For those few who were already up, the rising of the sun was a beautiful sight to witness. The colors danced over the sky as it rose, spreading light over the city, chasing away the shadows, and all things that hid in them. They were not of those that watched the sunrise. As the first rays of light appeared on the sky, they had already gone inside, shutting heavy wooden doors behind them and moved into a huge windowless room, bathed in shadows and light from candles, which provided the only source of light. Her eyes took their time to adjust, yet when they did she was stunned. The room was empty, save the three with her, and the three standing in front of her. The one called Niran took a step forward now, kneeling in front of the three, muttering something too low for her ears. The man in the middle stepped forward then, putting his hand on Niran's shoulder, allowing the man to rise. "The boy?" he asked, and Niran's gaze fell to the floor. "We lost him" he replied, his voice low, barely audible. There was a silence then, that seemed like it lasted for an eternity. Niran kept his head down, not daring to look into the eyes of the one before him. She didn't understand any of it, yet watched with interest, slightly worried about what was to come, wanting to understand what they were talking about. What boy was it that Niran had lost? And why did it even matter? "How?" The question broke the silence, and Niran's head shot up before he could control his reactions. He clearly had not been expecting that. Maybe it was that he was not used to having to explain, and maybe it was that he had expected something else. She didn't know, but kept her attention on the two, wanting to know the answer to that as much as the man who had asked it. "There was another. Avatar of Avalon. He claimed the boy, and as he is of a latin line, there was nothing we could do, save kill him for it. And that prize was too high, and the outcome too unclear." The man nodded, accepting the answer. He turned then, and his gaze fell on her. She took a step back, not expecting his eyes to be so piercing, so bright. They shone in the dimly lit room, and she found it hard to look away, yet she did. "Your name?" he asked, his voice gentle and caring now, not harsh as it had been when he had been talking to Niran. "Janet Maria Collins" she replied, her voice trembling, though she couldn't explain why. A feeling of familiarity and love was washing in over her, stronger now than ever before, and it took all of her willpower to stay on her feet, to not collapse and succumb to it. "Well, Janet. Do you know why you are here? Where we are? What we are?" His voice lingered on each question, making the sentence seem much longer than it truly was. "This is home, and I am here because you wanted me to come. As for what you are, you are a vampire" she replied in a steady voice, proud of the amount of self-control she was showing. She didn't know how she knew what he was, but something inside her told her that it was the right answer, the one he had expected. "Yes, a vampire I am. As are you child. There is much I must tell you, much you must learn. But for now, I will settle for showing you a whole new world. Then, later, we will talk, and I will tell you everything you need to know." She raised her head then, and let her eyes fall on his face, entranced with the way the shadows from the candles danced on his face. He took a step closer, now standing less than a foot away from her, his right hand moving to wrap around her waist, his eyes locked on her neck. She didn't try to move away. Instead she moved closer, tilting her head to the side, allowing him better access to her neck. He leaned closer, and she could feel his breath on her neck, cold where it should have been warm, just as his embrace. "My name is Cathal, and I am your at'hethan. Remember that, young one" he said, as his teeth sunk into her neck, and her world faded away until only darkness remained.

They had been on the move all night long. Avatar said he didn't want to waste any time, that the Three wanted Thiery for a reason, and he needed to find out what that reason was. That they needed to get going, that they couldn't stay in New York. Thiery didn't understand why they were moving so quickly, or what Avatar meant by the Three, of any of the other stuff that the vampire mumbled as they moved through the darker alleys of the city. All he knew was that he would follow Avatar anywhere. In a way he had to, for he knew nothing of what he was now, and needed the older vampire to guide him through it all. That was not the reason why he stayed though. At first he had been surprised when Avatar hadn't taken him out to hunt right away. He always thought vampires needed blood right away, that they hunted humans in the night. When he had asked Avatar about it he had been told that vampires never fed during their first night. Normally they would become hungry during their second night, but it all depended on the vampire. As for what to eat, the smartest thing was to stay away from humans in the beginning, until the new vampire learned how to eat, and how to do it without leaving too much evidence behind. Thiery had been shocked to hear that he would probably eat rats for his first meal, but Avatar assured him that it was only because they were on the move. At other times, pigs blood could be bought at a butchers for next to nothing, and some would even give it away. Killing humans was not something you did unless you knew that the person would not be missed, and also not something to be done in small communities. A vampire had to be able to get away with murder, and few newborns were smart enough to do that. The main thing for a vampire was to not attract attention. That could be fatal. Around them the night was fading as Avatar lead them under ground. The sewers were dark, dank, and perfect for a vampire who needed to move during the day. Thiery knew that they would not be getting any sleep this night, yet strangely it didn't bother him. They had been moving all night, never once stopping to rest, yet he felt as rested now as he had been when he had woken up early that evening. As they entered the sewers, Avatar stopped for a moment, looking around. There were several passages they could follow, and for a second Thiery was afraid that Avatar did not know which one to take. Then the vampire smiled, and started to walk down one of them. Thiery followed without a word, trusting the vampire to take them the right way. ***** They walked in silence for a while, until Thiery finally broke the it. "Who are the Three?" he asked as he stopped and looked at Avatar. He stopped as well, and turned around to look at Thiery. "Come, we must keep moving" he said. "No!" Thiery answered, raising his voice. "I won't go anywhere until you tell me who they are and why we are running from them!" Avatar said nothing for a moment, and then he nodded. "I will tell you anything you want to know, but we need to keep moving. So I will tell you as we walk. All right?" Thiery smiled, and then moved up to give Avatar a quick kiss. "Sounds good to me love" he said as he moved past Avatar. Avatar shook his head before he turned and followed, walking fast until he caught up with Thiery. "So, about the Three? Who the fuck are they?" Thiery asked as soon as Avatar caught up. Avatar smiled, moving closer to Thiery and snaking his arm around his waist. "The Three are warrior vampires. They are called the Warriors of the Three, and they belong to the Order of the Trinity, to the Vampire High Council. Which means that it is not wise to oppose them, as the High Council's word is law. They want something, they get it. What they say, goes." He stopped talking for a second to see if Thiery had any new questions before he went on. He figured he should just give Thiery the whole story on the Council and the Three. There was no reason not to tell him after all. Thiery said nothing, and soon Avatar was talking again. "As you know, there are five vampire Bloodlines. Two are Latin, and three are Greek. The Latin lines are said to be stronger, the vampire of those lines more powerful. No one knows why, it is just the way it is. If there ever was a vampire that knew, he is dead now. At one point, thousands of years ago, the lines were mixed, in the way that anyone could at'hia, bite, anyone. No one cared much for the Bloodlines. Then, one day, for a reason long forgotten, a war was started among the lines. The Latin fought the Greek, and the Greek won. They created a High Council, set to rule the vampire world. They created the laws we live by now. The High Council consists of three vampires, one from each Greek line. These three vampires are also the Heads of their lines. They control their own line, and also the entire vampire world." He fell silent once more, knowing that Thiery would have questions now, questions that should be answered now and not later. He was right, and did not have to wait long for Thiery to open his mouth and speak. "Why do they want me? I'm not of a Greek line or anything. So why would they be interested in me?" Avatar turned his head to look at him, the smile on his face fading slightly. "I don't know young one. That is one of the things I hope we'll find out soon though. When we arrive. I also need to talk to the head of your line. The Three knows I took you, and I believe they also know how I feel about you. So, we must get to the Head of your line as quickly as possible, and convince him to act as your at'hethan, as your creator. If he won't, then we will probably spend the rest of eternity in hiding." "Why?" Thiery asked, stopping and turning towards Avatar. "Like I said, the Law forbids me to make anyone who is not of my own line. The High Council believes that the lines should be pure, and also that the Head of the line should be the one to decide who will be made immortal, and who will not. If anyone breakes this law, then they will have to meet the sun." Thiery didn't say a word. Avatar had broken that law, he had made him. An action that could cost him his life, that could cost him eternity. "We must keep moving" Avatar said after a while. "The sooner we get to the Head of your line, the sooner we can get everything straightened out, and go on with our lives, or unlives if you will." Thiery smiled, and nodded. "How much longer is it?" he asked as he started to walk again, leaning into Avatar, who still had his arm around his waist. "About a week I recon. Haven't been there for years, but they only move about once every century, so they should still be where I left them." Theiry smiled, but said nothing. No one said anything. One week. Plenty of time for him to get used to being a vampire, and plenty of time for Avatar to continue his story, to continue telling Thiery everything he would need to know in order to survive eternity.

