CHAPTER SIX
The Warlock’s Keep was on the other side of the town. The commoners shouted obscenities at the carriage as it rode through – some of them hurling fruit and rocks to go along with their unkind worlds. Shaken, disturbed, Theresa pulled the window shut and crawled to the front seat, covering her ears. She heard the driver shouting abuse back from outside. The rein’s thrashing the horses harder. Threatening to maim anyone that got in their path.
As much as Theresa might have liked to poke her head out and assure the commoners she was one of them – no royalty to see here – that sort of ran counter to her little operation. She wondered how the actual Princess would deal with such open hostility towards her. If it made her go just that extra bit harder than the servants she had at home.
Theresa sighed. She wasn’t even out of the carriage yet and her brain was already exhausted from over-stimulus.
When they finally reached the keep there was about a ten-minute delay where the driver told her to stay put, even though he was out on foot, moving about the terrain outside.
Anxiety swam in her gut. Fear took on the shape of a man, and led her along for a slowdance followed by drinks. Her mind – creative, imaginative, thinking about everything and nothing –
The days of her life from birth till this moment –
The door to the carriage opened and orange spilled through.
“Princess Emberlynn?”
The Warlock was half inside the carriage offering his hand.
Theresa meekly accepted it and allowed him to help her out of the carriage. Until her feet were on royal blue carpet.
“It is such a pleasure to have you back,” the Warlock said taking her hand and putting his lips to it lightly. “I hope you were able to rest a little on your journey.”
“A little,” Theresa conceded.
“Just walk beside me,” the Warlock said quietly. “We will talk more inside.”
Theresa suddenly became aware of the keep’s iron clad guards standing in straight-line formation towards the steps leading up to the Keep’s entrance.
Their eyes half looking at them.
Half looking elsewhere.
Theresa kept close to the Warlock.
They walked briskly across the carpet and through the keep’s entrance, the doors being shut firmly behind them. The interior before them was a large spacious hall, fit for festive gathering with the likes of a few hundred people. Soft, expensive carpeting had been laid out across the concrete floors. Numerous flags and memorabilia was draped all over the walls. There was a long banquet like table to the left of the room with many hot dishes and exotic foods laid across its cloth. In the right-hand corner Theresa spied what appeared to be a chemist’s workshop, complete with bookcases filled with jars and potions and all sorts of strange artifacts.
A small table with two chairs facing it was in the centre of the room.
A chandelier and glistening light blue globe radiating overhead.
“Are you hungry?” the Warlock asked. “Thirsty. Please. Help yourself to whatever you like.”
Theresa nodded and approached the banquet table.
She took a plate with some chicken and greens on it, along with some water and a pitcher of ale.
“Come join me over here.”
He was in the centre of the room, sitting. Waiting for her.
Theresa took her food over and then she ate and while they talked.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lord Fane was an attractive man. Too old for Theresa of course, but she liked his charm and demeanor. His complexion was soft and his features refined. His eyes studious. She knew he was quite intelligent and being a practicer of magic – which always greyed even the most moral of individuals – he was not to be completely trusted. She had seen his insignia placed prominently in his dwelling – and it was that of a white snake. No doubt, highly venomous. But unlikely to strike without well considered reason.
“How much has Emberlynn told you?” he asked casually. “About your being here?”
Theresa swallowed what was in her mouth. “I’ve got to go into the harem and meet the vampire lords. I guess then I’ll be at their mercy. But I’m somehow supposed to lead one along enough that they try and kill me, then report back to you?”
“You will not be at their mercy – especially not at the harem. I will be there during the initial introductions. The vampires are my guests and any violence or aggression in the open will see them quickly expelled from the harem. Emberlynn has no intention of marrying any of them – she despises vampires – so they will all be extremely grateful for their chance to meet you.”
“What happens if they figure out I’m not the real Princess?” Theresa asked. “Is there any reason for them to not just kill me?”
“Any violence in the harem is out of bounds. In the town as well, but there are spots where I don’t have eyes. So as soon as you leave the harem with any of them, you must be on guard. No doubt they will try to make you leave the town entirely at some point – at which you will be at their mercy as you say. However. I will provide you with some substantial defenses.”
“What do you mean like garlic and a cross?”
“No. More powerful than that. I will show you them when you’re finished eating.”
“Okay…”
“You need to understand though that the enemy vampire, the vampire who wishes everyone harm – they won’t just try to murder you when you’re not looking. All of them will be trying to seduce you – but the enemy will try to get your trust and convince you that destroying the blood garden is what needs to happen. Once they open up to you, tell you their plans to turn the world upside down so that humans are once again livestock for the superior vampire race – that is the time for you to escape. And find me.”
Theresa opened and closed her eyes. This was starting to get a bit real.
“Are you like way stronger than them or something?” she asked. “Why don’t you just lure them into a trap or something, then use your magic to make them talk?”
