In the Cover of Darkness

"No, you will not be permitted to see my son until we are sure of your condition. Is that understood?" Kalif heard Asparuh apparate off, more than likely to take Hades somewhere anyhow. Kalif was left in charge, as Head usually was in small circumstances. "On your feet, Hollace. During your tests, either I will be instructing you, or Rayna and Raisa. The Patriarch may or may not be around to watch as well, but you can be sure of this, you will not be seeing Hades until the tests are complete. One month will not kill you." Though if she proved to be a werewolf, she would be killed. It was a fifty-fifty chance. "Think of it like this, you are permitted to spend a little time with your father-in-law." Though, Kalif has not even introduced himself properly, nor did he feel the need to.
 
Disappointment turned to pain as the realization that she would be parted from the man she loved for so long. Possibly, if their suspicions were true, for forever. She bit her lip until her sharp white teeth drew a bead of blood as she struggled to stand without pain. Her muscles pulled and ached as she slid slowly upwards, using the wall to prop herself. "Tests?" She could barely stand on her own and he expected her to run? She didn't want to spend anytime with the madman in front of her. For he had to be mad to expect anything physical of her in her condition. "I don't even know your name," she murmured.
 
Kalif glanced over her body, seeing how weak she was. There would have been enough time that some changes would have occurred. The obvious signs were the senses, seeing in the dark, physical strength and endurance, and nausea. Kalif kept those in mind, but it seems like she was weaker than normal. So, that was a good sign for her part. It would increase her chances of survival. "Kalif. This is just a precaution. One life to lose is better than many others if you go free if you are one of those dreadful dogs. The safety of others is most important. I am sure that even Hades cannot contain a beast." Kalif folded his arms across his chest and glanced down the dark hall. It was not lit, and impossible to see in it. Though a werewolf could. Test one. "Hollace, look to your left. Can you see anything?" There were empty candle stands on the walls, and ripped portraits. Kalif could not see them, but could she?
 
Hollace had a natural fear of the dark, amplified by the time spent in darkened rooms at the mental ward in the hospital. She walked forward shakily and stood shivering, peering into the darkened hallway. Allowing her eyes to adjust, after a few moments she said, "I think I can see something." Hollace had perfect sight, did not even need glasses, and the rectangular shape looked familiar to her. Especially since she worked with them nearly every day of her life that she could clearly remember. "A painting?"
 
Not technically a good sign, though Kalif could barely see the portraits and shapes of the hallway. He said, "Don't squint, but is that everything you see? What is on the painting?" If she answered that right, then there would be a decrease in her survival. Kalif was neutral. He would not care if she would fail or succeed. Killing another would mean nothing to him. Saving someone though, that was what made Kalif question his own sanity. Kalif dismissed the whole Cecily and the cliff event that lurked into his mind.
 
"It's a man," Hollace said flatly. "Although I can't tell who or even what he is doing as the canvas is torn." Even in her current situation she felt affronted that they would allow any paintings in their home to become like this. Hollace opened her mouth to scold him for not simply using a spell to repair it, were they not wizards?, when she closed it. It was irrelevant at this point. The sugar and fiber in the food she'd just consumed replenished her energy as the blonde woman's healing her finally cleared for her back. She would need healing potions maybe more blood replinisher and a lot of sleep to heal fully. Yet the one thing that would help her was the one person she could not be around. Hades was like a drug and she was already going through withdrawal. "What now?"
 
Kalif nodded. Her chances increased once more. "Good. You did not see everything there was, as there were other items. All you saw was a painting or portrait. Now, I must test your physical ability." Kalif approached Hollace, and with quick reflexes, grabbed her wrist in a tight hold. He hissed, "I am not using my full strength, and if you were a dog, then you could get my hand off your wrist easily. If not, you probably won't be able to get out of my grasp." Kalif smirked slightly. This was probably the hardest test she would have to go through. The next, it would be rather simple. He would be testing her smelling next. However, just to be sure, she would have to stay in the Manor for a month, before going back to see Hades.
 
