English Swords

Alfarinn looked at the letter in his head one more time. One of his personal guards had handed it to him. An Anantya wanted to meet with him. Thaddeus, child of Emma. How odd.

Curiosity always did get him into trouble. Megan complained constantly about his impulsive nature. Still Alfarinn doubted he had much to fear from Thaddeus.

He caught sight of his reflection in one of the cases, a strange ghostly image of a teenaged man superimposed on ancient weaponry. Oddly appropriate. His pale hair was clasped back as usual and the Armani black knit sweater clung to him comfortably over the tight black jeans. He had to admit the clothing had gotten better with time. No doubt the Anantya was wearing a suit. So uncomfortable, no wonder they tended to be cranky.

He watched the dark corners of the room from time to time, looking for some sort of trap. It wouldn't be difficult to set one for him. Sensing unseen presences was not his skill, they were more personal in nature. Coming around the last corner he found the Anantya. Stiff and yes, in a suit.

"You wished to speak with me?"

When Alfarinn arrived he was unmistakable. It was hard to miss such a tall person to begin with, but combine that with the other man's flashy way of dressing and you'd have to be blind not to know the Evenhet had just walked into a room.

God, can he even breathe in those denim pants?

His face still impassive as ever, he offered his hand to Alfarinn.

Well met, Alfarinn of Evenhet.

It took everything he had to contain his anticipation. This handshake could make or break the conversation, after all.

Alfarinn eyed the Anantya with some interest. More civil than some or so it would seem. Still there were those that while mannered they were actually far more difficult to deal with. Which is saying a lot, as a former Order of the Night, Alfarinn tended to get along with just about everyone. At least when the situation merited it.

He wondered if the boy knew what he was getting himself into by shaking hands with him. Doubtful, but it would be something to find out. With a faint smile, he extended his hand in greeting, grasping the one of the smaller man in front of him.

" Indeed, well met, Thaddeus of Anantya."

Alfarinn's hand was like marble in his own, cold and hard and smooth. It made him think of the shock of bare feet on tile in the morning, but he was disciplined enough not to show his surprise. Instead he calmly shook Alfarinn's hand, reciprocating the other man's grip and no more; it was not a contest. Still, his knuckles were white with the effort. The two men made eye contact, sizing each other up, seeing if either one would wince.

Thaddeus dragged his fingertips along the inside of Alfarinn's hand, tracing his skin, the map of lines on his palm, before at last releasing him.

Not one of the men who had touched the ring. Information was still a distinct possibility though. As was the possibility of danger; Thaddeus would still need to be quite careful.

He turned slightly and gestured to the display of swords.

The sword in the middle has a brother. I know this because it rested on the Grey mantle since time out of mind, and now hangs in my bedroom. Such a beautiful sword it is. Such a treasure.

He turned his head again to face Alfarinn.

Treasures such as these...they belong with their families, don't you think?

Treasures.. was this a meeting because Evenhet sold some piece of history that he feels belongs to his family? Wouldn't be the first time, Anantya seemed to think that all of the past belonged to them and they enjoyed keeping it holed up in little catacombs hidden away from the world. Mankind deserved to share that history too and he'd be damned if some Anantya brat was going to give him a hard time over it.

Putting aside his own feelings, Alfarinn reached out to sense those of the man close by. There had been such an intense focus earlier when Thaddeus shook his hand. It was still there. He wanted something... something he thought Alfarinn could help with. Hmm, interesting. The boy was drawn tighter than a bow string. Still, he held his composure admirably. Emma would be proud of you, young one. Very proud. Behind all that Alfarinn sensed pain and a need for revenge? What on earth did they think Evenhet had done to them this time?

Sighing, he decided it best to play along for now and hope the answers would come on their own.

"Some treasures belong to the world but this is an old argument for Evenhet and Anantya. A core disagreement in our way of thinking. So, do tell, have I personally wronged you, Lord Grey, or is this something larger?"

