They had been dancing around each other for several minutes. First one would leap forward and attack Cailean while the other used the first as cover, then the second would lunge around the first and launch a flurry of attacks while the first slunk backwards. It was a technique they had used against hundreds of victims, ranging in skill from the greenest rookie to some of the most famous swordmasters. Cailean, the Dragon's Fang, decided he had had enough. His sword came up to catch Arawn's downward attack, while at the same time using a kick to deflect Cerridwen's thrust. He made sure to angle her spear so that the tip would pass just in front of Arawn's second sword swing up from below, blocking it. Then, with a single horizontal stroke, Cailean swung in a wide arc at both of their throats. Before they could raise a finger in protest, the tip of his sword passed through just the top layer of skin. The attack left them bloodless, but a long, red line appeared where his sword had just missed decapitating them. In the blink of an eye, their three-part attack had been rendered completely harmless and they had been dispatched.

"You're both dead, now," he said as they both dropped to one knee, bowing to him now that their practice session was over. "You neither stand a chance against me, nor Deidre, nor will you ever be a match for either one of us. The most you could do would be to amuse her with your technique as you do me, but I doubt if she would find the same entertainment in your...antics." He sheathed his sword in the scabbard at his back while he turned away in disgust.

"I don't even know why we continue with these worthless exercises," he muttered as he walked through the trees towards the entrance to the Citadel.

"Perhaps you shouldn't concern yourself with the reason behind your exercises," said a voice from his left, "and instead you should discover ways you can turn it to your advantage."

Cailean kicked at a small rock in the forest floor, launching it straight up and into his right hand. Stepping behind himself with his left foot, he spun and threw the stone at a tree thirty paces to his right. It exploded into dust, shredding a large portion of the tree's bark with it.

"Damn!" came a shout from behind the tree, and a form stumbled out, wiping pieces of stone and bark from his eyes.

"Don't feel too bad about your ventriloquism, Hylier," Cailean said, smiling. "I knew you were behind that tree before you ever said anything. I felt you approach while I was still finishing with those two." Cailean nodded towards Cerridwen and Arawn who were taking a path through the trees that led to a differe nt entrance to the Citadel. He was required, though, to enter and exit the city through the main gate. Hylier noticed Caileal's separation from the other two.

"They still require you to use the main gate, I see. The Council still doesn't trust you, then?"

Cailean cursed under his breath. "No, they still see me as they see Deidre, albeit slightly less dangerous."

Hylier laughed. "Anyone who sees you as 'less dangerous' than anyone doesn't know what they're comparing."

Cailean shrugged. "Well, more under control, then. They're less afraid that I'm going to do what she did, but not by much. Hence going in and out through the main gate, every action inside the Citadel -- and most of them outside, as well -- recorded, verified, and analyzed. I don't know how they'd stop me, though, if I ever did decide to betray them like she did."

Hylier looked at Cailean sideways, possibly trying to choose how best to react to his open suggestion of betrayal. He decided, apparently, that the best way to respond was by ignoring it. They walked towards the Citadel in silence for a few moments before Cailean broke it with a question.

"Why are you entering through the main gate?" he asked. "You wouldn't have to unless..." Cailean let the rest of his question drop off, waiting for the other to continue it.

"I need to make an official report," Hylier finished, nodding.

"Tell me," Cailean said, demanding the information. He cleared his throat after reflecting on how desperate he sounded, and tried again.

"Please, they won't let me know for days, maybe even weeks. Maybe I can do something before it's too late to do anything."

Hylier thought for a moment, trying to decide whether or not to break the rules by telling Cailean before the Council at large.

"You must have been planning on telling me from the start. Otherwise, why would you have been waiting for me to finish with Cerri and Arawn?"

The other man opened his mouth for a moment to protest, then closed it. Cocking his head to one side, he regarded Cailean curiously. He shrugged, and answered Cailean's question.

"You're probably right. It doesn't mean much, and there might not be anything you can do about it, but I confirmed a rumor that traveled from some town far to the west. Some people were planning an attack. It may have happened already, and it probably failed, but still, it may give us somewhere to start looking."

Cailean was aggravated by how much Hylier was saying, but still succeeded in saying nothing. "An attack on who? Start looking where?"

Hylier smiled, obviously enjoying how much he was frustrating the other. "Some time soon, a small band of 'heroes' are going to use some sort of ancient magic to launch an attack. On Vividian."

Cailean howled to the night sky, unsheathing his sword and swinging it around his head. He threw it forward and it spun, end over end, until it embedded itself up to the hilt in a thick pine tree. Running forward, Cailean jumped and somersaulted in the air, landing with his feet pressed against the side of the tree and his hands on the handle of his sword. Before he fell, he pulled the sword out and to the side, viciously ripping its way through half the trunk, and pushed off with his legs. Spinning once again in the air, he landed on his feet while a loud CRACK sounded from the tree behind him, and the weight of the tree pressed down on the gash caused by his sword. Cailean slowly walked back towards Hylier while the tree fell to their side.

"If that bitch is being attacked and Deidre hears about it, she will stop at nothing to be by her side. She'll kill everyone and everything that tries to stop her, and anyone else in the wrong place at the wrong time. She's in the west, you said?"

Hylier smiled again. "Like I said, it was only a rumor, and a fairly weak one at that. But I confirmed enough of it that I knew I had to bring a report to the Council before my scheduled recall. This could be it, Cailean."

The other smiled, showing his teeth. His heart was beating fast, and his fangs had lengthened in his excitement. He was ready for blood.

"By the way," Hylier added. "Don't be too hard on the other two. They're the elite among the elite, but they're still just normal soldiers. You were created to battle Deidre, remember. None of the rest of us have any such pedigree. We were born out of the darkness just like everyone else in this Dynasty. Cerri and Arawn are with you so you can focus on your fight, so that nothing can distract you from your goal. They're not supposed to fight Deidre, they're not even supposed to see her. Remember that."

Cailean nodded as the Citadel came in to view. He was still amazed that such an enormous structure could be hidden completely from sight until just upon it. It was more optical illusion than actual sorcery, due to the way moonlight filtered through the trees and reflected off the ground. Sorcerers had been employed, though, to amplify the natural camouflage. No one in the Citadel had seen it during the day, of course, but they had been assured that even in the sunlight, it was completely unseen.

