Augusta Fern's Blog - Posts Tagged "human-protection"

At the sound of those words I turned hard and remorseful as he and I assisted in some extremely horrid acts during that time. He sensed this in me and apologized, requesting that I proceed with my inquiry. I resumed my seat, with Keane I never want to seem like a detective overworking a homicide case, but Babet was my greatest concern and I needed to know that he wasn’t a part of the extinction of her family in an attempt to make her vampire property.
I had to choose my words carefully, Keane was my brother and even though we had fallen out of touch over the years I had a great deal of respect and love for him. But the words came harshly and accusingly no matter how hard I tried to suppress it.

“Why are you here Keane?” My face a stone wall as I asked, shifting in my chair. He wove his fingers into each other in front of his chest, his elbows resting on the arms of his chair; his outlook indifferent as he searched for a response.

“She said you would do this and I told her there was no way my brother would question my arrival, but here you are. Just like she said.” His final sentence sounding hurt that I would find malice in anything Keane would do. “She really has you vexed, huh?” The question rattled around in my mind, which “she” is he referring to, Madliene or Babet?

I remain quiet as he had yet to answer my question. He shifted forward in his seat and lowered his hands, “I was here with the Icelandic clan, because I’ve been working with Linde for the past fifty years. After Madliene’s meeting with him she asked that I stop by the club before I left town. The Queen requested my presence Cian. I haven’t been briefed as to why, but upon my arrival I requested to meet with you before she had a chance to fill me with lies.” He laughed and leaned back in his chair.
I stared at him not understanding his meaning. I am aware of our Queen’s ways and occasionally all the facts are not present during her briefings. She will provide what she deems necessary information to obtain her goals, but she tends to fail in explaining the minor details that could cause immortal and mortal casualties alike.

I have witnessed that injustice too many times to count. With our Queen remarking, “you have to break a few eggs, don’t you.” Many vampires employed by the Queen have met their fate or final death due to her lack of attention to detail.
“I thought you of all people would respect that, that our relationship is thicker, stronger than her.” Keane said interrupting my thoughts, his sea blue eyes penetrating my hollow interior.
“I am sorry, brother. It’s been so long and I…..I am so different these days. I feel like I’ve lost myself along the way working for the Monarchy. Just…how much do you know?”

“Not much,” his hand went up and his shoulders shrugged, “ She did mentioned the situation regarding a local human and the picking off of the family, that New Orleans has had an influx of unregistered vampires. Also, she required another skilled “warrior””, his fingers making air quotes, “her term by the way, to work the bounties and on occasion opposite of you at the club. What I don’t know is why this human is so important to her, for one. Secondly who are the unregistered vamps and why are there so many. And third, why are you not able to fulfill your obligations to our most gracious Queen?” His tone became sarcastic, rolling his blue eyes and with his final words he folded his arms across his chest.

I took a deep breath and began to explain Babet, how she is related to us and our kind and why we are exposing ourselves to help her. I kept the fact that I had virtually stalked her for days prior to learning of her identity and her connection to Estella hidden from Keane. Keane knew Estella in passing and a brief history in her making, but that was all he knew of her. I explained the painstaking we had endured to keep the woman and her two children safe.

The word “children” invoked a reaction in Keane I hadn’t seen since we were in the priestess’ hut long ago in Scotland. A look of sympathy crossed his face and I knew that he would be a great ally for Babet. I continued that I wasn’t absolute regarding the influx, but I had suspicion that it might be Alistair and Flannaghan from the Queen’s New York days come to exact their revenge for her actions against them so many years ago. But I had no hard or current evidence to implicate them or any indication of their whereabouts. All of these elements add up to explain my recent absence at the club, but due to Keane’s intelligence he had already deduced that I was spending my off hours with Babet by more than just a request of the Queen. “Whose relation is the human?” Damn Keane, doesn’t miss a beat.

“Estella’s.” Then Keane said something that piqued interest in my own actions.
“Then let me ask you Cian, is it the Queen keeping you babysitting the human or are you doing it as a favor to Estella?” he said leering at me.

The answer to this question was a complicated one. If I was honest with him I would tell him that it is my own obsession that keeps me at Babet’s four nights a week but this information in Keane’s mind would be one of danger. He would advise me to stay away from the human, leaving Estella to clean up her own family’s mess but the hero in him would suggest otherwise. He continued to leer at me as I had done him when I thought he hadn’t been forthcoming with me. At that moment I decided to keep the answer simple and what would seem predictable in Keane’s mind.

“I do this because it was requested of me by our Queen.” The words sounded submissive in my head. “But the way I continue to protect her, is favor to Estella.” And I looked right at him waiting for a reply.

