Pleased with her finds, they returned to the guest house above the saloon. Felix joined the Brood for a beer, but Erika wanted to shower and nap. She was pleased to find Felix got them separate rooms though they shared a bathroom. Unlocking the door, she found herself in a small room with a double bed, dresser, and bedside table. It was clean, simple, and comfortable. She hand washed the bra and panties she had found, Febreze the outfits, and hung them up in the bathroom before taking a long shower, thankful for the warm water. Wrapped in a towel, she sat on the bed and combed her long dark hair to let it air dry. Stretching out on the double bed, she shut her eyes just for a second, and within a matter of minutes, was deep asleep.
✽✽✽
Dreamtime
Erika knew she must be dreaming as she flew high above the treetops. Beside her flew two ravens, and she knew that she was a raven as well. The landscape below her was covered in a thick rolling fog and mists before it faded out to one of shadow and flames. There was a great rumbling as though the earth itself was breaking, and great mountains grew from nothing. The great river ran backward. It is white bubbling waters rushing forth and rising to swallow the land. She watched as entire cities disappeared and all things living lost.
The day turned orange, and the great sun split in half while the moon broke apart and became nine lunar objects. In the distance, the two suns rose and set, and then rose and set again. Erika saw the formation of great forests and dense jungles. Plains of ice and frost formed to the east while lush, green meadows spread to the north. In the west, canyons rose, divided, changed, and settled. In awe, she saw great monoliths and ancient architectures turn from shadow into stone as they shifted from one plane of existence to this one. Erika flew with her raven companions until they came to rest on an Ash tree. The great tree itself barren of everything but the tattered remains of a noose. Below, thousands upon thousands lay dead or dying while a great dark cloud grew consumed with flame on the horizon. In the sky to her right loomed a great clock. It read nine o'clock as the chimes began to sing, echoing in the valley around her. As the chimes rang, she saw a spiraling abyss form out of nothing. As the ninth chime rang, she heard the ravens caw after her, "Remember…"
✽✽✽
She awoke with a start to the sound of a knock on the bathroom door and realized it must be Felix. "Shower is yours, Darkling," he called. The smell of fresh soap filled the air, and she could not help but imagine him standing on the other side of the door, dark hair wet, body glistening, wearing a white towel around his waist. Or maybe he was standing there wet and naked she thought, blushing at herself for thinking such a thing. Just the traitorous thought brought Ransom to mind. Feeling guilty, Erika wistfully thought of being in his arms. She needed him to come to extinguish the dark yearning that was fostering these wicked thoughts. He had been gone from her far too long, and she needed him to take her in his arms and love that wickedness away.
A half-hour later, she met Felix downstairs. She was wearing black thigh-high satin boots with jet decorative beading in the shape of roses, vines, and thorns, and an ankle-length riding jacket with the same jet beading of roses, vines, and thorns as the boots. Underneath the coat, she wore a mixed-lace bustier bodysuit over black spandex bike shorts. The jacket had buttons that fastened right underneath the place where her bosom fell to right below her waist. The creamy whiteness of her thighs played peekaboo as she walked with the inky black fabric moving with the grace of a cloud. She did not have a lot in the way of makeup, so she wore her black eyeliner turned up to give her a cat's eye, mascara, and the same black eyeliner on her lips. For her final touch, she wore her black hair slicked back into a low bun. On her head sat a black Victorian Riding hat with black iridescent feathers as decoration on the side and a black birdcage veil cascading down.
Standing next to his motorcycle, Felix looked dashing in the pair of dark blue jeans, white button-down shirt, cognac-colored belt, black waistcoat vest, and a pair of boots the same color as the belt that Erika had selected for him. She could not help but notice that with his dark hair slicked back, beard trimmed, and shaped, he was even more devilishly handsome than he was scruffy and brooding.
When he set eyes on her, he gave a long low whistle. "Nice! But are you sure you feel comfortable exposing that much skin around a bunch of vampires?" he asked her, "You look good enough to eat."
