(LIB:I) Chapter 21

Mathias returned and immediately went into the library, locking the door behind him. Hearing the library door lock, Lycorisa walked out into the hall. She had been in the kitchen when he returned. Tapping lightly on the door, she waited for his response, and received none.

"Mathias?" She rose her voice, but there was no answer. Knocking again, she waited and then spoke his name again.

"Go away, Lycorisa!" Mathias snapped from behind the door.

Stepping back, she began to walk to the living room. Kailin was looking over the ledge of the stairway. Lycorisa sighed, and knocked again. "I need to talk to you."

"We will talk later!"

Kailin's footsteps were heard coming down the stairs, she stood beside Lycorisa and knocked.

"Damn it, Lycorisa, go the hell away!"

"It's Kailin."

There was a moment of silence, and then the door opened slightly. Mathias looked out the door with his right eye.

"What?"

Kailin gave a half grin, "What are you doing in there?" She placed her hand on the door, and tried to push it open but he kept it closed.

"I do not wish to be disturbed." He shut the door.

Kailin looked at Lycorisa, "What's wrong with him?"

Lycorisa shrugged, "I don't know."

Looking down at the doorknob, Kailin placed her hand on it. "Open up, Mathias, or I'll open it myself."

There was no response.

"Last chance." Kailin told him, and when he didn't respond she yanked the doorknob downward and it snapped.

Pushing the door open, Mathias had his face laying against the cold window that was fogged over. "You are paying for that."

Stepping inside, Kailin allowed Lycorisa to follow in behind her, before she pushed the door shut. "Lycorisa needs to speak with you, and it has to be now."

"What is it?" He kept his head to the window, not allowing them to see his face.

Kailin noticed his attempts to hide his face, and stepped towards him. Placing her hand on his cheek that he was hiding, and pulled his face towards her. There was a large gash on his face that cut over his eye and down his cheek.

"What happened to you?" Kailin asked trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal. Mathias' increased healing should have already closed the wound. The question she really wanted to ask was; What weapon could cause such a wound on a great elder?

"I ran into Lucas and Damon. They have a weapon that I can not heal the wounds that it creates."

"What weapon could do this?" Kailin realized that he was holding his abdomen. The blood was barely noticeable through his dark shirt.

He shook his head, "I don't know."

Lycorisa glared at the two of them, upset that he had allowed Kailin to break down the door.

Mathias watched Kailin's hands go to his shirt, and pull it up slightly to the dagger wound just about his right hip. He was embarrassed that he couldn't heal this wound, but knew it had to be the weapon. Lucas had allowed him to escape after he had thrown Damon into a wall, causing him to fall unconscious. He had hoped that he could lock himself away from the others before they saw it, and heal himself in privacy.

"Come on, we should wrap those up." Kailin took his arm and began to walk him towards the door.

Lycorisa had remained silent, both jealous and in shock. "I'll go get some bandages." She told them, and ran out of the room ahead of them.

---***---

Lucas helped the old man down the long stairway, and then up the next to his room. Sarah, one of Damon's wives, saw her husband limping and immediately opened the door to his room. Laying him down on the bed, three women started going to work on their believed leader.

"I'm going to leave you here, alright?" Lucas asked.

Damon nodded his head.

Stepping out of the room, Lucas headed for his own bedroom. He was sure that Damon had broken a few ribs and would be unable to work for a while. He couldn't say that he was unhappy with it, but he felt bad for Damon. Over the time spent, he had learned quite a great deal about the man. He was the father that he never had, and would of never wanted. There was just no convincing the man of anything once he had his mind set.

Though he had grown somewhat fond of Damon, he tried to remember why he had come to begin with. He was here to betray the man who had taught him so much. Yet, in his heart he knew that Kailin and the other Halloweds weren't evil. If he stayed with Damon, he would eventually have to strike one down. It had been such a short time, but Lucas had learned more then he ever thought would be possible. Abilities that he didn't even know he possessed were now average skills that he used in everyday life. Like concealing his aura from vampires, he didn't even have to think about it anymore. It just came so naturally.

