Chapter 16

Ascension

It was late evening by the time we were given permission to leave and a starry canopy covered us. We began to clear the arena overlooked by the Vampire Lords. The few fledglings who had survived the circle of death had left with their trophies in hand, some were so severely injured that they were still limping. I watched in fascination for I had never seen a vampire limp.

The Vampire Lords watched us as we collected our valuables, I was all too aware though that this was not out of concern for our wellbeing, it was simply so that their property would not be damaged by any stray fledglings; not that the fledglings would dare touch us for pain of death.

Although it had taken him the whole day, Lord Dumah finally strode over to Lord Zephon and paid him the debt he owed and then he moved towards Lord Rahab who barely turned to look in his brothers direction.

I continued to busy myself but could not help but overhear their conversation.

"You are truly a sly one, brother." Lord Dumah sighed as he reached for his belt and removed a purse from it.

Lord Rahab glanced in his direction now, his attention finally taken away from the pretty women before him, he waved his clawed hand idly at his sibling, "You may keep your treasures brother, I have no desire for them."

"A wager is a wager dear brother," he responded, "Honour decrees that I give you something,"

Rahab scanned the crowd of young women with a smile on his lips, "Very well," he said at last, "I desire your harem."

It was as if Lord Dumah had been struck in the face by his younger sibling with great force, "You want my what?"

"Your harem. As you say a wager is indeed a wager and I name my price now. I want your women."

I tried to make it look as if I wasn't listening and kept my eyes to the floor. This was certainly unexpected and Lord Dumah was furious, perhaps more so than he'd been when his fledgling had been beaten. I could only think of my first encounter of him and Lord Rahab, how Dumah had belittled his brother in front of us calling him too weak to handle a bunch of little girls. Now he had completely turned the tables on the sibling he despised and was taking full advantage of the situation.

Lord Dumah shook with anger, his teeth bared, his hands clenched into fists and I feared the worst, but then he relaxed and even began laughing, "You have a nerve to call me simple. These pitiful creatures; their petty faith is too important to them, they would not dare come to you."

"I beg to differ. Perhaps one day you might discover that your precious women have voices and that it is worth listening to what they have to say instead of beating them to your will. Until that day comes brother, I ask for possession of your harem."

"They will never defy me, I am their God!"

Lord Rahab reached forward almost without looking and took hold of the nearest girl he could grasp; I did not know her, but I knew who she belonged to, she was indeed a Dumahim worshipper. He took her by the arm, spun her into his own embrace and laid his lips upon hers. A silence fell upon the crowd and for the first time I saw many of the women present lay their eyes upon the faces of the Gods without being given permission. A young girl who stood beside me fainted at the sight.

Lord Dumah watched in dismay as his worshipper did not push herself away from his brother as he had assumed she would, she was too stunned to do anything except let the vampire continue to kiss her, her eyes were wide in amazement. When Rahab finally released her she dropped to the ground at his feet, flabbergasted and unable to speak. Rahab turned back to his brother but for a split second passed a knowing glance in my direction and smiled when he noticed I was looking at him, as if he were saying that I'd given him the idea.

It looked like Dumah would explode, I could hear the grinding of his teeth even from the distance I stood and he looked like he would tear the throat from Rahab without regret. A lone voice broke the unsettling scene and made us turn.

"Dumah!" came Raziel's commanding tone, "You will pay the debt if you know what is good for you,"

"You are not seriously siding with him in this ridiculousness?" Dumah exclaimed.

"I do not see what is so ridiculous in the request, the worshippers are your possessions as much as your money and treasures, they would make adequate wagers, more so than things that we neither need nor want."

The conversation had attracted the attention of the other lieutenants who now listened attentively; Lord Zephon smiled excitedly and then looked at the purse of his winnings. It dawned on him rather quickly now that he had lost out and the smile left his face. He turned away and I could hear him quietly swearing in frustration that he had not thought of this himself. I stifled a giggle; I dare not laugh in case Lord Dumah suspected I laughed at him.

Seeing that he was obviously outnumbered in his objection Dumah suddenly stormed off, muttering and swearing, he used words that made me blush... and I had heard some very foul language in my lifetime.

Rahab nodded at Raziel, a silent gesture of thanks. Raziel returned the nod before turning to leave himself. The girls began to get back to work, talking aimlessly amongst themselves. Someone came over to the young girl who had fainted besides me and dragged her away.

Rahab called Aleya's name but he did it softly; she never strayed far from her master if she could help it so he knew she would hear him. She went to him immediately, her head bowed in servitude.

"When you are done here, gather up my brother's concubines and bring them to me. You may tell them that they have a new master now," He lifted her face with a clawed digit and kissed her deeply, "I want you and your girls to be there too, my siren," he said when he withdrew.

