Coming of Age
Tania gripped her phone with a dangerous amount of force; Harry could see cracks forming in its casing. "She went with my sire's men?!" She gasped. "Where was Thomas?"
Oh. Harry froze. That was bad. Inari had to know that it was a trap…right?
"He wasn't there?!"
That was worse.
"What could he possibly want with her?" Tania asked frantically, mostly rhetorically. She glanced up at Harry, eyes wide with concern; they both had a pretty good guess on what the old monster wanted.
Murphy glanced at Harry, mouthing a question. Harry motioned for her to wait, focusing on the phone conversation. Eb glanced between them carefully.
"Fear for her safety?" Tania muttered softly, eyes unfocused. "That is a strange way of putting it."
"Sounds like a White Court issue," Ebenezer observed. "Come on Hoss, let's get the kids to safety."
"Can you take them?" Harry asked his mentor. "Inari will need our help."
"Goddammit Hoss! Don't get involved with another court of vampires!" Eb barked. "Remember what happened last time–"
"Don't bring Susan into this!" Harry shouted back.
"I
damn well will if it gets you to understand how bad of an idea this is!" his mentor growled. "You're hurt, Hoss. You're in no shape to meet, let alone play politics with Lord Raith."
"Play politics?" Tania asked softly, slowly lowering her phone. "No. We must rescue my sister."
"Hoss, don't stick your neck out for a vampire," Ebenezer pleaded. "It isn't worth the risk."
"Vampire?" Tania laughed. "Inari is not a vampire yet. My sire is going to force it." Something clicked in her head and she furiously pressed buttons on her phone.
"Sir," Harry gritted out. "He's going to
rape his own daughter."
There was a crunching sound as Tania crushed her phone in her fist, her eyes wide, her whole body quivering with fear and rage. Ebenezer blanched, and Murphy's face twisted in horror.
"I'm such a fool," Tania gasped, swaying on her feet. Harry caught her before she could fall, wincing as his burned hand protested painfully. He could deal with it; Tania got burned every time they touched.
"Hey, hey," Harry whispered, squeezing her arm encouragingly. "Come on, you gotta focus, Tania."
"It's not your fight, Hoss." Ebenezer sighed.
"What the
hell?!" Murphy burst out, fury burning in her eyes. "He does
what?!"
"He's the head sex vampire," Harry explained darkly, setting Tania back onto her feet. "They control people through sex, including each other."
"My
God," Karrin breathed, eyeing Tania with horror in her eyes.
"You should go with them," Tania urged Harry softly. "Your elder is right. This is my business, and you are injured."
The old wizard blinked, glancing between the two of them, before narrowing his eyes at the young whamp. Something seemed to connect in Murphy's head as Harry gauged their reactions and she smiled sadly.
"I'm not going to let a little pain stop me from backing you up Tania," Harry declared. "You were there for me when I needed the help; I'm not going to abandon you when you need mine."
"I did not help you for altruistic reasons–"
"And me helping you deal with your father is selfish too. It keeps you safe; that's what I want."
"Count me in too," Murphy chimed in, glaring at Ebenezer. "They may be outside of the White Council's jurisdiction, but this is in
mine."
The old wizard's face contorted in a mix of complicated emotions, before smoothing out into resignation.
"You can borrow my car." The four of them whipped around to see Cleph leaning against the shelter's wall, a calculating gleam in his eyes.
"Wouldn't that put you and your family at risk?" Tania pointed out.
He smiled grimly. "It will. Potentially. So there is a limit to what I can do to help." He gave Ebenezer a meaningful look. "Similarly, if the Blackstaff is openly involved, the war will open another front, which you cannot afford."
"Getting someone else to fight your battles, de Rossi?" Ebenezer growled. "Didn't take you for a coward."
"I would hardly call myself brave," Cleph waved off. "But surely you understand old Mario likes playing with his food?" Harry blinked, did he just call Lord Raith 'Mario'? "He's got a bit of an urge to lord it over his subjects, and his enemies," Cleph added, one end of his mustache twitching upwards. "A common trait of those with inflated egos, in truth."
"I am
well aware," the old wizard snarled. "But what are you even getting at?"
"Do you think Mario would take his time if you or I came knocking?"
Eb frowned, but ducked his head in acknowledgement. "Even with that," he glanced at Harry, "what makes you think he wouldn't treat Hoss the same? The last time he strolled into a vampire's place, it burned down and they died."
"Please refrain from burning down our property before all of our employees have been evacuated," Tania cautioned Harry reflexively, eyes still vacant.
"Hey, I don't burn
everything!"
"That is not the problem."
"Eherm," de Ross cleared his throat. "I'd bet a bottle of prohibition moonshine that Mario thinks little Tania has young Dresden enthralled." He looked over to where the wizard in question hovered protectively over the younger white court woman. "He may even be sort of correct."
"I would not do such a thing!" Tania objected. "Compelled service is less effective than mutual agreement." She tilted her chin up challengingly. "I do not have
thralls," she spat.
Eb narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief. There was a glimmer of respect in Murphy's eyes, and Harry thought Michael would be proud.
Cleph kind of ruined the moment by laughing.
"Ha!" He shook his head in amusement. "That's the thing, you
do, and all you've demanded of them is to better themselves." Tania stilled, and Harry felt a shiver of unease run from his burnt hand. "Quite ingenious, truly," the professor continued, "helping create impressive individuals instead of just seducing already existing ones." He shrugged. "Of course, Dresden here isn't one of them. He's protected, for now."
Everyone glared at the professor.
"We don't have time for you to give us the runaround," Murphy hissed.
"Why of course, officer," Cleph tipped his hat in response, flicking a set of keys to the small cop with his other hand. "Take my car, or ride your motorcycles, if you want. Just keep in mind I've left a few useful tools in my ride."
"Don't think I'm driving a bike with this hand," Harry commented, trying to make light of his injury, "or riding behind one of you."
"I'm sure you could manage with one hand," Tania reassured, "but this car would be more secure." She glanced at de Rossi. "It is armored, correct?"
"Naturally." The older White Court nodded. "I also have a trauma kit inside."
"Right then," Harry started. "We gonna go?"
"Let me retrieve some of my items from my motorcycle," Tania asked softly. "You are right, I need to focus."
