บท 16: Chapter XV — Witchling
There was absolute pin drop silence as all the vampires in the vicinity took in what had just occured and not a second later, the confusion turned into outcries of indignation and rage all at once.
"The Covens!"
"The girl is a witch!"
"Witches!?"
"How dare they!"
To say Count Gideon Rowley of the Trellis-Soudés Clan was livid was an understatement. Never in a million years would he have imagined that his carefully planned blood auction would be disrupted — no, ruined by witches who had somehow successfully managed to sneak past security and infiltrate the event undetected. The incident currently unfolding before him would be talked about among the Clans, not just by the ones present but by every noble family among the Clans and further. By the indignant outcries, whispers and prying looks he received as he stormed forward, it is without a doubt, the aristocrats from the three Clans present, would definitely spread and speculate this turn of events. Some would be curious, but many would be mortified, taking it as an insult and dishonour to be so easily deceived and mislead by the Covens.
It was nothing short of a disgrace, an incident that would leave a stain on his reputation and one that the Trellis-Soudés Family will not take lightly for his negligence and mistake has brought humiliation to the Clan as a whole. And he would be the one to be blamed at the end for he was the organiser. This made him tremble with anger as he thought about what was to come.
He was cut off however from his intended insults when one of the two witches spoke that made him shut his mouth and stop in his tracks, standing before them.
"The girl is one of us and under the protection of The Covens. Should you choose to take her, you will be breaching supernatural peace treaties and going against The Covens." Cassandra's voice rang clear and soft above the chaos that quieted at it.
The nature of the declaration made Count Gideon Rowley narrow his eyes into stilts.
"Peace Treaties?" His lips pulled back into a snarl, baring his sharp fangs at them. "You insolent witches have trespassed and interrupted a sacred blood auction for vampires and you dare mention about peace treaties!"
He all but spat the last words with venom, and despite the fury rolling off of him and the wrathful glares from all the vampires that surrounded them, the two witches did not so much as flinch. Instead, the latter held the stares with expressions of indifference that revealed nothing. However, underneath, both their minds whirred as they assessed the situation and sought for a way out of it. The girl's safety was their top priority. But before any concrete plan could take form, another voice had cut in that caused all heads in the hall to snap to it.
"Trespass? These ladies are here with me, Count Gideon."
The newcomer took long purposeful strides towards them; descending the stairs on the right side of the hall to the stage while accompanied by an attendant. He wore a navy blue mask that matched his tailcoat suit. The aura he radiated told all of his nobility status and identity. It also commanded the attention of every pair of eyes in the hall. Some took uncertain steps back and cleared a path.
"v-v-von-Second Young Master Claudius?!" Count Gideon stuttered in shock, catching himself as quickly as possible. He bowed immediately to which the pureblood eyed the Count and briefly entertained the thought of roasting him alive to teach him a lesson for his disrespect towards Cassandra, before simply suppressing it and responded by waving off the greeting.
"Count Gideon, do forgive my unannounced as well as late arrival."
"Wha-what are you doing here, Yo-Your Grace?"
"Can I not be here?" Claudius asked while tilting his head.
"N-no it's not that but the von Steins Clan has never attended any of the blood auctions before!?" The Count protested in confusion. At this, there were whispers as well, likely speculating and in agreement with the Count's statement but they ceased when Claudius spoke again.
"Indeed, Count Gideon." Claudius said offhandedly, as he nodded and looked to be mulling over it, before continuing, "But is that to say that my presence is unwelcome here then?"
Claudius may have said it in an innocent and casual tone that, but it was clear for there was an underlying implication. Claudius had phrased it in a way that Count Gideon Rowley whom was now sweating buckets had no way of refusing, not if the latter wished to retain his title and status in the Trellis-Soudés Clan, for turning a high-ranking noble away at an auction — a pureblood of the neutral von Steins Clan at that and despite the said noble arriving without a formal invitation, would be the equivalent of not just having the Rowley County, offending the von Steins family and by extent the entire affiliated clan, but the disrespect would also threaten the long-term relationship between the two clans in the process altogether. Hence, the hatred and resentment that Gideon Rowley of the Trellis-Soudés Clan held towards the two witches and the Covens could only be swallowed bitterly, especially in front of all the spectators present.
