Fan Fiction ❯ Aranea ❯ Four ( Chapter 4 )

CHAPTER FOUR

 

Wind howled and snow lifted off the ground mesmerizingly as he moved across it faster than the eye could see. The slayer was correct about the Sun being close to rising above the horizon but it would be more than a few seconds till it did.

 

The prince was no fool.

 

And she had taken him for one.

 

Now, the tower in which he stayed was nearing and in his sights. Not much distance was left to cover except the stretch of flat, hilless land covered in snow that was melting with the arrival of the sun.

 

With a startling leap, he reached the base of the tower quickly then scaled the height to his balcony and disappeared into the safety of his dark, and cold room. A mere second later, the sun rose up and the area brightened noticeably, the colors changing from a soft blue and silver to a warm yellow and gold.

 

Closing the balcony doors, no glass to let in light, Kai narrowed his eyes and turned to his room, now encased in complete darkness.

 

Glancing at the torch that had burned endlessly since even before he was first born, Kai snarled at the irony of it. Shrugging off his urge attempt for the millionth time in his reign to diminish flames that were surely mocking him with their never-ending flames, he pushed open the doors leading from his room into a hallway.

 

He had a meeting to attend with his closest and strongest followers, the few who knew of his plan for a certain vigilante that was solo. Turning a corner, he entered a room where several vampyres were seated around a large wooden table with identical parchments set upon the tables for them to inspect.

 

Taryn and Ray were at the far end, on either side of the final seat, conversing over a matter, the matter they were all gathered together for on the dawn after the first full moon of the month. Both looked up simultaneously at his presence and Kai noticed in his mind that they both looked troubled and relieved at the same, looking more like siblings than ever before.

 

"It's about time, lord," one of the murmured hastily in mild humor. Normally, if it were one he did not know, like those who attended the gathering, he would have been wary of such a comment but this one had been behind him for more than four-thousand years. That was more than most could say they have resided on this Earth.

 

"Decided to go for a walk undisturbed. Didn't go as I had planned," he informed absently.

 

"Run into someone?" This time, it was a more younger vampyre though her wits and unusual high intelligence for mechanical items made up more than enough for her age.

 

Kai let a gleam of amusement enter his eyes and allowed himself a fanged smirk that was not a smile but a warning that any questions afterwards would not be tolerated. It was his only way of warning to his closest 'friends'. "To say the least."

 

(-)

 

Katharine headed down the hall and found her room. It wasn't that she was tiring, or that she wanted to simply find her way to the room that she had searched for it. It was to retrieve her weapons and something else she had given to the girl Riley and the need to know the territory of which she was currently treading on, despite being noted as unharmful.

 

She needed her cloak, the one Riley had insisted upon taking since it would be dragged around for hours when afterwards, they were going to rooms anyways. Opening the door with the brass key, she entered the room, dimly lit by a burning candle. It was furnished, a dresser, fully equiped with a mirror and several beauty items such as a brush and several colors and types of make-up items and brooches as well.

 

What did they take her for?

 

Katharine pushed all of the items off of the dresser top, brush excluded since she could not stand her hair being matted in the least bit, and took off the corset that was almost painfully binding a pair of daggers into her back. Yes, Riley had asked of her to hand over all weapons but Katharine did not feel like removing the corset, handing over the daggers, then having to set the black leather corset around her ribs and torso all over again. It would have taken her a fair amount of time that would have altered the events that had happened in the night.

 

Looking up, seeing her own reflection in the mirror, her blonde hair seeming a light brown in the dim light and her face looking dark and untrustful. But she did not notice those small details, her eyes were fixed on her own eyes in the reflection. No matter the amount of light or lack there of, her eyes stayed the same, all one color; black. Katharine herself did not know of when the change happened, or even remembered what the color of her eyes used to be, nor did she care any longer.

 

With half-hearted uncaring snort, she turned around and looked at the items that were so casually dropped on her bed, she jerked her cloak out from underneath them, taking in the purpose damage of her cross-bow absently.

 

Probably worried just what I do with it, she thought dryly, setting the cloak around her shoulders. Can't decipher the fact they have a killer in their midst. A killer that doesn't suck human blood.

 

Softly smiling wryly, she concealed daggers in her clothing, leaving her corset to sit at the desk seemingly forgotten, and set her weapons in private compartments of the room. Who knew if there were extra keys to rooms and who had them and were willing to go through rooms for valuables to steal while being in a perfect position to be unsuspected. It was a risk Katharine was not willing to take. Her weapons were something she could not afford to lose.

 

With one last glance around the room, she put out the small flame of the candle and left the room, locking it soudly and testing the doors endurance and strength with a mildly strong kick.

 

Heading back down the hallway at a quick running pace that made her seem as if she was leaving a short trail of an eerie color behind her. A short trail or ghostly black that was the same color of her eyes.

