Night Children: Secrets are only secrets for so long

Night Children: Secrets are only secrets for so long Twenty-Six: Imposter

"Why isn’t he back yet?"

I heard Viktor sigh, his annoyance apparent. I couldn’t blame him, it was around the tenth time I’d asked. "Give him time," Viktor responded the same as he had all the other times, he was pacing in the room as I sat on his bed hugging a soft silky pillow to my chest.

"He should be back by now," I responded yet again, and again he ignored my statement. It wasn’t that he didn’t care. None of us could go there though. Griever couldn’t check for us and leave us alone. If something happened…

"I’m going to poke my head out," Griever announced, "we might not be able to, but if one of the Blood Brigade is around, they could go check for us."

"They’d do that?" I asked sceptically considering they were the ones that had beaten Griever for attempting to see Alana.

"If I say it’s the princes orders," I seen his eyes flicker to Viktor who nodded swiftly I nearly missed the subtle movement. Griever walked toward the door with a rough kind of grace that intrigued me.

I return my gaze to Viktor who was staring at me, I lifted my hand and beckoned him closer with a single gesture of my finger. He smiled lightly I could tell he was worried about his guardian but the smile still eased me a little he sat on the bed and pulled be close with ease. He pressed his hand to my soft stomach and rubbed it. He was constantly doing it but I didn’t mind, it was rather comforting.

"I sent Markus," Griever said coming back in and sitting on a chair near the window the stars flickered in the sky. "He’ll come back soon with news of our friend. I asked him not to get him in shit for being down there."

"Will he listen?" I asked quietly, knowing he’d hear me easily.

"Yeah, I saved his ass once when he was new, he’s felt indebted to me ever since." Griever responded with a flick of his wrist as he spoke with his hands, a trait I hadn’t noticed before. I stared at him for a moment. What else had I been failing to notice. And better yet, why was I just noticing it now.

He turned and looked at me, and Viktor, "you guys think Xavier got caught?"

I froze in Viktor’s arms and ceased breathing. Griever’s eyes. A deep blue. Not black, not red. A dark almost black, but not quite blue. Animal blood drinkers got unnaturally green eyes, or black when hungry. Human blood drinkers got red or black when hungry. His were neither. I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat.

I stood and I could feel Viktor’s eyes on me, "Angel?"

I grabbed the torch from the wall and turned and pointed it at Griever, "who the holy hell are you?"

Markus scoured the place, unable to find the man which Griever had spoken of. He admired the man even though he had turned his back to the Blood badge and turned to a Twilight Guardian. Most of the Brigade mocked him for it, but Markus though it noble indeed. He stopped at the end of the hall, and heard O’Connell speak, "secrets should be better kept just that."

Markus took a quick step back as the O’Connell’s blade pierced thought the Daylight Guardian’s armour, through skin, though the muscle, the heart. Markus could hear the blood, its slowing flow and he froze. His body demanded the blood, yet he knew that Griever needed to know. He hid in the first room to keep O’Connell from seeing him, to keep himself from running forward and drinking the human dry. He caught a new scent in the room, a familiar one, he turned to see Griever beaten, battered and locked up in enchanted chains. "Oh shit."]

Griever looked up, blood dripping into his red eyes. "Get to the prince, Markus, protect the prince!"

"Put that damned thing down," the Griever look alike said standing slowly with arms raised slightly, a sway of the hips shifting weight that was feminine, "if I was here to kill you I’d have done it already, don’t you think?"