It had taken them one week to get to where they were now. Avatar said they were close to their destination, yet he seemed worried. At first Thiery didn't understand why, but then slowly realization hit him. Avatar said they were close, yet he could not feel anything. No familiar feeling, at least not beside the one he always felt around Avatar. He should be able to feel these vampires, yet he couldn't. And that worried them both. The week had seemed long at times, when they were walking in silence in a dark sewer, living on rats that tasted about as vile as anything could taste. Avatar said it was because of the sewers, because of what the rats ate, but Thiery didn't know if he believed him. He didn't like rats, and he couldn't wait until he could sink his teeth into something else. The first time he fed had been on the third night. By then his eyes were completely changed. They were a brighter, a cleared blue Avatar had said. He could see better than he ever could before, both during the night, and during the day. He had been surprised when he first felt the hunger, not quite sure what this new feeling was all about. It had started out with his hearing increasing. Suddenly he could hear every little movement that was made around him. He could hear when drops of water fell, the indescribable sound of a spider making his web, and the beating of a rat's heart. Not just one rat, but ten, twenty, a hundred. The sound of the beating hearts became louder and louder until they were all that he could hear. His head started to ache, his eyes started to hurt, and Avatar were looking at him with a small smile on his face. He understood then, and walked closer to the older vampire, smiling, feeling his teeth grow to their full length for the first time. "Hungry?" Avatar asked, the smile never leaving his face once. Thiery only nodded, and leaned in to kiss Avatar. Somehow the feeling of hunger was highly arousing. Avatar kissed him back, letting his hands run down the younglings back. "Time to hunt" he said after a while, and pulled away, ignoring Thiery's moan as he did so. "Come, and learn how it's done" he said, and started to walk away. Thiery didn't hesitate for even a second, but walked after his maker right away, eager to learn something new. ***** Catching the rat had proved to be somewhat of a problem, for the small thing clearly knew what they were, and that it was considered dinner. Avatar clearly knew what he was doing though, and caught one after only a few seconds. For Thiery, it was not as easy. It took him a while to learn how it was done. He had to sneak up on the rat, but in the right away. And what the right way was depended on the rat, or so Avatar said. His speed was eventually the deciding factor in it all. He was quite a bit quicker than the rat, and in the end that was the reason why he got the thing. According to Avatar, his speed would increase as he grew older, as he got more experienced. A vampire was always more vounerable in the beginning, not quite used to being what they were. As he held the rat, looking down at it and wondering where he was to bite it, Avatar moved to stand right behind him. Then he moved his hands so they lay over Thiery's, and his head so he was almost resting his chin in Thiery's shoulder. "Open your mouth" he said, and Thiery did as he asked. Then he gently moved Thiery's hands, leading the rat closer to the young vampire's mouth, until he held it right in front of it. "Just bite down, wherever you wish. It doesn't really matter where you bite on a rat. Just remember to stop drinking when you hear the heart has stopped. It won't kill you to drink the blood of a dead rat, but it just doesn't taste as good when it's dead." Thiery smiled a bit, turning his head to give Avatar a soft kiss on the cheek before he moved his head and hands to bite down on the rat. As he felt the first drops of blood enter his mouth, his world started to spin, and his knees gave out under him. Avatar it seemed had predicted this reaction, for he gently took a hold of Thiery keeping him from falling, and instead lowered them both gently to the ground. Thiery kept on drinking, trying to feed a hunger inside that seemed eternal. All too soon did he hear the heart stop, and an almost foul taste mixed itself with the blood's bitter and metallic essence. Avatar pulled the rat away then, not wanting Thiery to taste too much of the dead blood the first time he fed. Instead he handed him a new rat, and watched as Thiery drank, making sure to pull it away before the heart stopped this time. Seven rats Thiery had for his first meal, all taken as he was sitting down, leaning up against Avatar, the older vampire the only thing holding him up. As the last rat was taken away from him, Thiery turned, still unable to move much, yet he felt stronger than he had ever felt before. "That was…." "..amazing" Avatar said, completing his sentence for him. "Yes" Thiery replied, as he placed a soft kiss on Avatar's mouth. "You feel drained, yet stronger than ever, am I right?" Avatar asked, as he brushed some hair away from Thiery's face. "Yes" Thiery replied, "why?" Avatar looked at him and smiled. "I don't know. It's always like that the first few times you feed. It passes by the seventh day though." Thiery nodded, and leaned in to give Avatar another kiss. ***** The days after that had been filled with walking and feeding. They had done little else. Only three times did they lay down to get some sleep, and they never slept more that a few hours. The lack of sleep didn't affect them like it would people. At first Thiery found it weird, but after a while be got used to walking for hours at a time without rest. As Avatar had said, the numbness after feeding slowly went away, and by the seventh and last day of their journey it was gone, and he felt something completely different when he fed. Now the blood instantly made him stronger, sharpened his senses, making him feel the things he hadn't before. Now the blood made him feel good, though the taste hadn't improved. The first time it had been thrilling, but after that he had truly began to taste it, and it was definitely not what he wanted to spend eternity feeding on. ***** They sat in the sewers for a few hours, waiting for the night, neither vampire feeling anything that would indicate that another of their kind was around. This worried Thiery, but for Avatar it was agonizing. All they could do was sit there, even though he knew that he should be up there to find out what was going on. He knew this was the place, yet he felt no one here, and he knew that it had not been time for them to move yet. Not for another ten years at least. So why had they moved? Why were there no vampires above? These were the questions that repeated themselves in his head as he sat there waiting for the sun to set.

It had seemed like the longest day of their lives, as they sat there in the sewers, waiting for the sun to set. Neither vampire had said a word, both just sitting there, eyes closed, trying to feel something, anything.

The day passed with no vampire presence being detected, and as the sun set, both vampires were on their feet, ready to leave their dark sanctuary and walk into the night. Both hoping that they were wrong, and that they would find someone up there.

As they came out of the sewers Avatar walked straight over to a rundown house, standing a little away from the other houses, all by itself in a small field. He hadn't told Thiery were they were, and Thiery hadn't asked. It hadn't really seemed important then, nor was it now.

The house looked like it had been abandoned for years, the windows hammered shut, and the garden overgrown. It was a fairly large house, once painted white, and it was not at all the kind of place he would have thought that vampires lived. For that it was too open. Placed in the middle of a field, with no trees nearby to cast shadows. No, it was not at all the kind of place where he would have pictured a group of vampires living in.

The door didn't make a sound as Avatar opened it. It had been unlocked, and from Avatar's expression, this was not a common thing. They walked into the house without a sound, Avatar making hand gestures to Thiery, that were probably either supposed to tell him to stay, or to follow, but be quiet either way. Thiery followed, staying right behind Avatar, a little worried about the elder vampire's behaviour. Avatar was tense, something Thiery had never seen before. And that worried him even more than the absence of vampires in this place.

*****

They didn't go up the stairs, nor did they search any other part of the house above ground. Avatar walked straight to the stairs heading down. The stairwell was dark, and longer than Thiery would have thought. His eyesight helped him to see where he was going, but it was narrow, and with Avatar ahead of him, he could not see where it was leading, or how long it was.

Eventually the stairs stopped, showing a small hallway ahead of them, with three doors on each side, and one at the end of the hall. Avatar walked straight down the hall, and opened the door there. Thiery looked around, wanting to see what was behind the doors, but not stupid enough not to stay right behind Avatar.

Avatar walked right through the door, hitting a light switch on the other side, and walked a little into the room, his eyes searching it. Behind him Thiery stopped in the doorway. The room was huge, at least compared to the size of the house above it. It looked like a huge dining room, with bookcases, several couches and tables, carpets and wall hangings. It reminded him of Avatar's apartment, yet this place was ten times the size of that.

As he took in the sight of the place, he saw Avatar moving through the room, looking around. Then he turned and looked at him, a smile appearing on his face at their eyes met. Thiery touched the door, pushing it shut behind him and walked towards Avatar.

After two steps he noticed that Avatar's face was changing. His smile faded, and his mouth opened, an expression of shock coming over his face. Thiery looked at him for a second, not understanding what was upsetting Avatar so much. Then he noticed that Avatar's eyes were fixed on something behind him. Slowly he turned, his eyes searching for what Avatar had seen. What he saw was nothing at all like what he had expected.

On the door the corpse of a man was hanging, pinned up there by what looked like long wooden sticks. Two held the arms, another three the rest of the body, and one the head, that looked like it had been severed from the rest of the body, and then pinned a good two inches up above the rest of it. He appeared to have been dead for at least two weeks, for the corpse had already begun to decay.

He stood there, dead in his tracks, staring at it. From behind him Avatar was moving, walking past him and over to the body, as if he was studying it, a string of curses muttered under his breath. Thiery didn't understand, yet slowly realization hit him. "He was a vampire?" he asked, as he forced himself to move a little closer.

"Yes" Avatar said, still facing the corpse, searching for something it seemed. "But who?" Thiery asked, not quite sure if he meant who had killed the vampire, of who he had been.

Running his hand over one of the wooden sticks, or stakes, as they were, Avatar pulled it out, holding it up in front of him. "Vampire Hunters" he said, as he turned towards Thiery, showing him the stake, and the rune inscriptions on its handle.

*****

She looked up from her book as she heard voices coming closer. One of them she knew, and the other she had never heard before. The one she knew belonged to Cathal, her at'hethan, her maker. The other one she didn't know, but he spoke to Cathal in a familiar tone, which indicated that they knew each other well.

Putting down her book she got to her feet, and walked out from the room and into the hallway. This place had many hallways, and even more rooms. It was located it the hills of a mountain, somewhere in Arizona. The irony of it was not lost on her, a vampire mansion in the middle of a desert.

There wasn't another house for miles, and the mansion looked rundown and abandoned, the perfect hiding place for large group of vampires that did not wish to be found. There was plenty of food, for the vampires had stayed there for almost a century, and had quite a few different types of animals they were breeding. In this place you never had to drink the same two days in a row. It was a luxury they knew they could afford, hidden away in the desert as they were.

The house itself had a cellar that lead into the mountain, and it was in there that they lived, where sunlight never came. The house had been like this when they had first arrived, but no one seemed to know what this place had been used for back then. To her, that didn't really matter. History was fun, but there were other things that were more fun, like spying on your maker while he was talking to someone else.

*****

Cathal sat in his chair, looking at the man in front of him. He had chosen this place for their conversation for a reason, one he was not about to give to anyone. The other man looked at him, waiting to be heard, knowing that you only talked to a member of the High Council if you were being spoken to. Until then, you were to keep your mouth shut.

They had talked on their way down here, about unimportant things. Cathal had wanted to know the news of the world, just as he always did. Besides that, nothing else had been said, nor would it be said, until Cathal asked for it. And for the past five minutes he had not done so. He had only sat there, looking at him, as if he was waiting for something. Then, finally, he pulled his chair a bit closer, leaned forward, and spoke.

"I sent you on a mission to find the ancient prophecies. What they said about the Leader that is to come, and the War that comes with her. That was nine years ago. Not a word have we heard from you since. We were staring to think you were dead. Then suddenly you show up. Now we hope that your years away from us were not wasted."

He looked at Cathal for a few seconds after he was done talking. Though no question had been asked, he could easily read between the lines, and find the questions within them. Cathal had been worried, but not for him. The information he had been sent to get was more important than any one vampire. The Prophecies were said to hold in them the information about vampire leaders to come. Those leaders that would bring change, those that would bring chaos, and those that would Lead them to victory.

"I found what we were looking for. And I did not. There are no complete records left of the Prophecies, only bits and pieces shattered around the world. I found quite a few, yet little sense could be made from them. Most were about things we already knew, things that have already taken place. But there was one phrase, one that are perhaps more important than anything else I could find. It could be about our leader, and it could not. I have yet to complete the analysis of that segment of the Prophecy."

