pillage, rape and whatever else their sick minds desired.
'Where are you?' I wanted to push this thought on him but I was also afraid that would anger him. He could be such a gentle, loving man and other times, the beast would slip out of the cage - yet he never crossed the boundary to make me fear and run for my life. I was too 'special' in his eyes. Too 'unique', for whatever reason, which still made me most certainly unsure of his true intentions for me.
Why keep me a secret?
If I am truly special, wouldn't it profit us both if our brethren were to know of my existence? Then again, the case could've truly been the other way around and I was simply being an ignorant, little girl. My maker was an exile, banned from creating new Cognati. By all reasoning, I was an outcast from the very beginning.
The moonlight did no service in aiding me to find my lover. Clouds blocked the way and fog rose thickly into the air. Nevertheless, it was a bit of a boon to my stealth as I slipped past the night watchmen with relative ease. They would do no harm to such a fair, young maiden of noble origin. However, I preferred not to disturb the peace of simpletons. Their tales of demons and ghosts living on a castle a few boat strides away was enough to deal with. Aristide and I could not afford a crusade against us, especially if we were to keep feeding on the 'livestock' available here. It was a nice living arrangement. We had what we needed.
As I prowled through every corner, avoiding the 'livestock' and hunting for Aristide, luck finally smiled upon me. There he was, in a dark alley, waiting with his arms crossed behind his back. I wondered what for, but I knew it was best to remain silent and try as hard as I could to keep my vibes lowered so he would not sense me. I hovered to the rooftop, looking down at him. He waited there for some time; a good amount too, almost to the point where I assumed he'd gone mad. I kept looking on anyway.
Two shadowy figures emerged from the seeming nothingness of the black of night. They appeared in front of Aristide. With careful footing, they made way to observe my maker. I could not identify them. They were tall, pale and ridiculously handsome statues of men, with one having a mane of blonde hair while the other, a deep brunette with faces that said 'we are the alpha lions'.
They were covered in clothing foreign to the region but I could tell with surety that these men were not street vermin; they were royalty. From their posture to the way they held their head so certain and almost looked down on Aristide in a manner of disgust.
"It has been a long time, Aristide." The blonde slithered his tongue to greet my maker.
"Not long enough." Aristide harshly responded, holding his ground, unafraid but paranoid of their appearance.
"Is that any way to greet your brothers?" The brunette taunted.
"The irony stemming from the fact that you used the word 'brothers'. If I recall, it was the two of you who worked so tirelessly to see me banished."
"Oh please... " The blonde stopped him, "You're still bitter over losing a game more than five centuries old? I thought you more sophisticated than that, Aristide. You've always been the idealistic one."
"What do you want?" Aristide snarled.
The two men looked at one another as if they were communicating mentally, then they turned back to my maker.
"The Council has discovered something... interesting." The brunette took over. "It seems possible that the lineage of Halona may have stumbled here, in this very region."
"I'm not sure what this has to do with me. This is my place of exile. I know nothing of such fabled discoveries." Aristide retorted.
"Really? Are we to believe that you've lost your dark gifts too? Surely you've felt the pull yourself. She's here. We must find her, and you, have been given a second chance to return to the Order; should you choose to aid us in this quest."
Aristide released a sarcastic grin.
"What makes you think I want to return?
'Where are you?' I wanted to push this thought on him but I was also afraid that would anger him. He could be such a gentle, loving man and other times, the beast would slip out of the cage - yet he never crossed the boundary to make me fear and run for my life. I was too 'special' in his eyes. Too 'unique', for whatever reason, which still made me most certainly unsure of his true intentions for me.
Why keep me a secret?
If I am truly special, wouldn't it profit us both if our brethren were to know of my existence? Then again, the case could've truly been the other way around and I was simply being an ignorant, little girl. My maker was an exile, banned from creating new Cognati. By all reasoning, I was an outcast from the very beginning.
The moonlight did no service in aiding me to find my lover. Clouds blocked the way and fog rose thickly into the air. Nevertheless, it was a bit of a boon to my stealth as I slipped past the night watchmen with relative ease. They would do no harm to such a fair, young maiden of noble origin. However, I preferred not to disturb the peace of simpletons. Their tales of demons and ghosts living on a castle a few boat strides away was enough to deal with. Aristide and I could not afford a crusade against us, especially if we were to keep feeding on the 'livestock' available here. It was a nice living arrangement. We had what we needed.
As I prowled through every corner, avoiding the 'livestock' and hunting for Aristide, luck finally smiled upon me. There he was, in a dark alley, waiting with his arms crossed behind his back. I wondered what for, but I knew it was best to remain silent and try as hard as I could to keep my vibes lowered so he would not sense me. I hovered to the rooftop, looking down at him. He waited there for some time; a good amount too, almost to the point where I assumed he'd gone mad. I kept looking on anyway.
Two shadowy figures emerged from the seeming nothingness of the black of night. They appeared in front of Aristide. With careful footing, they made way to observe my maker. I could not identify them. They were tall, pale and ridiculously handsome statues of men, with one having a mane of blonde hair while the other, a deep brunette with faces that said 'we are the alpha lions'.
They were covered in clothing foreign to the region but I could tell with surety that these men were not street vermin; they were royalty. From their posture to the way they held their head so certain and almost looked down on Aristide in a manner of disgust.
"It has been a long time, Aristide." The blonde slithered his tongue to greet my maker.
"Not long enough." Aristide harshly responded, holding his ground, unafraid but paranoid of their appearance.
"Is that any way to greet your brothers?" The brunette taunted.
"The irony stemming from the fact that you used the word 'brothers'. If I recall, it was the two of you who worked so tirelessly to see me banished."
"Oh please... " The blonde stopped him, "You're still bitter over losing a game more than five centuries old? I thought you more sophisticated than that, Aristide. You've always been the idealistic one."
"What do you want?" Aristide snarled.
The two men looked at one another as if they were communicating mentally, then they turned back to my maker.
"The Council has discovered something... interesting." The brunette took over. "It seems possible that the lineage of Halona may have stumbled here, in this very region."
"I'm not sure what this has to do with me. This is my place of exile. I know nothing of such fabled discoveries." Aristide retorted.
"Really? Are we to believe that you've lost your dark gifts too? Surely you've felt the pull yourself. She's here. We must find her, and you, have been given a second chance to return to the Order; should you choose to aid us in this quest."
Aristide released a sarcastic grin.
"What makes you think I want to return?
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