The last twenty paces of the two were spent in silence. The guards would be able to hear them now, and not only would everything Cailean said be reported, but everything Hylier said, as well. If it was discovered that Hylier revealed sensitive information to Cailean before the Council, he would be punished. With one last look at the monolithic structure that rose into the starry sky above him, Cailean stepped into the archway to enter through the main gates of the Citadel of Eternal Night, the great vampire city.

~ ~ ~

Hylier left the Council chambers all but screaming in rage and frustration. They couldn't do this! They weren't going to do this to him, to Cailean. They just couldn't. Hylier didn't have many kind and sensitive words saved for those who spent their time complaining about what was fair and equal, but what the Council was doing was unnecessarily malicious.

He looked up as the doors closed behind him. Two guards were staring at him, warily. Sure, he wasn't as strong as Cailean or Casion, and he hadn't killed as many vampire hunters as Arawn and Cerridwen, but he had developed his own reputation over the centuries since his rebirth. A bad step here, in the heart of the Dynasties, would ultimately lead to his doom.

Hylier closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He felt the color leave his face, his heart return to a normal rhythm, and his entire demeanor become more peaceful. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the guards had relaxed, as well. They still watched him carefully, but their hands on their spears were no longer clenched so tightly. Smiling, he nodded to them as he walked down the hall.

Even though he had calmed down, Hylier was still angry about the decision the Council had made. Cailean had not only the right, but the duty to follow this rumor to its end, wherever that was. For hundreds and hundreds of years, they only had information about where Deidre had been, but not where she was going. It had been nearly a century since she had even visited her home, most likely because she knew they had been watching her self-named "City of Deidre" since she left the Dynasties.

Not that she felt they were a threat, of course. At the time of her ultimate betrayal, she had killed thousands of their best soldiers, just to prove how different their levels of power actually were. The bitch even had the audacity to name the First, and say that she had been chosen to carry on His legacy, and that the Dynasties were only livestock.

As he turned down a hall, he saw three people walking towards him. At first, he thought it was Cailean and the Hunters, Arawn and Cerridwen. His smile faltered for a moment as he considered how he was going to take the news of the Council's decision. Cailean was, by all accounts, every bit as strong as Deidre, and only took the orders of the Council because a deep hatred of the bitch had been bred into him since the moment of his rebirth. No, since the moment of his creation.

Hylier's smile slid completely from his face as he recognized the man in the center of the small group. From a distance, the long brown hair of the man in the lead could have belonged to Cailean, but the way the blond man behind him walked lacked the deadly intent of Arawn, and the other figure was nowhere near as attractive nor as graceful as Cerridwen. It was Casion, Cailean's liaison to the Council, flanked by his two cronies. Hylier didn't even remember their names, and wasn't even sure if he had ever known them. Casion never felt they were worthy of introduction, and never named them. He just looked at them he needed to speak to them, and it cost them their heads if they missed it. He had killed previous helpers for less offenses to his pride. The only thing that could make a meeting with the liaison worse was if Cailean himself were to be present.

No doubt Casion had received word that the Council wanted to meet with Cailean, and he appointed himself in charge of sending him to their chambers, where he would, no doubt, receive his next set of instructions. Until he was set loose on Deidre's trail, it was decided that he would be their errand boy, performing the tasks that were too dirty for their pristine hands. His jobs were meant both as tests of his skills as well as his loyalty to the Council and the Dynasties, and in Hylier's opinion, he had proven himself in both areas time and time again.

In fact, if they continued handicapping him like they had been Hylier was afraid that Cailean might actually cut himself loose from his responsibilities and ties to the Citadel and betray them all like Deidre had. As yet, Cailean hadn't found enough offense in the Council's treatment of him to do anything more drastic than complain about it, but Hylier knew it wouldn't last forever. A tiger imprisoned by sheep and goats would only tolerate their presence for as long as he desired. Once he decided his confinement had continued long enough, every beast who argued with him would die.

Casion approached Hylier with a false smile, as he showed to everybody. However, whenever he smiled at Cailean or Hylier, he had the habit of baring his fangs more than was appropriate. His smiles became challenges that neither Cailean nor Hylier were ever able to accept.

"I must say, I was surprised when I heard that you had returned to the Citadel," Casion said. "How were you able to accomplish it?"

Hylier didn't know where Casion was taking his greeting, but to assume it was anything other than an insult would have been foolish. "What do you mean, Casion?" Hylier asked, emotionless.

"Mask your smell. I wasn't able to catch the scent of your many failures until I was nearly upon you. Tell me, Hylier. How many Council members do you bribe to keep them from executing you the moment you enter the city?" Casion and his two nameless faces smiled, baring their fangs even more.

Hylier smiled back at the other men. Casion hadn't completely thought through his insult before flinging it forward. "I'm surprised that you would suggest that any of the members of our glorious Council are subject to bribery, Casion." The others stopped their challenges, their smiles dropping from their faces. Hylier was not finished, though. "Or perhaps you believe their many judgments in error? A less treasonous thought, that one, but not by much. The next time I meet with them, I'll be sure to let them know that you believe you would lead our nation better than they." The man on Hylier's left snarled, but Casion waved his hand, silencing him.

"Where is your false god?" Casion asked, referring to Cailean. Like many of the members of the Council, Casion did not agree with the decision that led to Cailean's creation. He considered Cailean an abomination, and the decision to create him an affront to the First Vampire.

"I have not seen Cailean since arriving at the city," Hylier answered.

"That's a lie," Casion retorted. "It was recorded that you arrived at the main gates at the same time as him. Why do you protect him?"

Hylier snorted. "And if you'd check with your spies throughout the city, you'd know that he and I parted ways immediately on passing through the gate, so again, I say I haven't seen him since entering the city."

Casion scowled in response until deciding that it wasn't worth pursuing his accusations. "I was told to send him to the Council chambers. You will not interfere."

Hylier shrugged. "That's going to be difficult. I was told to accompany him to the Council chambers. So if you don't have anything other than a message to pass along, I'll thank you to stay out of my way."

Casion balked for a moment before recovering control of his emotions. "You...you're supposed to be there together? Why wasn't I told? Why am I not to accompany him, as well?"