"Hoss…" Harry's mentor began hesitantly. "I should tell you something before you go."
"Alright then, shoot."
"In private."
"I'll show you my car," Cleph said, waving Murphy towards the parking garage.
Eb opened the passenger side door of his truck waving for Harry to get inside. "Don't worry, I won't kidnap you," he sighed. "Even if it would be for your own good."
Harry clambered in, holding his burnt hand against his chest, before closing the door after him. His mentor did the same on the driver's side.
"So what do I need to know?"
Ebenezer sighed again. "A lot of things, Hoss. A lot of things." He shook his head. "But you're not going to sit and listen to another lecture before you go haring off after another pretty girl with a sob story, are you?"
"Tania's sister is going to be forced into killing her friend!" Harry barked. "That's not a sob story!"
"I
understand," the old wizard conceded. "Just…" he glanced up and looked Harry in the eye, worry evident in his eyes, "I don't want to lose another student to that old monster. Be careful,
please."
"He won't have me," Harry declared. Wait, another student?
Ebenezer exhaled slowly. "Also, be careful about Kincaid. He's in the trade, and has been there for a long damn time."
"The mercenary trade?"
"Almost every supernatural faction has…people for dealing with their enemies."
"You're assassins, then," Harry accused. His mentor didn't deny it.
"What did he do to piss you off so much?"
"There are…proprieties between us. A line of professional courtesy; he crossed it in Istanbul."
"He's not human, then?"
Eb shook his head. "He is a scion, a child of a human and some supernatural creature."
"I figured," Harry replied.
"He's been around for longer than I have," his mentor continued. "When I first met him, I still had hair, and he'd been serving the creature for centuries."
"Creature?"
"
The creature, Vlad Drakul, another half-mortal."
"Vlad Tepesh's father?" Harry asked in surprise and some horror.
"Yes. That thing is Formidable. Dangerous. Cruel. And Kincaid was his right hand for a long time. That's where he got the Hellhound moniker."
"And the Hatman?"
"Cleph de Rossi," Ebenezer mused, "is an odd one. He didn't even have a Warden file until the Great War when he tore through a ghoul clan in Flanders. From what Joe told us, he's been in the New World for centuries"
"The White Court was in America that long ago?" Harry asked curiously. "I thought their main power base was in Europe? Heck, they speak Etruscan!"
"They
weren't," his mentor replied.
"Oh." So he was kind of an outsider. "And Listen-to-winds knows him?"
"Joe respects him. Says he's cunning."
"And the
Hellhound respects him too?"
"Showing up out of nowhere and wiping out a ghoul clan is a hell of an entrance."
Harry shrugged. "Sure, but a lot of things could do that."
Ebenezer chuckled. "You know the Red Court is scared of you, right Hoss?"
"Doesn't feel like it."
"Oh, they are," the old wizard continued. "You appeared out of nowhere and killed a rising noble while you were weakened and captured, then later dueled and almost won against a
Duke."
"So, de Rossi's like me?" He wasn't sure how to feel about that.
"I wouldn't go that far," Eb frowned. "But he is dangerous, and we can't be certain about his motives."
"He seemed quick enough to help here," Harry pointed out.
"Do you know what the Raith offered him?" his mentor countered.
"I…don't," Harry admitted. "But I know he's a professor at her school."
"Influence," Ebenezer concluded. "That's probably his plan; ingratiate himself with a younger scion to make his leadership more official."
"What do you mean more official?"
The old wizard shrugged. "The White Court family that feed on Wrath, the Barbarossa, got heavily involved in the World Wars."
"No surprise there, really," Harry noted.
"Enough of their leadership died that most of them have splintered into small families," Eb explained. "It's hard to keep a bunch of angry vampires united during peacetime."
"Cleph…doesn't seem all that angry," Harry observed.
"That's what makes him dangerous."
"He really got under your skin too."
"Not the
time for this, Hoss."
"Maybe not," Harry conceded quietly. "But I need some more answers from you later." He reached for the door handle.
"Wait. Hoss," Ebenezer sighed. "Something else you should know. About your mother's death."
"She died in childbirth having me," Harry grunted. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Wasn't just that," the old wizard said. "One of her…less than savory former allies found her that night…and paid her back for her betrayal."
Harry froze. "Don't tell me…" he trailed off, voice cold.
"He used an entropy curse."
"Fuck."
Harry saw red. That slimy monster had killed his mother. Couldn't bear the insult of being cuckolded! In an instant, he felt a lifetime of directionless hurt, a child's pain, a youth's loneliness, and an adult's bitter feeling of aching absences, all coalescing upon a single target, the one responsible for all those ills.
Something snapped in his mind, and all the anger narrowed to a razor focus.
"Hoss," Ebenezer called distantly. "Easy boy."
That piece of shit also killed Tania's mom, was trying to break Inari, and wanted to take Tania away from him! Just when they had found something nice!
"He will die." Harry declared monotonously.
"No, you've got to breathe. Think, Harry!"
"He will die painfully.
Excruciatingly. Until he begs for it." The air in the truck cabin began to hum with power.
"Harry!" Eb called. "Harry, calm down. You can't handle this kind of power. It will destroy you if you try!"
That did not matter. This was personal–more than personal. He would bring Lord Raith down, crush him and make him suffer until he begged for death. He had enough power to bring it about, even if it destroyed him as well. This was revenge for his mother, for Tania and Inari's freedom, and nothing would stop–
Pain shot up his injured arm like it had been thrust back into the fire, forcing a growling hiss out of his lungs as he slumped in agony.
Harry looked at his mentor's old, gnarled hand clamped around his burnt hand, then looked at the old wizard questioningly. When he saw the pain on Harry's face, his expression sickened and he let go.
"The hell was that for?" Harry gasped.
"I'm sorry, Hoss," Eb whispered. "But it won't work."
"
What won't work?!"
"Throwing your magic at him, not even if you spend all your might."
"How do you know?"
"Because I
tried!" Ebenezer barked. "
Three times! But I didn't even get close. Your mother tried too–she would have gotten her revenge through her Death Curse if she could have." He shook his head, both in fondness and grief. Had…Eb trained Harry's mom too?
