The Half-Blood

A Story by Caitlin

Tis is where Silas and Jasper find Milo

The room was dark and had a sinister air about it. It had few windows with the light of the moon illuminating the walls painted black with gold, intricate designs. Three chairs were arranged in the middle of the room, they were of old, Victorian style. Only two of the chairs were occupied. In the first of the three chairs a boy no older than the age of 19 was lounging on one of the arms. He looked as if he was deep in thought, his green eyes showed trouble, while his face was expressionless. The young man looked around at the other two, and began to speak.

“We need to get the boy, before the others find him. We have to leave tonight or it will be too late.” The man with green eyes said in a worried tone. He was worried that the others would get to the boy first and use the boy against them. The other man, about the age of 21, looked him in the eyes.

“Then we leave now, if we delay any longer we will fail. Tonight would be a grave mistake Jasper… I can feel it.” The man looked into Jasper’s deep green eyes as if trying to convey the importance to him through his expression.

“Very well, get our robes Silas. I’ll be there shortly.” Jasper nodded towards Silas. Jasper knew better than not to listen to Silas’ intuition. The last time they did not trust his feeling World War II broke out. Silas’ was already back into the room with their robes before Jasper had time to register anymore thoughts. The robe’s hood hid Silas’ beautiful, dark blue eyes and his dirty blonde hair. Around the pupil of his eye he had a pure gold circle. Jasper had this as well; that is how they identify each other from the humans. It’s hard to see at a glance but is easy to notice once you know who you are looking for. Jasper slid on the robe and walked with Silas’ out of the room towards the door. Jasper opened the big door, it was at least 18 feet tall and made of Mahogany.

It was pouring rain outside, thunder and lighting were striking the ground all around them both. Neither showed expressions of fear, they simply walked out and started to run with superhuman speed east. In almost no time they were in a small town of about 300 people. Silas pointed to a small house directly in front of them. Jasper acknowledged Silas with a nod and they both began walking in the stone cobblestone street towards the house. Silas knocked on the door only to get no answer.

“He must know we are coming.” Silas smiled despite himself. “He is still here though. Surely the boy must think he is not the only one.”

“Well, if he is still here than we shall retrieve him whether he likes it or not. If he thinks what we’ll do to him is bad then he’ll hate to see what the other coven would do.” Jasper said grimly. Silas walked around the house and found a window that the boy had forgot to board up in the back of the home. Jasper and Silas climbed through the hole making absolutely no sound; Their kind had a gift for being stealthy. Jasper took a deep breath and started to walk towards a specific room. They both could hear someone breathing lightly. Both of them were positive the boy had sensed them.

“Come out of hiding Milo. I know you can sense us. We are only here to help. If you come with us willingly, we will not harm you.” said Jasper with authority ringing in his voice.

“How can I know you are telling the truth? You will just end up killing me, just like the others in the village have tried.” said the boy. Fear was in his voice, Jasper smiled at this.

“I know you are scared but if you come with us we will teach you how to use your--for lack of a better word-- powers.” Jasper looked at Silas with questioning eyes. Silas nodded and showed him a vile in his pocket with a mysterious liquid within it.

“I don’t believe you!” yelled the boy, finally standing up. Silas grinned with surprise and excitement.

“Wrong answer.” said Jasper. Jasper lunged at the boy, just in before Jasper reaches him he leaps out of the way and runs toward the doorway forgetting about Silas, as he is not visible at the moment. Out of nowhere Silas drops from the ceiling and lands in front of him, blocking anyway out. Jasper grabs a fistful his shirt from behind.

“We aren’t amateurs. Next time think before you try to run from us, boy.” Silas said with a snarl, it seemed that the boy’s style of getting away was insulting to Silas. Silas bound his hands and feet together and threw him across his shoulder with ease.

“Alright, lets go home shall we.” They both started to run back towards their home. Even though Silas had Milo on his back he ran as if he weighted nothing. Milo looked terrified, Silas laughed at the sight of his face when they arrived, Jasper grinned. There were slots on the outside of the door for two hands. Silas and Jasper put one of their hands in the slots. Immediately the doors locks lifted and the door began to creak open. Once they got into the dark room with pure gold decorations they laid Milo on the ground and cut his bindings. Milo ran towards the door, and tried to open it. Neither Jasper nor Silas ran after him.

“You fool, the door only opens to me, or Jasper. There is no way for you to leave.” Silas informed Milo.

“Silas, please stop being so rude to the boy. If he is going to help us at all you will need to be polite.” Jasper said, once again with that intimidating voice. Silas looked at Jasper and reluctantly nodded in agreement. You could tell who was the leader of their coven.

“Boy, if you could join us over here. You have a lot you need to learn, and I have a lot I have to teach.” Jasper said politely. Milo glared a Jasper.

