Eternal Night

(I) Chapter 7: Baggage

"... And the search for Vladislaus Drăculea continues," the anchorman announced. "Authorities recently confirmed that the break-in a month ago now was indeed an attempted assassination of the king. Though the council has not yet released the identities of the perpetrators who committed this heinous crime, Lord Marcus Augustine remains firm in his assertions that this act of aggression was by none other than the terrorist organization more commonly known as the alliance. Augustine had this to say on the steps of the palace this evening.... "

A video of Augustine in front of the Imperial Palace appeared on the screen.

"We will not give up our search for our king. It is evident that his life, and quite possibly by extension our own frail existences, still lie under constant threat. But we should all continue to take comfort in the fact that while his whereabouts remain unknown, he is still alive. The individual who certain members of the media assumed was Dracula has recently been identified as Horatio, a notorious skin-changer for hire and rumored alliance supporter. The fact that Horatio had taken on our king's form gives us hope that our master, wherever he may be, is safe. If you have any news of his whereabouts, we implore you to please... come forward. Bring my brother home."

Frankie rolled her eyes, a look of disgust on her face.

Augustine wasn't hopeful that Dracula was still alive and well. If anything, he appeared to be suffering from an increasing anxiety as the man seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth without a word as to where he had gone. The reason for Dracula's disappearance had remained shrouded in mystery since the news first broke – and it was becoming evident that even Augustine was as in the dark as the rest of the city, a state of ignorance that the man was not accustomed to.

"Those were the words from our leader just hours ago during a press conference held on the steps of the Imperial Palace," the anchorman resumed, the video feed cutting back to him in one of the VNN newsrooms. "We will keep you updated on any developments regarding this tragic story. ...In related news, law enforcement has continued to increase security in the city in the hopes of cracking down on the illegal extremist activity surrounding the alliance organization. Although the ring-leaders remain unidentified, we just received word that there was another skirmish in the east side this evening. The report coming in from the imperial law enforcement states that alliance sympathizers murdered several civilians tonight and authorities have confirmed that they have a number of the offenders now in custody. Council member, Lord Bartos, has assured all of us here at VNN that these apprehended members of the alliance will be punished to the full extent of the law. And now we go to Judy for our five-day weather forecast...."

Frankie became aware of a familiar presence as she overheard the deadbolt of the front door turn. The door was shut quietly, the sound followed by the turning of the lock and the placing of keys on a nearby table as boot-clad feet moved wearily across the hardwood floor. Frankie remained quiet as her brother walked into the living room, only speaking when she could hear him moving towards the kitchen.

"You and I have both had enough to drink tonight," she said, without even turning to glance at him. There was a defiant huff and then the closing of the cupboard. "Thank you."

Rémy continued in his silence, not that she could blame him. She had just assaulted his new friend and nearly murdered his girlfriend's best friend. The humiliation and disappointment he was experiencing was surely acute, and yet Frankie could conjure up very little sympathy. Yes, she had nearly lost control this evening – an occurrence that easily could have ended in disaster – but Morene had had it coming. Or at least, that was Frankie's private justification.

Her brother finally took a seat beside her.

"I don't know why you watch this garbage. The news is nothing but lies; has been for decades."