Bloodlines: Severed Ties

Chapter 31: Ink and Blood

James led the group through a network of tunnels, with each one becoming smaller and smaller. The walls were adorned in the Regalia colours of red and gold, with twinkling lanterns illuminating the cramped spaces. They weaved through, passing a hunter here or there.

But mostly, it was quiet. When Sylvia had been here as a girl, she remembered it had been a bustling establishment, a testament to the Hunter kind. Hunters zipped about, busying themselves with jobs from the notice board, or the administrative aftermath of a kill. It was the less desirable part of the job, but the Hunter Sigil kept a close eye on how each hunt had gone, and kept tabs on each hunter.

Finally, the tunnel seemed to open up to a large room, as Sylvia could see a flood of light from behind James' head. She peered around him, to see the room was a large dome. The brick work was fantastic, despite being rectangular in nature they made almost an effortless curve to the top, where a large chandelier dangled perilously down in the middle.

As they stepped through into the room, Sylvia knew this was the main square. It was just as she had remembered it. The notice board was off to the side, and Sylvia could see a couple of jobs were still barely holding on to the board.

A small coffee shop was also posted to the side, with a sign proudly declaring

Best coffee in the Sigil!

It wasn't much to brag about, being the only coffee shop in the Sigil. Sylvia wondered if there had even been a competition for the title.

Finally, James led them up a small stair case that led off from the court yard. At the top was a bright red door, with delicate gold lace work around the sides. James knocked thrice, each knock sharp and piercing to Sylvia's ears.

"Mmhmm?" Sylvia heard a muffled voice from within. Taking that as an invitation, James opened the door and ushered the group inside.

The room was quite a squeeze, with the floor being filled with books and paperwork strewn all over. Instead of walls, the room was lined in bookshelves from floor to ceiling. Sylvia gasped, before hearing Aliyah gasp too. She glanced over at them, to see they had similar thoughts as she did.

Information literally filled this room, there was so much of it you had to tip toe around it.

And in the middle of the room, towards the back was a large desk. It was so tall, Sylvia had to look upwards to see over it. Similar to the room, it too was cluttered and a mess.

At the desk, sat a man. The man looked very similar to James. He had the same blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. Except his eyes had bags attached at the bottom, and crows feet to the sides. Instead of his hair slicked back into a ponytail like James, his hair was swept into a very messy bun. A pair of spectacles were perched on his nose, rounded with a small crack in the left lense.

"Erm Father, may I present Sylvia Trellom and Darian Jenkins," James said, clearing his throat awkwardly. Sylvia was unsure whether to bow or not, looking over to see what Darian was doing. But he too seemed somewhat confused about the situation, regarding the man before him.

The man didn't look up, instead kept his gaze down. He was writing something with a quill, and writing it quite aggressively. The quill flew across the page, scribbling notes down.

"Ah yes, good of you to join us," the man still did not look up, rather continuing on his work.

"And they also bring guests. This is Aliyah, an elf, and also Dirella who I believe you've met," James continued, gently nudging the group forward to sit down in the small stools in front of them.

The man stopped writing then, and Sylvia heard the distinct crack as the quill snapped in half. He looked up slowly from the parchment in front of him, his gaze lifting to meet Dirella's amused one.

"Dirella, please forgive my mess," the man seemed somewhat flustered, looking around the room. It looked as if a bomb had gone off.

"No need, I understand it is a difficult time," Dirella said with a voice like silk. She took a seat in the tiny stool, shifting uncomfortably against the harsh wood.

"Yes well, that's why I summoned these two here," the man sat back, taking his spectacles off and balancing them neatly on his disheveled desk. He rubbed his eyes with his finger and thumb, and Sylvia then immediately recognised the man.

Not only was he the leader of the Hunter Sigil now, but had been when she was a child. This was Sirius Regalia, and he was looking very much worse for wear.

"Look, we can explain Mr. Regalia-" Darian began, before Sirius held up a hand to silence him. Darian sat back down, slowly.

"Please, call me Sirius. And I haven't summoned you here to scold you," Sirius said. This surprised Sylvia.

"You, you haven't father?" James piped in there. He seemed almost disappointed that his father wasn't ripping in to the group.

"Our alliance with the vampires has been tedious at best, but I hear they have a new leader now. Our old alliance is null and void, we have no relations to this new leader. And clearly they feel the same, with their armies matching south," Sylvia audibly gulped at this. So news had spread so far south, even the hunters knew? However, they didn't know it was Anthony.

Not yet, anyway.

"Do I blame you all? Yes, and you will be punished. But now all we can focus on is restoring Ava to power, and getting the vampires back on our side," Sirius continued on, but Sylvia wasn't listening.

No, instead she felt herself growing into a red hot rage. Her face felt flushed, her breath quickening as her chest heaved. Just the mere mention of that woman's name was enough to spur her into a frenzy. The woman who killed her mother, her father, and turned her brother. The woman who took everything from her.

Ava.