Chapter Four: Come into the Light

or

On Accommodations, Quiet Chats in the Noonday Sun,

and Carnivores

The room they put me in was extravagant. I was no stranger to lavish means when I still lived in my village, but the grand scale was nearly impossible to imagine. The finest materials were used to make intricately carved furniture. The desk alone would have cost a small fortune. It was where I sat when my vampire escort announced that this was to be where I would live.

According to him, I was not a guest. They did not, however, keep human servants -for that is what he had informed me I was to become- and thought it best that I remain separate. It was brought to my attention that Cosmina, the youngest of the blonde vampire sisters and wife to Beniamin had vouched for me when accommodations were being chosen.

I could not find it in my heart to promise myself I would thank her. She was barely human, despite what she had once been. Her kindness was, to me, very misplaced. I would never want to be like them. There was no doubt in my mind that even if I did accept, I would not amount to anything of importance in what I believed was their hierarchy.

And so I simply gave him a curt nod before slamming the door in his face. If it angered him, he did not make it known. I do have to admit, however, that the room itself gave me pause.

For all the castle's darkness, it did not feel cold. There was a fire crackling in the hearth, shrouded by pale marble. The wood was not as inky as I had seen, but instead a rich brown on which vases of deep red flowers sat. It was inviting and hardly repressing.

Perhaps I got too comfortable in the desk chair. My eyes closed for but a moment, but my fainting spell, followed closely by being told that I had to choose between death or unlife proved to be too much. I jolted awake what felt like hours later. My neck was stiff from the awkward position, and I grumbled in pain as I moved my head.

I screamed when my eyes fell on another member of the guard I did not know cast in shadow. She stood in the corner by the door, and was almost as tall as the entrance. Bloody eyes stared at me from under thick lashes. They did not appear hungry, simply intrigued.

"You sleep like the dead." She said in a reedy voice. I did not know how to reply, so I remained silent. This did not thwart her. "But you did so in a chair. Why not sleep in the bed? That's what humans do, correct?" I furrowed my brow.

I did not know how old this woman was, but if she had forgotten that humans slept in beds, I would guess her to be ancient. It made me uncomfortable. Quickly, I nodded.

"You are strange." She stated. Had I not been so afraid of her, I would have rolled my eyes. Instead, I stayed quiet. This appeared to bore her and she soon continued. "Master Vladimir sent me to collect you." She quipped. My mouth fell open slightly, making her smirk.

"But why?" I asked. Had she not been so rigid and formal, I imagine she would have shrugged. In its place, she inclined her head.

"It isn't my place to ask." She replied. "Nor is it to anger him. Stand. Your dress will do for now, but I advise that you burn it. Bloodstains never completely leave fabric." I looked to my skirt at the remnants of my father's blood before returning my gaze to her. Never in my life had such a disgusting thing been said to my face so nonchalantly. I was on my feet in an instant, but all she did was turn to hold open the door.

Dutifully, I followed. I did, however, grit my teeth and snarl at her back. This walk did not feel as if I was on my way to my death. On the contrary, the castle had never been so lively. The usually empty halls were full of the guard members. Their red eyes glittered in the light, looking at me like I was to be eaten.

Silently, I increased my pace. The woman seemed to understand and went as far as to cast threatening looks at the ones who moved closer to me.

As we continued on, the guard became scarce. I could see why. The wing we entered upon leaving the one with my room was so very dark. All of the windows were boarded over, as if the person who lived here could not stand the light. Everything looked far shabbier, and I began noticing rips in the wallpaper and drapes. I shivered from the cold wind blowing through the cracks, wishing I had brought my wrap before I had left home.

I was struck with a sad thought just then. Would I ever see home again? Was it even home to me any more? Home was where the heart was, yes? And your heart was with the ones you loved. I never loved my father, I simply assumed that he was home. I held no great attachment to my village. A few people I did not want to leave behind, but most frequented the tavern anyway.

Staring at the battered corridor, another thought came to me, this one far stranger than that last. Could this dark castle be a home to me? I had no desire to die, nor did I wish to live forever. My initial excitement had faded upon seeing a vampire's true nature. All they knew was blood and death.

It was too difficult to think about, and my head had ached one too many times that day already. I would cross that bridge when I came to it, if I did at all.

The woman led me to another set of doors. I did my best to ignore the long scratch marks on the wood, but my eyes looked them up and down with disdain. Had he done this in a frenzied moment? It was hard to imagine the stoic man anything but calm, as far as I had seen him. As kind as I suppose he had been, I did not know him. I did, however, know that he was as much of a monster as the stories painted him to be.

The doors opened, and I stepped inside the dark room. It matched the hall perfectly in tone, as while the furniture was not damaged and the wallpaper not torn, it had an air of neglect. My eyes had no time to wander, however, as the man I had been taken to see spoke from his seat my the unlit fireplace.

"Come closer." He said, and I obliged, taking a few steps further into his chambers. He looked to my escort and then to the door. She nodded and swept out of the room. I felt my stomach clench in fear at the thought of being left alone with him. He appeared to be in a state of relative peace, but I had seen him order my father's murder.

I stared coldly at the back of his head until he turned again, one pale eyebrow raised. Had he expected me to move that much closer? In a moment of madness, I shook my head.

