2006, 26th January

Reykjavik, Iceland

Lucia felt her knees brush uncomfortably against the seat in front of her for what felt like the hundredth time, before tucking her legs backward.

The older man seated beside her chuckled.

“Never travelled economy before, have you?”

Lucia merely sighed, looking around.

At least she was beside a window; she reflected that it could, indeed, always be worse.

“You’ll get used to it. Soon.”

Lucia silently settled back into her own seat, flipping through the pages of the diary the matriarch had given her.

The rituals involved poison, of varying effects, apparently able to debilitate vampires and humans alike, that she would not naturally be able to produce, transmitted through her bite with the sorcery affecting her.

It could even be transmitted through the bite of a favoured pet, which Lucia suspected was the reason she had been gifted that supernatural metal serpent that she had stowed into the luggage for now.

The ritual involved whipping herself up into a frenzy of rage; she was not entirely sure why that should be a requirement, although perhaps it had something to do with the hormonal composition of her blood at the time of the ritual.

If that was indeed the case, she imagined she could artificially reproduce the effects of the ritual in other ways, but more research would be required before she could tell for certain.

“Fun read?” Lucien’s voice broke her concentration, and she put the text away for the time being, as the flight began to take off.

“Seems useful.”

They sat in silence for a time, even as they were in the sky, each unsure of what to speak to the other about.

“So. You’re not… like me? A pureblood?”

“No, Lucia. I was originally human before I was turned.”

She did not quite like the way that was phrased, but glossed over it for now.

“I haven’t felt any different. Hilda told me I wouldn’t care for people around me; the prey, as she liked to put it.”

“This Hilda. Friend of yours?”

“No. We disagreed. It ended badly.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t feel any different. But perhaps I wouldn't know what I should normally feel.”

At this, Lucien’s face brightened.

“Or perhaps this is your mother’s influence. You have been taught empathy and respect for life since the very beginning. And being who you are, you learn faster than most, and remember better.”

“So the only reason I’m not a ravening beast is because I was taught against my nature, is it?”

Lucien fell into a contemplative silence, before answering.

“They say that children are cruel. That they have to learn respect, that empathy comes with age. Perhaps everyone is the same, and you’re not quite as different as you believe. And perhaps there is something of value to be learned from empathy as well, even for someone in your position.”

“And what would that be?”

“It might help you understand them better. Where does a man that’s lost everything turn to as his first refuge? What does a woman first leap to protect when she perceives a threat? When a person is being hunted, in their exhaustion and desperation, where would they turn? Who would they turn to? All that, empathy can tell you.”

Lucien paused for a bit before speaking again.

“You could use this information as you wish. I would hope you use it for the right reasons. Although… if you wanted to discard your empathy, I could hardly blame you for that either.”

“Right. Because it’s that easy.”

Lucien’s brow clouded.

“It was easy enough for my son.”

Lucia sensed an opportunity, and let the words hang in the air for brief moments before she took it.

“Tell me about him. How did he do it? And why did he do it?”

“Lionel was.. reclusive, even as a child. When the time came for his transformation to be complete, he grew even more isolated. Apart. I saw that, and I planted an idea in his head. I told him how he was responsible for carrying the family name, our legacy, forward. I told him he had to have an heir.”

Lucia narrowed her eyes.

“Is this-”

“No, no. He met your mother later. Much later. Though I suspect his motivations were largely the same. But this was… centuries earlier. He met a woman. And he had a daughter.”

Lucien leaned back into his seat.

“Her name was Anais. She was a beautiful, innocent creature, even allowing for the fact that she was not strictly human. I loved her. And I think- I think, Lionel allowed himself that small vulnerability. I think he allowed himself to love her too.”

Lucien sighed, digging up old wounds from centuries past that had never entirely healed.

“Lionel had chosen his home too far from civilization. I had cautioned him against that, but he wasn’t inclined to listen. Bands of lawless men roamed those areas, but Lionel was too confident in his powers, perhaps justifiably so. But Anais was always a free spirit, not to be confined, venturing far beyond what was wise. And one day, it proved to be a fatal error. We barely found enough of her left to bury.”

When Lucia did not reply in the silence that ensued, the old man continued to finish his tale.

“I admit; I was angry. I said things to Lionel I shouldn’t have. I blamed him for it all. I made a mistake.”

“And him? Was he angry?”

“No. No, he was not. I think- I think that was when Lionel decided to purge all his perceived weaknesses. After that, I don’t think he felt anything at all. Then he hunted them down; those lawless men. How, I do not know. Perhaps he only slaked his bloodlust on innocents, pretending it was justice. After the natural death of Anais’ mother, I believe he stopped pretending altogether. I… I tried to reach out, to apologise. But I couldn’t repair what was broken that day.”

Lucien turned to his granddaughter, expecting to see- He did not know what he expected to see, but what he saw in Lucia’s eyes-

Her eyes were cold, devoid of emotion, yet hanging on eagerly to his every word.

It sent a chill down even his spine.

“Thank you for the story. Grandfather.”

Lucien realised what she had really been searching for- her father’s every vulnerability.

At this instant, her visage resembled Lionel’s own.

“You really hate him, don’t you?” He said.

She turned to him, expression tinged with the mildest hint of puzzlement.

“Hate him? It’s like you said. For him, I don’t feel anything at all.”

“And why tell me about this?”

“Because you won’t try to stop me.”

“You’re that sure?”

“Yes. I am.”

They sat in silence till midnight, when the flight touched down on french soil once more.

When they disembarked, Lucien seemed to stew on something, before finally speaking his mind.

“Lucia… will you come to my home with me? Just once?”

Lucia seemed to consider the question, before replying.

“Very well.”

Throughout the journey back home, she remained quiet and distant, reminding him increasingly of Lionel.

When they had finally reached his apartment, they unpacked, and she slipped the silver serpent back onto her wrist while Lucien watched, fascinated.

“In all my years, I have never been able to figure out how the blood sorcerers work their tricks.”

“Where else did you see the blood sorcerers?”

“There are a number of them throughout Europe, although I don’t know how well they share their secrets.”

“And you have been close to them to see their work before?”

“You’re looking for more secrets, more weapons to add to your arsenal? I cannot help as far as blood magic goes, I have little knowledge of it. But I can help you hone your other talents that your blood naturally provides you.”

“So we start now?”

“Why are you so hasty? You literally have eternity to look forward to.”

“So does Lionel. And how many people will continue to disappear to feed his empire while he remains as he is?”

“Is that what this is about?”

“You know, I killed my roommate the night I was turned. James told me no one was looking for me, that it would just be assumed I had eloped or something. How many people vanish this way? How many slaves does he keep in his pens?”

“Lucia… My son has been unchallenged for a very long time. You have not nearly seen what he is capable of. He has had many challengers in his centuries of existence.”

“Then I will be better than them all.”

The old man sighed, but Lucia knew he would cave.

She could sense the desperation for ties to whatever family he had left to him, and if helping Lucia enabled him to stay close for a time, then so be it.

She knew it was manipulative, but she was firm in her conviction.

Lionel needed to be removed from the world; she would see to it with her own fangs.