part0036

Elise, Sarah and Reina were all in mutual agreement to keep the rosary a secret. Master Vrykólakas had not considered this; as long as Reina kept it out of his sight he seemed to care little for her religion. The only exception would be Phaedra. Reina was unsure why Elise wanted to include her, but she was too tired to care.

True to his word, Master Vrykólakas returned promptly within the hour. The first thing he sought was Sarah and, upon finding her half-conscious on the floor, kissed Reina passionately. Clearly ecstatic by Reina’s actions, he even carried Sarah down to Reina’s rooms and left the three women in peace. Elise looked hesitant as she paused on the steps leading back to Master Vrykólakas’s quarters; she looked as if she was about to say something but thought better of it before disappearing.

‘She needs time,’ Sarah said weakly from the chaise longue. ‘She doesn’t hate you, not really.’ Reina gestured that she would get Sarah some food, but she shook her head. ‘I’m fine, it’s better if I go down. I just need a few minutes.’ Reina joined her on the chaise longue, sinking deep into thought. Why didn’t her rosary burn? Her fear of God turning on her had been the reason that held her back. Could she have avoided all of this if she had just listened to Damien and countless others?

A knock on the door was followed by the aroma of soup and warm bread. Elise had changed into a chemise, clearly intending to see the day through with Reina, a gesture that she appreciated.

‘Master Vrykólakas is with Phaedra.’

‘She’ll keep him occupied?’ Sarah asked, weakly spooning soup into her mouth, waving Reina aside as she moved to help. Elise nodded, her mouth drawn in a tight line. She didn’t just stay for me, Reina realised, remembering when Master Vrykólakas had broken the news about Damien’s will. Elise disappeared into Reina’s room, helping herself to several blankets and handing them to the other two. Reina draped the blanket across her lap, watching Elise.

‘The courtesans are not permitted to lie with anyone other than Master Vrykólakas. I think he suspects Phaedra and I but we’re discreet, and as we’re both courtesans I think he chooses to turn a blind eye.’

‘Is that why you and Damien parted?’ Sarah translated as Reina put into practice the sign language she had been taught. She smiled gratefully at Sarah; she was sure she had messed up some of the gestures, but Sarah seemed to have understood what she was asking. She had often wondered why Damien and Elise had separated; he had always said it was for Elise to tell.

‘Yes and no. Phaedra and I had only really gotten close after you two had left Tenebrae. Damien found out I was more interested in women shortly before I became a courtesan; accepting the position did little to soothe his ego. I still took the position as I was young and vain. I wanted the jewels, pretty clothes and prestige.’ Sarah looked slightly judgemental and Elise returned the look, gesturing to Sarah’s neck. ‘I use my body as do you, we just do so in different ways.’

‘Fair point.’ Sarah smiled sheepishly and turned back to finish her meal. Reina watched as the colour gradually returned to Sarah’s cheeks and she eyed the wound in her neck. It was much neater than the several she had inflicted on her first attempt. Elise looked at Reina, eyeing her up sadly.

‘I think for now it would be best if Reina only drank from you. I know it is a lot to ask…’

‘But it would be suspicious if she began drinking normally.’ Sarah nodded in understanding. ‘It will be easier on the outside; vampires are myths and legends. No one believes in your kind. Those of us who do, some make a living allowing them to feed from us. We’re not forced into it, Reina, I promise you.’

‘From what I’ve heard of the world below, you wouldn’t even need to hunt,’ Elise said a curious look in her eyes. ‘I’m not sure if that is good or not…I enjoyed the thrill of hunting…’ She shrugged as Sarah frowned at her. ‘It is our nature after all.’

‘Regardless of whether you would need to hunt or not, first we need to get out of Tenebrae,’ Sarah pointed out, setting her soup on the floor. Reina glanced at the ceiling; it didn’t matter what the world below was like then. Master Vrykólakas would never let them leave.

Under the pretence of returning Tenebrae back to normal, Master Vrykólakas held a card game. All of the courtesans and Lance were present and Reina noted Grace’s absence. She wondered just how far her former friend had fallen out of favour and what her fate would be. Reina couldn’t forgive her for what had ultimately led to Damien’s death. She remembered how he had held her when he’d discovered Reina and Cassandra. Had his relationship with Grace been an act? Or had the severity of her act stirred his feelings for her?

Sarah was absent, having left for the kitchens to replenish her energy levels soon after Reina had fed. Master Vrykólakas had forced her to feed in front of everyone, as if he was proudly showing off a child who had just learnt the alphabet. At a knock on the door Reina stood up to answer it. With Sarah not present she was treated as a slave once more, pouring people’s drinks and fetching items for Madeleine that she could not possibly play without. Lance too joined in, giving Reina mundane orders. Master Vrykólakas seemed to treat it as sport and Reina was unnerved when Zoe refrained from taking part.

