My Little Ventrue Pt. 07 Ch. 18

"It probably tracked Matt and me down," Art said. "We've been working together for years. I'm sure it can find us if we're in the Hisil."

That made sense, she supposed. She wasn't sure how spirits sensed, but if Flow was acutely familiar with the 'scent' of its pack, then--"Um, then m-maybe Eric should do what he wants... without you?"

Eric glanced over his shoulder at them, shrugged, and continued on. He was cranky, but she was confident he'd get over it. And the streets of Dolareido weren't the best place for this sort of conversation anyway.

"She's right," Matt said. "Sorry Eric. I mean, we knew Flow would disagree, but we didn't think it'd actively block us."

Art sighed as he shrugged. "Avery must have warned it, tipped it off that we might do something like this. Damn woman knew what you were going to do, Eric, and of course whatever Avery thinks is right, she does."

Avery was strong willed, to the point it'd be a problem if she ever disagreed with Antoinette about something important. She'd willingly fight the elder, if she thought it was the right thing to do. And, while the werewolf must have been extremely dangerous, Antoinette was half a millennium old. Eric, on the other hand, was a fresh pup, and Avery would have no trouble smacking him around.

She pulled out her phone, and checked her messages. She'd gotten into the habit of turning off the vibration, for fear it might get her in trouble someday in a precarious situation. And--oh, oh god. One from Jack, one from Antoinette, each a couple hours old, and a new one from Antoinette. Uh oh.

"Um, I have t-to get back to the Elysium, immediately."

"Business?" the boys said together.

"Yes. Um, Jessy, you'll w-want to talk to McDonald, too. Something happened. Something... b-big."

"Big?"

"Y-Yes. Um... we... we d-d-don't need to worry about the hunters anymore. M-Most are... dead, including Jeremiah, and Angela."

Everyone stopped, and stared at her. She'd had to whisper it, so quiet they wouldn't have been able to hear it if they hadn't been paranormals. The text said some hunters were still in the city, and she couldn't risk them hearing. Even letting normal kine hear such a profound statement was risky.

"Wow," Matt said, "um... ok? I guess we'll head back, and see what Avery knows."

Natasha stared at the text again for a moment, took a second to nod to each person in the group, including a knowing one for Jessy, before she vanished.

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As she descended the stairs of the Elysium tower, she froze. People were talking, voices she recognized.

Jack, and Samantha. The two were sitting in one of the recreation rooms, the one with couches and an enormous TV, meant for digesting news in luxury. Jack was talking about his fight with the hunters, from the little Natasha picked up, and mentioned Angela was dead.

So, Natasha did what any self respecting Mekhet would do. She Cloaked herself, and pressed her back to the archway of the room's entrance. Spying! No, not spying, but she just couldn't help herself.

"Angela's dead?" Samantha said.

"Yeah, she's dead."

"I... I... I don't know what to say."

That earned a chuckle from the kid. "Neither do I, Mom. I don't know how to feel about it. It... it..." Natasha couldn't see him, from how she kept her back to the frame of the arch entrance, and Jack might be able to spot her if she peeked, with his new power. If he could sense her right now, he wasn't letting it affect his conversation. Maybe he was too tired to.

"It must have been horrible."

"Yeah, it was. We won, really won. We took them down and didn't lose a single person. But... yeah, it was bad." After a long sigh, one Natasha knew Jack often made while rubbing his buzzed hair, he continued. "But, we're safe. Or at least, a lot safer. There's still some hunters in the city, but--"

"What about Athalia?"

"Athalia? She... she was there, yeah."

"Oh no. She helped kill her daughter."

"No. It was the plan that she'd help kill her, or possibly capture her. In the end, she... she tried to save Angela, and we had to kill her anyway. I... I don't think... Athalia's ever going to forgive me, for that."

"Oh Jack. I can't imagine. I... I can't imagine."

"I have to go talk to my bosses in a minute, Mom. But later, we can--"

Some shuffling fabric sounds signaled that they were hugging, and Natasha felt her heart break. She'd been super happy to learn the hunters were defeated, so happy she'd forgotten about Athalia. Antoinette would tell her to not concern herself with Athalia's pain, but it was easier said than done. Maybe with a hundred years under her belt, Natasha could close off her heart like that, but for now, it all hit her no matter how hard she tried to keep it out. It was one of the reasons she didn't hang with people as much as someone like Jessy. She absorbed the emotions of people around her, whether she wanted to or not.

