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Thiery stood and stared at the stone wall, and even though the room lacked a window he knew he was facing east, facing the sunrise. His eyes stung as he fought off the tears, refusing to allow himself to show how much he was hurting, to show his pain, anything that could be taken as a weakness.

Avatar stood only a few feet behind him, one hand raised as if to lay it on Thiery's shoulder, the other hanging down at his side. His face was blank, and his eyes empty as they fell on Thiery's back.

The room they were in was small and windowless, the walls made of stone, and the door of wood, with a metal bolt placed on the outside. It was locked.

The only other vampires in the room were Alaric and Aiden, both sitting on the floor opposite Thiery and Avatar. They were leaning against the wall, their heads hanging down, and their faces as blank as Avatars.

The room felt cold and deprived of all emotions, as if death itself was present. Despair hung heavily in the air, so thick one could cut it with a knife.

As the sun rose slowly, Thiery could feel a burning pain running through him. It was as if he was standing outside in the sunlight, instead of in this room. He could feel his skin burning a flameless fire, and smell the smoke that rose from it. He could feel death coming; feel an immortal life slipping away.

He could feel the sun killing a vampire, but it wasn't him it was killing.

It was Phoenix.

***************

They didn't know how long they had been travelling, or how far they had gone. Locked inside the back of a truck, it had seemed as if they had been driving for an eternity. Their hunger spoke of days of travelling, but there was no way to tell for sure.

When the car had finally stopped, they were inside what looked like a warehouse, but after a few minutes of walking, their surroundings changed to that of a house, a mansion. The walls were sparsely decorated, and there was nothing that could indicate where they were, or what kind of place this was.

In the end they were placed inside a naked room, told to wait while their trial was prepared. Thiery could feel the eyes of the other vampires on his back, but he could not make himself turn around to face them. He knew this was all his fault, that had he not forced Avatar to make him immortal, none of this would have happened. If he hadn't been so stubborn, none of them would be here right now.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Avatar was standing right behind him until he felt an arm snake around his wait.

"It's not your fault" Avatar said, and pulled him close, resting his chin on Thiery's shoulder. "You didn't make me do anything, and no one here blames you. Animosity got us here; our relationship is just the excuse they use to justify their actions."

"He's right" a voice said at his side, and two strong arms turned him half around so he could face Aiden. "They have been wanting to do this for quite a while. And they would have found a way. Had it not been this, it would be something else."

Thiery nodded and offered Aiden a faint smile. "Thank you" he said, and turned completely to hug Avatar, burying his face in his lover's neck. "I love you" he whispered.

***************

Trinity had known something was up. All around her she heard whispers. Wherever there was more that one vampire in a place, they would be standing with their heads close together, whispering so low that no one outside the circle would be able to make out what they said.

When they saw here they would stop, and stay silent until she had moved past them, following her with their eyes to make sure she was far enough away before they started up again.

Something was definitely going on, something big. The confirmation of that came a few days after it all started, when suddenly out of nowhere, Kimoni arrived. He was the Head of the line of Aletha, and sat on the High Council along with Cathal. And then, only yesterday, the last member of the High Council had arrived.

Sahirah, head of Acacia, had arrived in the middle of the day, well hidden in a black car with blacked out windows. As far as Trinity knew, she had been in Asia for several years, and had not been expected to return for several more. Yet here she was, and now suddenly the entire High Council was gathered in one place, something they told her had not happened for over half a century.

She was not told anything else, and had known nothing about what was going on until the day before the prisoners had arrived. Then suddenly she had found herself cornered by The Three, and had been ushered into Cathal's office. Expecting only Cathal, she had been surprised to find all three members of the High Council waiting for her.

***************

Sahirah closed the door behind her as she entered Cathal's office. Both he and Kimoni were already there, waiting for her to arrive. As soon as she had closed it, they turned to look at her.

"Are you sure it's her?" Sahirah asked, walking over to them. "She's young, and doesn't look all that special to me." Kimoni raised an eyebrow and chuckled, but one look from Cathal was enough to make his go silent.

"It's her" Cathal said. "I can feel it when I look at her, feel that she is special. You should be able to as well, but I suppose since she is of my line, it's stronger for me. But even if you can't feel it, her name should tell you everything you need to know."

"Trinity" Sahirah said with a whisper, and nodded. She knew that Cathal would not have gathered them all here if he was wrong, and besides, with that name, the chance of this being the wrong girl was slim to none.

They had been waiting on this day for several centuries, knowing that she would come, and in a way, fearing her coming. They all knew she would come at a time of change, at a time when her line would need her. Her coming was prophesied, but so much of the old prophecies were lost, that they had no idea if her coming would bring glory or ruin to the Greek lines.