Hollace flinched as his hand whipped out and faster than she could blink had her within his grasp. His grip was unbreakable, the improbability of someone of slight build being even remotely able to get loose. His hand engulfed her wrist and a large portion of her forearm. She didn't like the helpless feeling it envoked, nor the fear that stabbed at her heart to have her seven foot tall father in law, a virtual stranger and a dangerous one at that, so near. Quickly her other hand flicked out and instead of trying to pull away, she leaned into the hold. Then grabbed his hand and with all her strength, which wasn't at her best tonight, pinched the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. The pressure point, if hit correctly, could take down a three hundred pound man. Against Kalif though, she had no clue if it would even phase him.
 
Kalif gave her an odd stare. What in the world was she doing? He glanced down at his gloved hand, and then he understood. Ah, the pressure point. Though not even he were sure if a pressure point could take him down, if he had one there. Obviously though, he didn't right now. Kalif pulled Hollace toward him, and he stared blankly and coldly into her eyes. "Do you not want to live beyond tonight? I highly suggest you try to break my grip, which isn't even as much as I can assert, and if you can't, your survival increases. Is that clear?" Kalif narrowed his eyes at Hollace, as if reading her. She didn't even seem animalistic, right now...
 
Hollace stumbled and nearly fell into him as he jerked her forward. His eyes, dark as midnight, were more black than she had ever seen his son's. The once over confidant young woman who had boasted to Hades that she feared nothing had retreated when she had been dragged screaming from her husband. She would do what she needed to do, she wanted to do that, she needed to pass these asinine tests. Yet the fear that her father in law instilled in her, his nearness, set off a long buried memory. She had been fourteen, two days from her fifteen birthday, when her mum had signed her into the hospital. They had dragged her from the car, pleading for her mum to just take her home, she wouldn't argue anymore, she would be good, she wasn't crazy! Large men in scary looking, sterile uniforms had held her with tight grips on her arms, strapped her into an uncomfortable, lumpy mattress bed.

With a low growl, Hollace began to struggle and pull against Kalif's hold. She would break it, she had to. Her fear gave her added strength until she tried with a desperate twist of her wrist, uncaring if she hurt herself, to break free.
 
Kalif glanced down as he could feel her pulling, and struggling to break free. His grip did not increase, but it was just not enough. After seeing this, his hand released the girl from his hold, and Kalif folded his arms across his chest, and he knew that later, she would have to physically fight him as well within the next few weeks, or else she would perish. Kalif muttered, "I think that will be enough for now, Hollace. I'll be back down here in a week to see your progress. The next tests will be more gruesome, possibly not even with me." Kalif turned his back on the girl, before apparating to the upper levels.
 
Hollace breath jerked from her body and she stumbled, nearly falling over as Kalif let her go. "A week?" Her hand flew out to the wall to steady herself. She had to stay down here for a week. Alone? Without even her wand as they hadn't brought it down with them. "Please...don't leave me here!" Hollace cried out, her hand turned up in supplication. It fell to her side, the words had been too late. Kalif was long gone with promises of a bleak future if she even would have a future at all.

Hours had passed and Hollace collapsed in exhaustion on the cot with the thin blanket a helpful yet scared house elf had prepared for her. It was warm enough and she was at the point where she just did not care. She wanted to sleep. In her dreams she could be with the one she loved, with his smoky eyes, strong embrace and a voice that could tame hell itself.
 
