by Aiden James
“This place has a ballroom?” Tyreen and I asked in unison.
And here I was kidding about an actual gala to Garvan.
“Of course it does,” said Chanson with a smirk. She waited for all of us to join her and Raquel in the hallway. “Huangtian Dadi is many things, but he is first and foremost a vampire, and we do so love to gather amongst ourselves and brag about our power and wealth, if nothing else. Garvan, if you’ll secure Txema to where she doesn’t lose a shoe or anything else, flying will be fine.”
“Consider it done!”
Before I could respond, the frigid air grew even colder, but only for a moment. The world around me became a blur, and unlike the last time I did this, the rooms, corridors, and kitchens we soon passed through were warm. Perhaps the universe was rewarding me in some small way for the traumas it had heaped upon me of late?
That delusion was busted a few short seconds later when a blast of arctic air greeted me, even more frigid than that seeping through the window upstairs. We zoomed from the palace’s main building and past the rest of the complex, until we reached a two-story pagoda-like structure. Torches on long, thick poles surrounded the building, and the large glass windows enclosed the bottom section.
I realized that it was absurd, but the beveled glass reminded of window-shopping with my mother in the upscale antique shops (usually spelled ‘shoppe’ on the sign) in Richmond when I was a child. My stomach knotted with a sense of nostalgia brought on, no doubt, by the season. The ornate copper decorations upon the exterior had long since oxidized, splashing the scene with unexpected colors.
As I thought of my mother, I moved my hand to my belly. Would I someday have a chance to take my own daughter on such wonderful, yet mundane quests? The magic was spoiled for me, and I felt a moment of fear for our safety. My gaze darted about in a frantic search for the security features. Thankfully, a fifteen-foot wall surrounded the complex. I supposed I didn’t have to worry too much about Ralu’s Chinese defectors leaping over the wall and attacking us at the palace’s weakest point. Then again, we already had other vampires in our midst who were potentially a much worse menace. I shivered at the thought about who would win the fight between a raptor-like dragon and one of Ralu’s deformed warriors. With any luck, they would all kill each other.
“Here we are. Before you step inside, I want you to close your eyes for a moment,” said Chanson, oblivious to my internal thoughts. It was nice to have some vestiges of privacy once more.
Her expression was quite mischievous, as if she had an incredible prank to play upon me. Or did she find amusement in the fact the mink stole was a small deterrent for the not-so-balmy temperatures at present. I shivered to make the point. I seriously doubted the North or South poles could be any colder right then. I definitely didn’t want to linger outside the building that supposedly housed a ballroom—especially when I noticed a roaring fire in one corner of the main floor. It was hard to tell by the distorted images through the windows, but it looked like the fireplace was huge. Shimmering shapes moved about inside, making it look like a good crowd.
I closed my eyes, and at Chanson’s request, so did Tyreen. A few seconds later, Tyreen let out a joyous yelp followed by “Oh my God!”
I peeked, thinking Tyreen must not have closed hers, but before I could call her on it, my mouth fell open and all I could do was stare through the now open doorway. Tears welled up, blurring the image nearly as effectively as the ancient glass had done seconds before.
A myriad of colored lights had come to life inside the pagoda. There were evergreen wreaths and garland, along with a tall cedar tree also covered with lights in the middle of the floor.
“Won’t you come in?” said a familiar voice I had been missing.
“Franz? I can’t believe you’re finally here—where have you been?”
The last of my vampire protectors stood in the doorway, dressed in a full black tuxedo complete with tails. Franz Blutliebhaber looked the most uncomfortable of any guy I’d ever seen. Not that he alone was dressed like this; I had seen at least forty other male vampires moving about the room. Franz’s piercing blue eyes and high cheekbones made him look like the classic rugged blonde movie star. His dazzling smile would make most girls―and quite a few guys―swoon, but I knew he’d rather be wearing combat fatigues or something else far more casual with a long trench coat.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you!” I said, as I threw my arms around him. His sage-like musk scent enveloped me. “Where have you been?”