"Do we know why she's here? Why now?" Kimoni asked, looking at Cathal. It had been his responsibility to find out all that he could about the old Prophecies, to prepare for this day.

"It's hard to tell" Cathal said. "I've been able to gather some of the prophecies, but most of what we find tell of things that have already transpired. Only fragments have been found that talk about Trinity. I've gathered everything in this though." His hand reached into his pocket, and drew out a small red book. Sahirah and Kimoni moved so they were standing next to him, and then he opened it up on the relevant pages, holding it out so all three of them could see.

The pages looked worn, and some of the writing was smeared, as if someone had been spending a lot of time looking at these pages, dragging their fingers across the writing, trying to figure out what it all meant.

Cathal pointed to the first three lines that were written down. "These were the first lines that came into my possession, the first result of a nine year search that looked to be about Trinity. And it's safe to say they have been bothering me since I got them."

As his finger traced the lines, the other two understood what he meant. The language in the lines was simple and straight forward, but they did not make any sense at all, and if they did, it escaped them all.


…and out of the ashes she shall come,
to save the one who made her.
And he shall be the one to save us all


Where the first three lines had been unclear and without sense, the ones that followed was the complete opposite. As Cathal traced them, it was clear who they were about, and though the very last line was puzzling, the ones above were screaming out their meaning, loud and clear. Trinity would bring change to their world.


With her coming
There will be greatness
With her coming
There will be war
With her coming
There will be change
With her coming
There will be need
With her coming
You must remember!


"Have you been able to figure out what it is that we need to remember?" Sahirah asked. There was no need to talk about any other lines than the last. The others spoke of what Sahirah already knew in her heart. With Trinity came change. With her came the war they had been waiting for for centuries, ever since the last war had ended. Back then when they had come out victorious, every single vampire of the Greek lines knew it wouldn't last, knew that one day war would come again. And with that war, their champion would come as well. No one could remember the reason for the last war, only that they won, and that in winning they had been raised to power, and had ruled over the world of the vampires.

"No, this is all we have that speaks of Trinity. Aside from the spoken memory of her that is to come, that have been handed down to us all since the war, there is nothing. The one I sent out to seek for this knowledge is certain that there is more, and as of our last communication, he feels that he is close to something."

Sahirah nodded. Their lack of information was to be expected. They had had centuries to look for this knowledge, but it had only been in the latter half of this century that they had started to talk about it, and the actual search for this knowledge had been going on for less than a decade.

"So what do we do now?" Kimoni asked, looking from Cathal to Sahirah. "Do we tell her?" Sahirah fixed her eyes on Cathal, making it clear that she expected him to answer this, that as Trinity was his creation, his responsibility, he would be the one to make that decision.

"We have to" he said. "The Three are already on their way back with the prisoners, taking the long way to disorient them, and to starve them. The weaker they are, the easier they will be to handle."

"So it's true then" Sahirah asked. "They really have allowed an Avalon to be the one who made an Arden immortal? I never would have thought they would be stupid enough to break the law so openly."

"Avatar of Avalon has always gone his own way, and I doubt even Alaric can stop him if he sets his mind to something." Kimoni said, knowing full well what he was talking about. He had been there in the last days of the war, and he had seen first hand what Avatar was capable of, and how deep his determination lay.

"They'll be here shortly" Cathal said, "We need to decide what to do with them, but first, we need to talk to Trinity. It's about time she knew what she was, and what we will be expecting of her."

***************

They had only been left to wait for an hour, something that told them things had been prepared for their arrival. They were lead into a large room, which contained nothing more than a large desk, behind which three High Council members were already seated. It had been elevated off the floor, so although they were seated, they were still located higher than Thiery and the others, who were expected to stand in front of them.

As they lined up in front of the desk, they had windows behind them. Large floor to ceiling windows, hung with tick dark curtains that were not drawn, allowing the moonlight to shine into the room.

No words were spoken for a while, and Thiery found himself staring down onto the floor, unable to look at the three sitting on front of them. Cathal he could remember, and would have known even if his face had been covered, for the hatred radiated off him and filled the room even stronger than it had before.

When the three in front of them finally started to speak, he could barely listen. They spoke of laws, of regulations. They spoke of the war, and of who was in charge. They spoke of a great many things, but most of them escaped him. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't think; didn't want to think. He kept his eyes on the floor, and focused his attention on feeling Avatar, feeling his love, and shutting out the hatred that threatened to overwhelm him.

