Turned

Chapter Two.

I sat in an armchair opposite Julius in the castle library, my legs dangling over the armrest as I flicked through a book that covered the Order of the Silver Cross. The room was silent apart from a page turning every now and then, it was peaceful, but that peace was disrupted by Julius slamming his book shut and looking up at me with a piercing gaze “There is no documented history of the De La Crona family bloodline” he announced, tossing the book onto the table in front of us. I had long since realized that he was researching me, his curiosity concerning me blatant. Picking up a random piece of scrap paper, I stuffed it inside the book to mark my place, closing it and running my fingers over the worn, brown leather. I breathed a heavy sigh, bored with the topic at hand and slightly irritated from not being able to find any recent information on the Order “Most likely because it has not existed for hundreds of years” I tossed my head back, looking up at the ceiling above as I nibbled on a nail, deep in thought. I spoke of my bloodline, but my mind carried me far away, to an Order that, according to records, had long since ceased to exist. It was clearly a ploy to stop the humans from discovering our existence. If it was not for my debt to Xavier, I would have most likely been in Birmingham by that time, which was the location of the largest library in Europe. There was bound to be some scraps of information on the Order there “Hundreds of years? Precisely how old are you?” I tossed my legs over the side of the chair, sitting upright as I searched the table, stacked with books, eyes looking for one I had not yet finished reading, but there were none. I had long since finished them, finding nothing, but myths, facts that I already knew. The door to the office opened to reveal Hamish, carrying a trey stacked with golden gauntlets “Did your mother never tell you that it is impolite to ask a woman her age?” Hamish asked the Royal, setting the trey down on the table in front of us. They were filled with a red liquid, one that caused my fangs to ache and my lips to tremble slightly. I threw the book I had been reading aside, causing the table to shake beneath the force “Four hundred and one” I replied without thinking, getting up from my seat and grabbing one of the gauntlets in hand, lifting it to my lips to take a sip of the metallic substance. It was stale, old and not what I was used to since Fiona had made it clear that there would be no feeding taking place in the town. I swirled the liquid, eyes locked on the world beyond the thin, sheer, red curtains that hung in front of the open windows “Your father was the Duke of Paris” Julius stated, however it did not phase me. I set the gauntlet down on a nearby desk, my fingers gripping the edges as I contemplated my options. It would benefit me to head to Birmingham, however I was stuck with the Royal due to my owing Xavier “That smug bastard is most likely having a laugh” I muttered, thinking about Xavier, but both Hamish and Julius misinterpreted it as an insult towards my father. It did not matter to me as I took another sip of the blood, swirling it around in my mouth to try and get used to the aged taste “This is truly vile” I grumbled as the door once again opened, to reveal a well-dressed, formal Fiona with her hair up in elegant braids and a floor length dress hugging her form. Her heels annoyed me, clicking as she stepped closer to the Royal “You best get used to it, we can not afford the people growing suspicious of our kind” I hummed, setting the gauntlet down with a thud against the wooden surface. It was clear from the way that she carried herself, how she had reacted the night before when I had killed that Hunter. She may have been a Vampire, but she acted as though she was human, with human compassion and human tendencies. It was starting to irritate me “Is that it or is it simply because you care for them?” I questioned, eyes set on the green fields ahead, the image clear through the material that fluttered in the light breeze. The sky was mostly dreary in the North, only having sunlight for a few days a year. The days were shorter and the nights longer which was the ideal environment for someone such as myself. I turned