((OOC: Feelings interpreted with the permission of Thaddeus ))

Thaddeus appeared to muse over Alfarinn's words. Though slightly annoyed that the other man had cut to the heart of the matter so quickly, he would not be rushed into saying something unintended. Ignoring his question for the moment, he instead spoke softly, seemingly thinking aloud though choosing his words carefully.

A core disagreement indeed. A dispute older than myself, even.

While Thaddeus was loath to mention his youth to Alfarinn, he felt it prudent to hint at the specific timing of his turning. He paused significantly before continuing.

I suppose it is to be expected, this dispute, this...competition. These treasures are our history and contain the knowledge of ages. And knowledge is power.

Some would kill for that power. High stakes indeed, especially if all parties involved aren't aware.

Alfarinn frowned. Just what was the kid going on about? He moved to a bench and leaned up against the wall. Folding his arms across his chest and crossing one long leg over the other, he watched Thaddeus and mused over his words.

A competition...treasure.. and someone killing for it. All highly possible where their two clans were involved. Though it is never wise to kill another vampire out of hand. You must be prepared for the repercussions of such actions. Alfarinn would say he'd probably killed more Evenhet than Anantya. Taking out rogue younglings that should never have been made. It was a gruesome task but one that fell to him often unless Megan decided to see to the matter herself.

Alfarinn tried to think of any present murmurings of Anantya deaths that Evenhet might have been blamed for. Nothing came to mind, it was almost unnaturally quiet on the clan relations front. The calm before the storm... was this the storm?

Something in the past then. He did say older than himself. Alfarinn resisted the urge to snort and just how short a time that was. [Behave yourself, he's trying very hard to be proper.] If it were older than Thaddeus then why was Thaddeus concerned about it? How could it have been personal? Certainly they would have sent Sorin to him instead if there was an official problem that the Order of the Night wanted to look into. Unless, they thought he knew too much about Sorin. [And didn't like any of it] Alfarinn thought darkly, He and Sorin had many disagreements before the splitting of clans and still more afterwards. There is no doubt that Sorin would never have allowed the split between the clans if he had been one of the Triad at the time. Emma was always... Emma...

Alfarinn looked up sharply at Thaddeus. Could he possibly think Evenhet had Emma killed? He had felt a need for revenge behind the Anantya's core of resolve. If that were the popular theory of their clan a simple no, we didn't do it was hardly going to be convincing.

Better to play this hinting game if that is how Thaddeus wished to play it and see where it led.

"I agree the stakes are high in such games and those of us who search for knowledge must be aware of the dangers on all sides. Sometimes the enemies aren't always the ones in directly in front of you."

And sometimes they are, Alfarinn. Sometimes they are right under your nose.

Thaddeus gave the other man a dark look.

Therein lies the problem, Alfarinn. You think this is all a game.

Calling him Lord Grey, feigning boredom and disinterest. Thaddeus shook his head in disgust.

There is a fine line, I suppose, between games and war. I wouldn't expect just anyone to make the distinction, but you...you I expected more from.

I'll make another distinction for you too; there is a fine line between personal revenge and a blood feud to rival the ages. Think carefully about which you want to see.

Thaddeus turned again to face the display once more, resisting the urge to pace in front of it.

300 years ago. What were Evenhet's interests in Bulgaria? Who was there, Alfarinn?

Well this was quite the turn around. Just what was bothering this one? First he hints and now he wishes to get straight to the point. Alfarinn sighed to himself. Thaddeus was straining his abilities to disern normal motives.

But... Bulgaria. Emma died there. This much he knew, no doubt even Tacharan knew. An elder's death didn't just go unnoticed.

"There you are wrong, Thaddeus. I suppose it is all right to call you that since we seem to be on familiar terms once more." Alfarinn pulled himself to his full height again and moved closer to the Anantya. Looking him in the eye so that there could be no mistake. "I do not play games with lives and never have. Even humans are not toys to me and that is a striking difference from your own clan, as I recall."

He turned away from Thaddeus and crossed his arms over his chest once more.

" 'I' was the Evenhet in Bulgaria at the time Emma was there. It was me that she was racing to the tomb."

