A/N: Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't update in over two weeks because I've been so busy! I know that this chapter isn't very long and probably isn't that good either but please bare with me, I'm pretty stressed.

Review anyway, you can tell me how bad it sucked but I want some constructive criticism rather than, 'Good chapter, udpate soon,'...no offence to anybody that told me that because I actually enjoyed it.

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Chapter 14

Torture

Seth POV

I woke up from my short nap and stretched. After becoming decent, I strolled down the hallways and into the main hall.

On my way, I was aware that people around me were casting strange glances my way and whispering so low that even I couldn't hear.

Brooke showed up, walking with Talon. Even though it hurt to see her with him, I was making a shell around myself, closing her out. Right when I was about to go over to talk to them, Brooke turned around and saw me.

She was obviously mad at me for shutting her out, as she turned her back on me and walked away hand in hand with Talon.

"You want to know what they're talking about right?" Anthony, one of the vampires from Michael's coven lightly tapped me on the shoulder and waited for me to turn around.

"Why are they all staring at me?" I asked self-consciously.

"Why else? You've been hanging around the half-bloods. People who stay around them always get talked about. Those girls are a queer group, although not ones to be messed with seein' as they got them animals. They were paradin' about the halls with the demon animals. Went down some of the ancient tunnels and everybody's been talkin' since then," he explained.

"Demon animals? You mean like the animals that gotten bitten? That's what Michael told me."

"If you ask me, it ain't natural. And the king allows it anyway," His eyes darkened from the usual crimson to dark black and his eyes narrowed.

"Seth!" I turned around and Aristey was standing there in jeans, a pink T-shirt, a cream hoodie, and some shoes that actually looked like converse.

Aristey sent Anthony a glare that I probably wasn't supposed to see and then she slung her arm around my shoulders and steered me in a different direction. She started to say something as we walked into the marketplace and then into her shop.

"So what do you think?" Aristey looked at me with a smile on her face.

"Sorry, what was that?" I asked, shaken out of my daze.

She rolled her eyes, "Like I said, are you going to the masquerade ball?"

"What ball?" I asked.

"That ball!" She sighed at my stupidity and then pointed to one of the signs hanging on her shop wall.

The sign read: Festival dance this Friday. Come and enjoy!

"We have one every year," she explained, "It's basically like a high school dance, not one of those stuffy old dances where you do the waltz and stuff. It's really fun and at the end of each dance, they name the best mated, kind of like homecoming kings and queens. The tradition goes, whoever you share the last dance with, you will fall in love. But, if yyour mask gets knocked off, you'll lose something special to you."

"Wow, nice tradition," I rolled my eyes back at her and she laughed.

One of her customers knocked on the wooden stall, turning her attention to him.

"I'm sorry, one minute," She glances apologetically at me and then went to attend to the customer. While she was away, I looked around the shop, glancing at some of the small statues and figurines. They were also vases and richly colored paintings.

I came across one painting, all the way in the back, of four female vampires. They were all dressed in bright gowns. One of them was holding a fan, covering part of her face while another one was turned away from the picture. Another girl was reading a book, tilting her head down so that you couldn't clearly see her face. But, the middle girl was looking directly at me, holding a fan in one hand across her abdomen and hanging onto her other arm which was behind her back.

I gasped, it was Brooke that was looking right at me. In a sparkling seafoam colored gown, her eyes shined and her hair was pulled into a small bun on her head with dangling locks framing her face.

"Seth, you'd better go," Aristey's voice sounded from right behind me. When I glanced at her, she sent me a meaningful glance and looked at her customer. He was glaring at me with no attempt to hide his hatred.

"Okay, um, I'll be leaving now," She nodded and I gave her one last wave before I went out the back door.

I came out on less crowded side of the marketplace, dodging the people as I made my way to the palace. From the stairs, I looked into the arches to see Hunter sitting on the throne and talking to somebody that was blocked by a column.

I jumped the stairs and ran over the bridge going across the water. When I reached the antechamber, Hunter was just finishing a discussion with a vampire I didn't know.

Hunter dismissed the man with a wave of his hand and then beckoned me over.

"What is it you need Seth?"His voice wasn't unkind as he addressed me while I bowed respectfully in front of him.

"I was wondering where Christina, Helena, and Allison are, usually I see them around and they pop up and stuff but I haven't seen them."

"I believe they and Adrienne were going to the surface to check out some things, they'll probably be back in a couple hours," At the end, the corner of his mouth twitched a little as if he were keeping a secret from me.

"Oh, and by the way, do you know why Brooke is in such a foul mood?" I joked but this time, Hunter's expression darkened a little even though his tone stayed light.

"She said something like…inconsiderate jerk-face, you were being stupid and idiotic," now, he smiles.

"Well thanks a lot," I said sarcastically.

"You asked and that is what she said," he held his hands up in surrender and shook his head while grinning at me.

"It's like you enjoy my pain," I looked at him darkly and he laughed right out at me.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," he shook his head again.

"Okay, well I'm going to go back to my room," I said, pointing at the door that led to my room and then exiting.

"Good luck with Brooke!" He shouted after me.

Brook POV

The session had gone well if you count his blood curdling scream when I tore off his arm. I wasn't supposed to kill him but I could still rip him head from toe however long I wanted as long as I didn't actually roast him.

You could hear the metallic screeching whenever I did it to him but that was why the dungeons were built completely out of stone and then sound-proofed by a vampire that had the power over sound waves.

After I was done, Talon was waiting for me outside with a grim look on his face. He didn't enjoy what I did as we were usually a peaceful vampire family but I had to do it to please Hunter, he understood that.

"What do you think Hunter will do with him now?" Flare asked when I saw him later.

"I don't know. Once the others determine the extent of the damage they might have him killed anyway," I answered him.

Me and Talon were heading over to the sight of the breakthrough when I spotted Seth who was looking at me. I ignored him and we headed out into the tunnels.

"We should be close now," we went through the tunnels and then Talon nodded when he spotted the three girls and Adrienne inspecting the hole.

"I think I can repair it. It might be a little hard considering the hole is straight through but I can do it," Adrienne nodded and then sat right under the hole and closed her eyes.

There were grating sounds as the rocks moved around. The hole was already closing before our eyes and then Adrienne sat off and dusted her clothes as if nothing had happened.

"Now that that's done, I have to go pick something up," Adrienne walked away but then stumbled into some rocks sitting on the tunnel floor.

"Are you okay?" We rushed over to her but she'd already gotten over her dizzy spell and was standing up.

"I'll be fine. You should probably go back to Hunter and report." Adrienne brushed us off and then kept walking away.

"You know, she's right," Helena pointed out.

Allison and Christina nodded and then called their animals out from under a dip in the road.

After they'd reported, we had decided to go back to my rooms. We were sitting around the table, chatting and playing games with each other.

While the others were on the subject of ancient legends, there was a knock on the door.

I opened it to find Seth outside. "What do you need?" I asked tersely.

"Oh, nothing. I was just curious about something. Remember you told me that each Gatekeeper had a mythical creature, like a dragon or phoenix? I was just wondering where they were, I haven't seen them."

He looked at me hopefully. I sighed and let him in.

"Hey Seth!" Christina waved to him and then dove back into the conversation.

"Hey," Seth said back at her and then took up a seat at one end of the table.

Right when I closed the door, it was shoved in and I took a step back. Standing right in front of me was Josiah...again.

"I'm sorry lady but it's important and I couldn't wait," he bowed hurriedly and then stood up straight, "the prisoner has escaped!"