to lock eyes with the woman, physically she was older than me, brimming on her early thirties, but in years she was around sixty or so “You are a Vampire, Fiona it is time that you start acting like one” she was speechless, Hamish glancing between the two of us with a sense of fear rolling from his form. I stepped back to the table, my eyes staring up at a large family portrait that hung on the wall between bookshelves that stretched up at least four stories with ladders positioned around the room. The portrait was of two older men, one had his arm wrapped around a woman’s waist while the other was Xavier. Two boys and a girl stood by their feet, one boy seeming a few years older than the rest while the other two looked to be twins “The contract states that if I am to protect Julius, I will be rewarded whatever it is I wish as long as it does not bring him harm, correct?” I asked, eyes roaming over the face of my mentor. He was handsome, his hand resting on the shoulder of the eldest boy whom I had come to know as Vincent Cartel, Xavier’s son. Vincent had hated his father with a deep passion ever since his mother had died at the hands of the elder Royal. Xavier had killed his mistress when she had attempted to murder him in his sleep as to stake claim over his fortune. It had been many years before Vincent had tracked down and tried to kill his father. I breathed a laugh, remembering having killed him in Germany “Indeed” Hamish agreed, nodding his head to signal that I was correct. A faint smile brushed my lips as I realized the answer to all my problems. I sent a smug remark up to Xavier, telling him that I found a loophole to his ingenious plot “Then my wish is for Julius to ravel Europe with me” Fiona’s breath caught in her throat, Julius’ eyes widening at the thought of travelling with me. I must admit I was not used to lavish baths and king size beds to sleep in on my travels, however he had spent his entire life trapped behind the walls of luxury “That would require that you take him beyond the bounds of safety” Hamish said, referring to the castle. I wanted to sigh heavily but suppressed the urge to do so. I had spent many years protecting Xavier, never staying in one place for more than a few months. Turning, I met Hamish’s red gaze “I think we can all agree that he is safest when by my side” it was the truth. Fiona was too kind towards other to be able to kill even if it meant saving her Master whereas Hamish was too frightened to even fight. He was a man who had a way with his words, not his fists. The fact that they had been turned in the first place was mind boggling. They had no fighting potential, no special gifts, they were average to say the least “The enemy already knows where Julius is situated, by keeping on the move we can throw them off” I explained, trying to get them to see what I was referring to. Hamish seemed to understand quicker than Fiona did, her hesitation only meant one thing, that she had never been beyond Elgin and was most likely terrified of the world beyond it. Hamish was much the same, however there was a hint of excitement in his eyes “It would seem the obvious choice” Hamish muttered, his fingers gripping his chin as she looked down at the wooden flooring, his eyes swirling with wonder and curiosity. I did not leave room for Fiona to argue, despite her eagerness to do so, and spared a glance at Julius when I spoke, “Then we leave for Birmingham tonight” I announced, moving to leave the library, heavy boots thudding against the wood below. Fiona stepped towards me, her minor movement catching my attention and forcing me to stop, turning my head to look back at her from over my shoulder “England? You are dragging us to England?” she demanded, her eyes slightly wide while Hamish flipped through a nearby book on sights to see in Europe. I nodded my head, once, slowly then looked up at the ceiling above, thumbs looping over my leather belt as I closed my eyes and dreamed of the one thing I desired above all else in that moment “Maybe there we can have a decent meal” after that, I left the room, leaving Fiona gaping and Julius smiling amused at the older woman. I doubted that any of them had ever had blood from the vein before and was curious as to how they would take it.