She didn't stick around anymore, and instead moved on to the primary experimentation room, where she knew Antoinette awaited her. It wouldn't be good to come to Antoinette feeling emotional about poor Samantha and poor Athalia, and poor Mary, and poor... whoever else was hurt. Undoubtedly, other people had been hurt. But Antoinette would want her calm, smart, and logical.

She walked into the grand room where Antoinette stood by the massive table off to the side, covered in laptops. In the center of the huge room, was the dangling chandelier of blue, though it was off, and some regular white LEDs were on instead. All the laptops were on, and around the laptops, were a host of strange items Natasha had never seen.

"Prince, I--oh, w-what are these?" Immediately, the shrunken head grabbed her attention. It'd have creeped her out in the past, and while it was still definitely creepy, it didn't bother her anymore. After months of dealing with Antoinette's strange research, a shrunken head was pretty normal.

Except, it wasn't just a shrunken head. There were a whole bunch of things! A knife that must have been carved out of a bone. A necklace that had bits of bone hooked on it. It was a smörgåsbord of occult objects, and they all had a very obvious motif: the key aspects of each were made of human body parts. And, in the center of it all, was a very creepy book, a big, fat, thick book that demanded she read it. Except, the cover was obviously made of skin, probably human skin, and if she opened it, she was likely to summon the Apocalypse.

The book put everything else into context. This was the hunters' stuff, the shaman's stuff, and Antoinette had taken it from the dream.

"Oh m-m-my god..."

"Indeed." Antoinette looked to her, grinned a knowing grin, and sat down at the table as she gestured for her to do the same. "The hunters are defeated, and I have gained many new items for my collection. We will have much to study, I think." And, without fear, she opened the book. Natasha froze, expecting it to scream, to burst into flame, to unleash a black demon arm, or at least do something more than be a book. But it just sat there, doing book things, waiting to be read; deciphered, actually, as she didn't recognize the letters.

"I can't b-b-believe it. The hunters are gone?"

"Yes, except for, as I warned you, perhaps a dozen that remain in the city, leaderless. Though tomorrow night, you, I, Daniel, and Jack will talk with Harcourt." She frowned at the mention of the hunter's name, the one she'd mentioned in her text. "These hunters must come to my tower, and only after I have personally inspected them, will I allow them to leave. I expect that there will yet be more deaths, hunter deaths, before this problem is completely resolved."

"The p-part of war no one talks about. It never stops instantly, d-d-does it? It always... trickles to a stop."

"Quite true, Miss Vola." Antoinette smiled at her, proud, and Natasha buzzed with joy. Teacher's pet. "The realities of war are never as final or definitive as in literature. But, for all my frustration with Jack for the reckless assault he led tonight, the hunters are defeated. Only one true problem has been created in the aftermath."

Uh oh. "Problem?"

"Elen lived through the encounter. And, while I admit that I had hoped she would, so I could capture her, and learn what she knew, it is not I who possesses her."

"She lived, b-b-but she's not here? Then, who ha--Jacob. J-Jacob has her."

Again, Antoinette smiled. "Your deduction skills improve, my student. Oui, that infernal Nosferatu has taken her, with Black Blood's aid. And now, my strongest ally, and perhaps strongest enemy, is potentially armed with the skills of a terribly skilled shaman of flesh." Sighing, smile gone, she gestured to the assortment of occult goods. "And while both Jacob and I gained from the fallout of my beloved's assault, I fear he has stolen the better of the spoils."

"B-But, we have her book, and--"

"I doubt she needs this scripture, Miss Vola. For a creature that absorbed in her craft, it is likely that she can wield the art as easily as a musicians plays their instrument."

"B-But, even a musician needs their sheet music for really long and complicated songs!"

That pleased the Prince, and she nodded as she sat back, tapping her chin with a finger. "Correct again, little one. Yes, it may be true that Elen will need the book, or her tools, for some of her more grand efforts. Jacob may come to bargain for said tools, or, he may attempt to take them by force."

"What!? W-Why would he do that?"

"Because, Miss Vola, Jacob is forever obsessed with his rituals. He toys with barriers, as you and I do, and I fear that Jacob will... No. I judge the man too harshly. But remain vigilant of the possibility, Vola."

