Kapitel 16: Stories of Court Part 3
Celeste
Thalia glided silently to an armoire hidden in the shadowed recesses of the bedchamber. She withdrew an elegant black and crimson gown and matching jewels clearly meant to adorn my frame for the whatever the evening's dark revelries entailed. Lying the ensemble out on the bed, she turned her attention back to me, her eyes raking over my form clearly finding me lacking.
'Come miss. I will draw a bath for you. It looks like your journey has been quite a trial.' Her tone was soothing but I didn't miss the wrinkling of her nose and the look of disdain in her disquieting pale eyes.
Once in the bathing chamber, as opulent and decadent as the bedroom it was attached to, I stood numb and compliant as her slim fingers efficiently stripped away my travel-worn clothing, leaving me completely bare in front of her. I resisted the urge to cover myself, never having bathed in front of anyone since I was a child. Her face was now completely impassive. This was obviously something that was a regular task for her. I needed to treat it as normal as well.
As I stepped into the steaming bath the little maid had drawn for me in the obsidian bathtub, a pained hiss escaped me. Open blisters from the endless miles I'd walked on foot burst in the steaming water. Thalia tutted as she scrubbed my body and hair with cloyingly fragrant soaps and oils.
'I'll put something on those that will heal them right up,' she told me, holding up one of my abused feet. 'You really should wear shoes that fit you properly.'
I clenched my teeth against a sarcastic response and simply nodded at her advice. Once she found me cleaned and perfumed to her satisfaction, I stepped out of the bath and she wrapped me in a towel so soft I thought I might want to wear it for the rest of my life. I had no idea what the material was but it instantly dried me and kept me warm as Thalia applied a pungent salve to my blistered feet. Immediately feeling a tingling sensation, I watched in fascination as the wounds healed before my eyes and my feet were clear and soft again.
'What is that?' I asked with wonder. Our Fae healers could do wonderous things but that was with magic. I had never seen a salve work in this way before.
Thalia simply shrugged. 'Something the Sanguinarians make. I heals almost anything.' She gave a chilling giggle. 'Except a head taken from your shoulders.'
I swallowed uncomfortably at her macabre joke. I thought it better I didn't know what was in the salve and I couldn't wait to get away from her.
She led me back to the bedchamber where the clothes she had picked out for me lay on the bed. Setting to her task of slipping the fine silks and brocaded velvets over my frame, she avoided meeting my gaze, though I marked well the lurid bruises and fang marks littering the pale, porcelain skin of her exposed neck and arms. Their meaning pierced me to the core but then I remembered how she had practically purred at Commander Malachor's touch. I suppressed a shudder at the memory of the man's hand caressing her throat.
At last, she drew me to stand before a mirror framed in ebony that appeared strangely tarnished in places. Rusty smudges marred the reflective surface near the bottom. Bile rose in my throat realizing they were bloodstains splattered from repeated violent encounters enacted before this cold witness. I didn't want to imagine the scenes.
I forced such grim musings aside to assess the finery draping my form. The gown's deep neckline and tight bodice pushed my breasts up dramatically. Skirts fell to the floor in lush crimson and black silken waves. Thalia arranged artful draping to display the tattoos circling both arms – old Strigori runes and spellwork I'd created to help protect me and maintain my glamour for long periods of time while not giving myself away. Even peasants were tattooed like this in the distant Western kingdom village I was supposed to be fleeing from.
"You shall be the most breathtaking vision at court tonight, my lady," she murmured tonelessly. Before I could form any words of thanks, a sharp rap echoed from the chamber doors. They swung open to reveal two hulking guards in dark ceremonial armor.
Thalia faded wordlessly away as the guards entered. My spine stiffened as they flanked me. But they merely inclined heads in brusque greeting before turning to lead the way. Their silence unnerved me as we passed through seemingly endless corridors, my nerves stretching taut.
Unexpectedly, we halted at a junction where a lean figured detached from the shadows. Shock jolted through me – he was Caspian, one of Oriana's valued Nightblades. An assassin of renowned reputation I had studied as part of my training. Dark leathers sheathed corded muscle like a second skin while the hilt of a long sword glinted ominously over one shoulder. I knew well this killer's face well but pictures could not have prepared me for the dark beauty he radiated in the flesh. His handsome face could have been chiseled from stone. Surprisingly soulful green eyes raked down my finery.
'Apologies for my tardiness, my lady. I am Caspian, assigned as your personal guard this night by her Majesty's decree.' His smile slipped past defenses, kindling a strange heat low and tight in my belly. 'She sensed you would appreciate... added company to help navigate such trying affairs of state.'
My mouth turned up in a smile as I listened to his introduction. An answering laugh emerged breathlessly against all my hard won discipline. Some strange alchemy permeated the air between us. I strove to ignore its press along my senses, unsettled by my body's traitorous response.
