The devil's child

Honestly he had no idea what he was doing. Or why he was doing it. All he knew, was that he found himself walking the same path as he had done a few days earlier. Only now, he was alone. No Commander to protect him. There was something about the mountain, and the people that lived there, that was pulling him with such force that it was impossible to ignore. Of course he was scared. The Warrior was scary and he realised she probably knew a couple of ways to take him out if she wanted to. Nonetheless, he had told Lexa that he would be going back. Alone. He had questions, and there was only one person he could address them to.

The disturbing part was that he knew he couldn’t hear her coming. She had no heartbeat, no breathing. And he doubted that she would be stupid enough to give away her presence by taking a wrong step. So he only hoped she would give him a fair chance. If not, then he would be in trouble. Then again, when was he not? This time, he was prepared. His vampire senses were actively trying to pick up whatever. Now Lexa wasn’t here, he didn’t have to hold back because her heartbeat would be distracting. It was only because of that, that he heard a sound somewhere behind him. Instinctively, he leapt forward, ran for about three meters and then turned around. Perfectly still he focused vivid blue eyes on the Warrior. After that, he slightly bowed, only looking down for a second before looking back up. That one second could be enough for her to end it. But he hoped.. That she would hear him out first.

The quick whisper, mixed with the fact that she was speaking with a heavy accent, made him miss whatever she was saying. But he felt like it wasn’t directed at him anyway, even though she fixed him with the same gaze as earlier in the Temple. She seemed to pull him apart, inspecting every single piece of his being, to judge it and tear it down if needed. Not for one second he thought he was safe around her. If death had a face, it would be hers.

“State your business, cursed one,” She demanded, again with that accent he couldn’t quite place. Mort had thought this through on his way here. He knew that he would have to be careful with his choice of words. If he said something that displeased her, it would be -cue funeral march-. ”I came here for you to find me”, He said. Not the other way around, no. He would have never found her, not even if he had spent eternity here. ”I want to learn”, He continued. There it was. The goal of his little visit. If she said no, he would of course accept. And hope she would let him walk away again.

Two minutes had passed and he was still alive. A bloody miracle. The Warrior was frightening, her presence alone made him feel uncomfortable. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt ever before. It was new and therefore, strangely, exciting. There was something about her that made him want to spend time with her. Soak in whatever she wanted to tell him. Just as he had spent his days with Edmund. The elder vampire seemed to possess the same aura of wisdom around him and in that way, it made him brave enough to actually ask the following question.

”I wish to know whatever the Commander couldn’t teach me”, He replied. He inhaled the fresh mountain air for a second, before slowly letting it go again. ”I want to understand. All of it”, He continued. Why he was so hellbent on it, was a mystery to him as well. He just found himself wondering constantly. There was more to it than Lexa had told him. And his curiosity had gotten the best of him.

All the information Lexa had given him, perfectly fit together. In the eyes of a human, that was. For a vampire, there were certain things that were.. Off. She kept calling him the cursed one, yet they were of the same kind. Or did she live in a world where her condition was justified? The Children of Vanaheim hated vampires, yet their Guardians were exactly that. He also suspected the Mother was one too. It was all guesswork, but he kind of wanted to believe Ceres had sired these Guardians, the five of the Original Command.

“You want to learn about our people, boy?” The Warrior asked, sounding angry and impatient. Centuries of knowledge. Mort carefully weighed his options again. He decided to start of very simple. ”Who are you?” He asked her, bright blue eyes looking at her as if the answer was written on her face. Ready to hear her story. Or whatever she was willing to tell him.

Not a single move she made went by unnoticed. Of course he knew that if she really wanted to, this all could be over very soon. His sire had been very persistent about it. Never mess with vampires. Not even if you were one yourself. And yet, he couldn’t just turn around and leave. He was under some kind of spell, enchanted by her mere existence. He wanted to know everything, but he also knew she would consider this as a little game to play. If she was centuries old, as she had hinted at, she could possibly just take this as a fun way to pass her time instead of a serious conversation.

Because he was young, compared to her. Just over four years old. He had zero experience. Nothing to impress her with. If she answered his questions, it was not because he made her to. It was because she wanted to. She introduced herself as Minerva, Bringer of War, Commander of Death. Mort nodded at her words. The next question could be considered quite simple as well. ”The Commander called you a Guardian of Vanaheim. What does that mean?” He asked. It was pretty self explanatory. But he wanted to hear her take on it as well.

Every nerve in his body wanted to take a step back every time she took one forward. Keep her at a safer distance. Yet, he didn’t. He knew she could see the fear in his eyes. He had never been good at hiding it anyway, so he had actually given that up a long time ago. But there was also a glimpse of determination. He wanted to figure this out, understand it better. Have this conversation, even if it would cost him his eternal life in the end.

”Five of you. Centuries old. No heartbeat, no breathing”, He summed up the things he knew after she was done talking. He could sense she was getting impatient. It made him change his tactics. Getting to the point of his visit more quickly, even if it meant cutting some corners. If it would backfire, was still a mystery. One he would find the answer to with his following words. "Explain it to me."

From the moment he had noticed how she was not breathing, he had known. She was a vampire, even if she considered herself to be of a different type than him. He was cursed, she was blessed. Her words. What made her think that they were any different, was a question for later. There was something else he wanted to know. He wanted to know who had sired her. It wasn’t hard to figure out, but he wanted to hear it come from her. Just to be sure. Her words were cryptic, again, but he dared to conclude that she was indeed turned by Ceres. Meaning the Mother had been a vampire herself.

After the Warrior had left, back in the Temple, Lexa had told him how Her body had disappeared a few hours after her death. Disappeared. It was one of those loose ends that had made him wonder. His sire had told him about how vampires could still die. When they didn’t drink often enough, their body would shut down. Appearing dead to the ignorant. As a vampire, he knew better. ”The one that.. Blessed you, the Mother”, He started off. He tilted his head slightly to the left. ”She is still out there, isn’t she? Waiting. Until one of you wakes her up from eternal sleep”, He asked. Now she knew, the reason why he had come here. The one question he wanted an answer to.