Chapter 15
The Council Will Decide...
"Ana, what do you think you're doing?" Calla's voice called to me as I adjusted my dress for the Council, I looked at her not understanding what I'd done to make her speak to me like this.
She came to face me and moved my hands from the red silky material and took hold of it herself. She sighed in frustration as she removed the holster from my neck exposing my flesh and she began adjusting it.
"What? What did I do?"
"You're not doing it right," she said as she gave an almighty tug to the material, knotting it below my breast line violently. I gasped in surprise and slight hurt. Calla then took the holster and now tied it behind my neck. It was uncomfortable now but bearable, "There, much better," I looked up at her unsure of what she'd done, again she sighed and rolled her eyes, "Oh please child, if your voice cannot save you then perhaps your assets will."
I turned around to face the mirror. My breasts looked enormous now, pushed up by the fabric beneath them and held pertly up the halter neck, suddenly I had an impressive cleavage that I'd never possessed before. I smiled; Calla certainly knew some cunning trickery but she was definitely not averse to sharing her secrets.
"Just remember girl, I only do this for my own benefit, not for yours." She remarked coldly as she admired herself in the mirror too. She had covered her scars with a side-parting in her hair, although she was proud of them she obviously did not want Kain to see her with them.
We were interrupted by a young girl, "Mistress Calla, I believe the collective is ready."
Calla quickly inspected the young girl before her, her eyes narrowed in disappointment, "For pity's sake child," she said as she licked her thumb and rubbed it across the girl's bottom lip, "I will not have you parading yourself in front of the Gods looking like that; just look at you," the young girl was already starting to cry. Calla smacked her roughly across the cheek, "Don't you dare cry! No one requires your tears, what have I told you?"
"Th... That the Gods show no... sympathy."
"Exactly, so you will receive no comfort. Now, go and clean yourself up before the Council. I expect you to look immaculate, not like some simple street girl. Inform the others that I will be there to inspect them shortly."
The young girl did not hesitate; she shot off from us as fast as her skinny legs would carry her. This was not the first time I'd seen Calla discipline one of her girls so her actions did not come as a surprise anymore. She was a hard leader, expecting the very best from those in her care, but her nature was not as arduous to endure as Dinah's behaviour.
Calla looked at me, "This event is too important to me Ana. I cannot allow one of my girls to jeopardise my chances."
I held fast my tongue, not wanting to anger her in this obvious state of irritation, yes this did mean a lot to her, it would mean she would have the chance of knowing a great pleasure that I alone had known: the love of two of our vampire Gods.
Calla quickly inspected the radiant looking group of three that she had chosen from her selection of worshippers, only occasionally adjusting a strand of hair of one or heaving up the bosom of another. I wondered what Hecate was doing at that moment, and Selena. A nod from Calla indicated her approval at the scene and led us out of the Worshipper chambers where we met with the other collectives. Surprisingly, some of Highers it seemed had only selected one of their worshippers to attend. With everyone in toll, we walked to the grand doors of the Sanctuary of the Clans, they were open; a most rare occurrence. The sunlight which still managed to penetrate through the thick clouds above stung my eyes, for it had been approximately six years going on seven since I'd last seen the outside world, for many of the others it had been considerably longer than that. Many shielded their eyes.
The Council was a grand event or so I had been told. This was a regular occurrence for the Gods to discuss matters relating to their territories and the expansion of the species as well as the harvest of the human cattle. Every time the Council was called there would be entertainment of some sort; that entertainment could consist of whatever the Gods so desired.
We walked as a mass, the Higher Concubines leading the way to a part of Nosgoth I was unfamiliar with. We appeared to be heading north. Each of the Highers carrying a sacrifice to appease their Masters. In the lead I saw Hecate's long raven hair and a sense of relief enveloped me knowing that she was still my Higher and not yet taken to be Isis' replacement.
There were many of us, a procession of different artists with instruments and the like. The dancers were dressed in revealing black silk that left little to the imagination, their midsections exposed and the flowing skirts split on both sides to the top of the hips, the tops they wore barely covered their assets as they plunged dramatically and tied to their wrists on top of their sacrificial bandages was another piece of silk which hung freely in the middle and joined their arm again above the elbow. In the crowd I somehow managed to spy Selena. She too noticed me and gave me a knowing smile with a cheeky wink, she looked beautiful dressed in black with the other dancers even despite the lacerations from Lord Zephon's lustful attacks upon her body
It was then that I noticed that I was the only one wearing red, I scanned the mass of young women, obviously not everyone had been invited, only those the Highers had regarded as significant enough to appease. Only two others were in red, Aleya and Calla.