Smiling, Erika moved to stand next to the motorcycle. She could feel her color rising at his compliment. He moved closer to her, electricity sparking between them. Erika raised her chin with a slight tilt of her head. Her grey-green eyes seemed to glow with inner desire as she looked him in the eyes. Now it was Felix's turn to look uncomfortable. He was in the process of lowering his head when the sound of the saloon door banging open could be heard behind them, and the two jumped apart.
"Hey Felix, here is that extra helmet," Tex called out to them as the Brood filed out of the saloon behind them. "Damn, Erika, you lookin’ Like a naughty goth girl in that getup," he joked until he saw the look on her face, "but still classy. Yeah, classy goth girl in that getup," he told her, backpedaling as he tossed the helmet to Felix.
Rolling with it, she replied, "Well, I couldn't show up with this crew and be the ugly duckling," she joked, "I wanted to be a black swan." She twirled to exhibit the coat billowing around her legs. Dumbstruck, Tex nodded appreciatively at her.
Tex was the youngest of the Brood and every bit the wild child. She had always thought he went a little overboard with the other guys but had finally realized he was just a bit crazy. Erika had never asked what his spiritual leanings were, but his body told a tale of Gaelic pride. Every visible inch of his body that she had seen was tattooed with ancient Celtic symbols and knots. He was six foot three and a half, tall, lean, and ripped. Tonight, he was dangerously sexy, wearing black leather pants, a black leather vest, and black steel-toed bike boots. He usually wore his longish blonde hair in a top knot, but tonight, however, he had moussed it. It had a tousled, sexy look that, combined with his kohl-lined ocean blue eyes, gave him the look of a Viking raider. Erika doubted any woman who saw him tonight would fantasize about little else, vampire or not.
While she saw the draw to each of the Brood, Erika never thought of them as dateable. She considered Buck like a big brother, and as such, his friends were off-limits. No matter how fine they were, you never date your brother's friends. It was just a rule. That shit just got too complicated.
Felix, on the other hand…she thought with an impish grin before mentally slapping herself, "What the hell, Erika," she muttered to herself, realizing she was not behaving normally. She was usually the last person to think about sex, get an innuendo, and she had never considered the possibility of cheating on any of her boyfriends, much less Ransom, who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She wondered what was going on with her and if it was related to her amnesia. Ransom was the only guy she had ever been in love with, and she loved every inch of him. So why now suddenly was she thinking about other men. More to the point, why did she feel this way about Felix?
"Earth to Erika," she heard Felix say. He was holding out the helmet for her. She had not noticed the others had mounted up and were revving up their bikes, obviously waiting on her.
Taking the helmet, she mouthed, "Sorry," as she took her hat off and gave it to Felix to hold while she put the helmet on. She ignored the look of utter disdain he was giving her as he held the hat. Carefully she put the hat in his saddlebag before getting on the bike behind him. "Hey, we could have gone in the truck, but you wanted to ride with the boys," she said. He flashed her a grin as he put on his helmet. The Rolling Stones, "Sympathy for the Devil," started playing on the helmet's Bluetooth as they rolled off into the night.
Chapter 29
Erika watched the nightlife unfolding on the streets of Fort Rosalie. A few times, she met a pedestrian's eyes, and she was shocked to see their eyes catch the headlights with a red or yellow light from within. Vampires, real fricking vampire
s - the realization was sobering. She had always known that it was possible, but like all the things she had been learning from the Professor, she had taken it with a grain of salt. She had considered the psychology of vampirism, the subculture of humans wanting to be immortal, the mythology of it, the ancient truths but never the reality. She had just explained it away. “Who knew,” she wondered. Next up, it was going to be Zombies. It just had to be.
As they rode down the dark lane, Erika recognized the Queen's estate to belong to a palatial Greek Revival home that sat high up on the bluffs overlooking the river. It was alive with activity despite the fact the sun was only just now setting.
As they drove past the gate to park with the others, Felix told her that Queen Mary ran her operation for hundreds of years under the guise of an internationally elite all-girls boarding school and college. In truth, it was a school of sorts, only one for the most beautiful and talented Sanguine, Psychic, and Living Vampires. Mary trained these protégés in her specialty - international espionage.
