Chapter Thirty-eight

Leaning on the balcony edge, Reina stared up at the cloud covered sky, impatiently tapping her fingernails. She was fast running out of time to do something. The execution, or, rather, feast, as Master Vrykólakas was calling it, was to take place the night after tomorrow. Inwardly Reina cursed Damien; how could he have been so foolish? He had brought Sarah, along with several others, to Tenebrae and for what? He was dead and Sarah would soon follow. God only knew what had happened to Grace but she prayed that the woman was safe, and that she had got those she had brought with her to safety as well. Master Vrykólakas said they had disappeared, so there was a small glimmer of hope at least.

Behind her in the main room, Reina heard Elise and Phaedra say their goodbyes as they retired for the day. She had not been able to look at either of them since Elise had discovered her with both Master Vrykólakas and Madeleine. She was sure Elise would have told Phaedra; they shared everything with each other. She knew that this was something people enjoyed; Damien had sometimes hinted at a reunion with Elise but Reina had quickly shot the suggestion down. Never would she have dreamed of sharing a bed with more than one person, but she was desperate and clutching at straws. Truthfully, she did not find it as distasteful as she had imagined, but it still wasn’t helping her achieve her goal. How could she put a stop to this? She longed to kill Master Vrykólakas but he was far stronger than her and she could hardly hide a stake beneath his pillow without him, or another courtesan, noticing. Compliance did seem to be her best weapon at the moment, but it was still failing her. As Master Vrykólakas bid the courtesans farewell, Reina joined him and accepted a drink. The blood was sour and she pulled a face, setting the drink aside.

‘You have expensive tastes, that is the blood of a peasant girl. I thought perhaps she would be to your liking, clearly I was wrong.’ Reina glared at him, she doubted that was true but there was something off about the blood. She suspected he had given her blood tainted with an illness so that she would refuse it and lose control come the feast.

She couldn’t kill Sarah, she had no intentions of doing so. But she worried what Master Vrykólakas would do to Sarah as punishment. She had to kill him but time was fast running out. If only she could see Sarah. She had been in on a plot from the beginning, perhaps she already had something in motion?

Master Vrykólakas pulled Reina close, cupping the back of her neck as he leaned in to softly kiss her. She couldn’t bring herself to think that she would only have to endure this for a short-time only, if the feast was a success then she would be trapped with him for eternity. But if she could kill him…was it really possible that, the night after tomorrow, he would be dead? But she had no plan, just a burning desire to destroy this monster.

‘What’s wrong?’ Master Vrykólakas pulled back and Reina shook her head hesitantly. When Master Vrykólakas simply continued to stare, she wondered how best to communicate her thoughts. Since he had broken her slate he had refused Reina another, stating that if she wanted to speak then she would learn to do so. It was yet another reason to loathe this man, she had not lost her voice and thus been left speechless by choice. Slowly she pointed to her eye before tapping the scar on her left wrist. ‘I…slave? You are a slave, yes,’ Master Vrykólakas nodded. ‘For all that you bear the title of courtesan, you are still a slave.’ Reina huffed in irritation; she knew he was merely winding her up but it was working. She tapped her scar once more and pointed to the drinks cabinet of blood; how could she make him understand that she wanted to see Sarah? ‘Little Slave I am in no mood for charades.’

Master Vrykólakas yawned and Reina glared at him. Marching into his study, she picked up a brass key resting in a drawer before pointing to the door and her scar once more. Suspicion crossed Master Vrykólakas’s face as realisation of what she wanted dawned on him. Setting the key back in its home, Reina stared down at the draw. She thought back to when she had found the key to Cassandra’s room, how it had set the wheels in motion for what was happening now. Re-joining Master Vrykólakas in the main room, Reina embraced him in an attempt to soothe him. She was doubtful of how much this worked, but his suspicions did seem to dissipate as she pressed her lips to his.

Reina tugged Master Vrykólakas into the study where she picked up a discarded quill and dipped it into a pot of ink. Hesitating to write the words in her mind, she wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand. Damien is dead, you are my creator. She underlined the words for emphasis, she didn’t believe the latter part but then she wasn’t the one who needed to believe it. I don’t want to die, I am scared of what will happen but please let me say goodbye. Master Vrykólakas took the quill from her fingers and set it down; lifting her chin up, he searched her eyes.

‘You know I do not believe in your God…but even my own gods had a place of torment for those who passed on.’

‘Tartarus,’ Reina nodded, forgetting she couldn’t speak. Master Vrykólakas smiled fleetingly and picked Reina up, sitting her on the edge of his desk, a thoughtful expression on his face.