“Any type of assault on the lords would bring chaos to the regions where they govern. Things will only be at peace if the non-corrupted vampire lords side with the killing of the enemy vampire. And to answer your first question – no I am not stronger than them. But I know their weaknesses.”
The Warlock stood up, his mouth over his hand, thinking.
“How long do you think this will take?” Theresa asked. “Will it just be tonight? What happens to me afterwards?”
“Emberlynn wants you back at her castle, nursing the flowers. But don’t worry. If the mission is completed successfully, I’ll see that you are generously rewarded. A villa in the mountains and a handful of servants to call your own. Does that sound adequate?”
“The villa sounds lovely. I … I wouldn’t want servants though. I’m not a lady.”
“Not this morning you weren’t,” Lord Fane said. “But tonight will be a whole other story.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Things were moving quickly. Before Theresa knew it, the Warlock had his handmaidens styling her hair, fitting her with a new dress and lavishing her with an abundance of makeup and jewelry. Though she wasn’t accustomed to her appearance in a mirror, she couldn’t see a fragment of herself in the reflection in front of her. Somewhere – hiding behind the eyes perhaps – Nurse Chantley was still chained down, on her knees with her hands in the bushes working – but this woman staring back at her in the mirror knew none of it. Tonight she was portraying Princess Emberlynn and then next week, or next year at least she would be Lady Theresa. If she put any trust in the white snake’s promise…
He approached her from behind as she was sitting on the stool in front of the dresser. He ushered the maidens away and turned her around in the chair so to face her, the reflection not satisfying enough.
“Here,” he said holding out his hand.
Theresa put hers together and a small emerald ring fell into her palms.
“What’s this?” The
resa whispered.
“It has an invisibility enchantment,” Lord Fane explained. “If you put it on your finger you will disappear from sight. And you will be able to elude whoever is after you.”
“So,” Theresa said. “This is my defense?”
“The ring goes in your pocket for now. I have also prepared a potion for you to take with you that will force the truth out of anyone who drinks it. Thirdly, a small vial containing an antidote to be applied externally should you be bitten by one of the vampires. And finally your greatest defense…”
He turned and walked away from her.
“Am I supposed to –?”
Theresa got up and hurried along behind him.
Once he arrived at his workstation he handed her a small bag containing the vial and the potion, as well as some water and tissue paper. He stood at the corner of the bench where there was an object covered by a blanket. Theresa could see light illuminating from underneath.
“What’s under there?” Theresa asked.
“Your future,” Lord Fane answered. “And all your dreams.”
CHAPTER NINE
Nightfall. Theresa’s hand caught one of the keep’s tall double doors and opened it a fraction. The crisp atmosphere flooded across her skin, sending shivers through her veins. Still, she pulled it back further. A few more moments passed and then she boldly stepped outside.
There was a certain surrealness to it. This was a dream inside a dream. The amplification of her hopes and fears. It was at a point like this that she wondered if tonight would hold her life’s purpose. What she did here extended beyond protecting Princess Emberlynn. Beyond embracing her own safety. Beyond any reward the Warlock could conjure for her.
This was about them. Those in the village. People like her mother and father. Her brothers and sisters. People who didn’t deserve to die.
Like they had.
“If you have any last questions you want to ask me,” Lord Fane said coming from behind, “there won’t be another time. So … ask away…”
Theresa shifted her gaze away from him. Stared into oblivion.
“Do you already have your suspicions about which vampire is behind the threat?”
Lord Fane moved next to her. “The Southern Vampire is the most deadly. The most malicious. Opposite him is the Northern Vampire who at first glance is more of a gentleman. But appearances can deceive. The East and West Vampires toe the line so well you’ll never know what in their hearts until you’ve travelled with them to the world’s end. In short, it could be any one of them. Or it could be all of them. Whether the truth comes out, relies on you.”
“What’s your plan if I die?” Theresa asked.
“Pardon?”
“If I fail. If I’m killed before you can intervene. What do you do then?”
“Then I will go to Emberlynn. And convince her to flee.”
“You mean, you won’t –”
“If you fail, this whole place is ruined. The land will be theirs. You must try as hard as you can to make this work. The Princess may be my friend, but as we both know she is a coward. More than that – she is extraordinarily self-centered. Even so, sending you here was for the good of all. If I didn’t think you were capable of this, I would never have allowed it.”
“Thanks. I guess.”
He walked on ahead of her. “It’s time to go.”
Theresa followed him down the carpet.
Her eyes forward. Her heart pounding through her chest.
And she hadn’t seen anything yet.
CHAPTER TEN
The carriage journey to the harem was only a few minutes. The driver got off first and opened the door so that Theresa could step out, Lord Fane following behind. The entrance was wide open with a red mist glowing from within. Fane took her hand and led her into the establishment.
