The Bloody Masquerade

I was frozen as I stared dumbfounded into Diana’s calm eyes. While my mind reeled, my hands remained perfectly still, keeping the blade of my sword pressed coldly against her throat.

Diana waited patiently, not moving her gun from my forehead while my sword was on her neck, but I noticed her eyes trail to look behind me. It was then I heard footsteps, two of them, one heavy and one light. I believed them to be human until the familiar voice rumbled out warmly from behind me.

“Diana, please remove the gun from her head.” Alexis said softly with a steel undertone.

“I should’ve known you’d be around.” She muttered then her eyes narrowed. “But are you stupid? Bringing along the boy to a fight.”

I became stiffer than I was and my eyes widened when I heard Eugene speak.

“Why are you fighting with Augusta?” He asked in his small childish voice, amplifying how defenceless and weak he was.

I completely forgot the position I was in then as panic filled me. I whirled around, taking my blade smoothly from Diana’s throat, and stared at Alexis smiling gently with Eugene holding his hand, standing close to him. For a moment, shock and panic closed my mouth until a spark of rage allowed me to speak.

“Are you mad?” I yelled as stepped towards him. “Eugene could be in danger right now.”

“But he’s not.” Alexis replied simply.

“That’s not the point! You should be keeping him away from my fights, not bringing him towards them.” I snapped as fear was now getting the better of me. I didn’t want Eugene hurt or, even worse, killed. I cared for the child too much to see him in pain.

I was forced to suddenly turn back to Diana and deflect a bullet as she took a shot at my back. Her eyebrows were furrowed now and her thin lips were pressed tightly together. “Don’t turn your back on a threat, Augusta. That’s a child’s mistake.”

“You’re not an enemy Diana.” Alexis said while scratching his chin thoughtfully. “If you intended to kill Augusta, and she you, you’d both still be at it and practically torn to pieces by now.”

Diana looked taken aback then bit her lip in irritation for a moment before she sighed heavily and lowered her gun. Alexis had to push my arm down gently in to indicate that I should also lower my weapon and relax a little.

“Now we can talk like civilised people.” He said lightly.

I shot him an irritated glare, still angry that he had brought Eugene with him and very much intended to pull his ear and chew him out later, then gave Diana a stiff smile.

“Please explain why you have given me such a violent warning.”

“To put the point across that you can’t trust anyone. I am an ally, one of the few you have, Augusta. Every other witch that summons you like I did would no doubt engage you in a battle that will lead to death.” She said flatly. “The Crone wants you dead Augusta. She wants Eugene. You have to be on your feet now and prepared for a battle anywhere and at any time.”

“The Crone?” Alexis echoed. “Why send him here, to Augusta, then want him back?”

Diana shrugged her shoulders, apparently nonchalant but the sudden darkness in her eyes showed the pain well enough that was eating within her. “Grandmother has been sick for weeks and had been growing increasingly weak. Sometimes she’d fade in the middle of a conversation then start again, as if she had been talking all along.” I remembered then the last time I spoke with Ilda, how broken her sentences were and how scattered she sounded. “A couple of days ago she fell unconscious and when she woke, it was like she had never been sick. Completely awake and full of life, she was. Her first order as soon as she saw me was that I was to bring Eugene back to her and kill whoever guarded him.”

“And why aren’t you doing them?” I asked, my once relaxed fingers now gripping the handle of my witch-blade once again.

“Before grandmother fell unconscious, she made me promise I was to guard Eugene and not take any more orders from her. She wanted me to help you, Augusta, not destroy you.” Again, her small shoulders rose and fell without emotion. “Besides, I still want to find out exactly what you are.”

I narrowed my eyes a little, not bothering to point out that I had given up on that about twenty years ago, deciding to just live with the strange immortality instead of questioning it.

“But the Crone wanting your death is not the only bad news I have brought you.” Diana said. “There is another witch around. She’s staying in the shadows but she is strong, very strong. I think she is relaying information back to Ilda about the whereabouts of you and the boy.”

This was news to me. I hadn’t felt any threats nearby.

“She’s just watching, Augusta. Knowledge of your sensitivity is well known among the Families. They know they can’t simply stealthily approach you with the intent to kill, you would know about it.”

“So they’re preparing themselves.” Alexis stated, his tone now sombre from thought.

Diana nodded. “This witch is simply a scout. But she knows you are here as well as Eugene. She is also aware there is a werewolf guarding him. She may even know about me. The Head of her Family will be the one pulling the strings and barking the orders and, if she plays her cards right, she might be able to get past you to get a hold of Eugene. We can’t let that happen.”

