“Back off old man.” grumbled the half awake vampyre as he pushed aside the now cold body of the woman who had tried to steal from him while he lay in a drunken stupor the night before. “Who the hell is that?” he asked as he saw the brightly painted nails and slender wrist poking out from under the rough canvas bags he had been laying on.

“Some two bit crook who thought she could roll you for some dosh.” the old man humpft, “You nearly broke her in two, not very gentlemanly of you.”

“Sod off” Drew retorted, “and exactly why am I awake? Get tired of ringing up all the other wankers?” He smirked as he saw the look of anger and disgust in the old man’s face. Yes, the man hated him, hated him for his talents, for his devil-may-care ways, but most of all, the old man hated him for his eternal youth. They had been the same age once, when Drew had first met him, Sergio had been in his early twenties, and a promising craftsman. His then Toreador lover had asked Drew to take Sergio under his wings, teaching him everything he could about the crafting of instruments, and more importantly, how to infuse them with the powerful wiccan magic that allowed them to pull power from the very Earth itself. Unfortunately, Sergio proved a very disappointing student, and apparently a less than phenomenal lover.

“You are awake, because I command it.” an alien and very authoritative voice stated. “You are Drew, the wayward childer of Clan Ravnos.” it wasn’t a question, and Drew knew it. Rising slowly to his feet. Drew looked up at the man and froze with shock. This was the Prince! And at his side was none other than his own Primogen, along with the Primogen of Clan Toreador.

“Yes, my Prince, I am Drew of Ravnos.” he replied humbly, taking the Prince’s extended hand in his own as he kissed the Coven ring. He felt the smiling eyes of the Toreador Primogen, Elsabeth, on him, and the scowling eyes of his own Primogen, Lino, as well.

If there was anyone in the room that hated him more than Sergio, it was Lino. Drew was born under a lucky star, as the saying goes. No matter what the situation, no matter how dire or hopeless it was, somehow, someway, he always survived, and usually unscathed. Lino, however, was not so fortunate. He still bore an ugly red scar, emblazoned on his cheek from just above his ear all the way to his jaw. Their clan had been surprised and attacked by a group of hunters, and they were well armed with weapons that up until that moment, Drew and his clan had never even heard of, much less seen.

The attack had come just after dawn, of course, the hunters were never brave enough to face vampyres under the light of the moon. No, they preferred to wait until the kinder were too weak to stand, killing most of them as they tried to crawl away. He had heard one of the Gangrel who had come to there aid refer to it as ‘shooting fish in a barrel’, a harsh, but completely accurate term.

Lino had been there as well, he had fought bravely, heroically even, taking down one mortal hunter after the next, even as his own blood poured from him, he refused to be beaten, he would die standing, die ‘a man’. They had both lost many good friends and kine that night. But while Drew had understood it to be the way of nature, harsh and heartless as it was; Lino could never accept that fact, insisting that if Drew had used his own instruments to kill the hunters they would all have survived.

But what Lino never understood, …..never wanted to understand….was that if Drew HAD used those magical instruments he had been crafting for the Toreador, they would all be dead, along with the rest of the city. It was one thing to allow a novice to ‘play’ with such things, but for someone like him, someone who knew how to channel his energy, the results would have been devastating. Drew had tried to explain this to Lino many, many times over the passing years, but eventually realized that his words were still falling on deaf ears. Unfortunately, those ears were attacked to strong arms and large fists and to make a long story short, Drew left his clan, living under their name, but never more within their haven.

Luckily the Toreadors had found him not only useful, but a pleasant distraction as well, a ‘bit of rough’ for them to enjoy. He never minded their attention, he was neither so vain nor so insecure that their views of what they thought he was had any effect upon him. Well, none of them save Elsabeth. She had been an upcoming member of her clan when he had first met her. Smart, gorgeous, talented, powerful and very, very focused. Her friends always seemed to succeed at all of their endeavours, while her enemies sunk deeper and deeper into the snares and vices of the world.

