“What is it?” Lilith yawned. She had noticed I left the bed and found me staring out the window of the study. The polished cherrywood desk reflected the fireplace light, but I was standing in the otherwise dark room, alone.
She stood just inside the heavy door, with bunny slippers to protect her feet from the cold hardwood floor. Her blonde hair was a mess and she’d clad herself in little more than a nightgown. At least I had the sense to put on my robe, she was practically naked.
“Nothing good.” I nodded toward the darkness out the window. Lil reached for the light switch but stopped short when her eyes adjusted. She moves to the window and looked out with me.
There in the courtyard of the Manor stood a single man. Which alone was enough to piss Lil off. He was tall and thin, almost elven. His long blonde hair hung down the back of a long black duster. He looked liked something out of one of those animes.
"Do we know him? She asked me. I stared hard at the individual as he looked up at the window. He had an aura of magic about him that was unsettling.
"I don''t know." I said, as I threw my long braid over my shoulder and headed toward the stairs.
As I got to the front door, I could feel the life essence of the man standing behind it. It was a powerful feeling, almost overwhelming. I took a deep breath and opened the door a crack.
"Can I help you?" I asked, perturbed.
His eyes were a piercing, glacial color. He was hard to look directly at for too long.
"I was hoping we might help each other. Is the Mistress home?" His voice was like velvet. I glared hard at him, but he continued to offer me a thin smile.
I looked behind me, where Lil stood behind the door. She motioned for me to send whoever it was away. I shook my head.
"One sec." I said, and tried to close the door. I ended up slamming it on the man''s foot, but he made no indication that it had hurt. He still smiled back at me. It was unsettling.
"I''ll wait." He said politely.
Lilith came out from behind the door and put her hands on her hips, glaring first at me, and then at the stranger.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She snapped.
"I apologize for my late visit, but I felt this could be dealt with quickly, and I assure you, it is urgent." He cocked his head and smiled at her, but Lil still glared.
"Start talking. You have five minutes." She told him.
I looked at Lilith and she gave me a half-hearted shrug. I left her at the door to go check on Auria; we had left her alone in the middle of the large bed, and she was sure to notice we were both gone.
~*~
Lil was at her desk, in the dark, when I return to our study. I stood in the center of the room for a long time. She just stared at me. The door leading bedroom was ajar. Through the crack I looked back to see one little foot sticking out from a pile of blankets in the middle of the large bed. The grim expression on Lil''s face told me that we might be in danger.
“We knew we couldn’t hide forever.” She said mostly to herself. Lil slammed her fist on the arm of her chair. “Damn it all. It’s too soon…”
“What happend? Who was that?" I pressed. She was purposely not making eye contact.
"Was he from the Order?" I probed.
"Ex-Order." She hissed.
"Is he dangerous?" I asked, rolling my hand, motioning for her to start telling me things.
"He said he''s working against the Order''s interests now. He wants access to the Vault. He made us an offer." Lil still didn''t look at me.
"No." I said with finality.
"It was more like an ultimatum, Sera." She growled. I knew her anger was not at me. Whoever this man was, he was putting her in a compromising position that threatened her peace.
"I don''t care what it was. No. We will not betray the Order of Vigilance. Anders worked hard to keep us safe and hidden from the rest of...well, everything." I told her.
“What would you have me do, Sera?” Lilith snapped, and this time it was aimed at me. Despite me living here with her, sharing her bed and co-parenting my daughter, she still was jealous of Anders. I knew, deep down, it had nothing to do with the Order.
I met her intense gaze with equal force. “Fight.” I said. “Enough of these games. We’ve been hiding for far too long. It’s time for a different tactic.”
“Fight with what? We aren’t ready!” She said loudly.
Auria shifted in her sleep. Lil took a deep breath to calm herself. We both looked back into the bedroom to make sure the little one was still asleep.
“We can''t fight alone.” She said. "Most of the residents of the Manor are children and teenagers. Exiles and outcasts. What army could we possibly muster if this man follows through on his threats? He was able to move through the barrier Sera." She deflated a bit; her anger turned to concern.
