The Death Thief

Breakfast with Half-Breeds

For all the trouble I had the night before, it seemed someone somewhere was smiling on me. I had a spread of delicious food before me and the chance to talk to the two women that could most likely give me some honest answers. I skewered a sausage and dug into my questions.

"Um, Mrs. Antonov..."

"Oh, call us by our first names dear, there's too many Mrs. Antonovs here." Zelda had a twinkling laugh, but Scarlett simply sighed.

"Okay, Zelda, is there any chance you could explain what exactly is going on?"

"Of course," she said, taking a seat and reaching across the table to pat the back of my hand. "Whatever you need to know." She then leaned back and looked to the ceiling as she massaged the bottom of her chin. "Where to begin? Well, I suppose we should just start at the beginning.

"You see, not long after the first colonists came to America, those of supernatural origins saw an opportunity to start fresh as well. It was during the witch trials that a mage decided that the only way for her kind to live without fear and without need to repress their true selves, was to populate a town with only mages. So the great Archmage Elizabeth Winchester founded Whisper Valley after her sister was slain for witchcraft. For awhile it was just her and the few mages she picked up along the way, but soon other supernatural beings got word and some, also weary of a life on the run, asked for citizenship. It was only a couple centuries ago that the Whisper Valley Treaty was ratified in order to create an environment where not just mages, but vampires, werewolves, zombies and ghosts, could live in peace together. Even to this day, the idea that werewolves and vampires can co-exist on such terms is a shock to those living outside our town limits. Plenty look down on our way of life, but there are also others who have taken to Archmage Elizabeth's example and created places like this across the country and even throughout the world."

"Not that there isn't prejudice," muttered Scarlett as she poked at her eggs.

"No, sadly the town isn't perfect," sighed Zelda. "Zombies are the youngest of the clans here and since the town has adopted a more human friendly policy in the past century, zombies have had a harder time coming across food. It's made them weak and the others have looked on them as such."

"Most of the town also doesn't look kindly on us," added the other wife, "on humans."

"Hush," snapped Zelda. "No need to frighten her." She clicked her tongue with disapproval, but then turned a sympathetic gaze to me. "Everyone except the mages, need Bodies. Vampires are the most welcoming of the clans as they are reliant on human camaraderie."

"What do you mean by bodies?" I asked.

"The town maintains a supply of five humans at any given time," answered Zelda with the practiced tone of a school teacher. "The humans are called Bodies. It may sound derogatory, but it is an apt description for a human's purpose here. Without human bodies, the clans are either unable to increase their numbers or nourish themselves. As much as everyone here would like to live safely away from humans, they still need humans. Thus the Body system was created and those serving as a Body must seek out conversion to either vampires, zombies, werewolves, or ghost, or sponsorship by either a vampire or ghost."

"Sponsorship?" I asked, looking over to Scarlett, who put her fork down with a sigh.

"When you are sponsored, you remain human," the sulky blonde answered. "Vampires need blood and they can't get that from another vampire. So a vast majority of Bodies end up being sponsored by a vampire. They become what are called feeders. The vampire pays what is needed to keep a feeder alive and, well, in return a feeder must be ready and willing to be bitten in order to feed their master. Ghosts do the same thing expect in return a sponsored human is known as a vessel since they are there to be possessed by ghosts so that their sponsor may experience the physical world again."

"So Lord Antonov sponsors you, Zelda and Natasha?"

"Yes," said Zelda with a bright smile. "We are all human, but we are not mere feeders. Lord Antonov has a far greater need for us as humans than just our blood."

"What do you mean?" I asked, glancing between the two women.

"Children," said Scarlett.

"Speaking of which," said Zelda as she stood up from her chair. "I should go get them. I can't wait to introduce you to them Delilah." She walked around the table and gave my shoulder a squeeze before heading back into the foyer.

"Children?" I mumbled to myself. "I would have thought vampires couldn't have children. Of course, this is all just a really well thought out story so maybe..."

"Can you have children?" asked Scarlett with a sudden twist of her torso so that she faced me with wide, pleading eyes.

"What...I..." The question caught me off guard and I didn't know how or why I should answer her. However, the sound of dismayed cries echoing from somewhere in the house, spoke of the youngsters' presence and urged her point forward.

"He likes children," said Scarlett, her words firm and clipped. "You see vampire women can't have children. Their bodies taste the blood of the child and drain it from them before they have a chance to gestate. Vampire men, however, can sire children, and Dragan has a fascination with producing as many half vampire children as he can."

Then a sound like rain and thunder echoed against the walls of the foyer hallway and I turned to find many tiny feet slapping upon the floor. Seven of them in total, ranging from around nine to three years old. They didn't give me a moment's notice as they grabbed their plates and dug their hands into the piles of meat still waiting to be consumed.

"They're always hungriest in the mornings," said Zelda with a laugh. "Now, let's see. The eldest, Tomas — the brown haired boy with the freckles — he's Natasha's and so is little Adele. Oh, here let me help you honey." The girl, with ringlets of golden brown hair, waited for Zelda to grab her a fistful of bacon before taking a seat. After helping the child, Zelda gestured to the rest of the table. "That's Jacklyn, Amari, Daniella, Liam, and Xavier. They're all mine." She beamed with pride, but it only took me a moment to do the math.

While Zelda distracted herself with getting the children heaps of meat on to their plates, I turned my attention back to Scarlett. I didn't need to say a word.

"Sponsorship saves you from the end of your contract, but sponsorship isn't permanent. They can always retract it. Don't settle Delilah," she said, her usually lilting, soft voice now hard and fierce. "Only accept conversion."

"Scarlett, are you okay?" I asked, my voice a rough whisper.

"I will be, at least for a little longer, now that Calista won't be taking my place." She turned her tired eyes back to her plate, nibbling a piece of toast, only to put it back down with a sigh. She didn't say any more to me after that and I tried to stomach my breakfast while thoughts and theories began to brew in my head, wondering if the sweet, silent Scarlett could really have killed Calista.