here's chapter three...i hope you find it a good read.
disclaimer: i don't pretend to own anything
Slavica watched anxiously as Mikhail Dubrinsky entered the inn. He was tall and devastatingly handsome, but he wore a cloak of power around him that made even the hardiest person pause. Slavica knew few human were aware of who he truly was, and she had always felt privileged to be included in his secret world.
Prince Mikhail, leader of the Carpathian people. All held great power, but they spent most of their time helping to protect people from the vilest of creatures--the vampire.
Truth be told, Mikhail and his people intimidated Slavica greatly. Still, she had requested his presence.
Spotting the woman, Mikhail smiled wearily. He had gone through a lot in the past few weeks, with the arrival of his granddaughters and the various troubles plaguing his people. Many were working around the clock in order to find solutions--including his own sister-in-law--but the worry was beginning to show on him.
"Good evening, Slavica. Was there something you needed?"
Slavica bit her lip. "For the past few weeks, there has been a young woman living in one of the cabins just outside of the village…"
Mikhail nodded. "Ah, yes. Miss Darrow, the historian." His gaze darkened. "Is something wrong?"
Taking a deep breath, Slavica continued. "A few days ago, she came to me, speaking of a new people she believed she discovered."
The prince stilled. "And you are concerned?"
Slavica shook her head. "I am not concerned that she has any ill intentions--she seems simply curious. But Sybil left a few days ago, promising she would return. It has been a long while now, and I am concerned. Especially if she knows something she should not."
"Do you know where she was going?"
"She mentioned a church deeper in the forest, but surely she would have returned by now." Slavica looked up at Mikhail, genuine concern written on her face. "Sybil is a very quiet and polite young woman; I would hate for anything to happen to her."
Mikhail sighed at the concern in the innkeeper's voice. Slavica was a great friend to the Carpathian people, helping with their children and protecting the Carpathians from too many prying eyes. If she requested something of Mikhail, he could not ignore her.
Besides, if Slavica was right about the young woman knowing something about the Carpathians, Mikhail could not leave her to wander about. As it was, his people were encountering a crisis never before seen; they could not afford any other problems.
"I will ask someone to see to her," Mikhail promised. "In the meantime, I would like to ask you to be especially cautious, even during the day. It would seem the undead are getting bolder, and they have no qualms about sending their puppets to do their bidding."
Slavica shuddered as she remembered her last encounter with the puppets of the undead. Nodding, she swore she and her family would do all they could to keep a vigilant watch.
Mikhail left the inn, only to be greeted by an annoyed Gregori. Mikhail rolled his eyes and stepped around his second-in-command.
"Mikhail, you should not be walking about unescorted," the Dark One groused.
"I am a grown man, Gregori. I believe I can watch after myself for a few minutes." The Prince turned to look at his son-in-law. "How are Savannah and the girls? I did not think you would have left them so early."
Gregori fell into step with Mikhail and gave a rare, relieved smile. "They are doing well. Ivory could not have done a better job; I find no evidence of the microbes, and it appears that Savannah is now resistant to them."
"Ivory is a marvel," Mikhail agreed. "We are all in her debt--and in Razvan's as well--for their work against Xavier."
"Yes. We are fortunate to have them. Razvan has little experience fighting against the undead, but his penchant for strategy is unmatched. And Ivory has been working more and more with Shea and Gabrielle in identifying the properties of the organisms she found."
Mikhail frowned. "But she has not been working well with Natalya," he guessed.
"No. But then, she cannot be blamed. Still, the two have kept in contact." Gregori stopped. "There is something troubling you."
It was not a question and Mikhail expelled a rough breath. "Slavica says there is someone who has found out about us--or at least has her suspicions--but the woman has not been seen in several days. Slavica worries something might have happened to her, but she is uncertain."
"She wishes for someone to investigate the matter?"
"Yes. And I think it would be wise for us to find this woman and see what she knows."
Gregori gave a slight bow. "I will look into it. In the meantime, you should get back to Raven. We cannot have her agitated by the fact that her lifemate is roaming around unprotected." A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "You are, after all, a grandfather now."
Mikhail chose to ignore the jibe, deciding to take the higher road. For now. "All right, all right. Go and find out about young Sybil," he said instead.
The healer shot Mikhail a cheeky grin and launched himself into the sky. He kept in the area, making sure Mikhail did not wander off again, before turning his attention towards finding Slavica's missing person.
Gregori knew Sybil Darrow lived in a cabin not far outside the village. More than once, he had scanned her mind for any ill-intentions, but had found she had a natural resistance. However, it had seemed odd in that Sybil seemed to project a confusing array of color and sounds, making it impossible to discern any one thought. After that, he had checked in periodically, trying to determine if she was a woman of true psychic power. As of yet, he had been unable to ascertain anything.
Still despite her natural barriers, Gregori had sensed she was quite genuine and rather kind.
Arriving at her cabin, Gregori shimmered into form. He frowned as he approached the structure. Everything around her home was strong and overflowing with energy.