“But we’re not alone. We have allies we could count on." I said, smiling softly. Lil rolled her eyes.
“How many times must we have this conversation… Humans cannot be trusted. Besides, what good would it do to bring them into this?” She scoffed.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“They have power. Now, more than ever. Their team is larger than it has been in ages. They have a direct descendant of Arthur, among them. If we were ever to ask, I know Anders would come." I told her.
Lilith glanced at me, lips pursed like a child. She knew I was right. “Arthur was a weak king. That weasel of yours is no better.” She muttered under her breath.
“Your opinion of him is not a factor here.” I glared at her. She was strong willed, but she knew that there was nothing she could say to change my stance. Anders and his branch of the Order had sworn to defend the Manor should anything happen to it. Even against other Order members. Or in this case, ex-Order members.
Lil sighed and waved her hand in the air. “Fine. Ask your precious humans for assistance. I will reach out to my contacts in the Old World. I’m sure I have a favor or two I can call in.” She said.
"What exactly did he ask for?" I asked, after a moment. Lilith spun her chair around to face the window.
"He wanted to use those like us to further his agenda. He purposed an alliance. Whatever his forces are, with the monsters. Sounded like he was building an army of his own." She said, distantly.
"Thats ridiculous. Why would he come here to build an army? There are other factions of monsters out there; vampire dens, lycanthrope packs, and the like. The Manor just has kids." I said in disbelief.
"The Manor has you." She said without turning around. I swallowed hard.
~*~
The Cathedral was eerily empty when I arrived. I headed toward the office in the far back of the dorm hallway where Anders is usually found. As I passed the training room, I heard voices.
Inside, Chase was facing off against a young red headed girl. Dyed red, I noticed, not natural. She was dressed in a tight tank top and shorts. I was startled for a moment; she was the spitting image of Serena. The way she held herself was telling; she was used to manipulating men with her beauty. The look on her face told me that she was frustrated that it wasn''t working on Chase. I wondered if she had any idea who she was sparring with.
“Good morning.” I called cheerfully to get their attention from just inside the threshold. Chase’s head swiveled and he blinked at me.
"Sera?” He looked at me dubiously.
The girl grinned, seeing an opening and took a swing at Chase’s unguarded head. I held my hand up; her wooden staff froze mid swing.
“What the fuck?” She cursed, as she struggled against the invisible force holding her weapon in place. Chase glanced back and his eyebrow’s furrowed.
"That wasn’t necessary. I saw it coming.” He said, matter-of-factly.
“It is dishonorable to attack when your foe’s back is turned.” I told her, more than him.
“But that’s the best time to take them down.” Chase smirked. He rested his staff on his shoulder. "So, what brings you here?”
“I was hoping to speak to you and Anders.” I told him.
Chase pursed his thin lips, and studied me for a long moment; no doubt trying to decipher what I could possibly want to talk about.
“Alright, Kalysta take a break.” He said.
I released the staff when Chase was far enough away. The girl, Kalysta, he had called her, stumbled forward as the resistance disappeared. She waved the stick a few times and looked around, baffled. I snickered and slipped out of the room, following Chase.
Anders was exactly where he always was. Chase closed the door to the office behind us. I stood behind the guest chairs, shifting awkwardly as Chase moved to the side of the desk. He crossed his arms and waited. Anders leaned back in his chair, hands folded and his expression carefully neutral.
“What can we do for you, Sera?” Anders asked with that salesman smile.
I studied the two men closely. Chase, had his back stiff and his gaze sharp. There was always a dark cloud lingering just behind him. Anders, typically had his heart buried so far under hair gel and expensive suits, he was practically a mannequin.
"Arthur was a weak king…" Lilith had said.
“It’s okay, Sera. You can talk to us about whatever is going on.” Chase assured me. He watched me, concern plain on his face. I realized I had frozen up. I bit the inside of my lip and became fascinated with a paperweight on the desk.