But happily, Elsabeth had always been fond of him, she enjoyed the easy way he could talk to anyone, bringing them into a conversation, have them open up to him. She had wanted to force the coven to let him be fostered as a Toreador, to preserve his talents as a master craftsman of many fine instruments, his skills as a musician, and of course, to capitalize on his many other, ‘less refined’ talents, such as stealing and dealing.

“My Prince, and respected primogens, to what do I owe such a great honour?” Drew asked, still keeping his head bowed respectfully.

“I have a task for you. I believe your mortal life brought you into contact with the wizarding world, did it not?” Daithi asked, already fully aware of the answer. “Good, you will need to go there again. There is a growing threat to us there, and I need you to handle her for me.”

“Alright, Fang, call the girls.” Cash growled, “that rotter is purposefully hiding himself from me, and I don’t have time to go sniffing him out. Things are getting a bit intense at home, I’m not going to waste time playing hide and seek with our darling primogen.”

“You heard him ladies” Fang grinned as Kara, Regeanne, and Cash shifted into their wolf forms. Communicating mentally, Fang reminded them all to stay in contact and be sure to NOT let Raul see them if they found him. Simply call out and let Cash deal with him, just be ready to join in if things got nasty.

Cash added, “I don’t want the girls to go anywhere alone, one of them will team up with each of us, we’ve lost enough over the past few weeks, I won’t see anymore go before me.”

“Cash, is Raul the enemy now?” Kara inquired, “Is he a traitor like Gaz was?”

Cash froze, she had asked the question that had been praying on his mind for hours now. “I don’t know, Kara. I hope not, but I just don’t know……. Do you or your sister have any feelings regarding him?”

Kara and Regeanne gazed at each other, “No, we’ve been staying clear of all of you lately. You didn’t seem to want us around anymore.”

“I apologize for that, and I swear, I WILL make it up to you.” Cash promised as he licked Kara‘s muzzle…………..

Sirius paused, waiting as Cat’s door opened for him. “Come now, gra. You must stop crying like this, you’ll make yourself sick” he said softly as he carried her over the threshold, intent upon her bed. He sighed as he realized she probably wasn’t hearing a word he said over the sound of her own sobbing, but at least she was still holding on to him, rather firmly in fact. Sirius was so focused on Cat, that he nearly fell over with surprise when Tris threw aside the covers of Cat’s bed, dashing to his side, a worried look in her eyes.

“Tris? What are you doing in here?” Sirius gasped as he refused to hand Cat over to her, instead pushing her aside as he took Cat to her bed.

“I was trying to sleep, I had a late night and I haven’t fed lately. What’s wrong with Kitty? Nothing’s happened to Harry or Edana, has it?” she asked, her voice tightening as fear griped her heart.

“No, the children are fine. I think its just been too much for her.” Sirius whispered as he sat on the bed, still cradling Cat in his arms. “She was reading Snape’s letters, and then, for whatever reason she just got ones that I sent her years ago. I don’t even remember everything I wrote in them anymore.” he explained as he hugged Cat tightly, kissing her head as he tried to soothe her.

Tris stared at Sirius and Kitty, what was going on inside of her head. This wasn’t like her Kitty at all, sure she was emotional, but not to this extent, certainly never in front of witnesses. “Sirius, why won’t she stop crying? I’ve never seen her like this before, not even when Diedre……” Tris paused, licking her lips as she thought of another way to phrase it, the last thing she wanted to do was upset Kitty anymore than she already was. “I mean, its not like her to fall apart like this.”

“I know” he agreed, still rocking her softly in his arms. “Do you think you can help her Tris? I don’t know what to do except be here for her.”

“I think that is the best thing for her right now, besides, it doesn’t look like she intends on letting you go any time soon” Tris commented as she noticed the way Cat’s arms were wrapped around his neck. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just worried about her. It seems the stronger I get, the more fragile she becomes. You don’t think she’s doing anything, do you?”

Tris shook her head “You mean is she using her energy to heal you? No, not consciously at least, and certainly not enough that it would harm her.” she assured him. “I think your first assumption was right, I think she’s just been through too much over the last two and a half weeks. You, Harry and Cash were nearly killed, she lost her temper and slaughtered gads of people, her feelings are still so divided between you and Severus, and I know the clan isn’t helping on that particular issue.” she sighed.