"O-Of c-course not, Y-Your Grace! If the Second Young Master Claudius wishes to attend our humble auction, you are more than wel-no in fact w-we would be honoured to have you here with us today, Your Grace. But-But it doesn't change the fact, the Covens- they had snuck in- disguis-..." Gideon Rowley had replied in a frenzied, stuttering panic — his eyes flitting to the two black witches, making one last vain attempt but was cut off by Claudius.
"Ah. I do hope the Count is understanding; my companions, the Lady Cassandra and Lady Valèrie, whom had simply arrived ahead of me as I was slightly held up by something and was unable to give you a heads up either. They had not wanted to draw attention to me as well as themselves. It is the same for me; I did not wish for my attendance today to be widely known or to stand out, you see. Which explains the use of such a disguise. However, it seems I have failed to...anticipate such turn of events. To see one their own in an auction hosted by vampires, it is only natural they would intervene, Count Gideon...Alas, since it has turned out to be so, it cannot be helped. I will take full responsibility." Claudius declared.
And as every vampire watched in anticipation of his next words, there was no interference from either of the black witches as well.
"In addition to the thirty thousand I will be bidding for the human boy, the von Steins family will donate another twenty to this auction. We hope that will be sufficient to compensate for any losses suffered."
At the declaration and offer, Count Gideon's widened eyes nearly bulged out their sockets. The sum bid for the boy exceeded any amount they could hope to ever achieve at the present auction. The two witch's presence soon forgotten, the whispers began once again, only louder this time.
"Y-Your Grace, yo-you're far too generous. Thank you. Right this,-" The Count gushed profusely, whatever negative emotions and grudge held, all but evaporated.
"My aide Hugo will see to the formal procedures." Claudius waved him off, wanting the Count out of his sight as soon as possible before he really roasted him.
.....
"What were you thinking, Cass! You couldn't have asked for help?! Infiltrating into this accursed auction? That's was your alternative?! He knew where I was! You knew! You could have- Yet-"
He had held it in, till they had reached a private lounge room reserved for the auction and closed the door. He had rounded on her and his outburst had shocked the two kids whom was ushered in by the witches, causing them to jump, and cower at the sight of the red eyes that blazed with anger. The torrent of emotions swirled in him.
He dragged his hands down his face and felt his irritation spike when he was met with the composed face of the one he was unleashing his emotions on unrestrainedly. His eyes went to the other black witch whom had stood to her full height, with the two kids hiding behind her legs. While no move was made to step towards her fellow Coven sister and future leader who was currently on the receiving end and taking the full brunt of Claudius's temper and furious scowl, caution and wariness was still reflected in her ice blue eyes, as the scene unfolded before her.
His eyes went back to the pair of violet ones again that were gazing softly at him; in them, he could see past to what it told of how she truly felt despite the facade of composure she wore. He fought to quell the anger, drawing in a shuddering breath.
"How would you have gotten out? As far as I could tell, you made no moves to bid. No, you couldn't have — because bidding would have attracted too much unwanted attention. Were you going to sneak backstage then?" She didn't answer as he continued on. "Then what? They wouldn't have let you waltz out of here with two-"
He stopped short when he realised what her plan had been; the answer and the resoluteness to carry it out, he saw in her eyes — the last resort she would have used to get the young girl and her little brother out safely the moment everything spiralled out of control. No matter the aftermath to be dealt with following it; whatever disastrous implications that would definitely cost her. She did use everything at her disposal, but bearing the weight of it all on her own.
There are some things even I cannot do — things only you alone can do for her.
Lucifer's words echoed in his mind.
The principle of non-interference.
It was the unspoken law that every supernatural creature had abided by but more so for some than the others. That was the Angels of Heaven and the Demons of Hell. Both of which had taken it very literally. For millenniums, both kept to themselves with no interaction explicitly sough out by either parties with the others. Even the Decennium Summit where the supernatural species convened, neither had ever attended except once in history — The Salem Witch Trials. That was to say, it wasn't because they were not invited or otherwise, but simply because neither saw the need. Their existences were different from the rest; created to balance the good and evil in life. They dabbled in affairs vastly different than the rest — the living mortals as well as the dead and corrupted respectively — and hence, had enough on their plates to deal with.
