Shylah above :)
Chapter 7: Allegiance
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My heavy boots slapped against the wet cobbled streets, water splashing up and leaving drops of mud on my jeans. I didn't care, my only thought was of getting home and hoping Atanas was there.
Rain was pelting down, soaking my clothes and hair that was stuck to my cheek. Thunder rumbled in the distance, followed closely by sparking blue lightening that tore through the sky. The street lights were out, and no light shone through windows, leaving the streets shadowy black.
The door to the flat couldn't open quickly enough and waiting in the elevator proved too much for my patience. Spinning round, I barged through the doors and took the stairs up two at a time. The lights flickered in the hall before cutting out completely and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The brass number 23 on my door seemed to glare at me, telling me I wouldn't find what I wanted inside. My hand grasped the handle and my ears strained for any sound of movement, only to be met with nothing.
I pushed in, closing the door quietly behind me.
"Atanas?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb the silence of the dark room.
Shadows seemed to sway and change before my eyes, shapes that seemed like bodies rising up from the floor.
A flash of orange and a pale face illuminated in its light had me jumping back with a scream.
Atanas didn't grin at my fear like I thought he would. He placed the candle on the kitchen counter before lighting another.
"I wasn't sure you'd come back." Atanas muttered, spreading candles around the room.
I shifted awkwardly, watching him move like a cat around the room, all silent steps and graceful movements.
"I wasn't sure you would be here if I did come back." I admitted honestly, though I'd never admit the relief I felt at him being here.
The heat of the nearby candles seemed to awaken my senses and suddenly I was freezing. My hair clung like icy fingers to my face and I shivered, wrapping my arms around me.
Another roll of thunder kept the room from being silent again and this time the flash of lightening lit up the room like the flash from a camera that would have captured Atanas and I staring at each other. There was a tension between us, one that fizzled with electricity. Now that the room was lit in a dim orange glow, it didn't feel as empty as it had before.
"You're freezing, you should go dry up." Atanas said, dropping a lighter on the table with a clatter.
I shook my head vehemently, "We need to talk."
His smile was soft but it never reached his eyes. He took a seat on the couch, blue eyes watching me with something akin to concern.
"We have all the time in the world, Shylah. Go and get some dry clothes on before you freeze."
I wanted to point out that as a vampire, the cold was no more than a feeling. I couldn't get ill, I wouldn't get hypothermia, the worst thing would be that I looked like a bedraggled mess with rats tails for hair. Instead I nodded and made my way to my room where Atanas' scent was strong, especially around my bed. Had he sat here while he waited for me to come home? My fingers ran along the covers, there was no telling that he had.
I dried myself off quickly, pulling on more comfortable clothes. Jogger bottoms and a baggy shirt may not have made me queen of the fashion department, but I was past the point of caring. I marched my way back into the living room and sat on the armchair across from Atanas. Without giving him a moment to say anything or compose himself, I battered him with my tirade of questions.
"Who are you really? What's going on? Mirdull was terrified of you, the only person I've seen who scares him is Airell. I know what goes on in my city, there's a link between the council, the missing elves and your rebellion, isn't there? And the council need me for some reason because of this, why?"
He was quiet for a moment as he sat forward to rest his elbows on his legs. I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
"You didn't want to join the rebel alliance, remember? Why should I tell you anything." He finally said.
Frustration bubbled up, my fingers curling into the armrest, "I want to know. I need to know. You owe me that."
"I owe you nothing, Shylah." He replied calmly, watching me.
Gritting my teeth, I pondered over my options. I knew Una was a good woman, that she would never hurt anyone, and if she aligned herself with Atanas, then I had to assume whatever they fought for was good. The council had never been a friend of mine.
"I no longer think it's safe for you to be around me, not now that I know the council are using you for something. If you don't want to help, you can go, and I suggest you run far because things are in play now that mean it's going to be even more dangerous." He continued, "I won't stop you if you want to leave."
I frowned, wondering what had suddenly made him change his mind. Part of me jumped for joy, telling me to run into my room, pack a bag and do as he said, run. The other told me it was time to take a step forward, to do something that was more than just myself. I'd told myself it was time to place some trust, but Atanas had still hurt me just as members of the council had.
