Blood Oaths - Part One

An anomalous thud echoed through the room reaching the bedroom, attracting the attention of Alexandria who, taken aback, jumped out of the sheets with a sprint that was anything but graceful.

Her feet touched the parquet before she could actually understand that movement and, feeling the heart pounding in the chest like a locomotive, she found herself lost in front of the unexpected rise of adrenaline. It never happened to be taken by surprise in that way, after all the times of escapes and struggles seemed to be a distant memory, fragments of a life that did not belong to her for long and, consequently, her senses had stopped being responsive as in the past. Thank goodness though, where her human body slowed down, the Chimera arrived - so, in less than a few seconds, the legs carried her straight into the living room, where, armed with the most ferocious self and ready to battle anyone had entered the house, allowed herself a guttural growl.

Like any beast, even the young girl did not like the idea that someone could invade her spaces without first asking for permission and for this, when she crossed the threshold of the room, she felt the almost suffocating desire to defend her territories; pity that there was no attacker waiting for her - or at least, not declared.

With the arms full of colorful shopping bags and between his teeth a bar sachet, Levi stopped near the dining table, blinking over and over again in a gesture of total surprise - he must not have expected to be discovered so soon.

The ferocity with which Wolf's instinct had manifested itself in Alexandria vanished quickly, giving way to a sort of exasperation.

In the slumber of sleep she must have completely forgotten him and his overnight stay there, yet, she reproached herself, she should have understood that it was the brother by the slight noise of his steps, a kind of shuffle similar to the advance of the pythons, yet it did not happen: why?

Nakhaš's walk had always been the most singular among family members, but despite this she had managed to confuse it with that of an ordinary human. Was it too long since she last paid attention to it and so ended up forgetting it? Or that he no longer knew how to move with such dexterity? Z'év didn't know what to say - and didn't like it at all.

She hated to notice how time, suddenly, had begun to flow even for them, as they had suddenly returned to being fragile in the presence of a few cloch's hands: they had been eternal for so long, getting used to normality was an all too exhausting process.

Sighing in one last attempt to free herself from the agitation that had caught her, Alex moved towards the brother still inundated with the purchases. Sensing the watering in the mouth, she took from his teeth what was to be his last attempt to persuade her to accept the request made only the night before.

After all, she was sure, he had to be convinced that with a warm croissant one could get any yes - and in the past, with her, it really had been so.

As soon as the jaws of Nakhaš were free he gave her a tender smile, an almost whispered thank you that she pretended not to hear and that preceded the stacking of the bags on the chairs. The sister observed his gestures with nostalgia and curiosity, putting together the pieces of the extravagant story that had accompanied their return home. From what he had summarily mentioned, turning between one street and the other of the town, Levi had left Prague with a large backpack and some spare documents, but in the end he had arrived in Italy with only his wallet and the clothes that he hadn't changed in two days; in the meantime there had been a small squabble with one of the many followers of the Cultus who, even without the head of the Chimera, had managed to take away his underwear, a used toothbrush and a couple of shirts taken in some corner shop during the way.

It was undeniable to say that the attacker had returned from the confreres with empty hands, especially given that those sundries would have been of little use to achieve any purpose: alchemy was a strange art, they should have known. Objects were of little use without a body or soul to attach themselves to.

Alexandria then closed her eyes. Except for some dramatic events, many of which had been more of a nuisance to be honest, the encounters and clashes with the adepts of that group of fools had been mostly tragicomic adventures, and the anecdote of Nakhaš did not seem to be outdone.

No matter how hard they tried, those guys still hadn't managed to do any good - apart from killing Solomon, even if in that case their success had proved to be the greatest of failures: without the King, no one would have discovered the secrets of his Ars.

The Countess turned, heading for the kitchen with the clear intention of preparing breakfast for both of them. Although without the ɛvɛn the flavors were only a vague sensation on the tongue, she did not want to give up that rare moment of company; she had no idea when, and if, such a circumstance would repeat itself, so she left the guest to bring out the string of clothes he had bought during that morning outing.

"Would you like a coffee?" she asked him once arrived in front of the sideboard and before giving him a fleeting glance over the shoulder, to make sure he had heard her. In making that so innocent movement, under the thick fabric of the sweatshirt, Z'év felt the muscles of the trapezius pull, reminding her that the sprint taken shortly before would not have forgiven her. That body now ached often, with each a little more unusual twist small pangs reminded her of the inclement passage of time, but she tried not to give it any weight: after all, if she hadn't started to fall apart yet, there wasn't nothing to worry about, right?

Levi did not reply, too busy looking at his purchases, and she did not bother to ask him again. Placing the croissants still warm on the kitchen windowsill, she began to take out mocha, cups and ground coffee to then assemble everything wisely. She unscrewed the scrap metal, then filled the bottom with water. She added a piece and then the coffee, but before she could turn on the stove a voice that was too close made her jump, blocking her heart in the throat.

"Would you like to give me an answer?"

Bumping into one of the many doors of the furniture, and moaning softly for the blow, Alex squeezed her hands tightly on the coffee maker, so as to avoid losing the grip and making a mess by overturning everything.

Once again her brother had taken her by surprise, but what most shocked her was the confused expression that appear on his face immediately afterwards. His pupils, already narrow in themselves, became even thinner and the vaguely violet lips barely parted.

She had felt pain and he had noticed it.

It was a pity that the Chimeras did not feel bad for such a small blow; to hurt them needed more. Physical suffering was a rare sensation, few things could really make them feel it. Solomon's mark, alchemy, silver, and serious injuries - everything else was felt like a pinch: sometimes it was annoying, sometimes less. Yet, that whimper had seemed to both of them much more human than it should have been.