“What do you mean, Tris? How aren’t they helping?” he asked, “and what are you doing?”

“I’m mixing up a little potion for her, don’t worry, its harmless to her….. ..and to anyone else who might be within her.” she added lowly as she saw the question in his eyes. “I’m still on the fence about that particular issue, but better safe than sorry. Here, see if you can get her to drink this.” she asked as she sat on the bed next to them, stroking Cat’s hair.

Tris watched intently as Sirius used gentle words and a soft tone, finally calming her down a bit. He kissed her forehead and eyes tenderly as he wiped at her tears, telling her over and over that he was there with her, and that he would never leave her. Tris bit her lip as she saw Kitty tense up the moment Sirius lifted the tumbler to her lips, but after a minute or two of a little more gentle coaxing, Kitty had finally taken a few sips of the potion. “She should fall asleep soon.” Tris whispered as she twirled Kitty’s curls around her fingers. “Are you alright? Shall I untangle you?”

“No. I told her I would stay with her, and I will.” Sirius replied softly yet firmly. “If she’s holding onto me like this, it has to be for a good reason. She’s not the sort to get hysterical over nothing, you know that as well as I do.”

“I know, I know….. What did you say she was doing when this happened?”

“She was reading letters, earlier the ones from Snape, they’re right over there. And down in the kitchen…… Tris, I swear they looked just like the letters I sent her right before my life fell apart. I ‘know’ I saw my own writing. Lia was with her, she would probably be the best person to ask.” he explained as he pulled Cat closer to him, kissing her tenderly as he heard her moan softly. “She almost out. Tris, do something for me? Check on Harry and the others, I left them with Remus. And then find out what Orpha thinks, Lia sent Amber to get her just as I got there.”

“Of course, Sirius.” Tris agreed, mildly shocked that he had thought of everyone but himself. He certainly wasn’t the man she had expected him to be, when she had first heard of him, right after Kitty’s return home, she had thought him to be spoilt, shallow and conceited. But the more she saw of him with Kitty and the children, the more she was realizing how mistaken her impression of him had been. “Sirius, I’d like to try something else, if you don’t mind?” she asked.

“Tris, she’s your clan, you don’t need to ask my permission. As long as it won’t hurt her…”

“No, it won’t cause her any harm or pain.” Tris replied, “But it might hurt you. I want to touch her mind, I need to see if there is anything I can do to help her through this. I cannot stand seeing her like this.”

Sirius looked from Tris to the now sleeping Cat, he smirked as he realize that even in her potion induced slumber, her arms were still holding onto him. Very gently, he leaned forward, causing her arms to loosen so he could sit up straight once again.

Cradling her as if she were Edana, Siri stood up “Tris, can you slip off her shoes? I want to put her to bed.” He waited until her shoes were off and Tris had pulled the covers down before laying her ever so gently in her bed. “Tris, how could touching her mind hurt me?”

“I had almost thought you hadn’t heard me.” Tris dead panned, only to knit her brow as she saw Sirius removing his boots. “What are you doing?”

“I told you, I am not going to leave her, not after what just happened. Things should never get so horrible that she has to be sedated, its just wrong. Besides, she’ll sleep better knowing I’m near her, she always does.” he added softly, stroking Cat’s cheek with the back of his fingers. “So, are you going to tell me, or shall I guess?”

Tris sighed, “You know she hides a lot of things from the world, don’t you? Her pain, her fear, her hurt…..when I touch her mind, I’ll feel all of that. I may well say or do something to you, hurt you emotionally or physically because of what I find.”

“You mean do to me what she should have.” he sighed. “I’m not trying to pretend nothing happened back then, Tris. I did a wretched, stupid, heartless thing to her. I will never forgive myself for hurting her like that, if I could go back in time and stop it from ever happening, believe me, I would in a heartbeat.” He felt his shoulders droop as he saw that Tris was unable to look him in his eyes. “Do whatever you have to, Tris, she’s my first concern. Whether you believe it or not, she has always been my first concern.”