Damon had been a remarkable teacher, and explained things in such a way that Lucas understood the first time. He had destroyed seven or more vampires a night, and that was without Damon by his side. When the two fought together, they were an unstoppable team.

Unstoppable, that is, until that Hallowed showed up and almost ruined everything. Damon thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test Lucas' skills. They both had daggers made from silver, that Damon had long ago learned was deadly to a Hallowed. He had feared for the Halloweds life, but he was stronger then Lucas could of ever imagined. He threw Damon into the wall with such force that Lucas thought for sure he would die.

He didn't want to even try to kill the Hallowed, and when he began to speak to him, he knew he wouldn't have to . He had recognized him from Kailin's apartment, but had forgotten his name. Mathias introduced himself, and told him that he was friends to Kailin. Lucas hadn't planned on attacking him unless he attacked first, and after he learned of their common friendship, he let Mathias escape. Of course to make it look like he tried, he ripped his shirt and cut himself gently on the arms and chest.

Opening his bedroom door, Alanna was sitting at her computer typing. She was writing a novel about Lucas' and Damon's expeditions. For a time, she wanted to call it non-fiction, but Damon convinced her that it would just be best to sell it as fiction and place a story around it. So it was, that Lucas and Damon were vampire hunters bent on saving the world.

She smiled when he entered, but looking upon him, her eyes turned to horror.
"Lucas, are you alright?"

He nodded and sat down on the bed, his back facing her. Their room was nothing more then a bed, chair, furnace, and computer desk. The desk almost didn't fit into the room, and they had to spend several hours finding a way to make it fit.

Alanna crawled on the bed on her hands and knees, then wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck. She kissed his cheek as he rubbed her lower arm.

"I worry when you two are out so late."

They had left at dusk and it was now almost eight thirty. Lucas was tired, and just wanted to go to sleep, but knew that Alanna wouldn't allow it until she had her say.

"I don't understand why Damon doesn't allow the others to hunt with you two. I am sure that it would finish the task much quicker."

A lock of Alanna's black hair fell over Lucas' shoulder, he looked at it and said nothing. They had argued about this before, and he had given up explaining why they couldn't to her. He loved her, but tried to keep her at a distance as best he could. He knew that when he betrayed Damon, he would be betraying Alanna as well.

She sighed, "I'll go get some rubbing alcohol for your wounds. I'll be back in a little bit." Jumping off the bed, she left the room.

Lucas rubbed his hair back.

"Lucas." The familiar dark voice said.

Turning his head, Tzion stood in his room. The drapes flapped in the cold wind that blew in from the window. Standing up, he knew what this elder was going to say. Something deep within him had told him the time was drawing closer, and he would soon depart from this new life.

"You have one week to return to my mansion. Alienated all that you have, your assistance will be needed for the times ahead."

Lucas swallowed, "I…I understand." He was going to ask about brining Alanna, but as soon as she heard what he really was she would hate him.

The sound of the bedroom door opened, and Lucas looked at it. Alanna stepped inside with a smile, and then frowned looking at the window. Tzion was no where in sight. "Why did you open the window?" She walked over to it and closed it, then pulled the bottle of rubbing alcohol out of her robe pocket. "Take off your shirt, lets clean those wounds."

---***---

Mathias was laying on the large bed, his shirt was removed and a bandage wrapped his mid-section. They tried their best to close his gashes on his face with butterfly bandages that held the two sides of the wound together. Kailin had laughed at them, when her and Lycorisa had finished. Her smile had caused him to grin in return. After seeing her laying in that warehouse, he thought she might never do that again.

She was on the phone across the room, talking to her agent. "No, I'm alright, Mark. I just don't know when I will be able to come in next, you knew this might happen someday."

She fell silent while he spoke, Mathias could of listened in had he felt so inclined.

"You'll have to find someone else to read them…" She bit her lower lip, "I'll see about coming in to get the manuscripts, but I don't know how long it will take… No, I am not in trouble!" Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed.
"Alright, I'll see you later then."

