raw.

She didn’t want to admit it, but Derek was right. They were in unfamiliar territory and wasn’t experienced on how to operate in it. Not only that, but they were entering a game without full knowledge of the rules. That didn’t make her doubt her goals, but it did make the situation a bit more intimidating. “We may not have to place our full trust in him, but he is one of the few allies that we have right now…” They still had Porter, but Annika did not know where he stood in in the hidden feuds. “I think we should place some faith him, but learn to stand on our own in this as well.” 

Butterflies resurfaced in Annika’s stomach when Derek’s fingers laced with her own. There was always something about those small gestures, that made her feel like a blushing teenager. She almost shut her eyes in bliss when his fingers toyed with her hair, but his question kept her focused. “Well, if we do not know the full truth, then we have to find it ourselves. The Congregation might be a group, but there are likely inner circles within it. Since I’m new, I plan to use that as a way to get to know everyone. Find out their attitudes, desires, and maybe loyalties…” 

Now, she’d begun to grow giddy with another sort of excitement. Just brainstorming a plan made it all feel more real. “We have to find out how this place operates, but of course I’ll have to officially join as well. You and Phillip will need to prepare me for Initiation and I’ll have to find out what I need to be prepared for during those trials.” The corner of her mouth curled into a cheeky grin. “Back at Crescent Grove the others said you were a neglectful Maker and should teach me our ways.” Annika chuckled. “So, it looks like you may have to do what Makers do and provide some Vampire Lessons.” 

It was somewhat inspiring to hear Annika speak of her plans and goals. It brought about a proud sort of feeling inside of Derek that was extremely unfamiliar. Yet, from his recent travels around the world, he knew that feelings in Brailston would be eccentric and very real, and raw. The city was encompassed with so many different types of people, and now that they were living in it together Derek only imagined those emotions would grow stronger. His mental walls would stand at the ready, yet with Annika there were parts of him that were prepared to be vulnerable.

Derek was unsure what the initiation would be like. He hoped that Phillip would prepare them both.

"Vampires here seem so busy with their own needs that they hardly recognized our arrival. Something tells me that it won't be difficult for you to fit in,"

Derek pried his eyes away from his progeny and looked down, and smiled at his remark. He tried to hide it but the grin peeked out of the corners of his lips anyway. Imaging Annika dressed the part and conversing in such fashionable and important ways was really doing something to him. Perhaps it was that neglected side of vampirism that only wanted acceptance and freedom, and to make a difference in his own type of way. This was that opportunity with Annika and Derek wanted her to succeed where he had not.

Everything was suddenly very real in those moments; talking about the congregation, being inside the tower, having contacts and secret missions and initiations...there really was no turning back.

Every part of Derek wanted to touch her more. His hand played with the ends of the strands of her hair and his fingertips grazed the skin of her shoulder and arm almost shyly, as if he didn’t want to break her or cross lines that they had drawn when they first met.

“Eventually.” Gage agreed. She was still too deep in thought to pull back the glazed stare. Reminiscing the horrors of her beginning seemed to be all her mind could dwell on. Derek’s words were distant as an echo. 

“You think me weak to fear my maker. I do not blame you for that. I remember it all so completely and perhaps its the last sliver of my humanity that adds the weight upon that memory. I suppose that humanity will dwindle if I survive that long.” She had spent her very short immortal life not caring whether she lived or died. Perhaps that is the very reason she had survived mortality for this long. It was apparent that it would not be enough to sustain her. The world was seeming to shatter around her at every turn.

“If you are staying….” She shrugged not wanting to invite herself to trail after the older more powerful creature. He had promised her before but in passing she had put little stock in such an arrangement. Why would he care so much about a little new born like her?

“Do you mind if I travel with you….learn a thing or two? I am sure it wouldn’t hurt my chances of survival since it is a miracle I have made it this far.” 

Derek shook his head against her words.

"You are not weak to fear anyone or anything you do not have experience with. You are weak because you are young, and untrained. Stop seeing it as a burden and see it as motivation to grow and learn,"

The vampire stepped onto the street once again, looking down the road at their options. He remembered staying at a friendly place the last he was in Brailston City after the tournament over the summer, and decided to take her there. "This way,"

Together they maneuvered the streets once more. Brailston was such a variety of specie emotions intermingled with the humans it was almost hard to tell the senses apart. It was all so strange and Derek could not help but be both confused and curious. He did not want to think about these things tonight. Annika raced through his mind, thinking about her back in their bed in their room. He thought about her scent and her legs and suddenly wanting them wrapped around him...

It wasn’t exactly among the more innocent thoughts that he’s had in his life...

They stepped into the tavern that doubled as a quirky inn. Derek paid the man at the counter, and he finally turned to face Gage.

"I've arranged for provisions for you. Stay here for as long as you want. I cannot guarentee your safty but, if you are close and need me...then reach for me. I'm staying in the Tower with my progeny," Derek watched Gage carefully. Something made him reach out to take her chin in his hands, and he directed her to look at him. Derek did not know how to be kind or sensitive naturally. But he remembered the way Annika made him feel and he channeled those types of emotions and reactions. For the first time since they met, Derek attempted comfort. "You do not have to walk this path alone anymore,"

Annika couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Well I know the bed doesn’t make a difference, comatose is comatose, no matter the circumstances. But that doesn’t mean we’re not allowed comfort.” It was equally adorable and annoying how literal Derek could be. She wondered if he acted that way when he was human or did being a vampire change him? Annika doubted that she’d live for 200 years and be the same woman that she was now, but did age change the vampire? Did it suck the life from them as the horror stories say? 