“I do believe you,” Tris admitted, “but its so hard to relive all the pain you put her through. And even worse was the fact that through it all, she still loved you and was still protecting you. I wanted to hunt you down and slaughter you, Sirius Black, you were the first man she ever truly loved and you broke her heart….. Hell, you shattered it. But she refused to let me, actually put spells on me that kept me out of the mortal world for several months. Then, ……she disappeared…. It took me years to find her.”

“She ran away from you?” Sirius gasped.

“No, she ran away from us, from the clan. I don’t even know that Diedre had any idea where she was. Then suddenly she showed up in Australia, she was assisting Magnus with a diplomatic matter involving the aborigines there. From there she went to Brazil, then Monaco, then Japan, then the Himalayas, she kept running for years. Always under the guise of helping Magnus win over allies from other powerful clans, she was very successful too. They admired her for her bravery, loyalty, intelligence and needless to say, her beauty.”

“I’m not surprised, she the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.” Siri said softly as he watched Cat sleeping fitfully. “Tris, do it. I can’t stand to see her in so much pain, especially when I’m probably the root of it all.” he added in barely more than a whisper.

Nodding silently, Tris walked to the other side of the bed, gently placing Cat’s head on her lap. Brushing the stray hairs off of her forehead, Tris felt an overwhelming sense of grief and pain flowing out of Cat. Tris steeled herself, expecting to see the image of Sirius and that other girl along with all of Cat’s hurt, but this time it was different. The image wasn’t there anymore, replacing it was an image of Sirius cradling a baby that could only be Harry. She felt a tidal wave of pain, regret and grief wash over her as tears began pouring from her eyes. Tris could hear Sirius’s voice calling out her name, she could feel him wiping the tears from her face, but she was too deep inside of Cat’s mind to respond to him now.

Tris watched as several events played out simultaneously in Cat’s mind. Her first experience with Sirius; she and Lily in their Hogwarts uniforms casting powerful spells; dancing with Severus at the Yule Ball; a now, very pregnant Lily writing a letter; and an image of Maharet scowling at all the other images. As strange as all these little vignettes seemed, even stranger was the emotions that were now accompanying them. A sense of loss, of betrayal, of deep resentment and an even deeper love flowed along with the images.

Pulling her hands away, Tris blinked her eyes several times as she tried to clear away her tears, only to feel Sirius wiping her face with a handkerchief. Placing her hand over his, Tris looked into his eyes “Sirius, what was in those letters? Something has changed inside of her, she’s not the person I knew before. There is so much anger and resentment in her now. Something has happened to her.”

“I don’t remember exactly.” Sirius replied truthfully, “More than likely I was apologizing to her yet again, begging her to forgive me and come back. I may have written something about Lily and James in there, and I’m sure I would have mentioned Harry, but outside of that, I just don’t remember. After all, its been years since I wrote to her.”

“May I read the letters?” Tris asked, an edge of urgency to her voice. “I would ask Kitty, but she’s in no condition to reply. You wrote them, you give me permission….”

“Of course, anything you need.” Sirius responded immediately. He was shocked beyond words as Tris leaned over Cat and gave him a quick kiss.

“Keep her safe, Sirius Black. At this moment, I truly think you and Harry are the only things keeping her here with us. I don’t want to lose her again, not ever.” Tris stated as she crossed the room. She hesitated as she watched Sirius snuggle next to her “Sirius? You won’t take advantage of her, right? I know its been a while, and I know you miss her….”

“No, Tris. Never like this, not ever.” he insisted as he kissed Cat’s soft hair. “She’d be in more danger of that if she was awake and well. Right now the only thing on my mind is getting her well and finding out what happened to her, I promise you, she’s as safe with me as she would be with Duncan.”

Tris smiled tenderly at him, “I will keep you to your promise, Sirius Black, after all, she is ‘my’ little girl you know.” she whispered as she moved to leave.

