That night my restless sleep was interrupted by a polite knock on the door. Rolling out from under the scratchy blankets my eyes focused upon the charms hanging before the door. They didn't give any warning about the visitor which meant that they weren't dangerous. Cautiously approaching the door i looked through the peeping hole to see a tall, handsome dark haired man was waiting patiently on the other side of the door.
No not man - a vampire.
After the undead visitor has left, sleep was hard to find so for the rest of the night and well into the morning i went over my options. The vampires would have retired long ago so leaving was an option i could be long gone before nightfall. But i was exhausted and i didn't think my car would take the long ride either. Also there was the fact that the seethes mistress was interested enough to send a vampire with an invite to enter the seeth, whats to say she wouldn't just send vampires after me. My list of enemy's was already as long as my arm and adding another one to it, especially one that was so powerful would not be beneficial to my health. Then again it could be a trap.
Growling in agitation as my planning came around in circle i moved to my bag and began yanking out sandwich bags full of herbs. It looked like going to the seeth was the only option there was, if it was a trap then going in without any kind of protection was out of the question.
The sun was setting after i made a quick run to pick up some food and finished with my hurbs. Taking enough time to drink the concoction i then grabbed the directions to the seeth that the vampire was kind enough to write down before leaving. The drive to the seeth was far to quick i'm my opinion and barely twenty minutes after leaving the hotel i was driving through large iron gates. If i had known how close i had been sleeping to the vampires mansion i would have chosen a different hotel. After pulling up beside an old truck i took a few seconds to take a deep breath to calm my racing heart. As soon as i exited the car i felt eyes on me and the instincts that had kept me alive on the road for so long were screaming that something wasn't right about all of this. Swallowing and directing a longing gaze back towards the gate i locked the car, it was too late to go back now.
Moving towards the large ostentatious house and raising a hand to knock on the dark wood. The door however chose then to open slowly on its own. Staring at it with an intense urge to turn back around and hide in the safety of my car my hand slowly lowered back to my side. No one was on the other side of the door when i entered and a shiver moved up my spine, all this place needed was some music and the feeling of entering a horror movie would be complete.
Expecting someone to jump out with a loud boo forced me to stay frozen in front of the open doorway but after a few minutes of standing like an idiot i finally decided to just moved towards the sound of low voices coming from further down the hall. Rounding a corner i paused when a man turned to look at me from an open doorway. He was tall and lean but decidedly human or rather wolf. The charm around my wrist didn't burn so the cowboy didn't mean any harm at least not to me. Approaching slowly he looked me over with a raised eyebrow he then open his mouth more then likely to question why a teenage human was walking in the vampires nest but then a red headed Irish vampire brushed past him into the doorway he stood before. The vampire seemed to come out of no where and i was forcefully reminded about the danger i was in. The cowboy followed the vampire with his eyes before turning to give me one last look before he too followed after the leech. Taking a deep breath of the dusty air i steeled my nerves before following after him. As soon as i entered the old chair placed in the middle of the room caught my attention. It felt like magic and not all of it was light. What the hell was going on?.
Mercy P.O.V
When the red headed vampire entered the room i tore my gaze from the chair and looked at the doorway. Warren entered and took a proper body guard position on my right, while Ben rose to his feet and stood just behind and to my left so i was flanked by werewolves. The next person who entered the room was definitely unexpected, it was the witch who helped Jesse a few days ago. She looked as confused at our presents as i was to her's. She brought with her the smell of magic which was slightly stronger then it was when i first scented her, obviously she had used magic recently. She was the youngest in the room by far while she was tall standing at 5'7 most of her height made up by her legs she only looked to be in her late teens early twenties. Her bright red hair was in a high pony tail and her face devoid of any make up. The intelligent green eyes that looked around the room cautiously betrayed her Irish roots. Before i could question her presents the room began filling up with vampires. The witch put her back against the wall beside the doorway and watched blankly as the night walkers filled in one by one.
I counted under my breath, fifteen vampires. They made an impressive showing, if only in the expense of their clothes. Silks, satin's, brocades in all shades of the rainbow. One or two wore modern business suits, but most of them were in period costumes, anything from medieval to present.
Somehow i expected more dark colors, but i didn't see any black or grey. The werewolves, witch and i were under-dressed, not that i cared. I was careful not to make eye contact with any of them. A dark haired, seemingly young man with narrow shoulders entered the room. Like Stefan he was more human like then most. It was his clothes more then anything else that i remembered. If Andre wasn't wearing the same pirate shirt that he'd been in the night i met him then he was wearing its twin. After sitting down, he unlike the others looked at me directly and smiled in a friendly fashion. Before i could decide how to return his greeting, Marsilla, Mistress of the Mid-Columbia seeth, came into the room. She wore a brilliant red, Spanish style ridding skirt with a frilly white blouse that suited her blonde hair and dark eyes. She stared at us - no at the wolves, with an avid, almost hungry gaze. Both Ben and Warren had enough sense to keep their eyes diverted from her's. It would have been instinctive for them to meet her gaze and try to stare her down, instinctive and disastrous.
Finally Marsilla's voice, deep and lightly accented broke the silence.
"Go and retrieve Stefan. Tell him his pet made it here and we are tired of waiting".
