"How old are they?"
"I've heard some people say that they're centuries old, and that they even helped start Sangera when Terrarum first began. They fought in many wars over the centuries and after seeing so many empires rise and fall, all they wanted was a little bit of peace and quiet. The king at the time gave them their wish and allowed them to have land that no one was allowed to trespass on."
"I've heard it's enchanted land," Albert spoke up. "Anyone who tries to go in there finds themselves back here, even if they kept walking straight in front of them."
"Well, have any of you tried to get up there?" Raduta asked.
They looked at her like she was crazy. "No way. You wouldn't catch me dead trying to get in there."
"Even you won't go in there, Albert?"
"You say that as if I've earned the title of group troublemaker."
Raduta shrugged at him. "Are you saying that you're not."
He flashed a grin at her. "As much fun as a little trouble is, there's no way I'd try to go in there. When we were young, we used to bet each other to go in there, but no one was ever brave enough to go."
Raduta pushed her shoulders back and walked towards that path. "Well, if no one's ever gone, allow me to be the first." All of them shouted no as Raduta stepped over the threshold of the path and immediately stopped. In seconds, she was jumping back. "I don't like that."
"What?" Victoria asked.
"There's a strange energy here. It feels ancient and… otherworldly." She looked up at them and her face seemed to be stricken with fear. "Now I see why you guys stay away from this place."
Against her better judgment, Victoria took a few tentative steps towards the path.
"Victoria, don't," Albert began.
"Don't worry, I'm not going up. I just want to know what she means."
Reaching out her hands, Victoria felt the air around her. It was as if the forces of nature all rushed forth together to greet her. Victoria gasped as she felt what Raduta had mentioned. Unimaginable power lay deep in those woods, but there was something else, something familiar, like a memory that was lost to her. For something that was so ancient, Victoria couldn't help but recognize the call. It reached out to her, and Victoria desired to reach back.
"Hello," something, some kind of ethereal force, seemed to say. "Are you looking for me?"
"Yes," Victoria replied in a hurried whisper. "Yes, I am."
"Be careful what you wish for."
"Victoria!"
Alex's hands were grabbing her shoulders and shaking her awake.
"What just happened?" Victoria looked around herself to see that she had traveled a fair amount of the way up that cobblestone path. Despite their fears, everyone was crowding around her.
"It was as if you were in a trance," Raduta answered. "Your eyes were completely black."
Victoria was stunned silent. By the looks on their faces, she could tell that however it was that she had been acting before hadn't been a pretty sight. All four of them appeared deeply unnerved.
"Maybe we shouldn't take this road anymore," Adrian finally piped up. The others just nodded, still unaware as to what just happened.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Death Dance
"You look like a proper Sangeran," Victoria said to Alex as they were standing in the girls' room preparing to celebrate the equinox. Everyone had gathered together to get ready for the holiday festivities.
"I feel like a proper idiot."
"You're ridiculous. You look great!"
Alex pulled at the cord that kept his cape on.
"Don't fidget. You don't want to go ruining all of my hard work, now do you?"
"Do you want the honest answer?"
She and Alex stood in front of the mirror examining his Stransura costume. He ended up buying the golden lion mask, which matched nicely with his golden military clothing. In the end, she hadn't been able to get him to budge much on the idea of wearing an avant-garde costume like most people do, but she did convince him to at least wear this.
"Is it so shameful," she asked him. "To participate in a vampire holiday?"
He met her eyes in the mirror. They were filled with guilt as they both remained silent. "It's difficult to explain," he replied shaking his head. "Gargoyles and vampires…" He trailed off not wanting to finish his thoughts. As he didn't bother trying to deny it, she figured she had been spot-on. Lately, it had felt like all they had been doing was tiptoeing around each other wondering which one of them would say the wrong thing first.
Giggles from the bathroom broke their uncomfortable silence as Blair and Raduta came out from where they had been doing their makeup. Their laughter seemed especially emphasized as if they had heard the two talking and wanted to bring it to an end.
The tension in the air was broken by a knock on the door.
That would be Albert.
She opened up the door with relief flooding her heart. Albert wore a black devil mask fitted with horns to pair with his midnight blue and black nobility clothing. He was the picture of high class.
"Albert," Alex said from the corner of the room. "The idea was to wear a costume."
"Sorry, Lupe, but it's Stransura. Not even your conniving little comments could bother me tonight." He offered his arm up to Victoria. "My lady."
"Why, thank you."
"Are we ready to go. I'm getting antsy from all this waiting." Albert was indeed shuffling back and forth from one foot to the other. He looked like a runner getting ready to run a marathon.
"Patience," Victoria replied in her haughtiest tone. "Is a virtue."
"Besides, we're still waiting for Adrian," Raduta piped up from the other side of the room.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. "Speak of the devil."
Albert ran to the door and threw it open startling Adrian. "Hooray!" he shouted. Adrian's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "You're here. The squad is complete. The universe is back in order. Can we go now?"
"And here I thought you were simply happy to see me," Adrian replied. He was also in all black wearing a mask that was black on one half of his face and all white on the other.