He paused for a second, and reached into his jacked, taking out a little red book. Opening it up he found the right page, and gave it to Cathal. "I have translated it as best as I could. But it could still contain errors." Cathal did not seem no hear him though, too wrapped up in the few lines written on the white page in the red book.

…and out of the ashes she shall come,
to save the one who made her.
And he shall be the one to save us all.

Thiery stood there, shocked, staring at the wooden stake, Avatar's words running through his mind over and over again.

'Vampire Hunters'.

He had thought that Vampire Hunters were something you only heard about in stories, that they did not really exist. But then again, up until about a week ago, he thought that vampires weren't real. Now here he was, an all but newborn vampire, in love with someone who had been around for over a hundred years. At least he thought Avatar was that old. He'd never actually asked.

Making a mental note to ask Avatar about that later, he turned to look at him, his eyes avoiding the rotting corpse pinned to the door.

"Vampire Hunters?"

"Yes" Avatar said, as his eyes returned to look at the stake in his hands.

"There really are people who hunt us?" Thiery asked, wanting Avatar to tell him more, wanting to ask him why, but not wanting to say it straight out. Not able to.

"There are" was Avatar's reply. Thiery did not say anything then, only stared at him. When Avatar finally took his eyes off the stake and looked at him, Thiery raised his eyebrows and smiled a little. "Well" he said. "Are you gonna tell me more, or do I have to find out the hard way?". He wasn't quite sure what the hard way was, but it sounded good to say it like that at the time.

Avatar smiled a little, understanding what Thiery meant. "I'm sorry" he said, pausing a little before he continued. "There has always been Vampire Hunters. For as long as there have been vampires, there have been those that hunt us down and kill us. Why, only they know, and perhaps God. It's just the way it is. After a while you just kind of get used to it. Never before have they been this close to us though. Never before have they been able to find the place where the Heads of the Lines live, and they most certainly have never been able to kill a vampire in that same place."

Thiery looked at him, understanding the severity of what had happened here. Vampire Hunters had found the sanctuary for the Latin lines. They had not only found the place, but they had successfully entered and killed a vampire. Something that according to Avatar, had never happened before.

"Who are they? The Vampire Hunters I mean" he asked. Avatar looked at him as he broke the stake in half. Putting the half with the runes on it in his pocket, he tossed the other half away.

Turning back to Thiery he said in a disgusted tone, "they are mostly humans. Though some are vampires. Vampires that choose to fight their own kind. To kill their own kind. Vampires that don't want to give up on their humanity. A sorry kind of vampire, but a vampire none the less. Why they do what they do, I don't understand. But that is the way it is. Without them, most human Hunters wouldn't stand a chance."

After he was done talking, no one said anything for a little while. Thiery was slowly taking in everything that he had been told. There were vampires out there, vampires that were hunting them, killing them. He didn't understand why, could not even imagine why anyone would want to kill their own kind. But, as Avatar said, it was the way it was, so he had to get used to the thought. Never would he have imagined that it could be like that though, that their own kind would hunt them.

Turning from Avatar he looked at the rotting corpse again, seeing it in a whole new light. Feeling sorry for it for the first time.

"How did they kill it? Kill him?" he asked, trying to understand what he saw. Avatar looked from him to the corpse, and back at him again, before he answered.

"There are two ways to kill a vampire, direct sunlight and decapitation. Other than that, we can survive anything. Though the definition of surviving can be a lot of things. You can cut off our legs and arms, and we will live, but it would not be much of a life, for limbs take quite a long time to grow back.

The sun will burn our skin, as you saw it burn mine. It will burn with a flameless fire, spreading all over your body until it turns you to dust. You will live until the very end, feeling the burning, feeling the pain, unable to stop it unless you get out of the sunlight. As the burns cover your entire body, you will die, and your body will crumble, and all that is left is a pile of dust.

Decapitation is a different kind of death, a painless death. As the head becomes fully severed from your neck, you will die. The pain is nothing compared to the pain of the sun. As you die, your body will change. Depending on how long you've been a vampire, it will rot, as if you had died the day you became a vampire. If you've been immortal for a century then all that will be left is dust. Have you only been immortal for a few weeks, then it will look rotten, like this one. He is not many weeks older than you. Two months at the most."

Looking at Thiery he could see a question coming, one that always came when newborns found out what could kill them. "No Thiery, wooden stakes through the heart will not kill you. Nor will silver stakes. Garlic has no effect, it just stinks. Fire cannot kill you. It'll leave some pretty bad burns though, and like bullets it'll hurt like a bitch, but it won't kill you. Someone could slit your throat, and you would live. They have to completely separate the head from the body in order to kill you. We are quite difficult to kill, and we heal about ten times faster than humans."

Thiery nodded, understanding a lot more now. It was scary to think that there were people out there that were hunting them, that there were vampires who hunted them. But the fact that only two things could kill you was a comfort. It made things a bit better.

Looking at the corpse in front of him he understood something else. There were hunters out there that were good enough to kill a vampire, to kill one in it 's own home. And if the rotting only showed how long it had been immortal, then when had it been killed? How much time had passed since he had been pinned against that door.

He did not have to ask the question though, for Avatar it seemed had thought about the exact same thing. "He's not been dead for long" he stated, turning to look at Thiery.

"What do we do now?" Thiery asked, weariness evident in his voice.

"We leave, and we never come back" Avatar said, and with one last glance at the corpse he opened the door and walked through it.

He had not been prepared for what would meet him out in that hallway. The second the door opened, something flew through the air, and before he had time to react, a long wooden stake was planted in his chest, running straight through his heart, coming out on the other side.

Thiery couldn’t move. His entire body froze, his eyes fixed on Avatar, his mind unable to form a single thought. All he could see was Avatar, and the stake that was running through his entire body, through his heart. Over and over again did he see it run him through, and over and over again there was nothing he could do about it.

He didn’t know how long he had been staring at Avatar. It felt like hours, days, years. It was as if time stood still, and all there was was him and Avatar, and that stake. In the distance he thought he heard someone say his name. Then someone said his name again, and then again, and again, and then….he was falling.

“THIERY!” Avatar yelled, as he stepped backwards, pushing Thiery out of his way and slamming the door shut. On the other side the man with the crossbow yelled something, and another man ran towards them, sticking something in between the door and the wall, preventing it from closing.

Thiery still didn’t move, and Avatar yelled his name again. At the same time he grabbed one of the stakes that held the corpse to the door, and ripped it out. Turning he let the door open, and as the first Hunter came through, he ran it through his neck, pushing him backwards and closing the door. Ripping another stake out of the corpse, he ran it though the door and into the wall, locking the door temporarily.

Thiery looked at Avatar. He was moving quickly, quicker than he had ever seen him move before, and he had trouble keeping up with him. He got to his feet, as Avatar turned to look at him, pulling the stake out of his chest and dropping it to the ground.

“What…” Thiery started, but Avatar stopped him, giving him a quick kiss and a smile. “We need to get going. They’ll get through that door soon, and we need to be gone by then. Follow me.”

Avatar was walking through the room before Thiery could reply, so all he could do was follow. Not that he wanted to do anything else. Behind him he could hear the Hunters banging on the door, trying to open it.

Avatar moved quickly, and soon he was walking along the wall on the other side of the room, staring at it like he was looking for something. Then he stopped, right in front of a painting that had to be over a hundred years old. Looking back to make sure the Hunters hadn’t made it through the door yet, he ran his hand down the side of the painting. Then it stopped, and a smile appeared on his face as he stepped back. A few seconds later, the painting swung open, and revealed a hidden tunnel.

“How the others got out” he said, as Thiery looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “It’s been there for ages. No one knows about it but a selected few. Well, that’s how it used to be anyways. Come on.”

Just as he finished, they could hear the door breaking open at the other side of the room. “Hurry” Avatar said, and all but pushed Thiery into the tunnel. Again he pressed at the side of the picture, and it started to close.

Avatar didn’t wait for the picture to cover the tunnel completely again before he started to move, leading Thiery through the tunnel at a run. Soon the tunnel divided into two tunnels, which then became three, and then four. After a while Thiery couldn’t keep track on which way they went, and sometimes it felt like they were going in circles, and that the tunnels would never end.

Then suddenly the tunnel in front of them became a solid stone wall. A dead end. He looked at Avatar, but could not read anything on the vampires face. Nothing that could tell him if Avatar was lost or not. If they were supposed to be at a dead end, or if they had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Avatar just stood there, looking at the wall for what seemed like hours.

“Are we lost?” Thiery inquired, as he walked to stand right in front of Avatar, looking straight into the older vampires eyes. At first Avatar seemed like he was ignoring him, his eyes focused somewhere on the stone wall. Then his eyes shifted, and he looked straight into Thierys eyes and smiled.

“No, my dear Thiery. We are not lost. We’re right where we’re supposed to be.” Then he gave Thiery a quick kiss, and walked past him over to the wall. His eyes once more focused on the wall. Then, suddenly, without Avatar even touching it, a part of the wall started to move, and a small passage appeared.

“They’re in” Avatar said with a smile, and held out his hand for Thiery to take. He took it, not quite sure that Avatar was talking about. He only smiled, and let the older vampire lead him through the passage.

As soon as they passed through, he understood what Avatar had meant. On the other side they ended up in what appeared to be a hallway in a mansion. The walls were covered with wall-hangings and paintings, the floor with a thick red carpet, and it was decorated in a way that made it seem like it was taken right out of a royal palace or something.

It was not the decorations that stunned him though, but the people, the vampires. Just in the hallway he counted over ten, all staring at him and Avatar, all giving off that amazing feeling of familiarity and love. And right away he knew that he had come home, at last!

**********

She looked up from her book about Greek Mythology as he walked into the room. Cathal always wanted her undivided attention when he dropped by, though of late he had not been by as much as he used to. He was not there to see her this day though, for he walked through the room without so much as a glance at her.

She got up, and quickly decided to follow him. He was not moving fast, but he was going deeper into the mountain than she had ever been before. The hallway became darker, and for a while she walked in complete darkness. Then it opened up into a huge room, what had probably been a cave before the vampires came here.