Hanging up the phone, she sighed again. "He can be so persistent. In the next couple of days, I need to go pick up some manuscripts."

"No." Mathias stood up, holding his side. He expected Kailin to object to his standing up, but she only turned around looking rather angry at him.

"No?" She snapped.

"It's too dangerous, we have enough problems just letting you go out and feed. But now its not only Damon and Anthony we have to worry about, but Tzion as well. It too much of a risk to go anywhere that you don't absolutely have to go to."

She folded her arms, "As if an injured man like yourself could stop me."

"I'll send Lycorisa and Jareth to fetch them for you, if you insist on having it."

"Mark isn't going to release manuscripts to anyone but me, I am going. I already told him that I would."

Now it was he that was getting angry, "Just wait until I am better and then I will take you to get them."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Alright." It was a lie, she was going to do it.

He gave a quick nod, and then walked to his window which overlooked their small backyard.

"So, what's been eating you, lately?" Kailin asked when she saw his face return to it's normal gloom.

Shaking his head, he didn't and just couldn't talk to her about it. Kailin stood beside him, and looked up at him as he stared out the window. There was no getting rid of her, he already knew it. "There is nothing that I can do."

"Do for what?" She placed her hands on the window sill.

"This is all happening, and there isn't a damn thing that I can do. Tzion will always have more power then me and be able to do as he pleases. As the prophet, he has the absolute power and his say is law. The ancients won't do anything about this, and it's not as if I can kill my master and the prophet." His words just threw themselves onto Kailin into one incomprehensible mess.

She tried to piece them together, "It's the feedings, you are speaking of?"

He nodded, "The feedings, the prophecies, everything that involves you. The prophecies say I will betray you, and I just don't know what can be done. If I do something it might be the betrayal, and if I don't do anything that might be it too. No matter what I do it will lead me down the road that I've been forced to take."

"So, you can't fight fate? Which of us can?" Kailin placed her hand atop of Mathias' own. "I don't care what the prophecies say, Mathias. You have always been there to protect me, and I know that you always will be. Nothing can change the fact that you have been loyal to me since my birth, even when I didn't know that you were there."

He looked down at her hand, and turned it over so he could hold her hand in return. "My loyalty will end, and I see the prophecies coming and … I just didn't think it would be so soon."

Kailin nodded, "Whatever happens, you are my friend, my shadow."

Mathias turned his head to look at her, "You will kill the one who betrays you so says the prophecies. My life is ultimately in your hands from the moment it occurs."

Her eyes wandered out the window to the large tree in the back yard, "I think I get some say in all of this, Mathias. Tzion can make as many paintings as he wants and tell me that this is how it will be. But in the end, I pick my path, and I get to decide what I have to do. I am not the pawn in fate's chess game."

"You can't fight what will be. My betrayal will burn rage within you so great, that you will destroy me."

Her eyes went back to him, and shook her head. "I do not believe that you will ever betray me, Mathias." She took her hand from his, and placed it on his cheek. "You can not be betrayed by your own shadow, and you won't betray me as long as you stop believing that you will."

"I don't want to believe it, but it is how it is written. All else has come true, why not this?" His placed his hand on her own, and pulled it from his face.

"Because my heart told me so."

Looking into her eyes, he tried to find it. That moment in everyone's eyes that says that they are lying, but it wasn't there. She was being sincere. In her heart, she knew that he couldn't betray her. Yet, that wasn't enough, if she wanted to lie to herself then so be it, but he would not. He had known this from his moment of his creation, and he had been the one that had betrayed her in her previous lives.

She believed though, she knew he wouldn't ever betray her, at least not on purpose. His whole life was revolved around protecting her. Placing his hand on her cheek, he drew her towards him.

"No." He turned around, walking towards the bed. "I am the reason you will feel the pain of treachery. Leave me be."

Kailin looked down, and walked towards the door. "I will get Lycorisa, she has something she needs to speak with you about."