A long week has passed, and Asparuh was rather intrigued that the family received such interesting events such as the whole werewolf ordeal. The newt two weeks were going to be easier than today. A physical fight would be needed, and Asparuh knew the perfect opponent. Asparuh had Chavdar Zhefarovich bring Hollace to a rather large part of the dungeons. It would be perfect for dueling or in this case, a physical fight. Everything was dark, and upon the arrival of Hollace, torches lit up and gave the area an eerie glow. Asparuh stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

Heavy black robes blanketed his tall and massive body. His slender hands were in contrast against the black, and they tapped against the arms. Asparuh narrowed his black eyes, and his statue facial features failed to show anything but utter ice. Asparuh said in a low voice, as it echoed in the large area, "Hollace Lutrov, you have come here probably befuddled over your next task. It will be a physical duel." Asparuh paused to allow that to sink in. "It is a custom to see if someone in the family has turned into a mutt. Your opponent would have been Hades, but seeing as he is currently isolated, your opponent will be someone much more intimidating."

Asparuh glanced to the side, and saw all the family watching. "You will be trying to overpower me, Hollace." It was something not many, if any, could do in the family. If she could do this, then she would have to be killed. How Asparuh would do the job if she managed to overcome him, then he would just snap her neck and be done.
 
Fear coursed through the veins of the brunette being led to an unfamiliar and strange room. The man at her side, a literal stranger, bore the strong looks of the family she was forcefully coming into contact with. They stopped at a large, cavernous room, dark and frightening. Hollace had been provided with several changes of clothes during her stay in the basement. None had visited her during the week, only house elfs who had provided her with food and toiletries. She'd tied her hair back into a ponytail on the back of her head, dark yoga pants paired with a tee shirt.

Stopping before her grandfather in law, utterly unnerving in his height and manner, chilled the marrow in her bones. His words, spoken coldly and matter of fact, literally drained the color from her face. "Fight...you." Right. She wanted to scream at him then the others in the room; I am not a werewolf! Yet by their very actions she felt doubt, had been consumed with it, during the whole week since the attack. Thankfully her body was fully healed now of any pains nor aches. The scars remained and always would.

One thing that had kept her going through the insanely slow ticking of time was the thought that she would see Hades again. Even if it were the moment of her murder, she would see that beautiful face one last time. Her dark eyes flicked over each of the faces of those there before she slowly backed away from the tall man in front of her. She breathed through her nose then mouth to steady herself, to remain calm, to give herself time to think of the training her brother had put her through. "I understand. May we begin?" Hollace's voice was soft, mechanical. She wanted it over with, knowing he would put her through another bout of healing.
 
Asparuh nodded once. She would have to fight him, and in the shape that he kept himself in to keep his blood pressure and temper under control. Asparuh took off his robes and they fell to the ground with a loud thud. What he wore now was a pair of black jeans and a black shirt. However, the shirt came off too. This was a rare sight in itself. For the first time for most of the family members, they saw the tattoo on his own muscular back. Those his tattoo was a little different than the others, as the snakes look like they were about to attack rather than looking to the side. Asparuh waved his hand and the clothes were moved to the side and out of the way.

"You start." This was a dangerous event. The one in the family that no one wanted to fight was the Patriarch. He was raised to be a killer, a fighter, and a leader. One was not simply chosen to be the Patriarch, one had to be raised, and be undefeated. Asparuh knew most of the fighting arts, knew pressure points, but the only issue is the opponent. Someone standing would be simple, but even Asparuh did not know what Hollace was capable was. Though it would seem like Hollace had the upper hand in attacking, but in secret, this would give Asparuh data on how to defeat his enemy. Girl, Granddaughter-in-law or not, Asparuh did not care. This was an ancient family tradition, and things had to be done. Asparuh knew, this would turn out highly interesting for the viewers.
 
Hollace stretched her arms, one across her body at a time, then shook out her hands. She danced on the balls of her feet, hands coming up in loose fists in front of her. This was one of the most frightening experiences of her young life. The hospitals, the tests, the painful events with Hades, even the werewolf attack, had been nothing against this. Then she had had no way to control what was happening to her. Now she did. But even with everything her older auror brother had taught her, every dirty trick she had in her arsenal, there was no hope for her in this fight. Unless by some miracle she managed to break his kneecap and put him into a sleeper hold, there was no chance.

