Disclaimer: I am only borrowing AAR's creations, and intend to return them in almost working order.
TheShadowPanther: I checked at Amelia's official site, and it says that Jaguar, Nathaniel, and Jeshickah are a part of Katama's line. I appreciate the constructive criticism though; it helps me to be better! Happy belated New Year to you to!
Lannan: I am writing more! I've got this chapter done and the next one nearly finished. Then it'll be a few more till this story's over. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Katsumi Leostar: I'm glad you think so.
Laurea-vean: well, here's my update! Hopefully the next one will be soon!
Ac-bworm: Don't worry, everything will become clear in the next few chapters. The day I got your email was the day I sent off the third version of this chapter to my beta and the day I intended to post it. She hasn't given it back yet, but if there are any corrections that need to be made, I'll make them later. Which brings me to…
A/N: I'm really sorry that this took so long, but I had to write this chapter three times before I was satisfied with it. My second beta hasn't replied yet, but I think it's fine just as it is.
Thanks to Griffinkhan and PensivelyRealistic, who beta-ed for me.
Chapter Eight: Sewing and SlaveryThe servant girl cannot be older than twelve. She says nothing, but keeps her eyes on the ground as we assemble in the hallway. Siete asks to be taken to Jaguar, and immediately the girl start walking, not even giving us a greeting. I look at the other vampires, but their carefully blank expressions tell me nothing.
We walk across the dark expanse of the greeting hall and through another doorway at the far end. The girl stops in front of a large door, over which can be seen a marble head of a jaguar. Then the doors are opened, and we enter.
The room is every bit as opulent as the rest of the house seemed. A fire was lit in the fireplace, and few sconces along the wall were lit. An abandoned desk sat before a window, the chair cold and empty. A quick glance around showed that the master of the place lay on a couch, eyes open and watching us warily. He springs up to greet us.
"Welcome," he says, his manner showing no hint of surprise. "I sincerely hope that your journey here was not arduous." His gaze shifts to Siete. "However, I had not expected so many to come, and I'm afraid that there are not enough rooms ready for you as of yet. However, it should not take long, and please, do wait here for a bit." He gestured at the couch as he spoke.
Silently, all of us take him up on the offer, and sit down either on the couch or on a few chairs next to it. The furniture is comfortable enough to fall asleep on, but the tense atmosphere in the room is not. After Jaguar finished giving orders to the servant girl, he went and sat at his desk, presumably to get some paperwork done. Taking advantage of the silence, I look around the room.
The walls are velvet covered, and black wood paneling stretching from the marble floor halfway up the wall, where the red velvet takes over. The couch and chairs are next to the door, and all face a central coffee table made of oak. Behind the desk are tall bookcases filled with old and dusty volumes. The floors are covered with Oriental carpets, their softness belying the fortune they must have cost.
The silence has grown almost unbearable, as each of us in the escort eye each other warily. Trust among vampires is tenuous at best, and none of us are eager to be sharing a room filled with people whom we do not know very well. The only ones who look completely at ease are Siete and Jaguar.
At last, the silence is broken by the servant girl reentering the room. Jaguar looks up, and hastily puts his papers into a drawer. Pushing it close, he stands up.
"I see that your rooms are ready. Follow the girl, she will escort you to where you will sleep." With that, he turns and strides to a bookshelf, picks up a book, and settles onto a nearby couch to read. Knowing we are dismissed, we turn and leave the room.
None of us acknowledge his rudeness, but once we are out of the room with the door closed, Siete turns to address the group.
"Because most of the vampires do not eat or stir from their rooms until later tonight, now is an ideal time to explore this place and see how it operates." Silver looks at the rest of us before speaking.
"I believe I speak for all of us when I say that perhaps it is better if one of us explores rather than all. Letting the rest of the house know we are here would be enough to send them running. They would think we are here to shut down the operation, again."
"Jaguar's probably thinking that now," says Katama, with a strange grin. Siete looks thoughtful.
"That's a good idea. When we have settled down a bit, come to my room and we'll discuss who to send." He turns, and indicates for the girl to continue on.
She leads us back down the hallway and through another door that leads to the west wing. We walk for a bit, before she stops in front of a door that leads to Siete's room. Next are Katama, Jager, and Silver. Then the girl stops in front of a door, and indicates that I am to enter. I turn the handle, and go inside.
Firelight flickers across the walls as I enter the room. Instead of velvet, dark green silk covers the walls; so dark it almost seems black. The hangings on the canopied bed are of a dark green velvet a shade lighter than the walls. Bookcases line the walls. Like the rest of the house, the room is devoid of windows. There is a closet in the wall opposite the bed, and I walk over to it.
I see why none of the vampires had worried about clothing. There is enough in my closet alone to supply a store. There are dresses, shirts, pants, and shoes in almost every style imaginable. I close the door and turn to the bed.
