I heard Mari and Samuel’s joyful reunion back in the Great Hall as I headed toward Sonia’s and Aaron’s rooms. I hugged each of them in turn. Sonia had tears of joy in her eyes.
“I’m not back for good, only until the wedding.” I did not want them to think I was moving back here.
Sonia pouted.
They wanted to know about London. I told them about my work — teaching vampires not to kill when they fed. That brought us to Elijah.
“Where is he?” I asked. He had not been at his father’s side in the Great Hall.
Sonia and Aaron exchanged a knowing look.
“I have not seen Elijah in days,” Sonia said. “No one knows where he disappears to at times.”
I knew where he was. “Please excuse me.” I stood to leave, feeling an urgent need to see Elijah. They looked at me with curiosity. I hugged each of them again. “It is wonderful to see you both!” Then I was gone.
I flew low over the Oresund. I liked to reach down and feel the cool water. I did not think Elijah would like others to find his refuge, so I made certain no one followed me. I dived into the water. Soon I was in his cave. It was exactly as I remembered — roomy, with a beautiful green mossy waterfall. He had brought more provisions to the cave over the past year. There were blankets, pillows, a chair and books. This was most likely because of the increased time he apparently spent here since I had left. I slowly emerged from the water.
He looked up at me from his book as if I were a specter. Slamming the book closed he quickly stood. “Is it really you?” He wrapped his arms around me.
Chapter 56 Copenhagen 1262 A.D
I did not hug Elijah back. A horrible thought had occurred to me over the past year. Perhaps Elijah had sent his father to kill Teller, or at least knew about the plot. I usually pushed the thought away because I did not want to believe Elijah would do that to me. I had to know the truth. Part of me did not believe Elijah was capable of such evil. He was nothing like his father. Or was he? I pushed him firmly away.
He looked into my troubled eyes and took my hands in his. “I am sorry to hear about your father. He was a great man.”
I stared at him. I had to know what role he’d played in the attempted murder of Teller.
When I did not speak he asked, “What is wrong?”
“What do you know about the night my father died?” My voice was full of accusation.
His eyes widened in surprise, most likely at my hard tone. “I know nothing of that night. Father informed me that Adam had died. It was your father who used to send news from Ludus but since his death, we have not heard anything.”
I stared intently into his smoky blue eyes, trying to discern the truth. It appeared that he did not know anything.
“What happened that night?” Elijah asked.
“How do you think your father knew about my father’s death?” I answered his question with another.
He looked thoughtful.
“What do you know of your father’s visit to Ludus?”
“What visit? When?” His brow was lined with concern.
I studied him; it was becoming obvious that he’d had nothing to do with it. “Did you know the lord sent for me, demanding I return here at once?”
“I told him not to and that it would not succeed in getting you back. Clearly, he did not listen to me.” He shook his head. “That is not a surprise.”
“Well, when I did not return as he requested, what do you think your father did?”
His eyes widened. “My father killed Adam?”
“Not exactly. Indirectly, I suppose.”
He shook his head again, this time indicating that he was confused.
“You knew nothing about your father’s plans?”
“No.” His voice was stern. He put his hands on my upper arms. “What happened?”
Elijah’s eyes were the usual sad storm but they were sincere. This convinced me that he had nothing to do with Teller’s attempted murder. My resolve faded, as did my anger at the thought that he had known about or encouraged his father’s plan to get rid of Teller.
“I’m sorry,” I wrapped my arms around him. “I had to be sure I could trust you.” I proceeded to tell him the story of his father’s visit and my father’s death.
Elijah sat down in his chair as I paced. He put his head in his hands. “I told Father to leave you alone. He thinks he knows what is best for me but he never listens to what I want … or what you want, for that matter. I knew you wished to be left alone. I asked him to honor that as I had.”
How could I have doubted Elijah? He is not his father. Deep down, I had known that. He was selfless and kind. He was willing to leave me alone for as long as I needed. That was why he had never come for me in London. He had indeed been honoring my wish. I placed my hand on his shoulder. He stood and took my hand.
“I’m sorry he did that to you. That was why you went to London instead of returning here? To avoid my father?”
I nodded yes.
“But you are back.” He voice was soft and tender.
He has already forgiven me for leaving him … for Teller. How could that be? I pulled my hand out of his. “Only until Mari and Samuel’s wedding. Then I will return to London.” My voice was flat, as if this were a rehearsed line.
“Well, luckily, that is months away. That is plenty of time for me to convince you to change your mind.”
“I will not stay and besides, shouldn’t you be angry with me?”
“For what — leaving?”
“Yes,” I said.
He gave me his beautiful crooked smile. I could not help smiling back. I’d missed that smile more than I had realized. The gray storm had cleared from his eyes. They looked bluer than they had moments ago.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said. Then he did something unexpected. He picked me up and threw me into the water.
“What … ?” I said when my head broke the surface. But he dived in next to me. He splashed me. I splashed back but it was too late — he was already underwater. He grabbed my foot and pulled me under.