Something inside of Thaddeus went numb at these words. He remained silent for some time before he spoke again, and when he did his voice sounded smaller somehow, and very far away.

What happened at the tomb, Alfarinn?

It wasn't Alfarinn. He was certain of that much, but he had been so sure that he knew something of Emma's death.

Now, though, he found himself believing the other man. If he had said anything else, if he had attempted to weasel his way out or aloofly deny Thaddeus's accusations and walk away, it would have cemented a war between clans in Thaddeus's mind. Had he feigned cooperation but ignorance, Thaddeus would know he was hiding something.

He spoke like a man who had the truth on his side.

And when he said Emma's name...Thaddeus could not quite pin point the feeling. But it wasn't him. About the rest of Evenhet, Thaddeus still had his doubts, but he was no longer the least bit sure Emma died for the knowledge at the tombs. Still, it was possible Alfarinn had been one of the last vampires to see Emma. Perhaps he knew something of the circumstances that led to her death, even if he was not responsible. Whether he would tell Thaddeus anything was another story.

Alfarinn fought the urge to pace the room while he spoke. He could really use a glass of something. More to hold onto it than anything else.

"There was always information of movements going on of both our clans and when I saw that she had gone to Bulgaria I knew what she had to be searching for. My own research into our origins suggested that source might have held some clues also. It was on my list of possible sites. I had originally opted to chase down an Asian lead but when the reports told me Emma was headed towards these tombs, I changed my plans.

I've often thought about that report. So precise and timely. At the time I would have dismissed it as a hoax or a mislead. The reason I followed it was that my own research also suggested the place. It seemed too likely to pass up. I wondered if I was led there and could kick myself for leading Evenhet into being framed for this. But Emma was there and she did expect the tombs to hold secrets to our origins."

Alfarinn threw up his hands with a sigh.

"We would never know the truth of that or not. We were both too late. The tombs had already been robbed of every possible thing of value save the architecture itself. In those days, that didn't leave us with much. So it was a failure for us both."

He turned back to Thaddeus. "So I ask you. Why would I kill my friend and colleague over something she never found?"

Thaddeus rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he took in Alfarinn's accounting. Could Evenhet have been set up? Alfarinn personally? Which was it, if this was an elaborate frame after all?

And there was the way he spoke of Emma. The way he described their competition, the two were respectful comrades; he had even gone as far as to call her friend. It was possible they even shared information, though he doubted the artifacts themselves would be given up.

But then something clicked.

I am told Emma's correspondence with her clan indicated that she -had- made discoveries at the tomb. We don't know what it was she discovered, but it was apparently quite fascinating. Were you with her when she found the tomb? Did you go in together?

There were two possibilities Thaddeus could see; either Emma had fooled Alfarinn into believing she walked away from the tomb empty handed, or Alfarinn was lying after all, perhaps to protect a clansman. Thaddeus personally felt it was likely the former, but it was worth looking into.

And in any case, Thaddeus wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about Emma and Alfarinn's friendship.

Alfarinn smiled ruefully.

"No, she beat me to it. Impossible woman." He held up a hand to Thaddeus to indicate he meant no offense by it. "She was quite happy about the fact. "Looks like I win this time, Alfarinn. Only there is nothing here." I believed her when she said as much. Though she would have kept any artifacts that she came across Emma would have told me what she had found so that we could continue to share these little pieces of the puzzle. It was like that in those days. A mutual respect for our love of knowledge, of a puzzle to be solved."

Alfarinn flexed and unflexed his hand.. if he HAD something, perhaps he could know for sure but Emma was long gone and anything on her was gone also. Alfarinn wasn't a tracker but he did have a talent for reading people and items. It was a talent He and Emma shared, though she was better at reading the items and he, the people. Emma had been the tracker. Combined with her psychometry it had made her a formidable competitor.

Alfarinn then realized the fullness of what Thaddeus had said.

"She had made discoveries? That is incorrect. Who told you that?" It did not immediately occur to him that Emma would lie to him. Alfarinn still did not believe that. "Are you certain her correspondence wasn't misread?