"If you continue questioning the orders of the Council, I'll assume that you mean to question their competence as well." Casion started to protest, but Hylier spoke over him. "Furthermore, since I only left the Council moments ago, I also assume that you have only heard that the Council wishes to speak with him, and you are attempting to take personal pleasure in insulting and aggravating Cailean and the Hunters." He paused for a moment, letting Casion fume in his inability to respond or return any of Hylier's insults.

"The Council said nothing to me about you being sent to retrieve Cailean, and you had no idea that I was supposed to accompany him. I would appreciate it if, in the future, you don't waste anyone's time with your petty squabbling for political power and influence." Hylier's anger and aggravation from his earlier meeting with the Council not totally forgotten, he began redirecting his ire towards Casion. He knew that he was going to say something he would regret, but he was too frustrated to stop. "It's been hundreds of years since you spent any nights on the front lines, so you may have forgotten that we are involved in a very real war with the humans, and if we lose the strength of our foundations, we will destroyed just like the Second Dynasty, and just like we destroyed the Third."

Casion and the other two hissed and snarled at Hylier's invocation of the previous Dynasties. While mentioning the destruction of their parents wasn't strictly prohibited by Dynasty law, it was one of the worst taboos a vampire could commit, along with expressing deep emotion or speaking of the life before rebirth. It simply was not done.

"If you see Cailean," Hylier continued, "tell him to find me near the Council chambers. If I hear that you so much as criticize the dust on his boots, I will hang you upside-down from the highest window I can find and slowly peel off every scrap of your skin, then leave you outside the Citadel to burn in the sun."

Casion's eyes burned with anger at Hylier's outburst. Under normal circumstances, Hylier wouldn't have said anything of the sort to the other man; in the Citadel's grand hierarchy, both political and social, Hylier stood far beneath Casion. But because how his emotions had been shaken up and down over the hours leading up to their confrontation, he wasn't able to control himself. He knew he was going to regret it.

"How dare you," Casion hissed. "The only reason you still have a place in this Citadel is because I haven't thrown my real weight into getting you exiled. The actions you've taken since your assignment have cast suspicion on your competency as a soldier, and has even reflect poorly on your loyalty to the Dynasties." As angry as Hylier was, it was nothing compared to the cold rage that Casion was now throwing full strength into his face. Any chance he had and changing the Council's decision was completely gone. Casion would see to that.

"You're lucky that we believe that Cailean's creation actually has a chance of successfully executing the Betrayer," Casion continued, "otherwise we would destroy you along with him. But now I'm beginning to doubt his chances of ever completing his mission. If he has to wait for you to fight his battles for him--"

"Who's fighting my battles, then?" said a soft voice behind Hylier. He turned to see Cailean leaning up against a pillar, his black cloak hanging off his shoulders, and a far away look in his eyes, as if he was only partially listening to the conversation.

Casion's two minions exchanged glances and involuntarily took a step back. Casion, even more angry than he had been at Hylier moments earlier, turned his attention on Cailean. "Well, look who actually decided to answer a summons by the Council! If it weren't for your cavalier attitude towards your responsibilities, you might actually be in a position to benefit the Dynasties, instead of just drain our resources."

"Speaking of 'draining our resources,'" Cailean responded quickly, "who among us here has been gathering whores from the brothels scattered throughout the surrounding nation to sate their...varied lusts, shall we call them?"

Hylier imagined that he could actually hear the hearts of the other two stop beating as Casion's mouth dropped open. He closed it, then opened it again, but couldn't speak. Whether it was for fear, or anger, Hylier couldn't decide. But the truth of the matter was that he didn't care. Cailean had shocked Casion into speechlessness, and to Hylier's ears, there was no more welcome music.

"If you'll excuse us," Cailean finished, as he gestured towards Hylier, and began walking back towards the Council chambers.

Hylier skipped after him, and after catching up to him, gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Things will only go more difficult for us now, you know." Cailean nodded. "And you know that I would have had it no other way, yes?" Cailean smiled, and nodded again. "They could decide to execute me, and I would die smiling, just thinking about the look on Casion's face." This time, Cailean actually laughed. It was a different laugh from most anyone Hylier had ever met. His laughs somehow seemed more alive, more human than Hylier's. How a laugh seemed human, Hylier couldn't describe. But it was the best way he could think of to categorize it. It was just one of the many things that separated Cailean from the rest of them.

"It was difficult for me not to kill him," Cailean said. This time, it was Hylier who was shocked into speechlessness. "I just kept thinking 'He can't stop me, no one can stop me, no one can punish me.' If I decided to kill everyone in the Citadel, there wouldn't be a single person or any group of people that could stop me." Hylier looked around, nervous that someone might overhear. Mercifully, it was one of the rare times that Cailean didn't have someone following him, recording everything he said and did.

"Did you talk to Arawn and Cerridwen?" Hylier said, trying to change the subject.

Cailean nodded. "I told them that I was sorry about how I have been treating them lately, and that I would go a little easier on them. I was thinking about what you said, about discovering ways I can turn our sparring sessions to my advantage?" Hylier nodded, remembering what he had shouted to Cailean while trying to disguise the source of his voice. "Well, I decided that our practices aren't for my benefit, but for theirs. If I can help them to understand at least one small fraction of how to fight Deidre, it may keep them alive just a moment longer during our fight. And every moment they live and aggravate her, the greater my chances are of killing her."

Hylier put his hand on Cailean's shoulder and squeezed it. Little victories, he kept telling himself. Every little victory meant Hylier had a chance of changing the Council's mind regarding Cailean. He was sure Arawn and Cerridwen would report to their immediate superiors Cailean's change in attitude towards them. And regarding Cailean's attitude...

"Have you spoken with Cerridwen lately?" Hylier asked.

"Not about...that," Cailean said, visibly uncomfortable. It had been a very long time since anything had the power to make Cailean uncomfortable, Hylier though. A very long time. "I know she feels, um," he continued, trying to find the right word, "similar to how I feel. But she's put off by those feelings. I just don't feel the same shame about my emotions as everyone else. They're different, yes, but I'm just not embarrassed about my feelings." Hylier nodded. Emotions were discouraged pretty heavily in their society. Anger, resentment, hatred and fear were all explored and accepted as a natural part of life. But love, devotion, sadness, and remorse were treated almost like a disease. In Hylier's limited experience with the humans he occasionally lived among, those emotions usually led to bad decisions that affected more than just themselves.