Annika knew why she meant so much to him and understood what she represented. But what if he was searching for the light he’d lost in her? What if it was never naturally missing, like she thought, but it was sacrificed in his immortality? For a moment, she feared that she’d find herself on that path, but cast those thoughts away. They balanced one another in ways that others couldn’t. If he’d lost his way, Annika would make it her mission to never lose her own and guide him. Otherwise, they’d both be doomed and she’d never allow that to happen. 

Finally, her Maker allowed himself to step fully into the room. His discomfort was replaced with an intensity that seared flesh. Again, Annika was reminded there was only one bed in the room. And the way he looked at her made Annika think he just may want to truly share it with her. Derek stood directly in front of her draped legs, the way a lover might before descending. “Y-Yes, I thought you’ve known that for some time now…” She said, slowly rising to a seated position. Her eyes darted to his waistband, then trailed up to his chiseled jawline. “Ever since that night I–” Realizing the true intent of his question, Annika stopped. 

She thought Derek meant ‘this’ as in them together, not their coupling with the Congregation. “Ever since that night Philip spoke to me about Ivo, I was sure. Before, it was an idea I’d considered, but wasn’t entirely sold on.” Annika tried thwarting the awkwardness by taking his hand in her own. “But the world is changing, Derek. Sooner or later, we would have needed to leave Crescent Grove. The Midnight Congregation is trying to build a world that we can share with everyone, but we have to help Phillip first.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “There is discord being sewn here and we can’t have that world if we don’t remove the rot.” 

Her hand in his was a distraction from the the semi-lie she was telling. Annika was learning on how to use her words to misconstrue the truth, and it was important for her to continue to learn everything she could, no matter if it was from Derek alone or another. Phillip would be a good mentor in terms of politics and fabrication to society living. Having had progenies of his own, Derek could see Annika by his side at parties and meetings and gatherings where important people were present. He could envision Phillip showing her old books and informing her of the histories and the past, and how to act in front of certain guests of opposing species.

With Derek, he was but an old rock inside a palace fit for a younger generation. He was unsure if he belonged, yet he would stay for the safety of his kin.

Annika Raelyn meant more to him than anyone could possibly understand.

"I know Phillip needs friends inside this place. What I fear is being unaware of what the truth is ourselves. We don't know anything about this place except what Phillip has spoken of. It does not seem wise to put our trust in him fully," he said. "At least, not yet. We should be free to make our own decisions,"

His own words felt like a small betrayal towards the young vampire who he had promised to help. Revenge was an easy way to bond, no matter the specie or age or gender. Derek wished to assist Phillip. But if it came at the cost of his or Annika's life, then he would not do so.

It was as simple as that.

Gage sighed in relief. Her maker was not within striking distance…..yet. She stumbled back against the wall in an emotional spiral. A million scenarios running through her mind as the conversation propelled forward in its tortuous melody. Part of Gage wanted to feel sympathy but it was drowned out by the need to extract the fear quivering between his breaths. 

Use it, use the fear.

It was a mantra the beast that made her had always used but Gage never understood until now. It was the end she always saw coming. The kingdom clutching her throat and squeezing until she was but a pile of dust and bones. Her soul would still be lost regardless of what happened now, the reaper ensured her of that. Perhaps it was time to stop living a lie and shed the convictions of morality. 

She pulled her knees tighter into her chest, lost in a daze at the sudden influx of information. “Leeds….”

The name sent a shiver down her spine. the red witch was in Leeds. Did she know of her maker? Were they working together? Would she be able to return to that place after the suffering she had experienced?

“Drink, and let’s go.” 

Gage looked up at the vampire, her savior. He gave no sympathy behind his commanding presence. Perhaps he was far to old to care about such minuscule things. 

Weak, it was just a syllable but it hit Gage like a bite from a viper. 

“Is it any wonder that I am? I am done being weak.” She stood swiftly to close the distance, grabbing his wrist and sinking her fangs into it with the ferocity of a wild animal. Far thirstier than she realized, she made short work of the meal. 

“Where are we going?”

There was only but a few short hours left until the dawn. As they stepped out from the jails they moved quickly away to another part of the city. By now, this late in the night, the tavern seekers were passed out in their bar stools and others were staggering home after the best night of their lives. The streets smelt like an aftermath of liquor and excitement. The emotions in the air were chaotic and mixed together unevenly. Derek had a hard time deciphering the true atmosphere of their temporarily surroundings.

In the mountains, he did not need to worry about such things -- but this year he had allowed himself to feel, to experience such human traits.

It was as if he was experiencing them for the first time.

Maybe he was.

"I won't tell you what to do or where to go," Derek sat on a barrel inside a darkened alleyway, a common meeting place for them it seemed. He crossed his arms across his chest and pressed the crown of his head against the wall. "I don't know your maker. I don't know what he is capable of. Though, judging by your reaction and the fear from that guard, this goes beyond something simple like a friendly reunion between the two of you,"

Derek looked to Gage and thought her a lost puppy. How she had managed to survive even a year was beyond him. Derek had watched hundreds of fledgling vampires fry to a crisp on the sides of the roads leading into the Verasova mountains, all captured and tortured by hunters who found enjoyment in watching them burn to ash. He had witnessed young vampires succumb to their own deaths on accident and some even take their own lives to rid themselves of the misery. He had watched them burn on the top of the Magic Guild and become pale, disgusting creatures inside the Tunnel of Eros. 