“I returned to France with Racco and his crew after we dropped you here. Gustav sent me and some others to try to infiltrate the smaller nations of Europe. Our nations, you understand? To gain information, and if possible, allies.”
I nodded.
He continued, “Ralu’s advance is ruthless. Scandinavia, Eastern Europe… they have all either knelt or fallen. I will not lie to you, Txema, it is very grim. I flew in this evening with some of Racco’s people, to be with you for the next few days, but we must rejoin Racco in his villa in Milan.”
I’m sure my smile faded, despite every effort on my part to hold it steady. To be sure, the situation sounded dire, but it was more than that. For some reason, hearing about Racco’s latest whereabouts was like a cold stiletto blade through my heart. Why didn’t he come, too? Garvan, of course, looked relieved the situation with the, well, there is no easy way to put it, ancient, alchemist is complicated, and with my hormones being all over the place at the moment, my relationship status on all social media is just “holding pattern.”
“The party is waiting for you, Txema!” Armando wagged a finger that said no-no-no! “If you’d like to share my body’s temperature, then keep on talking outside, and you should achieve that experience in the next few minutes. As for the rest of us… follow me to the blood cocktails and some overdue fun!”
He disappeared, taking Tyreen with him. I was buffeted by the wind as they sped by, along with the slight echo from Tyreen’s surprised yelp. Meanwhile, Chanson, Raquel, and Garvan joined Franz and me outside the doorway.
“It’s good to see you, brother!” said Garvan to Franz. “Come, let’s all share a drink!”
Standing between Franz and me with his arms around us both, Garvan herded the rest of us into the building. To my surprise, the appearance of having a second floor was a façade, as the building held one big room with a high ceiling. The gilded walls and window frames bore intricate oriental designs similar to the building’s exterior. Torches and candles were everywhere, and the colored lights turned out to be small candles attached to colored glass—much like the original colored lights used more than a century ago in America.
The ballroom was much bigger than it appeared from outside, and it contained another fireplace in addition to the one I saw. The air was comfortable, despite the entrance being open and from my count at least eighty vampires present. In addition to the holiday pine boughs and lights, the decorated cedar tree in the middle of the room was spectacular. Silver, gold, and red glass ornaments covered it from top to bottom, along with gold and silver garland.
Tyreen nodded approvingly as she took all of this in. “Ain’t this the shit?” she said. “And for you, sister, they’ve even got some French guy over there in the corner slicing a roast.”
“No way.”
I couldn’t see what she was talking about at first, but then I saw Racco’s personal assistant, Mercel, waving to me from near one of the fireplaces. No doubt, the spot was chosen since it was likely the warmest place in the room. Tyreen was right, in addition to a small bar and carving table, it looked as if he had also cooked up some steamed vegetables and brought along several deserts, as well.
If anyone could tell me where Racco was, it was Mercel!
The question must have been written all over my face as Raquel and Chanson joined me.
“Now you know that we’ll do anything to keep you from getting too homesick.” Raquel looked up at me and smiled and I was once against gratefu
l for the obfuscation of my thoughts.
The fact that this tiny yet ferocious vampire had come to really like me since our first meeting in Tennessee nearly two months earlier wasn’t lost on me. I felt guilty for the unintentional deception, but also happy that she didn’t know my true thoughts for I knew in my heart that if that bond had not developed, then this afternoon’s attack might’ve turned out far worse for me.
“Go on over there and verify this isn’t some cruel illusion on our part.”
I waited for a small smile to assure me that she was joking, but none came. I sent up a silent prayer as I walked in that direction. Surely, they would not be so cruel. A meal including neither rice nor some version of lo mein was not asking too much. I believe I would’ve cried if what I saw before me wasn’t the real deal.