"He's protected from magic?" Harry asked incredulously, a cold pit forming in his stomach. His other question would have to wait.
"Washes right over him," his mentor confirmed. "The old bastard must have made a deal with something big. Maybe some big damned demon. He can't be touched with magic."
"Touched?" Harry mused. "Can he be strangled?"
"The hell are you talking about boy?!"
"Can't curse him, can't burn him, right?" Harry asked. Eb nodded. "Can he still bleed? How many degrees of separation do I need?"
"Get to the point Hoss!"
"Does the protection only work against direct attack? It
can't be absolute."
"He can't be beaten with magic, Harry," Ebenezer sighed, slumping in his seat. "Even your mother failed."
"How do you know?" Harry shot back bitterly. "Not like you were there." And the image in the Soulgaze…his mother had seemed sure it had worked.
"He's still alive, isn't he? I knew her. She would never let the monster that enslaved her suffer anything less; she could be cruel."
"Cruel, huh?" Harry muttered, ignoring the disbelieving look from his mentor. A breath of air escaped him in a huff. Then another, and another, until he broke out into full on laughter. Ebenezer stared at him in concern. Harry grinned savagely back at him.
"I see now." He pushed open the door. "Thanks for the advice. I'll be back."
He slid out of the truck with a pained grimace. The high from the batteries was fading. But the fatigue was surprisingly easy to ignore.
He knew now who had killed his mother.
He knew what he had done, to her and others he cared about.
He knew he was weak.
Tania rushed over to him as soon as she saw him exit the truck, a first aid kit in one hand. Harry shook his head.
They needed to get going, they could treat his hand on the road.
Murphy was looking over an old-fashioned black Cadillac with a complicated expression on her face as Cleph explained something to her.
"What happened?" Tania asked gently, tugging hesitantly on Harry's sleeve. Her silvery blue eyes stared up at him in concern.
"Later," he promised.
She paused, then nodded, squeezing his arm encouragingly.
"Do and try to bring my car back in a repairable state," Cleph requested, adjusting his suit and striding towards Ebenzer's truck. "It has quite a bit of history."
Murphy watched him leave with a conflicted look on her face.
"What's the matter?" Harry asked as he and Tania moved to join them.
"I'm pretty sure this car was used by the mafia at some point," the cop replied uncomfortably. "It has a hidden storage compartment for weapons and another for alcohol."
"It will get us where we need to be," Tania declared. "Let's go."
The two old men watched as the youth clambered into the black Cadillac and sped away hurriedly.
"Damn fool," the old wizard sighed.
"If only the world had more like him," the old vampire mused. "Then it would be a better place."
"What?"
♤♤♤♤
Despite his determination, Tania could see how Dresden's injuries pained him. Still, he managed to clamber into professor de Rossi's car before collapsing into shivers, pain and the adrenaline crash robbing him of his strength.
"Let me see," Tania insisted, sliding into the seat next to him, trauma kit in one hand, the other reaching out to him, palm upwards.
Harry hesitated. "It's pretty ugly."
"It's an injury," Tania tsked, "of course it doesn't look
pretty. Show me."
Chastened, Harry complied, and Tania frowned at his raw, reddened flesh. Parts of his hand were charred white, an indicator of severe burns. She had seen worse, but she had not seen anyone recover fully from those, if at all.
Grabbing his forearm with one hand, Tania pressed a cold compress to the injured appendage, drawing a wince from her partner, a shiver of pain and some relief running through him. Hopefully, it would reduce the swelling. "What is our plan?" She asked him, in part to give him something to focus on instead of the pain, in part because she did not trust her own judgment at the moment. She wanted nothing more than to charge right into her family's property and flee with her twin, but it would not be so easy. Not to mention that it would merely be a temporary solution–no, nothing more than a delaying action.
"Been a bit busy," Harry demurred. "Go in, grab the girl, bust out?" Tania gently unclasped and removed his burned and warped (but surprisingly intact) shield bracelet, taking care not to rub the metal against his raw skin.
"That's a lot less thought out than the raid we just did," Murphy commented as she started the car. "Where are we going?" Tania gave her the address, which drew a raised eyebrow from the unusually helpful policewoman. "That's a rich neighborhood, Harry," she observed. "That plan isn't going to work; the police or private security would be all over the place in no time flat, not like here."
"Indeed," Tania replied in agreement. "While I certainly appreciate their efforts in keeping my family's property secure, it does mean that dealing with my sire…properly…would be inconvenient in its aftermath." She retrieved the burn cream from professor de Rossi's trauma kit and squeezed a dollop onto her palm before smoothing it out and then carefully applying it to Harry's burnt hand.
Murphy glanced into the rearview mirror as Harry hissed in pain, her eyes lingering over Tania's hand as she delicately smeared the salve onto his injury, her other hand cradling his injured limb. "When you say 'properly', what exactly do you mean?" she asked pointedly, smoothly taking the car through the parking garage and down towards the street.
"Dead," Harry said.
"Or similarly incapacitated," Tania amended.
"This
won't be like Bianca, Harry," Murphy cautioned. "It's one thing for there to be a freak fire in a building used for things of questionable legality where people aren't going to look too deep into it. Killing a wealthy man in his own home is a whole different can of worms." Regardless of her warning, the off-duty policewoman accelerated their shared car to a speed that was also of questionable legality.
"I'm gonna kill him," Harry declared, his burning rage dulling the pain of his scorched hand.
Murphy glanced at him in the mirror again. "Are you ok—?"
"Can we?" Tania blurted out, wrapping a bandage around Harry's injuries. "I mean, are we able to?"
"We can," Harry answered. "Survive though?" He trailed off.
"Failure there would be an undesirable outcome," Tania hissed, wrapping a bandage carefully around Harry's hand.
"
Harry," Murphy asked pleadingly. "What's wrong? This isn't like you." Tania did not say it aloud, but Harry knew she was asking the same.
"He killed my mother," he said softly, as if it explained everything. And it did.
Murphy gasped. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Tania gently took his uninjured hand into both her own, wrapping her fingers around his hand in a comforting gesture, looking at him with understanding and an all-too-familiar pain.
She understood what it was like, to lose a mother before you knew them, to have a father absent.
