Finding Eydis

The parchment crackled under Callista's restless fingertips. Sprawled on her stomach, her raven hair cascading down bare shoulders, she couldn't focus on the forbidden romance novel. Why, when stories like this were so cliche, did they remain so popular? The naïve, doe-eyed heroine, the brooding, misunderstood hero, the grand, undying love – it was formulaic, yet undeniably captivating.

"Ever been smitten, roomie?" Natalia's voice, usually laced with playful fire, held an unexpected depth.

Callista scoffed, her eyes still glued to the page. "Please, love? No." She had flings, sure, but nothing so...grandiose and dramatic. Deep down, she wasn't sure if she even believed in everlasting, fairytale love.

"Ever the charmer," Natalia grinned, slurping her crimson snack, the scent of iron filling the air.

Sensing a shift in her roommate's tone, Callista finally looked up, an eyebrow raised. "How about you, ever believe in true love's kiss and all that crap?"

Natalia's smile faltered, a flicker of vulnerability replacing her usual fiery facade. "Once," she admitted softly, "But...well, she doesn't feel the same."

"She?" Callista echoed, her voice harsher than intended.

A tremor passed through Natalia's usually confident frame. "Surprised? Not your thing, I guess?" she said, a hint of self-consciousness creeping into her voice.

Callista shook her head, the realisation hitting with a jarring force. "I never really considered it," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. The thought of being attracted to another woman hadn't even crossed her mind. Not until now.

A flicker of disquiet flickered across her face as her mind drifted back to the sterile halls of the church, to the rigid rules and unwavering expectations. But then, like a phantom echo, a different memory surfaced - sun-kissed hair, eyes like molten gold. She flinched, the memory sending a jolt of something akin to longing through her. But quickly, she slammed the door shut, locking the image away in the deepest recesses of her mind. There was no room for such thoughts, not now, not ever.

"Neither did I, to be honest," Natalia confided, her voice soft. "But someone wise pointed out that sometimes, we need to open our minds, to see beyond the limitations imposed by society. Turns out, those limitations are often just...self-imposed cages."

A ghost of a smile touched Callista's lips. "Who, the fortune cookie you had for lunch?"

Natalia opened her mouth, then cried out, clutching her head. This only happened when she spoke of Queen Eydis. Were they…

Friends?

Callista watched, gears turning in her mind. Maybe this enigmatic Queen Eydis wasn't just a power-hungry tyrant everyone feared. Maybe Natalia was right – to navigate this strange sanctuary, she needed to shed her preconceived notions.

Before she could stop herself, the question tumbled out: "Does Princess Athena have someone special?"

Natalia, recovered from her headache, looked genuinely surprised. "Theo, the lovesick werewolf? He's practically glued to her side."

Callista gripped the sheets, the name leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. "But wouldn't she..." she stumbled, "wouldn't she avoid flirting if she's already taken?"

Natalia tilted her head, confusion clouding her features. "Flirting? But Princess Athena never flirts with anyone..."

Callista stared, utterly bewildered. They couldn't be talking about the same person.

Natalia continued, her voice certain, "Princess Athena is...reserved, not the type to openly express..."

Callista's mind raced, replaying every interaction with the princess, each suggestive comment, each lingering touch. A kaleidoscope of emotions swirled within her: confusion and a flicker of something she couldn't quite place. 

Perhaps, a small part of her enjoyed being the sole recipient of this cryptic attention. But a stronger, more unsettling feeling gnawed at her - a primal instinct, a dissonance that echoed in the deepest part of her being.

And her instincts, she knew, had never steered her wrong.

Who exactly was Athena?

*****

Amethyst eyes, sharp as facets in a freshly cut gem, scanned the Administrative office. The night, cloaked in a shroud of inky darkness, held its breath, broken only by the soft whisper of unseen leaves as they stirred in the breeze. Callista moved with the grace of a predator, her new disguise surpassing the clunky limitations of Indigo's previous gas mask.

The air, thick with the musky scent of old paper, held a subtle undercurrent of something else. It was the faint, metallic tang of wolfsbane, a silent warning to those who dared enter uninvited. Callista, ever the meticulous hunter, took extra care to cloak herself in a neutralising scent. 

The elite students' records, shrouded in secrecy, were kept the old-fashioned way: on paper. Diving into this labyrinth, Callista treated the staff and student lists like her prey. Relief flooded her as she saw the meticulous organisation - categorised by species.

A silent snicker, barely a ripple in the stillness, escaped her lips as she approached a specific locker. Blazoned across its worn surface, a single word stood out in bold lettering: "Vampires." A flicker of satisfaction ignited in her gaze. And to her utter delight, the names within were further categorised - a hierarchy etched in ink, a testament to the vampires' insatiable thirst for status.