Vampires were not beautiful. They were predators with a greater means of survival than any other specie. He wanted Gage to be fierce and accept that role, and not wallow in the miseries of her past.

She was weak. But Derek hoped she would become strong.

She believed his statement would feel true to anyone. Especially in the sense of keeping secrets with so many vampires around. It was a worry in her mental warding that had her always hesitant to be in this place, but finally being in the Ivory Tower with good reason, and someone to protect her like Derek– naturally drew out the adventuring side of Kali. She wanted to poke around and touch everything in almost a childish way.

“It’s not like that with the Guild; we have more secrets than I can even comprehend. Somehow it works– even if it is frustrating, maybe– it’s not a bad thing that everyone in your clan knows enough about everyone…”

She humored, but at the moment he said ‘look around’ her hand was already in his and frantically pulling him as her life depended on it to hit the stairs to go up.

“When I was little, the older mages in my Guild use to tell us that this Tower contained an all-seeing eye. I imagined it literally like an eye– this huge eyeball at the top! I use to scare the other kids younger than me telling them it was red and could see into your soul,” Kali laughed so loud at herself that her entire body flailed with her boisterous release.

“I have to admit, I did a lot of research and proved to myself that this story was just paranoia from a mage who was threatened by this clan, but I can’t help but wonder if there is some magical item at the top. Have you ever wondered about something so much you just had to see it even if it was dangerous?”

Being quite literally dragged through the hallways of the tower made Derek groan. He wanted to be annoyed but somehow find it frustratingly funny. His suggestion was not regretted yet Kali's enthusiastic emotions were difficult to shoo away. "You're going to rip my arm off,"

As she spoke about her curiosities, Derek silently agreed. He never knew or anticipated what was on top of that large tower, and a part of him selfishly assumed it was some sort of mind control that the young vampires could not escape. The Eternal and all its mystery was nothing that Derek was scared of. How could he be scared of something or someone he did not know? Her own curiousness reached fragile spots in his head though. As they walked, Derek found himself wanting to know more as well. He picked up his pace until they were side by side now.

Vampires continued to walk by them unaffectd by their presence.

Good.

"This staircase leads to the rooms," he nodded towards an opening off to the left. "The one at the end of the hall leads to the level above. Let's see what's up there,"

The white, stoned steps started in a large, arching circle upwards. Yet as they continued up, it became more and more cramped. Derek let go of Kali's hand and wondered if he'd even fit the rest of the way up. On the occasion they’d pass by a small half-crescent window carved into the wall. Yet when Derek looked through one to see outside, it only appeared as if they were two or three stories up. Hadn't they been walking longer then that? He glanced down at Kali, motioning for her to notice the strange illusion.

He felt a stinging sensation creep up his spine. Perhaps it was the long trek upwards or just the mysterious of the tower itself, but the large vampire felt dizzy and somewhat lightheaded, if possible. He gripped onto the wall and closed his eyes. A pull and yearning to continue up the steps yanked at his insides. Don't stop.

Gage was enthralled by this vampire. His abilities surpassed hers ten thousand fold. It brought back the moment when her sire had compelled her, both terrifying and amazing at the same time. She couldn’t shake her gaze away from his mouth moving to make words that were obeyed. Then the response turned to bile, a deafening rhythm drowning out everything. The world seemed to stand still for just a split second. 

Her hands gripped the bars, her face paled more than its usual deathly shade. The thing that had taken her choice away was looking for her. “Why…..why look for me?” Her voice cracked with the anticipation of it all. The sire who had made her life miserable was looking for her and the reason was not going to be one she would enjoy. 

“Get me the hell out of here Derek.” A new panic entered her voice. Words laced with terror at the thought of facing off against Milley and her maker. The knight gave in to Derek easily enough but who would he fare against Milley and her maker? 

She rattled the bars to no avail. The restraints sucked the strength from her until it was as weak as a mere mortals. She wanted to run like she always had. It was no secret that she was on the weaker end of the vampire spectrum. Her maker was not looking to rebuild a relationship that never existed. It was one sided at best. The point of being a sire was too teach and that was not what had happened at all. 

“What is Milley doing consorting with a Vampire anyway? Not like the old bat at all.”

Through their connection, Derek harbored Gage’s own emotions into his own, holding them metaphorically in the palm of his hand so that he understood what she felt. He nodded and met the Knights eyes once more, capturing them in his alluring gaze. The Knight whimpered, unable to resist Derek's stronger charms over the previous vampire that had glamoured him. This gave Derek reassurance that Gage's maker was perhaps young, or untrained.

This gave him confidence that he could be taken care of if necessary.

"Does he know?" Derek spoke.

"Know? Know what?"

"Does he know she's here?"

The Knight began to panic, struggling slightly against Derek's stronger grasp. But the vampire held him in place firmly against the stone wall.

"I cannot say,"

"You will tell me,"

"If I do...he’ll kill me,"

"If you don't then I will kill you before you take your next breath,"

The Knight struggled more and Derek began to worry about the noise. The last thing they needed was for any sort of extra attention. He wanted to be cautious at least. He did not want to ruin this adventure to Brailston City with Annika before it even began.

"He's not here," The Knight finally confessed.

"Where?"

