Page 19 of Paying The Vampire

I could mollify him with kind words and temper him with a gentle caress, but those tricks would only work for so long. He was a man who had become a victim of his solitude and despite him being transformed into a vampire, there was still a man inside him. I could make use of this for a while, but I was not sure how long it would last. I thought and thought and decided that my only hope of sneaking through the castle would be to do so when I was supposed to be sleeping. Otherwise Cassius would know I was awake and might try to keep track of me. His hearing was unparalleled, and in this castle it must have been possible to hear a pin drop. It was worthy to remember that vampires were the stealthy ones, not werewolves, and although I had nimble feet I could not remain hidden for too long.

But as night fell I forced myself to stay awake. I tore out the relevant page of the book, intending to repair it later, but I was not about to drag such a large tome around with me. I folded the page and put it in my dress, where it rested next to my bosom. My breath was shallow as I opened the door and walked outside. I kept my footsteps light, and worried that the thrum of my heart would travel through the castle and reach Cassius’ ears. I walked lightly and quickly, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

I was relieved that the repository of magical artefacts was up in the top tower of the castle, far from where Cassius usually lived. Perhaps I would be able to escape attention after all, although what I was going to do when I found out the truth I did not know. If Clea had words of warning then could I escape? If I confronted Cassius would he let me go? He claimed that he had let Clea leave, but what if he had killed her? Fear itched all over my skin and I started to wonder if I would have been better off staying with the wolves. Had my desperation led me to my doom?

I walked up the spiral staircase that went on for so long it was dizzying. I swayed a little as I emerged into a stone hallway. The pale light from outside bled between the stones, and I was thankful for what scant gifts the wolves had given me, for I was able to find my way even though the light was dim. I dared not light a torch for fear that would give me away. I had to peer at the signs on the rooms carefully, for the old words that had been etched into the wood were faded. My fear was such that I always felt as though something was behind me, watching me, yet when I turned there was nothing there. I told myself to be calm, that I was a wolf and I should not be scared of anything.

Except that I wasn’t a wolf at all. I was just a girl, lost in this castle in this lonely world with a vampire who was capable of anything. Was his charm just an act? Had there been horror stories written about his deeds?

I breathed a sigh of relief as I reached the repository. The door creaked as it opened although I tried to be gentle. I winced at the eerie sound as it echoed down the hallway, but crept through anyway, for there was nothing I could do to stop it. In this room I had to light a torch even though I was afraid. The flame took hold and crackled, pouring orange light around the room. I placed it between two stones, hoping that the flame would not be visible outside. I closed the shutters as well, blocking out the world, making it feel as though this was the only room in existence.

I then got to task. I unfolded the piece of paper and checked what I needed, even though I had committed it to memory. It did not prove any harm to be thorough, however. The repository was made up of many cupboards and cabinets with all kinds of things like wands and swords and cloaks. An arcane scholar could have spent their entire life looking through these things and likely never come to the end of it. There were goblets and cutlery and mirrors and so many more things that I was almost distracted too, wanting to take all of these trinkets and use them to try and discern their meaning. There must have been so much power contained within this room, and yet it was all wasted. Had Cassius used them all during his life, or were they more like toys to him?

I did not have a lifetime to search through them though. I had to work as quickly as possible, wanting to return to my bed before Cassius could suspect that anything was amiss. Unfortunately, there were more than one crystal orbs housed in the cabinets so I had to spend a few agonizing moments comparing each one to make sure that I used the right one. The clue was in the silver foundation. The one I needed had whirlpools etched into it, while others had things like snakes and dragons and flames. They were all very interesting, but were not the sort of thing that I could waste time practicing with.

I pulled the crystal ball out and set it on a round table that stood in the middle of the room. I then scanned the rest of the page and gathered the other ingredients I needed. Once they were all prepared, I took a deep breath and spoke the magic words that would summon the spell. I thought of Clea too, and had her note with me. I placed it on top of the crystal ball, holding it there with my hands. I expected the ball to be cold, but it was oddly warm. I recited the words over and over again, not willing to stop until something happened. At first all remained quiet, aside from the flickering flames of the torch behind me. Doubt crept into my mind and I wondered if the magic in these trinkets had been rendered inert. The words I spoke were hollow and ridiculous, and I began to see myself as a farcical sight, but just before I would give up, I felt a tremor pass through me. At first I wasn’t sure if it was actually real or just a product of my mind, but then I felt my hair being tugged by a silent breeze, one that was cold and made me shiver. The words I chanted became deeper and filled with magic, rich and blossoming with all the wonder of the promise they held. I began shaking as the crystal ball vibrated beneath my hands. Eldritch energy flowed through the room and I could feel the very air shimmer.

