Below the Northern High Council, there existed a labyrinth of underground passages and caves that extended far beneath the city. Some would say that one could descend into the maze under the Council building only to emerge in a completely different part of the city. The tunnels were hewn from the rocks upon which the citadel sat, the stony floors though rough and irregular, had been worn smooth by the constant falling of footsteps through the centuries. The walls had been shaped and carved into arches and alcoves, that contained statues and sarcophaguses, inscribed with intricate designs in a language, recognized and spoken by very few.
Along the walls, were attached sconces, containing torches, that burned day and night, providing the only source of light. An eerie quiet permeated the passages, the dense rock absorbing any sound or light, and leaving no trace that anything had ever walked there. And here, walked Seamus and Mikhail, the fae and the vampire, cloaked in hooded, black robes. They moved surely and silently through the underground labyrinth, not even their footsteps making a sound. Their destination was a cavernous chamber, it's ceiling spiraling upwards into the darkness, not illuminated by the torchlights.
At it's center was a stone altar, the size of a large table, and at one end of the altar were placed five high-backed chairs carved from black obsidian. The witch and the werewolf were already seated when they arrived, waiting patiently as Seamus and Mikhail took their places and lowered their hoods.
"Begin", Seamus spoke once seated.
To one side of the altar, a door carved into the rock, slid open and two guards stepped through with a struggling Lavinia, held securely between them. She was breathing heavily and her face was streaked with tears but upon seeing them, she ceased to struggle, and instead walked defiantly to stand before them.
"What have you to say in your defense?", Seamus asked, his features distant and aloof.
"You would punish me for being in love?", Lavinia questioned, her eyes looking at each of them in turn.
"No, it was never that", Seamus replied.
"What then?"
"We have had this conversation before Lavinia", Seamus leaned back in his chair, his face tinged with weariness.
"You were all against me. He could have loved me if not for your constant meddling!", she spat vehemently, her eyes filling with tears.
"It is not your destiny", Lucinda quietly responded.
"You don't know what my destiny is!", she shot back.
"And neither do you, apparently", Markus didn't bother hiding his impatience with the human.
"I am destined to be Queen", Lavinia's eyes flashed with fiery defiance.
Lucinda glanced uneasily at Markus before her eyes strayed to Mikhail, who sat beside her, his face was expressionless but his eyes gleamed dangerously in the light from the torches.
"You will never be Queen and Ivar will never love you", Seamus said firmly.
"I refuse to accept that is my destiny"
"You won't have to"
None of them saw the ancient vampire until he had sunk his fangs deep into Lavinia's throat, ripping through the flesh with a voracious intensity that sent her blood spurting from her neck and across the chamber. The sound of her tearing flesh and the gurgling sounds from her throat as she choked on her own blood were impossibly loud and Lucinda turned her face, unable to watch. Seconds later, Lavinia's head dropped to the floor and rolled across the chamber, Mikhail had bitten clean through her neck, completely severing it from her shoulders.
Lavinia's eyes were open wide in shock, she hadn't anticipated that her punishment would be so brutal or that it would be Mikhail. The Councilors had long entertained her foolishness, only mildly chastising her from time to time, and she had wrongly assumed that her position afforded her immunity from the Council's discipline. If she had not accepted her destiny before, it was highly likely that she had accepted it now.
Reaching for his handkerchief in his coat pocket, Mikhail remembered that he had given it to Serena on the terrace, and he turned expectantly to Seamus, who looked at him questioningly.
"Where is your handkerchief Lord Mikhail?"
"I have given it to the one who needed it"
"How unlike you", Seamus said, clicking his tongue as he handed Mikhail his handkerchief.
The two guards quickly and quietly removed Lavinia's body, returning only minutes later with two maids, who scrubbed the walls and floor, to remove the blood stains. The Councilors waited until they had left before Markus spoke.
"We have need of a human representative"
"It is not a matter of great urgency", Seamus replied calmly.
"What of Viscount Linley?", Lucinda questioned.
"He will be here in the morning", came Seamus' answer.
"But he....", Lucinda glanced at Seamus in confusion.
"There is another", Seamus spoke softly as he closed his eyes.
Lucinda and Markus nodded, satisfied with his answer, but more than that, knowing the boundaries that existed between them, they wouldn't dare to probe further. The relationship between Seamus and Mikhail was not one to be questioned, and even after the time they all had been together, they were still unsure of who wielded the power.
"Leave us", Mikhail's serpentine voice whispered.
Without a word, Lucinda and Markus stood and left the chamber, their footsteps echoing through the passage outside, the sound fading as they turned a corner out of sight.
"Refrain from making such a mess in future", Seamus muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"She was loathsome", Mikhail sneered.
"One is expected to become more tolerant with age"
"Speak for yourself", Mikhail scoffed, getting to his feet as Seamus followed suit.
They left the chamber together, pausing briefly just outside the entrance, Mikhail murmured softly, "See to it that the Lycans who attacked the Queen are made examples of. Make it known that I will not tolerate any harm to the girl"
"As you wish", Seamus responded curtly, as he remained standing and watched the vampire disappear into the underground labyrinth.
Alone in his private chambers, Seamus sat in his nightclothes, staring out the window at the sky that was beginning to lighten. His face that was normally distant and cold, was now drawn and weary, the effects of the night's events, having clearly taken its toll.
He ran his hands across his face, feeling suddenly overwhelmed, but he knew that sleep would not come easy, it never did. He longed to return to his once-great kingdom, to rule again as its king, but the time had long since passed. The kingdom of the fae, now lay in ruin, its former might and glory overshadowed by drunken debauchery and depravity, that knew no bounds. His people, after opening their doors to the rest of Nahana and the different races, had succumbed to carnal lust, diluting their bloodline so only very few purebloods remained.
When the vampires came with their great army and preternatural strength, the fae were easily overcome and the kingdom was laid to waste. Seamus, as the only heir to the throne, was destined to be executed and thus bring an end to his royal bloodline. He had accepted his fate, prepared to die that day, but for a vampire with hair the color of fresh snow and eyes the color of blood.
Even then, Mikhail Vladimir, was a vampire who instilled fear and awe in all who crossed his path, and even those who didn't. His name was known far and wide, whispered fearfully around fires at night and used to scare children into obedience. It was a name that became synonymous with brutal carnage and bloodlust and blood soaked the ground wherever he walked.
The day he saved Seamus from certain death, he turned his back on his military career, stepping down as Commander General of the Vampire King, just as Ivar inherited the throne and appointed Rathgar as his Commander General. Seamus never knew the reason for his withdrawal from the army but he had heard numerous theories, most of which were too outlandish to be seriously considered.
Much later, rumors abounded about his appointment to the Northern High Council, some saying that Ivar had seen to his position as Councilor as a reward for his exemplary military service, but Seamus knew better. Mikhail had no need of Ivar to secure his position on the Northern High Council, he was more than capable of achieving that on his own. Mikhail's ability to strike fear in the hearts of men of any race, was not limited to only the battlefield.
As far as Seamus knew, Mikhail's only reward for his loyalty and service to the Vampire King, was one that he had requested himself, the only time that he had requested anything of Ivar. Mikhail Vladimir had not requested anything for himself, not gold or title, land or castle, nor women or men, though had he asked, Ivar would have gladly granted it. Mikhail had requested only that Ivar, the Vampire King, spare the life of the former King of the Fae.