So the days of practise have amounted to this, I thought as I gulped, us three, only three singers. It should not have come as a shock really considering I had practised the four songs we would perform with both of them but somehow I'd expected more, possibly background artists, but everyone else it appeared were either dancers or musicians. Myself and the two other singers were dressed in red silk dresses, holstered to our necks with no material on the back except on the skirt which was puffed out by the many layers of petticoats beneath them. It reminded me of the feeling of my little blue dress from all those years ago which I had long since grown out of. Suddenly that little dress seemed very plain in comparison to what I wore now. The neckline plunged down well below our breasts, it was a wonder that the material did not fall off our bodies.
I could not help but look around before we approached the 'arena' only to notice how much flesh was on show.
Well, if this is what pleases them, then so be it I thought to myself.
The 'arena' was a man made creation, the legends told of it being accidently made by a woman who had travelled the dimensions across space and time. A great battle had supposedly happened in this spot hundreds of years ago, the woman having been surrounded by enemies of demonic proportions, whether they were human or vampire the legend failed to mention for she acquired both within her lifetime. What her enemies did not know however was her knowledge of technologies far beyond the understanding of men here, the tale told how she set the ground alight, creating fire from the rocks, calling upon the elements to bring down a thunderous cataclysm upon the earth, making it swallow itself up and the enemies who threatened her. None survived. The only creatures to walk out of the pit were the woman herself and our Lord Kain. The legends only referred to her as the Shadow Wraith. It is said that after the battle, the Shadow Wraith and Kain continued to stalk one another across time until one of them was killed... The story, never had an ending. I knew her story well, if only for singing hymns about her endeavours, one of the songs we would sing this day would be about her. It made me wonder as we walked further whether the story could possibly be true and in that case, was this why Kain held Council here? I cautiously made my way to Selena through the bustle of the crowd.
"Do you know where we are?" I asked her.
"Oh yes," she replied smugly, "Let's hope that the Shadow Wraith looks down on us with a kind heart today. Who knows, perhaps she will show her face and Kain will finally have the opportunity to strike her down at last."
"But where is the fun in a legend that has an end?"
The Gods, all seven of their Holy of Holies sat upon immaculate looking chairs, sheltered by a canopy of silken drapes, Kain sat in the middle, a selection of parchment paper adorned a table before them, they looked like maps.
They were glorious, splendour in living form and I tried with all my strength to stop myself from running to Raziel to kneel before him and kiss his cloven feet.
Bowed heads all around we waited in patient silence as the Highers approached their masters with the sacrifices in hand. I could not resist a fleeting glance at my beloved Raziel. Unflawed, and tempting, just as I remembered him being, my heart leapt at the sight of his perfect features once again.
"Calm yourself, Ana," Selena whispered, "You need to focus on the matter at hand," she reached across and took my hand in hers, "I won't lose you, my friend, not after all we've been through."
She was right, I had to concentrate on the important matter, pleasing Kain, "You're right."
The vampires consumed the offerings that the Highers had given them and I watched in silence as Hecate rose to her feet, she did not look Kain in the eye but leant close to him and whispered something in his ear. The mighty vampire listened attentively to what His lover said although it was inaudible to me. His eyes showed an intrigued reaction to her words.
What was she saying to him?
Kain clawed hand stroked his chin in contemplation for a moment as his eyes moved towards the figure who knelt in front of Raziel. He nodded, a smile spreading across his lips. I understood perfectly well.
The Highers took their leave and rejoined us. The entertainment commenced.
I had not been aware of a group of young vampire males who had followed us to this natural arena. Each one more impressive than the last but their features more human than vampiric, obviously these young men had been recently turned. My envy of them was clear.
I had not been told that this would be happening, and excitement shot through my body as hushed voices whispered in anticipation.
The young vampires took their places in several lines before us, facing their Masters. They placed their rights arms across their chests and knelt before the mightier Gods, their heads with raven black hair, bare chests with ivory white skin, such an impressive sight. All of the different clans were present , each of these fledgling having been tattooed with their sigils upon their chests
The Vampire Lords gave a variety of reactions to the arrival of the warriors. They talked amongst themselves, their voices too hushed for us to hear what they said.
