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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