Unknown Factors (Book One)

Ch.109: When his sight

  "All right, Grandma. I'll give you that. Good one." Spike panted before rushing Illyria, dodging her kick and diverting her fist to hit her in the face.

  "This shell." She began to circle the blond. "You had affection for it. For Fred."

  "Uh-huh. Tons. Loved the bird."

  "Yet you strike at her form without sentiment."

  "You ain't her. I can see it. Lord knows I can smell it. And I got no problem hitting it." Spike went to strike, but Illyria caught his arm, so he kneed her in the gut, causing her to stumble back.

  "You are adapting."

  "We do that." He smiled, fixing his coat.

  "Adaptation is compromise." She went low, aiming for Spike's legs, and he jumped to avoid it.

  "It's called learning. But then I guess you know everything there is to know."

  "When the world met me, it shuddered, groaned. It knelt at my feet."

  "'Dear Penthouse, I don't normally write letters like this, but-'" Spike's mocking was cut off by a fist colliding with his jaw, and he chuckled while rubbing where a bruise would no doubt form.

  "Illyria was all they needed to know."

  "Then came the internet."

  "You have nothing. Your kind has pulled this domain apart. Each of you has snatched a tiny piece of it. Even those with the mightiest hordes are paupers." Illyria stated as the two circled each other, and I took notes on the clipboard.

  "The one who dies with the most toys wins, eh?"

  "To never die and to conquer all, that is winning." Illyria was now looking at me, and she gently lifted my braid off of my shoulder with a strange look in her eyes. "Not even the Ustrina Augendae are pure anymore. Ardor didn't have to see his bloodline tainted by these....mud-crawlers."

  "Uh, actually, Aud's the only one of her kind here." Spike raised his eyebrows, and Illyria's gaze snapped to him.

  "What do you mean? What happened to them?"

  "Well, if there were ever any here, they were driven out or killed."

  "Impossible. The Ustrina-"

  "Are good ingredients for magic." I stated. "I've learned that my kind were hunted to near extinction because of what we can do. And as trophies."

  "How could that possibly happen?" Illyria's brows furrowed, and she looked honestly appalled that an Ustrina Augendae could be felled.

  "The cold. Those that hunted them used magic to make it colder, leaving it near impossible to fight back. Others of my kind haven't been in this world for a very long time- if ever- until my mother came."

  "No, there were more of your kind, purebreeds, in this world long ago. Ardor was one of them."

  "Spike, can I talk to you for a minute?" Angel's voice suddenly came from the speakers above.

  "You may go."

  "Yeah. Great. Thanks so much. Now stop touchin' my girl." Spike said while going for the door.

  "Getting jealous 'cause she's petting me, huh?" I chuckled, and the vampire just shot me a look before leaving. "So....why don't you tell me more about this Ardor. Why was he so important to you?"

  "He wasn't-"

  "You keep mentioning him. Every time you say his name, you get a sad look in your eye." Illyria went quiet, then cocked her head to the side before speaking.