She dropped her things off in her room and headed to the kitchen. A nice cup of tea sounded like heaven right now. As she made her way through the halls another hunter stopped her to inform her the captain wanted her to see her in the war room.
The war room was one of those off limits places in the Keep. It was another name for the captain's office. When she was younger, she'd try to sneak in. She got caught once and never tried again after that.
She approached the door and knocked.
"Enter!" A loud, rough voice commanded.
Captain Adrian Dorne was already there. He stood at the large wooden table in the center of the room, surrounded by maps, reports, and old hunting records. The fire behind him burned low. There was the smell of tobacco in the air.
Deandra closed the door behind her. "You summoned me."
Dorne looked up. "I did." He scanned her and saw tattered clothes and dried blood. His expression changed from in charge to concerned. "You encountered something by the looks of it."
“Yes I tracked down Allister D'Marco. We fought and then unfortunately he got away, sir.”
Dorne was shocked by this information. “Allister D’Marco? Are you crazy? You went to kill him alone? That was foolish.”
“I brought Jacob,” she responded.
“Jacob has been here for barely two years. He isn't the backup you should have brought with you. Did Allister say anything to you?”
The woman hesitated. She trusted this man with her life, but there was a pit in her stomach. “I was there to kill him not get his life story.”
She changed the subject to the other weird thing that happened tonight. Deandra approached his desk. "That's not what I'm concerned with. It's what we found on the way back. There were bodies, three vampires and one hunter. The hunter had a symbol carved in his chest."
Dorne's expression changed slightly. Only slightly. But Deandra noticed.
"Tell me what happened." Dorne commanded.
Deandra paused. She had known Captain Dorne since she was a child. He had trained her when she was younger. He was also best friends with her father. To Deandra, he had been the closest thing she had to a father after losing her own.
But tonight, she found herself doubting him and the Order. This night was messing with her head. She pushed the thoughts away. This was not the time to falter in her beliefs. Her father would want her to stay loyal to the cause.
She placed the folded paper on the table. Dorne picked it up. The moment he saw the words, his face changed. Again only for a second but it was enough for Deandra to spot.
"What does it mean?" she asked.
Dorne folded the paper and put it in his pocket. "Where did you find this?"
"On the dead hunter. What does it mean? Don't lie. I know you know what it means.” She responded.
"You've become suspicious and observant. Good. A hunter who questions everything is a hunter who survives."
This response surprised her. He began explaining. "The bodies you found are connected to something older than our Order. Something older than the vampires.”
He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a file. It was old and worn. Deandra saw the symbol on it. It was the same symbol carved in the hunter's chest. Deandra looked through the file.
Inside were pages of handwritten records. Most were centuries old. Descriptions of vampire attacks, disappearances, and unexplainable deaths. One name appeared again and again. Allister
She looked up. "Why is his name in this?"
Dorne's expression turned cold. "Because he knows more than he admits."
"About the killings?"
“About everything. Which is why you should have told me you were going after him. Every hunter who has tried has failed. The fact that you're alive is a miracle.”
Deandra stared at him. The words sounded strange, almost like fear. She had never seen Dorne fear anyone or anything.
“I need you to track him again. I would like him captured, but I'll settle with killed. Only this time take help. Real help. Do not underestimate him. Do not let him make you believe he is something he's not."
That last thing made her think about what Allister had told her. About not deciding who the monsters are just yet.
She went to her room and started to pore through the file. Every account was different but the same in the way it ended in blood and death. Allister D'Marco has a trail of bodies behind him that made her quickly second guess accepting this mission. But of course she wanted some answers.
She reread the file over and over. Taking notes as she read through it. Bookmarking everything she deemed important. Her eyes got tired. She reread one last time. It was definitely time for bed even if she was certain trying to get any rest was going to be impossible. Deandra had too many questions running through her head.