We headed back to the castle. When we landed on his balcony, he took my hand in his. After collecting Sonia and Aaron we headed to the Great Hall.
“You found him,” Sonia declared.
“Of course. He tells her where he hides and not the rest of us.” Aaron pretended to be bitter.
“Come. Let’s get Samuel and Mari. We have much to celebrate,” Elijah said.
“And it seems he is not going to tell us where he disappears to,” Sonia said.
We gathered in Elijah’s chambers. Elijah poured the wine. It still tasted horrible but I drank some anyway.
“Here’s to Samuel and Mari and to Vallachia returning home,” Elijah said.
Aaron added, “Hear, hear.”
Our goblets rang out as they collided.
“Back for now,” I amended Elijah’s toast. “Here is to being with old friends.” This prompted another round of clinking metal goblets.
It was not long before the conversation turned to politics.
“Our informant in Bursa sends news that the vampire population is growing out of control in parts of Southern Europe. Humans are calling it Tarantism,” Samuel was saying.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“People are being bitten and at times going crazy. They say they are ‘dancing’ wildly in the streets. Most likely this madness is caused by a loss of blood. Of course many humans are dying because of this ‘madness.’ They blame the bite of the wolf spider for the chaos and deaths.”
“What is a wolf spider?” Mari asked.
“We often refer to them as tarantulas,” I said. “Ramdasha had large green tapestries that contained sinister-looking spiders hanging in his cavern. The spiders were tarantulas — his symbol.”
“Do you think he is responsible for the growing vampire populations?” Aaron asked.
“Most likely,” Elijah answered.
“This is getting depre
ssing,” Sonia said.
Elijah changed the subject. “Father has finally agreed to learn to feed without killing. Who will help me teach him?” He was looking at me, though he asked the question to everyone in the room.
“I would rather die,” I said.
“This is for the good of humanity. You would not turn your back on a fellow vampire who is trying to do good.”
I glared at Elijah. He was trying to make me feel guilty and he was succeeding.
“I will help,” Samuel offered with his usual carefree manner.
We continued to talk and drink for hours.
“I need to rest. Where will I be staying?” I asked Elijah.
He stood. “In your room, of course.” He took my hand and led me out.
“Surely it is not that difficult to find. I can manage. After all, my room is just across the hall.”
My sarcastic tone did not deter him from walking me to the door. The others retired as well.
“Good day,” I said to them. This term had replaced “goodnight” a long time ago because if we did sleep it was usually during the day.
Elijah gave me a kiss on the forehead. “I have sorely missed you. You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you.”
“I have to admit, it is good to see … everyone.” I put my head down at the sorrow his kind words caused — words I could not fully return. I swiftly retreated to my old bedchambers and shut the door. The large room was exactly as I had left it, except without the letter on the pillow, the letter that must have terribly hurt Elijah.
I tried to push the guilt out. He is kind and good … and handsome. I shook my head. Think of something else. It was strange to be back in this huge, fancy room. It made me miss my small, humble quarters back in London. They were cozy, at least. I was used to having a roommate. This room felt cold and lonely. Still, I lay down and fell fast asleep.
Chapter 57 Copenhagen 1262 A.D
There was much to do to get ready for the noble wedding. My time was spent with my friends. I avoided Elijah’s father whenever possible, though they told me his training was going well.
“Soon he will be able to feed like us,” Elijah reported.
The lord is a strange character. I thought. How could he ruthlessly kill Teller, then want to learn to feed without killing? He does fight to protect humans and keep vampires from taking over the world, yet he could kill humans so easily when it served his purpose. He was a true conundrum.
The night of the wedding arrived. Sonia, Mari and I bathed in expensive oils. It took us hours to get Mari ready. Sonia was an artist with hair. She curled and pinned Mari’s hair up perfectly, letting the curls hang beautifully around her face. We tended to prefer the latest fashions of the East. Mari said she wanted to look like an Empress on her wedding day. She wore a white silk brocade with thick gold trim. The final touch was a jeweled headpiece with strands of pearls hanging down around her face. She was exquisite. She looked like an empress indeed. It was clear that she had no doubts. She was ready for marriage.
“You are the most beautiful bride to ever walk the earth.” I gave her a hug.
As the chief bridesmaid, I entered the Great Hall first to start the ceremony. Elijah was waiting for me. As the chief groomsman, he held out his arm for me to take. We walked down the aisle side by side. Aaron and Sonia followed.
“I wish this were our wedding,” he whispered.
I frowned. Teller had once said that same thing to me at my brother’s wedding. Pushing the sudden sadness away, I gave Elijah a weak smile.
Despite his handsome crooked smile, his eyes were more gray than blue. I had learned to read the color of his eyes. When they appeared blue it meant he was happy. They had been blue these past months. Today they were iron gray. This broke my heart twice over, first for Teller, then again for Elijah.
Thankfully, Mari entered the Great Hall, distracting me from my reverie. She was breathtaking. The soon-to-be newlyweds were beaming. This raised my spirits. It will be difficult to leave, yet I can visit from time to time.
