Coming of Age Ch. 05

"Rayven is old enough to know better than to be out this late, she is probably curled up in her crypt. She probably just ran out of time, it happens, and she doesn't know a contact number." Serenity said as she came into the room, she could feel Crystal's anxious energy.

"I hope you're right." Crystal said even as her eyes searched the front of the house.

"Come on soon we can go back to sleep for a couple of..."

"Shit," Crystal said, before she raced to the door. Serenity grabbed a thick blanket and followed. Crystal threw open the door and dragged Rayven inside, slamming the door shut. Serenity flung the blanket over Rayven knowing it would protect her for a little while. "Of all the hair brained... stupid... why didn't you get back to your home?" Crystal demanded.

"Watch broke... lost track of... time... too far..." Rayven said, already feeling the pull of the sun.

"Serenity, do you know how to do that thing your ma does to protect Arianna?" Crystal asked.

Serenity nodded, "it is simple enough." She said her mind already at work, going over every square micron, every place so much as a beam of light could get in she sealed with a special barrier which let the light in but not the UV rays that vampires were allergic to, every window and door was sealed, no UV could get in but light could. Serenity reached into the blanket and pulled out one of Rayven's hands, she placed the pale hand in a direct beam of light, nothing happened and even the watery beams of a new day were deadly to vampires if exposed for too long.

Crystal stood and lifted Rayven up in her arms before taking her down stairs to the basement. Thais was already tucking a thick blanket into the narrow window, he knew his sister had included this window in her mind so it was safe, but Rayven's eyes were not used to natural sun light. Crystal held Rayven up as Serenity removed her trench coat then carefully removed the pair of Kukris on her back. Once those were off Crystal laid Rayven down on the sofa and started to remove Rayven's weapons laying them neatly on the coffee table. Serenity took care of Rayven's boots and found two hidden daggers in each boot. Crystal also found a dozen throwing daggers hidden all over.

After removing the last weapon Crystal finally loosened the belt and a few moments later Rayven was completely still but comfortable under the blanket Thais had tucked around her. He put a pair of sunglasses down for when she woke up.

"The sun's up I'm going to bed." Serenity said and raced up stairs, she knew what Crystal was feeling and knew that at the moment nothing anyone said would calm her down. You got this? She asked Thais silently.

Yeah, I'll look after her, can't keep you from your beauty sleep can we kitty... Thais teased and got a growl in reaction, he knew he was going to pay for that. "Crystal... you aren't responsible for Rayven; you don't have to kick yourself."

"She could have died!"

Thais wrapped an arm around Crystal and walked her up stairs. "But she didn't, she knew here was safe for her, knew we would be able to protect her while she was at her most vulnerable." He told her as he walked them into the kitchen. "She met us yesterday evening, was only in our company for an hour, but she had learnt enough to know that we were good people, people to trust."

Crystal smiled, "I like her."

"I know." Thais offered her a cup of coffee. "But you aren't her Maker, you aren't bound to her, you do not need to worry about her."

"I'm a Beta... it's my job to worry about those in my group."

Thais grinned, Crystal had nearly freaked out, when Amy told her she would be a Beta in their pack, she had not been responsible for anyone except herself for a very long time. She told the pair she would fail, she wasn't the Beta type, hell she had still been trying to wrap her mind around Amy and Wolfgang accepting her as pack, they didn't know her, let alone giving her a high position within the pack. However, Crystal had flourished in the pack, first as an Enforcer as she learnt pack life and how to be a Beta in this large odd pack and now as a Beta in the central pack.

"And you consider Rayven a part of your group." Thais surmised easily.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked before she sipped the coffee in her mug.

He shook his head as he perched on a bench, "no, you've always been a good judge of character, you like Rayven because she reminds you of yourself, she has a true core and a strong ethical code which you admire because as old as she is she hasn't been corrupted by time, by what she has been forced to do and the other master's influence."

Crystal paced a little, "when I first met her... for a few moments I thought Judas had lied, that there was another."

"We know he didn't, Arianna and four other Masters have spent the last fourteen years combing through his records. He didn't continue his experiments after Destiny and his hand in Vlha's imprisonment, he was too afraid to." He stated firmly.

