Bloodlines: Severed Ties

Chapter 36: Reunited, With Bad News

Sylvia lay on her back on the cardboard like bed. The deuvet covers were scratchy, old, but at least now the layer of dust had been successfully removed.

For the past hour her and Dirella had been cleaning like crazy. They had dusted every inch of the place, scrubbed the floors, removed the cobwebs. Hell, Sylvia had even oiled the bloody door hinge to stop it from squeaking, at the bequest of an agitated Dirella.

Now, they lay at last. On a bed that wasn't quite comfortable, but sure as hell beat the tent. All that could be heard was the gentle breathing of the two, rhythmic and slow, as Sylvia slowly closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander...

Crash.... BANG!

Sylvia sat up with a start at the sound of the door being kicked open. In the doorway stood a panting Darian, his broad shoulders barely able to fit through the tiny door.

"I'd just fixed that you know," Sylvia said blandly, unamused at the loud intrusion. It had been a long day, and all she wanted was to get some sleep. Darian, however, had other ideas. He barged in through the door, revealing a somewhat startled Aliyah behind him. Aliyah gave Sylvia a goofy smile and a wave as they came into the room.

"Oh, that, doesn't matter this is important!" Darian exclaimed after eyeing the door. It was still on it's hinges, despite taking the brute force of a Darian kick. It had hit the wall behind it, however, and had left a sizable dent where the handle landed.

"We heard someone talking to a vampire," Aliyah interjected. They seemed excited, compared to Darian's shock and dismay. To Aliyah, this seemed more like an investigation into Hunter Vampire relations.

"Here? Impossible," Sylvia said dissmissively. She knew that Sirius had formed an alliance with the vampires. But to meet so far south? It made no sense.

"The tunnels," Darian practically pushed himself forward, eager to spill the beans on what they had witnessed, "they say the tunnels go all the way to Castle Doom."

Sylvia sat back on the bed, planting her hands behind her. Her brows were furrowed, confusion evident on her face. She glanced over at Dirella, who only shrugged in response.

"So say I believe you, what did this person say to the vampire?" Sylvia asked.

"Well, they discussed who was the new leader of the vampires," Darian spoke slowly, evidently clamping up now that he actually had to tell Sylvia what they had heard. She would hate everything that was said, with most of it being about her or her family.

"So, the vampire told the human it was... Anthony," Sylvia paused before saying his name. She kept doing that, as if just saying his name was enough to summon him here.

Darian nodded, causing Sylvia to swear under her breath. Someone now knew the secret that her brother was a vampire, but who?

"Sirius, it's gotta be," Sylvia said, coming to her own conclusion. Dirella stood up then.

"Now hang on a moment, we don't know who it was. Why are you so certain it's Sirius?" Dirella asked, hands on her hips. Sylvia looked up at her, too exhausted to even stand right now.

"Think about it. He's got a relation with the vampires, he wants to restore the blue eyes to power. Only makes sense it's him," Sylvia looked at Aliyah and Darian for a response. They seemed unsure.

"Well, it was a man's voice, and it sounded somewhat like him I suppose..." Aliyah trailed off, as Darian took over.

"Truth is, they were whispering. We were lucky to even hear what they had to say, yet alone hear who they were."

Sylvia rubbed her eyes, deep in thought. If it's not one thing it's another. Just as she thought she would be able to shake the memory of her brother like that, it all comes rushing back.

Red eyes, pale skin, fangs. But worse, the mental change that had taken place. The once caring and loving brother had been replaced with a cold, harsh man. No feelings, barely any emotions besides rage. She struggled to see him like that.

"So we don't know it's Sirius," Dirella concluded, sitting back down. She too seemed tired and exhausted. The mental toll of using the mirage gem, it seemed.

"What if we used the time gem?" Aliyah proposed. This drew Sylvia's attention.

"That... Could work," she spoke slowly, glancing over at Dirella to gauge her reaction. She seemed somewhat impressed that Aliyah had thought of it, and not her.

"That is a viable option, rather than jumping to conclusions," Dirella said, directing her last comment at Sylvia. Sylvia sighed in response. She didn't need the time gem, she knew it was Sirius. But, if it took a little more evidence to get Dirella on board, Sylvia was happy to play along.

Darian, however, seemed hesitant. Sylvia looked at him, his eyes looked away from hers instantly. There was something he was hiding, something eating him up. Sylvia stood then, her knees groaning in protest after the long journey that they had endured, as well as the vigorous cleaning protocol.

"Darian, what is it?" Sylvia asked, walking up to him. He finally met her in the eyes now, but it was clear he did not want to budge.

"There is something else that was said," Aliyah spoke then, drawing Sylvia's attention to them. Aliyah, on the other hand, seemed to have no qualms over sharing what information they had gathered. An elven trait, through and through.

"The person who spoke, mentioned a bargain. They told the vampire who killed their kin, and in exchange the vampire promised to kill the competition," Aliyah quoted directly, mincing no words. Sylvia felt her heart drop, and looked back to Darian.

He had a pained expression on his face. He knew he would have had to tell Sylvia to her face, but looking at her now he had never expected it to be so hard. Right now, her eyes were darting across his face, looking for any indication Aliyah had been wrong, had been confused and it was a simple misunderstanding.

But it wasn't.

"Whoever was talking to the vampire... Is the one who ratted out your family to the vampires."