Opening the door, Reina took a nervous step backwards as she admitted a tall bald guard. He glanced at Reina and she met his eyes, catching a brief flicker crossing through the guard’s silver eyes before he turned his attention from her, bowed to Master Vrykólakas and began whispering in his ear. Reina had always thought it strange that she had never heard any of the guards speak. Amongst the slaves it was said all guards had had their tongues ripped out. It was only after she had become a courtesan that she learnt the truth was nothing so sinister. The guards had all sworn a vow of silence, speaking only to Master Vrykólakas so that he knew he could trust them. If guards could not do something as simple as remaining silent, then how he could he possibly trust them? As the guard whispered, Master Vrykólakas’s face hardened and a thunderous look filled his black eyes.

‘Phaedra, fetch the slave. Lance, come with me. Little Slave, you are to remain here until I return. The rest of you are dismissed.’ Master Vrykólakas nodded curtly to the guard, who left the room, Master Vrykólakas, Lance and Phaedra following him. Reina frowned, sensing something familiar about the guard, but she was pulled from her thoughts as Elise began packing the dice and wooden cups away. Madeleine and Zoe both swept from the room together, neither bidding either Reina or Elise goodbye. Reina watched Elise sadly; she was used to being scorned by the courtesans and vampires of Tenebrae. How must it feel for Elise? Phaedra reappeared with Sarah closely following her.

‘A slave has gone missing,’ Sarah announced when Elise nodded that it was safe for her to speak. She perched on the edge of a chair, ready to leap up at the sound of footsteps. Phaedra, Elise and Reina joined her around the table, eager to hear what had angered Master Vrykólakas. ‘It’s been happening for decades, but more recent ones are reaching Master Vrykólakas. It helps to show how paranoid he is; some of the escapes he hears about are genuine. Others are completely innocent, especially when the accused is a vampire – it shows that Master Vrykólakas is losing his grip. No one would care if a slave is wrongly accused, but when he turns on his own kind…’ Sarah shrugged.

‘How?’ Elise asked. ‘I’ve never heard of people escaping and Tenebrae is meant to have been sealed off.’

‘There’s a tunnel in the back cell. Some of the guards are losing faith and have been helping vampires and even slaves escape.’ A small gasp escaped Reina’s lips as she realised she knew of the tunnel Sarah spoke about. Surely it had to be the one she had discovered when Damien had locked her in the cells? She remembered how at the time she could barely fit her shoulder through it. As the others turned to look at her, she gestured at Sarah.

‘She knows about the tunnel; she found it before she was Created but couldn’t fit through.’ How close had freedom been? If she’d found it earlier when she had been locked away could there have been a chance of her squeezing through? Or even making the hole bigger so she could fit? She knew the answer was no, it would have been impossible; even if she had found it earlier, she’d had nothing to dig with. But that didn’t stop her wondering.

‘The guard will make sure it isn’t discovered and from what I’ve gathered even if this one was found, there are others.’

‘I’ve heard rumours of slaves escaping,’ Phaedra said thoughtfully. ‘We haven’t branded them in what, sixty years?’ Elise nodded, and Reina looked at Sarah’s left wrist; she had never noticed a brand and she wondered why she had never thought to look. ‘But even if the slaves escape, what does that achieve? Master Vrykólakas would surely just send out a raiding party for more. He has Tenebrae sealed now but I don’t think he would tolerate a mass break-out.’

‘If Master Vrykólakas was out of the way though…’ Elise said half-defensively and Phaedra looked at her, stunned.

‘You would want to remain?’

‘I don’t know…I’d like to see the world outside of course. But Tenebrae is my home…I’ve left it several times, I’ve spent more time up here than the world below. And what if others don’t want to leave? Forcing them to leave is surely just as bad as forcing people to remain?’ Reina and Phaedra stared at Elise in open-mouthed horror. She wasn’t sure why, but Reina had never imagined Elise arguing to protect Tenebrae.

‘You think we should destroy it?’ Sarah asked Reina, who nodded in reply. How could they consider anything else? ‘I can see the appeal for vampires. Eternal darkness; you’re not limited to operating only at night.’

‘Which is why we would have to destroy Tenebrae,’ Phaedra argued. ‘We couldn’t guarantee leaving here and either Master Vrykólakas not bringing up more slaves or someone taking his place. Unless we could find out what magic is in place keeping the sun from shining here we would have to make Tenebrae inhabitable.’ Reina was surprised that she and Phaedra were in agreement.

‘For now, we should just focus on getting more slaves out or spreading rumours of escapes. The more paranoid Master Vrykólakas becomes then perhaps we have a greater chance of destroying him,’ Sarah said, halting the argument. Reina swallowed a lump of fear; she had dreamt of destroying Tenebrae ever since she was first brought to the cursed place, but discussing it made it seem more real, more impossible. How could they possibly hope to defeat Master Vrykólakas, a three-thousand-year-old vampire?

Damien brought Sarah here; the thought hit Reina like a slap and she stared at Sarah in shock. This was why Damien had returned; he had thought to destroy Tenebrae, or at least Master Vrykólakas. And look where that had gotten him.

Warm hands squeezed Reina’s and she looked up at Sarah, but her vision was blurred by hot tears which she rapidly blinked away. Whether it was futile or not, she had to try. She had to try and finish what Damien had set out to do, if not…then perhaps there was hope she would at least be reunited with him.