damien, who?" She scrutinized him, her arms crossed over her breasts, pushing them up a little and causing Damien to stiffen.

Turning back to the bar-keep to avoid temptation he replied "Damien who wants to buy you a beverage. You must be thirsty after all that beautiful singing... and you did spill your last one" He nodded at the stage. Lia, in turn, grit her teeth in anger.

"If you, Mr. Damien, think I'm going to just fall into your bed because you bought me bourbon you've got another thing coming" But she sat down on one of the rickety barstools next to him.

"Hm, perhaps, but I'd rather it be you" He grinned and a small, very small, part of Lia smiled with him. On the outside, she scowled.

"One-liners also don't work on me" Lia grumbled placing her gaze at the sticky bar in front her.

"Perhaps bourbon will?" Damien was feeling unusually spirited. He had rarely experienced a woman putting up such a fight. He was not vain, nor did he spend excess amounts of time contemplating his manoeuvres with women but suddenly, in the face of a challenge, he found himself exhilarated.

He grinned and Lia found herself squirming slightly with excitement. The primal woman inside her was aching to jump on him but her better judgement remembered the last time a beautiful man with equally beautiful words bought her a drink. She had the scar to prove it.

Lia fought the urge to growl in frustration. "Fine. One drink. Then I'm outta here"

"Fine." Damien replied with a disarming smile, "One drink" and signalled to Simone.

Selena opened green her eyes to the ornate ceiling of a strange place and sat up in shock, looking about her to ascertain her whereabouts. The luxurious room was in tatters. Bookshelves were hanging off the walls, the bed linen torn, feathers dusting every possible corner of the room and a very handsome vampire sitting against a wardrobe with its doors hanging off their hinges.

"What happened?" She demanded. "What did you do?" An ache was growing in her confused head.

Alexander laughed mirthlessly. "What did I do? What did you do?! One minute you're getting off, the next you're blowing the place up."

He got up and dusted himself off. His ebony hair had flopped onto his porcelain forehead and he scraped it back roughly with his fingers as he walked to Selena and picked her forcibly off the ground.

"What, exactly, are you?" His voice was low and dangerous. His sapphire eyes locked onto hers.

It was Selena's turn to laugh. If turns were what they were doing, Selena could give as good as she got.

"I wish I fucking knew but the only people that could have told me that are dead because of you!" Tears she was unwilling to shed in front of him burned her eyes so she closed them.

"Look I didn't-" Alexander started but decided against it. Now was not the time for excuses and minor details. "Let's get you dressed, there's someone you need to meet."

"Who, my executioner?" She replied sarcastically and crossed her arms over her breasts, realising suddenly that she was naked, and her robe hanging uselessly open.

Alexander turned back to the broken wardrobe and pulled out a shirt and threw it at her. "Get dressed."

"I want to know where you're taking me!" Shouting, she tossed the shirt to the ground. "I'm not putting anything on until you tell me what the fuck is going on!" In the back of her mind, even she could admit that voluntary nakedness was not only childish but foolish, especially in front of one of the most magnificent vampire male specimens she had ever encountered.

Alexander was quickly losing his patience. "Would you put your ego aside for one goddamn second put some fucking clothes on? I don't have the energy to deal with your shit right now"

"My shit? As far as I can tell, you're the vampire that kidnapped me and brought me to the palace of fucking doom!"

Alexander whirled around and charged at her in anger. "Do I have to tie you up and gag you as well?" He whispered, anger shattering the air around them.

"You nearly blew this place up to kingdom come. So shut up and for fucks sake put some clothes on!"

Selena stood quietly staring into his piercing eyes. She saw, she felt it in her bones that he was being honest with her. But how? How had she lost control like that? It had never happened like that before. Whenever she had discharged energy before it had been because she had called it to her and spent hours pulling it from every possible living thing and being around her. As far as she knew, the only thing she had been doing before going nuclear was kissing Alexander which, in hindsight, was a terrible idea. Embarrassment was new to Selena.

"So we were...?" She made appropriate hand gestures, looking at her feet, her toes scrunching the plush carpet uncomfortably.

"Yes" Alexander replied, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"And I...?" She swept her hands round the room.

"Yes"

Selena sighed. "So who is this person that can help me understand what's going on?" She was stuck with Alexander, she might as well make use of it.

"La M'Ag"

Selena remained silent. There was nothing she could say to that. If she had the opportunity of an audience with him she was surely closer to ending the council forever. Now, as the unwilling 'guest' of a member she was being offered a chance of a lifetime. Finally, she could find out who she really was, what she really was. La M`Ag was one of the most powerful man in the Kingdoms and Alexander, asshole-y as he may have been, was about to take her to him directly. She could not miss this. She could not deny herself the knowledge of her birth right.

"Gimme some pants" Selena growled, whipping the white shirt off the floor.

Alexander raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What, now you're willing?"

"Willing? I've lived the past decade wanting to avenge the murder of my whole family, wanting to kill you with my bare hands so I'm sure as fuck going to find the only man on this planet that can probably tell me how."

Alexander was silent for a moment. "If it means anything, you came very close."

Selena merely snorted as she pulled on the jeans he had tossed her. They were far too big on her and hung low on her waist. Thankfully, so was the shirt so it covered the inappropriate reveal of her crotch.

"What made you stop? There, at Limbo, why didn't you finish me?" He stood in front of her now, his face a smooth plane of non-emotion.

She looked up and turned away again. Her feelings were starting to get confused when only yesterday they were so clear. She took a deep calming breath before turning to face his cool blue eyes with renewed hatred.

"That is exactly what I'm trying to find out."

