Bloodlines: Severed Ties

Chapter 39: Hello Brother

"Sister, so lovely to see you," Tony cooed. He stepped out of the shadows in the archway, into the light. His arms were open wide, palms outstretched as if asking for a hug.

Sylvia was frozen in place, her skin cold and clammy. The nauseas feeling was creeping up, and she felt her skin crawl. Here he was, that beloved brother of hers.

As Anthony walked forward towards her, his movement was slow, tame. He appeared to glide across the floor, his upper body barely moving. His foot steps still made sound, but Sylvia knew it was only because he wanted it to. Even alive as a hunter, Anthony knew how to walk silently. It was a skill he had developed as a marksman, and perfected apparently as a vampire.

"You're not welcome here, vermin," James spat out. He had dropped the crate in his arms, and was now standing tall and strong. His eyes were piercing, cold and determined.

Anthony turned to face James, regarding him with a mild sense of amusement. He looked him up and down, with a sly smile toying at the corners of his lips.

"So good to see you too James. Tell me, how's daddy dearest?" Tony mocked, cocking his head to the side. He began to advance towards James, which caused the Hunter to draw his rapier. Tony then paused, throwing his hands up in a faux surrender.

"I said," James hissed, taking a few small steps towards Tony, his rapier poised against the vampires neck, "you're not welcome."

Sylvia was still frozen still, unable to move or speak. She was taking in the situation before her, Tony and his multitude of confidence, James and his apparent disgust. But it was only disgust, in fact James had shown no surprise at Tony's arrival at all, making one thing clear to her.

"You knew he was a vampire..." She whispered. Both Tony and James turned to looked at Sylvia then, their apparent tension still thick in the air.

"Oh sis, slow as ever," Tony let out a guaff. Then, quick as a flash he planted a boot square in James' chest. It sent him flying backwards, and he hit the wall behind him sending the air out of his lungs and winding him. His rapier fell to the ground with a loud clatter.

"Sirius.... Sirius must have told him," Sylvia was more speaking to herself now, trying to figure everything out. But Tony's shrill laugh brought her attention back to him, he was like a stench in the room. You didn't want to acknowledge it, but you also couldn't ignore it.

"Sylvia, what are you waiting for?" James croaked out from the floor. He was clutching his chest, struggling to breath. Sylvia watched as the smile fell from Tony's face, his expression turning to rage.

He stormed over to James, who was still lying on the floor. James reached for his rapier, but it was in vain as Tony kicked it away, sending it skittering along the floor. He then grabbed James by the cuff with one hand, hoisting him in the air and slamming him against the wall behind him.

"Wanna hear a funny story," Tony spat at James, leaning in close and baring his fangs. James was struggling at this point, his feet searching for the floor yet to no avail.

"When you turn into a vampire, it doesn't just happen instantly. No, it takes about a week. One whole. Agonising. Week," Tony said. He let out a small laugh then, before leaning in and smelling James. He breathed in deeply through his nose, making sure to get every last scent of fear off the Hunter.

"And while I was turning, while I could feel my bones breaking and skin ripping apart at the seams, Ava made sure to let me know the one person responsible for my pain. Oh she made sure to tell me in great detail who ratted out my family, someone who wanted all of us dead," as Tony spoke, Sylvia felt her heart breaking.

She could hear the anguish in Tony's voice, the pain of all these years. Yet she could also see the emotional damage it had done, how irreparable her brother was. She couldn't let him do this, she couldn't let him cross this line.

"So I've got one question for ya," Tony snarled, his face now back to rage, "where is she?"

"Where's who?" James coughed out.

"YOU KNOW WHO! WHERE IS AVA?!" Tony bellowed, slamming James into the wall with each word he yelled. James was now a quivering mess, afraid of a simple vampire. A shame to the Hunter community.

"I don't know! She met with me today, but then vanished. I don't know where she went!" James managed to get out. Tony seemed satisfied at this response, putting James back on the ground gently, brushing off the imaginary dirt from his shoulders. Tony even straightened up his petticoat.

"What did you just say?" Sylvia whispered through gritted teeth. She had remained silent throughout the conversation, letting it unfold before her as she was still in shock. But James' last sentence rocked her to her core, bringing her back to life and filling her with fury.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Tony chuckled, back to his cheery demeanor. His mood swings were erratic, unpredictable. James was still reeling from the experience.

"It was James who forged the alliance with Ava and the blue eyes. It was James who kept them up to date on the goings on here. And it was James who ratted us out to the vampires, who is responsible for everything that happened to us," Tony spoke so nonchalant, as if he was simply reading a story out of a book rather than retelling the trauma the Trellom's had faced themselves.

"James... It was you?" Sylvia looked up now, eyes searing hot. She glared at James, who was now standing tall with his rapier in his hand.

"I had to do it Sylvia. For the benefit of hunters," James said, eyes looking down on the floor. He couldn't even look Sylvia in the eyes as he belittled her. Coward.

"I'll kill you," she hissed. Tony began chuckling, slowly stepping away. He gestured with his hands towards James.

"He's all yours sis," his grin was menacing, but Sylvia's attention was on James now. She felt the rage building up, her anger boiling over. All of the years of loneliness she had endured, the loss of her parents, the turning of her brother. All because of this worm before her.

"Now be rational, Sylvia. You've got no weapons," James said, regaining some form of confidence after his assault from Tony. He was still side eyeing Tony as he backed away, mistakenly assuming him to be the greater threat.

But he was wrong.

Although all of Sylvia's physical weapons had been taken from her at the entrance to the Hunter Sigil, they had forgotten one key weapon. A weapon her mother had used, before her life was taken from her because of this traitor.

The haemomancer tiara on top of Sylvia's head.