“Why are you calling me boy?” Milo questioned, enraged. “We are the about the same age.”

Jasper only smiled at Milo.

“Quite wrong Milo. I am over two centuries old. You are only seventeen in age. So, like I said before, you have a lot to learn. Now allow me to teach.” Milo’s expression changed drastically. The once enraged face was now full of questions and disbelieving. Milo’s feet finally started working and he walked over to Jasper and sat in one of the chairs. Jasper smiled warmly at him and began the story.

“Milo, we have been trying to find you for decades. Once we learned of your great destiny, we set out to find you.”

“My destiny? I’m only 17, I can’t have a great destiny.” Milo was dazed and confused by the spark of information that was just given to him.

“Your destiny is written and stored on the shelves in the Fortress of Prophecy. Only our kind can gain access to the Prophecies. We will take you there to read it once we teach you how to gain control over your powers. What have you been able to do so far?” Jasper asked patiently waiting for an answer. Silas was leaning against the wall, clearly not expecting much from whatever Milo was about to say.

“Well, I can see for great distances, I can smell anybody or thing that is close to me, I can run fast but not nearly as fast as you guys, and I am inhumanly strong.” stated Milo. Silas smiled.

“Your powers are just developing. We left just in time. You are just a weakling compared to what you will become.” Silas informed Milo. Milo looked up at Silas in wonder of what was to become of himself.

“We will help you with your powers in the morning. Now get some rest or you won’t be strong enough.” Jasper said softly as if he was speaking to his own child. Milo nodded and walked out of the room in search of a bed. Once Jasper and Silas were alone in the room, Silas decided to discuss something important with Jasper.

“Jasper, you very well know that he is not going to fare easily with us. He is of different blood, I can smell it running through his veins. Milo is not of royal blood.” Silas was whispering to Jasper. Jasper looked at Silas with understanding eyes.

“I know Silas, but if we would have let him slip to the Coven of the Bird… He would have killed you and I both. Even though all three of us make up the Inferior Ones…. With their numbers, they would have crushed us; I admit it would’ve taken some work, but they would have done it.” Jasper whispered back earnestly.

“And besides Silas, the prophecy said he would not be of pure royal blood. He is our half-brother, even though he is only half we still have to protect him. We don’t want Father to win by having us turn against each other because of our blood.” Silas took a little bit to consider this. Finally Silas answered.

“Okay Jasper, I understand. But does Father even know Milo is alive?”

“Honestly Silas… Let’s hope to God that he doesn’t.” Jasper said with a serious expression on his face. Silas got up and left for his room, leaving Jasper alone. Jasper hated to admit the Silas was right. Milo was going to be difficult. His blood smelled of royal mixed with peasant. It seemed that their father was a scum bag after all. He secretly was happy that his mother was not alive to know about it. His mother died 17 years ago. The circumstances were sketchy, but no one could figure out how she was killed. Jasper always knew in his heart what happened. His mother denied him of another pure blood son so he killed her and covered it up well. That was how Milo came to be. Although how Milo escaped his fathers notice is beyond him, he has several theories but is waiting to confront his father when they leave for the palace. Jasper started to feel tired, so he left for his bedroom. He hasn’t slept in days, his head was telling him that he was going to be sleeping for a long time. He half-hoped Silas wouldn’t kill Milo while he was asleep, although he knew his brother wouldn’t do such a thing. I mean, he is our brother; no matter how watered down the blood is. Jasper laid his head on the soft, silky pillow and fell asleep for the first time in days.

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The sun was blinding as it came through the windows of the bedroom. Silas grunted with despair, the brightness of the light was painful to his eyes. He grabbed at the sunglasses on his side table and slid them on his pale white face. Slowly, he got to his feet and began to walk to his dressing room. Once inside the room he grabbed some clothes and quickly put them on. Silas took a moment to evaluate himself in the gigantic mirror. Silas was wearing a white shirt with ruffles on the neck line and also on the opening for his hands. On top of that was a black formal vest, and black slacks. He looked like he had just come out of a movie set in the Victorian age. He looked at his ghostly complexion in the mirror. He thought eerily how humans had come up with a name for their kind, Vampires. Although they got it completely wrong. Technically, they were not Vampires at all. They did not drink blood, they could go inside homes without invitation, he could cross water. Humans misunderstood his kind. It was a mystery as to how the “Vampire” legend came to be; but Silas knew, for it was because of him that the humans thought of there existence as monstrous.

Silas quickly threw the memory out of his mind and walked out of the room. As he was walking down the hall he heard a quick shuffle as if someone was hurrying to get back to their room. How stupid does this boy think we are? Silas’ expression turned from neutral to amused as if it were a game. Without warning, a shadowy figure leaped from the ceiling towards Silas. Silas leaped out of the way and jumped to the ceiling beams. They preferred to keep the ceiling nice and dark just in case, it seemed like a waste of time at the moment but Silas was now grateful.