There is a nightstand with a candle and a book on top of it. The bed itself is wonderful, and underneath the comforter are green sheets, as I discover when I turn down the bedclothes. They are warm, too.
The source of the warmth proves to be a bed warmer, such as one I once used. I freeze at the sight of it, suddenly remembering where I am.
I am in Midnight, the fabled capital of the slave empire. How many beings had sweated and bled to make sure my room was just right? I had heard tales of how, instead of regular bed warmers, certain vampires had kept slaves whose sole purpose was to make sure their master never sat on anything cold. And if their master had wanted to sit down quickly, they'd either beat the slave for not warming the place fast enough, or simply sit on the slave, discussing business while the slave slowly suffocated to death. Even worse stories came to my mind, rumors of exactly how the slaves had been trained to be willing to have their master do such a thing.
This new Midnight may seem to be gentler and kinder, but it still buys and sells flesh. In this house, transactions have been made, thereby turning countless lives into living hells, or at best, purgatory. Perhaps humans are my prey, but that does not mean what happens here is right.
But what precisely is it that makes it wrong? If humans are indeed nothing more than my prey, is it so bad that they should serve me? Am I not better than they, am I not physically, mentally, and emotionally their superior? Why then shouldn't I take advantage of that?
It is not a question of who is stronger. It is a question of whether or not I have the right. Does strength qualify as a right? Just because I have the ability to take, does it justify the fact that I do?
I am interrupted from my weak thoughts by a knock on the door. Walking up to it and opening it, I see the servant girl standing there. She beckons for me to follow her, and I do so, making sure that I close my door behind me before following. She leads me to Siete's room, and opens the door for me. I walk in, and see that each of the vampires who came with us are in the room, seated on a couch or a chair. The door closes behind me, and Siete begins to speak.
"Now it is time to put into place the plan we made in the hall. Who is willing to go?"
We all look at each other, unsure which of us will be the best. Siete himself cannot go, it would cause too much of a stir. Silver himself might get away with it, but he too would arouse suspicion. Katama is completely out of the question. It would be too suspicious if the person partly responsible for Midnight's fall were to show up ready to trade slaves. That leaves Jager and myself.
"I'll go," I say. Not only am I curious to see who actually inhabits this place, but also I feel that I ought to do a favor for Siete. It was he who got me my apartment after all. But after this, I will do no more for him. It is unwise to let another know just how much you are willing to do for them, how much you trust them. Siete looks at me approvingly.
"Very well," he said. He then turned and tells the others, "You may leave now." One by one, they do so, until it is only Siete and I left in the room. Siete sits down in a chair next to the fireplace, and gestures for me to sit in the one opposite. I do so, waiting to hear exactly what he will say.
"I thank you for doing this favor to me. I need to know who is here, and what exactly they're doing here. Now, if anyone asks, you must say that you are simply curious to see the legend so many have talked about. Beyond that, you may say what you will. But do not, ever, mention that I or others are here with you. Because if you do," and here he gave a smile that did not reach his eyes, "I will…take care that you will not do so again." He looks at me, to see if I have gotten the warning. I nod, to show my agreement. Siete is quite possibly the most powerful being there ever was, and to disobey his orders would be unwise, even suicidal. Satisfied with my response, he leaned back in his chair. "Go now," he dismisses me, "I have other things to attend to." With that, I get up and leave.
Appearing in my room, I walk over to the closet. After a quick change of clothes, I pull the cord next to the bed. Within moments, a servant appears at my door. When I open it, he asks how he may be of service. I ask for him to take me on a tour.
The boy does so, hesitantly. I can tell that he does not like to have me at his back, but he is powerless to do anything about it. The wariness with which he watches me, and the scars on his neck, show the price he has paid for serving vampires. Without a doubt, he has been attacked or fed from more than once.
I may have taken human life, but at least I have never taken it from a child. The boy is probably the same age as the servant girl. As we walk along, I wonder to myself why so far only children have served us. Is this the best Jaguar can do, prey on innocent children?
Soon, we leave the vampire wing, and venture into the rest of the house. I see why children have served us. The other slaves are not Jaguar's, but belong to other vampires. Jaguar has, in total, about five slaves for himself. Other vampires usually show up with their own. It would have been nice to know this before, but it is too late to do anything about it now.
We have passed by kitchens and slave quarters, but then an open door catches my eye. I stop, and peer into the room.
Seated at a table, surrounded by fabric of all patterns and colors, is a woman. She is middle-aged, perhaps forty or so, with a square-like jaw and short black hair. The woman is bent over her work, sewing a beautiful dress made of silk. As if she realizes she's being watched, she looks up.
"Who are you?" I ask, curious as to what this woman is doing here.
