GFD 12: Blood Ties - 39. Chapter 39

Everything about his intimidating presence gave me the chills. This 'Ruby' character. From the way that he walked to the way his invisible eyes seemed to glare at you through his ruby red mask. It was almost as if my breath was getting short from the tension building in the air around me. Human or non-human...every living thing knows a savage predator when they encounter one.

I found myself leaning further to the side, ever so slightly...meekly attempting to provide a few more inches of protection for Taryn. But I didn't want to move too quickly, fearing that his invisible eyes would notice and zero in on me for trying to hide.

I didn't want to stare at him, but I didn't dare turn away.

I don't think I've cowered before another vampire like this since the first time I encountered Comicality in that dark graveyard many months ago.

The Jeweler stepped forward, and gently rolled up the sleeves on his robe. Not very far...just enough to uncover his wrists. "I was just talking to the leader of your squad, here, Mr. Ruby." He said. "Perhaps you know more about the details of this needless intrusion than what he was willing to reveal to us."

Ruby was silent for a moment. I could hear him breathing through his mask. The way some night stalker might breathe over the phone in some late night 70's horror flick. Then...his hand suddenly jerked up, and he snapped his fingers. Loudly, I might add. The abrupt gesture and sudden pop of noise...mixed with my already 'on edge' feelings about this mysterious stranger, caused me to jump involuntarily. A nearly inaudible gasp escaping my lips.

Somehow, that single snap caused all of the fallen guards in the lobby to slowly sit up and turn their heads in the direction of the front desk. The strangest thing was that I don't think they were conscious. Not all of them. They simply sat there...their bodies held up as if by an invisible set of puppet strings. Their eyes...glowing with a bright blue, almost silver, color. When I looked back at Ruby's protective guards, I noticed that their eyes were also illuminated with the same blank stare. Exactly the same. And I don't just mean that they were all the same color. No. The errie part as that the eyes of every soldier in that room seemed to be functioning as a single unit. They weren't just similar...they were identical.

Ruby stepped closer to the Jeweler, who never once lost his gentle grace as he was being approached. "We have reason to believe that there has been...an abnormality here in this sector. The Elders are concerned. The Circle Nocturnus has discovered multiple cases of dissent within the ranks of vampires that were designated with the task of preventing such an event from happening. Obviously, they find these betrayals quite alarming."

The Jeweler said, "If the Elders had such issues, why didn't they contact me themselves. Why did they send you?"

"I didn't say they sent me. I said they were concerned." Ruby took a brief pause, and slowly...his head turned towards Taryn and I. And the bluish silver eyes of every guard in that room, conscious or unconscious...slowly turned to focus their gaze on us as well. With all the power waiting at my fingertips, I found myself trying hard not to tremble. Instead, I looked down at the floor. Essentially tucking my tail between my legs as I tried to avoid bringing any further attention on myself.

When you grow up with a father as abusive as mine was, it becomes a matter of natural instinct to detect the heartless fury in another person. The ruthless are easily recognized.

Ruby took a few, measured, steps in our direction while still talking to The Jeweler, "This recent lack of loyalty to the vampire order is disturbing. Secrets are being kept. Rules are being broken. Ancient laws are being cast aside. Not just by the weak minded masses, but by the chosen few we enlisted to protect us all. People we trusted. This cannot be allowed to continue."

"I still don't see what this has to do with me, or what it has to do with the sudden raid on this facility." The Jeweler said firmly. "I certainly hope that my loyalties haven't come into question."

I felt my stomach fluttering as Ruby walked right up to stand in front of me. That sinister breathing adding a frightening ambient soundtrack to his already ghastly appearance. Then...very casually...I noticed his head tilting slightly to the side. Taking a shameless peek at Taryn behind me. Only thin did I lift my eyes from the floor to stare into that blank face and not timidly look away. Ruby brought his focus back to me immediately. Sensing the subtle change in my demeanor when it came to Taryn's safety, or even his comfort, being threatened by some stranger.

I could almost feel those hollow eyes burning a hole right through me, but I didn't turn away. I was careful not to let my extras start building up, as I'm sure he'd be able to sense that reaction as well. But, shaky as I was, I wasn't going to let him put a finger on my boyfriend. We could tear down this whole city block trying to battle it out, but I wanted to send the message that there was a line I wasn't going to allow him to cross. Not now. Not ever.

Ruby soon turned back to The Jeweler and took his heated gaze off of us. "You are one of those assets that provide a great service for the vampires in your sector, Mr. Lockheart. You have for a great number of years. But make no mistake, this is an issue that can't take the risk of being blinded by consistent results."

"Meaning?" The Jeweler asked.

