Pride X Familiar ReVamp (Pride X ReVamp Book 1) (31 page)

The girl frowned. “Are you claiming you don’t understand? Claiming you don’t know any of this?”

The Countess shook her head. “No. I’ve never heard of this. Never.”

The girl planted a hand on her hip. “Around nineteen or twenty months ago, the Sanctum decreed that a number Artemis—and some Paladins—were tainted by the
treacherous
actions committed by members of their ranks who supported Crimson Crescent’s ideals. The Sanctum ordered the Artemis and Paladins they trusted to hunt down their treacherous comrades, and that included the Mistress and the girls of her Interdiction squad who had broken out of a detention facility and were on the run.”

The Countess fell to her knees, her ash grey hair veiling her face.

“No…no, that can’t be.”

“Mistress Celica was the best of them. You could describe her as a war goddess. She was the last member of her squad still standing when Crimson Crescent arrived and whisked her to safety. She was the only one Crescent could save.” The girl grimaced unpleasantly. “Well, there was one other they saved, but due to her injuries she continues to live in a different way.”

I didn’t understand what this girl was talking about. Celica was a Regular. Why would she have something to do with the Prides and Primogens? Who are these Artemis the girl’s talking about?

The girl tipped her head again. “Tell me, Simone Alucard Raynar. When the Sanctum gave the order to cleanse the Artemis, who did they send to kill Celica Desanto? Who do you think accepted the task of killing the girl she was responsible for nurturing and training—the girl who helped elevate her status amongst the Prides when she took the credit for Celica’s accomplishments?”

The breeze blew aside the Countess’s hair and I saw her face.

Simone stared aghast at the girl. “No. You can’t mean…you can’t mean that. She believed in Celica. She trusted her. She loved her.”

“And that made her a risk. The Sanctum viewed her as a person of interest in their efforts to purge the ranks of anyone that could be a liability. Even though she wasn’t part of the Sanctum, and had her own Intervention Team—her own Kill Crew—and was part of Public Security, she was still someone close to Celica. So what did she do when she came under the
scrutiny
of the Sanctum?”

The girl glared at the Countess who continued to kneel.

Then she pointed an accusing finger at the Countess.

“To save her own skin she volunteered to lead a Judgment Crew and terminate Celica and her girls.”

“You’re lying,” Simone gasped.

The girl grew angry. “Are you ignorant or just stupid?”

I took a step toward the Countess. “Vice-President, what is she talking about? How does she know Caelum’s sister? How can she claim that Celica is alive?”

“Tell her,” the girl said. “Tell her, Simone Alucard Raynar.”

Simone hung her head.

I lost sight of her face when her hair veiled it once more.

But I heard her reply quite clearly.

“Celica…Celica Desanto was a Familiar.”

My eyes widened slowly in disbelief and I blinked slowly at the Countess.

The Countess spoke softly. “Celica awakened to her fate shortly before the explosion that killed her parents. Her body’s awakening was triggered by Raynar blood, so she was bonded to the Raynar Pride.”

I found my voice. “A Familiar? Celica was a Familiar? Caelum never told me. Celica never told me.”

The Countess gently shook her head. “She kept it a secret from him. She wanted to protect him. The Avenirs took care of their needs as a family, but it was my Pride, the Raynars, that held Celica’s leash. Unlike Caelum, she was inducted into the Artemis training program for Familiars gifted with an Artifact. She served with Public Security before the Sanctum took her in. She was exceptional, better than all the rest. At least, that’s what my sister has always said.”

I stared aghast at her. “Does Caelum know this? Does he know?”

“He knows. Arisa told him Celica was a Familiar who was part of the Artemis that served the Sanctum. But that’s all he knows. That’s all I knew as well. And that’s all Arisa knew.”

With a lost look in her eyes, the Countess looked up at the girl.

The girl smiled like a wolf about to eat the little lost lamb.

She announced with delight, “The one who carried out the Sanctum’s order to kill the Mistress was the Raynar Witch—Silia Alucard Raynar. And though she didn’t succeed, she was spared and kept her position in Public Security as the head of Section Three.”

At the familiar sounding name, I looked at Simone.

At first, Simone said nothing. She just continued to kneel on the grass bordering the sports field.

Then the Countess whispered hoarsely, “Silia…is my elder sister.”

Reflections – 12.

I need to describe something of a technical marvel.