And while the Demons of Hell were known to be rampant, none had ever explicitly crossed the line; not without proper grounds. None that was heard of at least. And Claudius suspects it had to do with the higher-ups of each; any skirmishes were investigated and swiftly dealt with behind closed doors, with those involved and any witnesses either thoroughly punished severely or experienced some form of memory-wipe or silenced. Except once; there had only been one exception.
Still, it had been a miracle for the peace to have lasted for so many years. Because of this, there were many of the supernatural world that had not crossed paths with a demon and majority whom had not even been aware of them, soon forgetting about them.
Though there were the whispers every once in a blue moon, most out of fear of those malevolent creatures and diabolical evils of the Underworld.
Furthermore, though it was not outright admitted, the main reason the peace was maintained so successfully was likely owed to the Seven Princes who ruled with a tight reign over their subjects and their domains. But that much was obvious, because among them all, it was only the absolute authority and power Hell's governing body held that allowed for such iron-clad control and influence over its netizens; no matter how chaotic and massive a bunch they were. This power could even said to be envied.
Alas, as Hell had no jurisdiction outside of itself, Lucifer had no grounds to interfere in matters of the Covens — to lend a helping hand in tonight's extraction.
....
It had happened all at once. Her mind was still reeling; the sudden raid, the chaos that ensued, followed by the screams and the bloodbath. Her hands still shook as the images deeply imprinted themselves in her memory.
She had managed to slip in between the number of groups which were entering the warehouse at once. Around her there were quiet murmurs among the crowd, but many remained to themselves.
There was a stifling tension in the low silence. She scanned her surroundings, no one paying any attention to her as the effects of the potion worked as it should; her pack scent now suppressed. They probably thought she belonged to another's group.
However, despite the fact she was neck deep in the lion's den and could have been discovered at any moment, she was strangely calm.
Someone stood on the makeshift podium, giving a speech of solidarity, of comfort, a goal to unite and seeking sanctuary in a promised safe-haven together, to not be tied to pack rule, to live freely as they wanted. It reeked of suspicion to her but for outcasts thrown out or abandoned by their packs, to fend for themselves in this world, it was probably comforting; a hand that reached out to them in their time of need.
Then, when the unit leaders were called to gather to give update reports and receive their unit funds, that was when all hell broke loose.
With an ever so slight shift in the atmosphere that Victoria felt, all around the whole warehouse, there were poof sounds and figures with bat-like wings and spears appeared out of thin air, causing heads to turn up. Shrieks and shouts broke out as the figures swooped down from the air towards them. The rogues present scattered in panic, heading for exits, some shifted on instinct.
Demons.
Rogues pushed and shoved each other out of the way in their rush to get out of the warehouse.
But it was meaningless — they didn't have to — because the demons each had specific targets whom they had zeroed in on and cast a silver net over to prevent the their escape; trapping them before they even had a chance to shift. There were yowls of pain as skin came in contact with the silver. It was mixed with growls of anger as those who managed to avoid the nets and had shifted in retaliation, facing off the demons cornering them. Those that pounced to attack despite being surrounded and outnumbered were met with spears piercing through them from all directions and as they collapsed heavily bleeding out. Their wolves twisted and turned at odd angles, howling in pain.
Wolfsbane. The unit leaders and the speaker on stage. The demons hadn't just targetted anyone or any random rogue. The former had came prepared to subdue their targets. In the span of minutes, the demons had easily rounded up the unit leaders whom had moved to the front of the warehouse earlier when called. Clearly, they also didn't intend to keep all of them alive, seeing as how those who retaliated were maimed with spears coated in wolfsbane to give them a slow painful death. The rest that were successfully captured were taken away by demons that disappeared in a similar fashion that they arrived. This had been a planned ambush. By the demons of Hell no less.
And amidst all the chaos, Victoria stood frozen still, absolutely dumbfounded and her mouth agape, as she processed all this information, the noise ringing in her ears fading into the background. She barely registered her pack leaders shouting both in the mind-link and in real-life for her to snap out of it as they ran towards her.
Jayden Blake, Dylan Fernandes, Lucas Grey and Rosalieé had been positioned on standby a few block down from the warehouse, in the car that they drove to the gathering location. Through the entire night, the three werewolves had observed the gathering through the broadcast in their mind-link that Victoria had used to keep them updated with her status and surroundings since she had successfully infiltrated. And the instant they had lost communication with her when she had stopped actively transmitting images and updates, they had only managed to catch the moment when the demons had dived in and the chaos erupted before it was cut off and she didn't respond.