“Wait, Tris, do me a favour?” Sirius cried out after her, seeing her pause at the doorway, he continued. “Tell Siobhan not to wake us up this time, and please tell her I made sure to take off my boots. And let Remus and Harry know I‘m not coming downstairs until she’s awake and I know she’s going to be alright.”

Tris nodded and smiled, then quietly closed the door behind her. It seemed she was quite wrong about Sirius, he did honestly care about Kitty, more so than any of them may have realized if some of the visions she saw in Kitty’s mind were accurate. But what about those other feelings, the ones of resentment and betrayal that were centred around Maharet. Why did the word ‘conspire’ keep popping up in her mind? Shaking her head, Tris quickly made her way to the kitchen to collect the letters, and with any luck, Orpha would be there as well, she needed to know about this, they needed to take precautions…….

‘To the wizarding world?!” Drew gasped, “but why Prince Daithi, what do they have to offer us?”

“Nothing, nothing at all” Daithi grinned evilly, “but they have a great deal to offer the Sidhe and ‘their’ kindred clans. That is a situation that can NEVER occur, do you understand me.”

“No, my Prince, I do not. But I am yours to command.” Drew replied truthfully, wincing as he felt Daithi’s eyes boring into him.

“Let me try to explain it to you, my dear Drew.” Elsabeth interceded. “The wizarding world has been a thorn in our sides for many, many centuries. We live very happily without their interference and we want to keep it that way. But the Sidhe are attempting a ‘reconciliation’ of sorts with their estranged children. The Rion of the MacLeods is at the heart of this, and she must be prevented from creating any blood bonds with the wizards.”

Seeing the questioning look in Drew’s eyes, Elsabeth continued her explanation. “Do you know anything about Clan MacLeod? They are not Kindred, not vampyres, but they have within them two powerful clans of ours. The Gangrel and the Caitiff. Normally these clans would be nothing to deal with, but, under the auspices of Clan MacLeod, they have grown both large and extraordinarily powerful. The oldest Gangrel of all, the Methuselah, Cash MacLeod is held in high esteem by both the Kindred Clans, and by the nigh immortal MacLeods. His power is already immense, he was born a Sidhe….yes, Drew, you did hear me correctly, a Sidhe, a most ancient and powerful race of humanoids.”

“And nearly as powerful as Cash, is his niece; the Rion, Cat MacLeod. She is also well respected and supported by various clans and sects within our own ranks. She accepts us openly, and ‘her’ Kindred enjoy the warmth and companionship of the mortal MacLeods. All in all, a most appealing situation.”

“Yes, it does sound nice,” Drew agreed, “but where is the harm in all of this, they sound tame enough.” he jumped noticeably as Daithi pounded his fist on the sturdy, oaken table, knocking over the delicate framework of the mandolin Drew had been making.

“Daithi, please” Elsabeth sighed. “the ‘harm’, my dearest Drew, is in the shift of power than would accompany any liaison she forges between herself and the wizards. As it is, the Rion is considered a very tempting icon for our kind; soft, warm, accepting of us……as long as we submit to the rules of her clan. Do you know how many of us have abandoned sire and clan to live as Caitiffs amongst hers? Far too many, and if she and her clan suddenly have the power and backing of a whole other world behind them, …..well, let us say the balance of power will be permanently skewered and THAT is not a good thing…..”

“THAT is unacceptable.” Daithi interrupted, “I will not allow this to happen, if there is to be any gaining of power, it will go to US, not them. MacLeod is NOT part of us and we are not part of them, I have known them for years, I have infiltrated them, seen how they think and how they work. Do you know this pathetic little Rion of theirs has actually won the hearts of many of the Nosferatu, including several Primogen? It is an affront to our species to have something as fragile and insubstantial as her ruling over us.”

Drew watched with interest as he saw Elsabeth wince, she knew Daithi wasn’t telling the whole truth and she was finding it hard to hold her tongue. But she was Toreador, refined, elegant and as politically savvy as they came. He knew she would tell him the truth, just as he knew she had her own agenda, more than likely one that was far different from Prince Daithi’s.