Thaddeus shook his head in the negative in response to the other man's query. He was privately relieved at Alfarinn's answer; it rang true to him. He nearly smiled when he spoke next, partly to ease the blow to Alfarinn's ego, partly in amusement that Emma had fooled him so handedly.

Well, noble quest for knowledge or not, looks like she beat you in more ways than you knew. She learned something from that tomb, unless empty architecture held such intrigue that she felt unsafe mentioning specifics in her letters, other than to say it was fascinating. Impossible woman indeed.

At this last sentence, Thaddeus couldn't help but allow a small grin to escape. It had taken him some to get used to Emma's sense of humor, and he recalled having to lick the wounds to his own ego more than once before becoming comfortable with her.

I do wonder what she figured out though. Must have been a pretty big piece of the puzzle to keep it from you, especially if your friendship was what you describe.

Alfarinn smiled and chuckled ruefully.

"Truly... Well then.. that does make me wonder."

Alfarinn walked over to another case and pretended to gaze inside. It was a half pace, stopping himself before he prowled the room in thought. Which is something he would have done in front of Emma but he did not yet know her child.

"Why would she lie? I can't think of anything to give me cause to believe she did. Nothing so great that it needed hiding. So assuming that she didn't lie when I arrived. The question would then be what did she discover after I left? That might help us solve this mystery."

Alfarinn was so lost in thought, working out the details in his head that he almost forgot Thaddeus was there, speaking out loud in order to organize his ponderings.

"But, the most likely person to have killed Emma over something she found would have been a rival. That would be me, I suppose. As I said, we always shared our information, if not the items themselves. There would be no need to harm her, even assuming I would stoop to such a thing."

Alfarinn turned back to Thaddeus.

"Which, I assure you. I would not."

Thaddeus looked up at Alfarinn, meeting his eyes. He risked allowing Alfarinn to walk away from all of this by saying what he was about to say. But he thought the other man might stay just a bit longer, even if he didn't have to.

I believe you.

Thaddeus turned his head slightly, breaking eye contact and staring blankly at the display case behind Alfarinn. He felt drained and numb and entirely without the advantage; he was entirely dependent on Alfarinn staying and giving him what information he chose to. It was a risk on his part, he knew. But he also knew he could not milk threats forever.

Furthermore, saying it out loud, admitting it, was something Thaddeus needed to do. It depressed him to be so close to a lead only to have it disappear into vapor, but if he was to move forward, he had to look into other avenues rather than beating his head against the same false leads. While it galled him to put himself in such a position, this was the best hope of moving forward, and Thaddeus knew that he was most likely to get information from Alfarinn when it was willingly given.

He rubbed at his chin absently, then spoke again.

Alfarinn, I believe you. Furthermore, I believe you and Emma shared a friendship. I do not know who could be trying to frame Evenhet, or perhaps you personally, but it seems that it is in our mutual best interest to speak on this more. If not because you could be in danger, than because...Emma was my friend too.

Alfarinn looked over at Thaddeus startled. He was relieved that the Anantya believed him. There would be problems aplenty if he took something to Sorin about him. The man would love to have a reason for a clan war and would be overjoyed to say Alfarinn was responsible.

Of course, putting the Domus Aurea up for public display.. that was done for spite. He admitted it. Personal selfish glee. The man had made life difficult for Evenhet just one too many times.

Alfarinn was a little bemused. It had not occurred to him that he might be in danger. Of course, Megan would say that it rarely does. Still if he were, then someone had waited a long time to spring such a trap but vampires had that kind of time.

"Of course she was your friend. Beyond that, she was your maker and I know she must have held you dear to even consider bringing you into Anantya. Elders don't make children often. Over time it just hurts too much."

Alfarinn looked down sadly, he had very few of his own left in this world. To see one die or turn away was difficult and over the years he had chosen to stay away from such ties. For all that he still looked like a youth, moments like these caused him to feel the weight of all the centuries.