He gathered himself and took a deep breath.“You have definitely changed, brother.” His tone was one of disappointment as though I had purposely defied him in some great endeavor.
“Listen, I know you have a thing for Estella; the Queen did tell me that much, that she feels the obsession with Estella is overwhelming you, hindering your abilities.” His factual accusations enraged me.

I felt the need to defend myself, but I kept my calm and allowed him to continue. Keane had an outstanding ability to see realities for what they were and I was no different in his eyes. He continued rattling off the Queen’s comments until finally he stopped and retracted, “But I know you brother”, he became extremely serious; “I know that you cannot be this wound up in her politics that you can’t see what she is doing.” I sat back in my seat as he spoke, realizing how correct his assessment was.

I used to be less willing to please, I used to be one who scrutinizes, but what he didn’t know was the real reasons behind my actions, unless he did and he was waiting for me to confess. It was a true thing; I had spent too much time away from my brother. If I confessed the proverbial beans would be spilled and I couldn’t have Keane thinking any less of me than he did at this moment. I smiled at him and told him I wanted to introduce him to someone. He remarked, “This isn’t over, Cian.”

“Understood.” I stated factually. I stood from my seat and Keane’s eyes followed as I crossed the receiving room toward the front door.

“Where are you off to now, brother?” Keane’s voice echoed the cathedral ceiling as the door closed behind me. I wasn’t two steps from the door before it opened again, “Cian!?”

“Meet me at back at Morte’ in an hour.” I called back to him as I vanished into the thick evening air. I had to stop by my warehouse for a change of attire and possible weapon collection.
Inside Morte’ the deep bass of Deftones’ “Passenger” thumped through the unseen house speakers as the confidence of all in attendance was palpable; I received more than a few looks from the female humans in the club as I crested the threshold and took a big whiff of the bouquet before me.

And it occurred to me to be strange that human was the only scent I detected tonight and from the expression on Sophia’s face I was not as well informed as I should be. Being the only male vampire present I was propositioned by more than enough women looking for a thrill, the walk from the front door of Morte’ to the bar where Sophia stood nervously behind, was not all that long.

My declination to their offers appeared to be taken a multitude of ways. Some mortified by even the approach, others angered, I could also detect hints of jealousy, sadness and depression. Human emotion is not one of the aspects of my former mortality I long for, and until I became aware of Babet’s existence, I was free of them.

I reached the bar just as the music shifted from Deftones to Lords of Acid, “Rough Sex”; Sophia quickly disappeared behind it, before reappearing a second later. In her hand and around her fingers was a set of iron “brass” knuckles.

I nodded toward them as Sophia spoke, “Before you ask, we have a major problem”, she said as she adjusted her breasts to place a tiny dagger between them. She raised her head and met my gaze, her brown eyes flickering with hints of hazel, she was worried. Her thick black hair had been straightened and at the right angle a sheer of raven blue engulfed it. She placed her hair carefully not to reveal the handle of the dagger and her olive skin radiated beautifully through her black lace tunic, whose flared sleeves concealed the iron knuckles. She stepped out from the bar to escort me to the haven doors.
Her platform heels clicking across the floor attracting a little more attention than anticipated and the closer we came to the doors a human mob began to descend; Sophia’s eyes were more intense than I have ever seen them, including her birth into darkness. I clutched my arm around her waist and flashed through the haven doors, slamming them behind us. I turned to face the young vampire, clasping my hands to both her shoulders, “Sophia, calm.”

Her eyes stared directly into mine; intensifying once more before sullying slowly back to a darker hazel. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. I knew that the smell was overwhelming and she must have some order from the Queen to remain from the feed, but for a younger vampire that is a tall order. Sophia hasn’t had enough time nor the opportunity to hone such skills, being a speck under the Queen’s thumb is tiring and lacks education.

The Queen has been making ones like Sophia for centuries. She will break free like all the others, but it takes cunning among age and anger. For the time being Sophia is a slave to the Queen. I knew that the attempt to probe Sophia for knowledge would be futile, she knew this as well and said, “Go to Estella.”

Nodding in the direction of Estella’s haven door, the inclination that she wasn’t going to explain tonight’s strange happenings, was apparent. Making my way down the stone corridor toward Estella’s door I stopped short just before entering, staring at the beautifully carved barrier between me and my once obsession.

Before I had a chance to reach for the handle, the door flew open, Estella had been preparing for tonight and had just come from a warm bath. I could feel the heat from the water radiate off her cold skin and smell the luxuriousness of her bath salts. Her hair piled on top of her head in what looked like chopsticks sticking out of the sides. She waved her hand to invite me in and once I returned my gaze to her face, I could see she was slightly perturbed by my lack of focus.