I’ll describe it in simple layman’s terms because I don’t know all of its workings.

It’s called, the Skinsuit.

As the name implies, it’s a suit you wear over your birthday suit. It acts like a second skin and is a mere four to five millimeters thick. Thousands upon thousands of nerve contact points on the inside of the suit make contact with the surface of your skin. For that reason, you have to wear it while buck naked underneath.

The skinsuit is fitted with fibers that behave like artificial muscles. These complement the wearer’s muscles, enhancing their strength by as much as forty percent. It might not sound like much, but that forty percent can translate to a big difference in the case of an Aventis or a Familiar.

In order to make use of the skinsuit, it has to be tuned to the wearer, making it their personal skinsuit. This takes anywhere from six to ten hours. The tuning process allows the skinsuit to react in harmony with the wearer’s body. An un-tuned suit can injure the wearer if it works against the body’s movements rather than with it. The whole point is to complement the individual inside the skinsuit, not impair them.

All four of us, Maya, Rina, Caprice, and I, were given skinsuits that were quickly customized and tuned to our bodies. We trained in them too to get a feel for what we could achieve with them.

Mine was a little different from theirs. The right arm sleeve was a little shorter to compensate for the Gauntlet which sometimes tore up the sleeves of the clothes I was wearing. It wasn’t supposed to, and in truth, it didn’t do so all the time. But in those days I had trouble manifesting it properly or teaching it to manifest over my clothes rather than under them.

To be honest, the fact my Fragment ate up my clothes more often than not tended to piss me off. Thankfully, on the occasion when I first encountered Crimson Crescent at the restaurant, my Gauntlet didn’t eat up my shirt and jacket. That would have ruined my new outfit.

I would like to point out that Caprice didn’t have this issue.

She could manifest her Valkyrie Legs without the need to bare skin.

I decided I would persevere and master my Fragment.

In short, I chose not to lose to Caprice, or to any other Familiar for that matter.

Chapter 15
.

(Caelum)

I knew something was wrong the moment I saw Kaleb Deneve stride across the cafeteria, and walk toward Caprice and I who were disposing of our trays.

He carried a large canvas travel bag with its straps slung over his neck and across his body.

He completely ignored the looks of surprise and confusion the students gave him, and stopped a couple of feet away from us.

“Come with me.”

I asked quickly, “Why are you here? What’s going on?”

“The worst possible outcome.”

It was then I felt it, the tingle from my Fragment. Caprice must have felt something too, because she shifted on her feet in a surprised manner.

I looked at her and whispered, “Killing intent?”

Kaleb’s voice cut through low and harsh. “Damn it. Gods damn it.”

He almost ran to the panoramic cafeteria window and stared outside. I followed him with Caprice at my side.

Out on the edge of the sports field, almost blocked by the edge of a building, I saw three girls on the grass. One was standing beside a second girl on her knees. The third girl was aiming her right arm out toward the sports field. But her right arm resembled the barrel of a cannon, and it was aimed squarely at the medical buses and the hundred or so students lined up before them.

I recognized all three – Haruka, the Countess, and the girl who’d fired on the restaurant.

I almost punched the glass, but Kaleb caught my hand.

“No,” he whispered loudly. “We need to move.”

With that, he turned and left the cafeteria at a run. Needless to say, Caprice and I followed him just as quickly.

We ran down the stairs to the next level down.

I saw the signs for the girls and boys toilets up ahead.

Kaleb unzipped the bag as he ran, then slowed down as he pulled out two smaller bags.

I recognized them for what they were – skinsuit carry-bags.

I took the one he offered me, and Caprice took the other.

“Get changed,” was all he said.

I ran into the boys toilets with the bag under an arm.

Getting changed in one of the stalls, I didn’t even bother slipping my uniform over the skinsuit. It was black on black so it was guaranteed to stand out. What I did do, was attach the visor over my head and eyes. With it on, more than a third of my face was hidden. It would be a little hard to recognize me while I was wearing it.

My skinsuit was a little different. It had a short right sleeve, one that ended just below the elbow. As a result, that arm was weaker than the left since it wasn’t getting the full benefit of the skinsuit’s strength amplification. There was no choice. I still hadn’t mastered my Gauntlet to the point where it would manifest over my clothes a hundred percent of the time. There were occasions when it would eat up my right sleeve.