These various types of vampires learned the art of seduction, glamour, and death at her school. During the times of the vampire wars, her graduates worked to form a network of skilled assassins. And when they had been defeated, the undead had gone into hiding. Not the Queen though - Mary had continued to thrive and began to work internationally with various heads of state who needed to hire the perfect assassin. Mary and the Misi-ziibi had toppled governments, started coups, and dined on the blood of Kings.
Fascinated, Erika remembered Velvet telling her once that she fed on sex energy. At the time, she thought that was just Velvet's way of saying she liked sex. Feeling a little naive, she was embarrassed as she started to see all these puzzle pieces falling into place. All this time, there had been a gossamer film of illusion hiding the real magical world around them. The truth was, as much as she liked to believe she knew something, she had been blind to all. Now she was like a color-blind person seeing in color for the first time.
The full moon was ripe in the night sky, as the intoxicating smell of gardenias and roses was carried on the wind coming in off the river. The oak grove worked to conceal a walled cemetery with wrought iron gates that displayed a tangle of vines alive with night-blooming roses the color of rubies. Spanish moss lazily laced down from the tree branches, but the finishing touch was the haunting layer of mist creeping up from the river bottoms. Torchlight illuminated the brick walkway from the mighty oaks' shadows as the pathway weaved its way up to the stately antebellum mansion from where they had parked.
Erika had been to Fort Rosalie before, but she had never visited any of the old plantation homes, so she was overwhelmed with the feeling of having stepped back in time as they neared the sizeable white plantation house. On the surface, it was just another reminder of a kinder time of southern gentility and hospitality. However, underneath that was another layer, energy that whispered blood and death.
Closing her eyes, Erika surveyed the place with her third eye and saw three ley lines crisscrossing the property. Timidly she reached out psychically to tap the deepest of line. It was not the brightest, but instinctively Erika knew it was the most powerful. Running her tongue over her lips, she found it tasted an ancient mixture of blood and brimstone. A jolt of energy electrified her, and she heard a laugh. Her grey-green eyes darted to Felix, who stood watching her, a bemused smile on his lips. With a start, she realized he knew precisely what she was doing. It bothered her that he seemed to be one step ahead of her, especially regarding anything magical. She was used to being the one in the know about the flows and about the inherent nature of magic, but he made her feel like she did not know a thing at all when compared to him.
As though he read her mind, he caught her arm, "I have had lifetimes of practice, Darkling. While you have been forced to relearn magic with each incarnation. Your memory will come back, we will unlock the things preventing you access to your knowledge and abilities."
"Not unless I get my raven back," she muttered under her breath. She thought about the jar safe with Millie, Hermit, and Tanna at their safe house in the woods. She hoped Ransom had been able to get in touch with them, and they were not too worried about her. Oddly, she figured Tanna was the one taking care of Hansel and Gretel for her. That lady had a unique quality about her that Erika had not been able to discern. Tanna was a tightly boxed bunch of secrets, for sure, but Erika had a feeling that was more out of pain and necessity than it was because she was a bad person.
As they approached the front door, Erika hung back a step while Felix knocked on the door using an antique gold door knocker. The unique design of the knocker left Erika intrigued. Its style was familiar to Erika, but she could not place where she had seen it before. It had to be a replica, but it was just out of her mental reach from where it was. She was sure she had seen similar artifacts in the professor's books on ancient alchemy, but the closest she could guess was Ancient Egypt. The knocker was a lion's head with two king cobras in its mouth, forming a sort of eternal knot or ouroboros; Erika was not sure what it was called. The detail was incredible. She could swear that the lion's eyes were made from pigeon's blood rubies, while those of the cobras’ jet or onyx.
The power she felt likely came from some sort of potent protection spell since with each knock there was a resonance of magic deep in her chest. The door slowly opened with a loud creak, revealing a man dressed in a short, white linen kilt. His slightly sharp teeth and skin, which was the waxy color of a corpse betrayed his true nature, but he could pass easily as human to someone who did not know he was a vampire. The man’s eyes were the color of warm honey and lined in kohl in the exaggerated way of the Ancient Egyptians. In heavily accented English, he addressed Felix, "State your business." He did not look at Erika, but instead, he looked through her. Bristling instinctually, the rudeness of his behavior was not lost on her.
