Taming an Immortal Ch. 04

Chapter 4: Rescue of the Human Children

He scented her even before her presence was announced by a red-faced Keiko. The Noble had run up the stairs the instance she arrived, bearing urgent news.

"My Lord! Lady Rose is back and she wishes for your audience immediately!"

"Who is the human with her?" asked Etienne, his eyes lifting up lazily.

"I do not know Master but she came directly from her mission at Eilean. Miria is nowhere in sight."

He hadn't notice that. The scent of the human male had consumed him so much that Miria's absence had not affected him as it should have.

"Leave him at the gates and call her in," he instructed. Rose better had a good explanation for this. Just the thought of the two sharing a fire to sleep on their journey made him ready to slice off the human's head. Diplomacy or not, he wasn't about to let Rose loose to do as she pleases.

"My Lord? Why will you not come down and speak to us?" The woman in question came storming in.

"I do not trust him. You have brought a human to this castle?" He made sure she caught the edge of annoyance in his voice.

"So have you." She slapped her hands on the edge of his desk. "But this is not about me. This is your subject we are talking about. He needs our help. The children in his village have been taken by hyenas and I do not think the attacks will stop."

Etienne slowly rose to his feet, aware of what Rose was implying. "You dared to make decisions without seeking my consent?"

For a moment she simply looked at him, eyes wide and blank. When he stood at his full height, glowering down at her, she stepped back and bowed.

"I misjudged you my Lord." Her voice tinged of sadness, not of the remorse he expected. "I will escort Titus back to his village."

"You will do no such thing." He tilted her chin up to face him, taking in her scent - god was she intoxicating.

"Of course my Lord. As you wish." Etienne didn't trust her sudden acquiescence one bit but he allowed her to leave, knowing full well that he would have to go after her anyway. Rose was always landing herself in trouble even by doing nothing.

With a sigh, he took the back stairs down to the lower floors. There was only one place that Rose would be after a long journey with barely any supplies - the kitchen.

Keeping his back against the shadows, he kept still and listened to Rose's light banter with the human male and Nahia.

"Stone soup?" cried Nahia. "And I thought my cooking was dreadful!"

"I would still have eaten it Nahia," said Rose gently. "But I promise, I will teach you a few tricks when I am back. Lord Etienne was a bit too hard on you."

"Oh shush! Now let me get something for the two of you. What would you like to eat young man?"

Etienne heard the bustling of Nahia's skirts as she wandered from larder to larder in search of items.

"I'm sorry to have brought you this much trouble. It seems that he is not like his father after all. You were wrong, Rose."

"Don't worry Titus... he will come. He always does."

"Why do you even stay here? He sends you to do his work and yet he doesn't listen to your advice. You're better off with your own people Rose. Come and live with me."

Etienne ground his teeth tight. How dare the human suggest that he ill-treated her! He was about to jump in and severe the human's head when Rose started to laugh.

"Lord Etienne cares more than he lets show. This is my home... and he is the only family I have left."

"As you wish my Lady. But know that my village will always have its doors open for you."

Etienne had heard enough. One more word coming out of that human's mouth and he wasn't sure if he would spare the village. Stepping out of the shadows, he walked arrogantly towards the trio before stopping right in front of the human Rose referred to as Titus.

"First you take from my kitchen and now you wish to steal what is mine?" Golden eyes bore down into the human's.

"My Lord!"

Nahia and the human male immediately got on their knees. A quick glance at Rose and he saw her crunching on an apple, her feet swinging as she sat on the table.

"Rose, would you be so kind to get Alduin for me? I do not wish to harbour anymore fugitives in my home any longer." He watched her put the apple down, chewing slower as though contemplating his request.

When she hesitated, he sighed. "Your human friend will be unharmed... but if you do not move now, I will not guarantee that for long."

Rose took her time leaving, all the while keeping an eye on him until she was finally out of the kitchen.

Keeping to his word, Etienne looked down at the human still on his knees. "How many were taken?"

"Twelve my Lord."

"How many attacks?"

"We've... we've lost count my Lord," he replied, daring to look up at the Pureblood. "We waited for months, praying that aid would come... but the only news we received was the passing of your father. My condolences my Lord. I had the chance of riding beside him... he was truly an honourable man."