"Well, you're built differently than the rest of us," Hylier tried to explain. "You're bound to feel things differently than we do. But that doesn't mean that you're not one of us," he finished, lamely. It was the same advice he had given to him for decades, ever since Cailean had really come to understand his abilities, and discovered exactly how different he was from everyone else in the Dynasties. It sounded less and less meaningful every time he said it, but he didn't know what else to say. He was among the people that found expressions of love to be frightening, after all.

"I know," said Cailean. "It's just difficult, I guess."

They both paused as they approached the doors to the Council chamber. Hylier groaned as he remembered the Council's decision, and prepared for the worst. He was told explicitly that he was, in no way, to tell Cailean about his assignment. That meant that he couldn't prepare himself to hear it, and Hylier was ready to defend himself against any sudden outbursts of anger. Now there was an emotion that Hylier understood, and could predict. Taking a deep breath, Hylier pushed open the large doors to the Council chambers, and stepped inside with Cailean.

The scene that greeted them was not what Hylier was expecting.

They had been arguing mildly as he left them earlier, but when he returned with Cailean, they had all but regressed to shouting at one another across the chambers. Hylier and Cailean's entry went completely unnoticed as each faction attempted to shout over their opponents to get the others to join their way of thinking.

The decision to create Cailean in the same way as Deidre had fractured the Council like no previous event. Even though there was seldom unanimity among the hundred members of the Council, they usually came to, at least, an overwhelming majority. And there never had been members of the Council that were always at odds with the rest of the, either. If a Councilor voted in the minority on one issue, they would generally hold the same opinion as those in the majority for the next few votes, then be back in the minority again. But no one stood out as being eternally opposed to the majority. Also, there was no single Councilor that had never been in the minority. It was a system that had worked for thousands of years. Until Deidre.

She was the catalyst that led to the first polarization in the history of the Fourth Dynasty. Immediately upon her arrival, the Council split in their decision of how to proceed. Just over half the Council wanted, in varying degrees, to welcome her. They were known as the Supporters, and some felt that she could lead their armies to ultimate victory over the humans, and others thought that she should be elevated to Queen over the Dynasties. Still others worshiped her as the reincarnation of the First Vampire.

The other half of the Council called themselves the Inert, and they considered her creation and arrival as an affront to the legacy of the First Vampire, and that she should be cast out from among them. They never quite were able to gain as many followers as those that revered her, though, so she was allowed to stay. Still a third group of only a handful of Councilors distrusted her betrayal of the humans that created her, and tried to convince the others that it was only a matter of time before she betrayed them, too.

Hylier couldn't decide which side he would have followed, had he been a part of them during the time of Deidre. He did regret their decision to not listen to the Suspicious, as they were dubbed by the Supporters. If they had, there was a chance that they could have avoided the next issue to destroy the Council's continuity. Cailean.

After Deidre's betrayal, the Dynasties' pride was so wounded that the unthinkable was considered. If the humans had developed a process that created Deidre, a being as powerful as the First Vampire, then the Dynasties could use the same process to create another being, just as powerful. Again, the Council split in their opinions of whether or not the process should even be employed. But this time, the Supporters couldn't even get a majority of the vote.

Hylier was present at some of the Council meetings leading up to Cailean's creation. He had always belonged to the Supporters, this time supporting the decision to create Cailean. He never felt the religious fire that some of the Supporters preached, but he did consider Cailean to be the greatest weapon they had against the humans, especially if Deidre decided to throw her considerable might against them. Even so, several of the Supporters joined the ranks of the Suspicious, and some even siding with the Inert, becoming their most vocal advocates. Luckily for the Supporters, the Suspicious ended up voting with them. Even though they were wary of Cailean and distrusting of his motives, they believed that creating him was the best course of action.

Hylier would have given both of his eyes and two of his limbs if it meant that the Council could go back to only three factions. Now, it seemed like every corner of the room, every table, every shadow held another grouping of Councilors with a new opinion of the matter. And unlike the Supporters and the Suspicious, none of the groups would vote with each other.

Cailean had never been present at a full gathering of the Council and was shocked by what he saw. He turned to Hylier and asked him was what happening. Hylier grimaced.

"We don't have the time for me to explain completely what's happened to the Council. In a single word, though, it was you."

"Me?!" Cailean gasped. "How did I cause this?"

Hylier shook his head. "No, you didn't cause it, per se. Ever since Deidre showed up and split the Council, they haven't been able to agree on anything. When they voted to create you, though, every semblance of order and civility disappeared. Not only have they not been able to agree on any major issues, but they even argue the cause of their opinions."

Cailean didn't understand, and he said so.

"For example," Hylier explained, "a lot of them feel like you shouldn't be allowed to walk around without some sort of escort." Cailean rolled his eyes, but let Hylier continue. "However, they can't agree what that escort should be. Some feel that Cerridwen and Arawn are sufficient, providing that at least one of them is constantly by your side. Others feel that it's insufficient so long as it's any less than a hundred men, all battle-tested veterans. And there are people who only think only their escorts numbering somewhere between the two are worthy of consideration.

"And if that weren't enough, the Council can't decide on why you should be escorted everywhere. Some say it's because you may betray us, like Deidre. Others say it's because you most assuredly will betray us. Some say it's because your movements should be recorded for scientific documentation, and still others say it's because you are the true reincarnation of the First Vampire, and should always be surrounded by those willing to give up their lives in your service. It's beyond mad. It's..." Hylier attempted to find the right word to describe the Council in his opinion.

"It's juvenile, like a room full of children, each trying to get their own way," Cailean commented.

Hylier smiled. "That's it, exactly."

"You can't really blame them for the way they feel," Cailean continued. "They were betrayed by what some thought of as a god, and others thought of as a queen. But beyond all of their differing opinions of Deidre and the role they thought she should play, when she decided to leave, not even the might of the entire Fourth Dynasty would have been able to stop her. No matter how they felt about her before the betrayal, they all shared one emotion. Fear. The fear that one day she would complete her betrayal, the fear that no matter how long she took, they would never be prepared for her coming, the fear that she would return." He grinned, showing his fangs before the whole Council. Hylier shuddered as he experienced his own fear that the wrong people would see the gesture, and misinterpret it. Or, even worse, they would interpret it correctly.