Then there was silence. For a second he wondered why, and then suddenly the last few sentences that had come out of Cathal's mouth took hold of him, and he felt himself fall to his knees. "Anyone of an impure line must be killed. There can be no exceptions. But we'll wait with him. For now, only kill the girl. Maybe that will encourage the rest of you to start talking."

He forced himself to stand, to look at them, but as he took a step towards them he was stopped. First now did he notice that there were other vampires in the room, and now they were dragging him away. He could already see Alaric and Aiden being lead towards the door, and Avatar was right behind them, clearly giving his guards hell as he fought to stay in the room.

Beside him he could see Phoenix fighting for her life, tears running down her face. He reached out to her, but was hit in the back of the head so hard he fell to his knees, fighting to stay conscious. As he was dragged towards the door he saw Cathal standing up and looking at Phoenix. "For the sin of impure blood, we sentence you to meet the sun." Looking at the guards he said, "The sun will be up within the hour. Take her outside on the balcony and chain her to the railing." Then he got up and left the room, along with the two other members of the High Council.

It was only when Thiery was almost out of the room that he noticed her. She had been standing in the corner, hidden by the shadows, silently watching them. Now she took a step forward, allowing their eyes to meet. As he saw her face he stopped struggling.

His memory took him back to the Red House, to the day he met Avatar. He had seen her then if only for a second, but it had been enough to burn her image into his mind. He had felt a hatred for her then, but now, up close and personal, he felt it ten times more. No words were needed, no gestured had to be made. One look told him all he needed to know.

She was his greatest enemy.

He felt himself being lead from the room, and he didn't care. He felt numb, powerless. Behind him he could still feel her eyes on his back, her hatred radiating towards him. Then the door closed, and the connection was severed. He could still feel her, but he knew her attention was directed elsewhere now.

He could feel panic welling up inside, fear creeping through his skin, and he knew who her attention was on now. Phoenix.

***************

Panic threatened to take hold of her as Cathal spoke her sentence, as he told her she would be left outside to burn in the sun. She could feel it rushing through her blood, threatening to overtake her. As strong hands circled her arms, and started to drag her towards the balcony door behind her, she could feel herself screaming inside. But on the outside, her features changed. She was going to die, the words had been spoken, and she was going to die. There was no point in struggling now, for it would not change anything. Deep inside, she knew it, she felt it; she was already dead.

With determination being the only feature on her face she willed together all her remaining strength, and managed to stop the vampires from dragging her outside. "Let go off me! I'll go by myself, so there's no need to drag me like I'm an animal."

She stared at Cathal's back as he stopped in the doorway, fixed her eyes on his as he turned, and refused to drop her gaze as his stare burned into her. They looked at each other for a while, until he broke the stare and looked at the vampires holding her. With a slight nod he granted her that one thing, that one victory. She had won the chance to walk to her death of her own free will.

She pulled her arms free from the vampires that were holding her, and turned towards the balcony door. Pulling on all her strength, she walked towards it, twisted the handle, and walked outside.

Behind her she could hear the door closing and turning she saw them, pulling the curtains shut. No one would stand inside and watch her die; no one would be there to bear witness of her final moments. And somehow, she felt comfort in that, in knowing that she would be allowed to die alone, with no one watching her, with no one judging her.

Far away in the horizon, she would see the clouds changing; see color filling them, making them whole. She could see the sunrise coming, and inside, she could feel it. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her, telling her to get to safety. Her body knew that what was giving such a beautiful color to the clouds was also what would kill her, what would burn her to a cinder.

She braced herself on the railing, took a deep unneeded breath, and faced her last sunset. She forced herself to watch as the sun rose, watch the colors play in the sky as night turned to day. Even as her skin started to burn a flameless fire, and smoke from her own burning flesh filled her nostrils, she forced herself to watch the sun. She watched until it burned away her eyes, and even then she did not let herself turn away.

She stood there facing the sunrise as she burned away, and all that was left was a sculpture of ash, formed in her image, shining in the sunlight of a new day.

***************

The day passed in silence, no one in the small room saying a word. Thiery remained standing, staring at the eastern wall. He had not moved at all, or spoken a word. He only stared at the wall, refusing to acknowledge anyone else in the room.

Behind him Avatar had finally sat down next to Alaric and Aiden, his head rested against the wall, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Alaric was holding around Aiden, who in turn was the only one who had let a tear fall. Only a single tear, all he could allow himself feel right now. A single tear shed, for his dead child.

The day passed like that, slowly, every hour seeming like an eternity. They sat like that as they felt the sun pass over their heads, finally to be overcome by night again. And even then, as darkness fell outside, and life awoke all around them, they did not move. They all knew that at some point, they would come for them, and once again they would be standing in that room, waiting for their final judgement.

