Four

The two vampires let Mercy, Sam and Grifel into their home with little trouble or fuss. They had a choice but one look at Mercy told them all that they needed to know, she was an old vampire, her eyes showed many memories and years gone by. Their home seemed simply decorated like they expected to leave at any moment. They had reason to be cautious, they’d stayed in this location far longer than they had in any other place, and it was because they were tired of running. It seemed easier to give up and stay put rather than continue an ongoing run across the world they’d been banished to.

‘So you’re here, you surrounded us, going to tell us why?’ asked the older male vampire.

‘We hardly surrounded you’ said Mercy.

‘Well you did come unannounced, in the dead of night, without answers or questions, what did you expect?’ questioned the female vampire.

‘I expected you to listen without question’ replied Mercy.

Grifel made to step forward to stop what he sensed was about to become a fully grown argument, which between vampires was never a good thing but instead it was the female that answered.

‘I apologize, I am not myself, your sudden appearance frightened me, though you have not changed much Mercy’ she said.

‘You know me’ said Mercy, ‘and I must know you for you are vaguely familiar’ replied Mercy.

‘What did you come for?’ asked the man.

‘Your stories’ replied Mercy.

‘And then?’ he questioned.

‘Then we will see’ she replied.

‘You don’t give a lot of answers’ said the man.

‘She has no reason to’ said the woman, ‘I shall tell you my story for I think I know what you seek’ she said.

Mercy nodded and sat down on a stool that was close to Grifel but far closer to Sam. Whether it was intentional or not, Sam didn’t comment but he did move his chair slightly away from her.

‘My name is Margret and you’re right Mercy you do know me, I was the librarian in the royal library. It was eventually my downfall; it was my job to know all the history of our world, all the royal families that had taken the thrown before your brother had. However there lay the problem for Thayer knew that I knew everything and could only see me as a threat. He didn’t want someone hanging around who knew the truth, someone who had the answer to the secrets he kept. He didn’t want you knowing everything, I was a threat to you finding out the truth and that was something Thayer couldn’t risk. He needed you under his control, he needed to control you because although you are his sister you are also his biggest risk’ she said.

‘Why is she his biggest risk?’ asked Sam, his brow furrowed.

‘She can overthrow him, she is the last remaining royal. She may be his sister but that wouldn’t stop him from killing her as soon as he felt threatened but you already knew that didn’t you’ she said knowingly looking at Mercy.

‘I knew my brother’s intent and am now working against it’ replied Mercy.

‘Will you tell us now?’ questioned the male vampire.

‘Until you spill your own story, no word of what is to come will leave my mouth’ replied Mercy.

The male vampire sighed, it was obvious that he was being difficult and Mercy had no time for those who wanted to be difficult, if push came to shove, she could end him without a second thought.

‘Tell her’ said Margret.

‘Fine but I reserve my judgment till the end’ he said bitterly.

‘I go by the name of Laurence; it was the name I was gifted with. In our world I was looked upon with high regard, I commanded the army, I was the High Guard. Although throughout the years of reign under your parents, there was not much need for an army, we amused ourselves by tending to other matters such as protecting the city. It was a time of peace, everything was in perfect balance. Then of course your brother came into power, if ever there were a bad seed it was Thayer. Such a man as he should never be given a position of power but there were none that could oppose him and you were too young to realize anything was amiss’.

‘Thayer had ideas and plans for a new regime; he was quickly changing the way things were done. He wanted a newer army, one that would follow his lead and not try to overthrow him. The things he wanted us to do, you cannot imagine, those who refused were quickly dealt with. He wanted me to become the Captain of his new army and lead them to victory from whatever war he sent us to but I refused. Had that been my only crime I might have been left unharmed but I couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie and I conspired to take away the one thing he seemed to hold in regard. I tried to take you away from your brother; there was a band of us that believed that if we could get you away from his influence that we might stand a chance. If we could raise you away from him then there might be a chance that the madness would end’.

‘As you can imagine Thayer didn’t take too kindly to our plan, how he got wind of it I shall never know but half the party was dead before I could even blind my eyes. To this day I do not know why I did not die with the others, I suspect it was another twisted idea that your brother had to let me live with the guilt of all those deaths. To the human world he banished me and I wondered for years always looking over my shoulder till I met Margret who convinced me that running would do me no good. She was right, what will be, will be regardless of what you wish to happen’ he said.

Mercy took a moment to think through what she had been told, she vaguely remembered a day when a group of men had stormed the castle and Laurence was right, she hadn’t understood what had been happening but she had understood her brothers anger and violence and she had shrunk away from it immediately. It had been the start of her submission towards him. It was intriguing to meet these seemingly average vampires, average names, average professions; it played out almost like a storyline that had no ending.

‘You may not have succeeded in separating me from my brother but my intent is still the same, I plan to overthrow my brother’ said Mercy.

‘And how do you plan to do that?’ said Laurence sarcastically.

Mercy glared at him, her eyes turning red, ‘Will your help’ she replied sweetly.