A noise alerted Gregori that he was not alone, and he whirled, only to find himself staring into the strange, golden eyes of a black cat. Bending down to examine the creature, the Dark One found the animal was more than it appeared.
Though he believed it definitely a cat, Gregori sensed something else within the creature. And yet he could not understand what it was. Just with the fauna surrounding the cabin, the cat was filled with a strange energy.
Shaking his head, he gently stroked the cat before rising. "Good evening, Mataias." He turned to face the ancient warrior. "It is rare to see you without the company of your brothers."
Mataias inclined his head. "The Prince requested I join you in finding this young woman," he explained, nodding towards the cabin. "He has employed Lojos and Tomas in tracking down a newly-turned vampire that has been plaguing the surrounding villages."
Gregori nodded and moved to study a pair of tire tracks. They led deeper into the forest and were fresher than the others. The woman had obviously headed in that direction.
Mataias looked around, studying the small cabin and the varying spring life. "There is a strange presence here," he stated finally.
Everything, from the tiniest flower to the tallest tree hummed with an unusual aura. It reached out to Mataias and brushed against his skin like a gentle caress. It was disconcerting, bringing to Mataias a faint feel of emotion when he had gone so long without.
For centuries he lived in a world filled only with the memory of duty and honor. Even colors had been stolen from him. Though he had his brothers to shoulder the burden, Mataias had begun to feel the heavy darkness spreading across his soul more acutely. His brothers, too, felt their own souls falling into shadows and the three of them had vowed to end their existence when Mikhail's latest requests were fulfilled.
He and his brothers had walked the earth for too long and their demons followed closely on their heels. With each passing night, those demons grew stronger, while the brothers' wills to keep them at bay wavered.
"Yes," Gregori agreed, staring off into the forest. "We should continue."
Just a the two readied to shift, they felt power roll through the earth beneath them, carrying the same odd feeling as the energy gathered about the cabin.
The two warriors glanced at each other before quickly taking on the forms of owls.
The energy was similar, Mataias pointed out. It must have come from the woman.
Yes, but there was something ancient about that surge of power. Gregori pushed the owl to fly faster. We must hurry.
You suspect something?
I do not know, but it is best we find this woman as quickly as possible. That energy will not have gone unnoticed, Gregori answered grimly.
The two Carpathians flew fast, speeding towards the center of the sudden ripple of power. Mataias wondered just what they would find, hoping for the woman's sake that she had not met the undead.
Below, they could see the truck the woman had used, but it was abandoned, the door still left wide open. Even from the sky, Mataias could see evidence of a struggle. The situation was looking more and more grim.
After a little while, they spotted a church nestled in a meadow. Mataias remembered the chapel, recalled when it had been built. Though they had not taken part in its creation, Mataias and his brothers had offered funds for the monks who settled there. But, as he recalled, the church had been abandoned not a century later, left to the elements.
The woman had approached the church, spent time there, but beyond that there was little else. The two continued on.
Touching down in a ravine, Mataias and Gregori searched for the source of the energy. But there was nothing to be found, only rocks scattered about. If there had been something there, it was gone.
Gregori frowned. "There must be something."
Mataias nodded in agreement. Though the place looked deserted, there was no doubt this was where the power had come from. They needed to find the woman quickly.
As the two Carpathians searched, Mataias began to feel something at the edge of his mind. Like the wings of a butterfly, it brushed at him, the faintest hint of energy.
There is definitely something here.
Gregori nodded, silver eyes examining every crevice. After a moment, he stilled. A cave. Beneath the earth. He scowled. "I can determine little else; ancient magics protect it, but I feel the taint of death there." There should be an opening somewhere.
Mataias felt himself drawn to a nearby tree, its deadened limbs twisted and black. He studied it, noting as it shivered weakly in the wind. Gregori. Here.
The Dark One approached the tree and examined it a moment before cautiously pressing at a knot halfway down the trunk. There was a slight hesitation but, after a moment, the tree shook and the earth opened between its roots.
"A newly turned vampire did this?"
Gregori said nothing and instead entered the tunnel.
As soon as the two entered the cave, they stopped dead, bringing their hands up to protect their noses from the stench of rot and putrefaction.
So great was the smell that the two Carpathians nearly missed the hunched figure at the far end of the chamber. Mataias moved towards the shape, eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness of the cave.
Behind him, Gregori cursed. Look at them.
Huddled against the wall of the cave was a battered-looking woman, her long brown hair tangled and full of mattered dirt and blood. Mataias followed the path of one filthy arm and saw that the woman had her hand pressed against the throat of a small child. Both had their eyes closed.
But what surprised the two Carpathians most was the subtle energy radiating from the woman's hand. Power flowed from her weakening body into the near-lifeless one of the girl.
She is Carpathian, Mataias noted. He could feel her intense hunger beating at him as if it were his own. His eyes swept over the many open wounds of the child. Though he had fed well that night, even he felt his mouth watering at so much blood. How does she endure it?
