So, I'm starting a trashy music pick from DJ Amity. She really does have the worst taste in music.

Amity's choice for chapter seven is…. Dead Bite from Hollywood Undead!

Disclaimer for this chapter, and the last one since I forgot: Not mine. (Do I really have to put these for every single chapter? That just seems so excessive…)

CHAPTER 7: MONSTER MASH

The girl dropped to her knees weeping pitifully and holding herself as if her arms were the only thing keeping her together. The incessant crying was grating—like a ringing in his ears that did not cease. Godric wanted to silence her. Shake her. Tell her to keep quiet, because crying never solved anything. It just gave them more ammunition. They liked the tears. Fed off of them. They were almost as good as blood. Some vampires even preferred the one over the other. And by the deep savory breath of air Vicinius took in reverently he knew without a doubt that this was one of them.

If Godric was in his right mind, he would have dropped everything, turned tail, and bolted as soon as he caught sight of the Ancient vampire. If he was smart, he would do so right that very moment. He'd leave Cassia and her weepy little sister to their fates. He wouldn't mourn. He wouldn't grieve. He'd be alive to see another night and he'd be grateful for it and every night that followed. He'd survive. That's what he'd always done before and he could do it again. He knew he could. But that's the thing…

…He didn't feel like just surviving anymore.

Glancing at Cassia, he caught her eye. Things were still unclear, but this woman was the key, he felt, to everything. He was connected to her in a way he had not been connected to anyone—not even his maker—especially not his maker. She knew parts of him that he'd forgotten about. And though he was no longer human, these parts of him still felt important. All he remembered was the bad. The pain. The torture. Seemingly endless suffering. But all she knew was the good. There were chunks missing, leaving empty voids within him, and he knew somehow that she could fill them up. If he could piece together the past, fill those holes, he might begin to piece together the future. Or go without…

…and continue to be lost.

"Truly," Vicinius took another lingering breath of air and continued to speak dispassionately, shining his pointed fingernails on the lapel of his lavish clothing, "I am impressed by you, young one. Even one such as I respected your maker. So, do tell me…" the Ancient's lips twisted into a cruel facsimile of a grin, "how did you do it?"

And Godric felt rage—true, boiling rage, for what felt like the first time in centuries. For many, many reasons…least of which this cur had the audacity to taunt him about his maker. He was not in any way equipped to deal with another Ancient. He'd gotten lucky with his maker—struck at him when he was at his most…vulnerable—something Godric had an intimate and rather unfortunate knowledge of. Destroying him was another one of his temporary moments of insanity and quite possibly the greatest act he'd ever accomplished—one with many lasting consequences.

More than anything, he hated the feeling of being helpless with an intense passion. He hadn't been helpless in a long time, he thought. He was the one who made others feel helpless now. He was in control. But being in the presence of another Ancient was like stepping back in time to the last miserable years of his human life. And he knew right then and there that he'd never been free. He was still a slave. He could run all he liked, but he'd never be truly free until each and every last Ancient was eradicated from the face of the planet. Perhaps that made him an extremist? Ah, well…details.

He was invested now. No getting out.

But he was going to do this smart. Glancing at Cassia once more, her eyes purposely boring into his, it was clear that she'd come to a similar conclusion. She had a plan. He had a plan. Hopefully they would mesh into one big plan without too much trouble. His eyes flicked back to glower at Vicinius who appeared to like the sound of his own voice a little too much.

"Do not look at me so hatefully, Child," he gestured with his long-fingered hands loftily, "'Tis not as if I make up the rules. Were it up to me, I'd have you rewarded… Appius was a thorn in my side for a millennia. We are kindred spirits, you and I."

Godric wanted to laugh in contempt, but that would have ruined the surprise. That's how he'd done it last time. If you wanted to kill an Ancient, you had to play on their hubris. Shock them with something unpredictable. Something only a lunatic would do. And at that moment, Godric was thankful for his temporary moments of insanity. Without them, he didn't think he'd have worked up the gall for what he was about to do next…

The Ancient was in mid-speech when Godric launched himself into attack. Vicinius was drawling something about, "And now the Frost Queen is out for blood. I suppose it only natural that she would turn to the experts on the subject—"

The element of surprise only got one so far, however. That lasted for about five seconds. Five seconds where he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Cassia had torn off across the chamber as soon as he had. It appeared as if he would be playing distraction once again. And so he was determined to make this count. It might be the last act he ever committed, after all. Surprisingly…he was okay with that. He might have been the pioneer of the concept of 'live free or die' at that point in time.