"Leeds, I think. I was to send word for him once we captured her,"

Derek's hand wrapped around the Knights throat and squeezed. "You never saw Gage here. You never met me. You will travel back South to look for her and never find her. You will die before you tell her Maker the truth,"

The Knight sadly responded with a small sob-like noise, and when Derek let him go he scurried away with an itching cough. At that moment, two other guards rounded the corner in casual conversation. They passed by without so much as an interesting glance. Derek waited until they were further enough away before approaching Gage at the cell.

“Ugh, you are suppose to help lessen my heavy brain and you are just giving me alllllll these ideas– Derek Ryder, you sir, are what I’d affectionately call– a big stinker,” 

She peeked over at him as she jested, through the curtains of red hair and offered a meek smile. There were infinite possibilities in every choice every soul made, and then there were as he said– so many things we didn’t know on top of it. Kali only knew how to think like a witch, and she could only hope that with everyone helping together they would find a way to see new angles.

She rose from their spot, stretching her arms above her head to pop the joints in her back.

“I am a witch– it is really all I know how to be. I’ll have to, unfortunately, comb through logs and find the right people to aid me along the way. I am not confident I can see something else as you suggest, though clever I am– I have learned that when you look for something it can often be right in front of you,” she tugged on her hair, pulling it to the side to throw a messy braid into it. “You know– when you stop looking for something it suddenly shows up? Apart of me wonders if maybe such a thing could be possible for the Queen since everything else isn’t quite helping.”

Kali worried her lip, glancing about the blur of some vampires running around. The Tower was in an uproar of business, and Kali had always wanted an excuse to go to the top without getting in trouble. Was the Eternal even still up there? Or did she last see them at the Castle?

“Okay, no more business talk,” she fumbled with the tie to secure her hair. “How is moving into this place been? You like Brailston or miss the countryside?”

"I miss the mountains,"

Derek wondered how long they could stay there without being noticed. He was told that not any vampire could walk into the Tower and casually lounge around, let alone a Ravenswood witch. There were initiates and smaller, younger vampires tending to the "older" ones, which Derek found amusing. He also wondered where Porter was, if he was comforting his human king or fighting with other members of this strange alliance. Maybe one day he would understand the connected points to all of these different theories and species, and how they all could come together.

He was in no rush.

"I don't miss the isolation, though," Derek frowned. "I miss the cool breeze, the quiet, the territory that was my own. I think that once we give ourselves completely to this Congregation then any thought of having privacy will be nothing but a memory,"

Derek stood with her, stretching his large, bulky form that seemed out of place among the many prettier and fancier looking vampires and humans in that establishment. Although Annika had dressed the part of her future inside this tower, it would take Derek more convincing to match the visual that was The Midnight Congregation. He did, however, manage to slip a nice looking gold bangle around his wrist that had been left inside their room. So many accessories and articles of clothing had been given to them that Derek wondered how spoiled a vampire could be before it became quite worthless. For some reason, this piece in particular stood out to him.

Gage could barely believe her eyes when Derek appeared suddenly. He seemed angry which was satisfying given the tussle they had put her through. Gage had finally taken the high road. She had behaved herself and this is how she was treated. “Nothing.” She hissed toward Derek to answer the question he had posed to her capture.

The road to the jails had been a long one. They had kept her alive but there was no comfort to be had. She was angrier now that she was helpless and now that she had backup. Inside she was as giddy as a school girl when he shoved the knight by his chest plate. 

She was not lying. Gage had nothing to do with the missing Queen Mother. She barely had time to care about her at all with the sins in her past. When she was stopped by the knights it was her name that had them slapping the shackles. She had her suspicions on who brought her under suspicion. She had grown up with their distaste of supernaturals and if she was as smart as she seemed to be she knew Gage for what she really was. 

‘O’Milly put them up to this. She undoubtedly knows about the deaths of my parents.’ 

Gage felt the connection between them spark. It was unlike anything she had ever felt. Was this what having a mentor felt like? Gage felt hands pressing her against the outside bars of the cells. Without her strength there was nothing she could do against them. They held her there beneath the warning of a steel blade. 

Gage hissed the words again, “I HAVE DONE NOTHING!” 

"Your parents..."

Derek's eye contact with the Knight did not waver. His head tilted slightly as he watched the confusion and glamour swirl inside the irises of the man. Mentally, Derek forced him to be still. The Knights lips quivered slightly as if he wanted to speak, but Derek slowly shook his head no.

There was something there...something inside his thoughts that Derek found interesting given the situation. The name Ol'Milley was familiar to him only through her many fables and tales, and her status in the Kingdom as the Grandmother of King Nathaniel, the Mother of the late Franco Athor. Is that true? He spoke it inside the Knights mind after Gage said her piece, but Derek did not want him to answer just yet. Derek's fingertips indented the armor at his touch as he walked him backwards against the wall. A drop of sweat trickled down the Knights face as he tried to resist Derek's charms. You are glamoured to not respond? Derek found that disturbing. His lip twitched.

Knights only being able to respond to those they secretly served was a smart tactic for the large vampyric society. Derek was not officially a part of that society yet. Though Phillip Delaney and Porter spoke for him and his progeny, it would be some time before he gave himself fully to their cause. 

He did not like the fact that this Knight could not obey him.

He would change that.

