part0040

Reina sat beside Elise, her mind turning over what they had just witnessed. She could never have imagined the slaves revolting like that during her days as a slave, but then the world below had drastically changed. Vampires were no longer feared, they were relegated to works of fiction.

‘Don…’ Opal whispered, ‘he cannot be dead.’

‘The slaves will pay for this,’ Madeleine said and her eyes stared daggers at Reina. ‘They should all be put to death – starting with yours.’ Sarah. Reina didn’t doubt that Master Vrykólakas would order the woman’s execution. There had to be something she could do to protect her. The courtesans fell silent as the main door opened. Master Vrykólakas stepped into his quarters, his face a mask of thunder and his black eyes blazing dangerously. Slowly he looked at each of the courtesans, looking them up and down as if criticising each of their flaws, before finally coming to a stop on Reina.

‘Out.’ He commanded everyone, his eyes never leaving Reina’s. She moved to rise but he shook his head signalling for her to remain. Madeleine rested her hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, but Master Vrykólakas brushed her aside in annoyance. ‘Out.’ He repeated in a low growl. As the courtesans left, Reina was unnerved to see that Sarah had not returned with Master Vrykólakas. Where was she? Cold fear washed over her and Reina shivered, barely noticing when Master Vrykólakas seized her arm and dragged her into his sleeping quarters.

‘Did you know?’ Despite her fear, Reina couldn’t help the blank look crossing her face, know what? ‘The slaves clearly had this planned, they were prepared.’

Not for the first time, Reina wished she could speak again, or, at least, scoff at the ludicrous accusation. Judging from the carnage they had witnessed; the actions had certainly not been planned. How could they? The slave counts were random. Reina wasn’t even sure how many knew but she could guess the number was small. Aside from that, the attack had been too chaotic, too public. If the slaves had truly targeted Don they would have had ample opportunity to take him out discreetly, to protect the slaves not involved and hide those who were. If his murder had been carried out in secret then his disappearance could have been disguised as an escape. Realising that Master Vrykólakas was waiting for an answer, Reina shook her head.

Master Vrykólakas turned to look at his casket, his hands stroking the polished black surface. Reina took a step backwards, she knew Elise and the others had slept within it but she had refused to so much as sit in the casket. Opening the casket, Master Vrykólakas beckoned Reina forwards; swallowing an apple-sized lump of fear, she stepped closer.

‘Has Elise ever told you about your sister? How she lost her mind?’ Resting her hand on the edge of the casket, Reina shook her head. She had often been torn between asking Elise what had happened and wanting to remain in complete ignorance. She felt guilty; surely, she owed it to Cassandra to know the full truth? But seeing her sister in such a state had been dreadful, what would knowing the truth have accomplished? ‘I locked her in this casket, sometimes just for a few hours, other times for days. It was the darkness which finally broke her.’

Reina let out a silent cry as she was lifted up by her waist and all but flung into the casket. Master Vrykólakas moved so swiftly she barely had a chance to kick out against him. As her back met the casket’s bottom, the lid was closed and she was plunged into a suffocating darkness. Instinctively Reina hit out against the lid, tore at the silk lining and began to scream. Her throat became raw with pain, yet still she made no sound.

Her mind begged for her to calm down; what did fear would happen to her? The darkness was nothing to her, she lived in darkness. Nor would she starve to death, for she doubted it was just fear of dark that had driven Cassandra insane. No doubt, Master Vrykólakas had refused her food and water. She suspected he had probably tormented her with blood, forcing her to feed like a vampire while still mortal. Even if Master Vrykólakas did plan on starving her, it would take months for her to lose her sanity to bloodlust and she doubted he intended on keeping her locked within the casket for that amount of time. With these thoughts in her mind, Reina fought back the panic and fear, willing her hands to stop clawing at the fabric of the casket and scratching the lacquered wood. She winced as she realised several of her fingernails had ripped in the process.

‘Your sister screamed herself hoarse. Sometimes I would open the lid, just a crack, just to let a trickle of light in before closing it. Other times I would leave it open, she was too weak to lift herself out. How long do you think it will take for you to break?’

I will not, Reina vowed, ignoring the wet sensation as tears leaked from her eyes. She forced her mind to try and stay calm, sensing there was more at stake than just her sanity. She could hear a metallic clanking sound through the casket and bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming again. Was he really locking her inside? Had he truly done all this, and worse, to Cassandra? She knew the answer was yes, his cruelty unimaginable. A door shut in the distance and Reina let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Despite already being surrounded by darkness, it was somehow more comforting with her eyes shut.

