Kaidan & Delilah: Part 2

He stopped and took a moment to get a feeling of the air and the energy of the woods; Lilah was right these trees were old and had thick trunks....they'd probably been here longer than he had been alive. "I personally don't know about the spirits, but i can this place has seen many things over the years." he said smiling and watched as Scout flew around excited to be out in familiar woods again.

He chuckled and followed her, "That it is, plus more freedom to run!"

"Yes, it feels great to be able to run free like this!" Lilah was thankful for the extra boost to her speed and agility that she got from becoming a vampire. In no time at all, they made it out of the forest and started to follow the dirt trail that would lead them to the village. Lilah was starting to feel very nervous. She wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived home or how the villagers would react to seeing her again. She grew quiet as they walked along. Scout had flown ahead to the village to alert the residence of her arrival.

He kept up the pace, but not going any faster, knowing she was still trying to adapt to her vampire abilities. Once they had slowed down when getting closer, He could feel her nervous energy, he got her hands, stopping her, "Don't worry, I'm here and if they are not accepting of it, we'll still offer our help anyway...you're still you." he said, assuring her.

Lilah stopped when Kaidan took her hand and blocked her way for a moment. He must have realized just how nervous she was. "I know, love. I may be a vampire now, but I am still Delilah. I just hope they see it that way too." She hugged Kaidan close to her, thankful that he was with her. "I couldn't do this without you...thank you." She kissed his lips and gave him a smile feeling a bit better.

---

Walking farther along, they finally came to the village. Smoke was rising from the houses and the laughter of children and the sound of hard working adults filled the air. No one seemed to give them much thought as they entered through the makeshift wooden gate at the front. Rangers were posted around the entrance and raised their bows and arrows at them.

"Who goes there!?" Said the rather large man that was posted right at the entrance. Things seemed to get tense. She didn't remember the security being THIS tight. "My name is Delilah Dawson, I am a former resident of this village. The headman sent for me to come assist with the aftermath of the attack on the village."

The man took the letter from her and read it over. "Very well, Miss. Dawson. But who is this man with you? He is not mentioned in the letter." The man eyed Kaidan suspiciously and kept his hand on his dagger at his side.

He held her by her chin as he kissed her back and smiled, "Anytime my love." he said, "Come on, let's get this party going." he said, as they continued on with her toward the village.

A while later, when the village came in sight, Kaidan kept his face covered to keep as much sun on his pale skin as possible, not wanting to risk gttin sun sickness at this time. He looked around, all seemed to be well in the village, what could possibly be wrong here? But that was answered when they came face to face with the guarding rangers of the gate.

"I'm here Fiancé, Kaidan Bale, I'm assisting her with the issue at hand at the request of Delilah." he said, making it simple and short.

The head ranger continued to eye Kaidan with suspicion. The way they were dressed and the fact that their faces were hidden did not sit well with him. He was about to speak when a handsome tall man with dark hair and dark eyes approached them. He looked to be about in his late thirties. "Relax Owen. This woman and her companion are my guests. Let them pass." He said and the ranger bowed his head in apology to them and moved aside for them to pass.

"Welcome home Lilah. It's been too long." The man greeted Lilah with a friendly smile as if he had known her for a long time. Scout was perched atop the mans shoulder relaxing. "It has been a long time, Christopher." Lilah said still feeling a bit nervous, but his kind smile helped her relax. "Please allow me to introduce you to my fiancee..." She turned her attention to Kaidan. "Kaidan Bale." The smile did not leave Christopher's face as he greeted Kaidan. "Pleasure to meet you, young Kaidan." He extended his hand for a greeting.

Kaidan turned to see this taller man arrive to the scene but he remained silent, observing and listening. Scout gave a little chirp, excited to see Christopher again after so long. Kaidan nodded to him when he was introduced, "Likewise." he replied as he shook his hand.