"If I stay, if I agree to help, you no longer treat me as your pet. I am my own person, I will not let you walk over me anymore, I refuse to bow down and grovel at your feet. You also have to tell me everything, leave nothing out, I refuse to help if you keep secrets. You will tell me what's going on." I demanded.
His lips twitched into a smile and he nodded slowly, "You're willing to trust me?"
"That depends on what you tell me." I stated.
He chuckled, relaxing back against the couch, kicking his feet onto the table. He seemed far too relaxed considering the conversation was going to take a serious turn.
"The Vampire Council think themselves above the laws set by the High Council. Laws set down by a vampire older than any other that walks the earth, alongside the leaders of the Wulvers and the Ailill. A hundred years ago, Ailill were going missing, just as they are now, humans were disappearing off the streets. You know better than most what their blood does to our kind, it makes us easy to manipulate, to mould. The craving is so strong you would do anything if it meant you could have more. A hundred years ago, the council were creating an army." He explained, "And I believe you were going to be part of it. However, Una and the people we were working with managed to put enough of a wrench in the works that eyes were suddenly on the council, watching their every move, they had to put a hold on their plans."
My chest constricted. Blurry memories rushed through my head. A hundred years ago, I had been on my own for around thirty years, there was no way I could have been part of their plan. Could I even believe what he was telling me? It was so far fetched, too unbelievable, yet I couldn't stop the pieces of the puzzle that fell into place with his words.
"They're using the Ailill blood to control the vampires they're creating?" I asked, needing to be sure I understood.
That was something that made sense to me as it was exactly how I had been controlled and made to bend to the will of the ancients.
Atanas nodded, "Airell is tired of having to play by the rules, he plans to take the supernatural world for himself, and then nothing would stop him from taking the mortal world after. You can deny it if you wish, but you can't deny that the amount of humans going missing alongside the Ailill is not suspicious."
"I'm not denying it, but if what you're saying is true, why hasn't anyone spoken out against them? Why haven't you told the Ailill and the Wulvers what you know and taken them down. It doesn't make sense, Atanas." I argued, rubbing my face.
"We can't afford a full out war. Mortals are ignorant of us now, when once we fought side by side. A war would be catastrophic, it would reveal all of us and damage the somewhat peace we have. Humans aren't as helpless as they once were, they have weapons that can kill even the toughest of immortals now. Do you understand?" He asked, leaning forward, closer to me, "This is important, Shylah. This is the way it has to be to keep everyone safe. I know you may not believe I care for others given how I have treated you. I am sorry for hurting you, there's nothing I can say to take back what I've done and there's no excuses for it, but I had my part to play and I didn't know if I could trust you."
"You can trust me. I don't know why Mirdull and Una insist I'm being used by the council. I have nothing to do with them unless I have to. Too many of them have taken joy in my suffering, Mirdull and my maker. If you're planning to take them down, I want to be a part of it." I said honestly, straightening up in my chair.
Atanas smiled again, that half smile that was barely a quirk at the corner of his lips. It was charming, I had to admit that.
"I believe you, Shylah. I don't know what the council want with you but we will find out, I promise. I won't let them hurt or use you any longer, you are now officially under my protection." He vowed, bowing his head.
But who would protect me from him?
I accepted his words anyway, despite knowing I would never ever let my guard down around him. He would have to prove himself to me, prove that his violent ways were an act because he was unsure of me. Right now, I couldn't allow myself to believe him.
"That leaves only one of my questions unanswered then," I continued, "who are you?"
The answer to this meant more than anything else. The council had deemed him dangerous enough to lock away, that meant he must have been important, strong.
He laughed and the sound rang like music through the room, warming me up. It was a beautiful sound, one I wouldn't be against hearing again.
"I'll tell you if you tell me who you are, who created you Shylah?" He drawled, electric blue eyes meeting mine and holding me captive.
Debating whether my truths were worth his, I took a steadying breath, butterflies making my stomach churn, "Airell is my maker."
Realisation seemed to dawn on him while I stared at my lap, my fingers winding through each other. It wasn't something I'd told anybody, not even Quillan or Breandan knew of my origins. Yet, I'd revealed that much to Atanas, I might as well reveal the rest. I took another deep breath, unable to meet his eyes. He never said anything, maybe he knew I was going to tell him the secrets I kept in the closet, the darkness that kept me from being more than a shadow in life.
