Bloodlines: Severed Ties

Chapter 32: Splitting Off

"You WHAT?!" Sylvia roared as she jumped to her feet. Her aggressive movement toppled her tiny stool, sending it clattering against the floor behind her.

"We have an alliance with Ava, not with the vampires. And that much is clear, given how volatile this new leader is," Sirius said level headedly. Sylvia remembered why she hated this guy so much. He was all about the head, and without any of the heart.

"Well... She's dead," Darian whispered softly. It was a fact he thought would cause a major reaction in Sirius, but instead he just turned his attention to Darian, a blank expression on his face.

"My intel says otherwise," he said simply. Sylvia scrunched her hands together into fists.

"Even if she's alive, we should end her. For good!" She bellowed, her voice echoing around the room.

Sirius seemed perturbed by the woman's violent reaction. His brows furrowed, a look of anger crossing his face. He clearly didn't like to be trifled with, and Sylvia sure did love to do just that.

"James, I think you had better take this young lady for a walk," Sirius said, gaze fixed on Sylvia. Her chest was heaving, face red with anger. She couldn't believe what she had just heard, what Sirius thought was best for not only himself but all hunters. It was... Despicable.

James held the door open, gesturing for Sylvia to leave. But she didn't budge, only felt herself growing angrier and angrier. The rage building up inside her, the audacity, the tenacity, just... How dare he?

Until she felt a cool hand on her arm.

She glanced down, to see Aliyah looking up softly at her. Their green eyes were round with concern, their hand delicately wrapped around Sylvia's forearm. She looked down at her own hand now, how it was gripped into a tight fist.

And she relaxed it.

She let off a heavy sigh, feeling slightly calmer about the situation. With a reassuring smile directed at Aliyah, she followed James out of the office. James himself nodded stiffly to his father, before following her out of the door. It closed with a soft click.

"Now that that's dealt with, Darian your punishment," Sirius turned to Darian. Throughout the whole ordeal, he was sat quietly on the stool. Always obeying, never questioning. But something about the interaction irked him. How Sylvia had been dismissed so easily, like a child just throwing a tantrum.

But no, she had every right to be upset. Ava killed her family. She destroyed her home. Made her an orphan and homeless. Why would she be ok with Ava being restored to power? In fact Darian himself didn't want her restored to power. She should be dead. She is dead.

Isn't she?

"I think community service will suffice, given how little hunters are left at the Sigil we could use the extra help..." Sirius trailed off. Darian looked around the room. He knew exactly where to start, that's for sure.

"Excuse me? I have a few questions for my research," Aliyah's soft voice spoke up. They pulled out a notepad, ruffling through to find a blank page. Finally satisfied they had found one, they pulled out a small pencil, holding it poised just above the paper.

Taken slightly off guard at the imrpomtu interview, Sirius mumbled a sort of agreement, as long as it was quick.

"So, do Hunters have their own form of currency, language?" Aliyah began. Sirius looked confused.

"Hunters are exactly the same as humans. We speak common, and use their coin. Makes things easier, I suppose," Sirius answered. He seemed mildly amused at an elf asking him questions, however was dying to ask his own.

In due time, he told himself.

"Ok, and how does leadership arrangements work here?" Aliyah continued. Sirius seemed to get slightly uncomfortable at this question.

"Well, we used to be a monarchy," he said, pulling at his robe, unable to look Aliyah in the eye.

"Used to?" It was Darian to ask the question this time. For as long as he had known, the Regalia's had ruled the Hunter Sigil. Last time he checked, this was still a monarchy situation.

"Well, Mrs. Trellom inspired us to change the constitution, to honour her memory. We are now a democratic society," Sirius seemed to settle in a little better with that statement, dropping his robe cuff and turning up the charm with a small smile.

"Then why are you still leader?" Aliyah spoke this time.

"That's the thing. No one else wants to be leader, well no one has run against me, that is. Job is too difficult for most!" He gestured to the piles of paperwork before him, as if that were proof of the difficulty of his position. Darian raised a n inquisitive brow.

"And why do you want to work with Ava? Why don't you form an alliance with the new vampire leader?" Aliyah continued. It was somewhat inspiring, how despite the tricky questions Aliyah was able to ask them as simply as asking someone's name. It wasn't personal, it was research.

"This new leader... Seems irrational. I mean attacking human settlements in the coming summer? No, I don't think I can work with a monster like that. But do you know? Do you know who the new leader is?" Sirius leaned forward as he asked the questions, his eyes becoming more dark and intense as he did so.

"Why yes, it's An-"

"Another red eyes vampire of nondescript nature," Darian cut Aliyah off, clapping a hand around his mouth. Aliyah seemed somewhat shocked at the intrusion, remaining frozen solid.

Sirius regarded the situation with distrust, his own brow rising. Something was up, that much was clear.

"Anyway, I think I heard Sylvia calling. We had better go," Darian was flustered, and began dragging Aliyah towards the door. He still had his large, beefy hand covering Aliyah's mouth, just in case they felt they wanted to finish their sentence.

Elves, he cursed in his mind.

With an awkward smile, Darian thrust Aliyah out first. He then offered a quick bow to Sirius, before exiting the office himself.

Leaving Dirella and Sirius alone.