Derek flipped through the web of glamour with intriguing intent. He hummed lowly to himself, the sound escaping like a beast under water. What are you hiding? I want to know. Like blank pages in a freshly printed book, he rewrote the glamour to fit his own needs. Tell me. Won't you? I want you to tell me. Faster and faster he untwisted the previous vampires glamour on the Knight. The irises of the man began to water as the glamour shifted and changed inside of his mind to obey Derek’s words and desires.

And he gave in.

"Ol'Milley gave the initial order to find her. The Congregation ignored her demands so she sent us herself,"

"You are glamoured by a vampire to follow Congregation orders. Why listen to her?" Derek spoke this part out loud so Gage could hear.

The man swallowed hard. "I'm --"

"Yes?"

"It wasn’t a Congregation vampire. I was glamoured by her maker. He wants to find her. He wants her here,"

“As if I can’t relate. I hide away in the library for weeks at a time sometimes. Being alone to my studies is a way easier and simpler life than trying to help Kingdoms,” Kali offered a sad yet understanding expression that crinkled her nose and let much to the imagination for her deeper reasons. She heard what he was saying, but it didn’t do much to comfort her. Not that she had come to Derek Ryder for comfort, he was someone she could speak frankly with, and they didn’t have to hide truthful words or blunt declarations in fear of getting in trouble.

They could just be frank and see things a little clearer, and that had been why she was thankful he was in Brailston now with his wife? Were they married? Kali has meant to ask more about Annika but didn’t want to pry into their personal business too much.

“You can be so selfless Derek, you are adorable yet wise to bring her here” she chuckled a little, “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to be with your kin. The Guild has prospered for that very reason.” It made sense to stick together, not because of discrimination or segregation, but the simple knowing they understood you a little better than others. She worried King Nathaniel was never going to understand magic correctly without a witch full time teaching him their ways. Conway could only do so much with all the other business they had for the Guild. If just they could retire and always stay by King Nathaniel’s side, it would make the Guild’s work a little lighter.

“I find myself reading a lot of history. I am pulling every tomb I can think of for my clan, locating spells that were even deemed troublesome and banned. It’s ridiculous to think we are scrambling in such a way. Finding a soul shouldn’t be this difficult– but with her’s it is,” Kali pressed her fingers into her chest. “If she isn’t on Earth there are only so many other places she could be, and to be honest– none of them are going to be simple to navigate nor rescue from.”

"Madness was released from the world that night in Leeds. For years your people have been accustomed to doing things just one specific way. You've only ever known how to find missing souls those ways. With the occurrence in Leeds, and now this missing soul, I do not find it coincidental,"

Derek's thoughts were quite cluttered. Never had he imagined that the kingdom would be in such disarray. From high on his mountain he assumed that there was nothing but peace and harmony in the capital, that everything flowed so easily and nothing was ever really wrong. After all, what could go wrong with bloodsuckers who had the ability to bend the will and minds of those around them with sexual glamours? Were the people of Nathaniel's court nothing but puppets to their immortal game?

"Who knows how many other realms exist in this universe? Just because we have discovered the ones we have doesn't mean there aren't thousands more. For hundreds of years no one even knew of this place called Hell, or the circles that surround it. Yet here I am, a descendant of the first. Look at them,"

Annika felt like she was in some sort of fairy tale yet again. She could never quite understand it, but every milestone moment with Derek felt magical. From their meeting, to her turning, and to that moment on the beach. It all felt right and destined, as if some invisible force pushed them closer each time. Now, they were moving to the Ivory Tower, becoming a part of vampyric society. At first, she was nervous about being in a city again. She thought that all the scents of different people would drive her blood-crazy. 

Yet it wasn’t blood that bothered her, but the actual smell of the city and array of emotions. The wide-open air of Crescent Grove was long gone and she had some trouble wading through the turbulence. Derek seemed equally bothered, but he masked it extremely well. However, the second she laid eyes on the Ivory Tower, she was able to tune out the white noise of emotions and odors. Her eyes lit up like the sun and Annika had nearly burst from the carriage so she could see inside. She almost offered to take up her own luggage so she wouldn’t have to wait on the servants to take them up. 

On the way in, she shared pleasantries with Congregation members. To her own surprise, she left them enamored by her looks and colorful demeanor. Annika felt proud being told that she’d make a fine addition to their society, only making her beam more. Once they were at their room, butterflies bloomed in her stomach as they stepped in. Derek acted as if he didn’t want to move and even had the nerve to frown. 

“Aww well, of course it’s too much, but what would else could you expect from the Ivory Tower?” She leaned forward to cup his cheeks. “And don’t be so mopey, I know you aren’t comfortable with too much change, but you’ll warm up to this.” Annika daintily spun away from her Maker, and in one stride, pounced onto the bed. The mattress felt like it was stuffed with both cupid feathers and lamb’s wool. She could lie in it forever, until she realized that it was the only bed in the suite and that she’d have to indefinitely share it with Derek. Then the notion became terrifying and tantalizing all at once. “Unless you really do prefer a bed of straw and rock walls, Lord Caveman of Mt. Kairo?” 

Annika's emotions were like captivating blood on the tip of his tongue. She made him want to break down walls and build them back up for her all at the same time. Her array of wonder and innocence reflected fields of endless blooming flowers, while Derek was the storm that hovered overhead with threats of drowning them in its furry.  

The urges to leave and stay were conflicting and confusing. Annika's own fluid emotions did not help in his decision or instinct to know what to do, or why. The ultimate choice of coming to the Tower was the first step towards many more smaller ones to enable them a future together. If in the end they reflected in Annika only growing in this society and thriving in this shameful, monstrous world, then he would do his best to keep his decisions on track.