I couldn't tell who she was talking to, she was still starring at Warren, who she had gradually focused on in preference to Ben - but Andre stood up.
"He'll want to bring Daniel", Andre said.
"Daniel is being punished. He cannot be brought out", the vampire directly on Marsilla's left was quick to argue.
Marsilla's mouth tightened.
"Your aspirations to the contrary, i still rule here, Bernard. Andre, bring Daniel as well", she glanced around the room. "Estelle, go with him. Daniel might be difficult".
The middle aged woman in her beaded flapper dress stood up abruptly as if someone had pulled on string above her. Andre gave me a small, reassuring smile as he walked passed, Estelle ignored us in what i decided was deliberate rudeness but i preferred it to Marsilla's hungry gaze. I had to resist the urge to take a step foreword and block her view of Warren.
The minutes we stood waiting crawled by. I'm not very good at waiting and had to resist the urge to figit. I'd have though that Ben would be worse then i, but neither he nor Warren, heck even the teenage witch had any problem staying still as we waited. One by one as if Andre's leaving was some sort of signal, the vampires turned their gazes on me, their expressions blank. The only exceptions were Marsilla and the vampire on her right, who appeared to be a vampire of seventeen - so i looked at them.
Marsilla watched Warren occasionally flexing her long highly decorated finger nails while the teenager stared off at the doorway, staring at the witch i abruptly realized. The woman was either unaware of his gaze as she stared at the wall directly opposite her or she was un-bothered by his hungry gaze.
I heard Stefan and his entourage coming well before they got to the room. Estelle brushed passed us first, and resumed her seat. Andre took up a position on the couch near the odd, wooden chair. Stefan stopped a few feet behind me. Turning i saw he still wore the clothes i had seen him in last, but he appeared unharmed. He was carrying a young man in his arm's who could be no one but his young friend Daniel, Littleton's first victim. The man, Bernard, cleared his throat and stood, Marsilla turned her eyes from Warren and seemed to look around the room for the first time, her eyes landing on the witch. Before Bernard could open his mouth to speak Marsilla held up her hand sharply to silence him.
"We first will deal with the witch", she announced. As one all eyes turned to face the teenager who raised her head and pursed her lips.
"Well if that doesn't sound threatening', i heard her mutter as she pushed off from the wall and approached us.
"Sit," Marsilla ordered.
Again the with pursed her lips but stain the wooden chair. The chair seemed to react to her giving out a pulse of excited magic that clashed with her own and danced through the room. The red head stared at the brass thorns sticking up from the arms of the chair with a reluctant expression before forcefully forcing her hands down on the spikes impaling herself to the chair. I shivered as an even stronger thrum of magic burst through the room. I saw the vampires in the room inhale deeply and followed suit shaking off the lingering magic. The scent of herbs in the air confused me slightly.
"You used Ambrosia", Marsilla suddenly barked breaking the silence. The witch shrugged.
"I wouldn't come with out some kind of protection. It wont effect you unless you decide to take a bite out of me", she responded in a southern drawl, that was slightly more pronounced then Warrens. The young looking vampire with his eyes still fixated on her spoke up then.
"Truth."
"Do you choose to offer the truth willingly?", Marsilla continued.
"Within reason", the woman replied carefully.
"Truth".
"State your full name", the mistress demanded.
"Ashley Marianna Sinclair', she reluctantly responded.
'Truth'.
'Why did you not inform me of your presence here?', the vampire asked.
'I was unaware that the vampires had a coven in the tri-cities'.
'Truth'.
'Do you wish to harm me or mine?'.
'No, however i will defend myself against any attack from you or yours'.
'Truth'.
'You arrived here three days ago correct?', Marsilla questioned.
'I did'.
'truth'.
'Are you aware of the abomination that arrived after you?', she asked and i leaned foreword to see Ashleys reaction.
'Your going to have to be more specific', the witch responded her voice confused.
'The demon possessed vampire', Marsilla glared.
'Christ', the witch muttered with a raised eyebrow. 'Vampire seeth, werewolf pack now this what the hell is up with this town'.
'Answer', Marsilla suddenly shouted causing me to jump slightly at the sudden noise.
'No, i did not know. If i had, i would have left by now'.
'Truth'.
'Very well', Marsilla sat back in her chair. 'In return for your allowance to stay in my territory your payment shall be your services should i find need of them'.
'No, Ashley responded immediately and Marsilla was on her feet threateningly just as quickly.
'I was lead to believe that money was the price of remaining here and so money is all i will give. I refuse to be anyone's servant', she responded forcefully.
'Truth'.
'Very well', Marsilla glared, ' Your payment shall be $3500 a week $500 for every day that you choose to remain. Can you afford this witch?', the vampire mocked.
'I can, staying longer then a week was not a part of my plan', she responded.
'Truth'.
Marsilla growled low in her throat but once again took her seat. Ashley pulled her hands from the chair with gave another burst of magic almost as though it was disappointed. I glanced at the vampires as the witch stood holding her punctured hands close to her chest and saw that they were staring at her with hungry eyes. She moved as though to leave but Wulfe-the teenage vampire called after her.
'Wait, you will want to hear this little witch'.