"With pleasure my Lord," she responded.

I was whisked away by the Highers as soon as I re-entered the Sanctuary. I pleaded with them to tell me what was happening but none of them spoke to me. I was quickly blindfolded and led through the corridors, although why they felt the need to blindfold me I could not tell, I knew these corridors like the back of my hand; I was being led to the small chapel, where the slaves worshipped, but why would they be taking me there? Just before entering the room I was made to kneel on the floor, I reached for the blindfold but my hand was quickly smacked away by a bony hand which felt a lot like Calla's.

My dress was promptly removed, torn in fact from me. Still I pleaded with them to tell me what was going on.

"Hecate?" I asked, "Are you there? Hecate?" I received no answer to that nor any of my questions. The Highers stayed silent, slipping new garments on my body, a full skirt of petticoats was lowered over my head and laid to rest on my hips, followed by what felt like a layer of silk. After this came a heavy garment which was placed around my torso and drastically tightened at the back causing me to cough, "Please, someone speak to me, what is this?" I persisted and once again reached for my blindfold, the same hand from last time smacked my own away. The Highers busied themselves around me, some combed my long red hair into a new style, two others took my hands and began filing the nails to perfection, another took my face and began painting colour on my lips before adding face powder to the areas she could reach, all the while the few that remained continued to dress me.

I grew impatient and was ready to rip the fabric from my face when a set of terribly bony fingers gripped my face, "Now listen you," I recognised the voice, it was Cerce, "If open your eyes even for a second I swear on the Great Gods of Darkness that I will rip them from your skull and turn them into soup."

I gulped for I feared that she was not lying. I kept my eyes tightly closed as the blindfold was lifted and whoever was preparing my makeup continued now on the areas that she could not reach before and then it was placed back over my eyes. I wished I could see what I looked like.

I was pulled to my feet and led by my arms forward into the small room that acted as a place of worship.

I stepped blindly up the steps that led to the painted mural of our Lord. Then and only then was my blindfold removed, although I kept my eyes tightly closed, Cerce's threat still lingered in my ears.

An uncomfortable few seconds passed in silence until a harsh voice told me to open my eyes.

The Matriarch sat before me upon a pile of plush cushions, her figure veiled from my sight by the many layers of thin fabric and several veils before her face. I immediately fell to my knees out of instinct and threw myself to the floor.

"Very good, child." She rasped, "You may relax."

I gingerly pushed myself from the marble floor and knelt before her, taking a fleeting glance at the wonderful gown my Highers had dressed me in; white silk, so vibrant it nearly glistened. A white boned corset taken in to the extreme around my waist and chest.

Your time has come child; the moment has been prepared for... That voice filled my mind, seeping into the crevices of my brain making it tingle, "Prepare the Blood of the Pure".

I turned around to find that most of the concubines were present, kneeling in rows behind me, their eyes were focused ahead, on me and I watched as they each began undressing their wrists.

Blood ran freely as the worshippers collected the precious fluid into a single chalice which was brought to the Matriarch.

The secrets of generations and ages will be revealed to you, she extended her arm, it emerged from the silk disguise, blackened skin, taut around skeletal fingers, it made clicking noise as the bones moved within their feeble shell, Few are chosen to follow in the steps you will take, only those whose desire to serve the Gods brings them from the brink of death, she cut her wrist, the blood was thick and dropped like syrup into the chalice, Only one other has received the love of two of our divine Lords... she handed me the chalice, But you will know this soon enough, how could a voice so harsh be so soft at the same time?

From her silken robes she produced a vial of thick dark blood, she removed the cork with her skeletal fingers and with the grace of a feline she trickled a single drop into the vessel, it rippled beautifully, the very blood of our Lord which darkened the crimson to an even deeper shade. The blood of Kain...

The Matriarch passed the cup to me and I took it with eager hands.

"Drink deeply young one, become one with the collective and rejoice in the secrets you will uncover."

"Please Mother, tell me what is happening?"

"This, is your ascension to greatness, your initiation to the position of Higher Concubine. You are worthy child; survive this final challenge and you will be so much more than that," she reached forward and stroked my cheek with her icy touch, "Never before have I been so pleased to be proven wrong. I hope that you will not let me down now,"

I looked at the chalice and bit my lip, raising it to my face, before I drank I asked one more thing, "Who are you, Matriarch?"

You will know all.

The blood tasted of copper sweetness and surprisingly rolled down my throat with ease. I did not gag or vomit as I'd anticipated; instead I consumed eagerly, my hunger driven even more in the knowledge that I drank the blood of Kain along with my peers. It was warm, delicious and set my soul alight with its energies.