"Wow, you certainly clean up well," Raduta commented.
"Yes, he does. He's real handsome. Can we go now?"
"Albert if you don't stop talking, I'm going to punch you in the face."
"Bring it, Lupe. It wouldn't be the first time we fought, and it certainly wouldn't be the last."
"No one is fighting as these outfits are super nice and expensive, and we got them for free." Victoria cut in. "And there is no way I am letting you defile them by getting blood all over them."
The two of them groaned. "Fine," Albert replied. "But can we—"
"Yes, we can go! Now get out!" Victoria shouted at him.
"Yes!"
Albert was practically running down the halls of the castle with the rest trailing behind. When he noticed the conversation continuing without him, he slowed his pace in order to be included.
Raduta spoke up from Albert's side where she walked with Adrian. "Albert, why are you wearing blue instead of red? I thought nobility was supposed to wear the colors of their country?" Raduta asked him.
"Actually, we wear the colors of our territory. While the color of Sangera is red, it is also considered the color of Batara. Since Victoria is keeper of Batara and all of Sangera, she wears red. My family being in charge of Padora up north means that I wear their colors, which are blue."
"Interesting. Do you wish you were home over the holidays?"
"Nope. My family and I don't really get along all too well. Except for my sister. I wish I got to see her more often."
Walking through the halls of the castle, they passed by many gargoyles giving them curious glances. Alex seemed to be on the receiving end of most of these as he was among the few gargoyles actually wearing a mask.
"Relieved they can't see your face?" she asked him.
"What," he whipped his head around to face her.
He sighed. "You're not a burden to me. It's just…"
"Complicated," she finished for him. "I hope there will come a night when not everything is so complicated."
There was a hint of despair in Alex's voice when he replied, "Something tells me it might always be complicated between us."
Ω
"Wow!" Raduta exclaimed, starlight dancing across her eyes. "In all my life, I have never seen anything quite like this!"
"Really?" Victoria asked her.
She nodded. "Everything here is so bright and colorful. It's surprising."
"How so?"
"Have you ever seen the pictures humans paint of us 'mythical' vampires?" she asked. Victoria shook her head. "Imagine a lot of coffins, Gothic clothing, and bats."
"I get the Gothic clothing and bats, but why coffins? If they imagine us as eternal, what would be the purpose of a coffin?"
Raduta laughed as she replied, "To sleep in."
A snort burst out of Victoria as she too began to laugh. "That is strange. Only the dead sleep in coffins, and if I were dead, I think I would know it."
They made their way to the square where people were dancing on the grass, their shoes tossed aside for ease of movement. Everyone was laughing and having a merry time. For perhaps the first time, Victoria thought about how much she had missed out on these past seven years. She looked up to where kites and lanterns floated across the sky. The giddy screams of children flitted through the air and Victoria's sapphire eyes shone from the light of sparklers. Raduta was right. It was like a parade celebrating the night and its beauty. For that was always the main themes of these events. The lights that stretched across the streets were lanterns in the shapes of yellow stars. Many vampires had painted gold and blue dust on their cheeks mimicking stardust. Yes, they were a people who lived among the stars, and they reveled in it.
"Want to dance?" She looked to her right to where the voice had come from and found Alex staring at her. His joy and laughter were there as it always was, but Victoria could have sworn she could sense a nervousness there.
"I…" she hesitated, embarrassed. "I don't know how to dance."
"You mean dancing wasn't a subject in your home school?"
She shrugged. "I guess not."
Alex chuckled grabbing her hand. Victoria flinched, unaccustomed to the touch. "That's alright," he replied. "I don't know how to dance either. We can just look like idiots together."
The pair did indeed look odd. Alex, who must have been accustomed to traditional Piatra dances, wanted to move much faster than everyone else. Victoria simply had no idea what she was doing. Therefore, she followed his lead. Every few moments, she caught curious glances being tossed their way.
"We must look like two crazy people swinging each other around the lawn," Victoria said through her laughter. Alex's laughter mixed with hers in a deep, hearty rumble.
The whole thing was fun and strangely normal. Perhaps this is what her parents meant when they talked about really being a part of their people, not just watching, not just surviving, but really living. Victoria never thought she would learn what those words could mean.
When the music at last stopped, both she and Alex were out of breath with smiles plastered to their faces, still cackling like children.
"This is the most fun I've had in a long time," Victoria told him.
"Yeah," he laughed. "I'd have to say the same for myself, too."
Alex seemed to hold an intense kind of expression in his eyes when he looked at her, but she couldn't describe what it was.
"Step back, Lupe." Albert suddenly cut in as slower music began to start up. "I'll show you how it's done." Alex nodded his head and gazed at her with that same intense look again before wandering off to the side. A quick glance around showed Victoria that Adrian and Raduta had gone over to the booths lined up on the street to look at everything the city had to offer.
Something unsettling snagged in Victoria's heart as she took Albert's hands and let him lead her around the lawn in a proper Sangeran dance. Dancing with Alex had been friendly and informal, but dancing with Albert… it was like everything that she had been preparing for was becoming real. The future queen and grand prince of Sangera were dancing together on Stransura. The couples around them gaped in excitement. What a sight to behold! People would be telling their friends about it for days to come. She suddenly became very self-conscious of her lack of dancing skills.