He looked at the door when he heard it shut. Damn him for almost acting on those foolish human emotions. He had almost mistaken pity and loyalty for something more then it was. If he made himself more then just the one who protects her, more then her shadow, then his knife in her back would only hurt all the more. He needed to stay away from her, he could see their friendship was coming too close to the line. Eva had warned him of this, and he should of never allowed Kailin to approach him.

---***---

Kailin opened the sliding glass door and stepped out into the backyard. The back porch was nothing more then a concrete slab that connected to the house. There was a rusted set of lawn chairs and a barbeque laying about, obviously never used by Mathias and the others. She assumed they had to of been there when Mathias moved into the house. The yard was unkempt, flowers and bushes along the fence were over grown, and the grass had begun to die from the cold. Near the back of the yard was a large tree, which Lycorisa stood next to, pressed against the fence.

Walking over to her, Kailin noticed Jareth kneeling down behind the tree. The area where he sat was well worn, probably his place of contemplation. Both of them looked at her as she approached.

Kneeling against the fence next to Lycorisa, she grinned. "Mathias is ready to speak to you."

Lycorisa nodded, and walked towards the house without saying a word to either of them.

Jareth watched her until she was inside, and then turned his attention to Kailin, who was looking down at him.

"She is going to tell Mathias what happen at the cathedral." She said, and he looked down, seeming to be ashamed. "You are lucky that your blood didn't over power my aura."

Jareth nodded his wavy locks of black hair, and looked back up.

There was a silence between them. Kailin wasn't entirely sure what to say to a man who never spoke, but more so what she could say that she didn't already know. Not all memories were transferred to her from an elder, but the ones the elder felt important to them where. Most of Jareth's memories involved Lycorisa, he had both a deep passionate love for her, and a over powering hate. The hate was from all his years of loyalty that was never rewarded.

"She trying to get you back on talking terms?" Kailin asked, referring to Lycorisa being out here with him.

He again nodded, then stared down at the dirt below him.

The sound of Mathias' voice yelling fell out into the back yard.

"Well, he knows now." Kailin grinned.

Jareth looked up at the window, he could hear Mathias' becoming more upset.
"She'll be alright, he needs you both around." Kailin told him, seeing the worry upon his face. Pushing herself off the fence, she took a step towards the house. "I'll go and make sure for you though."

"I would rather he throw us out." Jareth's deep voice said.

It startled Kailin, and she flipped around. The voice that came from his lips was not the voice she expected the thin man to have. She thought over what he had said for a moment, looking at him as he came to stand in front of her. "You can't make a hostage love you."

Jareth looked down and then back up to Kailin.

"If you really want to know if she needs you, then you have to set her free and allow her to come back."

He shook his head, "I can't risk that, she won't."

"She will, but she has to understand what you do for her, before she respects you for it. By not speaking, and forcing her to feel that you need her all the time, you are only keeping her prisoner. You need to be her friend, one that she wants to stay beside."

Jareth looked up at the sliding doors, "I can't." He said, as Lycorisa appeared behind the glass.

Kailin looked back at Lycorisa as she stepped outside, and began walking towards them. "Let go, you'll be surprised." She said and then walked back towards the house, smiling at Lycorisa as they crossed paths.

---***---

Gabrielle was heading up the stairs, when she noticed Kailin coming in from outside. She waved her friend up, and they both headed up to the room that Mathias had provided for Gabrielle. He had put aluminum foil on the two windows in the room, so the sun would not bother her in the afternoon. The only TV in the house, had also been placed in Gabrielle's room. It was a small black and white television that Gabrielle insisted she didn't need in her room, but Mathias forced it upon her. She had thought it was his way of trying to keep her in her room, and away from the others.

Throwing herself on the small bed, she sat up and looked at Kailin with a grin.

Kailin shut the door, and went to sit next to her. "Been a strange day."

"Just today?" Gabrielle laughed.