I piled my uniform into the carry-bag and took it with me as I left the toilets.

Kaleb was waiting outside, and a moment later he was joined by Caprice.

While I had failed to master my Gauntlet’s manifestation, Caprice could wear her Fragment and manifest it over her clothes. As a result, her skinsuit was complete, covering her body from neck to toe.

She gave me a shrug when I pouted at the sight of her black clad legs.

The lunch break bell sounded. Involuntarily we all looked up as it rang through the hallways.

“Let’s go,” Kaleb declared.

Dutifully, we followed.

The few students we passed by gave us strange looks, and quite a few stood and stared. I ignored them as best I could, and jogged behind Kaleb and Caprice.

He led us down a hallway. We entered the room at the end, and followed Kaleb into a second room through a locked door that he unlocked with a flat key-card. This turned out to be a stairwell, much like a fire escape.

We descended in single file.

“Where are we going?” I asked, wondering why such a stairwell existed.

“To the Vault,” Kaleb replied.

“The vault? What vault?”

Kaleb spoke as we half ran down the stairs. “We were wrong. Completely wrong. Crimson Crescent aren’t after the data in the network. They’re not after any medical data on the students. What they’re here for is the Vault.”

Caprice asked, “How do you know this?”

“Simone asked me to be on Academy grounds during this week and next, in the event Crescent made a move. I was in the Student Council room monitoring the security feeds when the sixth breach took place. The sixth security layer went down in two minutes. I rang Simone as soon as it happened.”

Subconsciously I was keeping track of how many floors we’d descended. If this was the third one, then we’d be at ground floor by now. However, the stairwell kept going down. I peeked over the edge of the hand railing.

Looks like another seven floors until we reach bottom.

I didn’t seen any landings along the way down.

Kaleb continued talking. “I told Simone what was happening and almost hung up, but then I realized she was talking to someone. Simone kept the line open and I listened in on the conversation, careful not give myself away. Oh, I should point out your esteemed Student Council President was in the room with me when all this happened.”

“So you listened in on her conversation?” I asked.

“Right, and that’s when I heard that girl talk about something under the Academy called, The Vault.”

I frowned a little. “The Vault?”

Caprice muttered, “Sounds like a Bee grade horror movie….”

Kaleb gave her a puzzled glance. “Severin and I didn’t know of any vault, so we contacted Alessandro Alucard, Simone’s older cousin. As part of Public Security Section Thirteen, he’s a Raynar in charge of executive protection to a number of important people within the Prides, including Simone. At first he denied the Vault’s existence until we sent him the live feed from Simone’s palm-slate and the security cameras with coverage over that area of the sports field. A couple of minutes later, and Alessandro said he’d verified there was a vault, but all data regarding it was outside of his security clearance. But he did send us data on a number of tunnels and stairwells leading down deep under the Academy. This is one of them and while he didn’t confirm it would lead to the Vault, he didn’t deny it either which is why we’re here now.”

Kaleb paused and looked up at us.

“Crimson Crescent believes there’s an Artifact in there. A very powerful Artifact that probably makes the others look like toy weapons.”

That statement wasn’t lost on Caprice and I.

I swallowed and asked, “Why would they believe that?”

Kaleb hesitated. “Because your sister put it there.”

My face twisted. “What?”

“Caelum, your sister was a member of the Artemis that served the Sanctum.”

“Yes, I know. Arisa told me that. She said my sister disappeared during a mission that wiped out a lot of the Artemis—a mission against Crimson Crescent that really thinned out their ranks. She said that a number of the current crop of Artemis are all newcomers.”

Kaleb looked uneasy. No, he looked downright uncomfortable. “Caelum, that cannon girl out there told Simone your sister is alive.”

If we’d been walking, I would have stumbled down the stairs.

For a long while I could barely breathe, let alone move.

It took me some time to find my voice. “She’s alive? My sister is alive? Where is she?”

“She’s with Crimson Crescent. She’s the one who sent them here. She put that Artifact into the vault under this Academy, and now it appears she wants it back.”

I didn’t know what to say. My sister was a part of the group responsible for the freighter explosion, the restaurant massacre, and other acts of widespread destruction during the last five to six years. How was that possible? Why would my sister join such an organization?

My mind was having a hard time accepting Kaleb’s words, especially since they were originally from the cannon girl – someone I had reason to distrust.