She knew the uncertainty of children raised by everyone and no one.
She sympathized with his physical deprivation, even if she had not experienced the like.
He could not grasp the feeling of having such a monster of a parent, but he knew the suspicion being raised by one brought.
He understood what it was like to have a sibling, by blood or foster, to share so much of their lives.
And he knew the pain and horror of a monster ripping them away while violating their mind.
His monster was dead. He would make sure hers could worry her no longer.
"She will be avenged," Tania promised softly, her hands cupping his face on both sides, entirely ignoring the pain of their touch. She promised vengeance for his mother.
"She will too." He promised vengeance for hers, his uninjured hand squeezing her arm in reassurance while he pushed through the pain to brush a few rebellious bangs out of her face with his burnt hand.
"But how?" Murphy asked in a small voice, eyes fixed on the road ahead. "It can't be that simple."
"He will have a hostage," Tania bit out with a grimace. "Even if my sister is braver and tougher than she thinks she is, that will not be enough."
"He's got the bodyguards too," Harry added. "They're human, right?"
"As reduced as they are," Tania confirmed.
"Complicates things for me," he muttered.
"Not for me," she replied, "but if my other sisters get involved…"
"You don't want to hurt them, despite how they are? What they do?"
"
I am the same as they are."
"No. You're
not."
"They can change!"
"Will they want to?"
"Perhaps–! Perhaps if they are no longer under my Sire's influence."
"Going easy on them could kill us–kill me and Murphy."
"...Cursed be God, for forcing this choice on me."
"Isn't that the story of our lives?"
"More than you know."
There was a cough from the front seat as Murphy awkwardly interrupted their bit of soul-searching. "I…don't know how that helps us figure out what to do." She exhaled, before muttering something under her breath.
"I am literally a fucking third wheel right now."
"My sire appears to be making a statement," Tania observed, gaze still fixated on Harry. "Presumably he expects me to return, perhaps to report on our removal of the infection of a rival Court."
"And since we helped, it'll make sense for us to come along?" Murphy asked.
"More like they'll believe we are her thralls," Harry commented dryly.
Tania flushed slightly. "That is not the case–!"
"Not in the way they think," Harry muttered.
"–But it could be a useful misunderstanding," Tania finished, glancing uncomfortably at the floor.
"Can it get us in the door?" Murphy asked.
"Quite possibly," Tania mused. "Perhaps bringing assistance would even be expected if my sire is using my twin as leverage."
"He'll have a plan for us?" Karrin pressed.
"Might have a plan for me," Harry chimed in, "but not for you."
"Asides perhaps from an incidental morsel," Tania added grimly.
Murphy's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Is there anything I can do against that? The mind control?" She sounded unnerved. Harry frowned. He was used to her stubborn confidence…this was…not right.
"You do not happen to conveniently have True Love's protection, do you?" Tania asked.
"I'm divorced. Twice." Murphy bit back.
"My condolences," Tania offered.
"My sister can keep the bastard!"
"Ah…that is a severe breach of trust." It didn't really go down like what Tania was thinking, but Harry was in no rush to defend Murphy's bitchy little sister.
"That, as well as your position in law enforcement…" Tania began hesitantly, pursing her lips, "That places you squarely within my sire's preferred prey category."
Harry glanced at Murphy in concern, looking away from Tania's expressive eyes for the first time in a while. He saw a shiver of disgust snake its way through the shorter blonde, before she exhaled slowly, focusing herself. "Could that…" she hesitated. "Could we use that?"
"You don't have to do that, Murph!" Harry cut in.
"What
else can I do?" she spat. "I can't just arrest him since it's not like he'll comply, and I can only do so much in a fight if I can't get my gun past his security. But what he's doing is wrong, so I'm not going to just stand by and do nothing!"
Harry smiled sadly. It was
so like Murph to jump into a crazy situation like that. Though she was hesitating a bit, a sort of insecurity leaking through that he hadn't expected her to have. Maybe seeing some supernatural side troubleshooters had shaken her confidence?
"That is an admirable stance, Lieutenant Murphy," Tania commended. "But that is not something I would ask of you."
"Something tells me that Papa Raith won't be easily distracted like that," Harry cut in. "At least not until the rest of us are dead."
"It could give her an opening to strike," Tania pointed out.
"Can't your kind regenerate?" Murphy asked sourly. "Unless I shove a grenade up his ass, I don't think I can really do more than distract him with that kind of opening."
Hold on… "You have an idea, Harry?" Tania prompted him.
"The nails."
"Ah."
"Nails?"
"Tania," Harry started. "If Papa–"
"Do not call him that," Tania snapped. "He sired me, but he did not raise me."
"If Senile Senior Raith is behind the curse…" Harry continued in stride. "Why did Lara get targeted?"
Tania's eyes widened. "Tricia seemed far too coherent compared to the thralls I have seen."
"Why would the White King bother with using uncontrolled human patsies for something like this, especially ones with such limited brain cells even without the mind whammy?"
"Given the backstabbing nature of our kind, that could well be simply a precaution," Tania pointed out, eyes narrowing as she caught his implication.
"But he would have made sure to have more control of them, unless he
couldn't," Harry insisted.
"Are you suggesting he's weakened and near impotent?!" Tania exclaimed. "Someone would have surely noticed!"
"Isn't Senior Raith fairly reclusive and secretive? Moves around a lot, doesn't stay with any of you except his enthralled bodyguards for very long?" Harry pressed.
"That's true," Tania conceded.
"And aren't we technically at war?" Harry asked, not giving her time to deflect. "Sure, you didn't want to get involved, but it seems like the White Court is being
very uncommitted to the whole thing."
"I believe that is what my kind prefers others to believe."
"You check your family finances," Harry pointed out. "Have you seen anything there? Signs of a secret plot to destroy wizardkind?"
"Various plots, yes," Tania admitted blatantly, "but most are geared towards manipulating humans for our benefit." She pursed her lips. "There
are suggestions for purging or seducing and attempting to reproduce with those of magic potential, but those plans are…likely born out of pure lust or avarice rather than any serious consideration given the expenses I have seen."
"Or maybe because of the fertility issue," Harry mused.
"Fertility issue?" Tania asked with a frown.