How long could he protect her when she made him feel so emotionally weak?

It was very, very, very difficult to do so with Annika laying in the middle of a luxurious bed inside a room fit for a queen. 

Her joke flew over Derek's head easily. He did not find it funny. He would demand Porter and his ‘so-called keeper’, Phillip, for two coffins. Though the room was windowless he did not trust the open confinement.

Derek reached behind him and locked the door.

"It doesn’t matter if you sleep at the bottom of the ocean, Annika. Fluffy beds will not make a difference in your strength come nightfall,”

Derek dared to walk into the room. Faintly he could smell the last occupant of the space -- their scent engraved into the fabrics of the tablecloth and rug. The front of his legs stopped at the foot of the bed. He watched Annika now with an intense gaze, feeling the insides of his chest stumble over his own mixture of emotions upon her very presence. Her dress revealed uncovered parts of her legs. He watched the way she inhaled for breath she didn’t need. “This is what you really want?”

@derekryder Brailston

Kali was horrified over what the King was going through involving the Queen Mother. She understood the emotions well having believed Killian had been in a coma then missing when she discovered the truth had settled a feeling of desperation aflame under her skin. There was a layer of irrationality that will likely unfold soon, and with having the power to sway organizations like The Guild in his favor– she knew it was only a matter of time before something extremely drastic happened. And she didn’t know which direction it would run.

She was scared and pretty exhausted in general from all these massive events unfolding in the last year. Kali had spent a lot of time attempting to organize the information handed to her, to see some patterns to help her people and the Kingdom out– but she has so far come up with nothing conclusive.

“I’m nervous, what if he thinks I should be punished for having no answers for him? I have been working so hard– I, just– Derek I am terrified that I can’t find anything to report? There is nothing– not one location spell is working from my end. It’s like she honestly disappeared altogether,” she swallowed the reality of that statement. “Her soul– we should be able to find it, but we can’t.”

She sighed and sat down reaching out to thread her hand with his.

“Thank you for meeting up with me while I am here in town,” she said quietly. “I don’t mean to not see you for so long than throw a bunch of worries at you. I haven’t been out and about for a few weeks. Why are you here?”

Derek Ryder did not have time to make Brailston City his new home before the world came tumbling down around him.

Almost immediately after entering the city and getting settled with Annika inside the Tower, tragedy ensued, and chaos began to erupt. Was it like this all the time around the humans? Did destruction and sorrow follow them with every passing day? Did he lack the empathy or fear due to being immortal, or did he simply not understand what that feeling was like? 

Personally, it seemed insignificant but Derek found out quickly that the Queen Mother being missing was a large ordeal. It showed in the way the people were carted to the jails for questioning, and the way the Midnight Congregation had barely noticed the elder vampire lingering within the halls as if he belonged. 

Well, maybe he did now.

Maybe he had along.

Regardless, Derek and Annika's new presence seemed like a speck of importance against the larger situation. It was only Porter who had greeted him with a large embrace and showed them to their quarters, and he had not seen his oldest friend since.

Derek pressed his lips together, leaning heavily against the stone wall. Inside the hall of The Ivory Tower, it seemed surreal and almost dreamlike. The white stones and shuffling vampires who moved within split seconds of time and space caused a whirlwind of madness inside the large space. Derek and Kali were ignored, their presence, once again, unimportant to the larger picture.

He was grateful.

"It's fine," he said to her, "I am finding that this existence among you people is full of endless troubles and worries. Life was simpler in darkness,"

He did not mean to sound morbid but in that moment he attempted honesty to the trustworthy witch.

@derekryder

When wild animals are cornered they attack. The laws of nature have testified to this outcome for years. Gage had always fought back through every punch until she physically could not stand back up. She was knocked down more times than most girls her age and yet she stood back up and fought back but Leeds had changed her. There was fear now, a fear she had been able to mute. Killing her parents, killing those men in Dragos, it was all instinctual. Defending her own self, surviving. Hands laced round her wrists and tugged her firmly into place while another shackled her with iron. Her ankles and wrist bound by magic. Gage was defeated before it had even started.

“The Queen Mother is missing……”

“Anyone Suspicious subject to arrest…..”

Those announcements had the entire town in an uproar. Gage was damned before they had finished their sentence. A bloodsucking bartender with a history of conflict in the Congregation, she was a person of interest now.

“One what grounds are you arresting me?” The question left unanswered. They didn’t have to present a reason.  They shoved her out the door without any hesitation, without any empathy.

She went without a fight, accepting the fate as sealed as it was. The world had never understood. It didn’t care what void she crawled out from to get to where she was. “Brailston, ever been?” One of the men walked near her as escort. Gage remained silent as the grave. She had no interest in going to Brailston. Her thoughts trailed to Derek as they neared the jail. Strange, Gage had not thought on the vampire in some time but his stern features set in chiseled stone filled her thoughts until she could practically inhale his scent.

‘Derek…..’ Her eyes opened wide in disbelief. Could he actually be here and if he was, could she be somehow reaching him?

‘HELP ME!’ She whirled around and glanced down an ally to see a figure, a familiar frame. Hope filled her then in a last ditch effort to continue the dismal life she had built for herself in Southwind.

