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Each generation came with changes that made him excited to see what would come next. Technology had advanced from wood and stone to bronze, then iron, and now digital capabilities. He'd seen Africa rule the world, then the Middle East, with Asia stepping up later, Europe shoving their way in, and now power was flowing through the Americas. He remembered when there were merely three types of people: normal, dark, and albino. Now, people were proud of their varied ethnicities.
With every day that passed, the world changed a little more, and if he hadn't been around so long, he would've missed so much of the majesty that was called humanity. But in all that time, he had never seen more than five eidolon in the same place. Already, fourteen of the undead had leased apartments in the same complex. This chance, made possible by one rebellious inquisitor, could change the culture of immortality forever.
And according to Nikki, not everyone was happy about it.
She was in the middle of explaining to him about the nuances of their body language that made her think the ghosts were planning something when someone tapped at his door. Nikki immediately closed her mouth and looked at the sound with wide eyes. In all the time he'd known this witch, she'd never been this jumpy. That, more than anything else, convinced him that whatever was brewing wouldn't end well.
Pushing to his feet, Cain headed to the door. Through the peephole, he saw the exact two people he was hoping for. It only took a couple of seconds to release the chains and locks, then he pulled open the door and gestured for Dahlia and Thane to come in.
"Just the people I was hoping to see," he said, welcoming them into his plebeian apartment.
Thane gave him a confused look, but Dahlia's attention was on Nikki. Clearly, those two had become friends a little faster than he expected. Granted, it made sense. Nikki had the same kind of bravado and feminism that had attracted Dahlia to Mei so long ago. From what little he knew of Thane, the hunter wasn't that much different. It seemed that Dahlia definitely had a type. Unfortunately, that type had never been him.
"Why do I feel like something is going on?" Dahlia asked.
"Because we knew this wouldn't be easy," Cain told her. "It seems that a few of the younger eidolon aren't happy with your little pet. From what little Nikki heard, they also think a lack of inquisitors is the same thing as a free rein to hunt and kill as they please."
"He's not my pet," Dahlia snapped.
She opened her mouth to say more, but Thane cut her off. "I kinda am. From the perspective of everyone here, I might as well be. I don't think Cain meant that in a bad way. He's saying that's what others think about me - and they aren't exactly wrong."
Nikki leaned back on the couch and tossed her arm across the top. "Every time he opens his mouth, I like him a little more, Dahlia."
"Trust me, it won't last," Thane assured her, but the smirk on his face made it clear he was teasing.
Cain just waved them all towards chairs. "Can I offer anyone anything? I have drinks, some snacks, and a whole lot of complications to go over."
Dahlia just waved him off, making it clear she was good. "So who was it that was doing the complaining?" Her question was directed at Nikki.
"Two ghosts, a phantom, and a phoenix," Nikki said. "I don't know them all, but I can tell you that only one of them is older than me."
"And how old are you?" Thane asked. "I mean, is that something I'm supposed to know?"
"I died in 1693," Nikki said. "The longer we've been dead, the more time we've had to figure out how all of this works. No, that doesn't always work out in a year for year sort of thing. Some of us die and spend decades in the abyss - and that's time we can't use to understand how these new bodies work."
"But the amount of time they've been undead is a pretty good estimate of how strong they are," Cain said. "In each of the major inquisitions and holy crusades, we lost a lot of eidolon. It's how we learned that being impaled by normal metal merely kills the body, but certain patterns on it will discharge our energy-based form. In other words, that's what makes your stakes so dangerous."
Thane was bobbing his head like he was trying to take all of that in. "Okay, so for the human of the group, the general idea is that everyone is stronger than me, I can die, and the longer you've been dead the faster you will kick my ass. Right?"
"You are correct," Cain said.
"No," Dahlia said a split second later. "Normally, I would say that's true, but you aren't going to be easy for most of these eidolon to kill, Thane. You aren't human; you're an inquisitor. That's the reason why I brought you here, because I honestly think you're strong enough to survive around us." Then she tipped her head at him. "And you have the ability to use Words."
"Which is what makes inquisitors so dangerous," Cain admitted. "It's why there's so few of us left."
"The Inquisition has perfected the weapons they use against us," Dahlia said, but she turned her attention to Cain and Nikki. "We've always tried to stay in small groups and hide, blending in with the surroundings so that they never came for us. If they didn't know we existed, we would never have to fight against their Words and weapons. For me, the few times an inquisitor ever realized that I was anything but a normal woman, I always killed them - until Thane."
"I think the same is true for all of us," Nikki pointed out. "I got lucky because the way I feed doesn't usually leave a trail of bodies. Sure, I was accused of being a harlot, a slut, or whatever the latest term was for a woman of loose morals, but I was only accused of witchcraft once. That was when I was alive."
"What if we could fight back?" Dahlia asked. "Thane brought his stakes -"
"Clavum," he corrected.
Dahlia gestured in his direction but didn't slow down. "And we figured out that we can touch them without dying. It only seems to be when they pierce us that it short-circuits the soul." Then she smiled. "This morning, I managed to speak a Word."
"And basically turned the bedroom into nothing but light," Thane added.
Nikki sat straight up. "How?"