Kaleb looked me straight in the eyes. “Caelum, whether it’s true or not, we can’t dwell on your sister’s involvement. Right now, we need to get to the Vault, whatever it may be. We need to protect this Academy.”

I took a deep breath. “I told the Countess this school didn’t matter to me. I said the same thing to Prissila. But I told those girls they matter to me, so I would protect their Academy for them.” I gave Kaleb a resolute nod. “I won’t break my word to either of them.”

After a few moments he looked satisfied with my reply. “Alright, then let’s get down there.” He slipped on a headset-visor. “Severin, do you copy? Are you happy with that?”

I suddenly heard the Student Council President’s voice in my right ear.

“Yes. It’ll do for now. Caelum Desanto, if your sister is indeed responsible, this will undoubtedly put you at risk. The Primogens may hold you responsible as well. They may even allege your involvement. You’ll need to demonstrate that isn’t the case.”

“They’ll suspect me?”

“Yes, they most certainly will. After all, it appears that Simone’s sister, Silia Alucard, volunteered to lead the Judgment squad dispatched to hunt down and kill your sister.”

Caprice gasped and gave me a worried look.

I ignored her but only because my stomach had suddenly clamped painfully tight.

“Kaleb,” Severin said, “continue descending. In the meantime, Desanto, I want you to listen carefully. No questions. Just listen.”

We resumed our descent into the ground below the Academy.

I listened to Severin Kell recount what he’d heard via the open communication channel to Simone’s palm-slate.

I was trembling by the time he finished, but I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or fear. I thought of the incident on the rooftop back at my old school.

“So it really was because of my sister that those Raynars wanted to harm me. It was because Celica joined Crimson Crescent that they thought I would do the same if I became a Familiar. They really did see me as a threat.”

“You don’t know that for certain, Desanto,” Severin stated flatly. “The truth is we’re dealing with a great deal of uncorroborated evidence. It is dangerous to draw conclusions at this point.”

Though he said that, I couldn’t help myself returning to what Severin had said earlier. “But if my sister was responsible for putting the dangerous Artifact here, and Crimson Crescent are coming for it, then I can understand why the Primogens would suspect my involvement. They might order me purged as well.”

Severin replied in a hard voice, “I will not allow that to happen. After all, the Sanctum ordered the Artemis to be eliminated as a knee jerk reaction to the treachery of a few. I have no doubt the Purge influenced Celica’s decision to join Crimson Crescent. I will not allow them to give you a reason to follow in your sister’s footsteps.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Caelum Desanto afil Lanfear, the Lanfear Pride has high expectations for you. They would hate to see their investment in time and resources come to an end. I do not believe they would idly stand by and allow you to come to harm because of a decision made by an ill-informed Primogen Council and a clandestine group such as the Sanctum.”

An investment? Is that how Arisa really saw me?

Maybe I was far too trusting of Arisa, but then again who else could I trust or turn to?

Severin Kell Avenir?

Simone Alucard Raynar?

I trusted Caprice, but there was no way she could protect me against the orders of the Primogens. I had no choice but to place my trust in my Guardian, Arisa, and in the Lanfear Pride.

We arrived at the bottom of the stairwell.

I found myself staring at a metal door, much like a fire escape door.

Kaleb regarded it. “Severin, this door is locked and there’s no panel or keyhole. How the Hell do we open it?”

“Apparently it can only be opened by direct authority from the Primogens, via the network.”

“Meaning what?” Kaleb asked, sounding frustrated for the first time.

“Meaning, that until the Powers-that-be here in Pharos decree it be opened, that door and all the doors leading to the Vault will remain locked. Or we can simply wait for Crimson Crescent to open the door for us.”

Caprice asked, “Until then how do we get in there?” She touched her knees. “Do we kick the door down?”

I considered manifesting my Fragment and using the Gauntlet’s blades. The door looked pretty sturdy, but during testing the blades had cut through a two-foot thick tetra-steel door.

Kaleb shook his head while studying the door with his visor down over his eyes. “There’s an effect-field on the other side. A massively powerful field. We’d need a heavy cannon to bring that field down.”

Severin asked, “Is it too much for your Cuirassier to handle?”

Kaleb studied the door for a little while longer. “I’m afraid so….”

“Then what do we do?” I asked.

“We wait,” Severin replied. “After all, the seventh layer won’t last much longer.”