The entire room shook when his body impacted with the wall of stone. Pain wracked him for the first time in a very long time, but that didn't matter. He shut it out. Turned it off. As soon as nothing was holding him down, he was off again like a trebuchet, speeding towards the Ancient like a glutton for torment. Vicinius was grinning at him in something like wonder.

"You truly believe that you can defeat me?" he laughed a high-pitched cruel laugh, catching Godric's forearm easily before he could land a strike. "That lightning will strike twice—" He swung at Vicinius with his free hand then, and miraculously landed a right hook into the elder vampire's cheek, his head turning with the impact. When the Ancient slowly turned back, a stream of blood was dripping sluggishly from his lips which quickly molded into a snarl. And all at once, Godric's vision was turned upside down as he was slammed repeated, brutally into the stone floor, leaving a good sized dent. Through the blinding pain, he had time to notice idly that there were skeletons buried beneath the chamber—a second chamber beneath? Like catacombs? It appeared as if he'd stumbled upon Vicinius' resting place… At any rate, it certainly didn't matter now.

He was wrenched from the wreckage of the floor with a sigh from the Ancient vampire, "Now look what you have made me do… I've gone and lost my temper. How unsightly."

From his upside down vantage, Godric vaguely noticed Cassia frantically searching through cubby holes on the opposite side of the room. Vicinius was saying something again, but through the ringing in his ears, and his bleary concentration on the human woman, Godric couldn't comprehend it. Blood was spilling from his nose, and he felt like half his face had been smashed in at one point, but it didn't matter. He had to keep fighting—keep buying time for—

He reached out for the only thing of Vicinius he could grasp—the hem of his fine robes—and deliberately ripped. If possible—materialistic as Godric had pegged him for almost instantly—the Ancient vampire's face went even whiter with fury and Godric was flung into yet another wall, leaving an imprint there. More bones seeped out of the cracks in the foundation as he sunk to the floor. It appeared the entire abbey had been built upon a mass grave. He wondered if the whole Christianity stint was just another play by the Ancients. Likely. The thought made him laugh weakly through the blood bubbling from his lips and running down his face—which, as an added bonus, just served to make Vicinius even more furious.

"You think this is a game, Child?" he seethed, stalking towards his unresponsive form. "You think I wished to take invaluable time out of my nights hunting down an insignificant speck like you? Do you find this amusing!?" He seized the front of Godric's tattered jerkin and hauled him up to eyelevel. The enraged Ancient continued in a stream of how exactly he planned on disposing of him in cruel and insidious detail, but once more, Godric was no longer listening.

Through faltering vision, just over Vicinius' shoulder, Godric saw something move jerkily—unnaturally. At his unfocused gaze, the Ancient finally paused in his promises of painful demise upon delivering him to the tribunal, and turned to cast an aggravated glance over his shoulder—but he didn't get that far. It was the sound that registered first. The foul cracking of bones knocking together and then the stench of rotting flesh bombarded the senses overwhelmingly. Long, white, skeletal hands with fingers that moved like spiders' legs creeped over his shoulders and gripped the angry vampire, brutally ripping through the fine fabric of his robes and into skin with crippling strength.

"What—"

Godric sunk back to the cracked floor again as Vicinius was abruptly torn away from his person by what appeared to be a conglomeration of bones and viscous, dripping corpses in various stages of decomposition. Together, the mass formed a monstrosity of nightmares, a golem made from rotting flesh and bone. Glazed, empty eyes looked hungrily out of the horror creature's orifices as multiple limbs extended and dragged away a snarling Vicinius back towards their source. It looked to be coming from the hole the Ancient vampire had made in the floor with Godric's head. More dead were creeping out of the cracks in the walls, some stumbling, some dragging themselves to join with the abomination that subdued Vicinius, slowly dragging him back to the hole…

He put up more than a good fight, ripping off the cadaverous limbs that gripped at him viciously, attempting to claw himself away from the mass of dead, but they were much too many, and much too strong. Before long, he was subdued—his arms and legs held prostrate with the floor and unable to move, though he sure did try—and he was dragged before a shadowed figure in a deep crimson robe, her face obscured by a voluminous cowl.

She stepped towards the snarling vampire and asked with foreboding, "Was it you who murdered all these people?" When his answer was yet another snarl she shrugged and said, "Either way, you certainly have built a paradise here for one of my particular skillset… I will deal with you later."