As if the collective consciousness of the Council suddenly became aware of Cailean's presence, the members all simultaneously ceased their shouting, some, Hylier could tell, in the middle of their sentences. They all turned to the two newcomers.

The silence surrounded them and permeated them so completely that all Hylier could think about was that his toe was tapping repeatedly in his boot. No matter how much he focused on it, he couldn't control it.

"My lords and ladies," he eventually spoke, "I, as instructed, have brought Cailean, the Dragon's Fang, to be presented before you to receive commands."

Damn these rifts, Hylier thought. If it weren't for all the separations within the Council, they could have met with only one or two Council members in an informal setting to get his orders. And it wouldn't have been me, anyway. It would have been Casion. That thought spurred further questions in Hylier's mind. Why was he here, in place of Casion? Why hadn't Cailean's intermediary with the Council been requested, as well?

No one in the Council spoke for several moments. They looked back and forth at each other, waiting for someone else to speak first. Clearly, no one wanted to present Cailean's orders to him.

With a loud, racking cough, an elderly man -- prehistoric was more appropriate, Hylier thought -- stood. No one knew exactly how old he was. Some rumors circulated that he was among the first of the Fourth Dynasty, but no one could confirm it. His name was Strolmir, and he looked to be as old as the mountains themselves.

"Apparently none of these ninnies want to give you the bad news," Strolmir said. As one, the rest of the Council members shuffled their feet, and stared at the ground, looking so much like a group of children that had just been scolded by their teacher. If Hylier wasn't so frightened, he would have laughed at the sight.

Cailean, on the other hand, did laugh. It broke the Council's embarrassment, and converted it immediately to anger. Strolmir continued as if nothing had happened.

"I'll give you what I'm sure you're going to consider the good news first. Casion is no longer your liaison to the Council. From now on, you shall report to Hylier, and he shall report to us."

Hylier couldn't control his reaction. His mouth fell open, and he made a sort of coughing choking sound. The Councilors that he considered to be his enemies looked at him, and smirked.

"It's no secret that there has been...friction, shall we call it? Yes, there has been friction between you and your former intermediary, and that has caused poor performance in your responsibilities as well as his. He will be notified later that his new charges will be the spies scattered in cities throughout the human nations. If you still numbered among them, Hylier, he would be your direct superior." Strolmir smiled, but it held no malice like the smiles of the other Councilors previously. "If you weren't assigned to Cailean, that is."

Hylier was sure that he hadn't done anything to deserve the favor that was being presented to him, and he had no doubts about the opposition his enemies in the Council would place in front of such a proposition. Which meant that the old man had more clout in the Council than anyone had imagined, or he had persuaded the Council to accept the change by promising some future decision. Either way, it most likely meant that he was now playing a part in the political game that the Council had started centuries previous.

"Hylier isn't the only one is experiencing a change, Cailean," Strolmir continued. "Now the bad news. Hylier gave us his report about the sorceress Vividian being attacked in her tower. The consensus of the Council is that you are not to pursue this lead."

Hylier flinched as he felt Cailean's anger radiate outwards, like heat from a bonfire. Glancing down, he saw the other man clenching his hands into fists then releasing them, like he was getting ready for something. As inconspicuously as possible, Hylier tapped Cailean's boot with his own. If the heat of his anger was a bonfire directed towards the Council, it became a conflagration when directed towards himself. At least Cailean still had enough control to keep it from being too obvious to the Councilors that anything had happened between the two of them, but even the glance that he sent towards Hylier was enough to make him immediately start sweating. It was all he could do to keep from trembling, but he shook his head slightly. In an instant, the heat from Cailean's anger dissipated, and he stopped clenching his fist.

"I understand what this information means to you, Cailean, but the decision of the Council is that it's too risky to send you after it." Strolmir had been frowning, but his mouth turned upwards slightly and his eyes opened more as he continued speaking. "However, we do recognize this as the best information to lead us to Deidre that we've received in the last century. We have sent a large portion of our spies to that area to gather more information, and keep us notified if Deidre arrives. We have emergency procedures put in place and ready to be activated if she does arrive. I won't go in to the technical details, but it's a system we can only set up in two or three locations at a time, and it should allow us to receive reports from anywhere within two days of them being sent."

Hylier balked. Two days? From anywhere? That would change their system of information gathering completely. As Strolmir said, it was a system that they could only put into effect in a few places at once, but even with that slight increase, the Council could make more informed decisions to benefit the nation. He had heard that there were plans to change the spy system, but he didn't think it would be anything like this.

"But until such a time as we receive solid, detailed information about Deidre's position, you are forbidden from pursuing any information you receive. From anyone," Strolmir emphasized, looking directly at Hylier. Hylier surprised himself by matching the elderly Councilor's gaze without flinching. Presenting information to anyone other than the Council or liaison to the Council was grounds for dismissal from the spies, if not immediate execution as a traitor. Hylier owed a lot to the old man, and he knew he was not going to enjoy paying his debt.

"Until we receive that information, though, we, as the Council, have decided that it is time you live up to your title. Do you know why you have been dubbed the Dragon's Fang?"

Hylier raised an eyebrow quizzically. This is a strange way to give orders, he thought. Where was the old man going with this?

"Not really," Cailean responded. "I mean, I've guessed, but I haven't particularly cared about it one way, or another. Dragon Fang, Tiger Claw, Bear Fart or Mermaid Nipple, it doesn't matter. I only exist for one reason. To hunt and kill."

There was a chuckle from some of the Councilors, but Hylier thought that most glared at them even harder, if that were possible. Strolmir merely smiled. This smile seemed less genuine than his others, though, as if he were smiling at a joke that only he understood.

"That is correct. You exist to hunt and kill. The dragons of old were most fearsome beasts, and many say that if there had been any more of them, they would have subjugated and enslaved the early race of man. Indeed, some say they were the original gods of this world, and would have been more powerful than the First Vampire and all the Dynasties put together." The men and women in the Council chambers shuffled nervously. It wasn't strictly forbidden to compare the power of the First Vampire as Strolmir did, and although they created the law, they were made uncomfortable by the Councilor's casual way of questioning His deity.