"I will." The idea of Jacob going from his usual, strange, unpredictable but still-a-friend self, to a genuine enemy, was terrifying, far more terrifying than the hunters, or the werewolves, or Azamel.

Antoinette leaned in then, and offered Natasha a rather predatory grin. "And do not think I do not know, that you know I sent you a text earlier today, Vola, one that you ignored. Knowing you, you either had your phone off to help hide your presence and not annoy others, or more likely, you were out with your boyfriends, on an... adventure. Perhaps you were out, learning of the Hisil?"

Natasha froze, gulped, and nodded. Better to not say anything, and put her foot in her mouth.

The Prince chuckled. "You are free to be adventurous with your desire to learn of spirits and of Uratha. As long as you are careful, as I trust you to be, and to share with your teacher valuable information." Natasha nodded vigorously. "Good. I summoned you here to familiarize yourself with these items before sunrise, as you can imagine. But also, your priorities have changed with the defeat of the hunters."

"Oh, r-right. If Jack's taken them down, then I d-don't need to be hunting for them anymore." If she hadn't been in the Hisil tonight, she would have gotten Jack's call, or following text. She would have come. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't?

"I wished for you to explore ways to defeat Begotten. For now, consider such an activity as your lowest priority. Azamel and Sándor can be... trusted, to an extent. I wish for you to continue learning of spirits and the werewolves, though that is to be your second priority. Your primary task, young Mekhet, will be to discover whatever it is that haunts my city."

"Haunts?"

Antoinette leaned back, and adopted her serious face, like steel. "Surely you have noticed it. Something lurks within the shadows. It watches. It affects in ways I have yet to determine."

"Black Blood? Or... Maria?" The thought of her old boss being up to something so nasty that Antoinette considered it to be a 'thing' haunting her city, was not a comforting thought. At least with Black Blood, it was practically expected.

"I do not know, Miss Vola." She shrugged. That was scary, Antoinette shrugging. To see the elder straight up admit to not knowing something was always startling. "Perhaps. The Begotten have noticed the presence of something, and Jack is aware of it. I imagine several of his interactions with the Begotten brought this strange presence to light. It creeps and crawls, just at the edge of my awareness, Vola. I have learned more of its presence through things not seen, rather than seen. The spirits we summon have mentioned something that scars the land, and cuts holes through the Gauntlet, but know not what. I cannot help but--"

"Um... I m-may have an idea."

The Prince raised an eyebrow, her steel expression shattering for one of intrigue. "Oh?"

"Y-Yes. I d-d-don't know if it's connected, but... when I was in the Hisil, with Avery, a little while ago, one of the spirits, and David, they... they umm... said that the strange spider monster, the Azlu, it didn't come naturally. Something... d-drew it here."

The Prince froze for a moment, and her eyes slowly, slightly squinted at Natasha, like she was lining her up as a target. "And you wait until now to share this with me?"

Natasha felt her whole body suddenly encapsulate in ice. Antoinette almost never looked at her that way, that angry way, with cold fury flowing out of her. Fix it fix it fix it!

"I-I'm sorry! I had planned to, in a more... d-d-detailed report." It hadn't been long since that first trip into the Hisil, and she'd been a little more concerned with the hunters. Yeah, the hunters! "The hunters were t-taking p-p-priority! And... I... didn't think it was important."

Antoinette's fury always came in two forms: fire, and ice. Fire came and went predictably, and Antoinette was better at controlling it than most. Ice, on the other hand, made Natasha feel like she was staring into the eyes of an alien intelligence, something with a mind greater than hers, something that looked at her with disdain like how a human might look at an ant that'd had the nerve to get on their food. It was the sort of anger only someone who'd had decades of experience being a leader could truly wield.

But, Antoinette sighed, and the ice melted away. "I apologize, my student. I have not truly involved you in this hunt for the mysterious force. I should not expect you to make connections regarding it."

"I should have m-mentioned it, though."

"Perhaps, but I am sure you would have eventually, as you did." Leaning back, Antoinette looked up at the ceiling far above them, and combed her hair over her right shoulder down onto her chest. "So the Uratha have also had their attention drawn to something unusual within the city."

"Y-Yes. One of the spirits... um, Street-Tail King, it said it would give them information about the Azlu, if they promised to... p-pursue the mystery, to its end, and deal with it for Street-Tail. It was... afraid."

"Pursue the mystery to its end. That does sound undoubtedly linked, does it not?"