“What would you have me do, my prince? Shall I kill her? I will if you request me to, but I thought one of your hunters would be a better choice for something of that nature.” Drew stated, doing his best to be respectful and humble, while still attempting to get as much information as possible from the prince. Drew’s thoughts, however, were greatly disturbed as he felt an angry hand across his face.

“Brat, bastard child” his own Primogen scowled, “do you think to question the Prince’s orders? Do you think to advise him with your ‘vast’ wealth of knowledge? You will be silent and do as he says, or I will kill you myself.”

“That is enough, Lino.” Daithi said quietly before turning back to Drew. “I do NOT want her killed, that would be more trouble than she is worth. However there is one man in particular who has use of her, and who has sworn to keep her away from the rest of the wizarding world, and her own if necessary. You will assist this exiled wizard by bringing her to him.”

“As you wish, my prince, but how will I do this? Would the rion simply follow me?” Drew took a large step backwards as he saw Lino’s hand raised once more.

“Lino, I’ll do worse than strike you if you don’t stop it” Elsabeth promised as she glared angrily at the Ravnos Primogen. “You don’t like Drew, fine, we are all aware of that, we have all heard time and time again how he should be banished from the clan, forced to live as a Caitiff wanderer. But he is the only one who can do this. Daithi’s hunter has proven useless, he has fallen under the Cash’s spells, he is now more loyal to Clan MacLeod than he is to his Prince. Drew alone has the talent and the knowledge of the ancient wiccan magic to defend himself against such sorcery, and we know he can be trusted to carry out his orders. Just as he always has in the past.”

Drew cringed as he heard her words, yes, he had done things he was ashamed of, he had used his goddess given powers to propel his clan further up the political ladder. He had created instruments that, instead of bringing joy and peace, created destruction and death. It had torn his heart out, but he had done what was necessary, just as always. Although he found himself wishing more and more that he had stood up for what he believed in his heart, instead of falling in line like a mindless sheep.

He cast a side long glance at the back wall of the work shop, he had never had the will to finish those instruments after what he had seen them used for. They had been meant to be used as the Aboriginals used their didgeridoo, to awaken the spirits of the Earth, to beseech them to aide the ’children’ of the Earth in their quests, their ’dream time’ as the aborigines called it. But now they sat silently, propped against the shadowy wall of the shop, a large wooden crate of beeswax hidden somewhere near them, waiting to be heated and formed into a mouthpiece. But that day would never come, not as far as he was concerned, they had once again twisted his abilities to suit ’their’ goals, warping the beauty and majesty of both nature and music to fit their own selfish wants.

“How would you have me do this with the rion, my prince?” Drew asked, his heart feeling both numb and cold as he waited for the answer.

“Discreetly, of course” Daithi answered arrogantly “I’m sure you can get her to trust you long enough to lure her away from her clan. The wizard or one of his minions will contact you. I am told his agents are everywhere. They will arrange a convenient time and place for you to deliver her, just make sure when you take her, you disappear as well” Daithi warned, “Cash is not the most forgiving of creatures. Although I have the wizard’s word that she will be treated as gently as possible, so as long as she doesn’t fight him or try to escape, no harm will befall her.”

“Can you really trust him to keep that promise?” Elsabeth asked, the tone in her voice already betraying what she thought of the rion’s chances. “After all, he IS a wizard.” she added, sweetly.

“I think we can, after all, it is in his best interest to keep her alive.” Daithi responded, sounding a bit overly polite. “He can hardly hold her life over her clan’s head if he kills her, now can he? And he is just as interested in keeping her clan away from the wizarding world as we are. And of course the kindred will be well rewarded for our efforts.”

Lino now stepped in, grinning wickedly as he added, “The wizards have always treated us as outcasts, grouping us with beasts and ghouls, we shall teach them the price of their arrogance, it will be their own blood.”……………

“Orpha, what happened?” Tris asked as soon as she walked into the kitchen and saw Lia and Orpha pouring over the letters, both of them with tears in their eyes.

“Tris, have you seen Kitty?” Orpha asked softly, “Is Sirius still with her?”

