"It is given willingly here. If they do not care to give, they do not have to." A small smile played at the corner of Gideon's mouth as he lifted his goblet and swirled the liquid inside. Aria frowned and leaned over Braith's shoulder to peer at the contents of his goblet. It was the color and viscosity of blood as it gleamed in the candlelight. She glanced up at Braith, who nodded briefly, confirming what she suspected. He didn't seem to be enjoying it very much though as he'd only taken a few small sips. "There is enough for everyone to go around here, and we live in easy, relative peace."
Aria sat back. "Relative?"
Gideon frowned as he nodded firmly. "There are always those that break the rules. I think you encountered a few of them on your way here." He glanced pointedly to the bandages on her arms showing from the edge of the cloak that had slid back. "Humans are not to be hurt here, not unless they ask for it, of course."
"So those humans in that section of town back there, and that girl at your home, they were… ah…"
"They are willingly there. We do not force humans to do anything they do not want to do, some simply have lustier needs than others, and they like to fulfill those needs. Besides, most of them are vampires, not humans, and we have far lustier needs, don't we Braith?"
Aria fought against the blush creeping up her neck and across her cheeks. She was well aware of Braith's needs, even if she hadn't satisfied all of them yet. "Gideon," Braith warned.
"She's a big girl Braith, she can handle it, stop being such a bear." Braith's jaw clenched, his hands fisted on the table. Aria grasped hold of his arm; his biceps bulged beneath her hand as he fought the urge to punch Gideon. "There is a no tolerance policy here against hurting humans that are not willing and eager. Those offenders are dealt with swiftly. We do not kill our own kind, but we do not allow them to stay either. Although, most of them would probably prefer death to the banishment they are given."
Aria glanced at her bandaged arms. Gideon was probably right, those pitiful creatures probably would have preferred death to the life of starvation and struggle they now endured. "And what are the rules for the humans?"
"They are the same for both species. Do no harm to others, no stealing, and no false accusations are to be issued. Our justice system is speedy and decisive. The humans are also banished; most of them end up in the border towns where their rights are stripped away by the vampires presiding there. Some of us didn't care for the king's new rule, and fought to keep things the way they were. Others liked the idea of no longer hiding, of letting their cruelty reign, but they didn't like the rules and tyranny of the palace. Those vampires reside in the border towns. You passed through one such town before arriving here, that's how I knew you were coming.
"We trade human food, clothing, and other goods with them and in exchange they alert us when anyone may be coming to look for us. Though we do not actually hand them the humans that are banished from here, or deal in slavery, it doesn't hurt that most end up seeking shelter and protection in the towns.
"The vampires within the towns are used to dealing with The Forsaken Ones, as we have started to call the banished, and are usually able to avoid them in order to reach us, though sometimes they do get lost. However, if they hope to keep receiving food they have no choice but to aid us. We need to know when someone is coming, or when the king has sent one of his raiding parties to attempt to find us. The Forsaken Ones are hazardous, and we've been having increasing problems with them lately, but they come in handy as a defense against the king's soldiers, and other unwanted guests."
Aria hadn't realized what that town had been; it was a little unnerving to know they had been being spied on, and monitored, the entire time. "They asked to buy me though," she blurted.
"No dear, it was Braith they were interested in. It's been awhile since they've seen the prince, and they were a little surprised by his appearance. Though, they would have taken you if Braith had been willing." Aria sat back, she was flabbergasted by this revelation. "Truth be told, we had once hoped that Braith would come here to do something about his father's policies. We had given up that hope though."
Gideon's gaze was irritated as he turned his focus to Braith. "Why would you think I'd come at all?" Braith's voice was hoarse, grating.
"You were never a malicious bastard like your father or Caleb. I thought you would eventually grow tired of the brutality, the unfairness of it all."
"You could have started your own rebellion."
Gideon shook his head, though he tried to appear casual, tension hummed through his shoulders. "Not many of us escaped Braith, certainly not enough to challenge the king again, not with the power he wielded. The number of vampires was just as badly decimated as the number of humans, especially vampires that didn't agree with your father. We would have been massacred.
"It was a long time before we were able to establish this town. The first twenty or so years after the war were spent moving constantly, trying to avoid the hunting parties he sent after us, but eventually he grew tired of hunting us and became more concerned with the rebellion brewing in his own backyard. We continued to move about for a few more years, but there's nothing out there anymore. Nothing Braith."
Braith shook his head almost sadly and took another sip of blood. "We eventually found an underground water supply here that we were able to tap. It took a lot of work but we established an environment where humans and vampires could coexist peacefully."
"We never knew much about The Barrens, but none of us suspected this existed amongst them," Aria murmured.
"Nor did we want you to." Gideon idly twirled the goblet in his fingers, his gaze pensive as he stared at the shiny metal. "The last thing we needed was an influx of humans leaving the woods to come here. We may not have everything we once had, may not live in the lap of luxury, but look around you, these people are happy."
