When I finally come to I was greeted by the sounds of my friends squabbling. I clutched my head and whimpered at the sounds. Apparently, if the pinched tone of his voice was any indication, my mentor was furious.
"And just who let her up on those planks against a bars master?" Mr. Crepsley snapped.
"I saw the whole thing, she really held her own." Gavner gave me a smile and a thumbs up.
"I did warn her not to get too injured. Arra was ruthless. Miss Shan put up a good fight, and she was able to win." Vanez added with a hint of pride.
"Why is the ceiling moving?" I murmured and reached forward trying to grip one of the black specks dancing before my eyes.
"You should be proud of her Larten. I was beginning to think you were coddling her. The girl has grit." Seba commented from the doorway.
"You have a concussion, for a vampire it is no big deal," Vanez said to me. "I'm surprised you didn't suffer worse."
Mr Crepsley brushed back some hair on my face, "What on earth possessed you to keep going? Even I would hesitate to take on Arra Sails on the planks."
"Everyone keeps acting like I was hopeless at fighting...didn't want to embarrass you by backing out." I said quietly.
The vampire smiled, "I am proud of you." I smiled as the warm feeling blossomed in my chest, I held his hand to my face. It was a bold move but I didn't care.
A few days later I was feeling way better, and Mr. Crepsley informed me that it was time for me to meet with the princes. The vampire handed me a package and said,"Make yourself presentable, we must not keep them waiting."
Inside the brown paper was a dark emerald dress. The top was a simple front lace up style, with long bell sleeves and a long skirt, with two slits up each leg. I made a mental note to say thank you later as I hurriedly slipped it on.
The princes hall was usually only opened to those who had business there, none the less it didn't stop most of the vampires from coming into see what was going on. We were not allowed to wear anything that could be used as a weapon, including shoes. Mr. Crepsley handed something to Seba to hold onto. It flashed silver in the torchlight... The necklace!
"Please hold on to this for me until we return." I was trying to hide my delight and remain serious but nothing gets past Seba. The sly old vampire gave me a wink when Mr. Crepsley's back was turned. I pretended like I was looking at something very interesting on the ground as I followed after my mentor.
The Hall of Princes was glowing with an unnatural light. The walls were constructed out of invincible material gifted centuries ago by Mr. Tiny. A red orb around the size of a football sat on its own pedestal. It could he nothing else other than the Stone of Blood: capable of locating any vampire in the world, and the only potential hope of reviving the clan should the Lord of the Vampaneze rise one night. A vampire general knocked his staff on the ground and called mine and Mr. Crepsley's names. Sitting on top of their thrones, high above us, we're the princes.
Paris Skyle, the oldest vampire alive, was the first to meet my gaze.. He had long flowing white hair, and a gray beard. His right ear was even missing! Still, at 800 years old he looked strong enough to take down a wild beast with one arm behind his back. Even though he was an ancient vampire, I couldn't help but smile since he reminded me of my grandpa.
Mika Ver Leth was the youngest at only 200 years old. His hair was long and black, and he dressed only in dark colors. He looked even sterner than Mr. Crepsley, almost as if he hadn't smiled once in his entire life. Despite his cool demeanor I could tell the vampire was a truly just person.
And lastly was Arrow. So named for his tattoos on his bald head. His reputation as a vampaneze hater was legendary throughout the clan. All three were the epitome of strength and tradition. I looked up to them with awe and a bit of terror.
"Greetings, Larten." Paris stroked his beard and regarded Crepsley with warm eyes. "I did not think I would look upon your face in the Hall once again."
"I vowed I would return," my mentor replied with a bow to the old prince.
"I never believed otherwise," Paris smiled. "Simply, I just did not think I would be here to greet you. I have grown rather long in tooth, my old friend."
"You will surely outlive us all, Paris."
The old vampire made a noise of content. His eyes were digging into me like red hot pokers. "This must be your assistant, Samantha Shan. Gavner Purl has spoken rather highly of her."
Mr. Crepsley nodded, "She is of strong heart and good blood. The girl will make a fine vampire one night."
"There is something odd about this girl, however. It is undeniable." Mika Ver Leth looked a the in a way that I didn't like. I felt my heartbeat pick up. "From our sources, it seems Mr. Tiny has had a rather unanticipated interest in her."
"You must forgive us, Samantha, if we seem discourteous. We have learned to tread lightly in areas where Mr. tiny is involved. Surely you understand that there are suspicions?"
