Fated Fangs

Chapter 16: The Solution?

Eleni sprang happily up. She had come to recognise that knock. Only Cassandra rapped on a door the way she did; like she wanted to come in very much, but she didn't want to be a bother. Eleni's hands clasped the brass doorknob and opened it eagerly.

Cassandra was dressed sharp, as usual, in a dark pair of boot cut slacks with a fitted blazer over a bright white button-up. A thin gold chain peaked out from under the collar of her shirt, and her cuff links glistened in the light of the chandelier. She may have been clean cut as far as fashion went, but her hair seemed to be more out of control than usual, generally a sign she was stressed out.

"C-come in." Eleni stuttered, feeling nervous for some reason. She flushed a little in embarrassment. This Kazimir business was really getting to her.

Cassandra nodded and walked in past Eleni, who hastily closed the door behind her. She didn't think her father was still around, but she didn't want to chance him trying to burst in again. She would rather avoid him for a little while longer if possible.

"I assume your father filled you in." Cassandra began, immediately diving into the business of the matter as she strode over to the windows. She was always so direct. The night outside seemed calm to Eleni, but Cassandra glared out the window like she expected trouble to appear outside of it at any moment. Her body was stiff and at attention.

"Uh, well, not really. He said some Kazimir fellow was coming and that he is in some sort of order." Eleni began, sheepishly. She had no clue, really. She felt like an i***t for not giving her father a chance to explain more to her. Cassandra looked stressed, so maybe it was a bigger deal than she had thought.

Cassandra turned and looked at Eleni with confusion and concern. She walked briskly towards her and stood close to her, studying her face. Eleni blushed at the close scrutiny, feeling more like a moron by the moment.

"I don't understand. Bram sent Dyrk here to fill you in. Lord Kazimir is not 'some fellow'. Did he really tell you nothing?" Cassandra asked, incredulously.

"I-it's not his fault." Eleni inwardly cursed herself as she stuttered once again. Her nerves were really being put to the test. "I didn't exactly give him a chance." She sighed, resigning herself to coming clean. "We haven't been on the best terms lately if you haven't noticed."

"Oh, I suppose not." Cassandra back off a step, and Eleni released a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding in.

"Would you mind filling me in? Aruna started to tell me when Dyrk interrupted. I would rather hear it from you than him if it is all the same." Eleni said sheepishly.

"Of course, Eleni. I appear to have come in the middle of lunch, though. Did you wish to continue while I let you know what is going on tomorrow?" Cassandra asked as she walked towards the couch.

"Yes, thank you." Eleni answered politely. She had forgotten she had been eating at all, and her appetite was gone, but she didn't want Cassandra to worry. She followed Cassandra to the couch, sat down, and resumed eating, albeit reluctantly.

"I will assume you know nothing of the order." Cassandra guessed.

Eleni nodded, feeling dumb once again. Why was there so much she didn't know in this new world?

"Well, we have covens, and I know you know how those work, so I will spare you the details. The covens, and all vampire kind really, have a common goal. Much like humans, we just wish to survive. Unlike humans, our best chance for survival is to remain hidden and for the vast majority of people to only believe in us like they do any fairy tale.

The covens all work together to keep our existence a secret from all of human kind. There are, of course, humans who know we exist; Hunters, of which your mother was one. They aren't quite human themselves, though. Not much is known or understood about them, but they have powers of their own that are dangerous to our kind.

Now, the covens working independently to keep things under wraps is alright, but on their own, they would eventually disolve or be discovered. Even just the covens communicating with each other wouldn't be enough to keep order. There are always rogue vampires and un-aligned vampires. Trying to keep them from exposing us in our own territories is hard enough. There are many vampires hunting in areas that aren't claimed by any covenants as well.

That is where The Order of The Trinity comes in. In the beginning, there were only three vampires in existence. Those three were the fathers and mothers of all of the vampires today. They made underlings of their own, who in turn created their own vampires and covens.

Those three held more power than all of the covens combined, though, and all vampires had no choice but to obey their commands. They grew and guided their underlings until we grew closer to the numbers we hold today. The original three are long gone now, but when one nears the end of their life, they, or the two remaining, should they die before they can make a choice, choose a suitable replacement and all of their powers are bestowed upon the one chosen to help all vampire kind. Do you follow so far?" Cassandra asked, taking a breath.

Eleni's head was spinning. The vampires she knew seemed powerful enough. It was wild to think their were much more powerful vampires out there, let alone three super powerful ones who ruled over the rest. She supposed it made sense. Every system must have a leading class of some sort, but it hadn't occurred to her to ask about it.

"Yeah, I guess. These vampires are responsible for the rest of you. But, uh, they don't live forever? I thought all vampires lived forever?" Eleni said, starting to question all that she knew about vampires all over again.

"We do, unless something unnatural occurs. The thing is, you can only live so many thousands of years before something unnatural occurs." Cassandra answered, her amber eyes cutting through Eleni's wavering greys.

"I can't imagine what it would take to kill something that powerful, but I am sure I don't want to know." Eleni answered, a shiver tickling down her spine. Cassandra grinned a little, just with the left side of her mouth and only a little bit. Eleni didn't understand what was so amusing.

"Well, it happens. None of that is super important anyway. It's just context. Lord Kazimir is one of The Three. He, along with Lord Davorin and lady Akuji, rule over all vampires on the earth." Cassandra said, delivering the news with finality.

Eleni was shocked. Her mouth fell open, and she stared, wide-eyed at Cassandra. Kazimir, one of the three vampires who ruled over, apparently, the whole planet was going to be at their coven the next night.

"What?!?" Eleni screamed. "Why? Why is someone so important coming here?!" She demanded. She stood up and began pacing nervously. Cassandra stood up but just watched Eleni pace.

"He's coming here to make sure you are turned. I don't think you realize how rare this situation is. It hasn't happened in hundreds, possibly thousands of years." Cassandra stated, as if that should calm Eleni down.

"Thousands of years?? I am sure vampires are off boinking humans all of the time and having babies." Eleni rambled, still pacing.

"I mean, it's fairly rare that s*x between vampires and humans produces offspring in the first place, but your father didn't 'boink' a human. Your mother was a Hunter. They aren't human, and they certainly don't make a habit of hooking up with vampires. Their whole existence is about killing us." Cassandra added.

That stopped Eleni in her tracks. When she thought about it, it really did make sense. It didn't bring her any comfort, though, knowing she was likely one of a kind. She looked at Cassandra, worry falling heavy on her all at once.

"What am I supposed to do?" Eleni asked, nerves causing her voice to crack. She wrung her fingers out, not knowing what to do with herself. Cassandra swooped in close to Eleni and grabbed her hands, stopping them from fidgetting. She fixed Eleni with a deep, intense stare.

"Don't worry. I'm here. I'll tell you everything you need to know and prepare you to meet Lord Kazimir. They just want to turn you. Nothing bad is going to happen with your coven there backing you up." Cassandra said, conviction heavy in every word.

Eleni nodded, her knees feeling weak all of a sudden. Cassandra let go of her hands and immediately began talking about proper etiquette. Eleni took a moment to breathe, not really hearing what Cassandra was saying. It was really happening. Tomorrow night, she would be a vampire, one way or another.