Chapter 12.
After researching the Pagan religion for hours but finding myself more confused than when I started, I gave up and head to bed.
I don't understand what Paganism would have to do with these visions of the Nesahla family. It hardly says anything about witchcraft – which was a stupid theory anyway – nor did I find out if it had anything to do with the Moroi world. God this whole thing is so confusing, why did it have to happen to me?
I close my eyes and think about tomorrow. Tomorrow is the queen's banquet and now that I'm no longer on suspension, Im required to attend. Fabulous. Sitting with a bunch of royals as well as the queen, listening to their boring conversation and even worse, the royal bitching and moaning about how hard the Strigoi are making their life. I would rather watch paint dry. Luckily Max has offered me a good distraction from it later.
The morning got off to a bad start. I hardly had any sleep, which made concentrating in class all the more harder, although halfway through class with Mr Nagy, things got interesting.
"Excuse me, Mr Nagy? I can't really concentrate with Lissa and Rose passing notes over there."
This was when the whole class got excited. Mr Nagy was legendary for his ability to humiliate students by reading notes aloud, if he caught anyone passing them. With a slight raise of his eyebrows he was up to Rose and Lissas desk in a nanosecond. The whole class straightened up, ready for the humiliation to start. Little did we know, how much humiliation would happen, or how much information we would get. Apparently Jesse – snobby royal – and Rose were caught getting hot and heavy in one of the lounges by Guardian Belikov. Well how about that. For the rest of class, everyone was snickering and glancing between Rose and Jesse, who I wasn't sure if he was proud of his achievement with a Dhampir, or slightly embarrassed. Maybe both. It was probably the most interesting thing to happen all day. Everyone else thought so too. People were sharing whispers and sneaking glances whenever Jesse or Rose were around.
When the queen's banquet finally arrived that night, Max showed up at my door to accompany to the banquet hall. He was smartly dressed in tight black jeans and a blue sweater and it looked good on him. His hair was slightly ruffled and still damp around the edges from his shower. I however, was dressed in a neat pair of jeans and the most girlish top I could find, which was red with little ruffles on the shoulders.
I had tied my hair back in to what I thought was a presentable bun with a bit of added makeup just for extra measure. At least Max looked impressed.
I knew that once we were in the hall, no one would notice us. No one ever did.
It was a big get together I'll say that, they made it look as regel as they could considering the queen would be dining here tonight. I have to laugh at the tables being lined with blood red tablecloths. How ironic. Are they trying to remind us that we are all Vampires? Because I'm pretty sure we all got the memo. Like when we were born. With fangs.
All the Royals were to be seated at tables in close quarters to the Queens table, then the non-royals at tables slightly further away, followed by the novices at the tables that marked the edge of the room.
Guardians lined the wall, looking stoic as there job description required.
After all the royal moroi families had taken their seats, four guardians with red dots on their jackets entered indicating the entrance of our Queen. We all sank to our knees as a mark of respect except the guardians along the wall of course, didn't move a muscle.
I don't get this part. You'd think being elected queen and ruling the entire Moroi/Dhampir world would be enough to show you were important. As protocol states, we all had to go to take position on our knees, like some stupid followers bowing to their leader in one of Max's movies he obsessed about. Once Queen Tatiana had entered we all waited what we thought was a respectable amount of time and then stood back up.
The Queen herself, looking as royal as ever, was wearing a red silk gown with a jacket to match. Do these people have an obsession with red or something? She had dark grey hair that sat above her shoulders in a tight bob and atop her head sat a crown. I was over this banquet already. Now I just want to go back to my room.
After her royal majesty passed through the Dhampir section – fairly quickly might I add – she strolled through the Moroi section and actually paused to talk to a few people. Their heads got bigger too. Being recognised by the Queen was a fairly big deal. She passed where Max and I sat without a glance and shifted her attention to the Royals.
I turned to Max.
"Any chance we can just bail now?" I said pleadingly to him.
"I wish," he said with a small smile "But we have to sit through it, then we can bail and do whatever we want" he reached down and grabbed my hand, squeezing it reassuringly before letting it drop back to my side.