"Unfortunately, they were exceptionally petty and selfish creatures, constantly battling each other for territory and shiny trinkets. They died out because they couldn't understand how to live together as a community. We in the Citadel are the last dragons, but we have determined how to live as a society. We will not fall to the same weakness that took the ancient dragons as well as the First Dynasty of vampires. We will grow in size and power, and work to bind ourselves together in a greater society than the dragons ever could." Strolmir raised a fist as he spoke, his voice growing in volume and power. "We will become a stronger race than men could ever conceive, and we will create the world that the First Vampire saw, so very, very long ago. We are as mighty as dragons." Strolmir's voice lowered in volume, but continued to carry with it incredible power. "You, Cailean, are our fang. When the time comes, you will be called to rend to pieces our enemies, including Deidre, our greatest enemy of all.

"But dragons were not totally warlike. To those few humans that swore fealty to them, they showed compassion, and kindness. Before calling an enemy to battle, they would beat their massive claws into the ground, breathe enormous plumes of fire into the sky, and bare their enormous fangs at each other to attempt to intimidate the other into backing down. The weaker dragons, faced with an enemy they knew they would not defeat, retreated without fighting."

Hylier grimaced as he realized where Strolmir was going with his analogy. Cailean, the Dragon's Fang, the strongest vampire since the First Dynasty, perhaps since the First Vampire, was going to become nothing more than an enforcer of the Council. A Council which, every day, becomes increasingly corrupt, Hylier thought to himself.

"Before battle becomes necessary, we shall bare you, our fang, to our weaker enemies to show them the danger of attacking. You will be more than a mere weapon. You shall now be our messenger to our subjects as well as our enemies. You will be instrumental in bringing peace to our nation, and enlarging our borders, bringing us always closer to the paradise we deserve."

Hylier got the feeling that if they felt it were proper, the Councilors in the room would have erupted in applause. The old man had been on the Council since it had been formed, and even then he had been old. He knew how to maneuver in the political game better than any other Councilor, and even though they all probably knew he was playing them like a drum, they still believed that he acted with their own personal interests in his heart. Of all the members of the Council, he was the only one that hadn't sided with one of the informal factions.

Picking up a small scroll from the desk in front of him, Strolmir spoke to Hylier. "These are your first set of orders," he said, tossing to scroll to him. "Come see me in my personal chambers after you leave." Hylier began to unwrap the scroll, but a glance towards Strolmir told him not to. The Councilor shook his head to one side slightly, almost imperceptibly. Hylier understood, and tucked the scroll in his belt. As he and Cailean turned to leave, several of the Councilors began gathering themselves together as their business was also concluded. Hylier assumed that Casion would be informed of his new assignment by whichever Councilor to which he would be reporting. The only reason the full gathering of the Council was required for Hylier and Cailean was that he truly was their fang, as Strolmir had noted. None of the factions in the Council would have let one of the others control the information gathered from and meted out to their weapon.

Leaving the Council, they turned left down the hall. It wasn't a long walk to Strolmir's quarters; as he was the oldest member of the Council, he was given the room closest to the central Chambers. Neither Hylier nor Cailean spoke during the half-minute it took to walk from one door to the other.

Knocking on the door, Hylier was surprised to hear activity and a voice calling from the other side. "Come in," it said.

They opened the door and entered, and as Hylier recognized the form sitting in the large chair in the center of the room, his mouth dropped open in shock. How had the old man arrived inside the room before them? Hylier knew that the original builders of the Citadel had put secret entrances and exits everywhere throughout the massive city, but the man would have had to move with speed that belied his age to beat them, even with the assistance of a hidden passage from his room to the Council.

"I don't have much time," he began. His words contained all the power and authority as it had in the Council chambers, but now it was spurred by urgency. Any trace of age that had existed in his voice or in his eyes was gone, and in its place was fire. "I'm only supposed to be offering you a few words of encouragement as you begin. The mission I gave you was a farce, one that had been constructed by the entire Council for no reason other than to waste your time. There is a name, description, and location of a vampire in that scroll I handed you, and the orders were to contact him and bring him to the Citadel."

"Seems like a waste of time," Cailean said.

"For you, perhaps. But if you accomplished it, it would give one of the factions of the Council tremendous power. Many have called you unstable, both in the Council and out, and fear your unpredictability. But if you were to do this menial task, it would prove to everyone that you are well and truly leashed by the Council."

A flash of Cailean's earlier anger reappeared at Hylier's side as the Councilor mentioned his "leashing." This time, he didn't pretend like he didn't notice.

"Peace," Strolmir called. "I only wish to express the opinions of the Council and their desire. Unfortunately, it is the desire of one of the more virulent factions that causes a serious problem. I discovered only yesterday that they contacted the man in the scroll, and persuaded him to become an assassin. If he kills you, then that proves you weren't necessary in hunting Deidre, and he becomes their weapon."

"I fear the intentions of no man, living or dead." Cailean's anger wasn't radiating outward anymore, but Hylier could see the fire still burning in his eyes. The mentioning of his bonage, his slavery, to the Council had affected him much more than Hylier had thought.

Strolmir nodded. "Be that as it may, you may want to fear him, for your own benefit."

Something about the way the elderly Councilor cautioned them made Hylier wary. He was talented in reading reactions and emotions in the faces of those close to him, and he saw a twinge of fear in the old man's mouth. And Hylier knew that if he saw merely a slight twitch, there was hundreds of times more fear that Strolmir was hiding.

"What? Who is he?" Hylier asked slowly while pulling the scroll from his belt. "Why should the Dragon's Fang fear just some vampire of the Fourth Dynasty?"

Strolmir took a deep breath before continuing. "He's not of the Fourth Dynasty. He's one of the Lost Dynasty."

The scroll dropped from Hylier's hands, and for a moment he did nothing. He stooped to pick up the roll, but fell to his knees, instead. The fear he had felt when Cailean turned his anger towards him in the Council chambers was nothing compared to the absolute panic that filled his entire body. His hands shook, and his breath became short and quick. He tried to control himself, but his body refused to follow commands. No longer able to support his weight, his legs folded beneath him, and he fell to his side.

He felt strong hands grab him underneath his arms, lift him up, and set him down in a chair. No longer able to speak, he looked up to Cailean who stood in front of him, waiting to see if he needed anything else. Nodding in understanding, he turned to Strolmir, and continued the conversation.