‘Your voice betrays what your eyes do not possess, there is nothing sweet about you’ said Laurence.

‘Did you ever expect there to be’ said Grifel.

‘I don’t know what I expected’ replied Laurence.

‘The choice is simple, yes you fight, no we leave’ said Mercy.

‘What and you won’t kill us if we chose not to fight’ said Laurence bitterly.

‘Your anger bears no place here Laurence, what you have suffered has been suffered by many. If Mercy kills you, it will not be for your decision not to fight but for your runaway mouth. It would be wise to think of who you are dealing with before you let your mouth run away from you’ said Grifel coldly.

‘You are just like your brother’ spat Laurence.

In a split second Mercy had Laurence up against the wall her hand pressing into his neck.

‘I was raised by a psychopath, what did you expect that I would be young, innocent and smelling of roses. You know nothing about me or the world you left behind. You’ve been stuck here with your humanity turned on burying yourself in a world of guilt and grief. I would rather be like my brother than to have become what you are, you are no worse than a human. I remember the day you stormed the castle, it was the first day my brother was violent towards me, we all share scars of the pass, do not make the mistake of knowing mine, it may well be the last thing you do’ she said.

Then she was gone, away in the night. Running away as usual, it was what she was good at, after all.

Grifel took one look at Laurence and hurled him off his feet, carrying him from the house no doubt to have serious words with him. Mercy may be the evil within the world but Grifel had come to care for her as a family member would, if she would not protect herself, he would do it for her.

Margret took one look at Sam and knew, and then she followed Mercy into the night.

‘Mercy, Mercy’ cried Margret knowing she would be heard.

Mercy stepped from the shadows, ‘You’re good, and you do not fear me like many do. You do not call me by my title, you may come to regret that’ she said.

‘I see through you’ said Margret confidently.

‘You see through me? Ha! You see nothing’ said Mercy.

‘I see more than you think. Why did you change Sam’ she asked.

‘He was there at the right time’ replied Mercy.

‘You stalked him for weeks; the game is your brother’s doing not your own’.

‘You are mistaken if you think there is any good in me’ said Mercy.

‘I believe there is some good in you even if it is buried deep down within you. One day you will do as your namesake suggests and show Sam some Mercy’ said Margret.

‘You are wrong’ said Mercy.

‘You don’t remember your parents al all do you’ said Margret sadly.

Mercy said nothing.

‘It is a shame’ said Margret.

‘Not going to scold me for disappointing them’ said Mercy sarcastically.

Margret looked at her seriously, ‘you feel you’ve disappointed them? Then you do have some humanity somewhere. I remember the little girl who was so happy and full of life before tragedy struck, what happened to her? She should make a return appearance’.

‘She died when my parents did, and why did you follow me?’ asked Mercy.

‘I made a promise to your Mother that I would look out for you’ she replied.

‘Well you’ve done a shit job so far’ said Mercy bitterly while walking away. She heard Margret sigh but chose to ignore it.

‘I cannot speak for Laurence but I will join your cause’ said Margret.

‘Had a change of heart, you were not so willing before’ said Mercy.

‘You never gave me a reason to be willing but I was always going to assist you’ said Margret.

‘Alright but your following me has given me no reason to trust you. You tell no one of my past, especially Sam. I do not need you ruining my plans’ said Mercy.

Margret looked disappointed in Mercy’s request but agreed nonetheless. Even she recognized that she’d pushed Mercy too far, she had been wrong to assume she could bring out Mercy’s humanity, she had been living without it for far too long. It would take something drastic to uncover it.

The group converged back at the house and for a tense few moments no one spoke. Mercy was still feeling angry at her conversation with Margret and didn’t know whether Laurence would agree to join her cause. It didn’t matter too much but having the old High Guard on her side would be a great asset. Mercy could also feel the growing bond forming between Grifel and Sam. It was a bond she was thankful for, the constant glares and moans from Sam had been starting to irritate her. She couldn’t understand how he couldn’t be grateful, he was after all alive.

‘So what is the next step of the plan?’ asked Margret.

Laurence whipped his head round so fast he would have surely been injured had he been human, ‘what?! You’re actually agreeing to this?!’ he asked outraged.

‘Yes and so are you, stop being so bitter, it’s been one hundred years in this world and I’m sick of it’ said Margret. Mercy was interested that they’d been here that long, they must have been some of the first to be banished (100years = 25years in Mercy’s world). Laurence glared but said nothing more, it was clear to Mercy who was in charge with the two of them.

Mercy smiled her signature smirk, ‘we go to Europe’ she said.

‘How do we travel?’ asked Grifel.

‘A combination of running and human transport, nothing we do can be predicable. Predictability can lead to sloppy mistakes and I will not let anyone screw this up. Do I make myself clear?!’

The others nodded – except for Sam – they all understood that this was strictly business and if a mistake was made, Mercy wouldn’t hesitate to dispose of you. They were slowly learning what sort of person Mercy was…

AN: Many thanks to the 26 people who have read Mercy so far - means a lot.