The Blood Painted Cage

I sat contentedly in the garden with my eyes closes and my hands placed on my lap. Sitting directly across from me was Susan, scowling with distrust and glancing now and then for a way out. There wasn’t. The moon was out and the sky was dark with night which enabled both Dana and Livia to stand guard. Not only that, Susan had worked out that I could endlessly trip her up and do so without being near her. She knew she couldn’t get far.

Gently, I was flitting through Susan’s mind and filtering through her Matter. I had been doing this for over an hour now and could’ve started hours before if Susan wasn’t so stubborn. Strangely it was Viorel who managed to calm her down and got her to let me do my job. It was apparent that the time they spent together was forming some sort of friendship or bond between them.

I was taking my time in my search. If I was going to find a way to seal Susan’s Matter I needed to be patient. The stakes were against me on this. Matter was not something that could be shut away then unlocked again. You destroyed the heart of the Matter’s source, in other words the essence of the Witch. They become nothing more than a normal human after that. Lucius didn’t want that to happen though. He wanted Susan to remain a Witch but with a collar. It was a tricky request I had to admit however I was getting a feel for it though once I had located her centre. If I could just work out how to create a door with a key then that should do the trick.

I had to stop though when my head began to ache horribly. I retreated swiftly from Susan’s river of Matter and rubbed my temple, alerting my maids to my discomfort. They stepped forward to assess my pain with concerned expressions.

“You have concentrated for too long, Lady.” Dana muttered as she hovered behind Livia who was crouched beside me. “I would advise not to work anymore today. Rest for now.”

I wanted to argue but I didn’t. Being in the depths of so much Matter hurt and ate away at my defences. I wasn’t too surprise. Matter was the energy humans used to cull the Old Race. It wasn’t supposed to be a pleasant experience when you touched it.

Susan stood sharply and placed her hands on her hips. “Can I go then?”

I smiled and nodded. “You may but make sure Viorel is with and don’t stray too far from the house.”

She grunted in reply then darted away swiftly with her black dress swirling about at her knees. I watched her run through my garden before she was swallowed up by a large bush and mentally nudged Viorel who was working again in his room. He didn’t say a word; just stood and followed the tagged essence I allowed him to sense through me.

When my attention came back, I was alone with Livia. I guessed Dana had gone to make me tea and grab something for my head which was proved correct when she came striding back. I drank the tea glumly, trying to ignore the horrible tang as I swallowed the herbs Dana had included to the liquid.

Lightly I skimmed my house to locate Lucius and hovered about his essence when I located him sitting nervously in the lounge. I had told him to wait while I worked. I couldn’t have someone exuding so much worry and anxiety hovering around me when my mind was open. It would only cause a distraction. So, much to his disliking, he went and sat in the lounge, out of range of my sensitive mind. At least I had some good news to give him alongside the bad.

With a heavy sigh, I handed Livia the empty cup and pushed myself onto my feet. I waved my maids away as I slowly edged my way towards the back door, reaching out to nudged Vincent.

‘I am going to address Lucius about what you told me.’ I said gently. He snapped to attention instantly. ‘Do you want to be present?’

‘I will be.’ He growled.

I nodded and retreated, walking slowly into the house to stand beside the lounge door. I didn’t wait long for Vincent to come down stairs and his expression was not a happy one but neither was it his usual scowl. More of a mixture between annoyance and boredom. He stopped sharply with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets when I stepped in front of him. I didn’t say anything. I wanted to but I just didn’t know what without sounding stupid or insensitive. So instead, ignoring the dark glare I was receiving from him, I stepped forward and hooked my fingers in his shirt with my forehead leaning against his chest. I stood there for a moment and filled his mind with warmth, letting him know wordlessly that he had my support. I wasn’t deterred when he didn’t move and smiled warmly at him when I moved away. My fingers hooked his and I guided him into the lounge where Lucius waited.

At the sound of our entrance, Lucius stood sharply and gave me an anxious look before glancing at Vincent warily.

I let Vincent’s hand go, keeping an eye on his parasite as his anger began to boil. He stood a few paces away from me, letting me speak with Lucius without interruption but watching us very carefully from his corner.

At the sight of my sad expression, Lucius assumed the worst for Susan.

“You can’t do it, can you?”

I was startled at first before I laughed and shook my head. Vincent didn’t like that and growled gently. I ignored him.

“I think I can do something for her. I have located her centre and I might be able to create a box around it. It will take time though. Being in contact with her Matter gives me quite painful headaches.”

He grinned broadly in relief. “That’s fine, Lady. More than fine.”

“I will work as fast as possible but I think it will take a few days.” I told him apologetically.

His grin faltered. “I am okay with staying here for as long as you’re willing, I am truly happy that you can do something but if you feel uncomfortable about it, tell me and I will take back my request.”

