The ballroom was only dimly illuminated, despite the row of chandeliers that cast miniature dots of reflected light onto the black ceiling, giving them the appearance of stars in a night sky. Black velvet tapestries, decorated with golden moons and stars, were draped across the walls. White moonflowers and evening primroses decorated most surfaces—the plush chairs and couches, even the marble floors.
Vampire and human guests lounged on the couches that lined the walls, openly making love or feasting on blood, their eyes closed in erotic bliss. The guests who weren’t engaged in lovemaking or blood sharing danced to the strains of a macabre-sounding waltz on the dance floor, played by a small orchestra at the head of the ballroom.
The atmosphere was both erotic and ostentatious, a lurid celebration of both night and death. It was as if I’d stepped into an alternate world in which vampires had indeed taken over, humans were subjugated, and we now lived in an eternal realm of night.
Anara was the first to speak, moving to stand before us.
“I have seen much worse in my lifetime,” she whispered. “You all need to stop gaping. We need to appear celebratory if we are to assimilate.”
She turned, her gaze straying to the left side of the ballroom. I followed her gaze. I’d been so distracted by the lasciviousness of the guests that I’d not noticed the dais that was set up there.
Several vampires were gathered on the dais, surrounding a male vampire who sat on a chair so ornate it might as well have been a throne. He held a nude human woman in his lap, drinking hungrily from her throat. His dark hair fell over his prominent brow as he drank. He matched the description Emma had given us—tall and lithe, vivid green eyes, and black hair, with the subtle lethalness of a snake. The vampire was Francois.
There were two vampires hovering around Francois. One was distinctively tall, even for a vampire, with a jagged scar running down the left side of his face, silver-blonde hair, and deep blue eyes. The second vampire was focused on the woman Francois drank from, his gaze roaming lustily over her nude body. He matched Emma’s description of Clement; a jolt of anger hit me at the sight of the creature who’d nearly raped my cousin.
“No,” Anara suddenly whispered.
I frowned, wondering to whom she was reacting—but my confusion didn’t last for long. Another vampire now approached the dais; a vampire I recognized.
It was Matyas. Matyas, the vampire we’d approached in Budapest for help with our attack on Vlad Draculesti. He had betrayed us, warning Vlad that we were coming for him. He’d also been one of the vampires who tortured and murdered my mother. The anger I’d just felt towards Clement was replaced by a white-hot rage. I wanted nothing more than to charge across the ballroom and sink my kukri into his heart.
“This changes nothing,” Anara whispered, sensing my thoughts. She looked at Gabriel, who also radiated with quiet fury. “We stay on task. It is now even more essential that we maintain our anonymity for as long as possible. I want nothing more than to kill him, but we must keep to the plan. Watch the dais, wait for Hugo to approach Francois, and then we make our move.”
Much of Gabriel and Anara’s faces were hidden behind their masks, but I could see the furor in their eyes at the sight of Matyas. Anara’s beloved father Radu had been killed during the confrontation with Vlad, and I knew that she blamed Matyas for his death.
At her words, I nodded. For now, I would have to put aside my desire for revenge against Matyas.
Anara took Seward’s arm and moved into the rambunctious crowd, blending in with the other guests. Gabriel followed suit.
Abe took my hand, leading me towards the throng of swirling dancers. I still felt shaken by the sight of Matyas, and struggled to quell my burning fury.
“We are enjoying ourselves. We are happy to be here,” Abe reminded me, a forced smile on his face as he began to twirl me around to the music.
I made myself smile as well, though it was deeply unsettling to dance amongst the very creatures we were trying to destroy; vampires who wanted to take over the human world. My heart pounded unsteadily as I took in the vampires who danced around us. They must have smelled our human scents; I feared they would try to drink from us or put us into a thrall. Fortunately, they seemed to only be concerned with each other or their human companions.
I looked around, wondering where the other members of the Order of the Dragon were. I wouldn’t be able to recognize them amongst the sea of masks that populated the ballroom. I desperately hoped they were here and had not backed out…our plan wouldn’t succeed without them.