"I am the seamstress here at Midnight, milady," she replies simply, but I notice that her eyes do not meet mine. I decide to press her for further information.
"What is your name?" I say softly, hoping to win her trust. It seems to work, as this time she looks me fully in the eye when she answers.
"Eva."
"Well, Eva, I am Risika," I say, hoping that I will be able to talk to her. She does not reply, but instead bends back over her work. I stay where I am in the doorway, feeling slightly foolish. In a moment, I have crossed the distance between us and seat myself on the table. Eva looks up, surprised. I begin to talk.
"I am new here, and I do not know how this house works," I say, words spilling out of my mouth before I can think about them. I pause, and then continue. "I came to see if whether or not this place is anything like what they say in stories. Please, can you tell me about this place?" I hope that my act as an innocent, new vampire will be enough to engage her in talk. Eva is not entirely fooled though; she looks at me, suspicion in her green eyes. I reach out with my mind, and find that she has never been addressed before in such a manner, and is confused as to what I want. She seems to have an unusual fear of being fed from. I lean forward. "I do not wish to feed from you, Eva. I merely want to know if there are any unspoken rules around here I must know about." She does not look surprised at my having read her mind, but instead talks. I listen eagerly.
"Well, milady, first of all, no vampire would address a human in the manner you are doing now. They are afraid it would be a weakness. Stay out of Milady Jeshickah's way, unless you want to fight her. She doesn't take well to new vampires here at Midnight; she'll try to control you. There's something between her and Master Jaguar, and she'll use all the people she can get. She's even tried to persuade some of the witches-"
"Witches?" I say, barely able to keep the surprise out of my voice. Witches, here at Midnight?
"Yes, milady, they're the ones who designed the barrier around Midnight. Master Jaguar keeps them here for that purpose, and it's been a source of fighting between him and Milady Jeshickah for quite some time. He says he'll do what he will in his own house, but she says no self-respecting vampire would have witches on his property. Seems to think it suspicious of him."
"There's a barrier around Midnight? How far out does it extend?"
"Oh, not too far out. It's at the walls around the property; a vampire wouldn't feel it though. It's designed for the slaves." With that, she looked up at me. "Anything else, milady?"
"No," I reply. "That is it for now. Thank you."
"Glad to be of service, milady." As she says that, I get up and leave.
"Take me back to my room, boy," I order him. As we walk along, I think about what Eva has told me. I side with Jeshickah on this issue. Why does Jaguar keep witches here? Does he have some sort of deal with them? I had heard he is tolerant of others, but this is almost suicide…
I start when I hear angry voices erupt from around the corner ahead. I signal for the boy to stay where he is, and creep closer to where the people are fighting. Dampening my aura, I get as close as I dare.
"It is of no business of yours what I do with my time, Jeshickah," Jaguar's voice, tight with anger, reaches my ears.
"Oh, but I'm afraid it is, my cat. You see, the barrier needs work only once a month. You do not need to waste your resources on our ancient enemy. And I wonder exactly what papers you look at whenever someone leaves the room. I've seen you try to hide them. Are you plotting again, my pet?" A woman's voice, as smooth as silk and without a trace of anger gives a reply. Clearly, she is enjoying making him angry. It can only be Jeshickah.
"I am working on nothing subversive, I assure you."
"Oh, but I'm not assured. I know something is up, I can tell by your aura. You fear me, and you fear my searching your desk. What, the Bruja assassins weren't enough, now you must have me killed by witches? I agree with you completely. Those hunters weren't at all well trained. But we must continue this conversation some other time. Another is listening."
I stiffen, and take myself back to where the boy is, so that by the time Jaguar and Jeshickah are around the corner, I am walking toward them, seemingly unaware of what is going on. Jaguar looks worn and tired; Jeshickah looks almost triumphant.
"Well, who do we have here? If it isn't the terror of New Mayhem herself, Risika." I nod a greeting. It does not surprise me that she knows my name; the fight with Aubrey is a well-known tale. However, I do not appreciate the tone of voice she takes with me, and merely continue along my way. Neither of them stops me as I walk along.
It is nearly dawn by now, and I have spent most of the night following Siete's orders. I am tired, and I wish to go to bed. When we finally reach the hall where my rooms are, I dismiss the boy. I hesitate, before deciding that I must tell Siete what has happened tonight. Through his door, I can hear him talking. I am about to turn the handle when I realize there are voices other than Siete's in the room.
"Did everything go according to plan?" Siete says. A female voice replies indistinctly. There is a slight murmuring, and then Siete's voice says, "What do you mean, you could not find the father? What happened to him?"
"I don't know. Celeste could not say. She has not seen him for quite some time. Something about a business trip," says a voice I know all too well. But what is he doing here?
