A Hymn of Snakes

FOUR

My hands were still shaking after the announcement, Holstien followed me down the hall as he rubbed his hand down his scruff. Alex's body flashed through the hall as I watched the Vampires slam into one another. "You lying bastard!" Alex called from the top of his lungs, his fingers coiled around Holstien's neck. The peacemaker refused to move as he feared divine retribution. "You told me she was dead, you knew this entire time and you kept it from me!" He growled under this breath, I didn't move for a moment.

"I was ordered to remain quiet." Holstien explained and my mouth dropped, he knew where I was this entire time. Hell. "I am sorry, your highness, but I was commanded to keep her a secret." Holstien coughed until Alex finally dropped the Vampire to his knees.

He reset himself, stepping back as he looked down to his hands. Alex allowed his anger to guide his judgement, that was new. I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched him. "My mother kept this from me." Alex breathed, his exhale was long and calculated.

It terrified me.

I walked towards him, my thumb skimmed down his arm as I whispered his name. "Alex." It hadn't been the first time I called out to him like this. However, now it was real. It used to be in my dreams or in my nightmares.

"Don't touch me." He snapped pulling away, I dropped my gaze and felt the shadows laughing at me. I should have expected this. It was deserved, I thought as Alex turned away from me. His broken gaze meant everything and yet nothing at the same time. "Stay from me Delia. I mean it." He cursed under his breath as his feet drummed off away from us, he slammed the door of the room. Holstien felt the skin around his neck and hissed, I coiled my fingers into a fist.

Holstien hummed back to life as he stood and cracked his bones. Fixing his throat slowly as he recoiled, "Well that went well." He snickered, two Vampiric guards marched their way into the room. Assisting us around the castle as we stalked off into another room.

Questions marked my mind as I began to wonder, "How long have you all been tracking me?"

He looked at me from the corner of my eye, the power being handed from my body to his. I never forgot how formidable Holstien was. The Vampire's title as Peacemaker was the biggest form of hypocrisy I've ever heard. He instigated half of the problems he was wrapped in. "I discovered you six months ago, after a mysterious witch saved the life of a young boy in Italy." Hell. I cursed, I should have known better. My shadows mocked me as they always did, but with every step- they lowered their voices. "You should have tried to hide it better. We kept tabs on you until the Queen was confident that we could use you in court, but her majesty thought if the Prince knew it would cloud his judgement." And now we know how well that was working for them now. I almost laughed, it didn't seem like a good decision then. I bet it didn't look like a good choice now.

I crooked a smile, "Yes well now he wants you dead." Alex didn't seem like the only one, I noticed the way the Keepers watched us move out of the room. They all planned to take us out slowly. However, I knew the Queen had no intention of letting them win.

I was here to be a weapon and I would play one well.

Holstien cracked his neck again before he gave away a little of his enjoyment, the masochist. "God I haven't been thrown around like that since your friend Kate." He laughed from the bottom of his heart, my head turned to face him.

"You've met Kate?" He nodded, I followed it behind with a low chuckle. "How did that go?" I wish I didn't ask.

The door was opened for us and we both followed behind, I didn't know where we were being taken but I just followed in suit. "She threw me through a bar window." Holstien should have sounded insulted but instead he sounded intrigued. I always secretly thought Holstien and Kate would make good company of each other, but I never wanted to think too far into it. It really was none of my business, "She's an interesting thing, especially after I caught her boyfriend cheating on her." He hissed under his breath.