The Lonely Blade

Chapter One

"We are the children of the moon, of the goddess Artemis. We show her honor by hunting in her pale light."

—Werewolf Creed

* * * * *

Victor struggled with the weight of his twin brother's body as they stumbled down the alleyway. They had evaded the werewolves for now, but Vincent was bleeding badly and leaning more and more on Victor. Their pursuers would find them soon enough, which was why Victor was urging his brother toward the home of the mysterious healer Xenophon.

Also known as Xenon, the man was a supernatural of some kind, but no one had yet managed to figure out what. Not even his lovers knew the truth behind the strange man's origins. But what everyone did know, was that there was no better healer in any dimension than Xenon.
Victor stopped in the dark alleyway and faced the heavy wooden door, banging on it three times. It opened a few moments later, revealing a man with long pale blonde hair secured in a queue at the base of his neck and wide blue eyes that seemed to vivid to be real.
"Elves," was his greeting. His eyes moved over them. "Injured elves." He stepped back to let them into the warmth of his apothecary, and Victor stepped out of the cold night gratefully, now fully supporting an unconcious Vincent. The room was lit by low electric lighting and smelt like a thousand herbs. Not surprising given that almost every inch of wall was covered in shelving hosting jars of herbs and minerals. From dill to wolfsbane to crushed diamonds and even obsidian, Xenon literally had everything.
"What happened?" Xenon asked now, rolling up his sleeves and grabbing the other side of the unconcious elf.
"Werewolf bite."
"And yourself?" Xenon asked as they lay Vincent down on a bed at the back of the room, placed there for supernatural patients, and the occasional human one. Xenon made his money in the human world by selling herbs to humans, while doing the same--and more--for supernaturals behind the scenes.
"Just a few scratches, it's Vincent they bit."
Xenon removed the cloak that had hidden the damage, his face impassive as he began cutting away the ragged remains of Vincent's shirt.
"They were going for the kill" he observed.
"Vincent was too quick." Werewolves had strength yes, but elves were naturally faster and more limber. Vincent had missed certain death by seconds and inches. "They'd have tracked our scent here."
"Hostile persons cannot enter this house."
Getting the feeling Xenon was trying to consentrate, Victor shut up, watching the other man clean up his brother. Vincent was all Victor had in the world now, they were the last of their house. The once proud house of Isla, reduced to the twin black sheep. Father would have been so dissapointed.
Though Victor was trying to be quiet, he still gave a startled cry when the enormous boa constrictor moved into the room. "What the hell?!"
"Relax. Nagendra won't hurt you unless I say" Xenon didn't look up from disinfecting Vincent's wounds.
"Comforting," Victor muttered.
"It should be, he likes people like you."
"People like me?" Victor scowled. He hated it when people said 'people like you'. It was usually in a bad context, and Victor had enough to deal with in his life without adding outdated racial prejudice to the mix.
Xenon looked up at him as he put his blood-stained cloth aside. "Males, Victor. What did you think I meant?"
Victor flushed red. He'd thought Xenon was being racist, not sexist. "Will my brother live?" he asked.
"Yes, Nagendra is keeping death at bay for now."
Victor had heard that snakes could keep Death away when one was dying. "I thought that was a myth. Snakes and death."
"Nagendra is special."
"Ah."
Nagendra hissed at Victor who shifted nervously under the snake's unrelenting gaze. He put Victor in mind of a guard dog--a venomous, powerful, fast one. Instead of looking at the snake, he watched Xenon apply a salve to Vincent, before pouring a thick blue substance into his mouth, rubbing Vincent's throat to encourage the unconcious man to swallow the cure.
"Nagendra," Victor almost jumped at the sudden sound of Xenon's voice. The snake left the room and a minute later, a man walked in. He had black hair and dusky skin, his build on the slim side with a fine layer of muscle. He looked normal enough, except that his eyes were snake like.
"Who are you?" Victor gaped at him. Surely he couldn't be...
"You have already met me," the man's voice was very soft, the words seemed to roll off his tongue easily. "I am Nagendra."
"Nagendra, check his system for me," Xenon gestured to Vincent.
Nagendra moved to the side of Vincent's bed as Xenon moved back. Taking Vincent's wrist the snake-shifter ran his tongue over the pressure point there and tilted his head, considering.
"He's clean."
Victor sighed in relief as Nagendra moved away and Xenon placed a thick red blanket over the sleeping elf on the bed. "He needs rest," the mysterious immortal told the young lord. "But he will recover."
"Thank you."
Xenon waved off his thanks. "You do not have what I require for payment."
Victor figured it best now to ask how Xenon knew this. "Then why did you help us?"
Instead of answering, Xenon gestured to Victor. "Check him too Nagendra, just to be sure."
Nagendra moved to clasp Victor's wrist in an unbreakable grip and brought it to his mouth, moving his tongue over Victor's pulse as he'd one to Vincent.
Victor fought to contain a shiver of sudden hyperawareness to the strange snake-man. Heat shot from the spot Nagendra's tongue had marked, and raced through Victor's blood heading downward. Victor fought to contain his body's reaction to Nagendra, glad of the long coat he was wearing that hid such evidence. Nagendra blinked slowly a couple of times before speaking. "Trace amounts, his body will work it out on it's own."
"Good," Xenon turned away as Nagendra's snake eyes met Victor's uptilted blue

Nagendra had tested the blood of many who may have been be poisoned over the years, and while they all tasted different--some nice, some vile and some just plain weird--not one had even come close to the seductive sweet taste of the elf whose wrist he had yet to release. In one lick, Nagendra had tasted moonflower nectar and blueberries with a slight edging of steel. Invading this intoxicating scent was the poison of werewolves, secreted by their fangs whist in a hunting frenzy. Had Victor been bitten, it was likely he'd have become a werewolf himself, like his brother would have had it not been for Xenon.
When he realized Victor was attempting to pull free, he looked away from those eyes of startling and forced himself to let go.
' Mine' his inner beast hissed in his mind, making Nagendra wince internally and glance at his master. Had Xenon agreed to help the twins because he knew one would belong to Nagendra? You could never tell what Xenon's motives were, he would often pretend to be angry when he was amused, appear calm when he was furious and seem amenable when he was actually planning on being completely uncooperative. He was a mystery, even to Nagendra, who had served him faithfully for many years.
"You have an interesting taste, elf," Nagendra said softly, casuing Victor to blush slightly.
"I do?" he asked, curiously. "You're the first to think so."
"Let it be clear now, I have better taste than anyone you have met," the snake assured, making the elf laugh. It sounded rusty and disused but his eyes sparkled with genuine mirth. It died too quickly.
"What will he want?" Victor asked him suddenly.
"I don't know," Nagendra admitted. "You never know with Xenon."
Xenon was approaching them with a steaming cup in his hands, which he handed to Victor. "I know what I want from you, and your brother."
"What?" Victor gripped the cup in both hands, letting the warmth of the hot chocolate seep into his hands. He wished such warmth could soothe his soul too, but no matter what, the coldness remained.
"Business has picked up over the last few years," Xenon ran a hand through his shining gold hair. "I need more help than what even Nagendra can provide. You and Vincent will work for me, food and lodgings is supplied."
Victor blinked hardly able to believe what Xenon had proposed. Work for him here in the apothecary? Was that really all he wanted? "For how long?"
"One year, one day" Xenon replied. "Yes?"
Victor nodded and just like that he and his brother became the apothecary's latest employees.