Mataias stepped closer and the woman's eyes suddenly snapped open. They were fierce and bright, full of fear and determination.
"Leave," she mouthed, unable to form words past the terrible hunger.
Gregori moved around Mataias and opened his hands in a gesture of peace. "We want only to help," he assured her. "We are not the enemy."
The woman looked at him skeptically before glancing back down at the child in her arms. This time, when she raised her head, her eyes were filled with weariness.
"I can help her," Gregori said softly, slowly approaching the two. "Heal her."
Mataias watched dispassionately as Gregori reached down for the girl. The woman was reluctant to give her charge up, but her body was severely weakened, starved nearly to the point of death. It was obvious she could continue no longer.
Mataias, take the woman. I would like to bring these two to Mikhail's home before I attempt to heal them. The healer looked around the cave, his lips curling in disgust. Though there were no bodies, he could still smell them. Death clung to the cavern; it was no place to heal.
Nodding, Mataias crossed the distance to the woman and swept her up. For a moment, she stirred weakly, placing her hand on his arm in protest. Though he had felt nothing in centuries, the woman's touch sent a warm shudder through Mataias. Quickly, he pushed her hand away and followed as Gregori left the cave.
The Carpathians swiftly flew through the sky with their charges, stopping only when they arrived at Mikhail's home. Though the woman was converted, the child was not. They could not be taken to the healing caves.
The prince approached the two warriors, dark gaze taking in the sight of the unconscious girl and the nearly turned woman.
"I have called Shea and Francesca, and requested Ivory come as well." He stepped back and gestured towards his home. "Please, enter."
Gregori nodded and swept into Mikhail's home. Without a word, he entered the basement and went further into the hidden underground chamber. Here, he could work on the woman and child comfortably.
Behind her lifemate, Raven looked on apprehensively. Her violet eyes were full of sorrow as she took in the sight of the battered child. "What happened?"
"The undead," Mataias supplied, gently laying the woman in a particularly fine bed of soil. For a moment, his gaze lingered on her now still form, but then he retreated, preferring to stand against the far wall.
He watched as three women entered the room.
Fair-skinned with wine red hair, Shea Dubrinsky did not immediately look like a great healer, but Mataias had heard that the Prince's sister-in-law had spent her human life as a brilliant surgeon and now devoted her time towards finding a solution to the infertility rate of the Carpathian people.
Francesca Daratrazanoff, lifemate to one of the legendary twins, stood with regal command, but she gave off an air of serenity and calm matched by few others. She was a true healer, nearly as powerful as Gregori himself, though Francesca had always been quite humble with her skills.
Behind her mother, the young Skyler entered the chamber, Dragonseeker eyes wide and wary. Despite her slender and fragile appearance, Skyler was extremely gifted. And, though she was not fully Carpathian, she held most abilities of the Dragonseeker line. Often, Skyler helped her adoptive mother, keeping close to the ancient Carpathian woman.
Seeing others, Mataias stiffened. His body remained tense as Ivory Malinov and her lifemate Razvan approached. The two had kept mostly to themselves after reentering Carpathian society, though with good reason. As the grandson of the evil Xavier, Razvan carried the weight of suspicion continuously, though he had sacrificed his body, mind, and even his soul for the sake of others. Ivory, too, was related to the master vampires now continuing Xavier's dastardly plans.
The two, however, had more than proved themselves by helping to save Gregori's twin daughters, and by destroying Xavier. Though they were reluctant, Ivory and Razvan were slowly being drawn deeper into the world of their brethren.
Almost immediately, the women turned their attention to the woman and child, their faces paling. It was Razvan, however, who had the most trouble. His gaze fixed on the little girl and he stilled, the air around him crackling with unspent energy.
Without missing a beat, Ivory threaded her fingers through Razvan's and sent him a reassuring smile. Turning back to Gregori, she asked, "What do you need me for?"
Gregori motioned to the woman lying on the ground. She was recently converted by a vampire. We must be certain she has not been infected with the parasites."
Ivory moved closer and inspected the young woman's body. After a moment, she pulled out and shook her head. "I sense no parasites. There is very little damage at all. Had you not told me, I would not have known she was newly converted." She looked to her lifemate. "Mother Earth has had a hand in helping her, but I cannot say how much."
The Dark One bowed his head. "Thank you." He glanced back towards his two newest charges. "Perhaps that is how the woman was able to push aside her hunger so easily."
"She is starved, and newly converted," Mataias interjected. "It would have been impossible for her to resist draining the child--especially when the girl has so many wounds already."
Francesca nodded in agreement as she examined the little girl. "There is not a place on this girl which has not been injured." One delicate hand smoothed at the girl's matted hair. "She is very lucky to be alive."
"Perhaps luck was not the only factor," Gregori murmured, still looking at Sybil speculatively.
"What do you mean?" Mikhail demanded.
It was Ivory who answered, her eyes turning a deep amber. "There is something unusual about that woman."
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