I took in a shaky breath, "I can understand. I have a lot to learn about vampires. I haven't been booded for long-"
"Precisely," Mika interrupted. "To be frank, Miss Shan, we have doubts about you. As a former general, Larten should have-"
"Mika!" Paris snapped. "This vampire of noble standing and his assistant have come before us in good faith, to seek our approval. Whether we grant it or not, they deserve to be heard politely, not challenged rudely in front of their colleagues."
Mika collected himself, stood, and bowed to us. "I apologize," he said through gritted teeth. "I spoke out of turn. I will not do so again."
Mutters spread throughout the hall. Apparently it was a big deal for a prince to apologize to one of his inferiors, especially if they were a mere half vampire and a discharged general. Personally, I didn't really like the fact that my 'worthiness' was called into question. But could I really disagree? I wasn't a good fighter, and despite my age I was rather childish. It was no wonder they saw me as a liability.
"Come, Larten. Tell us what you have been up to these years?" Paris said as chairs were brought forward to us.
Mr. Crepsley spilled all the beans. He outlined how we'd met, and our adventures with the cirque. I could feel all eyes on me. Which caused my already red face to heat up even more. When we got to the part about Murlough, vampire held nothing back. Not even the fact that I'd been injured by Murlough during the fight.
The only thing he left out which both surprised and startled me was my...condition. If I wasn't a vampire it wouldn't be a big deal. Maybe Mr. Crepsley wanted me to speak about it myself, maybe he didn't want anyone to know. I mentally filed it away and vowed to question him about it later, in private.
"We know you were only protecting your student, but there is no guarantee the vampaneze will see it that way if they learn the truth." Paris mused aloud, "They could even attempt to use this as a reason for war."
Crepsley shook his head, "If they learn the truth they will come for me. I am no longer a clan member which makes this personal."
Mika practically scoffed, but such behavior was below a Prince, "Do you think, if they secure their Lord and are united, they will concern themselves with logistics? They will come for us all."
The gathered vampires whispered amongst themselves. Even listening as hard as I could, I wasn't able to deceiver any conversation thread, which made me even more nervous.
"Still," Arrow said, contributing to the conversation for the first time, "I don't think Larten erred. It would be different if he were a General, but as a free agent, he is not bound by our laws. Were I in his position, I'd have done the same thing. He acted discreetly. I don't think we can fault him for that."
With that matter out of the way, I thought we'd covered mostly everything. But Paris still had one more question. One that had gone un-answered up until now, even to me..."I think the question weighing not only mine, but everyone's mind, is why did you blood this girl, Larten?"
Mr. Crepsley was quiet for a long time before explaining about Steve and Madame Octa. "Even though there was no reason to blood the girl, no threat, I could not control myself."
Mika glared, "I do not believe this. Surely, you must have something better than that?" No matter how he pressed him, Mr. Crepsley would not recant his initial statement. In frustration, Paris then turned to me.
"Tell me, Miss Shab, why is it you believe that Larten decided to take you for an assistant?"
Being put on the spot did nothing to help my nerves and I prayed I could just answer the question without stuttering, "In all honesty, I have no clue. I thought it might have been to keep me from exposing him, but I know that's not the real reason. I don't know what possessed me to take Madame Octa, I don't even like spiders. I think whatever force made me take her, acted on him as well. I didn't even know vampires existed before we met…"
Mr. Crepsley continued his own statement. "I rushed her into it, without explaining anything about our ways. I am aware of how unpardonable that is. But I will say that I did study her beforehand and found her to be honest and strong of character."
There was a polite cough behind us and Gavner Purl took charge of the room, "Maybe I intervene on my friend's behalf?"
"By all means, maybe you can shed some light for us." Paris nodded.
Gavner considered his words carefully, "I don't know if I can do that. But what I do know is that Larten speaks the truth. Samantha has proven herself. Not only did she complete her journey up this mountain, but she did so after fighting a bear infected with the blood of a vampaneze. And, also, I'm sure you heard of her match against Arra Sails?"
"We have," Paris chuckled. Apparently it was the talk of the mountain that the great Arra Sails was taken down by the underhanded move of a half vampire.
"She has all the markings to becoming a fine vampire. From her devotion and loyalty to her mentor and clansmen, and her honesty. She may be young yet, but I believe she has potential beyond the scope of what we see now."
"That's not the point!" Mika shouted. "She could be the next Kheldon Larten for all we know and it wouldn't make a difference. Facts are facts. Rules have been broken and there needs to be some course of action."
