Glad to come to a stop, he answered her with, â€œIâ€™mâ€¦ the priest.â€ Alexian was reluctant to give this youngster his name, so he gave her the closest approximation of a title instead. She had just taken him for one hell of a ride after all. What if someone had seen? â€œLet me in and we can talk.â€ Sheâ€™d find that whether or not she wanted him in, he was sitting next to her in a blink anyway. Worse aim across longer distances, but good when he was close.<br/><br/>â€œRogue?â€ He almost sniffed at her, and answered himself. â€œNo, you still reek of youth. Must be new. Well good! No bad habits youâ€™ll have to unlearn. Nowâ€¦â€ Remembering, he pulled down the mask and hood. It was the face of a man who had passed middle age when he was alive for sure, sun bronze still with bright orange eyes and a wide, friendly and amused grin. â€œNo talking until Iâ€™m done,â€ she was warned.<br/><br/>â€œI am here because you are here.â€ Alexian paused for a beat to let that be completely clear, but not long enough to allow her to ask any questions. â€œThe Coven takes great interest in kills where there should be none. So, just in case, youâ€™re going to be relocated. Iâ€™ve been told probably Oceania somewhere. If you pass the test. I will be testing you. This test will include anything I happen to think up, within reasonable parameters. I will be judging whether or not you are fit to exist within the Covenâ€™s laws. It will be conducted immediately, but,â€ he barked a short, humorless laugh, â€œI will also be your teacher, so after weâ€™ve gone, you can ask all the questions you like.<br/><br/>â€œThis isâ€¦ a very nice car.â€ The old vampire nodded, mostly to himself. â€œWeâ€™ll have to leave it. History lessons come only after you agree to the evaluation.â€<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">--------</div><br/><br/>Old Cooper didnâ€™t flinch, didnâ€™t twitch, didnâ€™t react at all while the woman entertained herself. He was too old to be taken in by her tricks and didnâ€™t find her half so amusing as she found herself. â€œI will summon my master of hounds then, dog.â€ If she wanted to play at being a dog, he would oblige her. That old priest would bring her to heel and sheâ€™d track like a good bitch.<br/><br/>â€œMaybe heâ€™ll even feed you.â€ It had come to him as a plan upon hearing of the escape. Another mad vampire would be able to find the first and another elder had suggested the priest could look after her. He turned from her cell and beckoned the others with him. They took the light and left her in absolute darkness once again.<br/><br/>Indeterminably later, the light came bobbing back. Maybe it was hours or days, but it meant that the elder Yara had his houndmaster, meant that he was ready to meet the dog.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;">--------</div><br/><br/>There were subtle ways to search. There was also Lokiâ€™s way. Clever enough not to kill the whole island, he still had to ask someone. So he took one then another from the shadows and asked them questions from the darkness. He asked after the pale lady, the lady of the island, scaring most enough to say a word or two that he could understand. One had to disappear.<br/><br/>All that mattered was that Nebi hadnâ€™t left. Still, he had to find her now. Lucky for him, a sharp eye caught the outline of a woman up high. He wrapped his hands around his mouth and shouted, â€œNebi! Nebi, come!â€ If Loki had ever owned a dog, not to mention one that had come when he whistled, he might have tried that.