The place was decorated like a huge dining room, with tables and chairs, couches and comfy chairs, wall-hangings and paintings. It was like a relaxation room of a sort. Cathal was in the far end, sitting in a chair with his back to her, his head buried in the book he had been carrying.

He was muttering under his breath, but she was too far away to catch anything he was saying. Moving silently through the room she came up on his right side, hidden by shadows. A couch there provided the perfect cover, and she could get close without letting him know she was there.

He was too engrossed in his book too notice her, and continued to mutter under his breath as he studied the page in front of him.

“Impossible. Just impossible. It’s not a he, but a she. We have a she. So who is he, and who shall he lead? And who is the one who will rise from the ashes? How can anyone rise from the ashes? I don’t get it. I just don’t get it…..”

As the passage closed behind them, the vampire standing right in front of them took a step closer. Taking them both in with a quick glance he turned to Avatar. “So, the lost childe returns, Avatar of Avalon.” Smiling at the vampire Avatar let go of Thiery’s hand for a second to give the vampire a hug. “That I have Mahari, that I have” he said as he let go of the vampire, taking Thiery’s hand in his again.

Looking around Thiery noticed that all the vampires in the hallway were currently staring at them. Taking a step closer to Avatar he leaned in so he could whisper in his ear.

“Where are we?” he asked. “And who are all these vampires?”

Avatar turned to look at him and smiled, giving him a quick kiss before he answered. “These are the vampires we were looking for” he said, before he turned to Mahari again. “Mahari, I really need to speak to Alaric. Can you tell me where to find him?”

Looking at Thiery again Mahari answered. “He is not here. Only the ten of us are. The rest are out looking for those who didn’t come through the tunnels. Alaric and Aiden went with them. They’re at a place called Dark Dawn, north of the city.” At Avatar’s empty expression he added, “Aiden is the new head of the Arden Line. Gautier was found dead a few years back, and those of the Arden line wanted Aiden as the new Head of the Line.”

Avatar nodded, and though a few questions were left unanswered, like how Gautier died, he didn’t press the matter. He would ask Alaric about that later. Turning to Thiery he said “we need to get moving again. There are still a few hours left of the night. More than enough time to find this place Mahari talked about, the Dark Dawn.”

Thiery nodded. The stares from the other vampires had started to make him feel uncomfortable, and as Avatar suggested they leave he almost started to drag the older vampire away before he knew which way they were going.

Clearly aware of Thiery’s discomfort, Avatar quickly said farewell to Mahari and started to lead Thiery through the hallway, over to the door at the right end. He had only been in this place once before, when he and Alaric had found it years and years ago. What the mansion, the tunnels and this place used to be he didn’t know. Nor did it matter. It had been empty then, and had stayed like that for years, until it was now again habited, by vampires. They would stay until a new sanctuary were found, and they could move once more.

Opening the door he lead Thiery through it and out into the night.

*****

It took them close to three hours to find the vampire club called Dark Dawn. As they searched for it, Thiery noticed that the humans there were a lot like those back where he had met Avatar. He saw the Believers, and the True Believers, and those who did not believe at all. They were all here, and not much different from those he had seen before he met Avatar.

As they finally approached the right club, he could feel other vampires in the area. They had passed a few on the way, but Avatar had not stopped, had not made any sign he even knew they were there. He knew he had to get Thiery to the Heads of the Lines as soon as possible, before too many vampires saw them together.

As they stepped through the door to the club Thiery stopped. A strange feeling had washed over him as he stepped into the huge room. It was not another vampire he felt, but something else. Turning to look at Avatar he noticed that the other vampire was watching him closely. “Go” was all he said, and Thiery smiled and gave the older vampire a quick kiss before he walked off to try and find out what was causing the feeling.

As Thiery walked off Avatar turned to look over to the far corner of the room. He knew Alaric was there, and started to walk in the direction. Halfway there he stopped, and a few seconds later Alaric showed up in front of him with a smile on his face. Avatar smiled back, and followed as Alaric lead him over to a more quiet part of the room. It was not until they were there that either one of them spoke.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you Avatar. Are you all right?” Avatar nodded, and looked out over the room towards where he felt Thiery was before he answered. “Yes I am fine. The question is, how are you? When I returned home I found a dead vampire staked to the door, and Hunters outside it.” His right hand absently touched where the stake had gone through him, and he knew that there was a whole in his coat from it.

“I am fine” Alaric assured him. “We lost three that night, and thirty-nine more are missing. This is why we’re checking every vampire club in the city right now. We need to find them, and quickly. The Hunters will find the passage, if they haven’t already, and eventually they will find the right way through the maze of tunnels. And when they do, we need to be as far away from there as possible. I have sent out Searchers, who will eventually find a new Sanctuary for us. And while they search for that, we will search for those of us who are still lost.”

Avatar smiled as he saw Thiery for a second, before he disappeared in the crowd. Then he turned to Alaric again. “Let us hope a new place is found soon, and that those who are missing will be found.” He paused, not quite sure how he was going tell Alaric about Thiery. The other vampire knew him well though, and before Avatar could think of a way to phrase it Alaric spoke up. “So Avatar, tell me. What is it that brings you home? You never were one to stay home, or let people know how you were.”

Relieved that Alaric had brought it up, Avatar took a deep breath and prepared himself to tell the other vampire the entire story. How he had found Thiery at the Red House that night, and everything that had happened after that. He would tell Alaric everything, and when he was done he would listed to what Alaric had to say about it all.

*****

Thiery followed the strange sensation though the room, passing a group of True Believers on the way who were quite upset that he walked right through their little group without showing some sign of respect.

It was at the other side of the room he found the source of the sensation. A girl, sitting by the bar, drinking water it seemed. By the clothes she was neither a Believer or a True Believer, which was good.

He didn’t step up to her, didn’t let her know he was there. The feeling didn’t change, didn’t get stronger or weaker. It felt the same, but even though he had found the source of it, he did not know what it meant. He knew she was not a vampire, but that was also all he knew.

He only stood there looking at her, waiting for something to happen. What it was he was waiting for he didn’t know. But he knew that he would know when it happened.

Alaric didn't say a word as Avatar told him his story. He didn't say anything as Avatar spoke freely about the laws he had broken and the reason he had come home at last. Only when Avatar was done talking did he say anything.

"He's here with you now?" he asked, and Avatar nodded. "He's over there. He found someone, a mortal, a girl. I don't think he knows what she is though, not yet at least." Alaric nodded. He had felt the girl himself. She had been there for the past few days, always alone, never approaching anyone, always sitting by the bar drinking water. He told Avatar this.

"You're not going to talk to her?" he asked, and Alaric shook his head. "That is Aiden's job. She's of the Arden line. And he said he'll do it later, but right now there are other matters that are more important, like finding our missing brothers. And those were his words, in case you were wondering."

Avatar grinned. Alaric had always had a soft spot for the much younger Aiden, and judging by his current grin, it seemed the older vampire had finally realized that the two of them were meant for each other. Aiden was barely a hundred, but had already come far. He would understand how Avatar felt, and he would help him so that no one ever found out that Avatar had broken the law, that he had made Thiery immortal. Had they been of the same line things would be different. But they were not, and now he needed the help of the Heads to make sure that he and Thiery would be safe.

"Where is Aiden anyways?" he asked Alaric, who turned towards the entrance. "He'll be here soon. How about you introduce me to Thiery while we wait. I want to meet the man who managed to bring you home to us." Avatar grinned, and got up, leading Alaric through the crowd, towards where he knew Thiery was standing.

*****

The girl hadn't moved. She only sat there and drank her water. To those who just saw her for a second as they walked by it could look like she was waiting for someone. But Thiery had watched her for a while now, and he was sure she was not. She never checked her watch or looked around. She just sat there, drinking water and staring off into thin air.

He felt Avatar move, and not long after he felt a hand snake it's way around his waist, a warm body pressing up against his back and Avatars mouth against his neck. He leaned back into the touch, moving his head a little to the side so Avatar had better access.

Avatar kissed Thiery's neck softly a few times before he pulled away a little and made Thiery turn around. Alaric stood beside him, looking at the two of them with a smile on his face, and then he held out his hand to Thiery. "I'm Alaric, and you must be Thiery. Avatar has just told me some very interesting things about you."

Thiery looked at Avatar for a second, mild confusion written on his face. Then he turned to Alaric and took his hand. "It's nice to meet you. He's told me very little about you, besides the fact that you are the head of his line." He gave Avatar a grin as he let go of Alaric's hand, but he knew the older vampire would see right through the grin and know the uncertainty he felt. Avatar would know he was worried about what was going to happen, and he knew that if Alaric and the other one, the head of his own line, Aiden, if they didn't want to help, the two of them would be running or the rest of eternity.

Alaric smiled to Thiery, before he half turned towards the entrance. "Aiden is here. Let's find a more quiet place to talk." Avatar nodded, and took Thiery's hand before they let Alaric lead them towards the back, where Thiery was pretty sure there would be rooms. These places always had private rooms located at the back, and it seemed Alaric and Aiden had one at this place, for not long after they entered them room did a young man come in after them and shut the door behind him.

Aiden looked to be maybe a year older than him, where Avatar and Alaric looked a bit older than them both, and he was a handsome man. He barely glanced at Thiery, and instead looked questioningly at Avatar and Alaric.

"You're back" he stated, fixing his gaze at Avatar. "I am" Avatar replied as he stared back into Aiden's eyes. For a second it was as if they were measuring each others strengths and weaknesses with their eyes, but then Aiden looked away and over at Alaric.

Alaric didn't say anything to Aiden, who then finally turned towards Thiery. "You're Arden" he said after a few seconds, and Thiery nodded. "You're young" he added, and Thiery nodded again. He felt like he should be saying something, anything, but his throat had gone dry, and he didn't think he'd be able to say a single word, let alone form an entire sentence.

Aiden didn't say anything else, he just looked at Thiery. After what seemed like hours he finally turned back to Avatar. "I guess some things never change, Avatar of Avalon. You are still doing things that will eventually lead you to a very intimate date with the sun." He finished off with a smile, before he walked over to give Alaric a gentle yet intimate kiss on the cheek.