Kailin was a bit surprised that Gabrielle had gone out in the morning to hunt, but had decided that it was probably safer with Damon out there. He only hunted in the dark for vampires. Though it was more likely to be caught, and therefore a higher risk to the vampire, they would rather risk the wrath of the humans then Damon.

"What's been strange about today?" Gabrielle finally asked.

She shrugged, "I've been nosey today. Getting myself involved in things I would normally just ignore. Like the love triangle that is happening in this house."

"Love triangle?" Gabrielle rose an eyebrow and grinned widely.

"Not with me. Jareth loves Lycorisa, and Lycorisa loves Mathias."

"And Mathias loves?"

Kailin shrugged, "Neither of them."

Gabrielle laughed loudly, "Well, I kind of guessed that."

They both turned their heads to the bedroom door, when they heard the door bell ring. Kailin stepped out into the hall to catch Mathias on his way to the door.

"Go back to bed, I'll see who it is." Kailin told him, and cut him off down the stairs.

"No it might be Akela or Tzion, and I can't…"

"If it is, I'll call for you. Besides you really don't want either of them to see the bandages on your face, do you?"

Mathias' eyes wandered to Gabrielle, who stepped out into the hallway. He turned back around and went into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Kailin smiled at Gabrielle, "Pride."

Heading down the stairs, she could make out a thin shadow through the window and curtain on the door. Lycorisa was using her power to block auras, so they couldn't know who was out there.

Placing her hand on the door knob, she twisted it and found Kristian standing with his arms crossed.

"About fucking time." He snapped.

Kailin rose her eyebrow questioningly.

"I've been searching all over this city for you, and camping out near your apartment building. I kept telling myself there was no way you could be here, but here I am! And worst yet, here you are!"

"What did you need from me?" Kailin asked, she already knew, but Kristian's tone had called for her to irritate him some.

He huffed three times trying to find the words, "You are suppose to be at Tzion's. First of all, Tzion is going to be livid when he finds out Mathias was sheltering you. Second of all, why the hell did you leave the cathedral in the first place? You know you heal there better, don't you? I just…" He went silent when he noticed Gabrielle on the stairs with a scowl on her face.

"Maybe you should tell Tzion to come himself, and not send his pets!" Gabrielle snapped at him.

Kailin glared up at Gabrielle telling her to be quiet, and then stepped aside and allowed him in, "I don't really care how upset Tzion gets, and I left because he plans on having more elders feed from me. He already tricked Lycorisa and Jareth into doing it."

"He's doing what's best for you."

She shook her head, "I can already feel it. The battle between my aura and soul, it takes all that I have right now to fight myself to stay in control. I have to try my best not to get angry or else my aura begins to give in, and you being here isn't helping."

Gabrielle frowned, she didn't know that Kailin was going through this. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Mathias' form looking around the corner. "Kristian, you should leave." Gabrielle told him.

Kristian held up his hand, looking between Gabrielle and Kailin. "Wait, let me tell Tzion. He is a reasonable man, you two are just being brainwashed by Mathias to hate him. You don't even really understand why Mathias harbors such hatred towards him to begin with."

"It has nothing to do with the feud between Mathias and Tzion." Kailin barked. "And everything to do with that fact that Tzion is having elders feed from me against my will."

Pushing back his hair, Kristian sighed. He had his sunglasses and black over coat on, he looked very much like the day Kailin had first met him. "You should speak with Tzion, at least. Let him hear what you have to say, and then let him explain why. I know he has good reason for what he is doing." He watched Kailin shake her head, "Please, Kailin, just talk to him. Bring Mathias and the others if it makes you feel safer."

Kailin sighed, "I'll think about it." She said, and opened the door for him to leave. Kristian looked at Gabrielle, and waved slowly at her. She didn't respond to him, as she watched him walk out the door.

"Is what you said true?" Mathias' voice asked.

Kailin looked up the stairs, and could only see his shadow against the wall. "About what?"

"Your aura and soul."

She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her. "Yes, it's true."

Mathias' shadow disappeared, and she heard his bedroom door shut.