Crystallized Truth

Chapter 32 - Cunning of Fox

Eyes trailing over the path formed by the furious pacing of Audra, Samay resigned himself to listen the mad raving. His heart warring against this blind quest with no reward or reprieve. The endeavor of revenge was not appealing anymore and a weariness had settled; he was tired of Audra's obsessive presence, disgusted of constant planning, and simply exhausted of continued struggle to just survive.

Regrets of his life seemed to be piling on and still Samay couldn't quite stop himself from this very path of destruction even after knowing the devastation that awaits for him. Somewhere behind him Audra slapped a tree, a low rumble the only indication of their wavering power pulling him far deeper in his despair.

When everything was decaying and dying around them, just like their powers, why were they even fighting? And what for? The token of blood they could now only obtain from animals? Or the murky and unclear time stretching into nothingness in these overgrown woods?

There was a rustle as Audra moved again coming closer to him. Samay paid him no attention and continued to stare the snow laden ground where dents of his footsteps were being filled by fresh snow falling lazily from the heavens.

Just like it used to do before, Samay thought reminiscing the old days when he used to hunt with his own people amid this very woods, their laughter echoing in the silent forest; a bliss that he missed the most.

"That man is getting on my nerves," Audra declared standing in front of him.

Samay resisted a tired sigh at his dramatics and raised his head to look at him, face cold and blank showing no evidence of turmoil in his blackened heart.

"I had warned you about him. But you were adamant, now look at the way he is ordering both of us without fear." Samay spoke slowly and carefully.

Audra shook his head, eyes full of wildness and fury.

"We're now tied to him. He knows everything and our cards had ran out." Audra gritted in fury. "But we have to do something."

Samay averted his eyes not even knowing where all this was going. He almost sighed at the familiar ache. He missed the conversation with his own fellow vampires, the time they spent relishing each and every day.

This life, that he was living now only filled with utterly worthless debates with this very crazy man, was too cursed without his clan and his powers.

"We have to find the way to reach Azaad without that so called help. We must find some method and execute our revenge without letting him know anything." Audra insisted, taking to pacing around once again.

Revenge. The driving force behind their lives in all these years. Samay thrived on it but with years there was a creeping realization that revenge would bring him nothing. No vampires to start that companionship of clan that he never realized the importance of until lost.

He still wondered how he, Honey and two or more of them survived from the effects of that deadly curse. Was it something in their blood or their close association with Audra who had Black power within? Or was it something that they had no idea about? Some twisted part of universe playing against them?

More than revenge now he wanted to know the reason behind this strange phenomenon of survival of few from an aged old curse that wiped out an entire specie.

"Maybe you should use that fire of yours to try to hurt them?" Samay suggested offhandedly as he toyed with the reason for his survival while remembering Audra's ability with fire.

Audra stilled. Turning to him so slowly that Samay felt a faint welling of panic within as Audra stared at him. Samay kept his expressions neutral though, knowing very well that any display of weakness could be his death. As Audra took his time to stare, Samay watched back impassively, cleverly hiding the sudden nervousness in his stomach and the straying of his mind to different matters.