Veritas

Chapter 21

"How can there be a vampire in the middle of the day?" Aislinn shot back, not initially believing Ryan's superior sense of smell. Not long after, though, that distinct smell of decay hit her nostrils.

"I don't know, but it's definitely here" Ryan murmured back in response, taking a protective stance in front of Aislinn so that he was between her and the direction of the vampire's scent. Aislinn tried not to be annoyed that her punch hadn't phased him, and that he was acting like she needed protecting.

"Ah, that's just a myth the vampires spread to protect themselves" came the flat voice of Drystan from within the dense trees of the woods they were training in.

Ryan was surprised the vampire even spoke to them, whereas Aislinn recognized the voice and perked up. "Drystan! You came back!" She exclaimed excitedly, pleased to know it wasn't all a dream.

Ryan stood his ground between the vampire and Aislinn, letting out a warning growl when the vampire came into view. Drystan was calm, and didn't falter in his approach.

Aislinn gave Ryan a light swat, and stepped out from behind him. "It's okay, Ryan! He's the vampire I told you about" she explained, as if that was sufficient reason to drop his guard.

"He's still a vampire" Ryan countered, moving in between Aislinn and the approaching vampire once more. This caused Aislinn to let out a frustrated noise, and also caused Drystan to stop his approach.

"I am not here to harm you" he said to Ryan. "I understand if you don't believe that, though."

"Good. Because I don't" Ryan spit back. "Why are you here?"

"I promised Aislinn that I would get some information for her...I am here to deliver it" Drystan replied, leaning against a tree in an effort to appear nonchalant. In reality, as a vampire he had little need to relax his muscles by leaning his weight on something; but, he reasoned that by acting like a living being, the living beings before him would be more at ease.

"You can tell us from there, and then leave" Ryan all but growled.

"Ryan! He's okay, I don't know how I know it, but I just do...We can trust him" Aislinn said, raising her voice and grabbing Ryan's arm to try to get her sincerity through to him.

To Aislinn's dismay, Ryan didn't budge, nor take his eyes from the vampire. "Like I said, he can tell us what he came to say from where he is" Ryan restated.

"Very well" Drystan replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I have found the information you were after, Aislinn...And more, I am afraid" he began.

Aislinn's heart began to race, fearful but excited that she was about to learn more about the cause of her parents' deaths. She sidestepped Ryan to stand in front of him, wanting to be closer to her information source, while still close enough for Ryan to be comfortable. This was enough nonverbal encouragement for Drystan to continue.

"The device that your mother saw and wrote about is indeed the same device that I have heard whispers about...I was unable to gain much detail on the device's origins; however, it was created for the explicit purpose of making rogue werewolves more dangerous to their non-rogue counterparts. It allows a rogue's bite to inject wolf's-bane into its victim, similar to how a vampire injects its venom with its bite" he explained slowly, wanting both Ryan and Aislinn to understand the gravity and peculiarity of what he was saying.

"Why on Earth would vampires want to arm rogue werewolves? They can't be controlled, and would be just as likely to kill the vampire trying to put this device on them" Ryan countered, not buying Drystan's story.

"It's what mom saw, though" Aislinn argued, turning to face Ryan. "It's in her journal, she saw things on the rogues...And it explains how so much wolf's-bane got into my dad's system!"

Ryan stared down at Aislinn's beautiful, determined face. He couldn't argue with her, since she'd shown him the journal countless times. It was true that there was something strange going on with the rogues and wolf's-bane...But for vampires to be involved? He doubted it. Still, for her sake, he nodded and then looked at Drystan.

Understanding Ryan's consent to continue, Drystan opted to answer his questions first. "I can't be certain as to why they used rogues; although, I have a theory...A group of vampires subduing one rogue is a simple task, as is tranquilizing a rogue from afar and then capturing it. Much simpler than, say, capturing a werewolf from within a pack who is surrounded by friends and family. So, I believe that rogues were the experimental phase...As I explained to Aislinn, her former Alpha had made a deal with some vampires. It seems that Alpha Waters wanted more territory...The King frowns upon neighbouring packs waging war on each other, especially when there is no reason. Waters knew this; but, figured that if a group of rogues, or even vampires, were to slaughter the ranking members of that pack, it would make sense for him to move in and take over what remained. From what I gather, his Beta was aware and on board with this plan...He feared his top warriors, though, would have too much integrity to agree with his plans...And so, he suggested that the experiment involve their demise" he explained, pausing and watching Aislinn carefully as he knew this would be hard for her to accept.

Drystan was right, and Aislinn's legs turned to jelly, causing her to collapse. Fortunately, her proximity to Ryan allowed him to catch and support her easily.

"Woah, Ash, it's alright. I'm here, I've got you" he said gently, pulling her closer to try to comfort her. During Drystan's speech, she'd turned to face him, so her back was pressed against Ryan's chest while she stared at the vampire telling her such vile news.

"Mom, you need to get over here. The vamp's back, and he's spouting some wild shit" Ryan said in a mind-link to his mother.

"On my way. What kind of wild shit?" Rei demanded,

Ryan gave her a brief summary of what Drystan had said during the lull that Drystan was leaving for Aislinn to collect herself.

"It's abhorrent, but I'm afraid that I'm inclined to believe him" Rei replied grimly, once her son had given her the gist of things.

"What makes you think that?" Ryan asked, surprised to hear his mother was in agreement with such an outrageous tale.

"It's not entirely my story to tell; but, suffice to say that my friend has been telling me some odd stories that make a lot more sense with this knowledge" she answered cryptically.

Before he could inquire further, Rei came up behind them. Drystan nodded in greeting to her, aiming to be polite while not breaking the silence he was leaving for Aislinn. Ryan looked back at his mom briefly before his attention was immediately returned to Aislinn.

Her entire body had gone limp, her eyes had glazed over, and she'd become unresponsive.