“We may have a small problem." I said meekly. The two of them both stared, waiting for further explanation. I recanted the previous night''s events and our stranger visitor.
"He called himself the Modern Day Demi-God. Said his name was Damien." I told them.
Neither of them seemed to show any recognition. Anders smirked.
"Something about allying with monsters and stealing the Vault to plunge the world back into primordial chaos?" I tried again. I could tell they weren''t taking me seriously.
"None of this rings a bell?" I rubbed my arm absently, suddenly feeling very foolish. Maybe Lil was right. The two men glanced at each other and frowned.
“Could this have something to do with our friend Quinton and his boat full of Golem?" Chase asked Anders.
“Your predecessors were aware of dangers like these. I must ask that you take things seriously. When the Order was founded, its purpose was to hunt down people like this. People who would gathered Artifacts and threaten the world," I began to pace. “Over time, you people lost your focus and began to collect Artifacts like they were..."
"Pokemon?" Chase finished.
"Umm, well kind of." I laughed and smiled at the man, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Anders eyes went wide, but he did his best to keep his composure. I could feel the heat coming off of his body, as his face went red with jealousy.
"We''re in hiding, all of us at the Manor. Mistress Lilith was hesitant, but I''ve asked for your help. Should we decline to join this, Modern Day Demi-God, he has threatened to destroy the Manor and its inhabitants." I looked directly at Anders, trying to make my point.
“Hiding?” Chase narrowed his eyes. "I thought the Manor was an Order sanctioned haven?"
"Technically yes, but not so." I said, skirting the subject. I realized now that Anders may not have caught Chase up on everything since he left the Order.
“It is concerning he found you.” Anders said, a dark shadow coming across his features. I nodded my head and turned away. He sighed heavily, holding the bridge of his nose.
“Well, of course we will do whatever we can to help. All that I ask in return is the support of the Manor, should we also require it." He said, still holding back his true emotions.
“Of course. Just don’t complain when your students can’t keep up with mine.” I said with a wink, trying to lighten the mood.
“Oh, I think you’ll be surprised. They’re my students now.” Chase scoffed. I laughed and playfully glanced between the two.
"I suppose I never could tell which of you is the better fighter. Even if that’s all you ever did.” I joked. The two eyed each other, a glimmer of their competitive youth returning to them for but a moment.
“Now, now," Anders said, standing up with his hands out. “Let’s not start that old nonsense. Chase, I believe a certain girl is impatiently waiting for her teacher to return. Now that we’ve come to an agreement, I will work out some details with Sera. Boring, paperwork stuff. You’d hate it.” He said quickly. Chase looked longingly at his old friend.
“Sometimes, I think paperwork is preferable to her. She drives me up the wall." He said.
Anders laughed and clapped Chase on the shoulder. At the same time, he nudged him toward the door. With a sigh, Chase saunterer off. With the click of the door handle, Anders’ smile disappeared; his hard steel eyes bore into me.
“Why didn’t you come to me sooner?” He hissed. I held my chin high and glared back.
“We had it under control. Its not like it happened months ago." I told him.
“Under con-” He bit his lip and took a ragged breath. “Under control? You are in hiding and a strange man claiming to be a Demi-God ex-Order member shows up at your door, but you had it under control?”
“Yes.” I said, unflinching.
“What if you’d been hurt? Or Gods forbid, what if…” His voice quivered.
“I’m fine. No one was hurt. She''s safe." I placed a hand on his arm. "We are safe where we are, at least for now."
“Safer than here?” Anders asked, his anger faltering.
I smiled and wondered if anyone else had ever seen this side of him. I wished he would let them. There was so much good inside this mortal man, but he made great efforts to hide his sensitivity.
“I will keep in touch, Anders. Please, call me if you need me.” I said formally.
With that, I slipped out of his reach and back into the main hall. As I headed toward the exit, I felt my pocket vibrate. I pulled out my cellphone to see I was getting a call.
It was Anders.