Hamish had packed a bag of travelling books and maps, wearing a button up, brown plaid jacket and a bowler hat. Fiona lugged a large suitcase behind her, having packed enough to last her a year while Julius had a slightly smaller bag. To me it seemed pointless to carry so many things across the country. Three great steeds stood in the field in front of the castle, saddled and ready to be mounted. They were grazing in the moonlight, their pelts seeming to glisten as they moved “I assume we will be travelling by train once we reach England?” Hamish questioned. It was obvious that England was more advanced than Scotland because of their use of steam powered trains, but progression to smaller countries was slow. The first steam powered train was invented in the year 1804, quickly becoming the front-page news of every newspaper across the world. Since then only England, America, Russia and Asia had successfully managed to incorporate train travel into their cities and towns. I, myself had ridden in them many times before, but the use of such public transportation would only cause for us to be vulnerable and out in the open “We will continue on horseback” I said, bringing an end to Hamish’s excitement as I stepped towards a white stallion. I placed my palm flat against its neck, causing it to rear its head and breath out through its nose. I glanced up at the sky, aware of the fact that the winter snows could start at any moment, but hoping that they would wait until we reached London “Is there a particular reason why our destination is Birmingham?” leave it to Fiona to question everything so tentatively. I gripped the horse’s reins and place a foot in the foothold before expertly hoisting myself up onto its back. Years spent riding horses in both Paris and England when I was younger were the cause of my skills. The horse stepped forward then backward, uneasily. I tugged back on the reins and the horse calmed down, shaking its large head “I have some personal business to attend to” I replied to the woman’s question, leaving it at that. Beside me, Julius mounted his steed, a great black stallion larger than the one I was on. It was a warhorse, one built with muscle and as mighty as the greatest of horses. Its black mane hung down to its chest, tail whipping about and hooves covered in a curtain of hair. I had only seen such a magnificent horse once before, Xavier’s first. He had told me that it had been bread from a long line of pure warhorses, given to him as a gift for coming of age in the Royal family. Xavier was only thirty-six when I’d met him. The horse was not immortal though and died shortly after I was turned, but the memory of the great beast still haunted my mind “So you are dragging us across the country to run simple errands?” I gritted my teeth to keep from lashing out at her, keeping silent as Hamish mounted his steed. It was a brown and white mare, covered in patches of the different colors with a chestnut mane. The horse was calm and did not seem to mind either Hamish nor Fiona. The woman looked terrified of the mare, her eyes locked onto it as if it was a pit viper that could strike at any given moment “Come now, las” Hamish tried to persuade her, holding his hand out for her to take so that he could help her onto the back of the mare, but Fiona was having none of it. She turned her head to the side and stuck her nose in the air like a high born, refusing to approach the horse “We do not have all night” I snipped, growing agitated by her refusal to mount the animal. I determined that she had most likely never been on a horse in her lifetime, or that if she had, she had never ridden it herself. She shot me a glare, her eyes narrowed onto the back of my skull as I looked out onto the ocean beyond the fields. My comment had given her enough courage to mount the horse with shaky legs “See now, Glyn here is a sweetheart” Hamish said, starching at the back of Glyn’s ear. The horse breathed out, the air condensing in front of its snout. Fiona wrapped her arms tightly around Hamish’s torso for fear of falling off, her eyes squeezed shut and her fingers gripping the material of his jacket. I kicked the sides of my horse gently, willing it to walk forward and turn to walk past both Hamish and Fiona “Be grateful that you did not have to mount that” I muttered, jerking my head in the direction of the horse, Julius was perched upon. Fiona looked at it with a mixture of fear and anxiety in her eyes while I began walking in the direction of the town, heading South. Julius followed, guiding his steed well, he was a born Royal which meant that riding a horse was second nature to him. Hamish on the other hand struggled to get Glyn to move “Indeed, Cerys does not take lightly to strangers” he said once he and Fiona had caught up to us. My body swayed as the horse beneath me ventured its way down the hill. I shot a glance at the black stallion, its eyes the color of gold much like its Master’s. I found it odd that a horse so fierce, so mighty would be called Cerys after the Celtic word meaning ‘love’ “I do not particularly enjoy this” Fiona announced, her eyes squeezed shut and her body as solid as rock, muscles tense and knuckles turning white from her grip on Hamish’s jacket. I did not care what she thought, instead keeping my head down when we reached the town, hooves clicking against the cobble stone streets as drunken men