Tudor Rose [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 24 - Fire

Bastian looked to Dmitri as they were brought down the stairs leading to dungeons under the academy that he had never imagined existed. The catacombs of the palace were wet and smelled of a snakelike musk. He could feel the beating hears of the rats swarming the floors and walls and scattering before their candlelight reached them. Animals know far better than people when a predator approaches.

"Come with me," said one of the monitors, taking hold of Bastian's jacket sleeve. The other monitor took Dmitri away from him and they were led in different directions. "What is going on?" asked Bastian, but he received no response.

The monitor pushed him into a cell barred with silver and closed and locked the door with his gloved hands. "Have a seat," came a male voice from the shadows. Though Bastian could see an outline of his form with his vampire sight, it was not until the candles on the table and lining the stone walls spontaneously lit that he could see the man's grim face. It was a pureblood, and judging by his ability to manipulate fire, an extremely skilled Romanov. The Romanov ability to manipulate the natural elements was normally limited to the wind and rain, and if they were of blood as strong as Dmitri and Xenia's, ice. There were famous Romanovs with the ability to bring about strikes of lightning or use their power to spark lightning to spontaneously combust a flame, but the precision required to light a candle with this power was unheard of. Bastian was now trapped in a cell with a vampire of unimaginable strength.

He sat down across the table from the Romanov, taking in his straight, long black hair and his wiry beard that reached down past his chest. He had cold grey eyes that glittered in the dancing light of the candles and were focused on Bastian with deadly intent. "Do you know wwo I am?" He spoke German with a heavy Russian accent.

"No," said Bastian.

"I'm from the Senate. My name is Vassily Knyazev. Do you know why you're here?"

"I do not," said Bastian truthfully. He was not at all sure of what they wanted of him, as he knew nothing about the girl's death.

"I've been sent to investigate the murder of Vera Constantinova of House Romanov. As you were not only there when we suspect she died, you are also closely associated with many of the prime suspects, one of whom has gone missing."

"I see," said Bastian. "Would it not make more sense to send a member of House Dracula. You know, to prevent lying?"

"You intend on lying to me?"

"It's just that, it would be more thorough, would it not?"

"There are no members of House Dracula involved with the Senate. We are a completely separate entity from the King, established to provide a check on his power." His voice changed to a low growl, "I can promise you that, if need be, I can be just as thorough to get what I want out of you... Now, why don't we start with your missing friend, Michael Vitèz of House Dracula."

"I only realized moments before I was brought here that he was missing."

"Do you believe he could have been Vera Constantinova's murderer?"

"Are you asking me the likelihood of Michael killing someone, or the circumstantial probability that it was him?"

"Why don't you inform me of both, Herr Hohenzollern."

"I have known Michael since we were children. He's not like the other Draculas, there is something... good about him. I would argue it's very unlikely that he would have murdered a girl. He hardly even participates when we play that ridiculous hunting game."

"But you can see why he is highly suspicious to us?"

"Yes... There were only six vampire students in the forest, Michael being the strongest of them... Though, taking into account the overtly eager attitudes of Portia Strozzi and Pietro Borgia, I would also argue there a low logical probability that he was the killer out of those six."

"Then why would he run?" asked Vassily Knyazev.

"That I cannot speculate on. I am not privy to his secrets."

"Then do you know who is?"

Bastian hesitated before speaking, "I've never see Michael become so close to anyone as he has Henri Leclair, the heir to the Valois bloodline."

"Can you describe their relationship?"

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen for Michael. The two are inseparable... Michael watches him like a cat watches a mouse. They have some sort of unspoken bond... If anyone knows where Michael is, it would be him... Though now that I think about it, Henri was missing from class as well."

"Do you believe the nature of their relationship to be..." Vassily's eyes narrowed, and Bastian knew he was referencing the sort of love that dare not speak its name.

"Again, that is something I cannot speculate on."

"Are you nervous, Herr Hohenzollern?" Vassily asked suddenly.

"No," said Bastian.

"Why not?"

"Because I have nothing to be nervous about."

"What about your friends? Xenia and Adali?"

"I know neither of them killed that girl?"

"How could you know this?"

"Princess Adali does not feed from women," he said, stopping before he revealed that she had fed only from him before he had come into his birthright. A secret they would forever keep between themselves. Since he had become a vampire, she had started feeding from Axel Hohenzollern, a cousin of theirs. She would never have fed from a Romanov girl. "The Grand Duchess," he continued, "is fiercely loyal to Russia and the Romanov bloodline. She would never attack one of her own."

Vassily stared into Bastian's eyes for a long while before a smile spread across his face. "It's inspiring to see how the bonds of youthful loyalty work," he said before standing up. He came around the table and grabbed Bastian by the throat, lifting him from the chair and throwing him into the stone wall. Bastian did not understand why this was happening, he had been as truthful as he could have been. His mind became cloudy and he felt dizzy as Vassily slowly approached him, horrific visions flooded his head and he screamed out as he felt himself burning. He had been set aflame and the pain caused him to see red as he crumbled to the ground, looking up into the cold grey eyes of his torturer.