"You…huh," Harry grunted. "Maybe I was wrong, but looking at Senior Raith's gallery…he really didn't have a lot of kids, especially since he's got to have slept with tons of women, and if his habits are anything like Thomas's, it's not like he would have used protection."
"I…was not aware of this issue," Tania whispered, sounding oddly…saddened by that thought? "I suppose it is not too surprising, a Hunger's consumption of life energy likely makes it difficult for a pregnancy to thrive."
"That's…not the kind of nailing you meant, right?" Murphy asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.
"Oh, no, definitely not," Harry blurted quickly. "I can make nails that'll drain life energy if stabbed into something."
"What the hell would you need that for?" Murphy asked archly.
"It is useful to assist in incapacitating certain creatures," Tania explained. "Not to mention it serves as an emergency battery, of sorts."
"Can't…can't the big vampire just…drain the energy back?"
"No, at least, I don't think so," Harry replied.
Both Tania and Murphy gave him a questioning look.
"It's weird, isn't it? That Senior Raith bothered to use Trixie of all people," he began. "Especially since she targeted Lara, who was loyal enough to shoot Thomas for him."
"Wait, what?" Murphy burst out.
"A Family Matter," Tania explained bitterly.
"But that's a lack of control trying for plausible deniability can't explain."
"It was quite a lapse in judgment," Tania agreed.
"There's no way that would happen if he had them enthralled, but why didn't he enthrall them?" Harry continued.
"He preferred not to hamper their already limited mental capacity anymore?" Tania suggested.
"That's even more of a reason for him to enthrall them!" Harry countered.
"Maybe he couldn't?" Murphy suggested.
"
Exactly," Harry exclaimed. "My mother must have cursed him as she died."
"How would she do that?" Murphy asked.
"We wizards have magic running through when we're alive," Harry explained. "Part of it is tied to our life energy." Tania tilted her head adorably, wondering if that was why his essence tasted so tempting.
"And if you're dying…?" Karrin trailed off.
"Us wizards can dump it all in one, last, giant middle finger," Harry finished for her.
"And you have reason to believe that your mother sealed my Sire's Hunger?"
"If he's protected from magic like Eb said," Harry continued, "then that's what mom would have done since she couldn't kill him directly." Both women blinked in surprise but seemed to take the news in stride.
"Even so," Tania grimaced. "My sire must have substantial reserves, unless he is an utter fool, and if he can't be hurt by magic…"
"Doesn't mean magic can't be used to hurt him," Harry cut in, pulling part of a spool of wire out from his pack. "And I have a gun."
"Just so," Tania acknowledged. "But what if we have to fight him as well as my sisters?"
"What?" Murphy snorted. "Big strong vampire has his little girls fighting for him?"
"He takes delight in forcing others to do his bidding," Tania explained.
"Playing on his pride could work though," Harry pointed out. "Call him a coward and he'll have to back it up or lose face. Then you can weaken him."
"I…" Tania slumped. "I do not think my older sisters could even move against him if he was weakened. They are…too broken."
"If they're hungry enough that won't matter."
"You seek to feed my Sire to my sisters?"
"What goes around comes around."
"Were it so easy."
They didn't really have a plan, but the discussion helped the trio focus, and Harry began preparing nails.
♤♤♤♤
The ride to St. Mary's was rather awkward, with Ebenezer McCoy doing his best to ignore the White Court vampire lord in the passenger seat, while Cleph de Rossi tamped down on his desire to poke some fun at the Blackstaff.
"Why are you here?" the Blackstaff asked, breaking the tense silence after a long minute.
"To look suspicious," Lord de Rossi replied.
The old wizard scoffed. "This will be a headache to explain."
The old vampire nodded. "My wife will likely try to kill me for this bout of recklessness."
"Why do you care about the Raith, anyways?"
"She's a bright young thing. More importantly, disciplined and committed." So she was more aligned with them in attitude, or goals?
Cleph glanced at the Blackstaff. "I did not expect you to let another apprentice into Mario's clutches," he stated a question of his own.
"Mario?" Ebenezer guffawed in spite of himself, then his face turned serious and his hands clenched tighter on the steering wheel. "And I still don't trust any of this." He didn't answer the question.
"Reasonable," Cleph conceded.
"But I have to think of the consequences of interfering," the old wizard sighed.
"Indeed," the old vampire agreed.
"What's your game?" Ebenezer asked, starting to get the odd sense that their interests were actually aligned.
"He has someone watching us."
"As expected," Eb grunted. "Trying to lose them?"
"Quite the contrary," Cleph smirked. "Confuse them."
"You want us to be a distraction?" The old wizard asked skeptically.
"Of a sort," the old vampire answered. "Our positions bring scrutiny, and prevent us from helping them as we would prefer."
"But that scrutiny can be used as a distraction," Ebenezer observed. "You want to play mind games with Lord Raith?"
Cleph shrugged. "That is something we are known for as a people. If we appear in his vicinity, he will have to watch us."
"Doesn't sound like much help for them."
"No, it is not." The de Rossi paused. "Though you could still burn down his house if they don't come back. We
are already at war."
"I can't do that," the Blackstaff sighed.
"Then we will have to make do with acting suspicious and intimidating," de Rossi shrugged. "I do not have your destructive potential."
Eb wished he could say this was the worst ally of convenience he had worked with, but this really wouldn't even make the list.
♤♤♤♤
Inari knew that she was in danger. Maybe not mortal danger, since there was a good chance her…father did not seem the right word. There was a good chance the Old man didn't
want to kill her, but after what she saw last night, and what she knew now, she knew better than to think being his daughter would keep him from hurting her.
In some ways, she was actually less afraid of that–she was afraid, oh, was she scared–but physical pain and even death was one thing, being forced to hurt someone she cared about, to be made into something that could not live without doing that? It was a horrifying thought.
Physical pain could fade over time (unless she was crippled) but the scar on her soul, if she did
That, was something Inari knew would haunt her forever, and if her sisters really couldn't die of old age, forever might not be just a saying.
No wonder Lara and Natalia and Elisa and Felicia seemed so broken and joyless some of the time. No wonder Thomas held onto Justine so desperately. And no wonder Tania latched so hard onto Harry, a man who she could not easily accidentally violate.