"What will she do when all is done, if she doesn't have something to do... she could turn feral, I don't want to kill her." Crystal said the last bit to herself.

He grinned, "that won't happen, she won't let it."

"What is in store for her?" Crystal asked hoping that Thais would open up and let slip that Rayven would be fine.

He chuckled and shook his head, "you know better than to ask, it's Rayven's future not yours."

"That's not fair, I just want to keep her safe." She complained.

"Don't ask questions you know you won't get an answer for." He told her firmly. "Wanna wrestle?" He added playfully.

Thinking about it for a moment she nodded, wrestling would help work off some of her anxious energy. She nodded as he hopped off the bench already knowing she would say yes, "just a hint?" She asked as she followed Thais outside.

"Nope."

"I'll beat it out of you." She promised.

"You can try." He answered with a cocky edge to his voice.

****

Rayven woke slowly several hours later; her mind woke before her body did which gave her a good few minutes to mentally kick herself. How on earth had a two and a half thousand year old vampire nearly get herself killed by such a simple thing as forgetting the time. It was stupid mistake, a mistake a Junior would make, in fact a good percentage of Juniors were killed by simply losing track of the time and getting caught out.

"So what happened?" Serenity asked startling Rayven, who thought she was alone. "Oh I could hear you upstairs so I popped down."

Rayven opened her eyes and squinted at Serenity who was still dressed in her pyjamas. "Let me guess, perky morning person?"

"Not really," Serenity said and made a mug appear in her hand which she offered to Rayven. "But I've had coffee."

Rayven sat up and took the cup, she sniffed at the brew before taking a sip, frowning at the flavour.

"Go on guess," Serenity prompted.

"I don't know, I've smelt it before, I just..."

"French Vanilla." Serenity slipped in knowing they would be here a while if she didn't give Rayven the answer, besides breakfast was ready and she was hungry. "Come on up." She said in a prompting manner, she handed Rayven the sun glasses as Rayven got up. Rayven didn't bother to get her weapons or shoes she just followed Serenity up out of the basement. She paused at the top of the stairs as beams of light cut through the shadows. Fear shot through her as she viewed the light.

Serenity paused, "it's quite safe, I willed the house, no UV can get in but light can. You were pretty out of it when I tested it, place your hand in the light."

Rayven hesitated but she knew these people were good and to trust them, she lifted her right hand and placed it in the light and waited. After a long minute of nothing happening she stepped into the light and squinted, before remembering the sunglasses and putting them on. She walked into the dining room just as Bastion put down a glass of blood before a chair. Rayven sat and studied a world she had long been denied. "Seeing it on TV just isn't the same as seeing it with my own two eyes."

"The curse of the Vampire is to want the feel of the sun on their skin but knowing they can't because it will kill them." Crystal explained to the humans in the room.

Sky frowned, "is there a guide to vampire culture?" she asked.

Rayven chuckled, "no, the masters would never allow one to be written."

"Actually," Crystal slid in, "Destiny has written one at Amy's request."

Rayven shook her head, "the Masters would never allow it, humans knowing all their secrets... they prefer the mystery."

"Destiny would never put something on paper that the Masters wouldn't mind humans knowing, just enough for humans to understand the inner workings of the Vampire race. Nothing more." Serenity said firmly.

"Besides, she will be giving it Arianna and she will decide whether or not to push it in the conclave." Crystal added, "it won't get published without conclave approval, Amy and Destiny would never do that."

"We are confusing the humans," Rayven said as her eyes took in Sky's perplexed look.

"Of course we are and personally I think they, more than anyone else, need to know and understand just what has happened to them. We all get it and speak in terms we understand but they do not." Crystal said firmly, "We need to explain a little more than we normally would and if you don't like it, too bad."

"I agree with you, the more they know the more they will understand just how safe they are here." Rayven said agreeing with Crystal.

Crystal turned and took a deep breath, "firstly you need to know that Vampires are ranked by how old they are, the older the vampire the higher the rank. There are three ranks, Junior, Senior and Master."

"There are two levels to the Junior rank, the first is Junior Bound, which is anyone still bound to obey their Maker, generally the Elder who turned them." Rayven began.

"So a Junior can't turn someone?" Jasmine asked, fascinated despite her fear.