The punishment for Thiery's very existence was death, nothing else. They all knew that at some point it would be them chained outside, waiting for the sun to burn them alive.

They waited, and listened, for what they knew would come. They were listening for the ones who would come and get them. And then finally, they heard them, footsteps outside their door, and then the bolt turning.

They got to their feet as the wooden door creaked, opening slowly. Avatar moved to stand in front of Thiery, as if to protect him, and they faced the opening door together. But as it opened, and they saw the person standing there in the doorway, their faces paled to a color of pure grey, and it was impossible for them to hide the shock on their faces. Behind them, Aiden swore out loud, and Alaric gasped for a breath he didn't need.

It wasn't their guards that stood in the door; it wasn't a member of the Three, or any of the High Council.

It was Phoenix.

***************

The world seemed dark around her. One moment all she could feel was pain, and then there was darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Then the darkness faded away, and left her blank inside, before she felt a rush of live run through her veins, as if she had just been feeding, yet no matter how much she tried to feel it, the metallic taste of blood was not in her mouth.

As the darkness faded completely it became the night, and she found herself standing on the balcony surrounded by the safety of it. Behind her the curtains had been drawn away, and she knew it had been over an hour since the sun passed beyond the horizon.

The day was gone, the night had come, and somehow, she was still alive.

She turned quickly, and seeing no one inside, she made a decision. Moving quickly she opened the balcony door, relieved to find it unlocked, and then walked through the room quickly. Listening intently for anyone who might be near, she moved through the halls towards her maker and her friends.

She could barely feel Thiery, but what little she felt was all she needed to find him. Something told her that he could have been on the other side of the world, and she would still be able to find him.

Twice she had to hide inside a room or behind something, as vampires walked past her. For some reason none of them seemed to be able to feel her, yet she didn't think much of it. Instead she remained focused on her goal; to find Thiery and the others, and to get the hell out of this place.

Finally she found herself standing outside of a wooden door leading into a cell, into their cell. She could feel them all inside. The feeling was faint, but it was there. She unbolted the door, and pushed it open, taking a step into the doorframe to look inside the room.

Inside she was met by four faces painted with shock and disbelief. She smiled and before her she saw Thiery's face shift from disbelief to relief, and then he was moving, throwing his arms around her and hugging her close.

"I thought I lost you" he whispered hoarsely into her hair, and she laughed in return. "So did I" she replied as he let her go. Behind him Avatar, Alaric and Aiden had moved in close, all three of them mirroring Thiery's face of relief and love.

"Let's get out of here" she said, and they nodded. She moved quickly back the way she came, having seen a way out of this place on her way to the cell. They followed her without a word, and after a few minutes of walking they were outside.

They had come out of a wooden door, hidden carefully on the outside by bushes and trees. They were on a hillside above the mansion garden, and beneath them they could see several vampires walking in the garden, talking amongst themselves.

Avatar took the lead then, and leads them away from the mansion, away from anyone who can see them and alert the others of their escape. As they get out of sight from the others they start to run, knowing that they need to find shelter before the night is over and day comes again.

***************

It takes them two nights to get to the nearest small town, and as the sun rises on their second day of freedom they take shelter in a motel on the side of the road. Shutting all the blinds and closing the curtains, they finally allow themselves to sit down and truly rest.

"Where do we go from here?" Thiery asks, voicing the question they all wish to know the answer to. They all look at each other, waiting for someone to answer. In the end, Avatar is the one who speaks up.

"I know of a place we can go. It's about a weeks travel from here, and it is the one place we can be sure we'll never run into any other vampires, be they friends or enemies."

A look of pure disgust flashes over Aiden's face, and Alaric looks at Avatar with a similar expression. "Are you serious?" he asks, and shakes his head as Avatar nods. "I know you are right" Alaric then says, "but I don't like it. The very thought of that place makes my skin crawl. But you're right about one thing; we won't run into any other vampires there. So I guess that's were we're going."

The decision being made, Alaric and Aiden move over to lay down on one of the beds to get some rest, and Thiery and Phoenix are left with Avatar, both burning to ask where they are going. "I'll tell you tonight" Avatar says, and moves over to the other bed. "Come lay down you two, you need to get some rest. We have a long way ahead of us."

Knowing they will not get any answers until the sun sets, Thiery and Phoenix move over to the bed and lay down on it, Thiery curling up to Avatar, Phoenix moving in behind him to rest a hand on his waist. They will get all their answers tonight, but as for now, they will rest, and gather strength for their journey to safety.