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A Game of Wolves and Sheep

The sterile hallway echoed with the sharp click of Grant's boots as he approached the massive oak doors leading to the Council President's office. Taking a steadying breath, he rapped twice and pushed the door open.

A hush fell over the book-lined room. Behind a mahogany desk sat a man whose weathered face was a map of past hardships. Each line seemed to deepen with disapproval as he looked up from his work.

"President," Grant greeted, his voice tight with tension.

"Still no sign of Amelia?" the President rasped, his voice rough with age.

Grant shook his head, a grimace twisting his features. "She's vanished without a trace. Despite our best efforts, it's as if the earth swallowed her whole."

A frown creased the President's brow. "Why haven't you simply questioned Prince Adrian? Surely he knows who Queen Eydis is."

Grant's jaw clenched. "The Prince is a cunning creature, President. He only offers information when it suits his agenda. Those ghouls he sent us..." He spat the word out with disgust. "We lost good hunters there."

"And Callista?" The President's voice softened, a flicker of concern replacing the anger. "Is she still no match for the Queen?"

"She's not quite there yet, President," Grant admitted, his voice low.

President Dmitri leaned back, his weathered hand drumming a restless rhythm on the desk. Disappointment etched lines on his face. "Disappointing... after the lengths I went to… the charade I played in front of her… and yet, she hasn't even scratched the surface of her potential."

Grant hesitated, then spoke, his voice carefully measured. "President Dmitri... was faking your death truly the best way to motivate Callista?"

A dark growl rumbled in the President's chest. "She is the Chosen One, Grant! The one prophesied to end the vampires' reign of terror!" He slammed his fist on the table, the force of it rattling the glasses. "A child I groomed through tragedy. She WILL vanquish Queen Eydis, and bring peace to this war-torn world!"

Grant bowed his head, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. "May the prophecy hold true, President. For the sake of all the sacrifices we've made."

******

The dungeon reeked of iron and despair. A single, anguished scream tore through the dimness, then silence. Eydis, her regal demeanour a stark contrast to the brutal setting, perched on her throne-like armchair, eyes focused on the contorted figure writhing in the flickering torchlight.

"Still nothing?" she murmured, her voice like velvet dipped in ice. Lionel, ever-present by her side, shook his head solemnly.

Eydis rose with a sigh, the heavy chair groaning against the cold stone. Her gaze met the prisoner's, and her golden eyes flared with an otherworldly power. As she trailed a gleaming blade across his face, her voice held a chilling edge. "Surprised, aren't you, that my… bloodhound tracked you down so quickly?"

The prisoner screamed again as the blade found its mark, carving shallow words across his cheek. "Just kill me, you bitch," he spat.

An eyebrow quirked in amusement, a cruel smile playing on her lips. "Such eloquent language from a self-proclaimed guardian of humanity. I thought your kind possessed more than brawn and borrowed ghouls to draw me out."

The man bit his lip, blood welling up around his clenched jaw. As she twisted the knife in his wound, her voice remained emotionless. "It's understandable, I suppose. The public enemy narrative and all. But my interest isn't in your motives. It's in your methods."

Through gritted teeth, the man spat out blood, his gaze locked on her golden eyes. "Stop playing games. Kill me now."

The blade twisted with a sickening crunch, eliciting a strangled gasp from the man. Eydis relished the raw fear flickering in his eyes, a stark contrast to the righteous fury that had burned there moments ago.

"Tell me, Watcher, how did you stumble upon the mutated ghouls?"

His eyes widened, a flicker of understanding dawned on his face, quickly replaced by a chilling despair. It was all the confirmation she needed.

"You didn't know either," Eydis purred, the amusement devoid of warmth. "Just another cog in the twisted machine, blind to the bigger picture. Isn't that right?" A smirk played on her lips, revealing a hint of a fang. "Well, let me enlighten you. You believe yourself a hero, a protector of the innocent. But heroism is a luxury reserved for the ignorant, Watcher. But there are no heroes in this game, only sheep led by wolves in sheep's clothing, driven by their twisted ideologies."

The weight of her words settled on him like a suffocating fog. Eydis watched with a morbid fascination as the man's face crumpled, hope replaced by a chilling acceptance. A slow, chilling grin spread across her face.

