Stained By Sin

THREE

Nero looked at the three men in the room with him, listening intently as he briefed them with the current situation. They were the commanding fighters of the Ivory clan; the best fighters their clan has to offer. Each one looked entirely different from the other though, their only similarities were their silver hair and silver eyes.

It was obvious that they were all shocked from the sudden announcement that his sister had already mated, but nobody dared to say a word. He made a very brief introduction to the situation, wanting them to focus more on saving the human than talking about his sister’s sudden mating.

“I want to avoid bloodshed as much as possible,” Nero began as soon as his initial briefing was over. “This should not end like it did twenty years ago.”

“But, my king, this is the Crow clan we are talking about. Although their numbers have dwindled by more than half, their strength is still something to be feared.” Thyone -- one of his commanding officers, and also the youngest -- spoke each word slowly, in a way that could still be considered respectful, but at the same time, give an impression of mockery. “Those vampires rely on their strength and strength alone. Talking to them will do nothing.”

“I am not saying that we should not fight them. What I want to do is to, first, try and negotiate with them. If we can avoid killing, we should do it. But if they reject our proposal, then we have no choice. We will fight.”

Nero ignored Thyone’s mockery, knowing that the young vampire was doing it to bait him. Thyone, being their best fighter, despised the way he lead the vampires. Nero believed in diplomacy, just like how a true Ivory should be. Thyone believed in strength, and that’s why he couldn’t accept Nero as his king. Nero even thought that, one of these days, the boy would even go as far as pledge loyalty to the Crow clan.

“My king, I understand that you just wanted to resolve this as peacefully as possible. But I agree with Thyone. The Crows hold a deep grudge against our clan. Especially to you. Our clan overthrew them, took over this place, and seized the right to lead the entire vampire race. I don’t think diplomacy will do us any good,” Avery, another commanding fighter, said.

Nero sighed. He knew that his fighters were right. But still… his conscience would not let him resort to a direct confrontation without trying all other, more peaceful options, first.

“Listen. As I have said, we will still fight. If necessary. But if we could just make the Crow agree with whatever proposal we give them, then it would be better, and more ideal. No lives would be sacrificed.”

“That’s too idealistic. Nero, you are smart. It should already be obvious to you how waste of an effort that is.” Khalil, Nero’s old teacher and now a commanding fighter, spoke for the first time since their meeting began. “You should know that meeting with the Crow for a talk requires you to leave all your fighters outside the perimeter where the discussion will be held. We already know for sure that the Crows will not abide by the rule, but even if we know that, we should still follow the rules that the Ivorys themselves drafted and implemented. If we do not, the Crows would cry foul and start their attack. If we do, they could use that opportunity to attack you while you’re alone. Eitherway, it will still end with bloodshed and your death. If you die, it would be their victory. The right to lead will return to them. Did you forget why we tried so hard to seize this place that you would just willingly give your throne to them?”

Nero smiled, grateful for his teacher’s insight.

“I did not forget anything, Khalil,” Nero said, bowing his head a bit as a sign of respect. “All of the things you mentioned are true. I will not deny that. However, no one waited for me to finish my plan. As I was saying, I plan to open our meeting with the Crow clan using diplomacy. But,” Nero paused, reaching for the wooden carvings -- similar to chess pieces -- that were neatly placed on one side of the table. He then slowly placed the carvings on top of the map that was painted on the table. “I never said we will not fight, did I?”

His actions effectively shut his fighters up. He even saw Thyone grinned in anticipation.

“Yes, there will be an attempt for a peaceful discussion. But as Khalil had mentioned, it is expected that our attempt to negotiate will end up with fighting. Our negotiation attempt is not just because of my wishful thinking. I am not that naive. That attempt is also crucial to our strategy. We will be devising our tactics with the negotiation as our opening. And that’s what I would like to discuss with all of you.” Nero raised an eyebrow, waiting for any comments from his fighters.

All of them looked satisfied with what he said. Now that he was finally able to tell them the purpose of the negotiation, they were able to accept his plan to do it.

Nero smiled in triumph.

“Now that we have reached an agreement, let’s proceed with the strategy planning,” Nero began. All three fighters nodded as they sat up straight. “First thing we should remember is their fighting tendencies. The Crow clan is a strong clan. Each member of the Crow excels in fighting. And, like what Thyone mentioned, regardless of the number, they could still take us on and defeat us in a fight. But only if we fight them head-on. Fortunately for us, the Ivory clan relies more on brains, and not just brute force. And that’s how we will complete our rescue operation. With well-planned strategies.”

* * *

Nero finished writing his letter, reading it a couple more times just to make sure. He gently rolled the paper before tying it to the leg of his dove. This was his first time sending the Crow clan a letter. He hoped the dove could deliver it safely.