Shaking her head, Victoria said, "I thought you would be dancing with Raduta by now."
Albert threw his head back and laughed. "I asked her, but she said no." They danced for a few seconds before he said, "She's a feisty one. No wonder why you two became such fast friends."
"I like her. Talking to her is like getting a breath of fresh air."
"I would have to agree with you on that one. After talking to her, I find I rather enjoy not being looked at like a beast all of the time."
"So why do you still do the things you do? What aren't you telling me?" Albert was silent. "Since when do we keep secrets from each other?"
"Some things are better left unsaid."
Victoria sighed as the two continued to dance in silence.
Suddenly, there was a darkness at her back. Someone was sneaking around, watching them. She could sense it. It wasn't the obvious gawking she had become accustomed to. No, this was malicious. Victoria looked over at Alex to see if he had sensed it, too, but he and Albert were clearly already planning an exit strategy. After observing their hushed voices, Raduta and Adrian stopped what they were doing to join them.
"What's wrong?" Adrian asked.
"Somethings not right," Alex spoke up.
"We need to get her out of here, Lupe."
Alex nodded and scanned the crowd as Albert wrapped Victoria's hand in his.
"That way," Albert nodded towards a rather empty and unlit street.
Alex shook his head. "Too open. Too many dark alleyways."
"I've got it covered," Albert replied. "Stay close, everyone. My powers can only stretch so far."
"What are we?" Victoria asked him. Even in the darkness of the night, Victoria noticed the shadow of one of Albert's illusions pass over them. A darkness that could only be seen by them.
"Just a group of kids enjoying the Stransura celebrations. Not particularly noticeable when there are so many more important people to keep an eye out for."
Victoria nodded and gulped as fear settled into the pit of her stomach. She felt helpless. If something were to happen to them, she could do nothing but rely on her protectors.
They were about halfway down the street when a hand reached into their darkness from out of nowhere grabbing onto her wrist and yanking her from the shadows Albert had crafted.
She yelped out, suddenly feeling helpless. She had experienced years of training for the night when she would need to defend herself, but all she felt now was blind terror. But then, in less than a second, Alex had her attacker by the throat, his sword ready to end the man's life.
"Wait!" the man cried out. "I'm here to help!"
Victoria looked over to the voice and saw an impeccably dressed man. Alex's swift movements caused his neat white hair to become messy and his golden eyes went wide in fear.
"Uncle Peter?" she asked. "What are you doing?"
"Your mother requested I come get you." He looked at them with frustration. "If you wouldn't mind calling off your attack dog."
Alex's eyes flared with rage at his words, but he remained calm as he looked at Victoria waiting for an order.
"It's alright. He's not an enemy. He's Peter Alastor, my father's closest adviser."
Ω
When she and her companions returned to Viata Castle, Victoria beheld a large number of guards dressed in bright clothing of blues and greens and golds. Each of them had tan skin and beautiful features that seemed unfitting for a kingdom bathed in moonlight. Th
e scent of salt and the sea wafted into Victoria's senses as they passed by the soldiers.
"Victoria!" her mother exclaimed as Peter steered she and her friends into the headmistress's office.
She had a look in her eyes that Victoria didn't think she had ever seen before. If she had, then, it was a look her mother hadn't worn in a while. Composing herself, the queen briskly walked towards Victoria and wrapped her daughter in her arms. Victoria stiffened at the unusualness of the situation. Unsure how to react to her mother's unusual show of affection, she decided to lightly pat her on the back. The whole situation must have looked truly awkward.
Finally backing away from her, the queen said, "I'm so glad you're alright." That was it. Any semblance of a mother was gone and the queen of Sangera was back. She turned to where Peter stood in the corner. "I trust you had no problems retrieving her?"
"None at all," he huffed. "Except for the part where her bodyguard almost killed me."
Alex was still seething at the way Peter talked about him. Haughty vampire behavior, indeed.
"Good," the queen surprised them all by saying. "I certainly didn't choose him for his test scores alone. I would expect it to be very difficult indeed to get to my daughter with Alexander Lupe around."
This seemed to put him in a better mood. Victoria, however, was still rather sour. It was still unknown as to why she had been hurriedly ushered through the streets of Batara. In addition to the mysterious atmosphere, there were two exotic looking strangers standing in the room, their looks mimicking those who stood just outside. One was an extremely large man with golden tan skin and eyes the color of the sea during a storm. His white hair was windswept, as if he had just flown here. Instead of round mortal ears or even pointed ones, two green fins stuck out from either side of his head in their place. The other stranger was a woman with dark skin and curly dark hair. Both smelled of the sea.
"Mother, what is going on?"
"Victoria, this is Kai Kealoha," she gestured to the man. "He is the leader of the Nokken. And this is Maria Makilling, the queen of Mancator's second in command." She took a deep breath before continuing. "There was an attack. Well, not just an attack…"
The Hunger of Wolves Page 5