 

Katharine noted the fact that some doors were shut and no light was emitting from inside them and when she probed the insides of them with her mind, most were occupied with sleeping or busy vampyres. It was not peculiar but she wanted some to be empty, the occupants to be elsewhere and alone.

 

Though several in a group would entertain her more than solitary ones.

 

(-)

 

It had been a few minutes before she came across a group of seven vampyres lingering around a dark and dusty room that looked like it was built for outside purposes instead of being buried underground in the dirt, their breaths white and disappearing upward, longing to be free from vampyre company. A marble statue, about ten feet tall, of a black rose spurting out red colored holy water from its center, stood in the middle of the room, obviously worn and discolored by lack of light.

 

Vampyres really have one-track minds set on blood, Katharine noted darkly, scowling at the gruesome sight of some water trickling down the petals and the stem, coming to drop off of some thorns like wasted life.

 

Turning her attention back to the teenaged sized vampyres who were all men, smoking some vile tasting plant and laughing like the drunken kids they were permantly imprisoned in the bodies of, she watched them with distaste. Forever would they remain in the body of rowdy, underestimated and overlooked teenagers no one would expect to be vampyres. Humans were still the same cocky and arrogant species they had been when Katharine was still one but she evied their mortality, to be able to leave their life after a past unbearable.

 

When the boys started playfully pushing each other, handing out almost harmless blows, Katharine decided to take on an innocent act. Obviously too much tact would confuse the boys and she would not get any fun out of them. Though, she did not doubt they would freely offer more intimate ways of entertainment. They were still men, no matter if they were vampyre or human.

 

Standing up from her crouched position behind five-foot statue of a gargoyle sitting upon a large sphere, she walked up to them casually, challenge evident in her fixed expression. They stopped all commotion in unison, their eyes coming to rest on her, more specifically her body. The one Katharine took as their leader, the one who had set himself in front of all the others, slid his tongue across his own lips, openly showing his heated interest. Katharine really hated being right about such small things. The one closest to her opened his mouth to speak and was cut off by Katharine herself.

 

"Care to tell me why such weak men such as you are out alone. You seem a little young to be out in such vulnerable circumstances and you could easily killed with your sexual desires ruling your mind."

 

All arousal the men had seemed to have disappeared all together, now angered by such an insulting remark from a woman that was more than half a foot shorter and most positively physically weaker. Hands that were tucked away in pockets were brought out into the cold air, tense and twitching slightly in anxiety to get their hands on her skin, one way or another.

 

"Tell us why such a petite little lady is utterly alone and talking to such big brutes like us when we have sex on the mind? Are you asking a little something of us?" A few mutters of agreements and echoes of his words followed the leader's voiced remark. "Maybe you should move along before we get out of control."

 

Katharine visibly smirked at the open admittance of their desire and scoffed at their obliviousness. Despite the fact that they were years older than she was, they weren't catching onto the fact that she was playing with them and drawing them out, distracting them away from her true intentions. Did they really think she was naive, searching for a day in bed with a man and so desperate to come to them? Honestly, from the way they were acting, she's have guessed they were from the age of barbarians if she had no sense of intelligence in her mind.

 

"You don't know who I am. Maybe I'm waiting for a reason to attack you. Maybe I'm looking for a reason to get fucked without being a whore and instead being a poor girl who was assaulted unfairly."

 

Draw them out, make them attack first, make them feel in power then strike them down and regret ever meeting you, she thought, Alexander's old, near forgotten words echoing in her mind like an order and hold he forever had over her. Make them feel the pain of losing everything by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person.

 

With a simple tilt of her head, they all struck out at her suddenly, like the built up anger and arousal had snapped by the revealing her neck. It was a natural reaction for all vampyres, to see opening by neck, and attack.

 

Of course, any part of the body would suffice but the neck seemed to be the most common of all. And it was also the most conspicuous in human suspectings.

 

With a few twists of her body, three of them flew past her, narrowly missing her by centimeters, and breaking their heads open on the jagged, unattented walls and falling limply to the floor, already taken care of. It was just too simple to kill vampyres without touching them.

 

Snarling at the fallen vampyres momentarily, she turned back to the others fanning out to surround her. These four had to be the ones with brains, at least enough to let the others attack first to see how skilled their adversary was. But were they smart enough to kill her themselves without their flunkies to take hits?

 

With a short bark of laughter, the one on Katharine's far left came forward a bit, also the leader, challenging her to attack first for a turn. Shifting his weight visibly from one foot to the other once, he cocked his head to the side, waiting, his hands buried in his pockets like before. His hands fidgetted inside them, gripping something then letting loose, then gripping something again, almost undecisively.