They cursed and Dylan whom was in the driver's seat immediately stepped on the gas pedal and was already driving at top speed to the warehouse.
They had reached just in time to see the crowd of rogues pouring out of the warehouse and escaping in all directions into the night.
But that was the least of their concern, as all of them flew out of the car and burst through the warehouse doors. They scanned the area, taking in the chaos all at once but focused instead on finding her.
When they spotted her, they noticed a familiar looking dark-skinned man standing beside her holding a spear and radiating a strong demonic aura and authority.
.....
"What are your names?"
Amira Asghar tilted her head to show her confusion as the pretty lady before her spoke to her in a foreign language. The latter had knelt down and was now at eye level with her and her brother hence she could feel her brother tighten his grip on her ragged clothes.
Despite having determined that the pretty lady before them was of no threat and appeared to have no intention to harm them, Amira was still wary. She knew those before her right now were not normal — they couldn't have be human. Not with the red eyes and the dark energy. But at the very least, they didn't appear to be hostile. Furthermore, they had also gotten rid of the chains that had bound them.
The pretty lady seemed to have interpreted the expression on her face and spoke again, this time in a language she knew.
"What are your names?"
It had been a guess on Valèrie's part. Having deduced their Mediterranean heritage from their appearance alone, she took a shot and repeated her question in the limited Arabic she knew and based on the little girl's reaction, she had guessed it was understood.
Amira didn't answer immediately but eventually did in a hesitant, small timid voice as by now, the other two strangers whom had been further away and appeared to be arguing previously had turned their attention to her.
"Amira Asghar."
"Amira, that's a lovely name. What about your brother's?"
"...Irfan."
"Amira and Irfan," The pretty lady smiled as she repeated their names — it was a kind smile — and introduced herself before pointing to the other strangers to introduce them as well. "I'm Valèrie. And that's Cassandra and Claudius."
Cassandra watched as her coven sister spoke to the girl in Arabic. She took in the siblings ragged appearance and thin frames and pursed her lips.
"Can you request for some food to be brought in? Something light." She murmured to Claudius whom nodded.
Awhile later, a bowl of steaming hot soup and a plate of bread were placed in front of them. Amira gazed at it apprehensively, alternating her glance between the bowl and the people in front of her. Her brother whom sat next to her and still held her hand tightly was waiting for her as well, watching her with big innocent round eyes. He was probably too young to comprehend the situation but knew enough to trust his sister to make the decision for the both of them.
She didn't think it was poisoned.
She picked up the spoon with her other hand, scooping a spoonful of the soup and brought it to her mouth slowly. Her eyes widened a fraction at the delicious taste. She turned to her brother and nodded, prompting him to pick up his own spoon.
And in the next moment, the two siblings had drained the soup and devoured the bread. Throughout, the witches and Claudius remained silent watching them, each occupied with their own thoughts.
"Do you guys want more?"
Amira shook her head in reply to Valèrie's question and the room lapsed into silence again.
"Amira," Valèrie spoke gently again, "we know you must have a lot of questions but it's late. You and your brother need rest. We'll be moving to a different location is that alright? To somewhere you can wash up and have a good night's sleep. We won't harm you and promise no harm will come to both of you either. Anything else we'll talk about it tomorrow okay?"
Amira's guard was back up — she knew what they were asking, it sounded suspicious, and she didn't know what they wanted from her and her brother but her instincts told her the people before her could be trusted. They had protected them so far. And hence, before she realised it, she and her brother were whisked away from that nightmarish place to another huge building with an interior just as luxurious as the last. But there were no chains nor cages this time, and no rough handling. They arrived at a large room where the pretty ladies Valèrie and Cassandra helped them bathe in a big tub with bubbles and get ready for bed.
They were then tucked in the large comfy bed by them and when they left the room, Amira watched her brother grab on the sleeves of his blue pyjamas that had little duck imprints to show her, looking back at her with an adorable, overjoyed expression. She gazed down at her own pretty pink set with small flowers and smiled, recalling their gentle and warm touch, and the silence was comfortable enough to lull them into a peaceful slumber they hadn't had in forever.
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