Aria studied the occupants of the restaurant. They were smiling and they were healthy. They weren't dirty and bedraggled, they weren't too thin or sickly like some in the woods. They weren't pale and drained like the blood slaves. The most amazing thing though, was that they weren't afraid. They weren't hiding and screaming, they weren't struggling to survive, they were sitting in the open, surrounded by vampires, and they showed no fear. It was amazing.
"We weren't going to let the word out until we were ready."
"Ready for what?"
"For a revolution," Braith informed her.
Gideon shrugged as he leaned forward. "Perhaps, but it still would have been a long time coming. Our numbers are not as strong as we would like, and to reach out to your little rebellion would have been risky."
"Little rebellion?" Aria demanded in indignation.
"Even you must admit that you don't accomplish much more than being a thorn in the king's side."
Aria's jaw clenched as she leaned across the table. "At least we're not hiding in the middle of the desert!" she snapped at him. "We're there, we're fighting now, and we've come to you to join this fight!"
Gideon arched a brow at her as he leaned closer. Braith rested his hand on the table, twisting so that his shoulder was in between them. Aria sensed no hostility from the man across from her though, just a desperate need for her to understand something. "You have no idea what the king is capable of, what humans are capable of when their livelihoods are threatened. Rushing into something, and getting ourselves killed, wouldn't do anyone any good.
"The king has a way of drawing everyone in, of making them believe things that they wouldn't normally believe. It is how he was able to wrest control, how he was able to inflict the damage upon the world that he did. By the time any of us realized what he had in mind, and the lengths that he would eventually go to, to get it, it was too late to stop him. We were outnumbered and overpowered, getting ourselves killed by rushing heedlessly back in would not help us one bit. Of course not everyone was on board with the king at first, which is why your mother was killed, something I think you now realize was your father's doing."
>
"Yes," Braith acknowledged.
"Vampires gobbled up the crap the king was spewing, bought it hook, line, and sinker. Even then the king was the most powerful, the oldest, and though he didn't control everything, we looked to him for leadership and guidance. We were fools. He took everything. And when he was done with the humans, he turned on his own kind. There were those of us that disagreed with what he was doing all along, and those that realized to late what he intended. The world had gone to shit, blood and death ruled. Though I do enjoy my fair share of blood, killing indiscriminately was never my forte, or anything I took pleasure in.
"These people, and these vampires," he gestured around the restaurant, "Are the survivors, and their offspring. The factions surrounding us are led by the other aristocrats that escaped, and the humans that fled from the fallout of the war. Some of the humans are descendants of the early escapees from the palace."
"My great grandfather escaped the palace when he was thirteen, he started the rebellion," Aria muttered.
"So you've always had rebel in your blood?" Braith inquired as his finger briefly rubbed the back of her hand.
She smiled as she shrugged at him. "I guess so."
Gideon shook his head as he took a sip of blood and looked at Braith thoughtfully. "If it hadn't been for Ashby's bomb, I think you would have come to see what your father was a lot sooner. I still can't believe you survived that thing. You were a mess; your arm was barely attached, your torso… We all thought you were as good as dead."
Aria didn't like the picture that Gideon was painting. She couldn't imagine Braith so vulnerable and broken. "So did my father," replied Braith. "I think surviving it in the first place, even more so than mastering my blindness, was the thing that convinced him to let me live."
"Your blindness?" Gideon inquired, though his gaze was focused on Aria.
"Don't play stupid Gideon, I heard you questioning Ashby about us." Braith's body vibrated like a tuning fork as his chest pressed against her shoulder. His hand fell to her waist, pulling her possessively closer to him. "I think you've figured out the extremes that I will go to, and that there isn't anything I won't do, any one I won't destroy, to protect her."
The words, growled and cold, caused the hair on her neck to stand on end. Gideon quirked an eyebrow, a small smile of amusement flickered over his full lips. "Easy there watchdog, I mean no harm, to either of you. Like I said, we've been waiting for your arrival. I'm not going to ruin that now. Yes, I already figured out that there's something going on between you two. I'm not exactly sure what, but I'm guessing that it's far more than you're willing to tell me right now, and that it has something to do with the return of your sight. Though, I think it will be best if this is kept from the others, at least for now."
There was something more beneath his words. She suspected the "for now" was just to appease Braith, and that this was really something Gideon meant to keep secret for good. A part of her knew he was right, and that part terrified her.
"And you truly think things will be so different if you return now?" Aria inquired, proud her voice remained strong.
"I know they will be," answered Gideon. The way he stared at Braith made it clear why he believed things would be different.
"Why would you even go back?" Aria gestured around the restaurant. "Everyone seems happy here, you've somehow managed to find a way for humans and vampires to coexist in peace."
"Let's be clear here, before the war we all lived in relative peace too. Most humans were oblivious to us, and we liked it that way. There were some that were a threat, some that hunted us. For the most part other humans thought those that hunted us were crazy, and there were so few of them that they weren't all that threatening to us anyway. Some of the humans actually enjoyed our world, enjoyed sharing their blood with us. It was actually an agreeable time and place. The king forced us into the border towns and The Barrens. He ripped our world away from us and he slaughtered our families. I want revenge, I want my life back just as much as you want freedom and security."