I turned my focus back to Abe. He was still smiling, but I could see the lines of strain around his mouth. The last time we’d danced together at a ball was the fateful night of the London Law Society ball…the night that Jonathan was abducted by Vlad and Ilona. The night my life had forever changed.
“One day,” Abe murmured, his blue eyes now twinkling with genuine amusement. “We should attend a ball where there are no vampires.”
“One day,” I agreed, my smile matching his.
“Toutes les personnes!” an authoritative male voice rang out. The music immediately ceased. Abe and I turned towards the dais.
It was Francois who had spoken. He stood, gesturing towards a cluster of humans who were gathered in front of the dais. Matyas now hovered next to Francois’ chair, and I had to force my eyes away from him.
The humans gazed up at Francois with rapture. I again wondered if they had all been put into a thrall…or if they were here willingly. I couldn’t decide which was worse.
“These humans have agreed to take the Blood,” Francois continued, in rapid French. “Tonight they will be turned and join the dead who live.”
All of the guests applauded at his words. I clapped along with the others, though I felt ill, as Francois continued, “My newborn children are spread throughout Paris. Though we mourn our brethren who have fallen, we will not falter. Tonight, make more children in our image. We will continue to unleash the Blood Plague upon the humans. We will make the world as it should be. Tomorrow night…Paris will fall.”
Fear flooded my senses as the rapturous applause soared. I recalled the empty streets of Paris when we’d arrived. Abe looked at me, his expression fraught with the same fear. We had to succeed tonight—and not just to obtain Bathory’s location. We needed to prevent Francois’ vampires from attacking Paris.
“I have a final surprise for you,” Francois continued, his green eyes shining with excitement. “Our great leader is here tonight. Our queen.”
Gasps of delight punctuated the crowd. I frowned. Who was he referring to?
The crowd parted as a female vampire approached the dais from a side corridor. She was flanked by a dozen vampires. As she ascended the stairs, the vampires on the dais and the guests all around the ballroom kneeled in reverent bows. Hiding our confusion, Abe and I followed suit.
The female vampire kissed Francois on both cheeks before facing the guests. She wore a black brocade domino cloak over a silk gown of deep scarlet. A lavish mask made of black diamonds partially covered her face, the top of the mask extending above her head like a crown. From beneath her mask, I could see that the ivory features of her face were finely carved, like a marble statue. She had glittering midnight black eyes, and wavy auburn hair that flowed to her waist.
Her dark gaze swept over all the guests in the room. I heard a sudden whisper in my mind, akin to the whisper Vlad had uttered to me on Westminster Bridge in London weeks ago.
You are my children…my subjects. You all belong to me.
I was suddenly unable to move. She was placing everyone in the ballroom into a thrall. I didn’t know that vampires could put such a large crowd in thrall at once. She must be a powerful vampire, I mused.
At the thought, a chill snaked through my chest. Sometimes she appears at the masquerade balls Francois has at his home, Clovis had told us in Berlin.
The vampire was Elizabeth Bathory.
18
PREY
The guests around us listened in rapt awe as she began to speak. I wanted to scream, to hurl my kukri into her heart, but the power of her thrall held me frozen.
"You have done well, my children,” she said. Her voice was throaty and commanding, yet seductive as a siren's song. "We have enemies who deny our dominion, who cut down our allies and believe that ensures their victory. We are more powerful than they are; we shall continue forward. Listen for whispers of betrayal; show no mercy on any traitors you come across."
As she spoke, two hulking male vampires approached the dais from one of the side corridors, dragging a nude woman along with them. She was gaunt, with bruises and bite marks all over her pale body. They dragged the woman up to the dais and towards Bathory. The woman wept and pleaded with them. My heart broke for her…she knew that she was about to die.
"This is a former member of the Order of the Dragon," Bathory continued, contempt lacing her words. "The Order, who betrayed their own kind by uniting with humans. That is when our downfall began. When the predator allowed the prey to have dominion. We are like the great wolves of the animal kingdom. We do not bow down to prey."