Christopher gave him a firm hand shake and brought them in. "As I'm sure you are aware of, I called you here on an urgent manor. A few weeks ago our village was ruthlessly attacked. We have been able to repair the damage, but I'm afraid the situation is more dire." Delilah seemed confused. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I am afraid I kept the details vague in my letter. I didn't want to reveal too much information. Please, come inside and I will explain further." The headman led them into his home. His wife was inside preparing tea and two children were playing on the fur rug. Once they were inside, Lilah pulled down her face mask and removed her hood. When Christopher saw her face he smiled, "You look so much like your mother..." Christopher knew her parents and was very good friends with her grandfather. Lilah couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

Freya, Christopher's wife, came with a tray of tea and set it down on the table. "Lilah it is so good to see you again. You have grown so much since I last saw you." "It's great to see you too, Freya." She noticed Kaidan and smiled. "And who is this handsome gentleman with you?"

Kaidan was alarmed hearing there was something much more happening. He followed them to Christopher's home. He smiled under his mask seeing the simple little family home and the children playing with their handmade wood toys on the floor near their beds. He removed his mask as well and he stayed by Lilah's side, keeping his support to her. He smiled to Freya, "I'm Kaidan, Delilah's Fiance." he nodded to her.

"Lilah you're getting married!? Oh congratulations my dear." Freya couldn't help herself and hugged her. Lilah smiled and hugged her back, "Th-thank you, Freya. We are quite happy about it too." Christopher pealed his wife from Lilah seeing her being a little too clingy. "That's enough, Freya. Let the girl breathe. Please forgive my wife, she gets very excited about these sort of things." Lilah chuckled, "It's alright. I admire her enthusiasm."

"But down to business. Freya, could you take the girls into the other room, please?" He said giving her a kiss on top of her head. "Of course dear. Come on girls." The two young girls looked to be about one to two years old. They had been born after Lilah left the village. "Such beautiful girls. What are their names?" Lilah asked. "Grace and Kayleigh." "Where is little Oliver? He was just a tiny thing the last time I saw him." Christopher grew silent and his eyes became troubled. "...They took him?" "Yes...him and three other children. The rangers tried to fight off the intruders, but the children were taken as hostages so they were left with no choice but to watch as they went on their spree. We were able to rebuild all the homes and tend the wounded, but all our fields were burned and our crops destroyed. Several were killed as well." Lilah's chest became tight as she listened.

"The leader of the men who attacked us wore a mask so I didn't see his face. But I saw remnants of a tattoo of some kind on his chest. I heard him say your name, Lilah. That is also why I wrote to you. I not only wanted to ask for your help, but to warn you. This man seemed truly evil..."

Kaidan smiled, "We're not set to marry until the Spring. Not really wishing for a cold wedding for all to attend." Kaidan joked a little. "It is no issue I'm sure." said Kaidan, "But yes, could you tell us what's going on fully?" he asked, with arms crossed. Freya and Christopher's two daughters left the room. Kaidan frowned, "........How old is your son?"

The moment of kaidan heard the word of a tattoo on the chest the growled lightly, "Delilah....Its Harlok." he said wit a deep frown. "I must apologised profusely to this being brought down on your village, but I know the man who is leading this." said Kaidan.

Christopher looked as if he were holding back tears. "He is only five...he was just an infant when Lilah left the village." Lilah put her hand on his shoulder as a way to comfort him. "We will get Oliver and the other children back. I promise." Christopher was hopeful, but he wasn't sure if Lilah was capable of handling such a foe.

Delilah felt her heart stop for a brief second when Christoper described one of the assailants. It sounded a lot like Harlok. Unable to speak, Lilah just nodded. "Don't apologize young man, this is not your fault. But how do you know this man?" Christopher asked seeming taken off guard a bit. "Yes...he is a horrible man. He was once Kaidan's teacher." Lilah explained. "I see..." Christopher said, rubbing his chin. He was skeptical of Kaidan knowing that his man was his former teacher, but he trusted Lilah and her judgment so he must have been safe.

"We have been looking for him for several months now actually. He has managed to stay hidden for a while until now. I wonder if he wanted us to come here and lure us into a trap knowing that we could not refuse coming to help?" Lilah thought.