“Yes, I left them up in her room, I had to give her a potion to calm her down. Orpha, she was literally hysterical, it was all Sirius and I could do…..”

“Read this” Orpha insisted, handing her a letter that was covered with blooming flowers, “Its from her sister Lily. I want you to read this right now.”

“Lily? That was one of the people in her mind..”

“You went inside of her mind?! Tris, WHAT were you thinking?” Lia gasped.

“I was thinking it was better than letting her suffer the way she has been. Sirius was absolutely right, she shouldn’t be so upset that we have to sedate her, not ever.” Tris countered, silencing any further arguments. “Besides, Sirius was there the entire time, in fact, he’s still there with her, I doubt he’ll let her out of his sight for the rest of the day.” looking back at Orpha, Tris felt a wave of fear pass through her when she saw the look in the woman’s eyes. “Orpha??”

“I was thinking it was better than letting her suffer the way she has been. Sirius was absolutely right, she shouldn’t be so upset that we have to sedate her, not ever.” Tris countered, silencing any further arguments. “Besides, Sirius was there the entire time, in fact, he’s still there with her, I doubt he’ll let her out of his sight for the rest of the day.” looking back at Orpha, Tris felt a wave of fear pass through her when she saw the look in the woman’s eyes. “Orpha??”

“Read-the-letter.” Orpha stated very clearly once more. “Dear Kitty, You may want to read the other letter first, as you may not understand this one unless you do….”

“No, skip to the bottom half,” Orpha sighed, “I think it may explain her reaction.”

. Please, please, sister, come back to us, even if only for a few hours. I need to see you so badly, there is so much I have just learned about. In case you still can’t make it through, I must tell you this; it was all a lie!!! Everything that Esmeralda did and said; they aren’t married, they aren’t even engaged, I don’t know how she faked the photos, I know she doesn’t have that sort of talent or power, but they were all fake, ALL of them Kitty.

I’m sure James will go into more detail in his letters, but he’s just told me of the way Sirius has been at work. He has a death wish Kitty, and I admit, two years ago I would have been more than willing to let him do what ever he pleased. But he’s Harry’s godfather now, he needs to be there for my son, and for you. Please, I beg you, if you have any feelings left for Sirius at all, find a way back to us, or at least open up a way for him. He’s been wasting away over you, I just found out that he had your engagement ring in his pocket during our wedding, he kept hoping you would show up.

“O, Goddess….Orpha, it was all a set up?” Tris whispered, “Sirius never actually did anything? He wanted to marry her even then? Did he know she was carrying his child?”

Shaking her head sadly, Orpha took Lily’s letter from Tris and handed her James’s “I don’t think he did, he strikes me as the sort of man who would have found a way to his child or died trying. And don’t forget, she kept that secret very well, even from us. Here, read this, this paragraph right here, its from Lily’s husband.”

. I know you may not believe this, Kitty, but take it from your ‘other’ brother. Sirius STILL loves you, he always has and I swear to you he always will. He even asked me for my permission to propose to you if you showed up at our wedding. I told him yes, provided it was done either before Lily came in, or after we left as husband and wife, (I also told him if he got to you before, Lily wouldn’t mind a double wedding, after all, that was the original plan - wasn’t it?). It broke his heart almost as much as it did Lily’s that you couldn’t make it through. Every time someone came into the reception he head would practically spin like an owls to see if it was you……

Tris’s hands were now shaking, “Who did this to her? Who orchestrated all this pain and suffering? And more to the point, why?”

“I have several theories regarding the who, and the why’s are too numerous to even go into.” Orpha sighed, passing the letters to Lia so she could see exactly what they were talking about.

“Orpha, I was told it was Sirius’s letter that she was reading when she broke down. May I see that one?”

“Which one?” Orpha smirked.

“Orpha, I am NOT in the mood for games, let me see the letter.” Tris insisted, becoming more and more furious as Orpha sat there with a Buddha-like smile on her face.

“As I said, Tristessa, which one, there are several of them here, all saying the same things in a dozen different ways. I’m sorry, please forgive me, I love you, I want to spend my life with you“………

“So, Elsabeth, I noticed you’ve staid behind” Drew said softly as he brushed a lock of hair from her shoulder. “I trust you have something to add to this strange affair.”