I bit my lip hard, silently cursing myself for letting Alexis take Eugene out. Just because the scout knew I was here did not mean she knew about Eugene. If I had kept him under lock and key, his whereabouts wouldn’t have been proven.

“So what do you suggest we do?” I asked.

“I suggest I search for this scout and either get hold of her or kill her. As long as she is watching, her Family will gain a higher advantage. You need to find a new place to hide however. Your home is no longer safe. Once this witch is dead, word will spread to the nearby Families that both you and Eugene are residing here.”

I nodded my head and sighed heavily as exhaustion was now beginning to eat at me while Alexis asked a question I too wanted an answer too.

“What exactly is going on?”

Diana stared for a moment in silence then hung her head. “I honestly don’t know. Something was in that bracelet you sent her Augusta, I know that much. And whatever it was is now in my grandmother. She is dead as such. Her body may be moving but she’s no longer the Crone Ilda. She’s someone else.”

Guilt nibbled in my mind at the thought I had caused the Crone’s sickness but self-pity had to wait, I knew. First I needed to get as much information from Diana as possible.

“Did she find anything about the bracelet before she... died?” I asked.

“No. The bracelet itself was normal but it was made to hold Matter. I think it was Irma’s seeing as it was her death-site where you found it. But if it is Irma, it’s the first I have ever heard of a witch being able to survive after death through their Matter. We are looking into it though. There are too many pieces missing, too many guesses and theories. We need some solid answers before we can say for sure if it is Irma, or anything to do with her.”

An idea came to mind and I turned to look down at the silent child clinging to Alexis’s large hand.

“Eugene? Do you remember anything about your mother? Like what she was capable of doing with her Matter?”

I noticed a change in his face; his face paled considerably and his eyes widened a little, but he still tried to answer my question even though he was obviously unnerved by it.

“I don’t know. Mother was awfully powerful, even I could sense that. But I don’t know what she could do with her Matter other than use witch items and strengthen herself.” He said almost apologetically.

“Then we need to investigate her Family and old home.” Diana said quietly. “As soon as your Family finds out where it is, we shall go there.”

“My Family is involved?”

“Of course they are.” Diana scoffed. “They may be limited as they are under surveillance but they will try and do what they can for one of their own.” She glanced up at the high walls on either side of us. “We should leave it for now. Too much attention will be drawn to this spot now.” Her dark eyes held mine for a moment longer before she bowed low, a sign of respect younger witches used for their elders and superiors. “I am sorry I can’t make anything clearer for you. As soon as I hear news from your Family, I will pass it on to you about what has happened to Ilda and why she wants Eugene so badly.”

I waved my hand in front of my face, trying to stop her from being so formal with me, and smiled at her brightly. “I am just pleased things are beginning to come to light. Sitting in the dark and waiting for a nameless enemy to appear is not the best way to live.”

Diana let her mouth twitch into a grin briefly before she nodded. “I will take my leave now. Remember, let me deal with the scout, you try and find a new place to hide.”

As soon as she got an agreement from both myself and Alexis, she turned and walked down the alleyway. I didn’t bother to wait to see her vanish from sight as my panic and anger began to bubble anew. I turned sharply and walked straight passed Alexis without looking at him.

“We talk at home.” I said lightly and quietly.

I knew Eugene had sent me a worried glance between myself and Alexis but he remained silent, well aware I was not in the mood for him to stand up for Alexis. I tried not to let myself get more riled as we walked brusquely back to my apartment. My ears were twitching for any signs of footsteps or anything inhuman, but I couldn’t sense anything. The scout wasn’t nearby.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway of the small, dingy building complex I lived in, I stormed upstairs with my heels hitting the floor hard. I almost forgot my front door was locked and nearly kicked it open but I managed to call back a small sense of reasoning and fiddled with the keys to get it open. I stood in the middle of the small room, watching with a tight smile on my face as Eugene dashed past to watch in the corner while Alexis closed the door and turned to face me.

In our usual standoff way, we stood a few paces from each other and while I had my arms folded, his hands were stuffed deep in his pockets. The only difference was, while his smile was genuinely calm, mine was the opposite image to what I was feeling.

“Why’d you bring Eugene?” I asked sharply.

“I couldn’t leave him alone here.” He replied.

“Then why’d you come to me?”

He raised his eyebrows at that and laughed openly. “Now that’s a stupid question. You know why I came to you.”

“And you know I can handle myself.” I said, narrowing my eyes a little.