And with that, she stalked away, tossing some garments and trinkets at Arcadia as she went. The girl still wept, holding close the body of her sister and rocking her back and forth as tremors wracked her, and jumped as a silvery cloak hit her nigh in the face. "Put it on," Cassia barked at her commandingly, "and for Calista's sake, pull yourself together, girl! Focus. Do not allow her spirit to slip away."

"But-but there's…" she stammered out, overwhelmed as she looked around frantically at things no one else could see, "…s-so many. So many have died here—how can I find her amongst them all?"

"Irrelevant. Just do it," Cassia snapped as she made her way over to Godric, robes flapping behind her. She knelt before his form, still collapsed against the wall, supporting his head in the dent where he'd hit it. He could see her face now beneath the cowl, eyes frantic with worry as she examined him, and she whispered, "You fought bravely, my Boy…"

He let out a cynical snort that sent his head into a heavy ache. If his heart still beat, it would be pounding, he wagered. Now, it was trying to heal itself, but his strength was failing him. If he did not feed soon, he would be in for a long recovery from the beating he had just endured. Though he was not so humiliated by the defeat as he was astounded that he had survived it at all… At that thought, he sent a grim look at the creature that had pried Vicinius away from him and asked, "What is that…thing? It is not natural."

"No, no it is not…" Cassia agreed with a sigh. "But there is no time to explain. May I move you? Can you walk?"

He could certainly try.

In the end, Cassia stooped and lifted his arm over her shoulders, removing him from his latest crater, and he staggered along beside her. His blood stained her robes—the first he had seen her in, he realized, centuries ago—but as the drops soaked in, it appeared to become one with the overall crimson color of the garb; it was already dyed with blood. A little more didn't hurt. When the witch set them both down by the side of the dead girl and her sister, Godric had trouble not seizing the body and draining it right then and there. Stagnant dead blood was nowhere near as pleasant as pulsing live blood, but you'd be hard pressed to find a vampire who could resist a fresh corpse still warm to the touch. In his wounded state he was surprised he managed to find himself capable of paying attention to anything else.

As it was, it was the chilling sensation of a million fingers ghosting over his skin that brought him out of his blood induced daze and even he let out an involuntary shiver. Arcadia was doing her witch thing again. Idly, he noticed her eyes roll back into her head, displaying only the bloodshot whites. It was an eerie sight. The girl's face crumpled and she shook her head. "I can't f-find her. I can't—"

"Try harder," Cassia ordered curtly, sitting stiffly beside him and the body and hovering her hands up and down it. They halted over Calista's still chest where suddenly, abruptly, and reminiscent of a puppet-master, Cassia pulled. With the rise of her Cassia's hands so also rose her sister's chest with a wheezing breath. Godric heard a stilted heartbeat within and stared on in shocked silence at the corpse his witch had just revived with a flick of her wrists.

"She lives…" he breathed in wonder. Perhaps Jesus rising from the dead was not such a farfetched notion after all…?

"No," Cassia immediately dashed his imaginings distractedly as she continued to move her hands up and down with her sister's breathing. "It is but a false life. I may control her like a puppet, but there is no true life within her. She will not walk on her own. Not until I say so." Her eyes then bore into Arcadia who still shuddered with stifled sobs. "…That is why you must pull yourself together, you sentimental fool, and find her spirit!" Cassia's voice was sharp as a knife. "This is no time for grief or tears! I have no sacrifice available to perform a full resurrection and no strength for it besides with the neck still needing healing! Ooh…the body must be intact if we're going to do this manually—the neck is still… How on earth am I to heal this…?" She trailed off dismally with a sigh as she continued her perusal of the breathing body.

"Sacrifice the vampire!" Arcadia retaliated in anger, her shaking finger shooting towards the snarling Ancient, still being held down by the flesh monster—which was looking hungrier and hungrier as the moments elapsed, Godric noticed.