Avatar grinned, and moved over to Thiery, running the back on his hand down the young vampire's cheek and neck. Then he turned so he looked straight at the other vampires. "I suppose I haven't changed that much in the past century. Since you are laughing, I take it you understand why I am here? I need your help. Our situation is a lot more complicated than it seems."

Aiden stopped laughing then, and looked to Alaric for answers to the questions he knew the older vampire didn't need him to voice. After a few seconds of silence, Alaric gave him his answers. "When Thiery was still a mortal, the Three sought him out. We don't know why, but if Avatar hadn't been there they would have taken him. It is important that Thiery is marked by you so he can pass as one of yours. It is even more important to find out why they wanted him. One thing at a time though. This may not be the place for this, but Thiery must be marked as soon as possible. Will this place do, Aiden, Head of Arden?"

******

She had entered the club around 10pm, just as she had for the past month. She didn't know why she kept coming back. The place was a dump, and the people there were no different than they were at the other places she had been.

Yet she kept coming back. Kept sitting at the same stool, at the same bar, drinking the same thing every single night.

She had felt like she had to stay, that there was a reason she had found the place and that she should wait there until she figured out what that reason was.

So she stayed. She had her water, stared off into the air and wondered how long she had to wait for whatever it was that she was waiting for to come.

She didn't know how many days had passed when something finally happened, but by then she had given up hope of ever finding out what it was that was keeping her there.

She had been sitting by the bar having her water, when a strange feeling washed over her, making her drop her glass and turn towards the entrance. She couldn't describe the feeling, but she it was what she had been waiting for. That feeling was the reason she hadn't moved on weeks ago.

At first she saw nothing different, just people coming and going. Then she noticed him. He looked to be around her own age, and he was beautiful. The same could be said about the man standing next to him. He was a few years older, yet stunning as well.

It wasn't their appearance that drew her eyes though, it was something else. Something inside her that told her these two had something to do with why she was here. It was the same something that also told her to stay where she was. They didn't even look her way, but somehow she knew they had noticed her. She knew that when it was time, they would come for her. All she had to do was to wait for them.

She had waited for days for them to come to her. She had felt others like them, they came and went, but those two were there every night. None of them approached her though, and sometimes she wondered if they avoided her on purpose.

She had almost given up on them, given up hope that they would come to her and tell her why she felt this way every time they were near. She had almost given up, when he walked into the club.

The feeling hit her like a ton of bricks this time. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. The older one was the only one in the club, and at first she thought it was the younger one that had returned. But it felt different, very different. She didn't know for sure that this was someone else until the person came closer though. That was when she truly felt the difference. She couldn't tell how it was different, but she knew that it was.

Like the others he didn't approach her, but he came close. He stood behind her for a while, watching her as she sat there with her water staring off into the air. Then suddenly the feeling intensified, and she knew that there were more than one there. She knew that the older one had come close to her now. But it was not because it her, it was because of the one who had been watching her.

She wanted to turn, to walk up to them and ask them who they were. Ask them what it was that she was feeling. Ask them why she felt as if she had known them all her life.

When the young one returned, she made her decision. As he walked through the room she did her best to follow him with her eyes. And when he walked into the private room at the back she got up, and started to walk towards it. She was tired of waiting for them to make a move, tired of waiting for them to come to her. It was time she made a move of her own, and came to them.

Aiden looked at Alaric for a long while in silence. In his mind he was going through everything that Alaric had told him about the young vampire, about Thiery. He was of his own line, an Arden, yet it had been Avatar of Avalon who had made him immortal.

He knew the law, as did every other vampire of any line, yet Avatar had broken it for this man, and you only had to take one look at them to understand why.

Finally he turned to look at Avatar again, but he did not say anything. Instead he gave the man a slight nod. Avatar knew what that meant, knew that Aiden had accepted this place as the place for him to mark Thiery as his.

It was a symbolic marking, in a way. It did not mean that Thiery truly belonged to Aiden and had to do all that the older vampire wanted him to do. It only meant that every vampire that met Thiery would know he had been made immortal by the Head of his line, and that he was a true vampire.

Even though it was not Aiden that had truly made him immortal, the way he would bite Thiery, the way he would mark him, it would be in a way that every vampire would recognize. Aiden's scent would stay with Thiery for a while, Aiden's mark would take some time to heal, and every vampire he met would believe that he had been made immortal by Aiden.

As he saw Aiden nod to Avatar, Alaric retreated into the corner of the room, not wanting to disturb them. What was to happen here did not involve him. It was a matter between Aiden and Thiery, the two vampires of the Arden line.

Avatar gave Thiery a soft kiss on the cheek, drawing oxygen into his lungs so that he could breathe in every scent that made up his lover. He closed his eyes for a second, savouring all that he smelt. When he opened them again it was to look directly into Thiery's piercing blue eyes.

"I love you" he whispered, before he too retreated into the corner. He knew what Aiden was about to do, knew how it would mark his boy. He knew it, and he hated it. Thiery was his, and the thought of another vampire marking him was almost too much to bear.

Alaric laid his right hand on Avatar's shoulder, leaning in to whisper a few words of comfort in his ear. Thiery could not hear what was whispered, but he could see how it made Avatar relax, if only a little.

He turned so that he was looking directly at Aiden. It seemed this was what Aiden had been waiting for, because when he did, Aiden took a step closer to him, invading his personal space in such a way that their chests were almost touching.

Aiden placed one hand around Thiery's waist, and the other he gently ran down Thiery's right cheek. He stopped moving for a second then, his eyes finding Avatar in the corner. A few seconds ticked by as Avatar and Aiden stared at each other. Then Avatar gave a slight nod, and Aiden gently tilted Thiery's head sideways, giving him easier access of his neck. Then he bit down.

**********

Thiery barely felt the pain when Aiden's teeth sunk into his neck, and the second the older vampires saliva hit his system, it was as if the room exploded into color.

He could feel his breath becoming ragged, his entire body warm up. The temperature in the room seemed to go up at least 20 degrees, and sweat formed on his forehead.

Everywhere he could see little explosions of color, a little red here, a little green there. In the corner he could barely see Avatar and Alaric watching him, for they seemed bathed in a pool of colors that were swirling all around them, making it impossible for him to see them clearly.

He could feel his own blood leaving his body and entering Aiden, and before he knew it he had found the vampires hand and bit down on it. He didn't know why he had done it, but as soon as he tasted Aiden's blood he didn't care anymore.

It didn't have the usual metallic taste; it had only a sweet and addictive one. It flowed through his mouth as smoothly as he could remember good wine having done before he became immortal.

He could hear Aiden gasp for breath, and knew he himself was going the same. He had let go of Aiden's hand, both his hands down clasping tightly around the waist and upper body of the older vampire. He was dimly aware of how tightly Aiden held him in return, and how his knees seemed so weak it was a wonder he was still standing upright.

Then all the colors in the room seemed to fade, leaving it in complete darkness.

**********

Thiery didn't know how long he had been out; lying on the floor alongside Aiden, but when he came to, Avatar was sitting next to him.

"Hey" he said, amazed at how steady his voice was. Avatar smiled at him, and leaned down to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Hey to you too" he said.

Thiery smiled up at him, and then started to sit up. Avatar got up and offered him a hand, and soon he was standing next to the older vampire, watching Alaric help Aiden up.

"Wow" Thiery said. "That was, I... Wow". He didn't know how to explain it, but by the looks on Aiden and Alaric's faces, they already knew what he meant. They were the heads of their lines; they were the ones who made all the new vampires of their line immortal.

He turned his head to look at Avatar, and for the first time he felt pain where Aiden had bitten him. He hadn't felt the pain when Aiden's teeth had sunk in at all. He had barely been aware of the fact that he had been bitten, and if it hadn't been for the intoxicating feeling of the bite he wouldn't have even known it had happened.

Avatar lifted his left hand to run two fingers over the bite, and Thiery has shocked to hear a low growl coming from his lover. He raised his own left hand and placed it over Avatars two fingers.

His skin was wet with blood still, but the wound seemed to have stopped bleeding and was already closing up. As a vampire he knew he had accelerated healing, but according to the others this would not heel as quickly as a regular wound. The marks would stay for a while, so that everyone could know who had made him.

He took his hand away; three of his fingertips covered in blood, and placed it over Avatar's lips, hoping to stop the growling. He could see anger and jealousy in his eyes, and realized that all of this had been harder for Avatar that he first thought.

Avatar's eyes closed as Thiery's fingers touched his lips. He opened his mouth and gently licked the blood of them, taking each finger into his mouth to gently suck on it. Thiery closed his own eyes, and was almost surprised when Avatar's lips were suddenly on his, kissing him roughly, backing him up until he was against the wall.

The kiss seemed to last forever, time standing still around them as he fought with Avatar for dominance, aware that he would never get it, but not ready to give up the fight just yet. Finally they broke it off, Avatar looking straight into his eyes as he lifted his own fingers to his mouth and sucked off the blood on them as well.

**********

When they turned back to Alaric and Aiden they were met with a grin on the younger vampire's face and a raised eyebrow from Alaric.

"We should go back to the house" Avatar said, clearly set on ignoring the grin and the raised eyebrow. "When we arrived Mahari was there, along with nine others I am fairly sure I have never seen before. They saw me arrive with Thiery, they know he is a vampire, and they know Aiden did not make him."

The other two vampires nodded. "We'll make sure they know to tell everyone that Thiery came through mortal, so that no one questions the purity of his line. Mahari knows to keep his mouth shut, but some of these younger ones tend to talk before they think. All of them have been immortal for less than a decade. Leaving them at the house with Mahari seemed safest, as the rest of us have to move about while we try and find those who are missing" Alaric said.

"We only have about an hour before the sun rises, so if we want to make it back in time we better hurry" Aiden added, and Avatar and Alaric agreed. With their next move settled, Thiery moved over to open the door, with Avatar walking right behind him, Aiden and Alaric bringing up the rear.

As he swung the door open someone on the other side jumped back. He stopped dead in his tracks as he recognized her. It was the girl he had been watching at the bar, the one he had felt when they walked into the club.