 

After eyeing the hand, Katharine glanced up and wondered what could be hidden inside. Thinking of all the armor and weapons she herself had hidden, she mentally prepared herself to reflect whatever it was and bent her knees to attack with as much power her legs would add. With one level jump, she crossed the distance between them, her right arm and hand moving to her left side and seemingly pulling a dagger out of nowhere, and swung the blade toward his face. A small, thin cut parted in his skin from his right cheek and stretched to the front of his nose and she took his place as he backed away, his fidgetying hand still in his pocket, unfazed.

 

He stared her down, using his other hand to warn the others off. He doesn't ramble on in battle, Katharine noticed vaguely, taking in a calming breath. The fact that he had evaded her with just a simple scratch like cut unnerved her enough as it was. The fact that his hand never left his pocket and was still messing around with something inside was only deepening her anxious nerves, albeit only by a little.

 

"You're quick, its more than those bumbling fools could ever match up to in anything. Just because you managed to side-step them doesn't mean you can do the same for me or them," he muttered in a dry tone, eyes narrowed and his hand still. Casting one last glance at his men, he pulled out his fisted hand, and lept forward, not letting Katharine a bare second to see what it was clapsed around.

 

Taking a small step backwards first, Katharine moved to the side, bringing up her foot up to his stomach and twisting when he grabbed ahold of it one-handedly before impact. Bending her free leg, she raised her other foot and struck his face hard, sending him across the room and into the statue in the middle of the room. Landing on her back, Katharine opened her eyes in time to see a blur of water slipping out of a small bottle in the air. In flurry of movements, she set her feet and hands on the ground, rolling to escape the water and whatever power it may hold. Landing on her stomach, a foot hard on her back and immobilzing her, the water spilled over her left arm, a smell of burning flesh filling the room.

 

"Like I said, you can defeat them but not me," the harsh whisper came in her ear.

 

Ignoring the whisper in her ear and the sting of her arm, Katharine reached into her breast pocket, pulled out a small packet of powder, and tossed it up into his eyes. It was pepper. Rolling around onto her back, she pulled up her feet and kicked him in the chest, a satisfying crack sounding in the room as he fell back onto his remaining men. Jumping to her feet she pulled out small, dart-sized sticks in the shape of spikes and threw them at the jumbled group. Two burst into dust and the other fell into the holy water of the fountain. Only the leader was left. Still.

 

"You never know, I might make a comeback," Katharine snarled, taking what time she had to walk up to him as he struggled into a sitting postion with his broken ribs. Already, she could see blood splattering from his mouth where one his rib bones punctured a lung. Smiling, she kneeled down above him, straddling his hips and pinning his wrists to the ground. With a wicked smile, she leaned forward and licked the blood off the corners of his mouth slowly, his hands struggling to get free and his head jerking back and hitting the wall less than an inch away.

 

"Aren't we women cruel?" she whispered, brushing her lips against his neck.

 

"Just get it over with, bitch," he said gruffily.

 

Laughing coldly with a voice that was not her own, she looked down at him. "Anxious, aren't we?" A gleam in her eyes, she cocked her head to the side wonderingly. "Don't you wish to know of you killer?"

 

"Would be concieted and bloody fucked up if you told me, wouldn't it?" he spat, his eyes still vampyric despite knowing his death was near. "But I never said I didn't want to know who my enemies name is so I can search for her in Hell."

 

Grinning, her fangs tipped in red, she let out a satisfied huff of air. "Very well, wretched soul. Just so you can be ready for another on-slaught when I die, I will tell you," she said as a matter-of-factly. He gave an annoyed scowl, still trying to free his wrists and kick her to no avail. "You can call me..." she began, lowering her mouth to his ear, and whispering, "Aranea..." With those last words, she pierced the skin with her fangs and she smiled against his neck when he began to struggle with new life.

 

His body fell limp, head lolling carelessly, and Katharine stood up, wiping her lips with a single finger. Absently, with no feeling of remorse or regret or any emotion, she watched as the holes in his neck seemed to grow veins, shaped like webs and fanned around his neck, fading as it reached around the the other side. Alexander's words came into her mind, hauntingly.

 

"I never told the others but I sired you for a reason. There was a prophecy I was told by an oracle, a vampyre oracle, so to speak. The hundredth woman I sired would be the one to change the vampyre world forever. It did not say how but when I saw you, I realized it would be for the better. The defiance and destiny I saw in your eyes, the eyes that turned black the very moment you first saw me, told me that you would take the vampyres by storm, unleash a web terror and freedom..."

 

"And you named me Aranea because I was web of mystery just waiting for spider to spin," she muttered with distaste and anger. Alexander only used her for his own better purposes, to change the world to his liking, even though Katharine agreed with his wish.

 

"But now, I spin my own destiny."

 

A/N: Ugh, this chapter was a bitch to write. Kept rewritng the fight scene several times to make the ending good enough for my taste. Tell me what you think.