Her fingers began to search around the top of the casket, fishing through the lining and trying to find a crack or something she could use as a way to break free. The casket had been built to accommodate not only Master Vrykólakas’s height and build but that of a second person, leaving her to move with ease. When she found nothing to help her escape in the lid she twisted and turned to search the bottom of the casket; using her hands for the top end and her feet to seek out aide in the bottom. When her search yielded nothing, Reina turned to lie on her back once more, letting out a frustrated sigh. In the distance she could hear muffled voices and guessed that some of the courtesans had returned to Master Vrykólakas’s quarters, or perhaps even Lance. She could just make out Elise’s voice; high pitched with horror followed by the sound of a door opening.

‘You cannot do this to her!’

‘Elise do you really think it wise to give me orders?’ Master Vrykólakas’s voice was cold and Reina felt herself shiver. She blocked out the ensuing argument; it meant little to her, locked away. Uncomfortably, Reina began to move around, the casket was spacious but it was still tighter than she would have preferred. Blocking out the sound of voices and with her eyes still shut, Reina’s sense of smell suddenly became her main focus and she was aware of the scents surrounding her; sweat mixed with passion and arousal. But very faintly, almost as if she imagined it, Reina could make out the scent of fear and something familiar. A light smell reminiscent of sun-scorched stone. A smell that had been all-too familiar growing up in the village. Cassandra?

Reina retched as bile stung her throat; now, more than ever, she was thankful that she had always refused to lie with Master Vrykólakas in his casket. How could she have committed such an act in the very place her sister had been driven insane? How had Cassandra felt? Locked in darkness, no food or water and most likely trapped in her own filth? Hot tears stung her eyes and Reina silently renewed her vow of vengeance. She would make Master Vrykólakas pay for everything he had done to her, to Cassandra, Damien, and to every slave who had ever been brought to Tenebrae. She would end his immortality, no matter what the cost to her.

‘Sir please, I do not mean to sound as if I am giving you orders but I am afraid for you. What if she is the one? If you had treated her more cautiously then none of this would be necessary, I am sure of it. If you treated her with kindness, as one of us, she would thank you for it.’ Elise’s pleading broke through Reina’s thoughts of vengeance and she turned her attention to their conversation.

‘She is a slave. I should be cautious of no one, least of all her.’ Reina’s mouth filled with blood and she winced as she realised she had bitten down on her tongue. ‘As for treating her with kindness; have I not dressed her in gowns as fine as yours? Had I not made allowances for her disgusting feeding habits? And, had I not patiently waited for her to come to my bed?’

‘You have been more than generous to her, I should not have suggested otherwise.’ Elise said nervously, ‘but, please, I beg you. Let her out, let me talk to her.’

‘No. You have done enough damage. Perhaps it is you at fault for what has befallen Tenebrae, not I. None of this would have come to pass if you had not been so foolish in distracting me when she and Damien fled all those years ago.’

‘I have paid my penance, you forgave me.’ Elise said and Reina could feel the weight of Elise’s grief pressing on her chest as if it was her own. Penance. Reina turned the word over in her mind. Master Vrykólakas was infamous for his ego, but surely things had gone too far for Reina to try and soothe it? Egotistical he may be, but you didn’t live for three-thousand years if you were a fool. The scent of Cassandra’s fear was beginning to overpower Reina and she fought back the urge to knock against the casket, to turn Elise’s and Master Vrykólakas’s attention to her. Instead she forced her mind to stay on track. If she acted penitent, could she perhaps gain his trust even partially?

‘What if she is the one?’ Elise’s question was followed by a tense silence.

‘You know the safest way for me to be sure would be to kill her. Would you prefer that?’ Master Vrykólakas paused as he waited for an answer, but there was no sound from Elise. ‘Then stop arguing she is the one from the vision.’ Reina didn’t question what he meant by that. She didn’t care what she was or wasn’t. She just wanted revenge. There was a rhythmic drumming against the casket lid and Reina waited patiently for the lid to open, arguing with herself internally. How should she act? How could she best protect Sarah? Remain defiant or become compliant? Defiance was not the answer, already Master Vrykólakas was being pushed too far. The slaves had certainly triggered something and she shivered in fright. In her own days she had heard whisperings of uprising against the vampires, of fighting for their freedom. But whoever murmured such thoughts was quickly shunned. How had things changed so drastically? When had they changed?

Reina’s mind drifted to the world below, outside of Tenebrae, comparing it now to when she had been mortal. Attitudes were certainly different; could the changes in how slaves acted be down to that?

The lid to the casket finally creaked open and strong hands pulled Reina free. She didn’t have a chance to catch her balance and she stumbled to the ground, bracing herself against the casket and moving her fingers just in time before the lid slammed shut on them.

Elise looked as if she had been crying, her pale face was blotched and her silver eyes red and puffy. Reina was surprised, she had not thought that Elise cared for Don at all, or perhaps it was just the events of the night which had upset her? The familiar prickling sensation began to break out across Reina’s skin and she rubbed at her arms, purely to give her hands something to do while she waited for the awkward silence to be broken.