Exasperation slackened Cassia's features as she pointed out dryly to the girl, as if she were speaking to an idiot, "A vampire is dead, Arcadia. One cannot sacrifice a vampire and expect it to yield life…"

"Perhaps life cannot come from death," Godric found himself speaking, eying Vicinius with a similar venom to Arcadia's. And perhaps he was mad for saying it, but he finally settled on divulging one of the vampire kind's greatest secrets—one of the few things he had managed to learn from his maker before he ended him, "but a vampire's blood can heal a mortal's wounds…" His lips twisted into a vindictive grin settled on Vicinus' suddenly very still form. His eyes were bulging at Godric in pure fury as he added with glee, "The older the blood, the stronger the effect…"

Cassia followed his gaze towards Vicinius with intrigue, rising to her feet and approaching the growling Ancient. "Well…that is certainly convenient. 'Tis fortunate I decided to deal with you later." And with that, without warning, and a flick of Cassia's hands and if yanking something Godric watched as Vicinius' body jerked unpleasantly. "As it is…" his body gave another jerk, "I think I will deal with you now."

"What are you…?" Vicinius gasped out as his back arched in pain.

"Did your superiors not tell you what you were to be dealing with upon my capture?" She arched a brow, her voice deceptively pleasant. "That seems rather negligent of them… Is my dear mother not collaborating with your Ancients and having them do her dirty work as we speak?" Her lips twisted into a cruel grin as Vicinius twitched again, like a child who pulls the wings off a dragonfly. "You truly have no idea…do you? 'Tis almost pitiful… But just as the same could be said of you with your victims here," her grin widened as her fingers readied themselves for some complicated maneuver, "…you will find no mercy within me."

She then gave another brutal yank, and without warning, bursts of wine red blood exploded out of Vicinius from every orifice—eyes, ears, nose, mouth—all gaping open like wounds… A horrible sound, almost animalistic in its suffering, emitted from the Ancient vampire as he was slowly and systematically drained of his blood. Godric watched in morbid fascination as the witch funneled the mass through the air directly into Calista's small form—would that amount of blood even fit inside her without overflowing, he wondered. Somehow, Cassia managed it, soon leaving the drained Ancient slumped in the hold of the horror creature she had created.

"Now, what shall I do with you…?" she hummed, tapping her fingers rhythmically against her hip as she thought, her eyes casting over Vicinius' limp form and the creature holding him calculatingly. "Perhaps a poetic ending is called for… These poor people whom you have savaged…" A malicious cackle erupted from her as Godric could almost see a twisted idea forming in her mind. "You have feasted upon them, no? Their blood, their lives, their souls…" Her white teeth glinted in the light as she grinned. "Now too shall you be feasted upon in return"—her voice held an ominous promise—"it is your turn to become the meal."

The Ancient could not even struggle or snarl any longer—only his eyes moved frantically as the putrid smelling monster of dripping flesh and twisted bone dragged him slowly across the cracked floor and down the hole from which they had emerged. It was not long after he disappeared below that they heard the distinct sounds of something snapping and ripping wetly…and, faintly, as if though a clenched jaw, Vicinius' muffled screams. Godric had the feeling that if he were to walk over to stand beside Cassia and look down into that hole, the sight that would await him would haunt him throughout the ages…

Cassia merely smirked.

For the first time, he almost wished his maker was alive—because he now fully believed what she had said about an 'eternity of torment.' Watching her standing there with that look on her face, he knew she was not only fully capable of any kind of cruelty imaginable, but then some. They had named her 'Cassia the Cruel' for a reason, and now he knew why. Looking at her then, he thought it likely that long ago, in far ancient times, men might have erected shrines in supplication, created idols in her image, even worshiped her as an avenging god…

She was amazing.

She soon turned on her heel, blood robes billowing in her wake as she approached Calista once more, hands hovering over her neck now assessing. She looked up at him with bright eyes and the affirmation, "You were right. It worked…"

"A few drops would have sufficed," he told her. "I am unsure what might happen to a human who has consumed so much vampire blood…"

"I doubt it can do much harm at this point," Cassia spoke flippantly, snatching up the girl's arm and waving at him with it. "She's dead. See?"

He nodded slowly. "True… However, if she stays that way, it is possible that she might be brought over within a few nights."

"Brought over where…?" Arcadia asked as Cassia's expression slowly fell slack with realization.

"I assume you mean 'brought over' as a vampire…correct?" the elder witch scarcely breathed.

Godric nodded. "Had I known you were going to use all of Vicinius' blood, I might have warned you… Although I can't say I disapprove of your methods." A grin spread across his face. "It takes a vampire several decades to recover from such a thing. Even more, I would wager, from what is happening to him down below as we speak…"

The wet sounds of flesh ripping filled the ominous silence.