He shrugged his shoulders. “It does not stop me worrying. Eugene was too. I wanted to give you back up seeing as you are nearing your near Matterless days but I also knew leaving Eugene alone was stupid so I brought him with me. I knew at least whether or not he was safe.”

I opened my mouth to argue but I found my anger was dwindling. Alexis came to fight by my side, just as I expect him to, but he also made sure Eugene was safe. If things had become difficult, one of us would’ve taken Eugene and ran.

He knew the moment he was winning this argument as a frown was beginning to tug on my stiff smile. He took a few steps forward and placed his hand on my head, forcing me to lean my forehead on his chest.

“You worry too much.” He chuckled to himself.

“And you worry too little.” I mumbled but feeling calmer and smiling genuinely to myself now. It made me happy knowing that I had someone to worry over me once again. The lack of warmth and social contact in my life had become very noticeable ever since I met these two five years ago.

“I worry about the right things. I worry about you mostly. Eugene is perfectly safe while you, who is constantly on the front line, is not.” He corrected then suddenly crouched down in front of me and placed his hand on leg. When he touched the cut I had gained from Diana’s Matter bullet, I winced as pain began to register in my brain and stepped back. “See, you’re hurt.”

“I know. It’ll heal once I’ve patched it up.” I said.

I nearly managed to take a few steps towards the kitchen where the first-aid box was kept before Alexis’s hand shot out and grabbed my ankle. I fell onto back hard when he yanked my ankle and then he dragged me across the floor roughly. With my leg over his shoulder and a hand holding it firmly in place, he tilted his head as he observed the gash. I knew what he was planning to do as he lowered his mouth closer to my wound and my hand was on the hilt of my sword. In one smooth arc, I swung out and struck his head hard with the sheath of my sword. He winced from the contact and looked up at my irritated smile.

“How many time do I have to tell you not to lick my wounds, you lecherous mutt?”

He shrugged, still completely calm and laid back even though I had just hit him hard. “You know the immortals have ways of healing wounds. Saliva is a powerful thing.” He argued.

“I don’t care. I heal the normal human way. Especially when you always seem to enjoy it too much.” I said while pressing the end of the sheath against his forehead.

He opened his mouth to stand his ground until Eugene approaching us caught his attention. The boy leaned forward, clutching his jeans, as he looked down at me with his fluffy hair covering his eyes.

“Can I try heal you?” He asked timidly.

I blinked for a moment before I grinned lovingly up at him. “Of course you can, Eugene.”

“What?” Alexis said loudly, now looking very rejected. “How come he gets to but not me?”

“Because he is a ten year old warlock, not a perverted werewolf.” I replied as I watched Eugene happily kneel down next to my leg which was still held by Alexis.

“There is nothing perverted in the way I heal your wounds.” He grumbled.

I ignored him and his expression and stature of complete rejection and instead focused on Eugene as he placed his small hand over my wound. For a moment, the wound stung horribly but it slowly began to feel tingly, even ticklish. The strong focused expression on Eugene’s face was wiped away almost instantly when he was happy the wound had healed enough. With a proud light in his eyes, he stared at me as I observed his work, waiting for praise.

The wound was now a thin white line and the pain Diana’s Matter had created was now completely gone. This was another thing only warlocks were capable of doing. Matter was their strength and if they ever became hurt, Matter could heal the wound. Warlock could also manipulate a witch’s Matter to heal her wound, something a witch is not able to do on their own. Eugene however was quite young still. Either warlocks develop faster than I imagined or Eugene was strong even for warlock. I glanced up at the beaming boy before I tweaked his nose between my fingers.

“You have grown an awful lot.” I said warmly.

Eugene nodded his head enthusiastically at me then looked at Alexis as he observed my mostly healed wound. “Did I do a good job?” He asked.

“You have done.” Alexis replied in approval. “But how does it work?”

Eugene’s face lit up and he instantly began to ramble enthusiastically about the training Romana had put him through. I lay there with my eyes closed and my leg still held on Alexis’s shoulder, feeling content at listening to Eugene’s excited voice.

It worried me a little at how active he was when it came to using his Matter in defence compared to his obvious reluctance when it came to learning how to fight. There was a mental block there and one I had to address soon. Eugene had to learn how to fight or he would never survive in this world.

For now though, I wanted to just lay in the middle of the floor next to the most important people in my life with my mind blank as I dozed. I didn’t want to think about anything, least of all the death sentence the Crone had placed on me and the scout watching us from the shadows.