Kaidan sighed, "I feel That I must apologise...I've know the man you've described since I was a boy....he recently betrayed my family and he's wanted for his crimes......he's facing death." Kaidan was being serious when he spoke all these words. "But I'm not sure what he'd be wanting with children........" Kaidan thought hard for a moment and paused, he looked to his Fiancee'.

"Lilah I need to talk with you before we take action." Kaidan said to her, "Excuse us Christopher." he took her outside. ".......Its definitely Desmond Harlok......this makes it even more dangerous and even more difficult....Desmond was the clan strategist....which means everything he does is part of an even bigger plot." he sighed, "But no doubt its a trap. But I have a feeling there maybe something twisted he's thinking of doing." Kaidan said with a bit of worry.

Christopher nodded, "I see. I'm sorry that you have suffered that same misfortunes as us. To be betrayed by someone you have known your entire life must be painful." He indeed sympathized with Kaidan and Lilah. She was also curious as to what Harlok wanted with the children. "Maybe he is using them as insurance to make sure we come to him no matter what. He knows we won't abandon small innocent children..." She sighed, "Yes, of course. Please excuse us Christopher." "Of course." He said and took a hard swallow of his tea.

Lilah nodded to Kaidan. "No doubt about it. It is him..." Lilah was just as worried as Kaidan was. "You know him better than anyone...what should we do from here?" She asked.

"I can't think of anything immediately for children to e of use to besides turning or feeding off them........and these days that is forbidden for vampires to turn or even feed on young children under the age of 13." he said. He just couldn't think of what Harlok could be thinking to use them for. "......this might be something we need to ask the elder vampires... they might have an inkling." he suggested to Lilah, ".....But we only just arrived here too...."

He sighed, "The closest elder Vampire near here....is my father." he was on better terms with his father, but he still was not too keen to talk to him much.

Lilah was thinking of every possible solution to this, but was coming up empty. Neither she nor Kaidan could figure out what Horlok was up to and why he took the children. "That's a good idea. They could give us some insight on the situation. He could be planning something much bigger than this that you and I couldn't even fathom."

"...I don't like the idea of leaving so soon when we just arrived, but we don't have much of a choice. Your father is our only option. I know you don't want to involve him, but we need more information." She touched his shoulder to comfort him a bit. "We should go immediately." She said, looking him in the eyes.

"I was thinking more on having him come here...he's able to come here faster than we can go to him." he said, I'll be back, I can't do this in the open." he headed off to somewhere private and away form prying eyes. He formed a crow from smoke and he had it perched on his arm, "Fly to my father Solomon Bale...send him the message his son needs him to my location right away." Kaidan told the crow the name of the village and sent the crow off.

"Have him come here?! How could he get here faster?" Kaidan didn't answer right away but left her side to go do whatever he needed to get Solomon here. She went back inside to sit with Christopher and let him know that Kaidan was handling the matter and was sending for extra help.

"Excellent. Thank you so much Lilah. I'm in your debt." Christopher bowed his head to her. "Think nothing of it Christopher. After all, it is my job." She smiled. "Kaidan's father will be aiding us in searching for Harlok. He is a very important lord in this land." "What is his name? I may know him." Lilah smiled, "I doubt it. He is a very private person and keeps to himself. His name is Solomon Bale." Lilah was a bit cautious in choosing her words when telling Christopher about her future father in law.

"Ah yes! I know that name well. Solomon Bale is the vampire Lord of the Taris clan. Or should I say former since his son seems to have taken over." He said referring to Kaidan. Lilah was shocked at the casual way he said it. "Then you..." "Relax Lilah. I knew the moment I saw you. Even though you are different, you are still the same Lilah I knew all those years ago." She couldn't help but smile and feel relieved. He had known her most of her life so of course he would know.

The crow flew on and then dove through a shadow in the woods and within second appeared outside Solomon's manor. Within the grand building, Solomon was playing on his cello, just taking a moment to take a little time to himself and not think about his roles as a High Member. He paused, "....." he sighed, he lived in the manor on his own, besides the staff he had hired and what not and he still didn't feel to how he could court again after losing Eva.