Nero stood up from his chair and went to the nearest window. As the dove flew away, he watched it until it was no longer visible, even for his sharp eyes.

All kinds of thought were running in his head… this was the first time the Crow and the Ivory would meet after that tragic night. He wondered what would happen. Guilt still plagued him, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He did what he had to do. Even if it went against his morals, it was something that needed to be done. For the greater good.

Letting his eyes wander a bit at the forest outside the mansion, Nero enjoyed the peaceful feeling the night sky brought him. The gentle touch of the cold wind on his skin erased the bad memories that was haunting him. The twinkling of the stars easing his fears and anxieties.

Everything would be alright. He sure hoped so.

Even though he had devised a sneak attack to the Crows during the meeting, it would only commence once he felt that the Crow also had planned something. If the negotiation goes smoothly though, his plan wouldn’t need to be initiated. He knew it was only his wishful thinking, but he prayed he wouldn’t have to kill the same female he let escape twenty years ago.

While Nero was lost in his thoughts, he heard the door swung open. Even without looking, he already knew that it was Thyone.

Thyone was the best fighter in their clan, which earned him the right to be their youngest commanding fighter. But he was more than just that. He was also a pureblood, and Nero’s cousin. One that held a grudge against him.

Oh, how fun it was, to have a lot of people… or rather, vampires, hating you.

Sighing, Nero turned to face Thyone.

Nero was not surprised to see Thyone smirking at him, his fangs showing.

“What is it that you need, my dear cousin?” he asked, sounding bored.

Thyone entered the room, closing the dorm behind him.

“Nothing much. I just want to see your stressed out face as you fix the mess your little sister did.” Thyone walked around the study room, observing every inch of the with fake enthusiasm.

“As you can see, I’m not that stressed. And it’s not an irreparable mess. Ava just happened to find a mate that was an easy target for the Crow,” Nero said, his eyes following Thyone’s every movement. Nero moved away from the window, sitting back on the chair were he wrote the letter for the Crows.

The study room was spacious enough that even with Thyone wandering aimlessly inside, both of them were still separated by quite a distance. It was one of the few rooms in the mansion that was not altered.

When Nero first entered the study room, he was so impressed with how vast the book collections were in the room. It was something he definitely did not expect inside the Crow’s stronghold. Torture chambers, he expected. Study room and war room? Definitely not.

The existence of those rooms, however, made Nero question if the Crow clan really was just all about strength.

Thyone, finally tired of his fake interest to the books neatly lined up on the shelves, crossed the room and stood directly in front of Nero. Nero, however, did not even bother to sit up straight. He continued to slump on his chair while he meet his cousin’s gaze.

“You know, if I had been chosen as the Spear, all this mess wouldn’t have happened. I would make sure to kill each and every single Crows that were in this mansion that night. I would not let anyone escape,” Thyone said, his jealousy and repressed anger evident in his strained voice.

“Too bad you weren’t chosen to lead that battle. I wonder why? Maybe because you weren’t skilled enough?” Nero smiled at Thyone, knowing that his words would provoke him even more.

Back when the Ivory clan, together with all the other clans, were planning the rebellion against the Crows, it was decided that the Ivory would lead the battle. That much was obvious. Next to the Crows, Ivorys were the strongest, not to mention, most clever clan.

What came as a surprise was the Spear choice. Every one expected Thyone to be their Spear… the one that would carry out the duty to kill the existing king and be crowned as the new one. He was young at that time, but he was already the strongest, most skilled vampire in Ivory. However, they named Nero as the Spear.

Nero had since pondered why the elders voted for him. He was strong and skilled, he wouldn’t deny that. But if he engage in the serious fight with Thyone, he was sure that he would lose. The only reason he could think of was his brains.

Nero was a tactician. Even as an experienced fighter, he still excelled more with creating tactics and strategies. Maybe since they were the Ivory clan, the elders favored that more than just fighting skills.

Thyone expected himself to be named Spear as well, and was already looking forward to leading the entire vampire race. That’s why when Nero was chosen instead, Thyone held a grudge against him. Something that grew intense over time.

True enough, Thyone’s face grew red with anger. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Instead, he turned around and headed for the door.

“You can be angry at me all you want, Thyone. But don’t you dare mess up our plan,” Nero said, making Thyone pause. “As soon as the Crows responds to my letter, you will have to act as my commanding fighter and not a bitter cousin. If you can’t do that, you will be removed from your duties. I mean it.”

Without answering, or even turning back to look at him, Thyone began walking again. The sound of the door slamming shut as Thyone left was probably heard by the entire mansion.