‘I still do not know whether to believe in these gods or not. Three thousand years old and, yet, religion continues to remain a complete mystery. I would claim it all to be nonsense were it not for the effects of holy relics. I cannot understand how they burn…’ Master Vrykólakas studied Reina and she knew he was thinking of her own rosary. She had taken to leaving it in her own rooms, wrapped around her teddy bear for safekeeping. She hated to be parted from it, but it was too dangerous to flaunt it in front of him at the moment. Trying to pull his mind away from religion, Reina reached out and tentatively stroked a strand of his hair away from his face. Tossing her own hair backwards Reina tilted her head back, closing her eyes as she felt Master Vrykólakas’s fingers slide across her neck and unclasp the velvet choker from her throat. Reina loathed the choker and what it symbolised, it sparked more determination to destroy Master Vrykólakas.

Despite herself, Reina felt her head drop backwards as Master Vrykólakas began kissing her neck, a gasp mingled with pain and pleasure escaping her as he bit down into the tender skin. Damien had always respected her boundaries; he had bitten her once in the throes of passion and she had refused to speak to him for a week. Master Vrykólakas had not been so lenient, he had pushed her comfort boundaries, but Reina had been surprised at the new realms of pleasure she had discovered. As Master Vrykólakas began unlacing her gown Reina returned the favour, divesting him of his jacket and shirt. She forced her mind to stay focused on the present, fighting against the urge to just lose herself in the pleasure. She needed to see Sarah, she could not be distracted, but at the same time she couldn’t appear too eager to visit the cells.

Afterwards, she lay on the floor of the study, wrapped in Master Vrykólakas’s shirt as a makeshift blanket. He had one arm wrapped around her waist, while his free hand travelled under the shirt to trace patterns on her belly. Madeleine had instructed her to not disturb Master Vrykólakas in these moments, that it was best to let him continue his train of thoughts and to allow him to speak or rise first. This would be the best way to ensure his mood stayed both peaceful and pliable. Since approaching Madeleine to teach her more about the ways of a courtesan, Reina had certainly learnt a lot and, while she found it oddly fascinating, it also concerned her how manipulating she could be.

‘You cannot speak, what do you truly hope to achieve by seeing that slave?’ Master Vrykólakas eventually broke the silence and Reina wondered what the best way to answer him would be. She almost began gesturing her hands but quickly halted herself; if Master Vrykólakas had forgotten that Sarah had been teaching her sign language then that could only work to her benefit. Turning her head, Reina planted a small kiss on his shoulder before carefully sitting up. Master Vrykólakas sat up with her, propping his back against the solid desk.

‘The night after tomorrow your slave, all slaves, will be dead,’ Reina nodded, trying not so show that she felt as if he had just punched her in the stomach. ‘Your change in attitude…why has it taken you so long to see this is how things should be? Why could you have not accepted your nature, our nature, from the start? This could all have been avoided had it not been for your stubbornness.’

Reina felt a tear slip free, why hadn’t she accepted her nature from the beginning? Her refusal of human blood had been not only her own downfall but that of so many others. But this was not a life she had ever wanted. Why did she feel responsible when she had not even wished for this? You are accepting your nature, but you are not accepting this as your fate. A cold voice spoke in her mind. This is your revenge. You are making him believe this is your nature. You are a courtesan, this is what you do. But even that was not true; she was not a courtesan, not a true one as the others thought themselves to be. It was all a lie. So what was her nature?

After he had helped Reina to dress, Master Vrykólakas summoned a guard to accompany Reina down to the cells. She paused at the top of the steps leading down to the rancid narrow corridor; she had been in the cells only once and it was not an experience she wished to repeat. The stench of a hundred unwashed bodies was nauseating and Reina covered her mouth and nose. She wasn’t even breathing yet the stench still struck her. As they walked further down the corridor she could hear the soft cries and whispered prayers as she passed the cells doors. A guard stood firmly in front of each one, far enough forwards that they could not be grabbed by surprise and pulled backwards, but still close enough to bar entry or escape.

The guard escorting Reina stopped shortly before the end cell where she had spent her own imprisonment, but, to her surprise, turned towards the cell to its left and gestured to the guard blocking its door. Nodding to the steps leading back up to the mansion, her escort departed. Reina forced herself to face the man blocking the cell door; meeting a pair of silver eyes, Reina frowned deeply. There was something wrong, something familiar, about this man. For a few seconds the guard stared back at her, a look of hesitation and something else in his eyes before finally stepping aside and opening the door for her.

There was barely any room to move inside the cell, the slaves were standing up, shoulder to shoulder. A few had managed to crouch on the ground and, from the weary expressions on their faces, it was clear others were waiting their turn to sit. The silence was unnaturally thick; a room so full should not be this silent, Reina could not help thinking.

‘Reina?’ The voice was hoarse, and Reina stood on tippy-toe to find the source. A pale hand rose in the air, waving to and fro weakly to grab her attention towards the back of the cell. With an apologetic face, Reina made her way through the crowd and towards the back where the pale hand continued to wave.

