.. The Archipelago…
Candles lit around. But the light couldn't do much. Only shadows on the rocky walls could be seen with much clarity.
The place was a mess. The confines of the cave were filled with murmurs and silent gossip.
Cold bodies under cloaks gathered before the stone podium, on which the leader, Caius usually stands to address the coven. As Caius had said, there's a fang glow.
But they have waited for hours, still no signs of Caius.
Inside the inner rooms, lined with cold rocks, was Caius. Bones-the-old was there too with some other vampires of high order in the Casal coven.
The place is almost dark. With so little lighting.
Caius was apart from them. He was standing before the Northside wall of the stone room. His mind faraway.
His eyes were on the image sculptured on the stone wall by fine hands. The dexterity says it all. The image was that of a female with fangs, a vampire.
Beautiful, that's the first thing that would come to your mind when you see the female's image. Dangerous, that's the second thing that will come into your mind. But the first thing, beautiful, won't let you see the second, dangerous, as a big deal.
Caius' eyes were filled with so much emotion as he gazed at the image. He felt grieve, he felt depressed, he felt like he's left alone in the whole world.
A vampire stopped behind him.
The dim lightings in the cave made his face unclear.
Caius didn't bother turning back at him. He's too into his thoughts to do so. He's barely hanging to this side right now.
The vampire bowed and said, "The sweepers made a complaint regarding you, leader."
"Hmmm." Caius said in a low voice. It was like a calm pool that raged underneath. The vampire knew better than to continue talking.
"The vampire, Kylian. He's been doing things." Bones-the-old said. His hands were crossed in front of him. "Even the sweepers couldn't clean it all up. Now the administrators are putting up songs about it."
Caius was calm as he listened.
"Leader, Lord Akotal is here." A vampire announced.
Caius didn't even reply. He felt no shock. He had expected it.
Slowly, he turned from the wall and faced the room.
A dark cloaked man came in. In his left hand was a staff, on which a three eyed bat with spread wings was mounted, wooden and antique looking.
Then several cloaked figures poured in.
Candles lit. So many that it formed a river of it. The burning wax produced yellow lights that illuminated the room and its occupants.
Caius watched as the figure under dark cloak approached him. Even in his next life, he would never forget this figure.
Akotal.
Akotal stopped before Caius, a dry smile etched his disfigured face. "Long time no see, Caius."
Caius bowed and said. "My Lord."
"You don't need to be." Akotal's disfigured face was graced with a humorless smile as he stretched forth his impossibly pallid hands to stop Caius.
Caius was fuming now. He could barely hold back himself. He felt anger. Anger that may lead to his death. But he cared less.
If the coven and Adrian are removed from the equation then he might do what he intended to do, but he'll only be endangering them if he does that now. Their deaths would be horrible.
But can he even succeed. He's fast as a born vampire. But when compared to a Primordial, he's like a dog compared to a tiger. The difference is collosal.
"That's what I love about you, Caius. You're smart enough to weigh every cons and pros within a second," Akotal waltzed away from Caius. His steps were filled with elegance and leisure. He stopped before the rocky walls of the coven. His crimson eyeballs ran over the images chiselled onto the walls.
Images of a man kneeling with his back turned at one old vampire whose claws cut deep into the back of the kneeling man. The man on his knees was no other than Caius.
He had saved his coven then. Such a dangerous gamble.
Then his crimson eyes wandered to that an image. It's an image of a female. A vampire. It's the image Caius was gazing at earlier.
Akotal's eyes was unreadable as he gazed. But his heart was running something else. His brain recalling memories, the past.
Her name was Ava. A woman who caught the heart of a Primordial vampire and a born one. But one won her heart while the other could only wreak anger because he lost.
A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Akotal's lips as he turned away from the wall.
"My Lord Akotal." Bones-the-old bowed.
Akotal turned to Bones. His eyes sparkled when it found the old vampire.
"Ah, Bones. Long time no see."
"Your grace kept me alive, my Lord."
"Of course not, Caius' bravery did."
"What are you here for, my Lord." Caius had venom in his tone as he said it.
Akotal paused. His eyes were like a calculator. He seemed to be in his thoughts. Then after a while he turned to Caius.
"I heard one of your men went AWOL."
"Just heard about it too. Will have it taken care of."
"No, no. Not like that."
Caius raised his head. His brows were up as his eyes glinted with confusion.
Akotal smiled. It was dark and humorless.
Caius sighed in his heart. He knew at the first moment Akotal's here to pull his legs. He knew it.
"Got a message that the said vampire has been a rogue ever since he stepped into this coven."
"Uh?!" Gasps erupted. This is serious.
"So you should have gotten rid of the rogue since you sighted him or her. Or perhaps, is the Argus not working no more. Or Bones-the-old is getting old."
Bones-the-old lowered his head at this. His eyes glinted with downtrodden light.
"Nothing lasts forever, you know." Akotal smiled.
"But the Tribunals has lasted for a while," Caius said.
The Vampire with the staff of the Tribunals stamped it on the stone floors. Akotal raised his fist in a halt. The vampire stopped.
Akotal's figure blurred and he appeared before Caius in a blink. Towering above him.
Caius' couldn't even feel the shock.
"You know, Ava has been the reason you're still alive. The fact that a Primordial vampire could mate with you instead of me still bothers me." Akotal turned his gaze and glanced at the female image on the wall, then turned his gaze back to Caius. He smiled, darkly. "But you should know that Ava is no longer here now and you're unprotected."
Akotal vanished again and appeared meters away, right in front of his army. His back is now turned at Caius. His crimson eyes looked over his shoulder back at Caius.
"Loric, the Albanian vampire was just like you. He failed to curb his men and the result was unpleasant. Had his flesh sliced away bit by bit. Yours will be more gruesome. A horrible tale to tell to generations to come.
"Find your man and execute him before it's too late, Caius."
With that, Akotal and his army melted in a flash like they hadn't been there at all.
************