"Felix Soul-Eater brings her majesty word of the doom gathering outside the realm of man," Felix told the man.
Erika watched as Felix pulled a dagger out from a sheath on his back. The blade was a good four inches with the hilt adding an additional three. The unusual blade looked as if it was made of something more than just iron, its hilt an intricate weave of ivory and onyx held in place by precious gold. The man whispered in awe, "A meteorite blade." It was a statement more than a question Erika realized as she watched Felix cut his palm. Saying nothing, he handed the man the dagger, its blade covered with his thick, fresh blood.
With new respect in his eyes, the man invited them inside, "Wait here, Felix Soul-Eater."
They were left waiting in the grand black and white foyer. It featured a double staircase lit by a glamorous bronze frame chandelier with crystal strands and prisms. Erika had never seen anything so opulent before. Marveling at the space, she was in complete awe. Everything she could see was more decadent and richer than any place she had ever been. Wide-eyed, she looked at Felix, wanting to say something. He looked bored and scowled at her, giving her the impression, she should be less impressed than she was.
Like a whisper, the butler appeared seemingly out of nowhere, startling her so severely she stumbled. Before she could fall, Felix grabbed her by the waist and helped steady her.
"The Queen will take your audience, Felix Soul-Eater, but not your Human," the man relayed to Felix making the word human sound like an insult.
Erika was disappointed but not surprised. She had figured she had no business with a Vampire Queen anyway. She was about to excuse herself, but Felix shot her a look that stayed her mouth. His voice cut through the hallway like a bullwhip. It was laced with ancient power and magics so subtle it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. "Tell the Queen, I walk with Erika Lily, the White Raven who wanders the paths between worlds, Scion to the Lands of Shadow, Daughter of the Shining Light, Wish-Maid for the All-Father," Felix replied, his tone cold and steely. "She is the Lady I now serve - The Beacon Who Stands at the Border of Darkness before the Dawn."
She
watched as the man's demeanor toward her changed. He looked at her then, and whatever he saw left him even more waxen and pale. Standing a little taller, Erika tried to look as arrogant as she could muster. She barely had time to breathe when the man returned. Bowing low to her with respect and fear, "Apologies, Mistress. Come, Felix Soul-Eater, Queen Mary of the Misi-ziibi will see you now."
Erika did not know what she was expecting, but this was not it. One side of the room was nothing but sliding doors with Tiffany looking stain-glass panes depicting the first vampire arrival to the new world. The sliding doors opened out onto a patio overlooking the river. The effect was beautiful, a kaleidoscope of colors illuminated by the full moon. There was no natural light, but hundreds of lit candles in candelabras. Velvet cushions and leather sofas made informal seating throughout the large ballroom. There was a platform on top of which sat a large elaborately carved onyx and gold throne at the far side. Upon it sat a bone-white figure with the reddest hair Erika had ever seen. Their escort whispered something to the attendants at the entrance. Erika could not help but notice they were dressed in the same short linen kilt as the man who had answered the door.
"Felix Soul-Eater and his Shadow Mistress, Erika Lily," the herald announced. Silence fell across the room as Felix escorted her to stand in front of Bloody Mary, the Vampire Queen of Misi-ziibi. He had offered her his arm, and for that, Erika was thankful. She knew without being told that she was the only living being in this room besides Felix, and even he was not human.
The energy of the room was, in a word, void. It felt to her as though she and Felix were alone in the big empty house. There was no life energy present. Instead, the room only had a cold, hollow feeling. She subconsciously tightened her grip on his hand and did her best to keep her head up and her eyes forward. Slowly, she began to adjust to the situation. Opening her third eye, she could now sense the phantasmal energy of the vampires. She had read once not to look into a vampire's eyes but was not sure if looking at them with her third eye like this counted. As she looked at their spectral forms, she could understand why they might not want to be looked upon. Scared and fascinated, she saw that the Fylgja were missing, and so were their souls. Except… The master vampires… They had the collection of Fylgjur that belonged to their children in charms around their necks or set in jewelry. It fueled their power.
Tapestry of Worlds : Part One - The White Raven Awakens Page 20