"Are you sure? Does he claim to be of the Lost, or do others do it for him?"

Strolmir shook his head. "No, no one claims it. He hasn't been around the Fourth Dynasty for thousands of years, since before the Citadel, since before Deidre, even. But I knew him, when I was very, very young. I believe I'm the only left in the Citadel who actually knew him as Pryce. Now, though, on any of the records kept in the libraries he, along with the others of the Lost Dynasty, are known as Exiles. Before they left, the Lost lived among the Fourth Dynasty. They trained our soldiers and raised the younglings. For some reason, being around the newly-turned helped them control their outbursts.

"But their mental instability became too dangerous when Pryce, by himself, demolished an entire building full of people. He was helping a group of us younglings and he just...snapped." Strolmir's eyes began to mist over as he was taken by emotion. Cailean seemed unaffected by it, but Hylier, still unable to control his body completely, was quite uncomfortable with the old man's display.

"He moved so fast, he was just a blur. He screamed, running to the nearest building and broke through the door. The shrieks from inside were beautiful, yet horrifying. Like he was conducting a symphony of agony. The screams were met by crashes, and as the windows burst, we could see him running through the building, destroying everything and everybody. Soon, the screams stopped, and there was just the sound of him running and smashing. The building began to sway, then fell in as Pryce destroyed anything that helped it support itself. As the dust settled, he picked himself out of the rubble, and rejoined us on the lawn." The man wept openly as he shared his memory, but Hylier couldn't tell if they were tears of sadness, fear, or devotion. This man Pryce must have been an amazing figure.

"A meeting was held, one of the first gatherings of what would become the Council, and it was decided that the few dozen remaining members of the Lost Dynasty needed to leave. They were simply too dangerous to have in the center of our nation. I can't believe they actually left, and no one was injured. There was pain in their eyes, though. The pain of betrayal." Strolmir shook his head, and Hylier knew that the tears coming from his eyes now definitely were of regret and sadness.

"The Council tried to keep track of all of them, but it was too difficult a task. The Exiles moved too quickly, and too erratically. We were able to track a few of them, though. Some killed themselves, and some killed each other. We heard about some even meeting their ends at the hands of groups of vampire hunters, as well. Some just disappeared. We figure there are anywhere from five to ten Exiles left in the world. We know of two, and Pryce is the stronger of the two."

Cailean shrugged. "If he's so dangerous, why are some of the Councilors so eager to have him in the Citadel?"

Strolmir shook his head. "I don't know. They may have a plan to control him, they may just be planning to kill him to consolidate their power even further."

Cailean thought for a moment, then shrugged again. "Well, I suppose it doesn't even matter. If he's of the Lost Dynasty, he has to be double your age, at least. If I can handle one old fossil in the Council, I can handle one out in the wilds," he said, smiling.

Strolmir smiled back, but it was his I-know-something-you-don't-know grin. "Not quite. You see, as near as we can figure out, the Fourth Dynasty is the only one that has aged. The First, Second, and Third Dynasties were all as young as the day they were turned. That includes the Lost Dynasty. The Third Dynasty may have aged, but our fathers decided they were too powerful to be allow to command us, and killed them. They probably would have killed the Lost Dynasty when they began joining the nation, but they were just too powerful and too important to destroy out of hand."

Cailean snorted. "And now I suppose you're going to tell me that this Pryce was more powerful than the other Exiles, and even more powerful than the Second Dynasty."

"The truth, Cailean, Dragon's Fang, is that we have no idea how powerful the Lost Dynasty actually was. Their mental break came before they truly matured in their powers. Some theorize that it was because they were too far removed from the First Vampire to handle the amount of power that filled them. It's possible that they were lost because they were more powerful than any of the Second Dynasty. They may have been more powerful than the First Dynasty, but that seems a little unlikely, don't you think?" Cailean nodded. "Yes, I believe a little unlikely. Like a vampire existing for thousands of years after the shadow of his last enemy had turned to dust. Like Pryce. Very improbable."

Hylier had regained control of his body, but such a casual conversation about one of the Lost Dynasty -- one of the Exiles -- still made him feel like he wanted to hide under his bed. Cailean even began to look, well, not afraid, but apprehensive.

"Why are you telling me this?" Cailean asked.

Strolmir scratched his head. "To be honest, I'm not sure. It's no secret that I was opposed to your creation, but it was the decision of the Council, so I supported it. I believe that we shouldn't try to cut off our feet just because we don't like the boots we're wearing. If you went to Pryce unaware of his power and intentions, there is a remote chance that you may actually be taken by surprise just long enough for him to kill you. But as powerful and dangerous as he is, I believe you stand a much better chance against Deidre than he. To fight her will require surprise as well, but also intelligence. The Exiles barely possess rudimentary problem-solving skills, and understand little more than stimulus and response. Pryce killed hundreds of the Fourth Dynasty in a few moments, but he doesn't have the skill required to battle someone of Deidre's power and experience."

Cailean began to interrupt the final sentence, but stopped as Strolmir said the last word. Experience. Deidre had a thousand more years of experience than Cailean who was still quite young by vampire standards. She was nearly ancient while it had only been a hundred years since his creation.

Something in Hylier's mind clicked as Cailean began to understand his position as Deidre's hunter. "You want Cailean to fight Pryce as a way to prepare him to fight Deidre," he exclaimed.

Strolmir nodded. "Up until now, you've been a tiger fighting insects. You really have been as a dragon among humans. But against Pryce, you won't know if you're facing another dragon, or something less fierce. Until you fight Deidre, you really won't know how much of an advantage her experience will give her. You have to be ready to adapt."

Cailean shook his head. "I understand, but it's stupid. If he's as strong as you say, it would be more worthwhile for me to control him, and use him to fight Deidre instead of Cerridwen and Arawn. He's more powerful than anyone in the Citadel, why don't I use that?"

Strolmir and Hylier glanced at each other. Oh, no, thought Hylier. This was going to lead down a dark path, one on which no one wanted to tread.

"Bah, but he's insane. It's no good having a sword that will shatter at any moment," Cailean concluded. Hylier and Strolmir let out the breath they had been holding. Not today, Hylier thought in relief.

Strolmir looked at the door behind them. "You have to go. You've spent too long in here already. The others will be wondering why you're spending so much time in my quarters."