I apologized and entered her chamber, “Sorry.”

“No problem, I understand better tha….” She trailed off, as the sentiment would of course be lost on me, “sit.” She said as she readjusted her wrap, turning from me to go behind the dressing screen in the corner of her chamber cell. “So, as I am sure you’ve heard, we are on high alert tonight.”

“Yes, I gathered that from Sophia’s demeanor.”

“Before I go into that, you should know, I spoke with Babet, she is taking the kids to dinner and a movie tonight, I told her to touch base with me when the movie was over...” she trailed off to administer some piece of clothing and I could make out the voluptuous silhouette her body made as she removed the sticks from her hair, cascading down her back hitting the base of her spine as it fell. She bent down putting her feet inside of a pair of shorts, pulling them up securing the suspenders accompanying them, arcing her back as she did up the buttons until she suddenly stopped, craning her head around the screen, “Figures” she said as she rolled her eyes at me.

“I am still a man, Estella.” I explained sarcastically before rising from my seat.

“Yes.” Estella being Estella, wrapped her leg around the edge of the dressing screen, her foot encased in a blue and white platform heel resembling a child’s saddle shoe, pointed so that her toe graced the floor slightly, she placed the foot and then spun the rest of her body out from the dressing screen, in true stripper fashion and I couldn’t help but smile slyly before laughing heartily as she continued.

The shorts were high waist and looked like Navy sailor pants. Estella was going for a 1940’s look tonight. While behind the screen she had pinned her hair back on both sides and it had formed tight curls while up. She was gloriously beautiful as she always was, and asked her how she got to be so. She walked over to me, placing her hand on my chest.
“Thank you Cian, I can always count on you.” Her smile through bright red lips was intoxicating.

“Don’t forget it, ok?” I said brushing the back of my hand against her face.

“So?” We stood looking at each other for a moment, when Estella regained her train of thought. I turned to take my seat again.

“Sorry, just….thinking. So yes, earlier today I awoke to find Morte’ blazing with mortal life, even the halls of the haven were permeated with the scent of human blood. I opened my door to see why Madliene was already allowing patrons, when it slammed closed before me.” She sat next to me on the 18th century tufted couch. “Xavier had slipped into my chamber before the door closed and before I knew it he was between me and the door, he then spun me around and slammed me against it. He shot both arms up to block my exit, of course I was frustrated with his games and I guess he saw that, because he lowered his arms. I stood there with my arms crossed waiting for an explanation. He gave up his little ruse, explaining that the creature Madliene had been hunting on behalf of Babet is here, the bait, out there…long story short, we’re trapping an “animal” tonight. What led it here? Uh yeah, look around.”

None of it made sense, to Estella this was something Xavier was a part of, but Xavier being Xavier, it was too easy to assume he was even capable of concocting this without some sort of assistance. It could be the new arrivals, Alistair and Flannaghan were said to be roaming our city streets and I couldn’t discredit the fact that the recent arrival of an old friend of mine had been extremely disturbing. It has to go deeper, it’s just too easy. I caught Estella glaring at me as I pondered this new development. “So what’s her plan, then?”

“That’s the kicker, Cian….I don’t know.” Estella paced for a moment, and then stopped short. “What time is it?”
Being that there are no visible restraints of time on us vampires, there is still the dreaded “day” job, go figure. Estella was almost late for hers, and from the looks of it she was okay with that possibility. Why would she want to go out into the lion’s den, so to speak? The ravenous human females just yearning for their vampire fix, be it male or female. Tonight our species was the minority, and that thought sparked the illusive light bulb.

“Estella, why keep out the other vampires, the patrons?” She turned to me inquisitively, squinted her eyes and furrowing her brow, a stern line crossed her lips.

“Exactly. Why the “feast” when there are no feasters?” She grabbed her clutch bag, which of course matched her little outfit, and began for the door, “You coming?”

“Yeah, just taking in the view.” I smiled and gave her one more look over. She smiled and held the door for me to pass and once the latch closed I headed toward the haven doors to Morte’ Estella not far behind. Up the spiral stone staircase and out through the archway, the doors to Morte’ were a heavy sort for obvious reasons, there is way no way in hell a human could open them, not even Mr. Universe. The music changed from dance-techno sex to A Perfect Circle and at the moment, “The Outsider” played gloriously.

A swift push from both Estella and I the door flew open like we were making a grand entrance to a performance. The club had gained an enormous number, fortunately human males mingled in with the ravenous females, but as far as both Estella and I could tell no fellow vampires in attendance tonight.



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