And no wonder Inari herself had been so desperate for friends outside her family. Even if she was too naïve and stupid as a kid, she had sensed that something was wrong with her family.
But she had done nothing about it, ignored it, too afraid of losing her family's affection, not to mention their protection and money.
There was, honestly, probably nothing she could have really done that would have made things better, but that did not make it right not to have tried, willfully blind so she could hold onto her mostly charmed life.
Hah! Mostly charmed? She had almost everything a person could ever want, even her siblings loved her, even though they were not entirely human. How many people would jump to be in her shoes? How many wouldn't care at all about killing another person for eternal youth and beauty?
She did not deserve any of this, but that wasn't how the world worked. People who did good were often taken advantage of, and evil people thrived all over the place.
But everything had a cost, both evil and good, and now it was her turn to pay up.
"Inari?" Antonio asked worriedly, his calling her by name showing just how concerned he was. "Are you ok? We'll have you to safety soon."
Inari nodded to him, a small, sad smile on her face. It was…not entirely a lie. Despite the danger she was in, she felt oddly calm, maybe resigned.
She was never as brave as Tania, as poised as Lara, or as determined as Harry; she'd always been the baby they needed to protect.
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate them for it–no, Inari was grateful for them, but with all the things they had been fighting, both with and without her knowledge, Inari could not help but feel unworthy of their sacrifice.
They risked so much for her, and for what? A bit of kindness and affection? Was that really worth all that?
What could she give in return for that kind of selfless sacrifice?
"Here we are," Antonio said, relaxing slightly as they pulled through the gate to the Raith family estate, more security closing it behind them. "They can't get to you here."
Oh, Antonio, they
are here.
Jane stopped the car and John and Antonio got out, scanning their surroundings carefully. After a moment, they gestured for Jane and Inari to come out.
Inari hesitated for a moment, then exited the car. There was no use delaying.
"Antonio, go watch the gate," John ordered tonelessly, lifeless and almost doll-like, the same as far too many of the people who had helped raise Inari.
"Wait, what about Inari?" Antonio demanded with a frown. "Aren't you two going to watch the boss now? Who'll watch her?"
"We are taking her to Lord Raith," Jane replied in the same way as her twin.
"Then I should come with you," Antonio argued. "I'm supposed to watch her and Tania."
"The Boss demands you stay," John insisted flatly.
"The Boss will take care of Miss Raith," Jane added in the same bland tone.
Antonio glanced between them, his consternation obvious even under his sunglasses. He looked at Inari questioningly. She gave him a small smile and a nod. It would be better if he did not get caught up in this. Ignacio was just a little baby, and Claudia needed her husband alive.
"Very well then," Antonio conceded. "I will ensure no one who wishes harm to her passes through the gate."
"See that you manage that much," John and Jane replied in sync, turning and ushering Inari away. She really should have noticed how abnormal they were long ago. Even identical twins were usually not so…intertwined.
Instead of heading towards the house itself, Jane and John escorted her deeper into the family property through their curated forest and out of sight from prying eyes. John led the way while Jane followed behind her.
Despite having lived here for much of her life, Inari had not actually been to this part of the property before. It had been forbidden, not explicitly, but mostly by omission. Now she had some context for why it could be, and that just made her more nervous.
She bit her lip, but refused to let her fear show more than that. Tania was almost always composed, even when something bad happened, so Inari would copy from her older twin once again.
Based on what she knew of the head of their house, he probably wouldn't kill her immediately. The idea of a father killing their child should be unthinkable, and it would be, if she was thinking about a proper Papa like Papa Carpenter. But given what Lara had tried to do to Thomas yesterday, and what she had implied about what their House Head would do…Inari felt a sinking feeling in her gut as she remembered the paintings that had been put in storage, of images of mothers of siblings that did not exist.
But if he wanted to kill her, why bring her here in the first place? Inari knew that while she was more capable of defending herself than she probably seemed, she was still a fairly normal human (very tall for a girl though), and she wasn't sure what she had done to make House Head mad.
Was he mad that she had lied about there not being anyone special like that in her life? Well, she hadn't really lied, she wasn't
dating Charles, and he was as oblivious as Tania in that way, but if Househead
thought she was lying…? Was that really enough?
Or maybe…maybe this wasn't even about her. Hous'ead had not been shy about showing how much he favored Tania over Inari. That had stung when she was younger, but Inari hadn't been able to say that was unfair, since Tania
was just better than her at a lot of things. Even with making friends…Inari had more friends, but they were mostly normal, and none of them could help her more like Tania's friends could.
On second thought, that really just meant she owed Tania even more. She has been in Tania's identically sized shadow for most of her life, and that had meant the older twin had drawn most of their…house head's attention.
Inari had been a bit jealous when she was young. Now she felt thankful for Tania shielding her, as well as awful that her twin had to deal with their…Househead so much.
Perhaps he was simply using Inari as leverage, to test Tania's loyalty. Though Inari was fairly sure it was also a test for her as well. Multiple birds with one stone? He would definitely take it.
John slowed as they turned through a few more trees and reached a clearing, a clearing with a downward slope leading to a cave. Inwardly, Inari huffed, of course the vampire lord would have a cave hideout! She shivered slightly. A cave would be a pretty good place to kill people, out of sight, probably hard to detect with stuff like infrared, and while guns might echo in the cave, if it was deep enough, that wouldn't matter too much, not to mention the forest deadening the sound all around.
It would also be easy to pretend that someone simply went missing. Inari's heart started racing at the thought. Why did she think this was a good idea?! No, she had known it was a bad idea, but at that moment, she had been more worried about her new friends on Arturo's crew. Maybe she should have been more worried about herself.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! There was no reason that they couldn't just kill her here and then go back and kill Arturo, Jake, Joan, Bobby, Emma, Giselle and everyone else! Coming here probably just played right into the Hunger King's hands!
"Almost there," Jane droned, and Inari flinched slightly as the dead-eyed bodyguard sounded much closer to her than she expected. Inari nodded, realizing that she had stopped in her internal panic, but she swallowed her fear and continued onwards.
The Hunger King couldn't want anything good, but she was pretty sure Arturo wasn't really a huge priority right now, and if he was here, and so were John and Jane, that meant he was more focused on something happening here.