As I finished I noticed how it was more than warming, it was burning, like Hellfire within me. I gasped and fell forward and my vision turned red and my breathing stopped. I was choking. I clasped my throat, heat rising through my body hot enough it felt to scorch the skin from my bones. My eyes clouded redder still, a crimson darkness concealing my sight, but I was all too aware of my body arching upright by a force I could not see, my head fell back, my arms held out to my sides.

My eyes stung, a strange tingling sensation spreading from my pupils to the nerves behind them, to my mind, to the back of my skull, it grew, becoming stronger. I no longer cared that I could not breathe; my head... my head...

The images flashed before me with lightening quickness. I saw everything, everything... I knew everything. We were one, joined together from the start by a solitary girl, with hair as golden as the sun and lips redder than any rose. A worshipper. A Priestess even... Who had known the physical affections of the Gods, the first mortal to have known such a pleasure... But her affections had cost her dearly. Granted with the gift of immortality for her devotion as our own Priestess had been but not with the ability to retain her youth... A curse... A jealous rival? Our own Priestess' evil grin passed before me. So, she was indeed as old as the legends stated, to have placed this magic on the first of our kind... But who...? I saw the golden haired beauty age and decay with the passing decades, hiding herself in veils to hide her face until she could no longer face the outside world. In response to this, she had done the only thing she could.

Young children, young girls, kidnapped from their homes... They were my ancestors. She had continued her work through others, she had continued her line and her method of worship.

My head...

I saw time pass before me, generation upon generation leading up to this point I found myself. I felt all of them. I knew all of them. I was all of them. Each of their existences coursing through my veins by the power of the blood their daughters and granddaughters had provided me this day.

I saw each of the girls before me, how they had been, who they had been, and who they had been given to. On this day I felt the pleasures of bedding all of the Vampire Gods, I felt the tearing of skin, the ecstasy of dying in their grasp, the little details in each of their ways with their women. I felt each and every one of the girls before me.

I saw Hecate as a young girl, torn from her mothers' bosom my Kain himself. Oh how her mother had cried and begged my Lord to spare her child, to leave them be. Kain had simply walked away carrying the screaming child in his arms, casually giving his lieutenants permission to do with her mother as they wished. And I felt her...

My head...

I saw Dinah and Thea, I watched them scream in horror as their bodies were torn apart by hungry fledglings, an orgy of blood and viscous. The fledglings had relished in being able to touch the concubines which had been previously denied to them, to the extent of tearing them to pieces. And I felt them...

"It hurts!" I screamed out.

The redness faded. I was still in the same room. The Matriarch before me. The worshippers behind me.

"She is ready," Mother said.

I steadied myself as Hecate came towards me, her hood down. Today she wore an exquisite tiara which I'd seen in her chamber before but had never seen her wear. She smiled at me, taking hold of the delicate piece of fine jewellery. She turned it and now placed it on her head.

"My chosen one has survived," Hecate stated proudly, "Today I crown Anastasia as my successor and Lord Kain's Higher Concubine."

I now saw the world differently; everything had a glow to it, as if I'd suddenly discovered the great secret of existence. Even the Matriarch with her withered and decaying figure, became a thing of beauty, now I knew who she was.

You should save you tears child, the soft voice in her mind said to mine, Your Masters have summoned you.

I would not answer her with my voice, I knew now everything I should do, Both of them, Mother?

Of course child, they are eager for the taste of you.

I would go to them.

I approached Kain's bedchamber a new woman, without the anxiety that I feared this moment would bring and I stepped into His bedchamber, I did not feel my legs tremble at the sight of Raziel, nor did my insides tingle at the sight of Kain... Instead I felt something new. A new feeling of satisfaction knowing that I had achieved an impressive goal, that I had changed much in the time I'd been here.

I felt warm. I felt... love, for both of them and this time I could not bring myself to look away from them.

Kain smiled at me and Raziel advanced.

"Your look divine, Ana." He purred as he ran his taloned hand through my red hair. I kissed his wrist.

Kain admired me from this distance and had obviously taken note of my strange attire. He was more accustomed to the ways of the worshipper.

"So, Hecate has made a successor of her shadow," He laughed, and he too reached for my face, stroking my cheek in that wonderful way I remembered. I kissed his wrist too, "Perhaps my new Higher Concubine would like to show us her new skills, now she has succeeded."

They backed me to the wall, both of them pressed against me.

I simply smiled and asked them as was my custom, "What is your desire my Lords?" I took a lot of pleasure in asking both of them this question, delighting in the explicit fantasies that danced before my newly experienced eyes, but I took even more pleasure in seeing the way they both looked at one another and then smiled.