Upon finding Sarah, Reina embraced the woman carefully; she looked emaciated. Her eyes were set deep in her skull with dark purple rings beneath, which stood out prominently against her waxy skin. Her lips had lost all colour, blending into her face seamlessly.

‘What are you doing here?’ Sarah said in a whisper, her eyes pointing nervously towards the cell door. It had shut behind Reina, but she knew she was worried that the guard would be listening to them. Even at the back of the room, it was likely that the guard would still be able to hear them. Reina tried to remember the signs that Sarah had taught her, but it was too dark, in desperation she picked up Sarah’s left hand and began drawing letters carefully on her palm.

‘Two nights? The night after tonight?’ Sarah looked at her questioningly and Reina could tell she wasn’t sure what she meant. Subtly, so as not to worry the others in close proximity, Reina drew a line across her neck. Sarah’s already impossibly pale complexion paled even further. She hushed them as others began to make panicked murmurs and Reina looked around guiltily. ‘Will we be fed from?’ Reina nodded, and Sarah paused thoughtfully. ‘Do not drink from me. Offer me to Master Vrykólakas, even if I beg you not too – you must. Please trust me. Offer me and take his slave instead, promise me you will do this. You will understand why. Will you promise?’

The word promise made Reina’s skin crawl and she yearned to shake her head no, but instead she forced herself to nod in agreement. Nothing good had ever come from promises, but if Sarah had something in mind then she would have to trust her. Reina embraced Sarah once more, wishing she could speak so as to convey how sorry she was for everything.

Carefully Reina made her way back to the front of the cell and knocked on the door, nodding at the guard as he opened it to let her out. She could sense a few of the slaves wanted to rush out, to storm the guards, but several hands held those people back warning them against rash actions. Outside of the cell, Reina stared at the guard once more, trying to place the look in his eyes and the familiarity of his face. Her throat constricted tightly, and she felt as if she had been kicked; Damien? No, she told herself. She was so desperate for a glimmer of hope she was letting her imagination run wild and get the better of her. Quickly she retreated up the corridor, the guard who had accompanied her down to the cells was waiting by the entrance and he led Reina back up to Master Vrykólakas’s quarters.

What was Sarah planning? She had seemed oddly calm for someone who was just learning that their death would be in two nights’ time. Despite her promise, Reina was overwhelmed with doubt; she couldn’t let Master Vrykólakas feast from Sarah, could she? Surely, he would torment her? At least if Sarah did have to die, Reina would make it as quick and as painless as she possibly could. Master Vrykólakas was certain to draw it out and make her beg for death. She has something in mind, trust her. Reina told herself, but it was hard. So much had gone wrong already.

For the first time that day, Reina realised that her skin was prickling painfully; it was late in the day. There was just tonight and the day itself, tomorrow, before the feast. Reina prayed that Sarah realised how little time she had, it wasn’t two nights – it was barely one. But there was no way Sarah would have known the day was almost gone.

Master Vrykólakas’s main room was empty and Reina wandered into the study. She found her choker lying on the desk and she picked it up thoughtfully. The black ribbon Damien had given her so long ago had been for her protection; it marked her as his to prevent other vampires from harming her. But this one was different, it was a mark of possession.

‘She is back,’ Reina jumped at the sound of Madeleine’s voice and turned to see her standing in the doorway, dressed in a sheer robe. Reina wrapped the choker around her left wrist and followed Madeleine into Master Vrykólakas’s sleeping quarters. He was lounging in his casket, eyeing Reina lazily as she entered.

‘Search her,’ He commanded Madeleine and Reina put up no resistance as the other woman began undressing her. The first time Madeleine had stripped her, Reina had been horrified, but now she was used to it. And truth be told she had half-expected Master Vrykólakas to search her on her return from the cells. ‘I hope you will forgive my suspicions, Little Slave.’ Master Vrykólakas said as if the thought had been written on Reina’s face, she bowed her head submissively to show she understood.

When Madeleine had undressed Reina, Master Vrykólakas rose from the casket and paced around her whilst Madeleine searched through her clothes. She understood what they were doing, and she was thankful that Sarah had not pressed a weapon upon her. Why hadn’t she thought? Reina began to wonder, just what was the woman planning? As Master Vrykólakas finished pacing, Reina unwound the choker from her wrist and held it out to him; her eyes meeting his with what she hoped was an expression of acceptance. Master Vrykólakas plucked the choker from her fingers, his black eyes searching hers.

‘I’m sorry,’ Reina mouthed and pulled her hair up so that he could place the choker around her neck. As he pulled back she reached up to kiss him softly. She had no idea what Sarah was plotting, but she would not break her promise, not this one.