As the young vampires took their places in a large ring, the musicians began to play. Mainly consisting of flute players, harpists, violinists and several percussion sections we were quite an impressive collection, and I, Aleya and Calla hummed the melody they played.
So far so good, but this was simple, not the complex tunes that were coming.
A Dumahim stepped stepped forward raising his fist to the air. Muscular and tall with the same arrogant look that his sire always wore. He yelled out proclaiming his intention to be the first combatant. The lieutenants talked amongst themselves and placed their bets. Lord Dumah seemed particularly confident with his young prodigy, placing what seemed like a hefty sum of money in a pull-string purse on the fledgling. I could not help but wonder what on Earth vampires would need money for.
From the other side of the circle stepped a fledgling Rahabim, small and petite with features just as delicate as his creator's. To me there seemed no contest but as I looked at the Vampire Lord I saw him smile and place his entire collection on the fledgling to win. I chanced a glance in Aleya's direction and noticed the smile on her lips as she watched the proceedings, always such faith in her Lord, I wish I shared her confidence.
The slight Rahabim paced the circle while the larger Dumahim strode confidently, flexing it's muscles and grinning manically.
The Dumahim suddenly charged forward with such speed, not as fast as Elder Vampires I had seen but still quicker than any human. It's arms extended and ready to grab the Rahabim by it's throat.
The Rahabim surprisingly stood it's ground, only moving at the last possible second, side stepping the Dumahim with ease.
Throughout that single moment, my heart stopped several times. The plight of the smaller vampire tore at my heart. How could he possibly hope to overcome such odds?
This was not just entertainment for the Greater Vampires, this was known as Passage. It was how the fledglings could prove themselves good enough to join the vampire legions and the only way to prove such a thing was to fight to the death. Vampire against vampire.
The Dumahim, obviously confused by the swift movement of its opponent turned and growled at it's prey. It charged again, this time it was prepared for the Rahabims evasive moves.
As the slight vampire side stepped, the Dumahim grabbed him by the arm, twisting it with such force and to an angle that caused the bone to crack painfully. The whole orchestra seemed to go quiet for a moment at the sound of the broken bone and then resumed quickly as if nothing had happened. Aleya had now begun singing the lyrics to this particular song whilst Calla and I provided the backing vocals. It was not strenuous yet, but Calla had made sure that I would not sing solo until later, my lungs needed as much exercise as they could get.
The larger vampire brought the other around by his broken limb and began thrusting his fist into it's face.
Blood splattered on the ground as the Dumahim continued to beat the Rahabim into a beaten, bloody pulp.
I winced at every punch, the sound of fist upon skull echoing above the music and the shouts of Lord Dumah who encouraged the young vampire to continue the torture.
Without warning, the Rahabim ducked an oncoming punch. Fire filled it's eyes as it swung itself over the larger vampire, landing behind it and allowing the broken arm to return to its original shape, fixing itself almost instantly. Blood covered the Rahabim's face and chest, but the wounds were already healed. The vampire quickly turned the advantage to itself, by bringing what weight it had, the delicate looking vampire was able to throw the Dumahim over its shoulder. The Dumahim hit the ground with an alarming thud but quickly regained itself before the fledgling Rahabim was able to pin his enemy to the ground.
Cheers went up on all sides as the two vampires once more paced the circle while we watched, they snarled at each other as the surrounding vampires shouted in approval.
The lieutenants taunted the youngsters with harsh words to furl their rage and I noticed how Lord Zephon added to the pot, betting on the Rahabim to win.
Even I could not deny my own desire for bloodshed now. I wanted to know who the victor of this battle between Gods would be. The underdog or the mighty warrior. Both obviously had their advantages.
The Dumahim charged again, it did not miss it's mark but the Rahabim quickly retaliated by thrusting it's elbow into the jaw of it's opponent several times in succession before leaping from the ground to kick the Dumahim squarely in the chest.
A final desperate lunge by the large vampire was his downfall.
The Rahabim used it's swift and agile nature to reach for the face of the oncoming vampire, grabbed it's jaw through it's teeth and gave an almighty pull.
The Dumahim fell to it's knees almost instantly. The Rahabim screamed as it lifted it's trophy into the air, splattering myself and the other worshippers in wonderful immortal blood. What an honour, I thought as I wiped the blood from my cheek and licked my finger.