Take him down hard, take him down fast. Edward's voice echoed within her mind and Hollace's mouth tightened. She would give him a run for his money, either way. Go down, you go down fighting. Swiftly Hollace's leg shot out, heel connecting with Asparuh's kneecap as she gave a brief, staccato yell. It forced more air into her lungs, her strong leg muscles, honed from years of dancing, carried with them a strength that could rival most men's.
 
Nicolette stood along with many of the other family members watching as some girl was or rather had to take on the Patriarch of the family. Her sparkling golden orbs were fixed on the two, she knew without a doubt that this Hollace girl didn't stand a chance against Asparuh, he was probably going to whip her around like a small little doll. In fact Nicolette knew that it was likely that the only reason Kalif had let her come down here, was in case they need a healers assistance, which by the looks of this fight they were going to need one for Hollace..badly. "He's going to tear her up." She whispered quietly, yet loudly enough for anyone around her to hear her easily. Was there a point to prove for him or something, Nicolette hoped this girl had some common sense and would try hit someplace vital like the legs, throat, or ankles and possibly stand a chance, but then again most people didn't know anything about stuff like that in the first place. 'This kid is doomed.' Nicolette sighed and placed her hands on her thin hips, luckily for her the newborn twins were being watched by Cecily during this time. Both her and Kalif and decided that it would be best if they were not here for this. Not being pregnant anymore would allowed her to view the fight and heal more easily.
 
Asparuh felt no need to stretch or waste time with any of that. His reflexes would be what he would count on first. Asparuh's fighting skills were usually defensive first, then moved on to offensive if needed. When she came at him, with a yell, he debated on using silencing charm on her, but the screams of agonizing pain in the future were enough to keep his magic bound. Though he did have to admit, she had a strong kick, but what he did was a little more surprising than usual. His hand, he grabbed her by the calf, and used it while in mid-kick, to flip her over. Asparuh hissed, "You have got to do better than that. I'm not Hades." Asparuh took a step forward and he added, "I'm worse." He was the one who threw her off the building. He didn't have a heart or a soul, how would she even survive this? By Asparuh's will, she will live by the time the fight came to an end. But Hollace will be tore up.
 
Hollace flinched when his hard hand captured her lower leg and flipped her. She grunted softly and used the momentum to flip her long legs back, tucking her arms into her body and landing on her feet in a slight crouch. She wasn't an amazing fighter, she wasn't anywhere near him in size or strength. What she did have was a few years of training and her dancing experience. She would use this, as much as she could, to do what she could. The mention of her husband, the man he had dragged her from and parted her from, perhaps forever, angered her. Livid, she growled low in her throat as she threw both her fists out toward his diaphragm. If this connected, it would wind him, opening an opportunity for her to try more.
 
Reacting out of defense, Asparuh stepped to the side. His large hand landed on the brunette's head, and used his free hand to come around and connect with her back, releasing her head so that the force from the blow could send her flying or stumbling. Asparuh smirked, possibly striking nerves to get her even more angry so she would fight more as cold words seeped from his lips, "Hades is locked up, in darkness, in worse shape than you are now. Screaming, writhing, in darkness. If you had never went into that forest, then he wouldn't have to have been locked up like an animal. This, all this, is because of you." Asparuh decided to increase the drama, as he glared at her, digging deeply to bust down barriers and inserted true images of Hades in a dark room, bound in chains, looking insane as blood poured down his face. He was yelling in Russian, and it sounded as though he were calling for Hollace, either blaming her for this or needing her. Asparuh knew that this would really cause some damage. Asparuh had to beat him until he was almost dead in order to confine him in the first place.
 