Oh. This cave would be a great place for casting the ritual.
John strode down into the hungry maw of the cave without a break in stride, completely unaware or uncaring of the fearful hesitation in his charge. Jane simply pushed Inari forward gently. "Almost there," she repeated.
Inari swallowed, and stepped forward into the cave. She was technically a grown adult, but she still got tricked by something so obvious. Be that as it may, she was in it now, and one way or another, she would account for her failings. God help her.
The path downwards was steep and not lit very well, but Inari found that she could see without too much trouble somehow. Well enough to see that the passage was similarly decorated to the hallways inside the family home. Really? That probably meant the Hunger King used this place quite a lot.
The ground evened out a bit and the passageway opened up into a
giant cave–or cavern, she wasn't sure which was the right term. Either way, the place was
huge, and it was actually quite pretty. The walls were made of rock traced through with wavy watermarks, marking out different colored layers in a sort of natural painting etched into stone, and Hunger King must have added some nice, colorful lights to cast a pinkish glow onto the shiny wall surfaces. The floor smoothed over and rose up to a chair made of bone white rock–wow that was a lot of decorating. It looked absolutely ridiculous! Like, there was all this natural beauty and then someone had added a dopey-looking chair smack in the middle. Honestly! With the misting machine overhead throwing droplets down to catch the light, this looked kind of like some sort of tacky rave set-up. Seriously! It really ruined the aesthetic! The folding screen to one side of the chair also looked really out of place.
Inari bit back a hysterical giggle, wondering why
that of all things was what she focused on. Then her eyes noticed the crack in the ground on the left side. That, and how there was nothing but abyssal darkness behind the throne.
Oh.
This wasn't just a soundproofed and hidden place for killing people, it was
also a place for disposing of dead people! She'd really stepped in it now! Stupid! Stupid! Stu–
"Inari?"
"Charles?!" she gasped in horror.
Her friend stood awkwardly in the center of the cavern, flanked by Jack and Jill, who, while not actively restraining him, probably wouldn't let him get very far if he tried to run. His eyes found hers, a hint of confusion and fear present, but he was oddly calm despite being in the middle of the lion's den.
"Ah!
My youngest has arrived," the Hunger King boomed, seated on his silly-looking chair. Inari blinked, wondering how she had missed him sitting there.
"About time," Elisa chimed in, and Inari felt her mouth dry as she glanced over to see her sister draped on the side of the throne, dressed in something that looked like a white toga but was
really too short. "I almost thought you were a repressed dyke." It was strange, Inari could tell that it wasn't really Elisa speaking, it was almost like Hunger King was speaking
through her.
"You are not a child anymore," Natalia intoned, standing stiffly on the other side of the throne, dressed similarly. "It is time you stopped pretending to be as kine; time to shed mere mortality and join us properly."
"Listen to your sisters, my child," Hunger King commanded with an almost convincing fatherly smile. "You have learned your lesson well; already, kine trust you so, even eager to leap to your defense." He spread his hands magnanimously. "Be grateful, for most of our kind, this moment is one of blind, clumsy accident. Your moment will be nothing of the sort."
"This is for your own good," Lara whispered in Inari's ear, somehow sneaking up behind her without a sound. Her big sister squeezed her arm encouragingly, disguising her flinch. "Inari, you
must do this if you wish to live.
Please."
Inari took in a slow breath. It was strange. Big sister Lara had always seen so much older–all of her siblings seemed so much older. But for some reason, hearing the fear in her eldest sister's voice, Inari was struck by how much bigger she was now. She was the youngest, sure, but she and Tania were a good deal taller than their sisters, and even a couple inches taller than their brother and the Hungry King.
It would not do her any good, not against vampires, but that wasn't the only difference. They were afraid.
All of them were afraid of something. Her sisters were scared of Hungry King, but what was
he scared of? This was the seat of his power, attended to by mind-controlled bodyguards and three loyal vampire daughters. How could Inari or Charles scare someone like him?
Inari glanced at Charles again, cringing at the fear and confusion in his eyes, though the clinical, Tania-like part of her noted he looked surprisingly alert, the hint of danger underneath his usually placid nature now hovering just below the surface.
He was afraid–no, he was nervous. Inari focused on the resolved, almost mad gleam in his eyes, looking at her for a sign. It was weirdly comforting, that the thought of blaming her for him being here didn't even cross his mind.
She shook her head slightly. What had she ever done for him to earn such loyalty? She did not deserve it. God, she prayed silently, Mother Mary, get him out of here safely!
"What is all this for?" Inari asked, incredulously noting how steady her voice sounded, despite the trembling running through her body. "And why did you grab Charles? He hasn't done anything to deserve this!"
She knew.
She would not do it.
"
Inari!" Lara hissed warningly, but she ignored him, stepping forward with a daring that she didn't really feel real.
Hungry King hummed disapprovingly, looking at Inari with a sort of bemused annoyance.
"You are too close to kine, small sister," Natalia admonished, his words coming out of her mouth.
"Not close enough to take what's hers though!" Elisa snickered.
"Now, now," the Hungry King chided, "that is not so surprising. It is not as if we can expect her to be as her twin, after all."
Part of Inari winced, the childish part of her cringing at parental disapproval and feeling envious of her twin's superiority, but she tried not to let it show. She probably failed; she wasn't used to hiding her feelings.
"Whether I'm too close or not," she started, voice steadier than she felt. "What does that have to do with why Charles is here? What did he ever do to you?!"
"What did he do?" Hungry King mused. "Why, he is trying to steal you away!"
"How would I do that?" Charles wondered aloud. "She'd kick my ass." Jack hit him over the head to tell him to shut up.
"Do not speak unless spoken to!" Natalia barked at him.
"Screaming's fine though," Elisa grinned.
Charles glanced at Inari for confirmation, and she nodded. He wouldn't be able to get away if they were paying attention to him.
"So he denies it." Hungry King observed, glancing at Lara and patting Elisa condescendingly on the head before looking back at Inari. "And yet my loyal daughters tell me he spends quite some time with you."
This was a farce, Inari realized. They didn't care if he actually wanted to do something like that.
"He's my friend!" She declared, stepping forwards towards Charles. "He wouldn't hurt me."