“Come out Silas, I know you’re up there.” said a voice bouncing with amusement. Silas could hear the footsteps on the marble floor coming towards he hiding place.

“I can smell you Silas. Now come down here, your father wishes me to take you and Jasper to him.” Silas was immediately suspicious at this new information. His father? Why would he want to speak to us now? Silas hoped to god that Milo would stay in his room. Silas decided to speak out, luckily they made the ceiling so if someone were to speak the whole room would fill with the voice, confusing the visitor.

“Why does he wish to speak to us?” Silas felt that this was a trap. The man below only wished to kill him for the bounty that his father had placed on his head. The man smiled slowly.

“Silas, come down here so we can speak like worthy men.” Silas was wondering why Jasper hadn’t come out yet to see what was going on.

“What did you do to Jasper!” Silas yelled furiously. The man below him smiled.

“I haven’t had a chance for anything yet.” Silas started to jump on the wooden beams one by one getting closer to Jasper’s room. Each of their rooms had a secret opening near the beams, just in case of an emergency. Once inside Jasper’s room Silas leaped down and landed near Jasper sleeping in his bed.

“Jasper! Jasper, wake up!” Silas was shaking Jasper. Jasper slowly gained conscience and opened his eyes.

“Silas.. What’s wrong?!” Jasper said as he started registering what was happening. Jasper sat up and looked at Silas for an explanation. Silas glanced at Jasper with a wild expression on his face.

“Someone is in our house and wants to take us to Father.. Jasper we need to kill him or Milo’s existence will be revealed.” Silas was talking extremely fast and low as if someone was listening through the door.

“W need to act fast, or that man is going to turn us all in!” Silas was whispering urgently at Jasper. Jasper nodded and went to a random part in the wall. Jasper pushed against it and the little sliver of wall revealed a wide range of weapons. All of them were different kinds of knives, from daggers to swords. He picked up four swords that were curved, and handed two to Silas. Jasper grabbed both of the cloaks in the wall and threw one to Silas and slid his on. Jasper looked at Silas and spoke with a wicked grin on his face.

“You ready?”

“Just like old times.” Silas said with a smile on his face. They threw their hoods on to hide there faces and both leaped to the ceiling.

“Silas, come out, come out, wherever you are.” The man said with a mocking smile on his face.

“It’s okay to be scared, I’ll make your death swift if you wish” The man still had a smile on his face as he said it.

“I thought you were here for my father. Not to kill us. I think you forget who your dealing with.” Silas said spinning the swords in his hands. The man realized his mistake and pulled out his sword, it was gleaming from the sun coming from the windows. Jasper and Silas leaped down and ran towards him with their sword cutting through the air. They were spinning and leaping across the air gracefully. The swords were ringing with the excitement of the battle. Finally, Jasper caught the man with his sword, piercing his heart. The man gasped, and fell to the floor. Jasper wiped the blood from his sword and looked towards where Milo was staying. It seemed Milo was banging on the door to know what was happening.

“You know what to do.” Jasper said to Silas. Silas nodded and took the vile out of the pocket in his cloak. He bent down to the man who had tried to kill them and took a droplet of blood and added it to the mix of whatever substance that was contained in it. Jasper walked to the door Milo was banging on and opened it.

“What is going on!? I heard fighting?” Milo looked genuinely concerned. Silas came over to join them and looked at both Jasper and Milo.

“We have to leave here it’s not safe anymore. We have over-stayed our welcome. We can head for the mountain and seek out shelter.” Jasper agreed and looked at Milo once again.

“Milo, it’s dangerous to our father if you are alive. If they find out you are alive, well, your dead. So, our goal is to keep that from happening. You have to trust us and do as we say, we have a little bit more experience in this area.” Jasper said. Jasper’s green eyes pierced the air around him as he tried to convey the meaning of his words, once again through his eyes. Milo nodded and followed them as they started to pack. Jasper grabbed a few short knives and two more swords for Milo. Milo looked at the curved blade with a quizzical expression on his face.

“It’s called a baaline. The blade is curved to give the blade a more aerodynamic feel when you slash at your opponent. Only few can master the blades, we shall teach you when we get to the mountains. Silas and I, well this isn’t the first time we had to run to the mountains. We have established a--” he paused contemplating the right word for it, “hideout in the deepest part. Only Silas and I know how to get in.” Milo nodded looking reassured. Silas handed Milo a cloak like the ones they were wearing. Milo slid it on slowly and took two baalines from Jasper.

“Alright, it’s time to leave. Milo put the hood on, it will shield you from the sun. You won’t die of exposure, but we don’t want you baked to a crisp now do we?” Milo shook his head and did as he was told. They all headed to the great doors, setting out on possibly the most important journey they have ever been on.

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