"Meaning...the past is the past. And the present is the present. What was true yesterday may not be true tomorrow. So we are all being put under the microscope. You're history of dedicated service will not shield from the occasional inquiry into your 'hidden' practices here. I was sent in an attempt to remind you of that."

"Sent?" The Jeweler said with smirk. "But not by the Elders?"

Ruby gave him a dark smirk of his own. "When members of our population breaks protocol...those in control must sometimes do the same."

I could feel the warmth of Taryn's hand in my own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Letting him know that I was still right there with him. But for the first time in a long while, I wasn't sure that I could effectively protect him from harm. It's a sick feeling. One I'd rather be rid of.

All of those silver eyes stayed focused on every angle of the room. Almost as if they were absorbing and recording every detail around them. It was so creepy. Especially when I noticed that they all blinked at the same time.

Strings continued to play with his yo-yo, almost bored with the conversation at hand. He had much more fun fighting. With a louder than normal sigh, he showed his boyish distaste for diplomacy in situations like this. And yet, The Jeweler kept his composure. Silently getting Strings to keep that 'brat inspired' rambunctious energy to a minimum.

Ruby walked forward about ten paces, turning to walk back another ten, pacing with his hands held behind his back. "You're familiar with many of the old scriptures, yes?"

"There's no secret in that."

"Then I assume you're aware of the prophecy of the Vampire Mimic? And all that it entails." Ruby asked. And I noticed the eyes off all of his soldiers being fixed upon ME again! Does he know? Did I give myself away?

"I've been studying the legend of the chose one, almost from the very beginning, yes." The Jeweler replied. "Fascinating. An enlightening set of scriptures...but potentially dangerous in the wrong hands. Which is why most of those scriptures remain closed to prying eyes."

"But...not to your eyes. Is that correct?" Ruby asked, pointing in his direction.

The Jeweler paused briefly, almost as if he were insulted but worked to keep his well mannered disposition. "I have been granted special access to certain texts, yes. A privilege that comes from the Elders themselves in order to assist me in my work here."

"And exactly what is your work here, Mr. Lockheart? For the life of me, I can't seem to remember why the Vempirae would choose you to handle such sensitive materials. Just to maintain, what is honestly, nothing more than a living morgue...for failing vampires who have lost their way." It was more than just the words, but the arrogant tone of voice Ruby used that made it obvious that he was attempting to ruffle his feathers.

The Jeweler didn't give him any such satisfaction.

"Occasionally, our more ancient texts and lessons come in handy when guiding a grieving soul into the next life. Returning them to daylight and sending them on a journey to answer the mysteries that lie before them." He said. "And to also give counsel and comfort to the loved ones they leave behind."

"Hmmm...interesting."

"Sometimes, when you want to give comfort to a vampire that's over one hundred years old...you need scriptures that are over two hundred years old." The Jeweler smiled. "It's hard to impress someone who's lived for a century."

Ruby stared at him for a moment. No emotion could be seen on his face. But...there was a certain level of 'malice' in his silent expression, regardless. "I am sure that...somewhere along the way, one of your many patrons here...perhaps one of your 'informants'...have clued you in on the situation at hand." He said. "And since I apparently don't have any need to remind you of where your loyalties lie...nor what the penalty may be if those loyalties...change...then my next question will be a simple one." I watched Ruby put his gloves back on, his sinister breathing filling the room. "Have you made contact with any boys claiming to be the chosen one?"

The Jeweler stepped forward and looked Ruby directly in the eye. "I doubt any such vampire exists. Not in our time." He told him. "But if you're merely asking if I've seen him? The answer is no."

"I figured, with your mild obsession with Mimic folklore over the years, either he would reach out to you...or vice versa. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"You're asking the wrong person, Mr. Ruby. The Mimic extra was created out of circumstances that no longer exist in todays culture. Humanity has changed, those rare qualities are lost to history, and vampire Mimics...have gone extinct." Then the Jeweler gave him a sly smile. "Or...so we were made to believe."

"I'm going to ask one more time, Mr. Lockheart. For security's sake. And I pray that you're being honest with me. Have you made contact with a newblood claiming to be the..."

"You're wasting your time." The Jeweler said. "Like I said before, this is a place of knowledge and serenity."

"And secrets." Ruby added.

"Perhaps so. But that is no need for invasion. So you can go back and tell whoever is on the other end of your 'leash' that no further aggressions will be tolerated from this night forward."

"You realize that refusing to give up vital information concerning this matter will be considered an act of treason?"

