Blood and Death

[not_the_shell]

"Lead the way, love. Let's go see what that good for nothing Qwa'ha Xahn's insides look like, hmm?"I followed the scent of my Qwa'ha Xahn through the city until I came upon an abode that I knew from The Shell's memories was it. Him. My Qwa'ha Xahn and Virginia Bryce's father

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[protectorofnone]

He had let Illyria go on ahead, staying behind and seeing to those humans that were so obviously not worth her time. They tried to stop Illyria from getting through, tried to stop her from getting in to see the Qwa'ha Xan, but Kelne saw to it that no man stood in her way. They came upon him in twos and threes, armed guards sworn to protect the man who paid them so well, but their weapons were no good against him. He was too fast for them, too strong. He took them down one by one, sometimes two at a time, snapping necks and twisting limbs, leaving bodies strewn across the floor in the most unnatural positions possible. When he had finished, he went to join Illyria in the study.

Kelne smiled to himself, impressed as he watched Illyria's late Qwa'ha Xan fall to the floor with a deliciously sickening thud. His blood ran thick, slowly pooling around their feet and staining the carpet a deep crimson.

"Well done," he told her, idly nudging the man's body with his toe. Illyria didn't do anything half-assed. One of the things he loved about

[not_the_shell]

"I'd be surprised if there was a living being left in this stinking hole."

And he was correct. There were none. At last, I could breathe, truly, without the stench of mortals.

"Father, stop it!"

"Wesley, hurry, we'll be late for the dinner."

"What do you mean, I'm sick?"

"NO!"

My hands went to my head, trying their best to stop the swirling of voices that were not mine, that was actually one voice screaming quietly to me.

My head moved upwards, eyes accusing Kelne. Had he known this would happen? That no matter how I tried, The Shell would always remain unbidden, and dormant for all save myself?

Was it the same for him?

My hands slowly moved down until they were stiff at my sides. "You," I started, as my legs wobbled upon the bloodied feet I could not fully control, "must tell me. What has happened to me that I should be trapped like this?"

"Wesley come to bed."

"NO!" I screamed at it, and perhaps at Kelne as well. He had been in his host longer than I.

"Make it stop!" I ordered him.

[protectorofnone]

"You... must tell me. What has happened to me that I should be trapped like this?"

"Wish I could say," Kelne admitted, canting his head and giving his better half a skeptical look. "But I can't tell you much at all unless I know what's going on. Something wrong, sweetheart? It's a trade-off, you know... being able to walk the earth like humans. We have the chance to work from the inside out, retreat and blend in when we need to... but our lives are not wholly our own anymore. You still have the memories of your host... you can't let that bother you. You need to look past them. They'll only hold you back."

"NO! Make it stop!"Kelne withheld a sigh. Perhaps it wouldn't be so easy for Illyria... his host was still alive. He was a symbiant. He and his host both relied on each other. It was give and take, whether or not his host realized it. But Illyria... her situation was quite different. Her host had died, there was nothing left now but a shell, some memories and a few traces of the host's spirit. He and Illyria were very, very

[not_the_shell]

Kelne was speaking but I was not listening, not while the words in my head seemed to take over my new body. I scratched at my skin, wishing to pry it all out of me and toss the voice into the ocean where it might drown, yet each movement of my hands did nothing to alleviate my suffering.

"We're going to go see my lawyer."

My eyes flashed upwards at him, and if the lungs within me needed to breathe, I would not have been able to do so.

"A lawyer..."

I was uncertain what he meant, but if he was speaking of the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart...then perhaps there would still be a chance for me.

Perhaps.

"Very well," was all I said as I waited to follow my lover.