"Aye," Arrow agreed. "The girl herself is not in question, simply her ability. Not only that but Larten acted rashly and we must address that."
Paris nodded, "You yourself would not have tolerated such behavior in our position, Larten."
Mr. Crepsley sighed, "I understand. I do not seek forgiveness all I ask is the girl not receive any reprisals for my behavior. I will meet any punishment you deem fit."
"I don't know about punishment," Mika said uncomfortably. "I'm not out to make an example of you. Dragging your good name through the muck is the last thing on my mind."
"None of us wish to do that," Arrow agreed. "But what option have we? He did wrong — we must address that wrong."
"But we must address it mercifully," Paris mused.
"I ask for no mercy," Mr. Crepsley said stiffly. "I am not a young vampire who acted out of ignorance. I expect no special treatment. If you decide I am to be executed, I will accept your verdict without complaint. If —"
"They can't kill you because of me!" I gasped. No way! I would never allow that to happen.
"If you decide I must be tested," he continued, ignoring my outburst, "I will rise to any challenge you care to set, and die meeting it if I must."
"There will be no challenge," Paris huffed. "We reserve challenges for those who have not proven themselves in battle. I will say once again — your good standing is not in question."
"Perhaps . . . ," Arrow said hesitantly, then lapsed into silence. A few seconds later, he resumed. "I think I have it. The talk of challenges gave me an idea. There is a way to resolve this without killing our old friend or soiling his good name." Pointing a finger at me, he said coolly, "Let's set a challenge for the girl."
Silence filled the room at once, "Yes," Paris Skyle finally murmured. "A challenge for the girl."
"I said I did not want to bring Samantha into this!" Mr. Crepsley objected. At the sight of his panic, I began to lose my cool a little bit under the pressure.
"No," Mika contradicted him. "You said you didn't want her to be punished. Well, she won't be — a challenge is not a punishment."
"It is fair, Larten," Paris agreed. "If the girl proves herself in a test, your decision to blood her will be accepted and no more need be said about it."
"And the dishonor will be her's if she fails," Arrow added.
Mr. Crepsley scratched his long facial scar. "It is an honest solution," he mused, "but the decision is not mine. I will not force a challenge on her." He turned to me. "Are you prepared to prove yourself to the clan and clear our names?"
My heart dropped to the floor, could I really do this? There was no other choice. Even if they said he wouldn't be shamed because of me I knew other wouldn't make a lick of difference! I knew what I had to do, but just what was I getting myself into?
"What kind of challenge?" My voice was surprisingly steady.
"An excellent question." Paris said. "It would be not be fair to have her fight one of our generals. A half vampire is no match for a seasoned veteran."
"A quest would be far too long," Arrow grunted.
"That only leaves us with one option…." Mika muttered. "Miss Shan must undergo….the trials."
There were sounds that ranged from outrage to happy hoots of delight. I myself was at a loss. I glanced over to Mr. Crepsley and saw he had visibly paled.
"Wh...What are the trials?" I asked shakily. I wanted nothing more other than the floor to swallow me up right then and there.
"The trials are five acts of physical and mental courage chosen at random. The Trials of Initiation are a test designed for those wishing to become generals." Paris explained.
"Do you think I can do this?" I asked my mentor, he nodded his head firmly. He wasn't pleased by the idea in the least, but chose not to sway my decision.
"This will not be easy, and you may struggle. But trust that I would not let your proceed if I felt it was something your of your depth."
"What will happen if I say no?" My eyes searched his. The vampire scratched his facial scar.
"You will be disgraced and sent away from the mountain. I will not be shamed in the eyes of our leaders, but any shame of yours will always be mine to share as your mentor."
"Alright,"I nodded my head. I felt boosted with his confidence backing me. But I couldn't help but worry. Our reputation was settled onto my shoulders. What I chose to do with it will make or break our future together. I knew he couldn't bare the burden of being shamed, it would kill him in the end. My mind was made up almost instantly. Facing the Princes, I stood up straight and said solidly, "I agree to the Trials."
"Then it is decided," Paris Skyle said, smiling approvingly. "Return tomorrow and we shall draw the first Trial. You may leave now and rest."
end book 4
Woot Woot! book four is complete. Tensions are rising, treachery is afoot, and the plot begins to thicken. Shout out to SharonNashor for being awesome and supportive as always:) Thank you everyone that keeps coming back, ya'll are the best!
-PMD