“Yes, of course” she smiled, “I want you to know you have no choice, you MUST go to the wizarding school, but from that point on you have EVER choice in the world. The school is situated in the Highlands of Scotland, far from Daithi’s reach, and as you have heard, the hunter’s ability to spy is controlled by the Nosferatu, and they will not see her harmed.” she warned.

“So….” Drew encouraged.

“So, you must win them over, all of them, the Rion, the Methuselah, the Nosferatu, all of them.” Elsabeth insisted. “You cannot go to them as a spy or as a traitor, Cash and Mohrg will sense it the moment they touch you. Besides, with the hunter as the only link to the school, and the Nosferatu controlling what our Prince knows of him.” she shrugged her shoulders “Daithi has no idea how much the Nosferatu have been keeping from him.”

“Really” Drew grinned, “then tell me, my little song bird, how did you find this all out?”

“The Nosferatu deal in knowledge and secrets. Aeranna needed to know what they knew, and she knows many secrets about the Rion, they were more than happy to reach an agreement with me.” she smiled. “Which is also why I can tell you that if you do as ‘I’ say, you will have the backing of not only the Toreador, but of the Nosferatu as well.”

“And what of Prince Daithi?”

“Daithi is a fool! He thinks this fallen wizard, Voldemort, will do anything but turn on us. He forgets the Rion’s infant son defeated this creature not so very long ago, left him without strength, without even a body of his own.” Elsabeth hissed.

“Why do you refer to this fallen wizard as a creature?” he asked, narrowing his eyes as he saw the look of disgust and horror on her face.

“Because he is more soulless than any kindred I have ever met. The only reason he wants the Rion alive is because if she dies without an heir, a daughter; the Sidhe magic dies with her. And their magic is the only thing keeping him alive, barely alive, but alive none the less. My old friend, Aeranna, tells me that he plans to keep her prisoner, forcing her to bear children until a daughter is born. He will kill any sons, including the one she is raising now, stealing his body to use as his own. And when her daughter is old enough, he will kill the rion, raising her heir to do his bidding. The world as we know it will end. He will take all the power for himself and destroy us all.

“But what of Daithi and Lino? Surely they are not so blind as to…..”

“They are idiots- the both of them” she hissed, “Lino won’t live long enough to realize his mistakes. And as for Daithi, he should have enough sense to understand that the Rion isn’t so easily fooled. Look, they knew Cobryn was sent to spy on them, even though Cobryn himself did not. The Nosferatu Primogen found away around this, working magic upon him, to make his eyes, their eyes. And they liked what they saw. One of their own is among her ‘little family’ his name is Mohrg, one of the oldest of their clan. He is accepted by her, his hand is held as if he were as mortal as any of the students she teaches. She dances with him, talks with him about all matters, even ones that should never be mentioned,” she grinned. “They will NOT lose her, she is beyond precious to them. Aeranna will speak to her own sister, Coco, who is among Clan MacLeod’s Caitiffs.”

“But what if something goes wrong, what if they think I am there to hurt her?” Drew asked, the worry evident in his voice and in his eyes.

“Don’t mask your mind, Drew, to them, hidden means danger. Go to her openly, or better yet, go to Cash.” she explained. “Don’t concern yourself with Daithi, there are several other Primogen who would like nothing better than to steal the life and the blood of the Prince, and I am loathe to stop them. There is one in particular who has a great deal of support, including the support of Daedelus the Nosferatu, Mohrg’s clan brother. He may want to kill you as an act of faith to the Rion, but if you have Cash’s protection, she will refuse to see you harmed.”

“I know this sounds foolhardy, Drew, but as soon as you arrive at that school, you must seek out Cash. Not the rion, not her son, go directly to Cash, tell him why Daithi sent you. Show him your soul if necessary…”

“My soul!” Drew gasped, ‘but how is that supposed to…..” her fell silent as Elsabeth pressed her fingers to his lips.