Aria hadn't seen Gideon move until his hand was resting casually upon hers. She jumped slightly, as did everyone around them, when Braith's hand slammed down upon Gideon's. "I'll only tell you this once, do not touch her."
Gideon winced as Braith's grip tightened on his wrist. "Braith," Aria said softly.
He lifted Gideon's arm from her and threw it back at him. Though he tried not to, Gideon finally gave into the urge to rub his brutalized wrist. Aria almost apologized to him but she remained silent as Braith smoothly moved her hand off the table. "Touchy aren't we," Gideon muttered.
The people around them gradually went back to eating. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy," Gideon continued. "It took awhile for the humans to trust us, years and a couple of generations to forge the easy coexistence we have now, but it works well for us. It will probably take even more time with your people. They've been even more oppressed, even more beaten and broken than the ancestors of the people here. However, their offspring, and future generations, won't even know what it was like to be oppressed."
Aria was breathless, her hand clenched around Braith's as hope filled her. "The same way I don't know what it feels like not to be oppressed," she whispered.
Gideon offered a sympathetic smile as he nodded. "Exactly. If it wasn't for our aversion to having children our numbers would be even stronger, but some things don't change."
"Your aversion?" Aria asked in surprise.
"Most vampires don't like the thought of having children," Braith explained.
"It's not that we dislike them," Gideon continued. "In fact I tolerate them well enough; I simply do not have the patience or the time to take care of them. It's too much work and not enough play. Nor do we want a vast group of immortals running around the planet; it would only be a matter of time before we outnumbered humans. That would be a nightmare for everyone involved so we've always kept our numbers in check. Braith's father is one of the few that had more children after a son was born."
"To make it look as if he cared for my mother," Braith told her.
"I think he was also hoping that he would have a built in, powerful unit of protection. Though he did get two junior psychos out of the five of you. Luckily the rest of you were born with a conscience," Gideon continued. "Most of us accept that offspring will be required of us at some point in time, but we are also aware of the fact that if we are lucky enough to beget a son on the first try, we can consider ourselves successful."
Aria scowled at him as she folded her arms over her chest. "I can assure you that a woman is a success too!" she snapped.
Gideon grinned at her as he raised his goblet in a salute. "I'm sure, but they do us little good for continuing our line."
"You're an ass."
Gideon shrugged, not at all offended by her words. "Simply the truth, our heritage and our ways have been like this for thousands of years. Though we have adapted and changed greatly over those years, there are some things that simply don't change. Perhaps if I cared for the woman it would be different, but I know the hag I was supposed to be saddled with despised me as much as I despised her. Believe me, a son would have been a miracle for both of us. I didn't mourn her even a little when she was killed during the war."
Aria seethed as she continued to glare at him. Screams erupted in the night, pulling her attention away from Gideon as she searched for the source. A chill swept down Aria's spine as more shouts pierced the air. On the street, people began to run; their heads were barely visible through the glass as they bolted forward.
Both Braith and Gideon leapt to their feet. "Stay here," Braith commanded.
Aria sat for a bewildered moment, disoriented by what was going on, confused by the sudden eruption of chaos into this peaceful setting. She remained still for only a moment before she jumped to her feet and followed quickly behind the two vampires. They had to push and shove their way through the confused and frightened crowd packing the building. Being smaller, she
was far more adept at moving in and out and around the people and things.
They were stepping onto the street when she arrived at the door. Standing behind the glass, she watched as more people fled past, some were bleeding, others were carrying their children and still more were stumbling around and disoriented. Aria was nearly taken out as two people slammed into the door, shoving it open as they tumbled inside in a breathless heap.
She grasped hold of the man's arm and helped him to his feet. "What's going on?" she demanded.
His eyes were wild, rolling in his head. Blood trickled from his forehead and into one of his eyes. "The Forsaken Ones," he gasped.
Dread trickled down her back as one ran past the building. It appeared more grub-like than man-like with its nearly translucent skin, hairless body, and nondescript features. It was in much worse condition than the ones they had encountered in the desert. Is this what happened to the vampires after years of banishment and starvation? A shudder rippled through her, nausea twisted in her stomach at the thought.
More of the creatures appeared, their heads swiveled sluggishly back and forth, their nostrils flared as they scented blood in the air. They were twisted and demented in a way that not even Caleb had been. And they were heading straight toward Braith.
Her breath exploded out of her. She released the young man as she leapt over some broken dishes on the floor and shoved through the door. The chilly air hit her but it didn't rob her of her breath anymore. Braith was about fifty feet away, his head swiveled toward her, and his jaw clenched as he came back at her.
"Get back inside Aria!" he shouted.
"You need my help!"
"You don't even have your bow, get back inside! We'll be fine!"
"I'll get it!"
"What?"
Lifting the hem of her dress, she tucked the ends of it into the attached belt. Braith, seeming to sense her intent, started for her. She didn't have much time. Running, she bolted up a set of stairs next to the building, jumped onto the railing and leapt at the top of the wall. Her fingers scrambled, and nearly lost purchase. By sheer luck and pure determination, she was able to keep her hold and pull herself up. Panting for breath, she knelt on the roof and peered over the side.