‘I will be alone tonight,’ Master Vrykólakas muttered, running a hand through his cropped hair before massaging his temples. ‘The slaves have all been rounded up. Those we could not fit in the cells are under heavy guard in the new block. No one is permitted to approach them. If you need to feed, you will use your own stocks for now.’

‘What about Reina?’ Reina glared at Elise, why did she feel the need to bring attention to her? But she realised then it was a way for her to protect Sarah, although a feeble attempt.

‘She will feed like the rest of us.’ Master Vrykólakas turned his dark gaze onto Reina and she dropped her eyes to the floor, hoping to look obedient. Remember how it was to be a slave, she told herself. ‘I will tolerate singling her out no more. She is a vampire. She fed from that slave, she will feed from my stock of blood, there is no difference in who the blood comes from. Now go. Both of you are to go to your own rooms.’

Reina watched as Elise slumped from the room and followed her, listening as Elise relayed the dismissal to the rest of the courtesans. She noticed Lance standing beside the doors leading onto the balcony. His face was pulled taut and he looked as if he had aged several decades, startling for someone who no longer showed signs of aging. As the courtesans rose to leave, Madeleine threw Reina a glowering look. Reina stared back at her meekly, it hit her how she could potentially earn Master Vrykólakas’s trust; Madeleine.

She was his first courtesan. She had been with him since Tenebrae’s creation. After learning the truth about Damien, Reina had begun to suspect that Madeleine was more to Master Vrykólakas than just his first courtesan. He had hidden it from Damien, so why not others? Who knew how many others Master Vrykólakas had Created in his long life? If Reina could at least gain Madeleine’s trust then, perhaps, she would have a chance at winning Master Vrykólakas’s affections once more?

Her slate and a piece of chalk lay on the table and she carefully wrote out Madeleine’s name, conscious to try and make it as neat as she could. The door to Master Vrykólakas’s sleeping quarters was still open, but the room itself was empty. Reina instead found him seated behind his desk in the study, an ancient scroll held loosely in his hands. She recognised it as the one he had claimed to have written while still mortal and she wondered about its importance. She could read some ancient Greek, mostly thanks to Master Vrykólakas, but she doubted she would have the chance to ever study the scroll in depth.

‘Little Slave, I believe I dismissed you, now go.’ Reina was glad she had no voice, it saved her having to bite her tongue to stop herself from retorting. Tentatively, she held out the piece of slate for him to read before pointing to herself. ‘You wish to see Madeleine? Why?’ His suspicion was obvious and Reina could hardly blame him, but she managed to shrug. Her reply was too complicated and awkward to write down. ‘She despises you.’

Reina nodded but didn’t retreat; she was banking on Madeleine’s feelings for her to work in her favour. After what felt like an eternity, Master Vrykólakas waved her away, she took this as permission and quickly curtsied before departing. Surely, if he had meant no he would have said so?

Holding onto the bannister, Reina looked at the doors nervously. She didn’t actually know which one Madeleine’s was. Nodding at the doors she knew to be Elise’s, Phaedra’s and even Cassandra’s, she paused to think. Madeleine always boasted that courtesans fell in and out of Master Vrykólakas’s favour, yet she was his one constant. Using that logic, Reina approached the door closest to the staircase leading up to Master Vrykólakas’s quarters.

Knocking timidly, she stood back, she waited for such a long time she wasn’t even sure if Madeleine had heard her. Just as she raised her hand to knock once more, the door was pulled open; Madeleine’s face was lit up with a seductive smile which she quickly erased when she saw who her visitor was.

‘What do you want?’ The disappointment in Madeleine’s voice was clear and her silver eyes blazed like molten steel. Reina held up the slate on which she had written three words; teach me please. Madeleine leant against her door, chewing her thumbnail as she considered the request. Whatever she was thinking she certainly did not let it show. ‘You do know that all of this is because of you? That Don was murdered because of you. We are forbidden to come and go as we please – all because of you. Why should I teach you anything? You care nothing for our ways, you have made that abundantly clear, and you have no love for our master.’ Reina turned and looked up at the door grand door to Master Vrykólakas’s quarters before lowering her eyes in what she hoped was a look of guilt and sorrow. As Madeleine straightened, she was relieved to see that she had given the right answer.

‘Very well,’ Madeleine huffed. ‘But I will need help. Come.’ She thought they would leave the sixth floor, but Reina was surprised when Madeleine simply knocked on the door beside hers. Opal answered it, her sleek dark hair pulled back into a loose braid. Her silver eyes looked at Reina suspiciously, but she relaxed upon seeing Madeleine. Standing back, she admitted the two women, and Reina prayed she was making the right decision.