From behind him Avatar and Alaric stepped out of the way so that Aiden could come up and stand next to him. Aiden looked at the girl for a long while without saying a word, and she stared right back at him, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

Finally he turned, his eyes catching Alaric's. "I think we'll have to take her with us" he said, and turned to look at the girl again. "She finally came to us, and I have a feeling she'll just follow us if I say she can't come. Besides, I think I have made her wait long enough."

Alaric only nodded, and moved past all of them and started to move towards the exit. Avatar moved to follow, raising a hand to tell Thiery to walk with Aiden and the girl. He nodded, and turned his head to look at the girl again. "Hi" he said, and smiled at her. She smiled back, questions written all over her face. "Hi" was all she said.

Aiden also said hello, and then he looked at Thiery. "Walk with her" he said, as he too started to follow Alaric and Avatar towards the exit. Watching him go Thiery smiled to the girl again. "We should follow" he said, and she nodded, and when he started to walk she fell in beside him.

"My name is Thiery" he said as they walked past the doors out into the night, following the other vampires. "Hello Thiery" she said with a laugh. "My name is Amelia Farrel."

Avatar looked up as he heard Thiery's laugh across the room. He was sitting with the girl on the other side of a large dining room, talking about something that appeared to be quite funny.

The two of them had become very close this past week, ever since they had returned from the club. Though it was only natural, for there was always a special bond between a vampire and its maker.

Aiden had rushed out as soon as they returned; having gotten an urgent message that not even Alaric knew what said. As he left he had told them to make sure Thiery took care of the girl, and no one else. Neither Alaric nor Avatar had understood why, but they had done as he asked. Two days after their return, Phoenix had awoken, her immortal eyes taking in the world for the first time.

Besides Thiery, he was the only other vampire who had talked much to her. Alaric had been spending a lot of time out of the house, and most of the vampires they found decided to stay out as well. Only Mahari and the other nine who watched the passage from the tunnels were there.

The Hunters hadn't found a way into the house, but the night before another vampire had been found dead. The Hunters knew they were in the area, and that they hadn't moved on yet. Avatar knew it was only a matter of time before the Hunters found them, but by then they would be gone. Alaric had told him that they would leave in three days, whether Aiden was back or not.

He knew Phoenix was getting restless, tired of being kept inside this house all the time. Thiery wasn't any better, always nagging Avatar about why they had to stay inside when the night was young and the stars were shining.

He smiled when Thiery's eyes found his across the room, and got up to walk over to them. But before he had taken a single step something made him stop. He turned around to face the door just in time to watch Alaric enter the room. "Where's Mahari?" was the first thing he said.

It turned out that Mahari wasn't in the hallway where he was supposed to be. None of the other vampires there knew where he was, nor could any of them could tell Alaric exactly when Mahari had gone missing.

Avatar could not understand why Mahari had left, but he knew that when Mahari returned Alaric would not let him get away without a thorough explanation. Leaving his post here at the house was bad, and he would pay for it dearly.

***************

A day passed without a word from Mahari, and Alaric had gone from being angry at him for leaving his post, to worried that something had happened to him.

As night fell, Alaric was ready to go looking for him. But just as he was about to leave, Aiden finally came home, his clothes ripped and his face covered in blood. His walk was determined, and he did not stop until he was standing right in front of Avatar and Alaric. "Hunters" he said, and Alaric nodded, for he knew what that meant. They would have to move on soon.

Thiery and Phoenix had come over to them, and did now stand only a few feet behind Aiden, neither saying a word, but both wanting badly to ask what had happened. Aiden turned to them, and looked at Phoenix for the first time. He places a hand on her cheek and smiled. "Welcome child. Do you know who I am?"

Phoenix looked uncertain, and half turned to look at Thiery before she answered. "Yes" she finally said. "You are Aiden, Head of Arden, which is Thiery's line, and mine as well." Aiden nodded. "Yes, child, I am Aiden of Arden."

He let his hand drop from her face, and turned to look at Thiery. "You have done a good job with her, Thiery of Arden." He leaned in close to Thiery, so close that his lips touched Thiery's ear, and whispered in a tone so low that only Thiery could hear him. "For Arden you are! No matter whose blood it was that woke you. Never forget that."

A shiver ran down Thiery's back at Aiden's words, but before the shiver was over, Aiden had pulled back and turned to Avatar and Alaric again. "They are closer to us now than they have ever been before. I don't know if we'll have time to wait for those who are still lost. From what I've learned, we may already have waited too long."

***************

Avatar turned around after closing the door. The room they were in was small, with pitch black walls making it seem even smaller. All it held was a table and four chairs, nothing more. Not a painting on a wall nor a carpet on the floor.

The other two were already seated, and he sat down next to Alaric, both of them facing Aiden. They hadn't quite understood his meaning, yet they both knew there was a lot more to this story than mere Hunters. That was why Thiery and Phoenix had been left behind in the other room.

"The message I got when we returned from the club that night, it was from an old friend. One none of us has seen in over a hundred years. One I have believed to be dead for quite some time. One who left us for a mission all those years ago, a mission ordered by my predecessor. Archangel left me a message that night, a message he knew only the Head of the Line would understand."

Avatar couldn't believe what Aiden was saying. He too had thought Archangel was dead, lost to them years and years ago. He knew how close Archangel had been to Gautier, and he understood why the former head of Arden had chosen him to do his bidding. To go on a mission not even Alaric knew about.

"What was his mission?" Alaric asked, curious to find out what was so important that no one else could be allowed to hear it.

"Gautier sent him out to recover fragments of the Lost Prophecies. Over a hundred years he has spent searching for those small pieces of our past which speaks of our future. And what he found was incredible. There isn't much, and what can be found are only small phrases. Bits and pieces of a larger puzzle that he fears will forever be lost to us."

He paused, looking at them both in turn. They knew what the Prophecies were about. The Prophecies held their past, their present and their future. To hold the knowledge of the Prophecies were to hold the greatest power there ever was. This power Archangel had been sent to harvest and this power was what had Aiden looking at them with a flare in his eyes that resembled fear.

"Much of what he has found does not make any sense. Not to him or to me. But there was one passage that caught his attention. Somehow he knew, the moment he read it, that he must contact the Head of his line. He knew Gautier was dead, but he didn't know who had taken over. Once I read those lines I knew that the time for us to disappear has come again. We cannot stay here for even a day more. We must leave, now. I'll make the arrangements."

He got up, and as he passed he left a folded piece of paper on the table in front of them. As the door closed behind him none of them moved. Avatar only looked at the paper, waiting for Alaric to take it. He didn't understand how this little piece of paper could cause so much fear in a vampire of Aiden's age. Yet it had become clear as he had talked about it; whatever this paper said, it was something that could threaten them all.

Finally Alaric reached out and picked up the piece of paper. He unfolded it carefully, and held it out so they both could read it, his hand trembling as his eyes ran over the two lines of writing that was present on it.

***************

Half an hour later the five of them were the only ones left. Aiden had sent everyone else away. Neither Phoenix nor Thiery had been told what was going on, and both were under the impression that they were leaving because of the Hunters.

True, they had attacked Aiden, and he had barely escaped, but there were no threat yet. They still did not know where to look, and after their meeting with Aiden, only three of them remained alive. Right now they would let the young vampires believe what they wanted. To tell them the truth now would lead to too many questions, and answering them would take time, something they couldn't afford to lose.

Thiery knew that something was up. He had never seen Avatar so on edge, never been able to smell fear on him. It was a faint smell, barely there, yet strong enough to make him keep his mouth shut and do as he was told.

They had moved fast, gotten everything in order more quickly than Thiery thought possible. Yet it had turned out to be too slow.

Just as they were to leave, the door opened, and in came three men Thiery had met only once before. But this time they weren't alone, and this time Avatar knew he wouldn't be able to make them disappear.

Niran of Ajax stood a few steps in front of the other two, yet it was a fourth vampire who held their attention. He stood right next Niran, and Thiery could barely make himself look at him. He could feel the hatred stronger than ever before. Somehow, he knew who the vampire was even before he introduced himself.

"My name is Cathal, Head of Ajax. I am here for Avatar of Avalon and his bastard creation, and all who know of him. You will all come with us, for your knowledge of Avatars actions alone are enough to condemn you. But there may be a chance for you yet. So don't do anything stupid!"

For the longest time they stood there. Thiery didn't dare open his mouth, didn't dare take a breath. They knew! Somehow, they knew. Everything around him seemed to fade; the room became bathed in darkness. He felt as if his knees were giving out under him, but before he could fall he felt Avatar by his side, lips close to his ear. "Be strong" was all he said. Behind him, Alaric and Aiden had lowered their heads, and were ready to follow Cathal wherever he wanted to take them.

As they left the room, Avatar still by Thiery's side, Niran dropped a burning piece of cloth on the floor. Thiery could see the flames catching on as the door closed behind them.

***************

Left behind there was but an empty room, light flickering as the flames grew stronger, and taking hold of every piece of furniture there was, raging throughout the house. And on a table in a pitch black room, a piece of paper burned to a cinder, the two lines of writing on it becoming unrecognizable.


There is but one who separate her from greatness
He of impure blood, who is destined to rule

Thiery stood and stared at the stone wall, and even though the room lacked a window he knew he was facing east, facing the sunrise. His eyes stung as he fought off the tears, refusing to allow himself to show how much he was hurting, to show his pain, anything that could be taken as a weakness.

Avatar stood only a few feet behind him, one hand raised as if to lay it on Thiery's shoulder, the other hanging down at his side. His face was blank, and his eyes empty as they fell on Thiery's back.

The room they were in was small and windowless, the walls made of stone, and the door of wood, with a metal bolt placed on the outside. It was locked.

The only other vampires in the room were Alaric and Aiden, both sitting on the floor opposite Thiery and Avatar. They were leaning against the wall, their heads hanging down, and their faces as blank as Avatars.

The room felt cold and deprived of all emotions, as if death itself was present. Despair hung heavily in the air, so thick one could cut it with a knife.

As the sun rose slowly, Thiery could feel a burning pain running through him. It was as if he was standing outside in the sunlight, instead of in this room. He could feel his skin burning a flameless fire, and smell the smoke that rose from it. He could feel death coming; feel an immortal life slipping away.