"As you wish." He said aloud. "I have no use for a little girl who is frightened stiff." My face contorted in anger and I opened my mouth.

"I am not afraid of you." I said, my voice icy.

"You should be." He replied. "Was it not I who killed your father?"

"You didn't-" Why I was defending him, I did not know. There was no guilt in is voice, but I could not bring myself to speak how I blamed him. As much as I told myself I already loathed him, I did not want to make an enemy of one of the only people who had been kind.

"Save your excuses. I did, and I do not regret it." He said sharply and I recoiled. "Now come here, girl. I would to look you in the eye." Quietly, I obeyed him. He gestured for me to sit across from him and I did so.

"Why did you kill him? I asked, my voice going soft with grief. I looked to him and felt disgusted as I saw the look of malice on his face.

"We accept favor-seekers, yes," he began, "but cowards have no place among us. He did not tell you of the arrangement?" He in turn asked and I nodded.

"I had no idea."

"Because he knew you would refuse. He would not even have your consent before condemning you to die." I flinched, but he did not appear to notice.

"Are you going to kill me now?" I looked up in shock when I heard a noise like light wind. Vladimir had not laughed in the throne room, but he did then. It almost unnerved me, and I was unsure of what I was to say when he stopped.

"No, girl." He said. "Not yet." I bit my lip before I could reply in a way that would give offense, but I was too late.

"Only enslave me." I said bitterly. His laughter died swiftly.

"Would you rather I drain you?" He asked. "Or worse, it seems, make you immortal?" I shook my head and the dark look in his eyes dulled a fraction.

"I would rather die." I replied defiantly. For all his airs and graces, Vladimir did roll his eyes in response.

"Yes, I gathered as much. And yet, you are a terrible liar." I was struck dumb for a moment as he continued. "You do not want to die. Such is self-preservation. Disgustingly human, especially when others are sacrificed to justify the ends, but admirable. You want to leave here, run far away and forget what you have seen. I am afraid, girl, that is no longer an option."

My mouth fell open as he went silent for a moment. He did not appear interested in hearing what I had to say, and so I said nothing. It was a moment before he continued speaking.

"You have seen too much. We do not hide our existence, but an air of mystery must be preserved if we are to remain so highly elevated in human culture." My eyes could have stabbed a hole in his chest.

"I will not sit by as you make me your slave." I said, standing. "You an every member of your 'court' have no right to keep me prisoner here." I turned sharply, walking towards a covered window. I yelped as I saw Vladimir already waiting there, his face a mixture of rage and malice.

"I have the only right." He said, his red eyes more pronounced. My eyes followed him as he moved just behind me. Momentarily too startled to speak, I took several steps back. It was seconds before I was pressed against the covered window, my hands clutched the sill behind me. He looked so menacing, so evil. Everything in my mind screamed at me to run, to get away from danger. Now I knew how quickly he could run, it became sickeningly apparent that I would not stand a chance.

Grabbing the dark fabric of the drapes, I noticed they were nailed to the wood. Inhaling, I decided to take a chance. I did not know what time it was, only that he feared the light. I pulled on the velvet hard, prying it away from the wood and pulling it open.

The harsh light of day spilled into the room, casting dramatic shadows as dust filled the air. I looked to Vladimir, hate and vengeance in my eyes. It was soon replaced with fear again as he still stood only a foot away from me, his pale skin gleaming in the sun's rays.

Featured fairy tale:

The Raven

A queen wished her naughty daughter would turn into a raven and fly away, so she could have some peace, and her wish was instantly fulfilled. She flew away to a forest.

In the forest, a man heard a raven tell him she was an enchanted princess, and he could deliver her if he went to a certain cottage and accepted no food from the old woman there. The raven would drive by in a carriage every day for three days. If he remained awake, he would break the spell. Each day, the old woman persuaded him to drink but one sip, and each day, overcome by weariness, he was fast asleep by the time the raven drove past. On the final day, the raven left the sleeping man a bottle of wine, a loaf, and a piece of meat, all three of which were inexhaustible and put a gold ring with her name on his finger. She also gave him a letter telling him there was another way he might deliver her: by coming to the golden castle of Stromberg.

The man wandered, looking for the castle, and found a giant who threatened to eat him, but the man fed him with his magical provisions. Then the giant brought out his map, which displayed all the towns, villages and houses in the land – but not the castle. He asked the man to wait until his brother came home. The brother was able to find the castle on an older map, but it was thousands of miles away. The brother agreed to carry the man to within a hundred leagues of the castle, and the man walks the rest.

As the man approached the glass mountain on which the golden castle stood, he could see the bewitched princess drive her carriage around the castle and go in. But the glass mountain was too slippery for him to climb, and he lived in a hut at the foot of the mountain for a year. One day he met three robbers fighting over three magical items: a stick that opened doors, an invisibility mantle, and a horse that could ride up the glass-mountain. The man offered them a mysterious reward in exchange for the items, but he insisted on first trying them out, to see if they worked as promised. After he had mounted the horse, taken the stick, and was made invisible by the cloak, he hit the robbers with his stick and rode up the glass mountain. He used the stick and mantle to get into the castle and threw his ring into the princess's cup. She couldn't find her rescuer though she searched the entire castle, until he finally revealed himself by throwing off the mantle. They were married.