However, moving through the crowd of vampires almost dampened my raging hunger. It was the way that some of them looked at me… eyeing me with distrust and anger. I was the only thing keeping them from becoming some kind of overgrown rat dog; I really didn’t understand why they hated me. I made a mental not to ask Chanson about that later. Certainly not all of the vampires were in such a foul mood, and most probably had no use for human holidays like Christmas. Whether by some quirk of fate or nature, I have yet to meet a vampire that didn’t love a good party… it depended on how these creatures define such an event. Thankfully, this particular Christmas Eve found the majority of patrons more than content to dance, sing, and enjoy the ample flying space above us. I stopped and watched a pair dance an aerial waltz breathtaking in its beauty and grace. They seemed to lift and swell on the rising music.
It was a sight I would never forget.
For those who chose to stay more grounded, the free-flowing golden vats of human blood I had first seen in France surely kept some spirits aloft. Vampire after vampire filled their wine goblets, and most sought to mix and match types as if they were some kinds of bartenders seeking out the perfect Manhattan or Martini, some even went so far as to garnish with paper umbrella or lime wedge on the glass. I prayed that what was offered contained no contributions from some poor Chinese kid. Or an unwilling and dismembered parent, for that matter.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mademoiselle Ybarra!” Mercel smiled as I approached his station. His accent seemed less pronounced than the last time I spoke with him. “Is your preference still merlot, and if so would you care for a glass of… almost wine, since you are with child?”
“Honey, you can just hand me the whole damned bottle of the real stuff!” I said and then motioned to let him know it was a joke when he started to hand me one of Racco’s prized merlots that he had stashed beneath the serving table. It must’ve been intended only for him and possibly the helicopter pilot or other staff members, since they were the only humans besides me. “A glass of the sparkling grape soda will be fine, I guess, although it ain’t nothing like the real thing. I definitely would like a little of everything else you’ve got there!”
He laughed, revealing his generous smile. A handsome blue-eyed blonde, and perhaps Racco’s most devoted servant, he eyed me curiously for a moment, as if he had a secret that he was eager to reveal.
“So, how is Racco?” I hoped if he did have a secret to tell, it involved his boss. “Is he well?”
I felt a nudge from behind and glanced back at Chanson. She had two crimson-filled goblets in her hands.
She leaned in close and whispered, “Be careful what you talk about. Protect your heart cousin. Remember, we are the ones who love you.” Before I could respond, she scurried away to Raquel, handing her one of the goblets.
“He talks about you all the time,” said Mercel, quietly.
I watched him glance toward the spot where Chanson and Raquel stood, and where Franz, Armando, and Garvan had also gathered. They all glanced at me at the same time. It gave me the queerest sense of déjà vu… me talking about Racco and someone in my vampire entourage watching me with disdain. Only this time, he wasn’t here, and my companions’ reactions were tepid smiles instead of the outright scorn I endured at Racco’s castle in the Pyrenees.
“What kind of things does he say?” I tried to seem as coy as possible while my heart began to race.
“I think you know,” he said, after casting a more wary glance toward the five vampires entrusted to watch over me. I didn’t have to follow his eyes to know they all were attempting to listen in on us, as they continued to watch our interaction.
“I honestly can’t say if I do know or not. He’s always so hard to figure—”
“He loves you!” Mercel trembled in anger and his voice was a harsh whisper. I wondered if this was because his master suffered so, or was it more the fact Mercel hated being placed in this position as a delivery boy with so many immortals eyeing him hungrily without Racco nearby to offer protection. “He doesn’t care that you bear another’s child! You can sneak away with us—”
“Bartender, perhaps you wouldn’t mind adding a small smidgen of alcohol to my Type O tonight?”
Gustav appeared next to me, and Mercel clammed up. He nodded emphatically to Gustav and bowed away as he sought to open another bottle of wine, only this one was a chardonnay.
“You look ravishing tonight, Txema!” Gustav said, while Mercel poured a small amount of wine into a thimble-sized container.
“It’s good to see you, too, Gustav.” I forced a smile while praying there would be no ill will against Mercel. He was merely an unwitting messenger for Racco. I needed to come up with an effective distraction quick. “Thank you so much for putting this event together tonight. It means the world to me!”