There was a large black door straight ahead. Wooden stairs leading up to a second floor on the right. An archway to the left. Fane motioned to the stairs. “Our guests will be eagerly awaiting your arrival. You will be able to see each of them from up there. Make your decision as to who you wish to meet first and then make your way down to them…”
Theresa started for the stairs, then looked back at him. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t require such a grand entrance. I will go to the main deck and announce your arrival. Go to the top and then wait thirty seconds before coming out.”
“Okay.”
He smiled at her. “You’ll be fine.”
He then lowered his head and marched off through the archway. Theresa began ascending the stairs.
She waited outside the door at the top as the Warlock requested. Beyond it, she could hear some violinists filling the background with orchestration. The Warlock’s muffled voice. A few chuckles of laughter.
Theresa looked behind her.
The door to the harem was still open. If she wanted, she could run back down the stairs and into the town. She saw herself diving through alleyways, finding a family who might take pity on her. She’d be smuggled out through the gates on a farmer’s cart and then be let go at the roadside. A sun burning orange and gold. Blades of light green grass caressing her feet as she ran towards the trees.
She could find herself out there in that future.
She could be someone else forever.
“… present to you, Princess Emberlynn…”
Theresa turned back to the door.
“You can do this,” she whispered to herself. “Don’t be scared. If you don’t make it, at least you tried…”
She wiped a tear from her eye.
Inhaled sharply.
Then threw open the door.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The red mist thickened as Theresa stepped out across the landing. She walked forward towards the railing which overlooked the main deck below. She could see Lord Fane’s outline on an elevated platform in the centre of the room. He extended his hand up in her direction and a bright spark immediately showered her in an ethereal light. “Princess Emberlynn, Lady of the Orchard. Never wed, never engaged, never in any romantic entanglement of any sort. She is pure and of royal blood. The man she chooses to marry will be a king in this land.”
Theresa peered down, trying to keep her emotions in check. She couldn’t see where all the vampires were. Black and red shadows spiraled across the walls.
“And now my fair Princess, I present to you tonight’s guests of the harem. To my right we have the Lord of West House, Lafayette. If you move along to your right a bit you will be able to see him better…”
Theresa walked slowly along the railing. She turned her gaze where Lord Fane was motioning, a pool of bright light dispelling the mist around the west side of the room.
Gradually, his figure appeared.
Lafayette was wearing an extravagant tailor-made shirt with dark leggings, steel boots and a turquoise cape. His face was long, gaunt and youthful. A long white fringe spilled out across his piercing blue eyes. It was hard to tell if he was looking at her.
“On my left we have not one – but two guests – so Princess, if you could move around in the opposite direction, you’ll be able to see them…”
Theresa walked back along the railing.
“Yes, I’d like to introduce the Davorin twins: Lord Cyprian and Lady Seraphine. They currently hold equal rule over the House of the East.”
The Warlock shone his light on them and their figures emerged through the mist.
Both of them on stools, as the West vampire was, near a bar.
Lady Seraphine had long flourishing black hair, was wearing a red dress and facing in Theresa’s direction but not looking at her.
Lord Cyprian was dressed in upper class garments comprising of a silver vest and emerald outer clothes. He had the same color hair as his sister. His face was pale and distinguished.
“If you would now go back to where you were originally, Princess, you will see Lord Harland of the North House. I don’t want to play favorites but thi
s one is easy on the eye (so I’m told) and quite a catch.”
Theresa moved back round to cast her eyes out on Lord Harland. He was on his feet standing, brought shouldered and smiling up at her. His attire was a mix of what Lafayette and Cyprian were wearing. Leather armor strapped over a deep purple jacket, complete with steel boots and a black cape. He had the build of a warrior, accompanied with blond hair and green eyes.
As his gaze continued to linger up at her, Theresa found herself blushing. She gave a small wave back.
“And now if you could come all the way around, my lady, our next guest is on the other here in front of me…”
As Theresa began to move round she immediately felt a heavy hand land on her shoulder.
“Uh, I don’t think you’re supposed to –” Lord Fane began.
“Shut your mouth, human,” a hoarse voice commanded.
Theresa turned around to be confronted by a seven-foot shirtless barbarian with long black hair and a broadsword strapped his back. His eyes were burning and ferocious – changing color with each passing second.
Theresa tried desperately to keep her composure. “You must be –”
He took her hand and lifted it up to his cheek.
There was a moment’s silence.
“I am Moldark,” he said.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Moldark stared into Theresa’s eyes, awaiting a response from her. She tipped her head to him, hoping it would be enough to appease.
“Moldark,” Lord Harland’s voice echoed across the chamber. “Unhand her.”
“I have a camp set up a mile south of the keep,” Moldark said. “When you’re done with these losers come and see me. If you’re half the woman I’ve been led to believe you are, this won’t be a hard decision for you.”
He let her hand slip away and then stormed off down the stairs towards the entrance.
Game of Vampires: A Reverse Harem Serial (Part One) Page 2