A moment later, Cassia's gaze flashed to Arcadia and she commanded, "You need to find Calista's essence. Now." She added harshly, "Unless, of course, you'd prefer having a vampire for a sister." She gestured towards Godric with a jerk of her shoulder. "You'll have no judgements from me or my Boy… Calista might not be too pleased with you though." She turned and asked Godric, "Isn't it true that new vampires are often volatile and unstable?"

His lips curled into a smirk as he eyed Calista's still form. "Without her maker, the girl would be nigh uncontrollable… Furthermore, without guidance, fledglings do not often survive the first year." He arched his brows at Arcadia who had gone decidedly white. "Unless you would like to take responsibility for her. How confident do you feel about keeping a baby vampire properly fed?" The girl went even paler and Cassia nodded at him in approval as he hammered in the final point mercilessly, "If you want to keep her from feeding on others, you'll have to feed her yourself—"

"Alright!" Arcadia burst out. "Alright, alright! I'll try again, just—" she attempted to compose herself, sitting straighter and breathing in deeply, closing her eyes "—just give me a moment…"

Once more the air around them chilled substantially, and the sweeping of invisible fingers was back. He did not like Arcadia's power, he decided. It made him feel on edge… Speaking of which, his body stiffened as he heard the sounds of marching several levels overhead. He looked at Cassia and murmured, "Reinforcements are coming… Perhaps it would be best just to allow the girl to come over." He even reluctantly offered, "They can travel with us for a while… I can teach the girl what I've learned over the centuries whilst the other one learns to keep her in check."

Cassia cast him a considering look, and another worried one at the ceiling where Godric could hear the sounds of soldiers' footfalls growing louder. She admitted softly, "You may be right…"

But Arcadia shook her head wildly, eyes shooting open widely to display bloodshot whites, and a rasping voice escaped her, "No! I do not wish to come back! 'Tis not right!"

Cassia blinked in surprise and asked carefully, "Calista…is that you?"

"I will not come back!" the voice that was not Arcadia's ripped out in a ghastly wail from her person. "You cannot make me!"

"No…" Cassia said slowly, cautiously. "You are right about that. We cannot make you do anything without your permission… 'Tis your choice. However," she paused deliberately, "the vampire curse will compel you back with or without your consent. And by then, you will no longer have a choice…" She glanced at Godric and relayed, "My Boy has kindly offered to teach you what he knows if that is the case, but you must make the choice now, or we will not be able to escape this place. Do you understand, Little Sister?" She glanced at Godric again, this time resolved. "We will leave you here if you cannot make a choice. We're running out of time."

The blank eyed form of Arcadia stared back at them with a vacantness uncharacteristic of the girl's usually animated features. It was soon after that her head fell back, and her body arched, mouth gaping open in a silent scream as a weightless silvery substance escaped from her. Cassia hurriedly pinched the dead girl's mouth open as well and they watched as it went inside, filling Calista with a light she had previously been missing. And though Cassia had been animating the body with manual breathing, manual heartbeats, you could visibly tell the difference when she started breathing on her own—as if she'd never breathed a day in her life, like a fish out of water, gasping it, guzzling it down like she was running out. Her eyes shot open next, darting from to each of their faces before bolting up, cradling her previously broken neck.

"Good," Cassia clutched one of the girl's shoulders good-naturedly. "Gather your effects. We must depart immediately."

"You cannot allow her catch her breath first—" Arcadia demanded, wrapping her arms around her sister defensively.

"No," she denied bluntly. "You may catch your breath when you are dead…" She paused, eyeing Calista carefully, "…again." With one hand, she slung Godric's arm over her shoulders once more, picking up a wicked looking iron staff with a blade on one end and a wide ring on the other. "Let us go. Now."

"Yes, Sister…" Arcadia murmured, and attempted to haul Calista up similarly, but was surprised when the girl stood on her own with little effort. Calista was staring at her hands like she'd never seen them before, donning deep mauve robes and an amulet that looked like it was made of bear claws before dutifully following Cassia out of the chamber, Arcadia trailing after her in silver.

"I feel power…" the girl marveled, still staring at her hands peculiarly. "What did you do to me? What happened?"

"Perhaps it is good you do not remember…" Cassia sighed, now at full strength, flicking her staff lazily as they passed cell doors to which they directly flew open. Trembling prisoners were beginning to file out behind them, thanking their gods for their good fortune.

Calista did not press, looking at Arcadia questioningly as she sidled up and laced their fingers together, but did not protest. She smiled dumbly at her younger sister when she murmured tearfully, "I don't ever want to lose you again."