"It d-does."

Antoinette shook her head as she looked at the table, and Natasha could only guess at the million thoughts running through her head.

"There is a connection we are not seeing, my student. The hunters have been a distraction, and I fear the Carthians and Terra Den will continue this trend of distractions. You will be my eyes and ears, Natasha, in a way my sheriff cannot. Continue to learn of the Uratha and the spirits. And make more of an effort to befriend the Begotten. And, if possible, learn more of Black Blood."

"B-B-B-Black..." Oh god.

"Tread lightly, my student. Black Blood does not care for my presence, and undoubtedly knows you serve the Ordo as well. Should an interaction occur, it should only be because an Uratha acted as catalyst. You are not to broach the spirit on your own. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" Her boss didn't need to tell her twice. Black Blood was legitimately the scariest thing she'd ever seen. Scarier than a psycho Lucas. Scarier than a spider monster. Scarier than any of the Begotten, and she'd seen three of their Horrors by now.

"On a far more enjoyable note, I am hosting a ball in several days, Miss Vola, in celebration of the defeat of the hunters. Everyone is invited."

Ooh, a ball, another opportunity for Tash to feel awkward and out of place. Yaay.

"Everyone?"

"Indeed. Tensions run high between the Invictus and Carthians. With the hunters defeated, it will be far safer to host a gathering, and it presents me an opportunity. I would like to announce victory officially, and to insure those who achieved it are known, the witches in particular. All four were there."

"Oh, r-right. Aaron, Othello, Jennifer, and Beatrice. If... if you m-make it known that they helped defeat the hunters..."

"Then the city will appreciate their presence, and it will help sooth tensions with them. I will do the same for Clara, if she agrees. It would help with soothing tensions with the Carthians; they like the werewolves." Sighing, a painful and weary sigh, she looked at the waves of hair she combed with her fingers. "I am not sure whether to invite the Begotten though, or at least, I am not sure what to do of Athalia. She acted against Jack, indirectly, but against him nonetheless, in a futile effort to save her daughter."

That was a dilemma. If Antoinette was trying to host a 'all paranormals invited' ball, not inviting one would a pretty big statement. Bad politics. It'd put a red flag over Athalia's head, and would insult the Begotten as a whole, probably.

"M-Maybe... ask Samantha?"

"Ah, that is an interesting proposal, my student. Of all that would disagree with Athalia's presence, Samantha is the most truly damaged by the Begotten's daughter, even more so than Beatrice." With a satisfied nod, she smiled. "And, I would like to warn you of Elaine. She will be there."

"You're old friend, right. B-But, warn me?"

"Oui. Elaine is a Ventrue of the Ordo Dracul, as you know, and as old as I. She is... dangerous, Natasha, and while she is a close friend of mine, I am not so oblivious as to think this visit of hers is purely coincidental. She is up to something, my student. Keep your eyes open."

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~~Damien~~

"What?!" Maria and Michael said, together. There was a considerable amount of venom in their words, and plenty of surprise, enough that Damien wasn't sure how to continue. He looked to Jessy beside him, but she was staring at him in a similar manner.

They were in the Xnomina headquarters, in the top floor for an impromptu meeting at Jack's request, with very little time left before sunrise. Considering the circumstances, the two elders had known it'd be a serious meeting before they arrived, but Jack shocked them both.

"The hunters are defeated," Damien said again. Maybe it wasn't a good idea that he opened this conversation, Longinus help him. Damien had decided to, but it was clear that as Damien tried to direct their focus to him, they were quickly catching on that this night was Jack's, good and bad.

Part of him felt relieved. He was tired, hungry, and sore. He needed sleep, and the sun would be up soon. Let Jack deal with the two elders.

Jack looked down, rubbed his head a couple times, and took a deep breath. And so began the tale of how a rather outgoing and dull-witted hunter named Brace Harcourt came to them with a proposal. Jack told them of the help the Circle of the Crone provided, that Fiona and Athalia helped, and how he used the power of the curse to blitzkrieg the hunters. Conveniently, he left out how the curse had its own personality, and relished in the chaos it'd created. He told them about the nightmare, about Sándor, and how Damien freed him. He told them about Azamel, and how Jeremiah nearly killed her. He told them about how Antoinette now had the three hunters as prisoners, how Elen was still alive, and that Jacob likely had her.