Rebirth (Trinity Blood Fanfic)

Chapter 11: Half-Sisters

Hugue and Leon lie awake in their tiny beds. The wooden room was dark and cold and seemed to be crawling with unsightly creatures but that was the least of their worries. Hugue was still having trouble believing what the barmaid had said and her voice continued to ring in his mind: Cam Blanchett… Cam Blanchett… Cam.

“It has to be a coincidence. There’s no way,” Leon reasoned, however it still sounded as though he was trying to convince himself more than anything.

Hugue sat up in his bed, frowning for he just couldn’t accept the thought. “You still believe in coincidence in our line of work, even after everything that’s happened?” Hugue shook his head. “No, her reflexes, her spirit, her ferocity… there’s something different. They don’t seem like they were skills that she learned, it’s almost as though it was instinct, as though she was born of them.”

Leon rolled over in his bed, turning his back on his friend. Despite the fact that he was putting up a strong front, Leon could also feel that something wasn’t quite right about the village but he wanted to keep his wits about him. If either of them started to panic too much, then their judgement would always be clouded and that would be of no help to any one.

Suddenly, the sound of whispers could be heard on the other side of their door. Although they weren’t saying anything, it was as though the voices were trying to shush each other. Leon shot up from his bed and Hugue did the same. They slowly crept up to the wooden door, weary of the loose floorboards beneath them.

“Shh… They might not be asleep yet… I think they know but let’s not talk here.  Anyone could be listening.” Despite the fact that the voice was hushed Hugue immediately recognized it to be Cam Blanchett, the barmaid from before. The voices continued to whisper but what they were saying became incomprehensible. Hugue and Leon exchanged glances, both curious and pondering whether to act or not.

In the little crack beneath the wooden door, the dim light that had been peeking through began to slowly fade away as the sound of footsteps began to drift further from them. Leon decided that if they were going to act, it would have to be now.

Leon pushed Hugue out of the vicinity of the doorway and began to slowly pull open up the entrance. Hugue grunted in protest but Leon simply shushed him. In the small crack he had created, he could see a narrow view of what must have been the hallway. However, it was much too dark to see anything at all. He waited for his eyes to adapt to the darkness and peered even closer, pushing his face right up to the space between the open door and it’s frame. From what he could see of the darkened corridor, about three doors down from their own room, a light could still be seen burning from underneath a closed door.

Leon turned to look back at Hugue who was now seated at the edge of his bed. “They’re just down the hallway, three doors down,” Leon whispered but Hugue said nothing.

Leon frowned and looked back through the crack in the door, but he saw something else entirely. He could no longer see the outlines of the windows or the walls or even the faint light from the other room. In fact, the faint light had now become a small stream of light coming from a now opened door, but he took no notice of this. Leon’s blood ran cold and he froze, the hair standing on the back of his neck. There, in the crack of the door, was a single eye staring back at him, wide and ghostly. Leon wanted to back away but it seemed as though the gaze had a tight hold on him.

“Enjoying the view?” growled a voice on the other side through gritted teeth. The eye moved back and Leon could now see the savage face of a young male vampire with fangs exposed, hissing angrily.

Hugue immediately ran over to Leon and pulled him away from the door. As the two backed away, the vampire kicked the door wide open, ready to pounce on them. Hugue was just about to reach for the knife he had hidden in his belt but he saw Cam appear from behind the vampire.

“Malachai, stop!” At the sound of Cam’s authoritative tone, the vampire looked back at her, his face slowly becoming more placid. He backed away from the travelers while in turn Cam approached them carefully. “Are you alright Sirs?” Cam asked worriedly, her eyes full of concern.

Leon stood and dusted himself off. “Ah it’s not a problem little Miss,” he said in a carefree manner but Hugue was not so impressed. He began to glare at both the young lady and the male vampire, waiting for an explanation.

Cam on the other hand, decided to disregard Hugue’s negativity and smiled brightly, her look of concern diminished. “Well, I’m glad to hear it. I apologize if we have inconvenienced you.”

“Inconvenienced? He was going to kill us,” Hugue growled, pointing a finger at Malachai. Now that he could see more clearly, he found that the vampire had a perfect pale complexion. He was an attractive man with dark brown tousled hair and dark red eyes. Even without the exposed fangs, the nature of the young man was not a mystery.

Cam looked at her vampire friend worriedly before turning back to Hugue. She knelt down before him and held her hands clasped in front of her chest. “Please Sir, have mercy. Malachai’s not like the other blood feeders,” Cam pleaded to the Captain. Hugue frowned at her, wondering why she was protecting such a creature. His gaze then moved towards the vampire, whose ferocity had seemingly vanished. Despite his inhuman appearance, his eyes no longer had any trace of murderous intent. In fact, he looked quite innocent.

Cam’s eyes began to tear up and out of pity, Leon bent down and guided her to stand. Hugue kept his eyes locked on the bloodsucker as he heard Cam’s breathing become uneven. A single tear fell down her cheek, then another as she stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact completely. “Please, he’s not like the others. He’s clean and pure. Please don’t take him away. Please spare him.” Cam begged.

Hugue finally looked back at her, seeing her shoulders drooped and her face weary. He couldn’t help but see Esther’s protective spirit in this young girl, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it.

Leon wiped away her tears and lifted her face. Moonlight shone in from the only window in the room and it illuminated her deep bronze eyes. Even through her woe, her beauty radiated naturally in her face and her caramel skin.

The young vampire, Malachai, suddenly stepped forward and Hugue pulled out the knife from his belt, holding it at the ready towards his assumed enemy. Malachai held up his hands immediately in surrender and Cam moved between them, preventing any possible attacks.

“Please forgive me Captain de Watteau, it was not my intention to harm either of you…” the vampire began but Hugue lurched forward. Leon quickly moved forward and grabbed his friend, knowing that his temper was getting out of control. Cam remained standing in front of the young bloodsucker, holding her arms out to protect him.

Hugue wriggled out of Leon’s grip and pointed a finger at Cam. “How do you know my name? Why are you protecting him?”

“Because he protected us!” Cam snapped suddenly. The travellers exchanged glances of confusion at her outburst.

Malachai placed a hand on Cam’s shoulder before moving forward. This time however, neither Hugue nor Leon made a move for their weapons. “You are the Captain of the Royal Guard and present at the signing of the treaty. No vampire considers you a stranger but forgive us Captain, Sir. My name is Malachai and actually, my primary charge is Lady Blanchett. I owe her my life.” The vampire turned to face Cam but she was still anxious to see what the men would say.

Leon nodded as though he now fully comprehended the situation. “Ah, I see. So you must have placed the seal on the village then? That makes sense. It’s quite powerful, the magic you have.”

Malachai and Cam exchanged looks before the barmaid spoke. “Actually Sir, Malachai did not place the seal. I did. How did you know about the seal?”

Hugue and Leon gaped at her in disbelief and disregarded her question to ask their own. “But how is that possible? Are you not human?” Hugue asked, squinting his eyes at her trying to understand.

“Let me explain,” Malachai began. “Cam’s father is the late Prince Gilbert of Albion.”

Leon’s jaw dropped. “So then, you are…” he started, pointing at Cam with wide eyes.

The young barmaid nodded. “Yes, I am the Empress’ half-sister.”