Without a word Alexander grabbed her by her elbow and led her out of the room to the huge corridor of dark mahogany and up a flight of stairs. She counted the sentries standing, blank-faced, at almost every corner, straight-backed and distant. When she finally made her escape she had to know how many of them she was going to be faced with. She wondered where she would find Metatron in the maze.

They reached the large carved doors and he turned to face her once more.

"Don't say a word unless you're spoken to. You have no authority here Selena, so don't."

She stared at him angrily and when he gave her a shake she had to submit.

"Fine." She grumbled.

With a whispered word and a touch, the large doors opened to an almost empty hall. An old withered man stood in the centre of it leaning heavily on an ornate ivory cane. He didn't turn as they entered but seemed to acknowledge their presence nonetheless.

"May I introduce Selena St. Clair Baranov" Alexander gave her a slight push in the old man's direction and as the gnarled figure turned, Selena froze, his wise grey eyes penetrating her emerald ones.

"Miss Baranov, a pleasure. Or would you prefer Princess?"

Selena remained silent as instructed and simply cocked her head arrogantly.

"Come, let us sit." He gestured towards the thrones. "Alexander you can leave us now. I will call when I need you."

Alexander was confused, "But my Lord-"

"All in good time. Go." In a blink of an eye Alexander was gone and suddenly Selena was more frightened than ever. She sat down on one of the thrones and eyed the mage who made no move to do the same and instead stood in the centre of the circular hall, looking out of the stained-glass window.

"Do you know who you are?" La M'ag asked her.

"Yes, I am Selena St. Clair..."

"Yes, yes, we all know that my child but do you know who you are?"

Selena shook her head and he nodded his. "Well, let me recount a story for you a story in which I was younger than I am today and in which you were not even a glint in your fathers eye."

He spun around and gave her a long look, appraising her before sitting himself down, tiredly, on the throne next to hers.

"I cannot remember the year, nor the month but I do remember that it was spring, a lovely warm spring and I had just released my students from the Arcanum. I was wearing my white robes with pride as I walked the streets of what you would now call Haven and in my pride I stopped to watch a few of my students show a couple pretty girls magic I had taught them. Stupid tricks really, but the awe and delight on their faces made the boys puff up their chests in youthful hubris. I remember this because of the last trick that a bright, young boy named Arran fashioned by turning a handful of field flowers into butterflies. Seconds, perhaps minutes later, the dragons came flooding into the city, burning the temple domes down with their fiery breath. The moments after that are blurry but I remember the screams, the panic and the horrible stench of boiling blood. They were rebel tribes from the east had finally decided to wage war on the West to regain the power of the thrones, of their ancestors. They were led by Ogon Dracomir, one of the most powerful mages of the time. He had been kicked out of the Arcanum years before and whatever had started from resentment turned to black hatred as his power grew. We of the Arcanum were always neutral but an attack of this sort had to be defended. Ogon had mastered control of the dragons with an emerald known as the Dragon's Eye and only the most powerful witch or mage could wield such power as it drained on ones humanity as it gave great power.

Ogon achieved in a matter of days what the tribes had been attempting for generations. The Arcanum and the council bowed to Ogon's reign. Thus, Bohemia was born. Ogon settled there at the cusp where ancient west met mysterious east, holding uneasy power over the people of Europa and beyond."

The Old man shifted in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment before continuing "Now, you must be wondering what this has to do with you. Not only are you descended from Ogon, you are also wearing a part of his Dragon's Eye on your neck." Selena looked down at her necklace which she was subconsciously holding in her hand.

"It took years but we finally managed to organise a coup and in one night of bloody murder and darkest magic, the Arcanum had seized the stone from him and killed him and all his Dragons. All was well for a century or so until Viktor the Terrible got it into his head that he had the right to wield the stone's power, that he would become the next tyrant of Europa. He started hunting these stones which is why your parents are dead and which is why you have a stone around your neck."

The old man sighed deeply and continued. "Your mother, the beautiful Vivienne was a powerful witch and came as close to the power of Ogon as anyone I've ever seen,. Unfortunately, this came to Viktor's attention and when you and your sister were but babies he made sure your family and your legacy was burned down. Your mother was wise enough in her last moments to put a spell over you both so he could never find you, never see you even if he was in the same room as you and so you were safe. Until now, until you emerged from the shadows with vengeance in your heart."

There was silence as Selena attempted to understand what was happening, what all of it meant.

"It means," La M'ag continued as if hearing her question, "that once certain people hear that you are not only a direct relative of such power but that you also have a stone around your neck that could potentially bring this world to its knees, they will do everything in their power to kill you. Fortunately for you, that may come sooner than you expect."

"What?!" She rose from her chair in surprise and self-preservation.

"You broke code in Limbo and not only that, but an attempted assassination of a King is a punishable treason." The mage said lightly.

"I was channelling my dragon." She responded petulantly.

"The Council will not see the distinction, my dear. I'm afraid you sealed your fate that night unless..."

"Unless what?" Anything, anything to get out of this situation alive, Selena thought.

"Unless you give up your fiery heritage, give up the stone, and give in completely to your wolf."

"But why would I do that? I've never even shifted!" Selena asked incredulously. "That would be like removing half my blood altogether, and I would rather die than deny my mother's given birth right."

La M'ag laughed lightly which turned into a raspy cough. "You are correct in a sense but it would be a show of good faith. This way we could ensure that you never possess all five stones and their united. And anyway, you come from a powerful line of wolves, your father being one of the strongest and noblest I've ever known and with your magical heritage combined, you are a force to be reckoned with."

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