"He has gone to her."

"So? He is a traitor. This we already knew. Our blood has become tainted by him."

"It was tainted by his father. She will know, it will not turn out very well."

"It does not matter. She has not the power of her mother."

"If he trains her..."

"She will not let him. I know her heart."

"What if we send someone to her? She would join us if given the chance."

"She may. Her future is hazy."

"I shall send someone right away then."

"Send a witch. Male."

"It's done. Keir Harman is to be sent immediatly."

*****************

Aibhlin sat heavily on the edge of her bed staring at the stiff white card she still clutched tightly in her right hand. Angrily, she threw it across the room and watched it drift slowly to the carpet. She lay back in the middle of the bed to contemplate everything that had happened.

All that Aibhlin knew of her mother was what Carissa had told her. That she had been incredibly beautiful and brave. They, her parents, had both died in a car crash when she had been a few months old. Ironic that Carissa and Ari had died of the same thing almost eighteen years later.

Carissa had been the only mother Aibhlin had know, and then Ari had become her father a couple of years after Carissa had been made her guardian. That had been enough. But, this chance to find out about her biological mother... No. That man, Caley Redfern, had his head up his ass. Why, he hadn't even known the name of her mother! Aithne Shannon? He obviously had the wrong person. Her name had been Thalia Angel. Aithne wasn't even a Greek name, let alone Shannon. Although, Aibhlin wasn't exactly a Greek name either...

She sighed, disgusted that she was even thinking about that incredibly cute, but highly delusional man.

"Aibhlin... Aibhlin..." A feminine voice called faintly to her.

"Yes? Who is it?" Aibhlin looked around to find herself in a misty green woods. It felt quite magical to be there, and she could not resist the amazing pull from the direction of the softly calling voice.

"Whose there?" For some reason, she didn't feel troubled about not being in her room anymore. It felt good to be here, as if she had no more worries, everything was just so..... peaceful, and quiet. Except for that voice. That was her only concern. To find where the voice was coming from.

"Aibhlin...." A strange woman stepped out from behind a tree still calling Aibhlin's name. Aibhlin had a feeling the woman was a friend, and she smiled widely and ran to her.

"My dear... be careful of which friends you keep..." The woman now looked solemn as she gazed at Aibhlin.

"Who are you?" She appeared troubled by that question, as if unsure how to answer.

"Call me Aithne, darling.... That's the only name you need worry about."

Aibhlin was puzzled over where she had heard that name before. She brightened as her foggy mind found the answer. "Are you my mother? Aithne Shannon?"

Aithne smiled and opened her mouth to answer when another woman, a black-haired woman with ever changing eyes stepped from the shadows and quickly ran a little razor sharp dagger across the front of her throat. As Aithne collapsed, the other woman smiled at Aibhlin and spoke, "Yes, Aibhlin dear, do take care of your friends."

Aibhlin watched in fascination as long fangs extended from the woman's mouth, but felt frozen to the spot as she swooped down on her.

She woke in a cold sweat with the remnants of a scream dying on her lips. "It was just a dream." She whispered hoarsely and lay back down. Unable to go back to sleep, she crept from her room and down to the kitchen for a drink. As she passed the phone, she remembered Caley Redfern's parting words how if she wanted to know her true past, she should call him.

"I wonder if that dream meant something..." She wondered. Her curiousity was piqued, so she sprinted back up the stairs and scooped up the card from where it still lay on the floor.

"Hello Aibhlin." Was how he answered the phone. She didn't even want to know how he immediatly knew it was her. She just got on with what she wanted to say.

"I want to know everything."

"Everything? Are you ready?"

"Everything. I'm ready."

To Be Continued...