Hylier, understanding, stood up shakily. Cailean reached out a hand to help steady him, but Hylier waved it off. "I'm okay. Thank you for your help earlier, though." He looked down at the spot of saliva that had fallen on the floor where he drooled after collapsing. "Very undignified," he said, smiling. Cailean smiled back, and Hylier realized he had seen enough half-smiles and shrouded emotions for the day. Cailean's smile, though, was the pure smile of friendship, the one that only he seemed capable of giving.

The two of them left after thanking Strolmir for his help and walked out of the Council tower. Stepping out into the lamp-light of the Citadel of Eternal Night, Hylier watched others of the Fourth Dynasty go about their business on the streets of the great indoor city. There was no chance of a stray beam of sunlight coming through the walls and ceiling of the city. They had been built too strong for that. Not tempting fate, though, the original builders of the Citadel had given the city twelve full walls with paths in between each layer to make it easy to repair and patch holes that eventually wore through the masonry. In the thousand years since the building of the city, there had never been any breaches from the outside to the center of the Citadel. It was a feat that would drive the humans insane with wonder and awe, if they ever were to learn about it. The Citadel was the largest secret the vampires kept.

Walking towards a close-by alley, Hylier unwrapped the scroll he still kept in his belt. They both looked over it quickly, checking the mouth of the alley constantly for intruders. Satistfied at its contents, Hylier gave the scroll to Cailean.

"You'll need this. It has his location and a drawing of him. Damn, but Strolmir probably drew it himself. No one else has ever seen him." Hylier marveled at each surprise the old man presented to them.

Cailean nodded. "It only gave me my instructions, and said that I'm to report to you from now on. It didn't say anything about where you're supposed to go or do."

"I guess that means you take Arawn and Cerridwen with you, and I stay here." Hylier paused as another thought occured to him. "Or, perhaps, I could go anywhere I want. Nowhere in our instructions did it say where I'm supposed to be."

"What are you thinking?" Cailean asked, a glint of lamp-light glistening off his bared fang.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not going to Vividian, if that's what you're thinking. There's another town I want to look around that's three nights' travel. How long do you think that will take you?" Hylier asked, gesturing towards the scroll now tucked in Cailean's belt.

Cailean scratched his nose as he thought. "Perhaps eight...no, ten nights until I return."

"Then I'll return in nine. That will give me plenty of time to find-"

"You'll have no time!" came a voice from the mouth of the alley. Cailean and Hylier groaned as they recognized the voice of the vampire shouting. "Once the Councilors hear about this," Casion continued, walking towards them, "your assignment as the liaison to the Dragon's Fang and his Hunters will be the shortest the Council has ever given!"

As Casion and his two unnamed aides approached, Cailean turned his shoulders to face them fully. "Hylier, I'm having trouble remembering. What was the last phrase in the orders?"

Hylier had a perfect memory, and knew the sentences, word for word. "It says 'Hylier is now your liaison with the Council. Report to him now instead of Casion. Now, he is nothing to you but another of the Fourth Dynasty.'"

"Exactly," said Cailean. He dropped his hands to his side, slightly spread, his fingers curled into claws. "I believe what they'll call you, Casion, is collateral damage."

Hylier knew what was about to happen just a moment before the other three vampires. He opened his mouth to shout, but the other vampire was far too fast.

In an instant, it was over. Cailean had finished before Hylier even began to shout.

With speed that matched Strolmir's description of Pryce, Cailean leaped towards Casion's blond aide. At least, Hylier assumed he leaped towards the blond aide, because his head whipped around so fast that his blonde hair became a blur of yellow. His head dropped to the cobblestones at their feet as Cailean literally twisted it off. Blood shot out of the wound in every direction as the body convulsed, then fell. Cailean was already behind the second aide before the head touched the ground. With his arms crossed and his clawed-hands held out in front of him, he tore at the other vampire. His left hand started at the vampire's shoulder, and his right at the hip, and he attacked so fast and with so much power that the vampire was torn into three pieces. Cailean dropped them in a heap, and they oozed blood onto the ground.

From behind Casion, he lifted him by his throat and pressed his left hand, fingers stiffened into a spear, into his back. Hylier's shout finally reached his mouth, but the sound was drowned out by Casion's scream. Cailean, no longer moving with his incomprehensible speed, stabbed his hand into Casion's back. The skin and muscles parted and bones broke until his fingers found what they were looking for. Hylier could see Casion's chest twist and turn as Cailean dug through his body. He grabbed and pulled, and Casion's scream cut off abruptly. Hylier watched in horror as Cailean dropped the vampire's lungs, shredded and torn from being ripped out so forcefully, on the stones. Casion's mouth worked, but no more sound came out. And Cailean wasn't finished.

He reached back into the hole, Casion's soundless scream becoming more intense. Whether Cailean was bored of torturing him already or he simply tore out the lungs first because he didn't want to hear the screaming, Hylier couldn't be sure. But the next organ Cailean tore from Casion with another spray of blood was his heart.

He dropped Casion to the ground, his eyes looking up. Hylier knew that a vampire as strong as Casion would take several seconds to die from an injury even as severe as having his heart torn from his body. He couldn't move, could only watch as Cailean took the beating heart in both of his hands and dug in his fingers. Then, twisting and pulling at the same time, Cailean ripped the heart into two pieces. He dropped one onto the now-dissolving remains of the blond vampire, and the other half onto the other aide.

Without looking back, Cailean turned and left the alley. "You probably should get out of the Citadel," he said to Hylier before leaving completely. "It would be a good idea if you were gone by the time the Council discovers what I did to their newly-appointed liaison to the spy system." Then he was gone.

For a moment, Hylier stared at the three corpses, at the collection of gore that used to be three vampires. Cailean had utterly destroyed them, and hadn't reacted any more than Hylier would have from stepping on a bug. Deidre was as powerful as he, Pryce was possibly nearly as powerful, and there may be even more? This war could escalate beyond what they could handle as a nation, Hylier thought. He cursed the humans that had learned how the First Vampire was created. He cursed their children and grandchildren for learning how to adapt the process to create Deidre. And he cursed himself for having Cailean as a friend.

Stepping over the remains, Hylier hurried to one of the smaller gates of the Citadel.