Many years -- decades -- had passed since he felt the call of another. A sort of tug, a tease, a pull that connected one vampire to another on instinct and kinship. Derek was very attune with his wards and mental barriers, being able to easily build them up without breakage or infliction. When other vampires came to close to his hunting grounds, they would call and beg for permission or assistance. And when he had recently traveled the country searching for redemption and freedom from the confides of darkness and gloom, he had allowed Gage to form that bond, whether knowingly or not.

He wanted to help her if that was what she needed. He told her he would, so that was what he would do now if she let him.

The pull for vampyric connections in Brailston was overwhelming. Even throughout the Ivory Tower the need for connection was strong, and sturdy. The allure and glamour, the seduction and suggestion...it was supposed to be appealing yet Derek found it difficult to relate or care to be a part of. They wanted to feed and touch, dress him in pretty clothing and have him on his arm. Yet Derek's mental walls were build stronger then their's. He did not let them in. Not yet.

Little did they know that he was of the first, and he was the strongest. And they could not break him, not even if they tried.

The streets of Brailston City were not as mad as he had thought. Many were arrested due to the Queen Mother being mission though they did not remain empty or free of dance and music. Brailston had a way of enjoying their nights, and still did the ale run deep in the gutters and the vendors sold their many clothing and arts and crafts. Long into the night, as if day and evening were but one entity, did Brailston thrive.

Yet Gage's voice was like a beacon among the festivities that never slept. And Derek searched for it as if he were a hound, shoving passed bodies and maneuvering through the streets even though they were unfamiliar. He tasted the air and inhaled deeply, catching her scent and craving it. He followed that instinct until he found her by the jails. And he wanted to be surprised or shocked but wasn't familiar with that emotion. He simply sprinted forward and acknowledged her with a stare, then placed a harsh hand on the Knight's chest-plate to stop them in their tracks.

“Remember– wha–”

He froze, still as the very mountain surrounding them, skin impossibly pale to the point the flickering fire was barely contributing to any warm hues. The rigid stance seemed to have locked his body into rigor mortis, so fitting to relive such a feeling when their bodies had died and hadn’t given into such a sensation. Phillip’s eyes twitched then twin tears cascaded like carmine carvings over his sharp cheekbones when wards cracked to allow the sticky mess of a memory cling to the walls and seep into his mind. The depth of feeling was overwhelming, the memory one given instantly yet snugly nestled forward as if he was always supposed to be protected by him.

His hand lifted slowly, trailing the bloody dampness from his cheek, merely smearing it over removing its substance. He hated crying, and even now he could feel his two progenies reaching for him without their consent in an attempt to ask what was wrong. Phillip blinked a few times to bring forth their current surroundings, it took longer than it should but he was a young vampire, and he hadn’t had as much training as he probably should invest time in. His gaze landed on Derek’s out of necessity to be sure this reality hadn’t warped to confuse them with where they currently were and where they had just been.

Words. Make words. Phillip’s lips parted, the unless stale air trapped in his lungs vibrated in attempt to move and produce some sort of sound but the aura of colors in the old prison was intense against his iris’. Distracting him from speaking over experiencing, and it seemed his body could read these hues, and swim through their connection and instinctively understand what they were saying without actual words. It was a little out of body. Phillip not usually trusting enough to bond with any one that wasn’t his direct kin, (not that he could think on Ashley right now) and yet he felt his armor crack and collide to the ground as if there was no choice in the matter. A profound part of him did not care his hand was on his arm in mock of Derek like he was also trying to stop trembling or had actually relived something that he hadn’t.

“Dammit,” finally, a word slipped out of his dead mouth, exhaling as ancient dust and dry on his tongue. “Priests? Really? Fucking hell,” he shivered unnecessarily as their emotions twisted and coiled together to become one thing. Phillip’s own mind reeled in memories that were hazy around the edges, only able to place one more thing in Derek’s head.

“That voice sounded so familiar–”  

Derek’s body cringed with exhaustion. The memories were so real, so close to him, that he thought maybe there was a stronger reason why they had been hidden from him for so long. The shock of seeing his father and his mother, of the priests and the original demon...Derek had more questions than answers yet at least he somewhat knew how he became this monster in the first place. And that was enough for Derek’s entire world to shatter. He felt defeated and unworthy, and never had he thought himself special to begin with but at least there was nothing to compare it to, at least there was no disappointment or expectation for him to be something greater and stronger because of who he was when he was human. But these memories changed that. And his history proved that he could have been something, or someone important and worthy of love and life.

But he didn’t.

Becoming a vampire...becoming this monster that lurked and fed in the night was punishment from a family that had given up on him only after he had given up on himself.

The connection with Phillip went beyond almost anything he had ever felt. It was not the same with Annika, who he was merged with on a blood level in terms of emotions and instincts and desires. No, it was something more loyal and thankful, and maybe somewhat greedy. Although Derek had shared a memory with Phillip in the past, this was different. He trusted him with something more darker and deeper, something that could change the path of vampires altogether. And Derek didn’t want to let that go. He wanted to make sure that Phillip was safe and protected.

He’d do whatever it took to make sure that Phillip was consistently by his side.

No. No. No. No.

Phillip’s survival hinged on turning a blind eye where it needed and running when it suited his well being. It wasn’t a secret from most of the Congregation that he had been a Leeds born human or that he had fought in the Rebellion as a newborn. Phillip tried desperately to separate his old lives into compartmentalizing boxes to preserve his sense of control because all of those points were so incredibly life-changing.