I opened my eyes. To my surprise the crystal ball was now filled with this small storm, a crackling, energetic thing that swirled and flickered and seemed alive. My hands were still shaking, but I dared not let go, for I was so close and I did not wish to lose the spell, afraid that I would never get it back. I focused on Clea and the misty smoke billowed out, filling the crystal ball entirely as though it was searching for a way to escape. I wondered what would have happened had my shaking hands tossed it to the floor. Would the spell have been broken, or would the storm have expanded to fill the room and the entire castle, perhaps the entire world. There was no telling the potency of this magic.

As I watched, the smoke changed shape, swirling into different patterns. Sweat beaded on my brow and trickled down my temples. It was taking something from me, but I could not stop now, not when I was so close. Suddenly the smoke cleared and a woman’s face stared back at me, but it was not what I expected. The face was wrinkled, the hair grey. She tossed and turned, her head moving from side to side.

“Clea… Clea is that you?” I asked.

“What… who…?”

“I’m with Cassius. I found your note, the one you left in the library. I need to know what he’s lying about. I need to know if I can trust him,” I said, yelling so that I could hear myself above the crackle of energy that fizzed around me.

“You… you’re with Cassius?” she asked.

“I am.”

“You are so beautiful. I was beautiful once,” she said with a wry smile, and more than a hint of wistfulness. I could not afford to waste time though. I needed to know what she knew. At least she was alive. At least Cassius had not lied about that.

“Clea, what is he lying about? Why should I fear him?”

“He lies about it all. Find Amara’s diary. I hid it in her tomb. That will explain everything,” Clea said. The diary. The tomb. What tomb? I had so many questions for her. How old had she been when she had been here? What had she done with her life? Had Cassius ever visited her since she left? How long had she stayed here for?

One by one these questions mounted in my mind like a huge, unbalanced tower that was going to collapse. But I wasn’t ready to let go yet. I couldn’t let her go without knowing more.

Chapter Fifteen

Cassius

After I left Willow I had been alone with my thoughts. They should have been comforting to me by now, but I had spent so much time alone with them that they plagued me. There was something about the way Willow acted that had been off… or perhaps I was just becoming paranoid. She had a way of soothing me that was quiet gentle, and I longed to experience it again. I had to stop thinking that everything was going wrong. I had Willow, the girl I had been waiting for, and things were falling into place. I could do with her what I had done with nobody else, and no longer did I have to be alone here. She alone breathed new life into this place and I could remember what it was to be young again. I just had to get a handle on my mind, a mind that was fractured by the weight of all it had experienced.

I tried to push that all aside though, telling myself that it didn’t matter. It was all in the past. It had already happened and there was no changing it, no going back to do anything different. It had all happened before Willow had even been born, so what was the use in being worried about what she was going to think?

I did what I had to do. I did what was right.

But would Willow understand?

It didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to tell her. She only needed to know what I wanted her to know. I don’t care what the gargoyles were trying to tell me. They were mindless stone creatures and had no power over me. Willow was Willow and she was here to learn. I would help her achieve what she wanted and then we would see where it would lead us. Until then I would merely enjoy her company and her beauty. Her charm and flattery were unparalleled. She would not have been out of place at a ball, and there I am sure she would have won the attention of many suitors. They would have all lined up for a dance with her, and she would have been inundated with marriage proposals. If I had known her then it would have been the same story as it always was; beauty being attracted to wealth and the finer things in life. There was no room for love in a heart that longed for opulence, but perhaps I was being too harsh on Willow. Surely she deserved more credit than that? After all she had come with me here, showing far more bravery than most, and she had not shown the same weak constitution as Clea had.

Ah, Clea… sometimes the mind does turn to melancholy thoughts and wonders if things could have been better had I acted differently. The problem was that girl had a suspicious mind from the very beginning. She was never able to fully trust me, and she would not listen when I tried to explain things.

It was my fault really. I should have been more discerning. After so much time has passed there are only certain people who can fit into my world, who can meet my exacting standards. I am so happy that I met Willow.

And why… why should I be acting so erratic around her? I am the last King of the vampires, I have seen and done things that she would never have dreamed of, and yet still I find myself acting as though I am that humble struggling musician again, that wretch of a man who thought the world was at war with him, who could not taste anything but bitterness. That was part of the problem with being a vampire though. Although I had lived through generations there was a part of me that was still frozen from the moment I was turned, and my face darkened as I remembered Amara’s last, mocking words to me. Even then she was still smiling, still acting as though she was my superior.