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The three vampires stood silent, staring. Edgar examined Ceres from behind his visor, unsure of what to believe. HIs sight confirmed the vampire to be who he remembered. His scent, however, was conflicted. He smelled the vampire beneath the layers of rot and refuse clinging to her, but the rot and refuse—along with the thick layer of human smell overlaying it all—made it difficult to determine if the faint scent of the vampire carried Ceres’ signature.

Isabelle, in contrast, held no such hesitation. She stood, stunned, unsure of how to proceed. She had held firm to the hope Ceres lived, but was resigned to wait until they could safely begin thawing out others from the barrows before she might be reunited with her. But no wait was necessary. Here was her keeper, her mentor, then her lover; and all Isabelle could do was stand there, mute, unprepared.

“Edgar.” Ceres’ voice took on a hard edge. ”I’d love to dawdle, to give you what time you need, but we have none. Take what small welcome I provide or leave.”

That was all the confirmation Edgar needed. Ceres had never been sweet, choosing punctilio and brevity over charisma. She was not unkind, but most would find it difficult to describe the woman as nice. This contributed to her exceptional abilities in her work as a hunter and head of the Pelican Squad, but did little to endear to those outside of her inner circle. In death, as in life, she had few friends, and Edgar counted himself among them. He removed his helmet and set it down on the table before him.

“Forgive me, Ceres. Waking to find an obliterated house after a long slumber has left me wary.” He returned her hard stare, accustomed to such behavior from their long years of friendship. “Imagine my surprise to find an empty Manor,” and here his voice became hard. “And you here within spitting distance.”

“Don’t come for me, Edgar.” Ceres’ voice cracked; long had it been since she was in the presence of her elders. “I can explain if you’ll allow it, but my explanation will have to wait.”

Isabelle remained frozen in place. Such poise, she thought. Even as Edgar held her to account, Ceres maintained her level of propriety. Hearing her voice break, however, brought to Isabelle the realization Edgar was no elder who claimed authority on the basis of age, or his demand of it. Ceres never bent to anyone willingly. When the second coven moved in to the Manor, many of their ilk tried their luck in taming Ceres; Ceres humbled them all.

“Why the rush?” Edgar was little amused. The hardness in his voice became more prominent. It was a subtle shift in tone, but it put the entire room on edge.

Isabelle watched Ceres straighten up; she turned her attention to the humans and saw they were becoming agitated. They displayed the inner tension Ceres felt. Isabelle wanted to comfort Ceres, but she knew better than to interfere. These two had history, and Edgar, for the first time since she had awakened, sounded dangerous.

Continued after the break

“In a moment, there will be more humans pounding on the door, expecting me to give you up to them.” Ceres appeared calm, though there was a small wave in her voice indicating nervousness. “They will, of course, be disappointed, but it will be the first in a series of disruptions as the sun gets closer to rising. They’ll want you gone.”

Edgar wished their reunion to have happened under different conditions. But the world had changed and left him behind, and now he was fighting to catch up. He cared not for games and was disinterested in playing them.

“Then we shall leave.” Edgar voice was firm.

Isabelle sputtered to life.

“B … b … but we don’t know what’s out there!” She desperately wanted to stay, and was grasping at any reason to keep Edgar from pulling her away from Ceres. Edgar, however, was not convinced.

Ceres began to dial up, but Edgar shut them both down.

“Silence.” Edgar’s nostrils flared. “You made an oath, Ceres. As all coven members did. Or did you abandon your oath when you abandoned the manor?”

The Screech Collar kept Isabelle from speaking up. In her mind, however, spun his words. Oath? What oath? She has not taken any oath upon being released from the collar the first time.

Ceres hung her head in shame. The human thralls grew in agitation; they experienced their master’s emotions but lacked the ability to temper their expressions. Isabelle hated to see Ceres in such a state but was powerless to do anything about it.

Ceres snapped her head up as the strong scent of humans came rushing into the room.

“They’re coming.”

The words had no sooner left her mouth than pounding commenced upon the door.

“Who’s in there? We have protocol about this, witch.”

Edgar raised an eyebrow to Ceres who shrugged.

“It’s easier than telling them the truth.” She raised a finger to pause him as Edgar began to speak up. “These are not the humans who lived here, Edgar. They know nothing of us.”

Edgar was displeased.

“Then perhaps they should learn.”

Isabelle waved her hand. Edgar and Ceres looked at her, expecting her to speak. Instead, Isabelle pointed at her throat.

“Ah yes,” said Edgar. “Speak.”

“You have emphasized that we should move with caution.” Isabelle sounded exasperated. “I’m hungry and would love to eat whoever’s out there, but that wouldn't be very cautious of us, would it?”

More pounding on the door. More cries to open up. The human thralls glanced back and forth between the two vampire strangers and the door, which shuddered with each fist falling upon on it, and became more agitated. Edgar snarled, but kept from biting back.

"You are correct, Isabelle." He took a deep breath. "Handle this, Ceres. I would not like to be caught outside if it can be helped, but we'll take our chances over ending these humans if we must."

Isabelle. The name caused Ceres to snap her head in Isabelle's direction, the rest of Edgar's commands lost to the air. Isabelle flinched at the action, unsure what to do or say in response, though she was glad the pounding on the door masked the pounding of her heart.

"Ceres," said Edgar.

Ceres turned her attention to the door. The pounding intensified, and she wondered if they might try to force their way in. She grabbed her helmet and put it back. Edgar followed suit. Her thralls moved behind her as she stepped toward the door. She looked at Edgar and said,

"Maybe it is time these humans learned a little respect."

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