He now eyed me as curiously as Mercel had a short while earlier. Only in this case, my instincts told me I didn’t need to know any secret this lord of immortals carried with him. At least he wasn’t wearing the garish papal outfits he favored in France, or anything like the golden robe he wore when he addressed this same crowd shortly after our arrival at the palace in November. Dressed in the sort of tuxedo and cape that Kazikli preferred, and sans any cap at all, I was surprised to see that he looked much younger that I expected him to, sporting light brown hair pulled back in a long ponytail I never knew existed. Only his porcelain white skin gave him away as an extremely old vampire. His cheeks were flushed slightly pink, a sign I had come to recognize as the vampire was well fed and calm. At least Mercel was safe… for now.
“You are quite welcome!” Gustav’s eyes deepened in their bluish gold swirl. I took that as a good sign, and silently prayed I was right. “It’s the least we could do since we are all aware that this hasn’t been an easy transition for you, and our original destination would have been no worse than le Chateau de Douleur. Perhaps it will help you forget the unpleasantness from earlier today. Hmmm?”
My heart fell into my stomach. I started to wonder if this was all far less planned out than it seemed. Was this a bribe to get me to forget what I had seen? I knew in my heart the image of the two young children screaming in terror after what happened to their mother would stay with me in lurid detail for as long as I walked the earth. I was once again reminded that despite how well I was treated, for most of this particular vampire nation, I was neither more―nor less―than a means of survival. But, hoping my thoughts were as much a jumbled morass for Gustav to navigate through as they were my companions, I continued to be agreeable.
“Yes, I believe it will help,” I said. He looked away briefly, allowing Mercel to pour the thimble-sized cup into his half-full goblet of blood. When he looked back at me, I sought to close the deal… to place an airtight seal on an expert thought misdirection while somewhere deeper in my mind I was seriously debating Mercel’s offer of escape. “I look forward to a more permanent home deeper in the Himalayas, like what Huangtian Dadi mentioned last month. Do we know yet when that will happen?”
He was either impressed with my answer’s astuteness, or my convoluted sidetrack to distract him from attempting to peer deeper inside my psyche. Either possibility adde
d up to the same thing: a big stinky pile of bullshit.
“You’ll know the answer to that question soon enough, I assure you, Txema. Enjoy the evening, and don’t worry so much about a future beyond your reach.”
He paused to look at Mercel again, who had not looked up. Gustav let out a slight snicker and then was gone. His speed of movement is beyond a blur, which I found strangely comforting. The others always left a trace, which my eyes would try to follow in vain. That’s irritating.
“We’ll talk later,” I whispered to Mercel. He nodded ever so slightly.
Carrying a plate loaded with food, I moved back toward the others, hoping to find a place to sit and eat. At the moment, they were all having a great time dancing and twirling in the air to an old Irish folksong played by two fiddlers and another playing what looked like a silver flute. The music was beautiful, although I looked for smoke to rise from the flute player’s hands, which it never did.
Another vampire stepped in front of me, blocking my path. I recognized him as one of the more lecherous voyeurs who continuously ‘touched’ himself during my Relance du Sang, daring to come the closest to where he could get the clearest view of the action while my equally naked cousin, Chanson, hung on to my neck with her fangs. Fortunately, I blacked out before I saw what became of this vamp perv’s self-pleasuring.
But, I never forgot the disdain he eyed me with then, which seemed even worse in his pompous leer now.
“So, what have we here?” he hissed, as he drew ever closer, the smell of partially digested blood on his breath and his French accent slurred as if he were drunk. Like most of the hostile looks I’d received that night, his eyes were drawn to my birthmark. I could almost feel his lurid fantasies that involved feasting violently upon my exposed neck. “Because of you, everything we had enjoyed went to hell back in our homeland, and now you have angered our hosts because you didn’t like what happened to some breeder slut blood-sack?”