Hollace cried out as she landed roughly on the floor, her knees and palms of her hands scraping on impact. Her back felt as though it were on fire, nerves pinching. Injuries, still new to her body, stretched and pulled across her skin. His words cruelly wrapped around her heart, the images as she jerked to her feet and flew toward him, crushing her spirit. Then rage pumped through her and her hand flew up to press against her eyes. Hollace stumbled back as the images he projected to her. No. Merlin no. Her chin quivered, her breath stuttered in her chest, her stomach heaved. Her love, her husband, her Hades...locked up, screaming, for her.

"Get out of my head you son of a *****!" Hollace spun on her heel and aimed another kick toward his evil face. She wanted to shut him up, she wanted to do to him what he had done to her husband.
 
I knew that this would get to her. Though when she flew a kick at him, both hands caught the kick, as Asparuh switched from defensive to offensive, "Learn your place." It was only a split second before he used his strength to sling the girl around like a rag doll, making her back hit the concrete wall, and it cracked and crumbling from the force. However, the Death Eater was not done though. He flung her into the stone floor, and released the grip. The force from the throws were enough to seriously damage someone, if not knock them out. Asparuh was smart enough not to sling her in the fashions of breaking her neck or the major parts of her spine. Though he couldn't say anything about the ribs or her leg that he used against her. Asparuh sneered, "Love makes you careless and weak, as proven just now."
 
Crack. Hollace felt her ribs pop, give, then crack and break as she made forceful contact with the wall. Her head snapped back into it, her arms flung up to try to protect her face. Blood, warm and thick, began to trickle and flow down the back of her neck. It splashed along the floor and flecked in a wide arc as she landed and lay with painful, near silent groans leaving her lips as the breath left her body from the impact. She lay in bloody silence as he spoke. "I'm not weak!"she gasped out, palming the slice of sharp metal shard from her shoe. She was young, she wasn't stupid and had tried to think of any dirty ploy she could to protect herself without magic while locked within the basement. An old jagged candlestick holder had provided the perfect cover. Hollace gasped out, pain slicing through her ribs as she jackknifed into a sitting position and used both hands to drive the jagged metal as far as it would go.
 
Asparuh felt a sharp stab, unexpected pain. Though his anger greatly increased, blinding it, and Asparuh used his other leg to give a kick to the girls head, which in turned managed to knock her out without breaking her neck. Asparuh turned to the family and he ordered, "Nicolette, use your healing on her or else she will perish." If there was a small chance of her being pregnant, I think that baby is dead now. Good, Asparuh did not need another brat running around the place. Some family members departed, but Asparuh started to gather his clothing into his arms, forgetting that the piece of metal in his leg was still there.
 
Nicolette jumped and gasped every time that Asparuh hit, slammed, or did something cruel to that poor girl, it was amazing that the girl was even still living at all. Especially when Hollace decided to pull the ultimate dumbass move and stab Asparuh, gasps and whispers could be heard among the family members when she had. 'She...stabbed him!' The moment she wad knocked out tension could be felt in the air, the entire family watched in shock as he waked as well...as if nothing had happened at all. "Um...right." Nicolette managed a small response when Asparuh had told her to heal the girl, once again. This girl was either really stupid or brave, but chances were that she was going to need a lot of healing if she really was as damaged as she looked from here. Giving Kalif a soft look, she left his side and stepped over to Hollace who looked an absolute bloody mess.

"Erm um, Asparuh don't go anywhere because we need to get that out." She eyed his leg and hoped he would give in just for a moment so she could get it out and quickly heal his leg before it infected and or worse than it was before. As she waited for his response she pulled her wand out and motioned for her medical supplies bag, this was going to take a lot more work than she wanted to do in her tired state, the newborns wore her out way more than she would like to admit. "Stupid girl, should have just given in when she got the chance." Nicolette ran her hands down the girls injuries and sized them up so he could figured out what the do with them. The girl was also unconscious which meant she might need to be checked for head injuries or trauma as well, this girl gave her a bad feeling already for some reason.
 
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