Grinning, Calista told her, "I will never leave you, my Heart. We made a promise, ages ago, during the Trials. Don't you remember?"

Sniffing, Arcadia nodded, reciting, "Together…or not at all."

"That's right! And together we shall stay!" Calista chirped cheerfully. "So no more tears, Cadi."

Arcadia only succeeded in creating more of them.

"I thought you said your sisters delighted in destroying each other…" Godric muttered to Cassia dryly. The love fest was driving him up a wall… He'd frankly find them more bearable if they were trying to destroy each other.

"Not these two," she amended her previous statement distractedly, continuing to concentrate on the path ahead. "Most close siblings and relations are pitted against each other in witch families. There is a purpose for that… But Arcadia and Calista are unique. They've both fought relentlessly against tradition for their entire lives. 'Tis quite admirable, in a way… Not many would have the strength to do so." She frowned. "Not even I…" She shook her head. "But that was very long ago… Breaking tradition was nearly unthinkable back then."

He got the feeling Cassia was avoiding some subject, but he didn't press. He might be able to glamour it out of her later if his curiosity niggled at him enough. He tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other first. He decided he'd wait a couple millennia before having a head-on collision with another Ancient. And now that his latest moment of insanity had come to its conclusion, now ensued the inevitable 'Why did I ever think for a single moment that it would be a good idea? Why?' speech. But he reasoned that he was alive, his allies were alive, Cassia was still with him, and Vicinius was currently being devoured by a living dead monstrosity. All in all, he surmised that it had been a pretty good night, all things considered…

That was until they emerged from the dungeons in a courtyard filled with what appeared to be the entirety of Constantinople's guard…

Had he been at full strength, he might have been able to take them all. Maybe. But he knew his limits. With over a hundred armed men in the yard, it was optimistic to assume that he'd get through maybe a fourth of them before someone decapitated him. He could barely stand up straight, much less move at his habitual vampric speed. Glumly, with a resigned sort of acceptance, he glanced at Cassia to see the same look on her face as she shook her head, confirming his suspicions.

"My influence lies with the dead, not the living…" she whispered despairingly.

"Well," he remarked with a grim sort of cheer, "it was a good night, at any rate…"

Her lips twisted into a tired smile when she looked at him, despite the circumstances. "I am glad you found me."

"Should have done it sooner," he returned, mirroring her smile thoughtlessly.

"Would have, could have, should have… Careful, Boy," she mused back, "that way leads to madness… I would know."

He would have asked questions, but a soldier pointed his spear at them and cried, "Halt! In the name of the Emperor Constantine!"

He and Cassia took one look at him, then exchanged a very heavy glance before breaking out into snickers that soon became full blown laughter. Doubled over, he remarked, "One would think your emperor would thank us! We were only following his marvelous example, do you see?" He gestured around at the half destroyed abbey.

Sneering, the guard barked, "For this act of heresy against the sanctity of our holy city, as captain of the guard, I hereby sentence you to death!"

"No!" a voice called from behind them—one of the prisoners they had freed on their way out. An entire crowd was filing out of the dungeons behind them. "We have been imprisoned here unjustly! And fed upon by monsters!" the prisoner cried heatedly. "These are our saviors where you and the emperor would let us rot and fall prey to evil! We will be free!" And even more prisoners emerged from the broken doors, and he noted with interest that some of them had managed to find the armory…

Things escalated quickly from there.

Normally, he would have found the battle that broke out to be thrilling, preying on both sides and stroking the flames of chaos. But Godric was bone tired, and severely weakened. Furthermore, the sun would be up in a matter of hours—he could feel it coming. And having to dodge swords and flying axes was not conductive to a swift getaway. And then the twins were falling behind—he cursed as Cassia rounded on them, hollering, "Keep up!"

"No, Sister!" Calista grinned a rather unnerving grin and he noticed that her teeth looked a little too sharp for a normal human. "The power… I have the power to do it now!"

The girl began to laugh joyfully as her shape distorted, and Godric watched in mystified disbelief as her tiny form stretched and widened impossibly, growing until it towered menacingly over all in the courtyard. There before him was a creature Godric had only heard about in tales, covered in scales as black as night with red, glowing eyes split by vertical slits. On the creature's back, two leathery wings spread to block out the sky and its spiny neck curved as it threw its head back and roared, shaking them all down to their bones. That was around the time just about everyone in the courtyard started screaming and running in terror…

"Well, get on!" Arcadia called, already half way up the creature's back.