“Why, why are you bringing me here Derek–” it wasn’t exactly directed towards Derek in need of an answer, mostly to speak and expose how anxious he was in being exposed to this other life he didn’t want visual details about. Phillip turned around, putting his back to the cave while Derek wedged open a giant bolder most wouldn’t be able to move. 

“This isn’t what I want– I don’t need reminding, you– no, see– you need to be reminded. That’s what this is right? Please, just let it be about you alright?” Phillip would refuse with every dead cell in his body to not face anything right now. His stubbornness could be a force to meet, and he was already throwing up enough defensive walls to his emotions than he’s ever tried before. Phillip inhaled the cold air, the snow a pretty chill if he decided to notice it against his already frozen skin. He reached out to let some of the flakes hit his fingertips before he reluctantly followed knowing it was the only avenue for the night ending.

“This place stinks–” was his first snarky comment, with a few more steps he paused to fold his arms over his chest once more as if he didn’t want to touch anything. “There are no memories of myself that I am proud of so– maybe you have had more time to experience the scale of our species, but at least you seem to carry some purpose. I have so much to think about– and I don’t want to think about anything. What a fucking waste of existing.”

"My purpose..." Derek turned back to Phillip immediately, standing in front of the younger as if he were to strike him. "...was only discovered recently. Time has nothing to do with a purpose, Phillip. Your purpose was to fight in the rebellion and that is what you did. And you succeeded. Your purpose was to build Brailston City which you did. And you succeeded. Other peoples timelines are not important when it comes to this life we now have. With each new life you find a new purpose. You have the means and the resources, unlike so many of your kin," he leaned his face close to Phillip, not to challenge, but to engrave what he was saying into his head as important. "So use them,"

Derek stepped away with the intention of Phillip remaining silent about it, and to listen. Personally, Derek did have his own memories to deal with when it came to this place. The stench, as Phillip had so kindly put it, was noticeable -- as if several animals had died over and over again in the last nine months. Was that all it had been? Derek felt that he had lived his life in the outside world for years, and he was already exhausted. His home in the caves was simple and lonely, and although it was unhealthy he could at least survive without being flooded with human emotions every second of the night.

His belongings were right where he had left them, yet it was nothing spectacular and nothing specific. The only thing that Derek possessed that might have been important from his past was a silver circlet he kept hidden in a chest full of linens. After striking a piece of flint and lighting some torches, Derek went to the chest and unlocked the hinges. A musk fluttered from within as the air around him changed with the new emotions of Phillip’s presence. They mixed so unevenly and unsteadily, like a boat going against the current. Derek fumbled through the fabrics until he obtained the item. He stood with a crack of his bones, and held it out for Phillip to see.

"I don't remember much about my past, but I was told that this was upon my head the night the Maker took me," Derek had not examined the item in countless years, but now, as he held the item in his palms, the flames of the fire flickered among the the stone wall as if reacting to something...or someone. The flashes of white static inside his mind came next, slamming against the front of his head like a landslide. The memory dropped like a pebble on a piece of thin glass, shattering the glamour that hid it from Derek’s existence. 

"You don't deserve to wear that," a voice came with each thump of Derek's now beating heart, like a drum inside his head. Through warbled vision of grey hued blurs, Derek put his hand against his chest to feel the organ beating. A spiked club was lifted above his head. "Take it off!"

"Don't touch him!" a woman's voice came next. She sobbed,"Please! He's just a boy! He’s just a child!"

The familiar wave of inertia swirled through Derek's insides as if he were being spun like clay, threatening nauseous and sickness to erupt from his insides at any moment. Normally he would fall and fall, succumb to the inertia and escape the memory, but Derek felt some sort of urgency...some sort of strength to continue. It felt as though there were hands on his shoulders, lifting him up in both physique and spirit. But when he looked there was nothing there. He had to keep going, he had to see... 

Derek opened his eyes as if he were doing it for the first time. He inhaled sharply as his vision took him through a tunnel full of lightening. His mind tricked him to believe he was being shocked and impacted by the illusion, but Derek had been here before...he knew how to get out if he wanted. But he would not give in. He screamed and it sounded like a low rumble of thunder that panicked through his insides and vibrated through his throat. The roar caused the lightening to explode, and the vortex and endless black-hole through what seemed like time and space disintegrated with a BANG. Violently, Derek fell to his back against his wishes, and when he did, the world thumped and pulsed into the darkness of the cave...of the night he was turned. "It is best for him then?"

Father?

Derek found his voice, though he was unsure it had actually been spoken out loud. Two shadows loomed over his figure yet Derek could only focus on one...one whose face was behind a black, laced veil...one whose irises were red like a demon. And when Derek made eye contact with the evil, they glowed like a possessed firefly.

"He is strong,"

"No, he has proven to be weak. I don't know what you see in him...he...he has disappointed me, my name, my family. He will never be what he is destined to become,"

"You are wrong,"

"What do you know? We have a right to practice just as much as anyone else...why should we suffer so that the weak may live?"

The shadow reached down to the wound on Derek’s shoulder blade, running his pale finger across the opening and gathering a pool of blood. He brought it to his mouth and licked it off, his tongue darting out of his mouth like a serpent to taste its victim.

"He will be your redemption, Priest,"

Derek gasped, awakening to the familiarity of his darkness and the cave. Yet he was not alone, as he had been so many times before. And in that moment he realized just how much he needed Phillip...he needed a true friend. He gripped at his arm, his body shaking and his chest panting...