laughed and drank, sang songs and fought out in the dimly lit streets. To me it was a sight I had seen many times before, to Julius it was a disgusting scene. A woman was being harassed by a man, shoved into an alley and stripped of her clothes. She cried for help, but her cries were none of our concern. Julius stopped abruptly, reaching for the sword that hung from his belt. I pulled my steed to a stop and reached out to grip his wrist, stopping him “We can not afford to make a scene” I said, locking gazes with him as the woman’s cried were muffled by the large man’s hand. He was laughing, a sickening sound that made my skin crawl. Fiona had a hand covering her own mouth, eyes wide at the sight while Hamish refused to look “This is the world beyond your riches, best learn to accept it” I let go of his wrist, whipping the reins of my horse and kicking its side to will it to move, hooves once again clicking against stone as I passed the alley, eyes staring straight ahead. The rest followed at a slow pace, mortified by what they had seen. Fiona looked about ready to cry, but she knew she could not, I would not allow her to. If she was to weep, she would be weak, and weakness was something I did not take lightly. At the edge of town, we rode hard, out horses galloping across fields of lush green as the moon rose higher into the darkened sky. It would take a full day to reach the border that separates Scotland from England which was why I had opted for riding at night. Hours passed, the sun only an hour away from rising as we walked along a narrow dirt path that would lead us to an inn close to the border. The ground was wet and damp, causing the horses’ hooves to stick to it like glue. I had long since adopted the silence with gratitude, the scene in the town having frightened them all into a mute state that I welcomed with open arms. That is until Hamish finally spoke up “I have never been this far South before” his eyes were scanning the area; the same excitement as before having returned to his gaze. I did not bother to speak instead I focused on leading my horse through the muddy earth “Then again, neither have you, Master Cartel” Julius nodded, his eyes empty as they stared down at the ground. As a Royal, he felt obligated to save those in need, it was that drive that had played a small part in Xavier wanting to turn me as well so to not have been able to help that woman did take its toll on the Royal “Cartel” I whispered to the crisp, morning air, the sun not yet in sight and the darkness still all around us. There were very few instances where I would allow my curiosity to get the better of me and that was one of those instances. I turned to look at Julius, my eyes able to see perfectly in the darkness “It is not a name of Scottish heritage” I had known this for some time, even with Xavier. It was clearly an English name, but whenever I would ask him about it, he would remain silent, his family and bloodline always kept a mystery. I figured that he did not wish to dwell in the past or think about his family because of his son “It is American” Hamish, nodding his head. Julius was too lost in his thoughts to even hear my question. Fiona was the next to speak, she had loosened her grip on Hamish a few hours ago and was clearly tired from the way her eyes drooped when she looked down “The Cartel bloodline was forced to immigrate because of the growing amount of sunlight in America, that is why the remaining Royal bloodlines can all be found in Europe” it did make sense, the sunlight was one of our weaknesses, which was why Xavier and I had stuck to European countries over the last few centuries, however that something so simple as a few rays of sunlight could drive an entire bloodline to move across the seas was somewhat boring “One would expect them to have been hunted or driven away, something far more exciting than the sun” I mumbled out loud which seemed to annoy Fiona. Her eyes narrowed onto my form, ruby orbs piercing into the back of my skull as I moved at the front of the party. Her glares did not affect me much like her opinions and words were of little value to me “Have you ever been burnt by the sun?” she demanded, her voice taking on a fierce edge. She did not like me very much, most likely because I could see right through her. I turned my head to glance back at her from over my shoulder “No, but from your reaction, I take it that you have” she went silent, mouth closing when my eyes locked onto hers. She saw herself as a human and it was likely that after she had been turned, her beliefs had got the better of her and she had ventured out into the sun. It was normal for idiotic Vampires to do such things and learn the hard way “My, ever the perceptive one Miss De La Crona” my back muscles tensed when Hamish addressed me by my last name. I turned my head to set my eyes straight forward to hide the unease that rested within them. If Fiona was to notice, it would be my down fall “Evana” I corrected him. There was a chill in the air, one that signaled the sun would rise soon, a sharp ball of orange light so I turned to steer my horse towards an inn near Melrose. It was a town of rivers, many rivers which meant that the soil would be much muddier than in Elgin. One of these rivers was the Tweed River, and just beyond that would be where the Romans had built the Hadrian’s Wall which divided Scotland from England.