Rayven pulled a face, "yes they can turn someone, however most Juniors are watched strictly by older vampires when they feed off a living host, if someone is accidently turned by a Junior the bond which is forged between Maker and Junior will go to the Junior's Maker."

Crystal nodded, "such turnings were rare to begin with and now they are non-existent since vampires no longer feed off living sources."

"Human living sources," Rayven corrected, "some still prefer their blood fresh so they breed animals."

"Don't they consider humans mere animals?" Sky asked.

"Some," Rayven agreed, "but the conclave has defined that any humanoid and or non-humanoid race able to be turned into a Vampire and or has higher reasoning is to be left alone. There was some contention with this rule as Arianna and several other Masters wanted this ruling to be without any loop holes in the future, hence the whole humanoid and Non-humanoid as well as the higher reasoning wording."

"Effectively," Crystal continued, "cutting the legs out from under that a view. The conclave has also put in guidelines for suitable duties of a Familiar."

Rayven gave Crystal a shrewd look, "that was only done a few years ago."

Crystal nodded, "benefit of knowing Arianna, she keeps Amy abreast with what's going on inside the conclave and Amy and Wolfgang keep the packs Betas informed, since our territory has six tribes calling it home and about a hundred nomads."

"That many?" Rayven asked surprised, six tribes, even in an area as large as Wolf Haven Pack, was a large number, each tribe had at least twenty five members and up to fifty, any more than that and most groups became unstable. Add the hundred nomads and that meant there were close to four hundred vampires living in close proximity, which was almost unheard of.

Crystal nodded, "Yep, you have to admit it, Wolf Haven Pack needs to be renamed as Everyone Welcome Pack. The leader of each tribe has to consider the requests of the Alphas and not interfere with the pack or its enforcers. If they are found operating outside of the conclaves rules they are gone."

"Off track people." Han said.

"Right," Rayven agreed. "Ranks and Ages," she reminded herself. "So Juniors are the weakest of all vampires, oh they have speed and strength and all the things that make vampires so deadly, but they don't know how to truly use it, they act purely on instinct, a good Maker will develop those instincts until those instincts become conscious actions."

"Some makers are better at training a vampire than others." Crystal added.

"After about a hundred years the Maker generally releases their charge if they feel their charge is... trained and controlled." Rayven continued. "They can stay with their maker or go off on their own. These vampires are still Juniors, only they are Free Juniors and no longer bound to obey their maker."

"A little over half of Free Juniors don't make it to Elder status." Crystal added.

Rayven nodded, "mind you only ten per cent make it to Free Junior status."

"Why?" Jasmine asked.

"Not everyone is cut out to be a Vampire, some can't learn to control their thirst, others their emotions, some just go insane and others refuse to feed. They are weeded out during the bound part of their Junior status." Crystal answered. "See Vampires have always lived in secrecy."

"But there have always been stories, myths and legends about Vampires," Rachel contradicted.

Rayven nodded, "Yes, the dreaded stories, all of those legends and myths can be traced back to out of control Juniors."

"Was there really a Van Helsing and Dracula?" Jasmine asked with excitement clearly on her face, she remembered reading Dracula years ago.

"That's pure fiction," Rachel said before she turned to Rayven, "right?"

Rayven sighed when; would they ever get out from under that shadow. "Thankfully all of it is fiction, Vlad the Impaler, who is the inspiration for Dracula, was in fact just a very cruel sadistic human."

"So what is truth and what is myth?" Sky asked.

"Vampires predate Christianity so, holy water, crosses, churches, consecrated ground... all false, Garlic... false, no reflection... false. However, stake through the heart, beheading and sunlight are all true, fire is kind of true but you would have to weaken and chain a vampire to kill by fire and even then it is a long shot."

"Now..." Serenity said to cut off any more questions, "how about we get back to explaining Vampire hierarchy."

Rayven nodded, "okay so after Free Junior there is Elder."

"How old does a Vampire have to be to become an Elder?" Sky asked.

"Five hundred years," Rayven answered. "Which explains why only half of Free Juniors make Elder status, they die in fights over territory, feeding rights, simple arguments and politics. Only the strong and smart survive to get to Elder status."