After the perfect ceremony, the dancing began. Elijah held his arm out with a slight bow. I answered with a curtsy. There was no one else I would rather dance with tonight. Besides, dancing with Elijah kept others away. Some men had been watching me. I stayed close to Elijah and did not give them the chance to ask me to dance.
I wished it were possible to fall in love with Elijah, the way I had been with Teller. Maybe I still loved Teller and that was the problem.
Elijah gave a heartfelt speech to his closest friend and his new bride. I wished them the best as well, although my speech was much shorter than Elijah’s, as I did not like speaking in front of people. Samuel thanked Elijah and me for introducing him to Mari. That seemed so long ago, back when Mari and I had both been human and we’d had no idea the two men we were with were ancient and dangerous creatures of the night.
After an entire night and day, the festivities came to an end. The newlyweds were nowhere to be seen at that point. They had long since slipped away. As chief groomsman and bridesmaid, Elijah and I had the duty of seeing all the guests off.
It was a relief to retire to my room. I could not wait to get this gown off. I missed my trusty breeches back in London. I slept for the usual hour. At dusk I would be leaving. I crossed the hall to Elijah’s room and knocked — no answer. I opened the door but the room was empty. I found him in his cave.
“You are leaving, aren’t you?” he said as soon as my head broke the surface of the water.
I nodded. “It is not like last time, though. I need you all. I will visit and you all can visit me as well.”
“At least you came to say goodbye in person this time and I won’t learn that you are gone by some ridiculous note.”
I stepped toward him. “Elijah, I am sorry. I still need time to figure out what it is I want. I have friends in England as well.”
“You mean you still love Teller and hope he will find you.”
How could he possibly have known that, when I had barely admitted it to myself? “I still do not want to be around your father.” This was all I could think to say and it was true. I did not know how I felt about Teller. “Come visit me in London.”
He stood and took my hands. The storm was raging in his gray eyes, any trace of blue was gone. This made my heart ache for him. He leaned down to kiss me. I put my hand over his heart to stop him.
“I’m sorry; I can’t,” I breathed.
I dived into the water. I had to get out of there before my resolve vanished entirely. As usual, Elijah did not follow; he would give me the room and the time I needed. I returned to say goodbye to the others, promising them I would visit and encouraging them to do the same. They said they would.
“Thank you for coming,” Mari said. “I know it was hard on you to see Lord Chastellain.”
“I am glad you found happiness.” I tightly wrapped my arms around her.
At dusk, I flew east. I wanted to visit home first. Though I had written to my brother many times, I had not received any word from home, as they did not know where I was. It had been a year since I left. I had to see how he was faring. I would only observe from the shadows. I did not want to disrupt their lives — again.
I landed in a tree outside my childhood home. The memories of my father’s death came flooding back. This might be too painful. Perhaps I should not have come.
A baby cried for its mother inside the dark home. Sarah rose and a lamp was lit. She reached into a tiny bassinet by the bed and lifted a beautiful baby from it. She sat in a nearby chair and fed the hungry infant.
A tear of joy ran down my cheek and relief flooded through me. The baby is healthy.
Chapter 58 Ludus 1262 A.D
The next day was Sunday. I watched as the villagers gathered for church. Sitting in the shade on the opposite side of the wall from where my brother gave his oration, I listened to every word. Josiah sounded like Father. I beamed with pride. I could not have created and delivered suc
h a beautiful liturgy. It was fortunate that the townspeople had him. They did not know how lucky they were. It was a comfort to learn that there was someone to fill Father’s important role as the village peacekeeper.
“He who receives the precious blood — the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, preserve his body and soul unto everlasting life.” Josiah delivered the Divine Liturgy.
How many times I had heard those exact words from Father. Now they had an entirely new meaning.
I wished that Teller and I were attending the oration with our firstborn child as well. That was the life we were meant to have, the life I longed for. It was lost forever. Now I had an absurd life, one I never would have dreamt possible.
I had to see my brother. He must know how proud I was of him. He was about eighteen and a full-grown man. It might be helpful for him to see that I was well — well, physically anyway.
I waited in the shadows until everyone had left the church. One of Teller’s little brothers closely resembled Teller at that age. Just when I thought my heart could not ache any more, I felt it break entirely in two. Where is Teller? Should I try to find him?
That seemed impossible. I did not know where to start. He could be anywhere. The best thing would be for him to find me. For that, I needed to stay put and visible, to vampires anyway. I must stay in London. In vampire circles, it would be easy to find me. It was no secret where I was. So why has he not found me? Maybe he does not care about me.
Elijah had been right, I supposed. Of course he was; he was always right. I should have known this by now. I still loved Teller and I was waiting for him. There was no other reason for keeping Elijah at arm’s length if not for a distant hope that Teller and I could be together. Otherwise, I would allow myself to become lost in Elijah’s stormy eyes. All this thinking was making my stomach ache.
Josiah was the last to leave the church. I covered my head with the trusty hood before stepping out into the sun. “Josiah,” I called.
Of Lords and Commoners: Book 1 (Lords and Commoners Series) Page 24