I berated myself silently. Bedazzled by a pretty face while in the center of the dragon's maw? I had to keep my wits about me, especially now in the company of this singularly dangerous man.
Lady Celestria took back over and I merely bestowed my most gracious smile upon the handsome escort. 'Indeed, my bedchamber is enough to leave one quite overwhelmed. I welcome your guidance through this evening's events, good sir."
Caspian's light grasp on my elbow stoked smoldering embers as he steered me towards an ornate archway swirling with dark mists. My bones vibrated upon contact, resonating with the great age and power of these wards that permeated my very being. Strange fleeting visions swirled – haunting snatches of screams and muttered incantations, the reek of blood and scorched bone. Death magics comprised the bedrock this profane fortress rested upon. I struggled mightily to keep my face a bland, pleasant mask.
Through the dark mists, we emerged abruptly into a fantasy I couldn't have conjured in my wildest dreams. Oriental rugs strewn with crimson and ebony cushions beckoned languid repose. Ornate silver platters heaped with exotic fruits and strange confections littered low tables. Crystal decanters brimmed with blood-red wines and stranger libations still.
The chamber's perfumed opulence stood at odds with its occupants. Nobles lounged in varying states of dishabille, predatory eyes overlaying bored indolence. Fearsome guards lined the perimeter, chained beasts with barely leashed violence thrumming in their corded muscle. Their arrogant strength promised swift punishment against any misstep. Strange new energies charged the incense-laden air, prickling my skin as though an oncoming storm was approaching.
Upon a dais reclined Oriana herself on a black velvet chaise, lethal beauty draped in diaphanous crimson silks that would put even the most celebrated courtesan to shame. Power rolled from her in pulsing waves, an almost physical weight crushing the breath from my lungs. Queen Oralia was no faded monarch indulging vain conceits of authority, but a fearsome queen still waging endless war to expand her empire's dread dominion.
A raven-haired courtier leaned down, fangs grazing Oriana's exposed neck in casual intimacy. An unexplained fury contorted his handsome features as he whispered something in her ear as he glared down at me. Twin pinpoints of red flickered within his gaze and I instinctively shifted closer to Caspian's protective presence.
Oriana waved one languid hand, bracelets chiming softly. 'Peace, Durante. Tonight, we extend all hospitality to our guest, the lady Celestria, newly come to shelter beneath our wing.' Her molten stare melded welcome and warning. 'I am so pleased you accepted my invitation to dinner, she purred. 'We have much to... discuss between us."
She motioned to the space beside her and the gathering separated at her silent command to allow our passage before closing seamlessly again with the whisper of rustling silks. We ascended the dais and Caspian guided me down onto sumptuous cushions beside Oriana. He took up vigilant watch just over my shoulder. Durante had vanished, but his simmering rage lingered in the miasma like a half-glimpsed specter.
Unexpected nerves roughened my voice and I struggled to find the courtly words I had been so painstakingly taught for this mission. 'You honor me overmuch with such personal audience, your majesty.' I schooled my tone towards humility, knowing I must convince her of utter submission to maintaining this precarious refuge. 'I shall strive to prove worthy of your gracious boon in time.'
Oriana lifted one jewel-encrusted goblet, amusement playing about her lips. 'Pretty words, little songbird. We shall see soon enough if actions follow suit.' At another languid gesture, liveried servants swirled in bearing trays laden with crystal decanters and goblets to distribute.
I tensed, senses screaming danger. Mortal dread permeated the air as much as the Frankincense that burned in rich incense clouds. My instincts shrieked to flee this opulent trap even knowing such effort would prove futile. Only by steeling myself to walk calmly into the abyss might some slim hope of completing my mission remain.
More servants entered leading chained figures barely covered in diaphanous robes, eyes dull and unseeing. By the gods! What had I gotten myself into? Locking desperate stares with one battered girl scarcely older than Thalia proved a grave misstep. Fanged nobility descended on their prizes with savage abandon, passions soon cresting in pitched cries and wet sucking sounds. Blood fumes rose thickly, choking off screams into whimpers, then silence.
My core muscles locked rigidly in place while horror flooded through me anew. Obviously, I knew vampires fed on blood, preferably the kind still flowing in a person's veins. I had even seen it done before. But this…this was a savagery I'd not been prepared for. Using every meditation technique and every bit of glamouring power I possessed, I struggled to school my features into a bland acceptance and keep down the bile that threatened to spill from my gut.
Oriana's piercing stare skewered me, a single drop of blood balancing on her ruby-red lip tipping over at I watched to spill sinuously down her chin. She didn't seem to notice. "Your radiant beauty begs adornment by our custom's most sacred gift. Allow me to offer you this considerable honor." She snapped imperious fingers and two servants hustled over a half-conscious youth branded with the Queen's seal. His skin was unmarred by bruises and bite marks like most of the others were. His glassy unfocused gaze ignited a protective fury in me that I fought to contain.