"What happens when they reach Elder status?" Sky asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Nothing much," Crystal stated, "they have gained their strength and their ability to survive, it makes them perfect leaders and most will start forming tribes and carving out their own territories."

"So let's say a hundred people were turned," Rayven continued as she nodded. "Of those hundred only ten will survive until they get freed, another five will die before getting to elder status and of those five only one might... and I do mean might make it to Master status." Rayven said stressing the word as it was hard to get to Master status.

"You have to be two thousand years old to become a Master." Crystal explained. "There are... fourteen?" She turned to Rayven who nodded.

"Yes, if you don't include, you, Destiny or Vlha, there were fifteen but... Judas was killed for his crimes against Vampires and the conclave." Rayven said agreeing.

"I thought Vlha wasn't included because he is the Source." Serenity said as she waved her hand making the empty dishes vanish and more pots of coffee appear.

Rayven nodded, "true, besides you three aren't Vampires."

"You're doing it again talking in terms we can't understand. Conclave? Source?" Jasmine said a little annoyed.

"The conclave is the ruling group over all Vampires, eleven vampires sit on the conclave, all of them Masters." Thais explained. "Of the eleven one has all the power, or the deciding vote. Arianna holds that spot and she holds it uncontested."

"Why?" Jasmine asked.

Rayven grinned, "over two thousand years ago a very strange, controlled new born..."

"New born?" Sky interrupted.

"A Vampire less than a year old, the most dangerous time for a new Vampire is in that first year." Rayven explained. "So this new born Vampire came to the conclave, and was involved, it was the first time the conclave ever managed to work together. The model Destiny created has worked ever since so when she stood down from the conclave there was a power shift. Five wanted her place but the conclave couldn't unanimously agree to anyone. So Destiny stepped in and made her own ruling, Arianna, who hadn't even nominated herself."

"They accepted Arianna because she wasn't political and was the most even headed person in the conclave." Crystal continued, "See, all those Masters are high strung, impressed with their own power and generally concerned with how much power they could get. But when it comes to the Conclave, Arianna holds all the power, nothing can be decided without her affirmative vote, nothing made into law, no disputes settled or rulings made."

"And a good leader never wants power." Rayven added, "It was why Destiny was so good at it."

"Okay that explains Conclave, Source?" Sky asked.

"Okay, so Vlha... he is the Source, the... father of all Vampires but he isn't a vampire." Rayven said finding it a little hard to explain.

Serenity chuckled, "Okay so there are a lot of similarities between Were and Vampires, bite to turn and so on. What most don't know is that Vlha the Source of all Vampires is actually Were. He has a twin brother who is Were but two opposing genes makes him... the Source. See some Were are born without the ability to shift, they have what we call the dormant Were gene. Vlha was born with a dormant Were gene but he was also born with the active Immortality gene."

"Wait so immortality is genetic," Rachel stated, "if that is so, why aren't there more Immortals and why hasn't some pharmaceutical come up with a pill."

Temperance chuckled, "That's because they don't know which gene it is and it is elusive. Besides, immortality isn't an easy life and the big pharmaceuticals don't want everyone to be immortal because then they would lose a lot of money. We don't get sick and we don't age, in the long run they will lose a lot of money if they have a lot of immortals running around."

"But why aren't there many Immortals?" Rachel asked.

"We don't know, Were believe that an immortal needs to be spiritually mature to cope with immortality and that is why there aren't many of us." Thais answered with a shrug. "Although some believe it is the will of the gods." He added. "All we know is that female Immortals don't come into their season very often and the older they get the wider the season cycle becomes."

"Back to Vlha," Sky prompted knowing they would go off on a tangent, and she wanted to properly understand this before they moved onto other topics or more interesting conversations.

Serenity nodded with a grin, "yeah well the active immortality gene combined with the dormant Were gene conflicted and woke the dormant Were gene slightly, enough to create a beast and some physical changes but not enough to be considered a true Were. It is that 'defective' Were gene which makes someone a vampire."

"I don't get it." Jasmine said.

"Okay, the reason Vlha isn't a true Vampire is because, one he isn't allergic to sunlight, two he isn't allergic to silver..." Thais said starting to tick off the differences.