Betrayal: The Council

    Gabrielle stood before the statue, a towering monolith of aged, cracking marble carved out to the likeness of the one who made her what she was. She had always felt a sense of awe whenever it loomed over her in this place. But not today. Not ever again.

    She lowered herself, kneeling before the monolithic representation of vanquish and conquest, only out of respect for the others around her. She no longer felt any desire to pay tribute to the one who turned her. That man...that beast of a vampire...had betrayed her. And to think he had claimed to love her most of all.

    I only pray I never become like that, she thought to herself. She spoke something low and profane under her breath.

    The lady vamp slowly rose, feeling the cold of the expansive marble-tiled floor slip away from her beneath her knees as she let her gaze climb back up the statue, willing it to crumble away in the back of her mind. A sigh escaped her as it continued to glare over the room. Her figure looked lean and tight in the shadows of the mansion's ballroom, lit only by the moonlight pouring in through the great arched windows. She only stood about five-six, but she carried the presence of someone much larger. With a slow, graceful motion she resigned herself to rejoining the rest of the group in the shadows.

    The others hadn't known about the betrayal yet. It was best she keep it that way for now. Her thoughts went back to Patrick as she crossed the floor silently. He had died a gruesome death. His neck hadn't been just bitten, but torn out almost completely. Grendel had spared not a single pity or iota of care on him. It was ruthless. Bestial, even. In the end, however, she somehow knew that this was his nature.

    She remembered arriving at Patrick's house, going to the door and knocking, carrying a new set of black roses. He'd loved black roses. Patrick was just an ordinary human, but he accepted what she was and had fallen in love with her anyway, even letting her feed from him on occasion. Despite her feelings for Grendel, she loved him back insanely. Grendel even encouraged her in this respect, though for other reasons.

    The only reason she could think of for her Master to do something of this nature to the one she loved was that he had finally realized she wasn't going to turn her human lover. She loved the man just the way he was and that, apparently, didn't fit into his plans. But, it was all over now.

    Gabrielle's vision began to blur as she approached the others, their faces distorted through the tears welling up in her large green incandescent eyes. She hadn't cried since her mother had died, oh so many years ago. It seemed like eons since then, although it had only been a half century ago almost to the day; the same day Grendel had approached her as a teenager, comforting her.

    She shuddered, wiping away a tear as it snuck from under her eye to stain her cool pale skin, her bottom lip tucking in, revealing a tease of small sharp fangs.

    "You okay?" one of them asked, sounding worried. It was Raven. He had always looked out for her, and had stood up for her on many an occasion when she'd done something that peeved the rest of the council. "It's not her fault," he'd remind them. "She's still new, and the only thing she knows about us is what she picked up in novels and crap movies."

    He wasn't anything spectacular, at least not judging by appearances, but his demeanor could make the eldest of elders take note and listen to what he had to say.

    "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, choking down a lump in her throat. "I just...I was just thinking about my mom. I miss her."

    He gave an understanding nod as he gently laid his hand on her shoulder, telling her he understood her grief. "Let's take a walk shall we?"

    As he led her away from the others, he looked into her eyes. She could see something in those narrow black orbs that told her he knew far more than he was admitting to. It was worrying and comforting at the same time. The smell of fresh blood emanated from him, so she knew his senses were fully intact. A vamp didn't need blood to survive, as the stories suggested, but if you didn't want a pissed off, ravenous bloodsucker on your hands you'd better pray to God someone made a donation, willing or not.

    Stepping out of the ballroom and around the corner, they proceeded down a long hallway, out of earshot of the elders, knowing their hearing was highly sensitive, as were all their other senses. When he knew they were far enough away, he stopped, stretching his long, well-toned but thin arm out over her shoulder and placed his hand against the wall. He looked concerned now, but his stance comforted her.

    "Listen, Gabby." That's what he always called her, reminding her of her human days in school. "I know what happened with Patrick, and I'm terribly sorry." His lean face and narrow jaw showed an apologetic look as he spoke softly. "Grendel was afraid that if your relationship continued, you'd forget your place in the clan."

