Heart of Ashes

The Illness

After clearing the table, Evelyn went up the stairs. Caine hadn't come down for a long time. Surely a phone call couldn't take that long. She heard Anthony laugh in the lounge and shook her head. She was happy it was a big house because he needed to stay the night, so did Morwenna. She found Caine's door ajar and remembered what her father had explained to her of vampire etiquette; if a door is closed but not locked, you may enter but probably should not but a door is open or you are invited you may enter freely. However, if a door is locked, you cannot and must not enter - unless it is imperative that you do.

She looked at the door and heard nothing in the room, as far as she could tell he beheading actually in there but where had he gone? She nudged the door open and poked her head inside.

"Caine?" she said, "You in there?"

There was no answer and no sign of movement. She flicked the lights on and stepped inside. The raven was surprisingly quiet. She looked around, Caine wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere. His suitcase was open and she felt an urge to see what else he had hidden in there and it was really irritating that he hadn't unpacked it yet. She lifted all his neatly folded shirts out, then all his pants. His shirts were made out of silk or cotton, she even found a linen doublet in there. He had two pairs of fitted, leather breeches and the rest went with beautiful jackets and waistcoats. What fascinated her most was when she lifted one of his jackets to reveal a leather bundle. It was long and straight. She lifted it out and untied the cord that held it closed. She slowly unwrapped the bundle and revealed a magnificent sword. Sliding it from it's intricate scabbard to see a massive double edged great sword with a crest, that matched the one on her ring, etched into the blade and the sheath. A barb protruded from the hilt and she knew, from both the size and the shape of the sword, that it had been fashioned for him. It was a true instrument of dealing death. She marvelled at it for a moment then put it down on the bed. She turned back to his suitcase and unpacked his jackets. A revolver lay at the bottom of the case beside a flintlock pistol and two daggers that bore a different crest; one of a dragon's head. She put it all down and turned her attention to his jewellery case.

She opened it to find an assortment of beautiful old jewellery. Some pieces, she would go so far as to say, were ancient. She saw one ring that matched her own. A set of cufflinks with the Maragi crest on them, another set of cufflinks with a garnet set in gold. There was an amulet with some other symbol that she couldn't identify on it and a few beautiful rings. She shut the jewellery case then the suitcase and looked on in horror as she saw a silvery, silk shirt and a pair of black pants with its matching jacket on the bed. He'd slid his shoes neatly under the wardrobe.

"What the hell is he wearing?" she muttered to herself, "Where is he?"

She threw the case open to see if it contained some clue as to where he'd gone and perhaps what he was wearing. Her rummaging resulted in a soft click and she realised there was a secret compartment in his suitcase. She opened it to see three syringes with needles in them and a large bottle of a clear substance. She didn't know what it was but it looked suspicious. She began to question Caine's identity. Was he really who he claimed to be or was he high? There was evidence all around her but photographs could be doctored and jewellery could be faked.

She looked up to see the air shimmering on the opposite side of the bed. She raised an eyebrow and moved round to investigate it. Tara, the raven, squawked loudly. It seemed like a warning to get out. Then Evelyn's eyes widened because a human foot began to form on the floor in front of her. Another one joined it shortly. She was staring at two pale, body-less feet slowly growing calves and shins then knees then thighs then a torso started forming. A perfectly muscled torso grew arms and a neck and the neck developed a chiseled jaw, sculpted lips, a shapely nose, high, well-defined cheekbones, closed eyes with dark lashes and pair of perfect dark eyebrows. Once the head had formed, long, soft red-black hair sprouted from a pale scalp and stopped at the shoulders. Caine opened his wine coloured eyes and stood before her, an awesome figure of power. Evelyn couldn't get her lower jaw under control and all she was able to do was stand there and stare at him. Caine grabbed his travelling coat from the hook behind the door and used it to cover himself.