"You are too trusting," Natalia scoffed, "he is a weakness, and should be cut away before he is used against you."
By
you!
"Just look at him," Elisa snickered, "who's going to miss someone so bland?"
Inari would.
Charles narrowed his eyes at her, looking for something. It must have stung to be disregarded like that, but he didn't seem affected. Inari always had a knack for reading people, but for some reason, it seemed more poignant than ever before. He
was afraid, but not like Inari was, nor terrified for his life like she thought they both would be. It may have just been the stress, but to Inari, he looked much angrier than afraid. Of all the people she knew, she never expected
Charles of all people to have such a strong fight instinct, he usually pulled away from serious conflict.
Not that it would help him, in the end.
"Even if that was true, that doesn't give you the right to just kill people like this!" She yelled. They wouldn't care–
didn't care, but there wasn't really a reason to hide her feelings anymore.
"Do not be absurd!" Natalia barked. "We are higher than kine, more powerful, so it is our right to do as we please with them."
"It's what we are made to do!" Elisa added giddily, "Come on! I know you like feeling superior to other people, don't bother hiding it."
Inari winced. She…couldn't say that was wrong. It was an easy trap to fall into. But she would not use that as an excuse, even if it got her killed.
"If you are so superior, why do you hide?"
Her family all frowned, disapproval flowing off of them in waves at her continued defiance, or maybe at how she excluded herself.
"
Inari," Lara whispered. "
Please! You will
die!"
Inari found she didn't really care, even as she felt the bridges burning along with the chances of her survival.
"I know."
There was something freeing in the certainty of death.
"If power makes right, then shouldn't stronger things be in charge of you?!" she shouted in defiance. "There are things as stronger than you as you are stronger than we. If it was just power, why aren't you licking the boots of
your betters?!"
"
Enough!" the Hungry King snarled, skin turning a sinister silver, causing Lara, Natalia and Elisa to cringe. His power, ancient and vast, suffused the cavern, pressing down on everyone inside, demanding they
obey.
Lara gasped, her resolve long broken by lifetimes of conditioning. Natalia and Elisa fared no better, cringing away from their king. John and Jack, Jane and Jill all stared transfixed at the thing that had enslaved them.
"It is beyond past time that you were disciplined!" the Hungry King spat at his defiant daughter, who stood unbowed. For some reason, she saw weakness where her sisters saw strength, a lack of control, a lack of patience, not a lack of power, but a strength built on glass.
"If you love the kine so dearly, then you shall suffer as it will." The silvery thing on the tacky throne smiled cruelly. "Seize her!" he commanded his guards with a wave of his hand.
John and Jane marched towards her, as dead-eyed as ever. If she had tried, Inari might have been able to fight one of them off, she did have reach, but it wasn't their fault, and hurting them wouldn't do any good in the end.
They grabbed her by her arms and tried to force her forward. As physically fit as they were, and despite how they had been a silent threat throughout her life, Inari was now taller than them, and she was not so easily moved.
"Very well," the Hungry King hissed, "let this be on your head!" He waved a hand and Jack and Jill walked away from a trembling Charles, drawing weapons from their harnesses.
There was a crackling of electricity and Inari jolted as Jill hit her with a taser.
Lightning shot through her and her muscles seized, aching like the worst muscle cramps she had ever felt. Her vision shrank and grayed and her legs lost their strength, almost toppling her, but John and Jane held her up so Jill could hit her again.
Inari did not scream, it was a bit difficult, given the electricity coursing through her. Her convulsions rocked John and Jane back and forth, almost pulling them off their feet, something one part of her brain found almost idly amusing even as the rest of her body was alight with pain.
After what felt like a solid minute, but was probably only a few seconds, Jill let up and Inari slumped, gasping for breath.
"I can be merciful, daughter
mine," the Hungry King remarked with false magnanimity and a wave of his hand. "Kneel, take your place, and all shall be forgiven."
Inari's eyes flicked over to Natalia, who stood still, lifeless like a statue. To Elisa, still smiling suggestively and stretched out languidly like a woman of ill repute. She could not see Lara, but knew her eldest sister would be similar. If that was mercy, Inari would rather face Judgment.
Her gaze settled on Charles, and she almost cracked at his still expression. There was no way she could get him to leave, was there? Even if there was a slim chance of escaping, the cold, focused rage burning in his eyes told her he could not live with that.
She smiled apologetically and shook her head, sorry that she would probably be the death of him.
Pain struck her again as Jill jammed the taser into her neck and her flesh seized again. It seemed like the Hungry King disliked being ignored.
It didn't seem to hurt as bad this time, but perhaps that was just her body weakening.
Another eternity in a second, and the sparking prongs were pulled away, leaving her twitching and weak.
Charles shifted, but Inari glared at him. The Hungry King would take his time with her, her friend did not have that leeway. Even so, his lip curled into a defiant snarl, and Inari felt something stir in her chest.
She choked on a gasp of pain as John smashed something into her collarbone, and she felt it
give. Jill tasered her again and her muscles convulsed, agony lancing through her shoulder, her broken bones grinding against each other.
Her vision shrunk and her ears were filled with an unending ringing sound. Yet somehow, her vision sharpened, honing in on Charles' eyes, inexplicably able to pick out the red of bursting blood vessels around his dark pupils. She could almost taste his helpless anger, but–
Oh, what did it matter?! She could not protect him, not like this. What a joke, she could not protect
anyone.
There was a crack as something hammered into her knee and Inari screamed, as much in hysterical laughter as in pain.
What was she trying to accomplish with this stunt? It did nothing, really. She couldn't save Charles, and her own suffering could not undo the evil of her family.
Her world shrank, to nothing but pain and self-recrimination.
She really was useless to the end.
Something hit her and–
AGONY like nothing she had ever felt before seared through her body as something in her thigh broke.
Pain, worse than
everything that came before combined–she couldn't hear herself screaming, but she couldn't hear anything at all.
Her vision blackened.
This was it, wasn't it?
AN. As Usual, thanks to @Sunny @Half_Baked_Cat @Obloquy @Vista @Darath @Rakkis157 @Zulie the Lich as well as others on the Discord whose usernames I don't know.