Etienne said nothing. If only this human knew the extent of his loss. Montgomery Arceneaux may fashion himself as a human... but he was first a Pureblood and always a Vampire. But to know that he was in the company of one who knew his father made the task of journeying south more rewarding.

***

Alduin was a beast made for emergencies. Arriving at the village within the day, they started by searching for Miria. The villagers had not seen her nor heard anything from her since they left four days ago to the castle.

Rose was starting to get worried. If Miria, a full Pureblood didn't make it back by now, she had either tracked the children a long distance from Eilean or...

Rose didn't want to think about it.

"We'll find her," said Titus, his smile a warm contrast to the cold Vampire walking ahead of them. "I've assembled my best men to accompany us. Hopefully this way, we can outnumber those hyenas."

Lord Etienne grunted at his comment. Rose had no doubt that he thought Titus a fool for thinking his army of humans could take down a Changeling pack. Rose felt otherwise for Titus was a leader with much heart, gathering trust and loyalty amongst his men who will follow him regardless.

Lord Etienne was very much like that if he would only take the time to believe it.

They were walking down the river bank when he suddenly stopped, pointing across the wide river stream.

"Miria went this way."

Rose looked at Titus and then at Lord Etienne. There was no way a pack of hyenas carried twelve human children across this river! The streams this far south were rapids, their current so strong it would crush anyone who dared cross its path.

"We will meet you at the other side," Titus said, coming to the same conclusion. "Might take us a full day at least but we cannot all fit on your dragon."

Lord Etienne nodded in agreement.

"Rose, hop on. I can sense Miria very close by. She had to have crossed this river not long ago." There was no time for arguments now.

Alduin was relentless as he hunted down Miria's scent. Lord Etienne hadn't said if he scented her alive. If they were too late... it was all her fault. She had ordered Miria to go after the children without thinking of reinforcements.

"Keep your sword close but stay hidden as much as you can."

"Yes my Lord."

"Alduin, keep watch in the sky. I have found her." He jumped off the dragon even before Rose could say anything. Looking down below, she could only see clouds and treetops. Clutching Alduin close, she stayed down, praying that Lord Etienne would find Miria safe... and whole.

***

When she saw him, Miria's eyes grew wide with worry; her head shaking as he approached.

"My Lord...no..." Her voice was barely a squeak. Lifting his hand up, he gestured for her to be silent, knowing full well that it was a trap. He had already scented the changelings nestled on the branches, simply waiting for the right time to pounce.

Pathetic.

Masamune would be useless in this battle -its healing powers would be for later. Reaching for his other weapon - the Seven Branched sword -he gave a wide open sweep, channelling all his power to feed the blood lust of his blade.

A stream of golden light shone from each of the seven tips; annihilating the vermins even before they could pounce on him.

Etienne would see to it that every single one of the hyenas was slain. He swung his sword one more time, satisfied when severed body parts rained down around him; the stench of their blood reeking of human innocence.

Satisfied, he turned towards Miria, noting the red of her eyes - a sign that she had sustained too much blood loss but had not enough power to regenerate. Had they kept her tied like this for days?

Heaving his sword above his head, he gave two slashes, cutting the ropes holding each of her wrists and ankles to opposite trees.

The Pureblood crashed to the ground, coughing as her face landed at his feet.

"I will give you just enough time to pull those spears out of your body." His words spoken at a frequency only she could hear. "There are more coming."

Miria wasted no time - each of the spears forcefully torn out of her bleeding flesh, the gritting of her teeth the only sound she permitted herself to make. As the discarded metal clanged against the ground, Etienne could see that she was finally able to heal herself.

"Take out the last one and pick up your sword," he ordered, throwing her sword by her side. "And don't get yourself killed this time."

Miria staggered to her feet using her weapon as an anchor. "Thank you my Lord..."

Her words fell on deaf ears as he had caught a sudden movement in the bushes behind them. Sword armed, he kept still, paying attention to every minute detail - from the light scrapping of leaves to the gentle breeze carrying an unpleasant blood-drenched scent...