    "But I...!"

    "I understand," he interrupted. "I know that wouldn't happen, but he's been getting really uncomfortable." The human population is becoming ever more aware we're here, and we can't hide much longer. It's going to come down to a war soon. At least that's what it will be if something's not done about Grendel, and soon."

    Her eyes narrowed, not sure what he meant.

    "He has to be dealt with. After almost a millennium of power, he's begun to grow paranoid, and his decisions are becoming rash. He's not the only one that's going to be dodging stakes if this continues." Catching on to what he was saying, she began to tense up. The very vampire responsible for their hiding could be the one to expose them, and that would leave them in a very undesirable position. The top of the food chain idea was just not relevant, as that would lead to the trouble of farming humans just to keep the food supply up, so ruling the world was actually a forbidding thought.

    The other option was the highly-raised risk of stakes and swords. That didn't happen much these days because no one believed in vampires anymore. It wasn't scientifically logical. And the few who did believe? Well, vampires didn't exactly go out of their way to say, "Yep, we exist alright."

    Raven thought he saw a quick gleam flash through her eyes. "This is the thing," he continued. "You want revenge, and well, we all want to go on coexisting peacefully like we have been for so long." His voice picked up an almost indecisive tone. "The only problem is, I don't know how we're going to convince the elders that this has to be done. I honestly don't think they'll like it. And if they don't agree, I'll be getting a really good tan soon."

    "No, a tan wouldn't suit you well," came a low voice from the other end of the hall. The two turned at the comment, surprised and worried. The elders had heard everything. Or at least enough. Treason was punished harshly in a vampire clan, and what they spoke of was treason of the highest level. To speak of taking out the Master of the highest ruling clan in the Western hemisphere was...it wasn't spoken of.

    The head of the elders, Johansen, was an elderly-looking man, about three hundred years older than he appeared. He wasn't pureblood, but not many were anymore. Most pureblood were killed off before Christ came along. They weren't as smart back then, and humankind had retaliated against them consistently, back when they knew the truth about demons, spirits and vampires.

    Johansen's piercing gaze had Raven and Gabrielle on edge. When he spoke up, his words were serious and thoughtful. "You are right, Raven. Grendel has been acting...how should I say this? Unaccordingly. His actions will put us in a grave predicament if he keeps up. His conspiracy theories have had us questioning his judgment for the last decade, but none have had the courage to speak up against him. As well, no one here has had anything less than nothing to lose in removing him from his position as High Ruler...until now."

    His eyes focused hard on Gabrielle. Her face warmed, knowing now that he, also, was fully aware of the circumstances involving the death of her Patrick, even though he said nothing of it. "Judgment has come. The issue does not need to be debated. We are all of one accord and the matter shall be settled immediately."

    Raven spoke up, his voice questioning. "Are you sure about this, sir? I mean, this goes way beyond political matters. This is just..."

    His voice trailed off. She had never seen his sense of reasoning derailed before, and had always thought of him as the wisest and most intelligent being she knew. But she also knew that, although he knew what had to be done, the matter concerned him greatly. Grendel was a very powerful being.

    "We have everything we need right here," Johansen insisted calmly. "The entire council is here." He turned his head and nodded in response to the six other elders behind him as they acknowledge him. "We also have two witnesses to this court decision, and we have an initiator."

    Wonderful, she mused as Johansen's wise old eyes returned to meet hers. She would be the initiator, the one who would carry out the deed. Her muscles tensed. She wanted to get back at him so badly, to make him suffer for what he'd done to her, but she was scared.

    "Gabrielle," the elder continued, "you have the motive to fuel the act, and you also are his weakness. If anyone can get close enough to destroy him, it's you. You are everything that's left dear to him. It's on you now. He'll be out feasting tomorrow night, and when he returns just before sun-up, you will rid us of his incompetence."

    "Aye, sir," she replied slowly, unsure of herself. Great. I'm the council's handyman now. She let out a deep sigh. Screw it. The bastard's got to pay for what he did. And I'll be the one driving the stake.