Cassia and Godric glanced at each other for only a moment before hurrying to comply. They didn't need to be told twice. Especially when it was much more sensible not to be on the ground and in the way when Calista was making shish-kabobs out of guards with her brand new claws. And just when they thought it couldn't get any worse, she opened up her maw lined with fangs—each as big around as a torso—and belched out a stream of blue fire. She began working her wings next, gradually lifting off from the ground while they valiantly attempted to stay on board by holding on to her numerous neck spikes. Arcadia, however—bizarrely accustomed to riding upon her sister's various forms—was sitting right upon Calista's head, cheering her on with wild enthusiasm.

"You never told me your sister could turn into a dragon."

"I didn't think it was possible," Cassia hissed back. "Dragons are a myth!"

"Not anymore…" he pointed out needlessly, as they were now hanging onto one for dear life.

Calista flew high, circling the abbey once, then on the second circle, she let out another long stream of fire, setting the entire building alight in roaring flames before flying off into the night with a thundering roar. They must have been flying for hours when Godric felt himself finally reach the end of his strength, dawn just around the corner. The only thing that stopped him from tumbling off the flying monster was Cassia's quick reflexes, in which event she vehemently demanded that they land. They'd reached the edge of a mighty forest by then.

"The Black Forest," she told him as she half-carried him along. "We'll be safe within the boarders… There is a neutral coven who makes their home here, though…" She paused, glancing over him. "I'm not sure how fond they are of vampires…"

He managed to mumble out several forceful curses in Gaelic—all of which were in favor of not going to the coven. Arcadia looked at him with genuine concern and asked Cassia, "Is he going to be alright…?"

He couldn't even manage to glare at the little twit, unable to lift his head, but he thought the very vampire snarl he answered her with got his point across just as well. The dragon Calista let out a warning growl, evidently more on his wavelength in this form than in her other one, and that shut him up. No point in posturing or baring his fangs at this stage. Especially not with a dragon whose fangs were clearly much bigger… Not a smart move.

"I think we shall part ways here for now," Cassia told the two of them with a peaceable smile, attempting to calm the charged atmosphere and tactfully disengage. "Surely the two of you cannot possibly get into any more trouble with the forest this close."

"Ooh, don't say that Sister," Arcadia shook her head, "there's a jinx on those words."

She only laughed in response. "Farewell, and learn much from the Black Forest Coven. I will inform Father of your safe arrival. Avoid Mother if at all possible."

"W-wait, Sister—about Mother—" the girl called after her as she went to turn.

"What about Mother…?" Cassia's voice was full of foreboding.

"I—we—" Arcadia stumbled over her words, and her face was twisted in uncertainty. Finally, she burst out, "Sister, we went to visit Mother's winter palace, and-and there—" she swallowed thickly "—there was a woman there…behind a locked door. She told us crazy stories. Told us we were going to be locked up and burned, but…we didn't believe her then."

Godric felt every muscle in Cassia's body go tight and after a tense moment of silence, she asked, "…Did she tell you her name?"

"She…she said her name was Kassandra…" Arcadia murmured quietly. "I don't think we were supposed to know about her… Perhaps that's why Mother had us kidnapped…"

"Kassandra…" Cassia whispered the name ruefully. "No…impossible. But…could it be…?" More strongly, she asked the girl, "Are you certain she gave you this name? No other?"

"She said she was known as Kassandra of Ilium," said Calista as she reverted to human form. Her teeth looked sharper than ever. "But, Sister… Was Ilium not vanquished ages ago? Burned to ruins?" She paused for a moment before adding, "She sounded mad. We did not believe a word she said."

"Impossible…" Cassia whispered again. "Mother said she was murdered in Mycenae with her babes…" She trailed off then gave her head a little shake, refocusing on the twins who stared at her with growing trepidation. "You must not repeat this to anyone. Do you hear me? No one must know."

They both nodded hurriedly and he took that moment to remind her weakly, "Cassia… The sun…"

"Yes," she acknowledged him gently, before looking back at the twins. "We must depart. I am trusting the two of you to look after yourselves and keep this information safe. Do not fail me."

"We will not," they assured simultaneously.

"Farewell, Sister…" said Arcadia sadly.

"Farewell," Calista echoed with a smile, waving at them before taking her sister's hand and running off into the forest, changing into a bear mid-stride, Arcadia jumping astride the lumbering creature's back before they were both disappeared, lost amidst the tall trees. And with that, Cassia hauled him off towards the opposite end of the wood, her stride steady and swift.

