Cirque Du Freak // Daughters of Fate

Chapter 26

Evonne

"Calm down," Paris instructed me as my eyes gazed at him for help, " and please start from the beginning."

I took a deep breath and exhaled, closing the book so that I didn't get sucked in again. "There was a battle," I began uncertainly, trying to recall as much details as I could, " fighting, a lot of death...." I paused.

"Go on." The elder vampire urged me.

"My twin sister was there." I continued as he asked. "Weapons flashed---I think we fought---and one of us lost. I saw blood, tons of it. I think one of us died from the injury, but I'm not sure. It got too blury at the end."

"Blury?" Paris echoed.

"The Book went too fast for me to follow." I admitted in embarressment. 

"You see! Her blood's too weak!" A vampire general, the same one from before who had challenged my ability to read the literature that Mr.Tiny left the vampires, spoke up. "How are we suppose to prepare for war with that kind of information?!"

Paris didn't answer that question.

"We'll do what we can." Darren raised his voice to fill the domed hall. "At least we know what their goal is now." Shan's and my eyes met for a while, and I silently thanked him for saving me. As quickly as he had glanced at me, he looked away. "They will aim to have the two sisters fight each other to the death, resulting in one of the race's victory." he continued with a deadly finish.

I instantly knew why he had looked away then. He felt sorry for me, that I would have to face my sister, but why I didn't know. I had no way to tell what was going through his head. He kept a blank expression as he stared at the rows of Vampire Generals.

"What do you suggest? That we keep them from one another?" A lean-faced general sneered at the Prince.

"He's right. We'd only be avoiding the inevitable!" the person beside him supported.

At this point, the whole room burst into outrage. Some Vampire generals were demanding an answer from their surpiriors. They wanted to know what was their plans exactly. Others were challenging them, asking what they thought they were doing and that they'd lead all of us to chaos.

"ORDER!" Paris demanded, frightening half the audiance. The room imediately settled down and the generals arranged themselves back into their seats. "What we will do," the oldest Prince began softly once everyone was settled, " depends on how Evonne feels."

I felt all the eyes in the room land upon me, waiting for an answer.

"What would you like to do?" Paris looked directly at me as if we were the only two people in the room. "Would you like to hide, or fight with us?" he asked.

His words kept the Generals waiting, evaluating my face. I tried to keep a blank expression as I thought things over. There was a good and a bad answer, but I was felt like both of them were wrong. 

If I told them I would hide, they would call me a coward, but there was a chance that I would survive the fighting. My twin, if I knew her enough from our encounter, would most likely rush into battle. She'd end up getting herself killed in the process and the Vampires would win.

But if I told them I would fight, I would be praised as a hero. They'd send me into the war, hoping that I'd win it for them. And where would this get me? Most likely dead. I'd only survived that time with her because the others had been with me. I was sure I was on my own when I went out to fight the final battle. 

How had my mother, Lady Evanna, stood this sort of politics? How did she keep her respect even if she refused them? I was told that she was neutral when it came to the world of super-natural. Neutral...that's what I had to strive to be. Somewhere inbetween the two choices given to me.

"I choose to help." I announced, confidence in my voice.

"Help?" The word echoed as if I was in a large cavern, bouncing off the surfaces at least seven times. Except I wasn't in a cave, I was in the middle of a meeting with Vampires.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Paris asked me kindly. If he was confused, he kept it out of his voice.

"I'll help---where I'm needed---but don't expect me to do anything outragous." I set the terms before they could. "If I have to face my sister, I will, but only if that's unavoidable."

Mumurs went around the room until the old vampire held up his hand. "We have heard your words and they will not be forgotten." He spoke while looking at me first, then gazing around the room at the others to make sure they agreed to this too. "And as much as I would like to continue into stratedgy, I think we should all take a break to allow our heads to clear." Paris decided without the confirmation of the other Princes. His age showed in his voice, weak and weary. What he needed was a rest and no one would hold him from it.

With that, the room was dismissed to dinner or to their rooms, whatever they chose to do with their time.