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the Lord of the West - oh wait, that's right. You're not the Lord of the West yet." A hyena in human form crept up behind him, the familiarity of his voice like sandpaper to his ears. "We see each other again, Etienne."

"Fillip..."A loyal pet of his uncle Ealdwin. Was it coincidence?

"I see my last warning to you was not enough," said Etienne, gritting his teeth. He should have killed them all back then, for daring to touch Rose.

"Your father had the same look of disgust when he saw me," said Fillip as he threw his head backwards in a howling laugh. "But you should have seen his face when he drew his last breath. Pathetic! The great Lord of the West on his knees? Never in a million years would I have thought to see that. And now..."

Etienne didn't think anymore - his sword sending a sweep of blue fire towards the changeling. This scum had been the one to kill his father? Had Montgomery Arceneaux been so mortal that he had succumbed to the taunt of such a lowlife?

Now, Filip would die.

But instead of collapsing, the fire went right through his body- how was that possible!

"Surprised?" Fillip was barely a flash until he reappeared just next to his shoulder, his sharp claws slashing deep into the side of Etienne's cheek. The flesh burned where the Changeling poison hit him.

"My Lord!" He heard Miria scream; heard her footsteps as she came charging towards them.

But Fillip had other ideas. Disappearing in another flash, he caught her from the back, a claw thrust into her still healing torso. Poison; a green branching web spreading from her heart outwards.

"Miria!"

"Too late. I don't think Masamune can save her now. It is just a healing sword isn't it? Why would the Lord of the West leave his heir with such a useless sword?" howled Fillip, a wicked grin on his face as he disappeared into thin air.

Etienne swore before marching back to his wounded comrade.

"My Lord..." One hand clutching to edge of his robes. "Leave me...find... the children."

"No, the hyenas will return." He lifted her in his hand, making sure to avoid her wound. Looking up into the clouds, he kicked off, soaring into the air as he searched for his dragon.

"Lord Etienne! You found her!" Rose received the dying Pureblood in her arms; adjusting her body so that Miria was resting on top of the woollen saddle.

"She's been poisoned by hyenas," he explained. "Watch over her. I will call for you when it is time."

A gentle hand gripped his just before he jumped off.

"Be careful."

Always Rose. Always.

***

He followed the scent of the hyenas - their trail of slime spattered on the tree trunks and rocks heading towards the coastal caves. Was that where they hid the remainder of the children?

Not predatory in general, hyena changelings usually scavenged for dead animals or stole the kills of their much adapted hunting cousins, the wolves and the leopards. It therefore concerned him how they have come to develop a taste for fresh meat, especially that of humans.

Sensing the hooves of horses, he paused. Etienne had not expected Titus and the humans to catch up with him that quickly. It was much better without interruption.

"My Lord, we found a makeshift bridge made out of logs halfway down the rapids. It had to be how they were crossing," reported Titus.

Etienne doubted that. Logs across a gushing river? Hyenas were not that intelligent to think of such a ploy. It was meant to be a distraction - one that was purposeful in their bid to trap the heir to the Western Lands. The only problem now was why.

"Their scent continues down this path towards those caves," he said, pointing ahead. Turning his attention to Titus, he then nodded at the horses. "Those will have to stay. Their scent betrays your intentions."

Titus looked at his men and his horses. "Merkel, you stay here with the horses. The rest of you, arm up."

Etienne kept his senses on high alert; the human soldiers close behind him. It felt almost strange leading them into battle. Never in a million years would he imagine himself working with humans for a common goal.

"Can you sense the children my Lord? Are they... alive?" whispered Titus as their group reached the mouth of the caves.

"Be quiet," he responded before gazing up in the sky and blowing a whistle with his two fingers. There was nothing more frightening than entering a lair with a five headed dragon in tow.

"Do not be alarmed," he warned when the beast descended, whipping up a gust of sand in their faces with its wings. "Alduin and I will enter alone. Titus... you stay here with Rose and Miria until I summon you."

"But... but how will I know my Lord? I do not have hearing as keen as yours."

"You will know." The human had to trust him. Did he really think a Pureblood as powerful as him had no way of communicating telepathically if he wanted? Fool!