"What was all that about…?" he murmured into her shoulder.

"Perhaps I shall tell you one night," she proposed, "but that night is not this night. 'Tis a long, complicated tale of ages past, and not one to be told when short of time… But know that it worries me greatly to hear that Kassandra might be alive. This is…" she paused, searching for the words, "disheartening news…"

She eventually stopped before an enormous tree with a peculiar knot on the front that almost looked like a knocker. She then proceeded to knock with an odd, practiced rhythm only she knew, revealing a hidden door and pulling it open to a spacious room with another one of her lavish beds. "'Tis one of my more modest dwellings but we should be safe here for now…" she murmured, guiding him over where he practically collapsed into the plush feather mattress. Cassia's tense face morphed into one of concern as she sat by his side, looking over him, fretting hands hovering over the wounds that had yet to heal due to his waning strength.

"I apologize, I have not been able to see to your injuries sooner… I—" she broke off, lifting her hands away with a frown. "I…cannot heal you." She looked distraught over this discovery.

His lips canted at her wryly. "Once I have fed I will heal on my own," he reminded her; it appeared for a moment as if she had forgotten he was a vampire.

Blinking once, twice, she gave her head a little shake. "Yes, of course you will… What was I thinking?" She eyed his many wounds, now healing at an almost human pace, and frowned deeply.

A heavy silence fell over them and he closed his eyes, waiting for the sun to finally rise and take him. He was going to have a fun time trying to hunt like this the next eve. Then again, perhaps a challenge was just what he need—

"You can feed from me."

His eyes snapped open.

Spotting the resolve in her face, he knew she was serious. Yes, he might have fantasized about her giving herself to him willingly, but he never thought she actually would. Not without heavy influence from a glamour, at least. He wondered briefly if he had done it unconsciously, but discarded that—not only did he not have the strength for such a feat at the moment, but he had not been making eye-contact either. She had to be acting on her own initiative.

At his incredulous face, she amended, "Just enough to get you by… You can do it without killing, yes?"

He didn't know. Yes, he knew it was possible, but he'd never actually tried. Never wanted to. Never cared to. His maker certainly never taught him. But he nodded 'yes' hurriedly before his silence could be construed as uncertainty—even if he was uncertain. He thought she might retract her miraculous offer if he let her know that. He inwardly scolded himself. Of course he could stop if he wanted to. He was almost four-hundred years old, not a child. He could control himself if he needed to. And he would. He eyed her neck determinedly. This was just another challenge.

He heard her sharp intake of breath as his fangs pierced through his gums sharply, and he almost expected her to bolt right then and there. But she didn't. No, ever contrary to expectations, Cassia reached out, pulling him towards her in a gentle embrace. Carefully, he reminded himself. He needed to remember to be careful. And with that word firmly repeating itself in his mind, he tentatively moved to return her embrace…

Her scent alone was just about enough to make him throw caution to the winds.

He bit down on his cheek to return his focus but it was so very difficult. How did anyone do this? It took an excruciating amount of effort to refrain from the urge to tear into her savagely, and his fangs ached to do just that. But he repeated the word again, carefully…carefully…as he slowly lowered his lips to her barred neck. Her small gasp as they made cool contact with her burning skin almost threw him over the deep end.

"Do not move," he warned her in a voice he almost didn't recognize—strained and hoarse. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she moved. He thought for a moment before adding, "Do not scream either…" If she screamed, he was done. There would be no stopping him then.

"Alright…" she promised as he buried his face in her neck, trying to acclimate to her overwhelming scent. Maybe if he got used to it…

No. No, that just made it worse. If he was going to do this, he needed to do it quickly. But carefully. Carefully. His lips touched her skin again and he was pleased when she didn't make a sound—he'd lose his mind, otherwise. It excited him too much. She didn't scream or gasp either when his fangs scraped against the pulsing vein in her neck. It was impossible to ask her to slow her heartbeat down. It was the only thing that betrayed her fear. But he could hear it so clearly. Even feel it as his fangs sunk deeply—carefully—into her delicate flesh.

But as soon as the first drop of her blood flowed into him, he was gone.

She tasted like magic.

Wow, guys! I can see a lot of you are liking this story! (I haven't seen a traffic graph look like that in ages!)

Just let me know you're there!

Anyway, this marks the end of episode 1 with Cassia and Godric. We're going to get back to Godric and Amity (and Eric, uh-oh) next chapter!