The lower jaw bone held enough viscera upon it that the Dumahim simply could not heal, the bone held most of the internal workings of the throat.
The Rahabim, exhausted from it's ordeal walked calmly to it's beaten foe, looked him in the eyes and then plunged his clawed hand into the open cavity that led down it's chest. With one last effort, he pulled out the beating heart of his adversary and crushed it in his palm. Blood poured down his arm.
The Dumahim fell face down dead upon the ground and it's blood ran freely into the soil.
The Rahabim yelled once more declaring itself the winner as it fell to it's knees shedding tears of joy as he did.
Lord Dumah hit the table with his fist, infuriated that his young fighter had been brought down so easily.
"How does it feel to be beaten by an inferior specimen?" Lord Zephon laughed at him, delighted in the knowledge that a lesser vampire had managed to accomplish such a win. Lord Dumah growled, clenching his fist and gave Zephon a look that would've carved stone, but he simply got up from his seat and left the Council, returning some time later after he'd calmed down. Such a shame he was not used to staying his hand to his women, perhaps it was the hard look Kain had given him that caused him to leave so suddenly.
Lord Rahab still had that same smile on his face and nodded in approval at the young warrior who held his bloody trophy still aloft for all to see. The fledgling had in fact started to cry and I felt the relief as Rahab gave him permission to leave the circle, he had justifiably proven his worth.
The fights continued as we sang our songs to their rhythm. The songs were getting harder now and I felt my ribs expanding under the pressure. Soon it would be my time to take the stand on my own, I felt tense, nervous, suddenly it hit that my life truly depended on this. I began to convulse, my breath coming in short, sharp turns. I felt faint and nearly fell... Caught at the last minute by Calla.
"Keep singing!" She urged.
"I... I..."
"We'll be right back," she said to Aleya who had not stopped singing. She nodded at Calla as she dragged me away to the back of the crowd.
Once there she sat me against a large boulder and slapped me across the face, twice. I barely noticed.
"For Gods sake," She grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth vigorously, "Don't you ruin this for me you little whore! Sing!" Another slap across the face, harder this time brought me out of my stupor and I vomited on the ground, "Remember what this is about!"
"I'm not worthy..." I whispered to her, "I'm going to die."
"No, this is not about you dying; this is about Lord Raziel and your love for Him." I stared at her in confusion, "He chose you, Kain chose you. You are more worthy than any of us, he wants you, he desires you, so don't you dare lie there and not even try!"
I swallowed the next mouthful of vomit that sprung from my stomach, intent on showing some strength now. I nodded and Calla helped me to my feet and led me back to Aleya who was holding the song by herself.
We sang as one again, the next song would be my solo and I prayed that I would not fail.
The dancers were performing very exotic movements before us, Selena being of a very small build was often lifted up by the others and spun by them in the air. Her incredible flexibility was still paying off as her spine curved beautifully in time with Aleya's sweet voice.
Amazingly she even had the confidence to throw her writhing figure into the throws of the vampire battles and danced around them, this definitely seemed to please the vampires.
All too soon though, my time came. I stepped forward and grounded myself and waited as the orchestra played me in. I took a deep breath, my eyes to the ground although I was more than aware of Kain's watchful eye upon me. I opened my mouth... and nothing came out... I clasped my hands to my mouth in shock. The musicians, noticing my lack of contribution played the introduction again.
Calla gripped my shoulder and whispered, "This is not about you, this is about pleasing them, we are here to serve them." It was almost the same words my father had said to me that day he had given me to the order. I remembered how proud he had been, and how happy I had been too. What was I thinking? This was my dream, my life! I could not let my father and mother down, I would not let Hecate down... and I would not let myself down.
And so I sang, the song that embodied all that was my life in the manner I knew, my ribs hurt but as I felt Kain's gaze upon I felt stronger and more able to continue. I sang of my love for my Vampire Lords, how their will was my desire, how I was the beast who loved the beauties before me, they were my everything, Kain's eyes my paradise and Raziel's smile making my sun rise. Selena danced amazingly before me, falling to her knees and gyrating her hips and spine in time with me. The musicians had to start playing louder to not be drowned out by my vocals.
I extended my arms out towards my two beloveds and raised my head to look upon their perfections and I started to cry as I saw them both smiling.
I had proved myself!