In a flash of movement, Bathory reached for the woman, easily lifting her with one arm and holding her aloft as she struggled and begged for mercy. Bathory trained her gaze on a small group of vampires who now stood near the dais. They were released from her thrall, and scurried to the base of the dais like a pack of hungry wolves. Alarmed, I realized what she was about to do.
"We treat humans who defy us as the lowly beasts they are. They need to be reminded of what they are. Meat. Food. Nothing."
She hurled the screaming woman into the group of hungry vampires, and they descended upon her, tearing into her flesh with their fangs. The woman's screams punctuated the silent ballroom; they were screams of agony, of terror. Though I could not move, tears pricked at my eyes. How many times had I heard such screams? I thought of the doomed sailors on the Demeter and the passengers on our derailed train from weeks ago. How much more suffering would these monsters inflict on humans?
It seemed as if an eternity passed before the woman's screams died. Bathory watched serenely, smiling as the vampires stood, their mouths and fine clothes now stained with the woman's blood.
Only pieces of the woman remained. Her flesh had been torn from her bones, and only a portion of her face was intact. Her lifeless eyes seemed to stare right at me.
"She deserved far worse," Bathory said. "Be creative when it comes to punishing traitors. Now, I must take my leave," she continued, turning to Francois, leaning in to press a loving kiss to his lips. "Continue your celebrations. Make love, make children, make death. I love you all."
With one last smile at the guests, she vanished.
We were released from our paralysis. I was shaking, revulsion searing my insides. I no longer felt any trace of excitement over my familial connection to Bathory. How could I share blood with that monster? How could someone from my line have fallen in love with someone from hers?
Now that I saw the magnitude of her power, her cruelty, I knew that she would not be as simple to ensnare as Vlad had been. The thought of her drinking my blood, even if it did manage to kill her, was terrifying.
Abe gripped my arm as the orchestra began to play another waltz. The vampire and human guests resumed dancing and making merry, as if nothing had happened, as if a human being had not just been violently torn to shreds. How could the humans not care? How could they react with such laissez faire? They are all in a thrall, I told myself. It was the only explanation I could fathom.
I set my disgust aside. Bathory was here. Now was our chance to kill her. I looked up at Abe, whose countenance was unnerved but determined. I gave him a subtle nod, and together we moved towards the entrance. I fixed a smile on my face to avoid arousing suspicion, but no one paid us any mind as we exited the ballroom and made our way to the front entrance.
Human and vampire guests continued to stream inside, laughing and gay as we hurried past them.
Outside, there were no departing carriages at the iron gates, only arriving carriages, which dropped off even more guests.
I stiffened when I sensed the presence of a vampire directly behind us.
Abe and I whirled. The vampire who hovered behind us wore a black domino hooded cloak over his suit of midnight blue. He briefly lifted his black moretta mask to reveal his face. It was Hugo, one of the members of the Order. My shoulders sank with relief.
"There is no sign of Bathory,” he whispered, pressing his mask back down over his face. "I checked the side corridor from which she came. The others are checking the grounds. I fear she is gone. She has made appearances like this before…and then vanished into the night."
I closed my eyes, trembling with frustration. The last vampire we needed to kill had only been yards away from us, and now she was gone.
“Come back inside."
Anara had stepped out as well. She looked rattled, though she wore a strained smile.
"She is not here…we have all done a quick search. We found the members of the Order,” she whispered, nodding at Hugo. “Noelle told me that Bathory’s bravado is a front. She knows the Order is closing in on her; she keeps her public appearances brief. Our plan will still proceed. Hugo, are you ready?"
Hugo nodded, though a brief look of grief flashed across his eyes. I wondered with sympathy if he knew the human woman who had just been killed. But Anara was right—we had a task to do, and now I was even more determined to succeed.