He could feel the sun killing a vampire, but it wasn't him it was killing.

It was Phoenix.

***************

They didn't know how long they had been travelling, or how far they had gone. Locked inside the back of a truck, it had seemed as if they had been driving for an eternity. Their hunger spoke of days of travelling, but there was no way to tell for sure.

When the car had finally stopped, they were inside what looked like a warehouse, but after a few minutes of walking, their surroundings changed to that of a house, a mansion. The walls were sparsely decorated, and there was nothing that could indicate where they were, or what kind of place this was.

In the end they were placed inside a naked room, told to wait while their trial was prepared. Thiery could feel the eyes of the other vampires on his back, but he could not make himself turn around to face them. He knew this was all his fault, that had he not forced Avatar to make him immortal, none of this would have happened. If he hadn't been so stubborn, none of them would be here right now.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Avatar was standing right behind him until he felt an arm snake around his wait.

"It's not your fault" Avatar said, and pulled him close, resting his chin on Thiery's shoulder. "You didn't make me do anything, and no one here blames you. Animosity got us here; our relationship is just the excuse they use to justify their actions."

"He's right" a voice said at his side, and two strong arms turned him half around so he could face Aiden. "They have been wanting to do this for quite a while. And they would have found a way. Had it not been this, it would be something else."

Thiery nodded and offered Aiden a faint smile. "Thank you" he said, and turned completely to hug Avatar, burying his face in his lover's neck. "I love you" he whispered.

***************

Trinity had known something was up. All around her she heard whispers. Wherever there was more that one vampire in a place, they would be standing with their heads close together, whispering so low that no one outside the circle would be able to make out what they said.

When they saw here they would stop, and stay silent until she had moved past them, following her with their eyes to make sure she was far enough away before they started up again.

Something was definitely going on, something big. The confirmation of that came a few days after it all started, when suddenly out of nowhere, Kimoni arrived. He was the Head of the line of Aletha, and sat on the High Council along with Cathal. And then, only yesterday, the last member of the High Council had arrived.

Sahirah, head of Acacia, had arrived in the middle of the day, well hidden in a black car with blacked out windows. As far as Trinity knew, she had been in Asia for several years, and had not been expected to return for several more. Yet here she was, and now suddenly the entire High Council was gathered in one place, something they told her had not happened for over half a century.

She was not told anything else, and had known nothing about what was going on until the day before the prisoners had arrived. Then suddenly she had found herself cornered by The Three, and had been ushered into Cathal's office. Expecting only Cathal, she had been surprised to find all three members of the High Council waiting for her.

***************

Sahirah closed the door behind her as she entered Cathal's office. Both he and Kimoni were already there, waiting for her to arrive. As soon as she had closed it, they turned to look at her.

"Are you sure it's her?" Sahirah asked, walking over to them. "She's young, and doesn't look all that special to me." Kimoni raised an eyebrow and chuckled, but one look from Cathal was enough to make his go silent.

"It's her" Cathal said. "I can feel it when I look at her, feel that she is special. You should be able to as well, but I suppose since she is of my line, it's stronger for me. But even if you can't feel it, her name should tell you everything you need to know."

"Trinity" Sahirah said with a whisper, and nodded. She knew that Cathal would not have gathered them all here if he was wrong, and besides, with that name, the chance of this being the wrong girl was slim to none.

They had been waiting on this day for several centuries, knowing that she would come, and in a way, fearing her coming. They all knew she would come at a time of change, at a time when her line would need her. Her coming was prophesied, but so much of the old prophecies were lost, that they had no idea if her coming would bring glory or ruin to the Greek lines.

"Do we know why she's here? Why now?" Kimoni asked, looking at Cathal. It had been his responsibility to find out all that he could about the old Prophecies, to prepare for this day.

"It's hard to tell" Cathal said. "I've been able to gather some of the prophecies, but most of what we find tell of things that have already transpired. Only fragments have been found that talk about Trinity. I've gathered everything in this though." His hand reached into his pocket, and drew out a small red book. Sahirah and Kimoni moved so they were standing next to him, and then he opened it up on the relevant pages, holding it out so all three of them could see.

The pages looked worn, and some of the writing was smeared, as if someone had been spending a lot of time looking at these pages, dragging their fingers across the writing, trying to figure out what it all meant.

Cathal pointed to the first three lines that were written down. "These were the first lines that came into my possession, the first result of a nine year search that looked to be about Trinity. And it's safe to say they have been bothering me since I got them."

As his finger traced the lines, the other two understood what he meant. The language in the lines was simple and straight forward, but they did not make any sense at all, and if they did, it escaped them all.


…and out of the ashes she shall come,
to save the one who made her.
And he shall be the one to save us all


Where the first three lines had been unclear and without sense, the ones that followed was the complete opposite. As Cathal traced them, it was clear who they were about, and though the very last line was puzzling, the ones above were screaming out their meaning, loud and clear. Trinity would bring change to their world.


With her coming
There will be greatness
With her coming
There will be war
With her coming
There will be change
With her coming
There will be need
With her coming
You must remember!


"Have you been able to figure out what it is that we need to remember?" Sahirah asked. There was no need to talk about any other lines than the last. The others spoke of what Sahirah already knew in her heart. With Trinity came change. With her came the war they had been waiting for for centuries, ever since the last war had ended. Back then when they had come out victorious, every single vampire of the Greek lines knew it wouldn't last, knew that one day war would come again. And with that war, their champion would come as well. No one could remember the reason for the last war, only that they won, and that in winning they had been raised to power, and had ruled over the world of the vampires.

"No, this is all we have that speaks of Trinity. Aside from the spoken memory of her that is to come, that have been handed down to us all since the war, there is nothing. The one I sent out to seek for this knowledge is certain that there is more, and as of our last communication, he feels that he is close to something."

Sahirah nodded. Their lack of information was to be expected. They had had centuries to look for this knowledge, but it had only been in the latter half of this century that they had started to talk about it, and the actual search for this knowledge had been going on for less than a decade.

"So what do we do now?" Kimoni asked, looking from Cathal to Sahirah. "Do we tell her?" Sahirah fixed her eyes on Cathal, making it clear that she expected him to answer this, that as Trinity was his creation, his responsibility, he would be the one to make that decision.

"We have to" he said. "The Three are already on their way back with the prisoners, taking the long way to disorient them, and to starve them. The weaker they are, the easier they will be to handle."

"So it's true then" Sahirah asked. "They really have allowed an Avalon to be the one who made an Arden immortal? I never would have thought they would be stupid enough to break the law so openly."

"Avatar of Avalon has always gone his own way, and I doubt even Alaric can stop him if he sets his mind to something." Kimoni said, knowing full well what he was talking about. He had been there in the last days of the war, and he had seen first hand what Avatar was capable of, and how deep his determination lay.

"They'll be here shortly" Cathal said, "We need to decide what to do with them, but first, we need to talk to Trinity. It's about time she knew what she was, and what we will be expecting of her."

***************

They had only been left to wait for an hour, something that told them things had been prepared for their arrival. They were lead into a large room, which contained nothing more than a large desk, behind which three High Council members were already seated. It had been elevated off the floor, so although they were seated, they were still located higher than Thiery and the others, who were expected to stand in front of them.

As they lined up in front of the desk, they had windows behind them. Large floor to ceiling windows, hung with tick dark curtains that were not drawn, allowing the moonlight to shine into the room.

No words were spoken for a while, and Thiery found himself staring down onto the floor, unable to look at the three sitting on front of them. Cathal he could remember, and would have known even if his face had been covered, for the hatred radiated off him and filled the room even stronger than it had before.

When the three in front of them finally started to speak, he could barely listen. They spoke of laws, of regulations. They spoke of the war, and of who was in charge. They spoke of a great many things, but most of them escaped him. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't think; didn't want to think. He kept his eyes on the floor, and focused his attention on feeling Avatar, feeling his love, and shutting out the hatred that threatened to overwhelm him.

Then there was silence. For a second he wondered why, and then suddenly the last few sentences that had come out of Cathal's mouth took hold of him, and he felt himself fall to his knees. "Anyone of an impure line must be killed. There can be no exceptions. But we'll wait with him. For now, only kill the girl. Maybe that will encourage the rest of you to start talking."

He forced himself to stand, to look at them, but as he took a step towards them he was stopped. First now did he notice that there were other vampires in the room, and now they were dragging him away. He could already see Alaric and Aiden being lead towards the door, and Avatar was right behind them, clearly giving his guards hell as he fought to stay in the room.

Beside him he could see Phoenix fighting for her life, tears running down her face. He reached out to her, but was hit in the back of the head so hard he fell to his knees, fighting to stay conscious. As he was dragged towards the door he saw Cathal standing up and looking at Phoenix. "For the sin of impure blood, we sentence you to meet the sun." Looking at the guards he said, "The sun will be up within the hour. Take her outside on the balcony and chain her to the railing." Then he got up and left the room, along with the two other members of the High Council.

It was only when Thiery was almost out of the room that he noticed her. She had been standing in the corner, hidden by the shadows, silently watching them. Now she took a step forward, allowing their eyes to meet. As he saw her face he stopped struggling.

His memory took him back to the Red House, to the day he met Avatar. He had seen her then if only for a second, but it had been enough to burn her image into his mind. He had felt a hatred for her then, but now, up close and personal, he felt it ten times more. No words were needed, no gestured had to be made. One look told him all he needed to know.

She was his greatest enemy.

He felt himself being lead from the room, and he didn't care. He felt numb, powerless. Behind him he could still feel her eyes on his back, her hatred radiating towards him. Then the door closed, and the connection was severed. He could still feel her, but he knew her attention was directed elsewhere now.

He could feel panic welling up inside, fear creeping through his skin, and he knew who her attention was on now. Phoenix.

***************

Panic threatened to take hold of her as Cathal spoke her sentence, as he told her she would be left outside to burn in the sun. She could feel it rushing through her blood, threatening to overtake her. As strong hands circled her arms, and started to drag her towards the balcony door behind her, she could feel herself screaming inside. But on the outside, her features changed. She was going to die, the words had been spoken, and she was going to die. There was no point in struggling now, for it would not change anything. Deep inside, she knew it, she felt it; she was already dead.