Levi reached out, but before he could touch her, Z'év stepped aside: "It's nothing, it came to me instinctively."

"You shouldn't have them anymore, I mean, certain instincts" he pointed out, and she found herself forced to turn her back on him again. Her brother was in no way to find out how weak her flesh was becoming, his was the pity she least desired.

"Habit, akh. I remind you that we have been pretending to be human since the dawn of time" she cut short, getting back to making coffee. Lying, remedying and pretending that there was nothing different from the usual was the only alternative left to live that life with dignity - Nakhaš should not prevent her from having at least that.

"So," Levi seemed to believe her, or perhaps he realized that insisting was useless, so he returned to the attack: "are you coming with me?"

During the few hours of sleep she managed to have, the Countess Varàdi found herself dreaming - and therefore reliving - the tragedy that had occurred twenty-six years earlier. She had gone through the same nightmare that had obsessed her for too long, but unlike every other time, that night, on the neck of her Lord she had seen the plate that the brother had given her and to mark the time there had been his voice.

He's alive.

Solomon is still here.

Come with me.

Those words had taken the connotation of a mantra and now, thinking about it, Alexandria could feel them a little more real. What if there really was a chance? If somehow their King had really managed to survive?

But why hadn't he looked for them?

She bit her lip. She had no answer to cling to, let alone that whole situation seemed to make sense - yet, just because there was no logic she could understand, there could be a fund of truth.

Solomon had always had a far-sighted vision of the future, probably given by the centuries of life, but over the years his mind had also become an insurmountable labyrinth of notions, thoughts and memories at times confused, as for all of them; at each transmutation, as well as after any change of body, both the Chimeras and the King had had to say goodbye to small pieces of memory, finding themselves sometimes lost within their own head.

So what prevented her from indulging that madness? What still kept her anchored there, in that three-room apartment with pale and perpetually messy walls? After all, if the sovereign of Israel had really been alive, as Nakhaš supposed it was, she could have freed herself from the burden of a guilt she had been carrying for years: that of having condemned all of them.

So what was holding her back? So much fear.

Yes, because although in her nearly three centuries of life Alexandria Varàdi had seen unimaginable things and performed unspeakable actions, she feared the unknown before her eyes and those annihilating doubts to which she did not know if she would ever find an answer. She did not want to feed a heart that was already perilous in itself with fictitious hopes - and the idea of losing something, or someone infinitely important again, took her breath away.

For a few moments her hands stopped screwing the mocha, challenging the increasingly wavering willpower. Repressing the instinct to turn to the other room became an unequal battle against the body, yet she tried to force herself in every way - although it was undeniable that the name on the stolen plate was calling out loud.

And yet... and yet that was nothing but an empty name, a conglomerate of letters that should not have aroused any desire, but it did, every hour a little more.

What if it was just a bad mind joke? Maybe the guilt feelings were giving rise to uncontrolled hallucinations and, perhaps, even Levi had been, as he was at that moment, a victim of it. After all who, among the Chimeras, could really say that their minds had not been contaminated by the Ars?

"Akh ..." Z'év's voice came out like a whisper and she found herself abandoning the idea of screwing the scrap of metal between the fingers.

She had no idea what was right to do, did not know whether to trust the world's oldest Chimera or give in to doubts, but she was aware that she could not keep him there, even if she wanted it with an inexplicable intensity. She had missed Levi, just as every day she felt that corner of the world, in which she had holed up, empty. Her mishpakhá had created an unbridgeable hole in the center of her chest and even after almost three decades she wanted it back.

Alex blinked, pulling back those thoughts and tears that make her eyes burn. She had to let go of Nakhaš, she had to allow him to chase that hope before it was too late for him too, so she tried to put together the best words to continue the discussion. As soon as that thought took shape in the head, however, a cool caress went to rest on the back of her neck.

She felt his fingers slide with concern, perhaps even caution between the ash-colored locks and a shiver ran over the back, making her jump. The times when her brother had allowed himself gestures of such intimacy she could have counted them on one hand, yet, despite the rarity, she had always found them relaxing, satisfying.

From beyond the head she heard him clear the throat: "I have nothing to give you in return..."

Z'év shrugged, suddenly feeling the wavering of her certainties become more and more intense, so much so as to become a jolt that, she was sure, would have made them collapse.

"All you that can do is give me trust. I know it is difficult, that there are thousands of reasons to kick me out of here and live the life you never had. I know, believe me" his fingers barely touched the girl's neck, slid down the skin to rest on her back: "But I, Levi Nakhaš, son of Yoel and General of the King, am begging you to come with me. Alex... " it was impossible, for the hearing of the Wolf, not to notice the hesitation that had suddenly invaded her brother's tone, a slight touch of fear that he never allowed himself; it was not easy for the Great General of the army of Israel to beg someone.

In that silence, however, in the fatigue and uncertainties of him, the Countess had the opportunity to put an end to that bittersweet torture: "Okay" she blew, before clenching the teeth on her tongue. She could no longer fight his requests, his desire to have her with him on one last - and possibly destructive - adventure: "Okay, Levi... I'll follow you. But if this... guy isn't Solomon please, don't drag me elsewhere. It's the last life we have, I don't want to waste it chasing ghosts."

The heart pounded in her chest, while the shiver that had pleasantly run down her back a few moments before gave shape to an uncontrolled goose bumps. She had given in, but still doubted it was the wisest choice, given the conditions of her body.

Levi then moved his hand away and she felt deprived of something, perhaps of the force with which, finally, she had consented.

"Kamuvan, akhot. Can I have my coffee now? "