“It is not what you ask of me that bothers me Lucius. I want to help you.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Hesitantly, I turned and indicated for Vince to come over. He strode to my side with his normal livid scowl now on his face and hovered close to my side.

“This is Vincent Blackburn, Lucius. You should have heard of him.” I started.

Lucius nodded his head, trying to keep eye contact with me while watching the towering man who looked as if he wanted to rip his throat out. “He killed many of our kind four years ago. I thought he was under the First.”

“He was until a few months ago. I released him.” I sighed lightly then indicated to the chair Lucius had been sitting in before I had come into the room. “Do you want to sit down?”

He shook his head, suddenly very apprehensive. “You have something to say Lady, then just say it.”

I nodded slowly. “Four years ago, Vincent became ill. He was poisoned by a group of humans who have now gone to ground. They left him behind and the poison festered. As a result he acted as a parasite would when he grew angry or felt threatened.”

“Is he still infected?” Lucius asked.

I hesitated. “In a way, he is. He has most of his mind back now but permanent damage had already been done by the time I created an antidote.” Sadness dampened my solemn mood and I gently let my hand brush his.

The action seemed to stir him from whatever thoughts were filling his mind and he spoke in a low deep tone. “I have a parasite in me now. I still lose myself sometimes.” He told Lucius in an almost threatening tone.

Lucius nodded grimly, letting the threat go without a word. “Are you warning me to be careful when he is angered?” He asked, trying to get an answer to my sad mood and explanation of something that seemed irrelevant to him.

“That too but there is something else, something a little more important. Susan’s an orphan, isn’t she?”

He looked alarmed at my guess but calmed quickly. “She is. I found her in her home. Her family had been brutally killed and how she survived I don’t know. Even if she was hidden in a hidden room, an immortal could’ve easily sniffed her out.”

“And she is trying to hunt down the killer. It is why she keeps escaping.”

“Yes. I keep telling her she would not survive out in the world on her own and that she’ll probably die when she found the Ancient. She doesn’t listen.”

I smiled gently. “I gathered.” The smile vanished and a heavy pause followed.

I didn’t know how to say that Vincent was the killer and the reason why Susan was without a family. It turned out I didn’t need to as Vincent hand cupped my head and guided me to lean on his chest. He stared at Lucius evenly while managing to hold his glare at the same time. Letting his fingers stoke my hair aimlessly, he spoke firmly.

“In an attempt to protect the Harlow family, who were trying to help me, I ended up becoming lost and killing them.” He said bluntly, getting straight to the point.

Lucius stared, unblinkingly. “You’re the reason why Susan is without a family?” He stated and by the stiffening tone I knew he was growing angry.

“It was no fault of his.” I said quickly jumping to Vincent’s defence. “Vince went to them for help but no one knew how bad the poison had gotten. He lost himself when the Family was attacked.” I paused. The silence Lucius was giving me was not helping my nerves. “We agreed to tell you because while he wants to tell Susan, I don’t. I don’t want him hated by Susan because of something would not have done himself. If he hadn’t been sick, Susan’s family would still be alive.”

Very slowly, Lucius exhaled and rubbed his face with his hand. “I don’t know what to say. Finding the man who killed her family was something I have been doing for the past four years. I didn’t expect him to just give himself up.” He muttered then gave Vincent a long hard look which was returned by a glare. Eventually, after much thinking, he seemed to come to a decision. “If the Lady is standing up for you and declaring you were not at fault then I’ll back down. I won’t tell Susan but neither will I go out of my way to keep it from her and neither will I try to stop her hunt when she is older.”

Vincent growled in protest. “I don’t agree to this.”

Lucius shrugged. “The Lady is right. It is not you who was at fault but the people who poisoned you. Hopefully, when Susan finds you herself which is inevitable, she has worked this out already.”

I was smiling stupidly at him as warmth and joy filled me. “Thank you Lucius.”

He shrugged but returned my smile. “I only do this because you ask of it. Any other and I would question Vincent’s stability.” He abruptly bowed lightly. “I will go find Susan now.”

I nodded in farewell and watched as he swiftly left the room, leaving me alone in the arms of a very unimpressed man. Soothingly I leaned into him, letting my fingers trail his arm softly in an attempt to calm him.

“We leave things for now Vincent. Nothing good will come out of telling Susan yourself. Let her come to you on her own.”

Gently, he tilted my head to face him and cupped my face with his large hands, letting me see the full force of his glower. He was silent for a moment, just glared at me with his dark eyes and stroking my cheek with the pad of his thumb. Then, very slowly and in a clear voice, he spoke.

“I will not argue only because it is what you truly want however, when Susan finds out I am the killer she seeks, I will not fight. I will lie down and die if that is what she wants in return for what I did.” He said firmly.

Abruptly, he let me go to stride out of them room, leaving me standing still and shaking from fear at his words.