She had managed to find clothing in a wardrobe on the far side of the chamber. It resembled a white dress with red trimming along the hem of the skirt and the edge of the sleeves. It was backless and the front was held up by a choker around the neck. The dress was a perfect fit and it strangely and coincidentally accommodated her large wings.
By habit, Amber looked about for a mirror to see if the dress looked right; then remembered that her body no longer looked right. She refused to see the abnormal blue skin, the huge digits, and the extra limbs.
She stared down at her talons. They were no longer covered in mud and filth, someone had cleaned them carefully. She sniffed them and could faintly smell a soothing fragrance of scented soap. She sniffed her arm and could smell the same fragrance. Someone had not only cleaned her hands, but had given her a bath as well.
It unnerved her that someone had stripped her, seen, and touched her misshapen body. It was worse than the time she had woken up in bed with a complete stranger after a college party. She was lucky that she hadn't contracted AIDS or had gotten pregnant. The guy had tried to setup a formal date with her, but she had quickly turned him down and hadn't seen him since. She still didn't know his name.
She looked around for some underwear, but she couldn't find anything that resembled any. She decided to go without; the skirt was thick and reached nearly to her ankles. It's not like she was going to end up flashing anybody.
The door was heavy oak and stood solid before her. She was relieved when the handled turned easily in her hand and the door opened almost without a creak. The hinges must have been well oiled.
She walked out into the long hallway and notice that the thick carpet was red with gold fringe at the edges. Her cloven feet sank into the carpet and she noticed for the first time she could move without trouble. She could easily keep her balance, though that the wings were a constant weight at her back.
She strode down the hall and looked about. There were various décor on the walls and on small tables that sit against the walls. She had to ease her way for that her large wings threatened to knock vases and strange objects off the walls.
She noticed that the temperature was getting colder raising goose bumps off her blue skin. She began to wish that she had found a coat too as wisps of her breath greeted her sight.
She folded her arms to her chest for some warmth and saw an opening with light blue light spilling through. She came to the opening, she froze in shock.
Various towers of different heights filled her vision. They were all connected by bridges. Up above, she did not see the sun, the moon, nor did she see the sky at all. It was as if these strange artifices were built within a mountain. She looked down and saw that she was within a similar tower. A wave of vertigo made her dizzy and she leaned against the edge of the opening.
A bridge lay before her, leading to another tower. She could backtrack and see if there was another door, but even if she did that, it wouldn't be the way out. She studied the bridge.
"What stupid idiot wouldn't put in a set of handrails with a bridge?" She muttered under her breath.
"Master, you have to understand. The Seraphan are moving toward you now. They are getting braver. It will not be long before they lay siege to this stronghold itself."
"This stronghold has survived hundreds of sieges and had stood thousands of years." Janos replied from his chair near the fire. It was a chair built for his kind. It looked like an ordinary chair, but it had a wide slit in the back for wings to be threaded through.
"This is different." Vorador leaned against the huge mantle of the fireplace. "Humans are constantly growing. They are killing off vampires faster than I can create them. If this lasts, then centuries from now, it can be possible that the vampire race will be extinct."
Janos said nothing, but stared into the crackling fire. His eyes were lost in thought and Vorador waited for a reply, but none came.
"Master, I know I have said this before, but I would not disturb you repeatedly, if I was not sure that this was the only way. You must leave this aerie. Take the sword and the female. It's no longer safe for you here."
"Where then, should I go?"
"To my mansion. The humans fear me; they will not dare set foot in Termagant Forest. Better yet, you could go back to the ancient city. It's still hidden, and only known by few of the Circle. They would not dare make a move against the city."
Still, Janos did not answer. Instead he stood and walked across the room toward a long gold chest. On its top was inscribed the Blood Reaver's insignia.
"Duty forbids me to leave this place, until the one foretold comes. To leave now, would be to spit upon the prophets' faces. I cannot leave until I fulfill my purpose here."
"What the girl? Is she your foretold savior?"