Turning back to the problem at hand with a sigh of frustration, he said. "If only I hadn't left the area before then. We might could have gotten some sense from the scene. Assuming I was trusted, which might not have happened. Any trail to be sensed has probably gone cold. Do you know if the place where she was murdered still stands?" He asked quietly, knowing the subject wasn't likely an easy one for Thaddeus to discuss.

No, it doesn't.

Thaddeus felt his jaw tighten at the question, not to mention his woefully inadequate response, but he was hard pressed to explain the complicated and emotional situation. Finally, he spoke again.

"She was murdered in the Gazebo on the grounds of the Grey Estate in Bulgaria. My parents had the gazebo destroyed. They thought..."Â? Thaddeus pinched his nose "...they thought the blood was mine."Â?

Thaddeus took a slightly shaky breath and sat down on the bench. He gathered his thoughts and memories, trying to make sense of them, trying to keep it to the facts.

Trying to forget her hair in the killer's fist.

By the time I was in a position to return to the Grey Estate, the gardens were wholly changed. There was nothing left of Emma there.

He stood again and walked over to the sword display, lost in thought. He took his gloves out of his pocket and slipped them back on his hands.

I realize it would have been better had we handled all of this differently. It was an extremely difficult situation with some...complicating factors. We can't go back and change that though; we can only use what limited knowledge we have.

Believe me, you are not the only one frustrated.

Alfarinn sighed and came over and sat next to Thaddeus.

"The situation was hardly one where you were expected to behave at your best. Or anyone else for that matter. I don't know how else I can help. I know nothing more than I have stated on why she was there and what she found. I don't know the correspondance she sent or who she sent it to. My guess would be Sorin, after my departure, he was certainly next in line behind Emma in the Order of the Night." Alfarinn did his best to keep his dislike of the man out of his voice.

"I know he holds no love for me and I hold little love for him. It is not clan based but personal between us."

Alfarinn leaned his head against the wall to ponder the events.

"That leaves us with a killer from any clan or perhaps none at all with a motive we have yet to discern. That is a disheartning trail to be certain."

He turned his head to look at Thaddeus and spoke quietly.

"Were you there? Is there anything about the killer that I don't know?"


((OOC: Not spell checked and not edited. Its thundering over the house again so I'm going to shut the computers down here soon. The power has browned out once already. I miss the UPS. ))

Thaddeus hesitated. He had hoped to avoid reliving the experience of Emma's death, but in all honesty it was necessary. And it would be necessary to reveal other secrets if he hoped to gain more of Alfarinn's insight. Already, in the back of his mind, he was going over what he had learned tonight, and though he hadn't had any epiphanies yet, he certainly had more information than he had started out with.

But how could he explain what the ring had shown him without revealing how he came by that particular bit of information? Did it matter, at this point, if he revealed his power to Alfarinn? Hadn't he trusted him this far?

Wasn't Emma worth this?

Still, there were the laws of Anantya to consider. Though he had to admit he was currently violating the letter of the law, he did not believe he violated its intent, its spirit. But this last bit of information, Thaddeus felt, was another matter altogether.

Exactly how deep in was he? And how deep would he have to go? What would Emma have done in this situation? What would Sorin do?

Aside from the fact that Sorin would never deem it necessary to speak with this particular individual, Thaddeus knew that Sorin understood the distinction between the letter and the spirit of the law. Sorin would do what he must in the best interest of his Clan, even if it meant taking a few risks. However, he would never reveal more information than needed to an outsider.

And that was the issue. What exactly did Alfarinn need to know in order to help him?

He had a choice now, in this moment. He could get up and walk away, or he could continue down the dangerous path he had started. If he continued, he would have to reveal things he had told no one else, and reveal them to an outsider, no less.

And perhaps the only one who could help him.

God, how would he explain this to Mai? Or, god forbid, to Morrigan? He could tell her that it was tactically necessary. That it was in the best interest of not only Anantya, but all of vampire kind for he and the Evenhet to help one another. That this simply -just felt right-.

I've already made up my mind.

He took a deep breath, and turned to Alfarinn.

We can't continue this here. We need a safer place; there's a lot I'm not telling you, a lot -to- tell you, but not here.

There must be somewhere else we can go.