Ego, Callista mused, could be a remarkably useful tool. With practised efficiency, she meticulously listed the suspects in an encrypted message to Indigo via the Watchers' network.

Then, as swiftly as she had appeared, Callista vanished, leaving behind only the echo of rustling leaves and the lingering scent of moonlight.

Callista's steps echoed hollowly as she retraced her path to the dorm, each step heavy with the weight of a dawning revelation. One name, emblazoned in her mind like a festering wound, refused to be ignored: Princess Athena. The playful banter, the genuine laughter, the way Athena's eyes crinkled with amusement – were they all a facade?

A storm brewed inside Callista. If Athena was truly the Queen of the Damned, the heart of this monstrous web, then what did it all mean?

Was Athena nothing but a carefully crafted lie?

A growl rumbled in her throat. Why did the princess, above all others, manage to burrow so deeply under her skin? Regardless, the mission, however, remained clear: eliminate Eydis, even at the cost of her own life if necessary. 

"Princess Athena isn't a lie," Indigo murmured, his fingers a blur across the keyboard. Callista's swordsmanship was a blur of grace, and Indigo's hacking skills mirrored it perfectly.

Callista exhaled a silent sigh of relief, her crimson eyes widening briefly before quickly schooling her features. "Why are you so sure?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of the tension that had eased from her features. Fortunately, Indigo didn't notice.

"The Watcher Council recognizes them as two separate entities," Indigo replied, lost in his work. "Both pillars of the Vampire Royalties, it wouldn't make sense for Eydis to fabricate Athena's persona."

Nodding, the tension in Callista's features eased. "So, a lesser noble disguise is more likely? Should I expand my search beyond the purebloods?"

Indigo pressed Enter with a flourish before looking up. "Golden eyes are a telltale sign. They bleed through even the best contact lenses."

"Suspects narrowed down?" Callista whispered, her smirk widening at his startled jump.

"100 nobles, 60 females..." Indigo began hesitantly.

Callista groaned. "Do I need to stalk 60 vampires? Can you pull up any photos you find in the encyclopedia?"

Nodding, Indigo's hand flew across the keyboard again. Roughly fifty photos materialised. Callista reviewed them with a squint of her eyes as she tried to match these faces with her blurry vision of Eydis.

"Eliminate these," Callista pointed to a few photos across the scene. Eydis was tall, and slender, so these vampires were out. "And these," she murmured, "She was known to be a breathtaking beauty, wasn't she?"

Indigo nodded, "Vampires were generally attractive but you're right, these ladies don't seem to match that description." With a flick of his wrists, he moved the discarded photos back to the "Irrelevant" list. With a reserved smile, Indigo declared, "Five with photos, ten without. Would that be possible to investigate?"

Callista nodded, eyeing the unfamiliar purebloods before her, their golden eyes staring back at her. A flicker of relief, tinged with a pang of something unidentifiable, flickered across her face.

*****

Two weeks of relentless pursuit had left Callista drained, a ragged sigh escaping her lips. Examining the crossed-out names on her list, she grimaced. 'Too brash, too loud,' she thought, the echo of Eydis's soft, melodic laughter at that alley mocking her efforts. Only one suspect remained: Amelia Kruger.

Blonde hair, like Athena's, just a shade darker, and a voice that…

"Enjoying the view?" Amelia's voice, laced with casual amusement, startled Callista from her corner of the library. Her eyes, crinkled at the corners, held a hint of something unreadable as they met Callista's gaze.

Callista swallowed, her nervousness a tight knot in her stomach. Could this woman be the monster she hunted? As if sensing Callista's scrutiny, Amelia's lips quirked into a faint smirk, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. "Something catch your eye, love?" she asked, her voice devoid of the earlier amusement.

An unsettling aura emanated from Amelia, a stark contrast to the naivety of Callista's previous targets. This one felt different, sending a shiver down Callista's spine and silently branding Amelia a prime suspect. The realisation, however, sent a wave of icy dread through Callista. If Amelia truly was Eydis, she was in uncharted territory.

Panic surged through Callista, her mind racing for an escape route. Then, desperation forced a desperate gamble. "I…," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper, "find you interesting." The lie felt like ash on her tongue.

Amelia's smile returned, but this time it held a predatory edge. She leaned closer, her voice a seductive murmur. "Flattered, darling. You're not too hard on the eyes yourself."

A shiver of revulsion ran through Callista as Amelia traced a black-polished finger down her arm. The hunt, it seemed, had just taken a dangerous turn.