Then the Shadow crow appeared through the wall and mad whim jump, "You bloody bird!!" he curse but noticed it was a messenger, "Who is sending this?" he stood and called the bird down and it perched on his hand, "Father, its Kaidan there is a serious situation in a village not far from your territory, I need you to come to the location I'll tell you." the message being spoken by the bird. Solomon for one was surprise his son was even ASKING for his assistance, "....." he listen dhearign the location, ".......sounds serious...might as well go look." he said. The bird turned back to smoke once the message was heard and he went on to change in something more casual to travel in than his refinery.

---

Kaidan came back and over heard Christopher speaking, "Well you are half right." he said to Christopher, "It was Fallon Taris who was the Vampire Lord of the Taris clan. HIGH Lord Bale is STILL head of his family and is a member of the High Council." he said. "And I'm glad you've not pushed her away." he smiled at his love.

Christopher sipped his tea as Kaidan returned to the living room. "Ah yes, I see. I misunderstood. I take it this Lord Fallon is your uncle then?" Lilah visibly relaxed having Kaidan back at her side.

"I've know Lilah since she was very small. As I said to her, she may be different but she is still the same Lilah." Christopher smiled at her and she smiled back. "Thank you, Christopher. I also wanted to visit grandfathers grave while we were here." "Of course, I have kept up with his grave in your absence. I'm sure he will be thrilled to see you."

The two little girls suddenly ran back out into the living room having escaped from their mother. They jumped at Christopher giggling and hugging him. "I'm sorry dear, they just couldn't stay away from you any longer." His wife said coming out of the girls room. "It's fine dear. We are done anyway. Please excuse me you two. Feel free to visit your grandfather any time." He picked up both his girls and took them back into their room while his wife showed them out.

"Yes he was." he sighed, "....But he's no long amongst the living." he said with a grimace. Kaidan looked to Lilah and smiled, kissing her hand, I would like to your grandfather's grave." he said to Lilah, "Pay my respects."

Kaidan blinked seeing the two girls run in and leaping basically into their father's arms, he chuckled. "Lilah why don't we go and see the grave now and we'll be able to go, 'see'." he said hinting to when his father would arrive.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, young Lord. You have my condolences." Christopher said with respect. Lilah smiled feeling her lovers warm lips on the back of her hand. "Yes, let's go. It's towards the edge of the village near the fields."

Lilah took Kaidan through the village to where the fields were. She frowned when she saw they were barren and the ground was charred. "The fields always looked so beautiful this time of year..." She sighed seeing the once lively green and growing fields now lifeless and black. "That bastard...these people are innocent. Why did he have to drag them into it?" She cursed.

"Please don't call me that, I'm just Kaidan while away from the clan like this....but thank you." he nodded to him. "We'll be back, just inform the village to NOT venture out after sunset until further notice, so if there is anything they need to do before then they need to do is soon." he advised.

Kaidan sighed seeing the wastes lands, "....Desmond's ways have always puzzled me...ever since I first met him.....He never really explained himself or his ways to anyone, or to me." he said, looking to the sky as the sky was getting darker. "if he got it...he should be here soon." Kaidan said.

Lilah nodded. Close by, was a small and rundown hut with one single tree left that the fire did not get to. The hut was abandoned no one lived in it for a long time. "This is the hut where we lived..." Beneath the tree was a small makeshift tombstone. Pretty much it was just a big rock with flowers placed on it. "It's just as I left it." She knelt down and touched the rock. "His ashes are buried beneath this tree. He wanted to be buried under his favorite tree." She smiled thinking back to when they would sit under this very tree and he would tell her stories. "We would sit under this tree and he would tell me stories for hours until I fell asleep."

He paused, "Your old house?" he blinked and followed her to it. he looked over the rock and the flowers upon it, ".....might need new flowers, these are getting withered." he said. "....I wish I could have met him, though he might have tried to arrest me too i would believe." he chuckled.