"I was born some time around the late 1700's. My family were very poor and as soon as I was deemed old enough, I was sent to work. I don't remember the first night very well, I do know someone paid my father a lot of money to be the first to take me to bed. He had been cruel, rough, I was terrified. I left home after that, I refused to be a man's bed-warmer, but I had overestimated how easy it would be to find proper work and save money for a home. My human life is blurry after that. I remember how I struggled, I remember I was starving more often than not. I did what I could for food, I slept where I could, and somehow Airell found me resting in one of the city's abandoned stables. He spoke such sweet words to me, promised me a better life and I was so eager to get out of the pit I'd found myself in that I let him take what he wanted.
"The pain when he fed from me, that's something I'll never forget. He didn't bother with any compulsion, he didn't care when I screamed as he tore into my throat. I don't remember drinking his blood, nor the days following while I changed. But when I woke, nothing was any different to the way my life had been before. I'd been given a new life as an immortal, I was stronger, faster, better, and still I was left to cower under the whims of men. I fought at first, as hard as I could until I got a taste of Ailill blood, I became easier to mould then. I lost myself, years went by in a blur of a drug haze."
I told my story calmly, detaching myself as much as I could from the feelings the memories brought up. A shiver went up my spine as images of my time spent as a play thing filtered through my mind's eye. Never again, that had been my promise to myself.
The pity in Atanas' eyes reminded me why I kept the story to myself. He reached across the table to place his big hand on my knee. I froze, unused to such tender touches of offered comfort and I wasn't sure how to react. His hand was warm, his heat seeping into me.
You made me break my promise, I wanted to yell at him, you took away the freedom it took me decades to get.
"How did you get to where you are now?" He asked, "You're here, in charge of a city, that's a big step."
A slightly hysterical laugh left me, my fingers itching for something to distract myself with. I stood swiftly and searched for my cigarettes, lighting it before I sat back down. The familiar burn of smoke, that was a comfort I knew how to deal with.
"I shouldn't be telling you any of this." I muttered, knowing it gave him lots to use against me.
"But you are telling me. You're creating some bridge of trust between us, we need that if we are to work together." He pointed out.
I hummed, closing my eyes for a moment. I had the feeling that it wouldn't matter who knew my story now, whatever it was coming, it was bigger than my story alone.
"Something changed. They started giving me small tasks around their building, they started letting me learn to defend myself, but I was still strung out on Ailill blood at the time, until whoever they were getting it from disappeared. The withdrawal symptoms were enough to make me once more wish I had died the night Airell found me. After that...I managed to bump my way up the ranks of sorts, there was a lot of fledglings, new vampires, and I think the council enjoyed watching us fight amongst ourselves. I hated it. I hated that my life had become fighting over dead bodies to get a taste of blood. I found the chance to run and I took it. I managed to go rogue for a good few decades. I came here, there was already vampires and other creatures around but no leader. So I took that spot almost by accident. Things were quiet after that, until I stumbled into Mirdull. He'd been looking for me. He propositioned me completely out of the blue, said I could keep the city if I agreed to work for the council. I didn't want to lose what I had created for myself, so I agreed. It never really made sense to me but..." I trailed off, frowning.
"But you didn't question it because you were allowed to finally make a home for yourself." Atanas finished, his words completely on point, "You had that freedom you wanted, a safe place."
I nodded, forcing a smile before taking another draw from my cigarette. He was staring at me in a new way, no longer with pity but something more close to awe. I couldn't stand it.
"Thank you for sharing that with me. Your story is not only a testament to your strength but it's proof of the corruption going on inside the vampire council. This is what Una and I want to fight against. There are rules for a reason, to keep our species safe, to keep us hidden, they've broken and keep breaking them. I'm also sorry for the way I came into your life, but be warned Shylah, I am not one to be crossed. You saw what happened to Mirdull."
I rolled my eyes, unable to help myself.
"I'm agreeing to help you, you don't have to further convince me, nor threaten me. I've told you my story, I trust you to keep it to yourself, and now it's your turn to tell me yours." I said, stopping him from being able to ask anything about what I'd told him.
I couldn't delve any deeper, it had taken too much out of me to even tell him what I had. In some way, I was glad he'd ended the conversation with a threat, that side of his personality I was used to.
Atanas grinned, staying leaned over, his eyes glinting with mischief, "Have you ever heard of the stories about the vampire king?"