"Vasilisa Dragomir" The queen's voice wailed through the room and we all looked to where the queen stood in front of Princess Dragomir.
"We heard you had returned. We are glad to have the Dragomirs back, even though only one remains." That, was an interesting story that everyone knew about. Lissa Dragomir is the only one left in her bloodline. Her family has been slowly dying over time and her family was the only ones left. Then two years ago, before they went MIA, her parents and her brother died in a car crash and she is now the only Dragomir left. Quiet tragic if you ask me.
The queen continued her little Royal ramblings with the princess but I hardly paid attention, that was, until the conversation took an unexpected turn. Well, not so unexpected really.
"Yes, you are doubly named with power. Your name represent the finest qualities people have to offer and hearken back in time to deeds of greatness and valour" she paused for a second. Everyone was holding their breath, wondering what the queen would say. "But, as you have demonstrated, names do not make a person. Nor do they have any bearing on how that person turns out." There was an audible gasp in the room that was dead silent. After admiring her handiwork on the princess, Tatiana continued as if she didn't just slam of her people's most important family.
After the initial course of dinner, I saw Lissa rush out the door. My focus moved on to another figure that appeared as the Princess departed. Dave. He's back.
I motion to Max that I'll be right back and quickly head for the door.
A cold breeze flows over me as I look around to see where he went. As I'm walking around the corner I hear the door open again. Just as I round a corner, the Princess and Natalie Dashkov appear to be deep in conversation.
I quickly hide behind the bushes as yet other person approaches. Another female heads around the corner and stalks over to the princess. Rose. She reaches the girls and Rose is talking furiously. I few moments later Natalie leaves, leaving behind the two friends, Rose Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir. Taking my focus away from their conversation, I thought I saw a shadow lurking around the building next to me. I glance sideways to get a better view but the image is unclear. I squint and try to focus again, the shadow takes form and I realise its Dave. Looking back at the girls again, I try to tiptoe back to where Dave is standing without drawing any attention. Once I reach him, he tugs me into a dark corner where I immediately interrogate him.
"Where the hell have you been? It's been weeks! You could have at least sent through some sort of message that you were ok! I thought you got caught or something!" I hit him on the chest, just so he gets my point. He just leans against the wall, looks down his nose at me and with a smirk, shoves his hands in his pocket. I cast a quick glance around to make sure no one is eavesdropping.
"Nice to know you're concerned" he says with comfortable ease.
"This isn't a joke! What the hell have to been doing all this time? Do you have the book?" his smirk falters a little.
"Easy there sweetheart, I've got my sources on it. Getting something like this isn't as easy as it seems. I'm just here to check in. so you don't go all 5 alarm worry that I might be dead. Though clearly you crossed that threshold" he says with a smile.
Just then I hear someone calling out my name. Shit. The moment I turn away from Dave, Max comes around the side of the building and heads in my direction.
"Oh hey, sorry, I was looking for you, you were taking a while I just wanted to make sure you're ok" he says, sincerely concerned. I turn around to look at Dave, but he isn't there.
"Um, yea, I was just feeling sick and had to get some air." I say as I take his hand and lead him back toward the banquet.
"Hey, we don't have to go back in there you know." He looks at me knowingly and I smile back at him.
"Well I suppose we could have a little fun somewhere else?" his eyes darken slightly.
"Damn right we can" he holds onto my hand a little harder and I feel his ring dig into my finger. His ring is just a silver metal plate with blue and green stones embedded into one side. Something about silver flits through my head and I try to remember what it is.
Charms? Yes, I done some research about using silver to make elemental charms.
"Hey, your ring is made of silver isn't it?" I ask quietly. He raises his eyebrows at my question.
"Yeah it is, why?"
"Oh, I was just wondering" I give his hand another squeeze to try and distract him from asking anymore questions.
I wonder if I can make charms. I don't have a silver jewellery, only a gold plated pendant my mum bought me for my 13th birthday which now is all tarnished.
I don't know how else I can get hold of silver but I figure I might have to tell Max about the charms, just so he will let me use his ring. I mean, I don't have to tell him about the visions, just enough to make him think that I'm doing research on magic. Hopefully it shouldn't raise too many questions.