Blood & Power [Book One of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

1.22: Disillusionment

I judged it too quickly.

I made the wrong decision - choosing the tunnel that I had first happened upon in the witch hideout. What I presumed would have taken me close to the Central Zone had popped me out in the furthest corner within the walls of Eastern and the complete opposite direction; which means it'll take at least fifteen minutes to run the length of the zone and find out what's going on.

Eastern Zone felt almost abandoned; despite being basked in golden light, the streets were completely deserted. As I pass through the Ruby District I can't help but notice the shattered windows that have left glass shards covering the streets - each one smeared with traces of blood. That wasn't the end of the blood though; as I continued up the main road I can't help but focus on the bloody shoe prints that are embedded in the dirt and concrete that seem to run from each doorway of Ruby and through the zone.

I can't help but contemplate whose blood it is. There's no way a couple of vampires did this much damage, and definitely, no chance that this was only a couple of humans. Then it begged the question of why so many decided to hurry and leave the relative safety of Ruby's clubs; at least for a vampire, and storm into Central.

As far as I was aware, the revolution was made up of a small selection of vampires from different bloodlines - which made matters more difficult for a revolution; most bloodlines had a territorial relationship with each other - amicable in public but deadly in each other's areas. Therefore, I found it difficult to believe that anyone could be swayed to join the others just by crowd appeal.

I decided to make my way to Central via the route that passed by the main courtyard; if anyone was around to tell me what happened they'd be there, waiting for the others to return and tell them the result. What I hadn't expected was to find two figures there in a heated debate. A heated debate that I desperately wanted not to get involved in.

That was until I had trailed my eyes to the face of the young woman. The familiar figure of my student gripping tightly onto the throat of a man I barely recognised as Vok. I had stumbled upon Kara, in the middle of the courtyard, completely terrorising who I'd consider the only person brave enough to take me on, face to face in Seventeen.

I had crept closer to the pair and snuck between the trees and short wall on the outskirt of the courtyard and planned to stay hidden there, not entirely sure who'd started the fight, and whether Vok would really put Kara in danger; he fought for fun not for blood mostly, and killing someone like her wouldn't be satisfying enough in the least.

That was my first mistake; presuming that he'd antagonised her. That he was putting her in danger. When it was her growling at him. It was her baring her fangs at him like a wild animal. It was her that was closing in on him like a predator intimidating its prey.

He wasn't even defending himself, unwilling to hurt her. He still saw her as this little lamb that he couldn't bear to hurt. Even in the sparring room, he'd avoided her like the plague, both for her sake and for his own - knowing if he touched a hair on her head I would be all over him. Which had happened at least once before.