With determination being the only feature on her face she willed together all her remaining strength, and managed to stop the vampires from dragging her outside. "Let go off me! I'll go by myself, so there's no need to drag me like I'm an animal."

She stared at Cathal's back as he stopped in the doorway, fixed her eyes on his as he turned, and refused to drop her gaze as his stare burned into her. They looked at each other for a while, until he broke the stare and looked at the vampires holding her. With a slight nod he granted her that one thing, that one victory. She had won the chance to walk to her death of her own free will.

She pulled her arms free from the vampires that were holding her, and turned towards the balcony door. Pulling on all her strength, she walked towards it, twisted the handle, and walked outside.

Behind her she could hear the door closing and turning she saw them, pulling the curtains shut. No one would stand inside and watch her die; no one would be there to bear witness of her final moments. And somehow, she felt comfort in that, in knowing that she would be allowed to die alone, with no one watching her, with no one judging her.

Far away in the horizon, she would see the clouds changing; see color filling them, making them whole. She could see the sunrise coming, and inside, she could feel it. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her, telling her to get to safety. Her body knew that what was giving such a beautiful color to the clouds was also what would kill her, what would burn her to a cinder.

She braced herself on the railing, took a deep unneeded breath, and faced her last sunset. She forced herself to watch as the sun rose, watch the colors play in the sky as night turned to day. Even as her skin started to burn a flameless fire, and smoke from her own burning flesh filled her nostrils, she forced herself to watch the sun. She watched until it burned away her eyes, and even then she did not let herself turn away.

She stood there facing the sunrise as she burned away, and all that was left was a sculpture of ash, formed in her image, shining in the sunlight of a new day.

***************

The day passed in silence, no one in the small room saying a word. Thiery remained standing, staring at the eastern wall. He had not moved at all, or spoken a word. He only stared at the wall, refusing to acknowledge anyone else in the room.

Behind him Avatar had finally sat down next to Alaric and Aiden, his head rested against the wall, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Alaric was holding around Aiden, who in turn was the only one who had let a tear fall. Only a single tear, all he could allow himself feel right now. A single tear shed, for his dead child.

The day passed like that, slowly, every hour seeming like an eternity. They sat like that as they felt the sun pass over their heads, finally to be overcome by night again. And even then, as darkness fell outside, and life awoke all around them, they did not move. They all knew that at some point, they would come for them, and once again they would be standing in that room, waiting for their final judgement.

The punishment for Thiery's very existence was death, nothing else. They all knew that at some point it would be them chained outside, waiting for the sun to burn them alive.

They waited, and listened, for what they knew would come. They were listening for the ones who would come and get them. And then finally, they heard them, footsteps outside their door, and then the bolt turning.

They got to their feet as the wooden door creaked, opening slowly. Avatar moved to stand in front of Thiery, as if to protect him, and they faced the opening door together. But as it opened, and they saw the person standing there in the doorway, their faces paled to a color of pure grey, and it was impossible for them to hide the shock on their faces. Behind them, Aiden swore out loud, and Alaric gasped for a breath he didn't need.

It wasn't their guards that stood in the door; it wasn't a member of the Three, or any of the High Council.

It was Phoenix.

***************

The world seemed dark around her. One moment all she could feel was pain, and then there was darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Then the darkness faded away, and left her blank inside, before she felt a rush of live run through her veins, as if she had just been feeding, yet no matter how much she tried to feel it, the metallic taste of blood was not in her mouth.

As the darkness faded completely it became the night, and she found herself standing on the balcony surrounded by the safety of it. Behind her the curtains had been drawn away, and she knew it had been over an hour since the sun passed beyond the horizon.

The day was gone, the night had come, and somehow, she was still alive.

She turned quickly, and seeing no one inside, she made a decision. Moving quickly she opened the balcony door, relieved to find it unlocked, and then walked through the room quickly. Listening intently for anyone who might be near, she moved through the halls towards her maker and her friends.

She could barely feel Thiery, but what little she felt was all she needed to find him. Something told her that he could have been on the other side of the world, and she would still be able to find him.

Twice she had to hide inside a room or behind something, as vampires walked past her. For some reason none of them seemed to be able to feel her, yet she didn't think much of it. Instead she remained focused on her goal; to find Thiery and the others, and to get the hell out of this place.

Finally she found herself standing outside of a wooden door leading into a cell, into their cell. She could feel them all inside. The feeling was faint, but it was there. She unbolted the door, and pushed it open, taking a step into the doorframe to look inside the room.

Inside she was met by four faces painted with shock and disbelief. She smiled and before her she saw Thiery's face shift from disbelief to relief, and then he was moving, throwing his arms around her and hugging her close.

"I thought I lost you" he whispered hoarsely into her hair, and she laughed in return. "So did I" she replied as he let her go. Behind him Avatar, Alaric and Aiden had moved in close, all three of them mirroring Thiery's face of relief and love.

"Let's get out of here" she said, and they nodded. She moved quickly back the way she came, having seen a way out of this place on her way to the cell. They followed her without a word, and after a few minutes of walking they were outside.

They had come out of a wooden door, hidden carefully on the outside by bushes and trees. They were on a hillside above the mansion garden, and beneath them they could see several vampires walking in the garden, talking amongst themselves.

Avatar took the lead then, and leads them away from the mansion, away from anyone who can see them and alert the others of their escape. As they get out of sight from the others they start to run, knowing that they need to find shelter before the night is over and day comes again.

***************

It takes them two nights to get to the nearest small town, and as the sun rises on their second day of freedom they take shelter in a motel on the side of the road. Shutting all the blinds and closing the curtains, they finally allow themselves to sit down and truly rest.

"Where do we go from here?" Thiery asks, voicing the question they all wish to know the answer to. They all look at each other, waiting for someone to answer. In the end, Avatar is the one who speaks up.

"I know of a place we can go. It's about a weeks travel from here, and it is the one place we can be sure we'll never run into any other vampires, be they friends or enemies."

A look of pure disgust flashes over Aiden's face, and Alaric looks at Avatar with a similar expression. "Are you serious?" he asks, and shakes his head as Avatar nods. "I know you are right" Alaric then says, "but I don't like it. The very thought of that place makes my skin crawl. But you're right about one thing; we won't run into any other vampires there. So I guess that's were we're going."

The decision being made, Alaric and Aiden move over to lay down on one of the beds to get some rest, and Thiery and Phoenix are left with Avatar, both burning to ask where they are going. "I'll tell you tonight" Avatar says, and moves over to the other bed. "Come lay down you two, you need to get some rest. We have a long way ahead of us."

Knowing they will not get any answers until the sun sets, Thiery and Phoenix move over to the bed and lay down on it, Thiery curling up to Avatar, Phoenix moving in behind him to rest a hand on his waist. They will get all their answers tonight, but as for now, they will rest, and gather strength for their journey to safety.

Tancred doesn't know what is waiting for him on the other side of Cathal's door. It's only been two nights since the prisoners escaped, and the ashes of the one they called Phoenix had mysteriously disappeared from the balcony.

He had returned less than an hour ago, and had come straight to this room, but on the way he had heard enough to be wary. Cathal had not been pleased when he had found out that the prisoners were gone, and had even raised his voice to Kimoni and Sahirah. Those two had left only hours before he came, Sahirah to go back to whatever it was she was doing in Asia, and Kimoni with the Three, to hunt down the prisoners.

Cathal was the only one who remained, and there was not a single vampire who wanted to be anywhere near him right now. No one except him, but that was only because he had no other choice.

He takes a deep and unneeded breath, and knocks on the door. He is met with silence, before the door in front of him opens quickly, and Cathal stands there, staring him down.

"Tancred" he acknowledges, and walks back allowing him to enter the room. "Tell me you have news" he says, and looks pleased when Tancred nods.

"I've found two more fragments that seem to be connected to the One. One of which that might be more important than anything else we've found. The other, well, that one is more cryptic than anything else we've found."

He produces his notebook from his pockets, and opens it to the right page, handing it to Cathal. "That is the cryptic one, and perhaps goes together with the other one I had, the one about remembering." Cathal takes the notebook, and his eyes scan the page, reading the few lines written on it out loud.


In the time of remembrance
The seeker shall find
The long lost memory
Come home at last
Why do we fight?
Child of Avalon


Cathal finishes reading, and looks up from the book at Tancred. "Who is the Child of Avalon?" Tancred shrugs, shaking his head. "I don't know" he says.

Taking the book from Cathal he flips through the pages, finding the right one and passing the book back to Cathal. "This is the one I am most concerned about. The whole passage it belongs to seems to be about the One, and these lines in particular seems to be about someone else connected to her. Someone male, who is as far as I can tell the greatest threat to her destiny."

***************

Archangel puts down his pen, and looks at the page in front of him. Over the past century he has uncovered many pieces of the Lost Prophecies, and has deciphered most of them. For the most part they talk about events that have already passed, but there are some, a select few, that talk about the coming war and the one who is to become their Champion.

He has gathered many pieces, but one in particular seemed more important than the others. It had been the one he had shared with Aiden, the new Head of his line. Gautier's death had been a hard blow to take, but he had buried himself in his mission, refusing to let his feelings stop him from doing the last thing Gautier had asked him to do.

To uncover the secrets of the future, written so long ago. To prepare for the war that they all knew was coming, and to do his best to make sure that they would come out of it victorious.

It had taken him several decades, but eventually he had found a clue as to who their Champion was, a clue he had shared with Aiden. And Aiden had seemed shocked to read it, as if he knew who it would be the second he had read those lines.


There is but one who separate her from greatness
He of impure blood, who is destined to rule


And there, in his notebook, staring him in the eyes, were a different part of the prophecy, found so far away from the last, but clearly speaking of the same person.

Whoever this person was, these lines would tell him apart from the others. These lines marked him for what he was as clearly as anything could.

These lines were the key he had been looking for all these years.

***************

With miles separating them, two vampires from different lines and with different goals, stood in silence as their eyes scanned the lines written down in two different notebooks.

Everything about these vampires were different, except for the lines they read out loud, word for word exactly the same as it flowed from their mouths.


And thus shall you know him
His name will mark him
And change run in his veins