'A special offering for our esteemed guest.' Her long red pointed nails motioned lithely toward the young man. 'Untouched. Look at all that beautiful, pale skin just calling to be savored.'
The hunger and lust for the boy was clear in her eyes but she was offering him to me. Again, I wondered why I was being treated like such an honored guest. I didn't have time to figure it all out though. It was clear what was expected of me. Should I refuse, I would not only insult the Queen, but possibly blow my cover before I had even gotten a full tour of the fortress. I swallowed and put on what I hoped was a look of anticipation on my face.
'You are too gracious, my Queen,' I said with reverence, my thoughts spiraling for an answer to this problem. I glanced down at the red and black silk confection that Thalia had dressed me in. 'I would hate to mar this beautiful gown, though.' I pasted a look of shame on my face. 'I'm not very practiced or neat in my…feeding habits, I'm afraid.'
For a minute her eyes narrowed as she studied my face. After what felt like an eternity, she'd apparently made up her mind as to my sincerity. 'Poor dear. I should have realized you were not familiar with our ways here at court. Things must be very different in your province. What was its name again?'
'Nocturnia, your majesty. You likely have never heard of it. It's a very small place several days walk toward the western mountains from here.' I did not have to manufacture the discomfort on my face. I was praying it was a hamlet she had no knowledge of. It had been chosen for that very purpose."
A crimson tipped nail touched her lip in thought. 'No, I don't believe I have. But no matter.'
She snapped her fingers at one of the guards standing silent vigil behind her. 'Silas, pour the lass a cup so she doesn't ruin her dress." She lifted her own jewel-encrusted goblet in toast as the guard called Silas grabbed the boy's thin arm and used a blade to slice his wrist. Blood poured into the cup he held as I watched in horrid fascination. The boy didn't even flinch. They must have him thralled. Thank the gods for small favors.
Once it was filled, Silas brought the lad's arm to his own mouth and ran a long, ghastly black tongue over the slice deftly closing the wound he had made. He thrust the full cup in my direction and returned to his post behind Oralia after I took it in two hands. I was amazed they were steady and did not tremble.
I took a deep breath and raised the cup to my lips, bloodying them but avoiding letting all but the smallest bit of the thick, red liquid slide down my throat. I'm sure I was a macabre sight with the thick blood covering my lips and teeth as I smiled graciously towards my host even while fighting the urge to be sick all over her thick Oriental rugs. "I thank you most profoundly for this privilege, Majesty. Never have I sampled finer vintage."
Oriana threw back her head, delighted laughter pealing out, but I didn't miss the assessing gleam sharpening her gaze. "Well, well I do believe we shall get on splendidly, you and I!" Relief turned my own answering smile genuine as formal acceptance opened the path forward. Whatever the coming costs, my footing stood secured this night with my acceptance of her 'gift'.
We passed several hours making pleasant conversation about insignificant matters. I took care to seem impressed by her wit and keep my opinions vague. She was raw power with refinement and high intelligence - a potent and dangerous combination. Giving no further acknowledgement of her earlier suspicions about me, she seemed inclined to consider me an entertaining novelty for the time being.
The edges of my consciousness grew pleasantly blurred from wine I was given after managing to finish at least a portion of my 'dinner. I sipped slowly, not daring to become truly impaired. Around us courtiers laughed and spoke in sultry tones or not at all, occupied with pleasures of the flesh. Most lay entangled in various states of undress with one or more partners. Cries of pain from blood slaves mixed with exaltations of pleasure in a symphony I tried desperately to block out.
Though I tried hard to refrain, the wine had made me slightly less circumspect as I should have been and I couldn't stop my gaze from continually straying back to Caspian standing vigilant just over my shoulder. His implacable focus remained locked on potential threats, though surely even he wasn't exempt from the debauched enticements surrounding us. Was he unaffected by the writhing mass of bodies, ebony skin bathed in firelight and exotic smoke? My own long suppressed cravings warred with revulsion at the casual cruelties mixed with the sensual pleasures playing out in front of me.
When I reluctantly made motions to retire for the night, genuine regret colored the Queen's regards. "I have so enjoyed our stimulating discourse, little one. You must sit beside me again tomorrow."
It was no mere request. I bowed acquiescence before glancing uncertainly back towards the ominous doorway. Durante had reappeared on a nearby divan, predatory gaze fastened onto me once more. Unease skittered down my spine like spider legs and I leaned subtly closer to Caspian's towering strength.
To my surprise, he pressed one warm hand against my lower back. "Come, I shall escort you safely back." Unspoken tension arced between us. Was he merely playing a role for any watching eyes? Or had he felt the strange magnetism kindling earlier just as potently as I had? For once, I found myself without any wish to analyze or question motives... only to lose myself in his midnight eyes and predatory threat.
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