MOMENTS LATER, I danced the waltz with Abe, my shock over Bathory's appearance and the murder of the human woman temporarily cast aside as I acted the part of joyous human guest, eagerly anticipating the end of the human world. The smile I wore was so tight that my face had begun to smart.
I wondered how our allies were doing, pretending to be gay in the face of such looming odds. We were surrounded by murderous vampires and compliant humans. After Bathory's appearance, the mission seemed more arduous.
I looked past Abe’s rigid shoulders as he swirled me around, finding Hugo in the crowd. He was weaving his way through the merry guests, approaching the dais. Once he reached its base, one of Francois’ guards stopped him. But Francois took in Hugo’s handsome form with overt interest. He stood, waving for Hugo to come forward.
I watched anxiously as they spoke. Behind them, Matyas surveyed their exchange with narrowed eyes. I stumbled over Abe’s feet in alarm when Francois reached out to remove Hugo’s mask.
“What?” Abe hissed. He was trying not to stare in the same direction I was to avoid suspicion, his face pale with anxiety.
“Keep dancing,” I whispered, my heart slamming haphazardly in my chest as Francois studied Hugo for several moments before turning to his guards and issuing an order I couldn't hear. Matyas went rigid at Francois’ words, his icy eyes immediately surveying the crowd. Francois took Hugo’s arm, leading him down the dais and towards another side corridor on the far side of the ballroom; Clement and another guard followed.
I looked away as Matyas and the guards stepped down from the dais. They were ordering each guest they approached to remove their mask. Panic gripped my chest; if we were discovered, our plan would fail before it had even begun. I thought of the murdered human woman. What would our fate be if we were caught?
Abe followed my gaze, and he stopped dancing, gripping my hand. He looked at me, and I nodded. Now was the time to embark upon our plan.
Together, we made our way through the dancing guests towards the same corridor to follow Francois and Hugo. I spotted Anara and the others on the opposite side of the ballroom, making their way towards the same corridor.
But Abe and I were intercepted before we could even leave the dance floor. A male vampire wearing a red plague mask stood in front of us, his black eyes sweeping lustfully from my masked face to my breasts.
“You smell strange and divine, human,” he purred, ignoring Abe as he moved intimately close to me. “Why are
you wearing clothing? I would like to taste you…all of you.”
Abe stilled at my side, and revulsion skittered through me. We couldn’t attack a vampire in a ballroom full of vampires, but if I refused him he would grow suspicious…and perhaps cause a scene. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matyas and the guard continue to make their way through the crowd, stopping each guest as they went. Soon, they would be upon us. I had to act quickly.
“Bien sur,” I replied, giving him what I hoped was a coquettish smile, as I reached out to take his cold hand in mine. “I am quite shy…and my husband would also love for you to drink from him. I know it is not my place to make demands, but is there somewhere more private we could go?”
I let my gaze stray seductively towards the corridor that Francois had led Hugo into. I dropped Abe’s hand and stepped closer to the vampire. I could sense Abe’s anger as the vampire leered at my breasts, before he reluctantly dragged his eyes away to focus on Abe.
“It has been quite some time since I’ve tasted a man. You will certainly do,” he said, surveying Abe’s body. “Come.”
The vampire took both me and Abe by the arms, leading us off the dance floor.
I felt nervous and relieved. I hoped the vampire could not sense my fear, the rapid beating of my heart, nor the kukri that was tucked beneath my bodice. With the vampire escorting us, we blended in effortlessly with the other guests. We'd just have to figure out how to get rid of him once we were alone.
I looked around for Gabriel and the others. They were now on the edge of the dance floor, drawing closer to the corridor. Gabriel had his arm around Anara, while she had her arm linked with Seward’s. They appeared gay, with broad smiles on their faces. Had I not known them, I would have thought they were just like the other guests here. It was only the telltale tightness of Gabriel’s shoulders and the rigid way Seward carried himself that gave away any hint of turmoil. I didn't see Noelle and the other members of the Order; I prayed that they were nearby.
Realm of Night (Mina Murray Book 3) Page 12