"Welcome to reality, Watcher," she whispered, "there is no justice here, only a dance of power. And you," she leaned closer, her words a hammer blow, "are far from the hero you dream of being. But..." her voice trailed off, a glint of calculation replacing her amusement. "You can still be of use."

Darkness consumed the Watcher, a merciful end. Eydis turned to her ever-present shadow, Lionel, who watched her with a mix of surprise and veiled disapproval.

"Thought you'd drain him," he remarked, a hint of challenge in his voice.

Eydis sighed, tossing the blade aside with practised nonchalance. She flicked her wrist, severing the thread of memory that connected the Watcher to her face. "He wasn't a fool. He connected the dots fast."

Lionel's sharp gaze narrowed. "A touch of softness, wouldn't you say?"

"No. He serves a purpose alive," Eydis countered, a hint of steel returning to her voice. "A message to the Watchers. A reminder that I know," she paused, a sly grin twisting her features, "everything."

A flicker of something akin to fear danced in Lionel's eyes, quickly masked by unwavering loyalty. "Yes, Your Majesty," he bowed, his voice a low rumble.

*****

A guttural gasp escaped Callista's lips as she narrowly dodged a swift, vicious kick from the mutated ghoul. 

"Black belt in Taekwondo, were you?"

A faint buzz in her earpiece signalled her ever-watchful, yet often-grumpy, watcher. "Focus, Callista. Several hunters have been seriously injured by these things."

Callista rolled her eyes, her blade flashing orange in the dying sunlight as she parried another attack. "Anything on Amelia?"

Indigo's voice crackled through the receiver. "Vanished without a trace."

With a swift strike, Callista plunged her blades into the ghoul's pulsating green eyes. The creature convulsed, sensing its imminent demise, before erupting in a noxious green cloud. Leaping back, Callista cursed under her breath.

"If I were a lovestruck teenager," she sighed, the frustration evident in her voice. "I'd probably be crying over that classic 'kiss and run' routine."

A confused murmur came from the earpiece. "Kiss and... what?"

Ignoring the bewildered response, Callista grabbed her bag and fumbled for her gas mask. Donning the mask, her voice muffled. "When are you going to be transparent, Watcher? Your little meeting with the Watchers' council," she pressed, frustration evident. "They know something, and you're keeping me in the dark." 

Callista crouched, her hand a blur as she extracted a sample of the mutated flesh. If she couldn't trust the Watchers, she'd find her own answers.

A tense silence stretched, punctuated only by the faint hiss of static in Callista's earpiece. Finally, Indigo's voice crackled through, laced with a weary sigh. "Callista, their recent actions have been morally ambiguous. And last night, a watcher returned barely alive, his face marred by a vicious scar."

"Who did this? Amelia? The Queen?"

"Yes," Indigo admitted. "Though the Queen has never been one for mercy, this was the first. However, the Watchers are in disarray. Fear is spreading faster than wildfire."

A cold glint entered Callista's eyes, a stark contrast to the simmering anger in her voice. "Maybe that's exactly what she's aiming for," she mused, her words low and dangerous. "To sow discord and fear within the Watchers themselves."

Indigo remained silent for a beat too long. "Be careful, Callista," he finally said, the concern evident in his voice. "The ground is shifting beneath our feet, and it's hard to tell who's friend or foe."

Switching off the earpiece, she hopped into her car and floored the accelerator, heading towards her own source of information. Pulling up at a familiar lab, she called out, "Adam, I need you to analyse this sample."

A radiant smile, as bright as the sun itself, split Adam's face. "Callie! Haven't seen you around. Where have you been hiding?"

"Dragged into an R-rated vampire academy," Callista muttered. "Be careful, this might be poisonous."

Adam's eyes, flecks of blue swirling within the sapphire depths, gleamed with scientific curiosity as he donned his lab coat and gloves. "Always am," he replied, studying the vial with a predatory focus. "Give me a few sleepless nights, and I can crack this formula. Is this ghoul flesh?"

"Mutated," Callista confirmed, her voice laced with urgency. "Identify the compounds used, and maybe we can track down the source."

"I like this detective side of you, Callie," he grinned. "Ever considered a career change?"

A small smile played on Callista's lips. "Oh, every day," she admitted. "Coffee? My treat?"

Adam grinned, his black hair shimmering with an otherworldly light. "Anytime, Callista."

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