"Treason against who? Certainly not the Elders. I'm willing to bet they don't even know you're here. Shall I alert them to what's going on?" An angry silence passed between them. "No? I thought not. Hear me, and hear me good. I don't know of any 'abnormalities' in this sector, and as far as I know...the Vampire Mimic is a legend of old. Poetic verses to bring vampires hope during dark and questioning times...nothing more." The Jeweler said. "If you want to talk hidden Mimic vampire scriptures...try the Vampire Zero. Or maybe you can go searching for Comicality somewhere in the shadows."

The Jeweler began to walk away from him, but stopped when Ruby responded with, "The Vampire Zero is dead, Mr. Lockheart. And the so-called 'prophet of the shadows', Comicality, will soon be joining him." He waited for the Jeweler to turn. "There is a storm coming, Mr. Lockheart. One that will alter this city and all of our lives in darkness in ways that are best left unchanged. The Elders will not pull punches when it comes to eradicating the oncoming threat to our way of life, I assure you. So...if you're romanticizing a world of butterflies and rainbows and a peaceful coexistence for us all...I suggest you re-examine your hidden scriptures and study up on what happened the last time we allowed such a creature to mature and begin its journey towards reaching its full potential."

The Jeweler barely looked back over his shoulder. "Are we done here?"

"For now." Ruby nodded, his soldiers finally picking themselves up off of the ground. "Tread carefully, Jeweler. There will be no second chances given from those in charge. When we find the boy, and believe me we will...you won't want to have any attachment towards keeping his location or his identity a secret from us." The soldier's eyes all displayed a quick spark, and their eyes returned to normal. Working individually as they had done before.

"It was nice to have you visit us. Please give us some advance notice next time, will you? It's not like the Elders to be so inconsiderate."

That caused Ruby to smile. "I wouldn't rely on your special connections for much longer. There are serious events taking place right now...and there's about to be a changing of the guard. What can you do? Regimes change." Ruby tipped his hat to us as he prepared to leave, but added, "I suggest you learn to be a bit more cooperative in the future. There are no 'trials' in darkness. No psych wards, no pink slips, no prisons. If you end up on the wrong side of the wrong person...you won't live to regret it. Remember that."

Taryn and I began to breathe a sigh of relief as we saw the whole swarm of them exit the building and get back into the cars that brought them here. It was almost as if the oxygen itself became toxic the whole time he was here.

The Jeweler told one of his servants, "Please ask some of our brothers and sisters to come down here and reset our lobby. They made a bit of a mess down here." Without another word spoken, his servant nodded and hurried off to make it so.

Taryn was still a bit shaken, and I took him by the hand, turning to bless him with a gentle kiss on his lips. "You ok?" He nodded, and hugged me around the waist, his head burying itself into my chest. "It's alright. I'm here. Promise."

The Jeweler gave me a pleasant smile as I tried to comfort my love in my warm embrace. "My apologies for this unpleasantness. I hope this hasn't rattled you too much."

"Who was that guy?" I asked.

"Mr. Ruby is somewhat of a wildcard, I'm afraid. Who he actually is depends solely on who he's working for. Until that's been discovered, I'm afraid it's just as much of a mystery to me as it is to you." With a wave of his hand, he invited us to walk back to the elevators. A professional grin on his face as if that whole fiasco hadn't happened just a few moments ago. I gave Taryn another kiss on the forehead and held him close as we began to follow. "There really is nothing to worry about, Justin. As I said before, you and your sire are completely safe in this building. As you have witnessed, our security is top notch...even from the likes of Ruby and his goons."

"He said he knew about me." I frowned. "He knows about me being a Mimic. He knows everything..."

"No, young one. He doesn't." He replied. "The Elders have been whipped into a frenzy over a high number of rumors and street gossip. They are seeking answers, and have reverted to using vampires like Mr. Ruby to shower the city with fear and bully tactics. But not to worry. We've anticipated this. I just didn't think it would happen so soon."

"They want to kill me..." I said.

"They want to kill what you stand for, Justin. And they want to do it before it spreads." He replied. "There can be no control over a population that thinks for itself. You've shaken those in power out of their comfort zone. Naturally...they don't take well to that kind of thing." He reached out to put a hand on Taryn's shoulder. It was a tender touch. Soothing. "No need to worry yourself, Taryn. I will take Justin aside and teach him all he needs to know in order to survive. He has such amazing wonders to bring to the world, he merely needs to discover the fire within to ignite the coming fire. From there, a new era can begin. One where we can build a better world, both in daylight and in darkness."

I'm not quite sure why his hand on Taryn's shoulder made me so uncomfortable. It wasn't 'jealousy' that I felt, or even a super sensitive moment of over protection. It was more like...this underlying sense of dread. I always felt it whenever The Jeweler had any contact with Taryn at all. Or even when he just looked in his direction. Something about the way he treated him left me uneasy. It was like...like the way you treat a prize winning hog...

...Just before the slaughter.