Focusing now on his dragon, Etienne channelled his powers into the beast, rubbing his hands on Alduin's necks as he whispered soft comforting words to the agitated beast - something inside those caves was indeed setting off its alarm.

With a roar, Alduin reared its head back, the beast pushing itself to reveal its true form - a five-headed fire breathing hydra, slave only to the Pureblood before it.

A tug on Alduin's reins and the pair stepped into the eerie darkness of the caves, the scent of salt water on the limestones and faint traces of human blood lined the walls. Adjusting his eyes to the darkness, Etienne continued, guided only by the soft sobs of the children and a growing stench of hyenas... Just past this wall of stones.

His hand patted the jagged rocks trying to find an entrance. Had the hyenas dug a hole or found a secret tunnel through the caves? Otherwise, further ahead was a dead end and above them only bats and crawlies marbling the cave ceiling.

"Alduin." A gentle command.

The beast gathered its head together; fire focused on a spot on the wall, the flames melting the stones into liquid at his feet.

There! He could see them! As the hole got bigger, Etienne felt his eyes widening at the sight before him. Children, bound and gagged were cramped into cages, the dirt on their faces bearing streaks of blood and tears.

Savages! Humans or not, those children were innocent.

Drawing his sword, Etienne smashed the remaining section of the wall, sending the stones crumbling before them.

Howls and whimpers erupted in echoes; Changeling hyenas - some in human form, some in animal form -scattered about as they sought shelter from his wrath.

And out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of their leader.

"Fillip," he growled.

The Changeling was unrepentant, chuckling as he drew his own sword. "I would never have pegged you as a human saver! Like father, like son it seems!"

There was no need for words now. Etienne could feel his face stretching; fangs elongating as his eyes turned into gold with each expanse of his power. No sword would be needed once he revealed his true self. This pathetic excuse of life wouldn't stand a chance then.

Then he felt it, the throbbing heartbeat of his father's sword. Masamune? You wish me to draw you?

"Very well then." His eyes returned to its normal silvery glow. Picking up speed, he headed straight into the Changeling, his sword slashing through, drawing no blood.

"Oh Etienne! Did you think that rusty blunt blade would kill me?" Fillip roared with laughter, slapping his knees as he looked at Etienne standing a few feet away. "I can't even -"

The humour suddenly flickered out from his eyes; as though something had punched him in the stomach.

"What... what did you do to me?" he rasped, hands wrapped around his throat. "You took...something..."

Etienne said nothing, simply watching as the Changeling sank to his knees. Looking away as his body disintegrated in flakes, Etienne turned his attention to other hyenas hiding in the rocky crevices.

"I have warned you before and I will do so one last time. Harm another innocent - human or otherwise and I will hunt you down till every last one of you is discarded like trash."

Alduin's roar added a finality to his words; the flames from the dragon licking at the ceiling of the cave.

Now, his job was done.

***

Rose had assisted in the extraction of the children; her female presence a soothing welcome for their cries. Titus and his men had broken down the cages with axes and spears; their desperation and love for the children pushing them to do so with a determination that was awe-inspiring.

With bare hands, Titus had pushed apart the bars of a cage, his hands curling around a child; slipping her through the gap and into his arms.

It had taken them the latter half of the day; the rescue running through to dusk.

"We should set up camp closer to the river. The children need food and rest before the trip back home," suggested Rose.

"We will then. Close enough to the river, the fish changelings may be willing to spare some river stones for a soup," replied Titus, his voice heavy with weary. Lifting his head to the Purebloods, he gestured to Miria. "But for you my Lord, what do you plan for her?"

Rose looked over to Miria and saw that she was barely breathing; her face bearing webs of green from the hyena's poison.

"We will see in the morning. For now, she should not be moved much."

Rose had seen Lord Etienne heal from much deadlier wounds before so if he said to wait, then there would be nothing any of them could do.

As the men began setting up camp and heading to the river to collect stones and river weeds, Rose helped to clean the children; wiping their faces clean of the dirt and blood that caked their skin.

"That's much better," she whispered to a little girl, not more than five years old. It would have been better if they could all take a dip in the river but in the dark, Rose didn't want to risk it. Taking out the comb securing her own tresses, she carefully threaded it through the child's hair; her fingers luxuriating in its softness and innocence.