5. Meeting the Master

We appeared in front of a massive home. There was a fountain in front with a statue in the middle of it. The statue had a woman wrapped in tight chains and she was bleeding. What the hell kind of place was this? My wrists felt heavy, and I looked down, I had Iron shackles on. My neck felt stiff and I felt cold metal. Was my neck shackled too? I tried to turn my head but it felt somewhat restricted, so instead I turned my body and there was Theodore Astor.

He didn’t smile at me, instead just stared at me with a vacant expression. Much like his mask, he reminded me of stone. Theodore was someone I knew from school, one of my regular tormentors. Calling me names like mongrel, dhampir, bitch, mutt, half breed, dirty, everything really. As a child I learned to ignore him, but now it seemed that was no longer an option. He was the stone man, as deadly as I was, and now I was his captive. And thanks to the iron shackles I wouldn’t be using any of my gifts to get myself out of whatever was in store for me.

“Mongrel do not speak, do not do anything, but listen and be obedient. Do I make myself clear.” I was about to spew expletives at him, but he slipped once again into my head and I was running through the halls of Darkwood, my most recent nightmare. “If you disobey my order, I will keep you in your nightmare and you will not hear what my master has to say.” So, this was where Malachar was residing. In this creepy manor. He walked in front of me, and I felt the tug of my shackles.

I followed like a dog on a leash, my pride making this worse than it already was. Well Theodore was right, I would be silent; I wouldn’t miss what the demon himself had to say. I would escape eventually and then spill all the information I had on The Order to Vanguard. I followed him up the steps taking note of the marble that looked like it had a lot of blood spilled on it. Whatever this place was it was another slaughter sight. Could another blood relic be here?

I noticed several vampires as we passed, the place seemed to be crawling with them, but what disturbed me the most, was that these vampires had people on chains that were kneeling or crawling like they were pets. It was truly disgusting, and I made a face. I felt a warm breath near me and voice said in my head “Be glad I don’t make you crawl, like the rest of them.” I chill ran up my spine. This was the future that Malachar wanted, I hoped I died if this is what was to come.

We entered a large room. More Vampires where there with their blood sources and I could hear others filling in after us. Almost immediately the vampires formed up like how soldiers used to when they attended formation. All their slaves kneeling next to them. What the hell was this madness? I couldn’t have even fathomed this. Theodore was walking down the middle of the now formed up Order members, me instep behind him. Unlike the humans that kneeled and had their heads bent and facing the ground I kept my eyes forward.

They remained on the wings that where behind Theodore. His family line had massive bat wings. One of the seven bloodlines that had them. He had to have used his gift of mind manipulation during the war to keep them hidden. He would slip into the minds of those fighting and none of us would see the wings. I wondered if this was to protect his identity. Why didn’t he want the Vanguard to know it was him, how did that benefit him?

It was clear when we were amongst his friends here, he didn’t see a reason to hide his true identity. I wondered if anyone here called him ‘the stone man’ or was he called just Theo. His friends back at school called him that. Just like Aiden and Wes called me Bee sometimes. Theodore suddenly stopped and jerked me so I was next to him. “Kneel” he said in my head. I wasn’t refused to do that, if he wanted me to, he would have to make me. Instead, I looked at the massive overly ornate throne.

My eyes focused on Malachar. He looked different than the only other time I had seen him. His pale skin that looked almost translucent, now had black lines covering it. Where those his veins? His eyes had black all around them. It made his red eyes look like they were glowing. His ears where elongated and pointed below his thick black hair. He looked like what I thought a demon would be.

Then to my surprise the monster smiled. The corners of his blood-stained lips going further up his face than were natural and I could see his long fangs on display. Did he always have them out? I was guessing the smile was for my captor not me, to him I was an abomination. I took note of the five-slave woman that were all kneeling around his throne. They were hardly wearing anything on their body, his slaves and food source.

I wondered what he would do if I killed them? Would he be sad to lose his food source? I was guessing whatever blood they had pulsing in their veins was a type he liked considering they were his pets and food. “Theo, may favorite, who have you brought me?” So those here did call him Theo after all. A thought crossed my mind, why had Theodore not used his mind manipulation to get me on my knees before his master. “Master, this is Beatrix, the abomination you have wanted. The one who has the gift to control the weather.”

That smile he had dropped when Theodore spoke was now back on his face. It was downright creepy, bone chilling, if I was honest with myself. Then Malachar clapped loudly and his cackled filled the large room echoing off the walls. “See this everyone, this is why Theo is my favorite. All of you had the opportunity to bring it, and only he could manage it.” Did he just call me an it? I bit my tongue. I wanted to scream and spit at him, I was not an it. Malachar stood and began to walk toward me.

He was wearing a black robe that fell at his sides. What was he trying to imitate a magistrate or something? He stood before me and much like Theodore I could feel his body heat as he got close. He had to be well fed on fresh blood to run that hot. His hand came up and I could feel his long-pointed fingers as they pinched my freckled cheeks. The tips pushing into my skin, so much so that I worried he would draw blood. He slowly turned my head to one side to only do it again in the opposite direction. His hands slowly pulled back and I could see up to his wrists that his hands were pitch black just like around his eyes. The blackness faded at the wrists into the black lines that covered him.

He then clapped again and cackled. “Oh, how marvelous.” He turned his glowing red eyes back at me. “Her surname?” Theodore answered. “Miller.” “How very Sapien. Tragic, really, it being so powerful and all.” He began to circle both Theodore and I, with me being chained to him. I could feel his red eyes examining me like something he had never seen before. Then he was in front of me again. “Do you wish to be like us?” Was he talking to me? No, he wouldn’t I was nothing to him. He would never stoop so low in his mind to address me. Theodore pulled on my chain, and I realized in fact he was addressing me.

My mouth went to open, but I snapped it shut. He may have not thought he was stooping low talking to me. But I thought I was too good to talk to this monster. He laughed again. “Oh, you poor thing, you obviously are silent in the presence of your superior. You were right Theo she is intelligent.” I kept my face neutral, despite my surprise that Theodore with how much he had picked on me in our youth would say I was smart.

He didn’t respond. “You have permission to speak, tell me do you wish to be true blooded.” “Yes” I lied trying to keep my breathing under control. I didn’t need to be as Malachar called the purist’s ‘true blooded’. I was fine as I was. But what would happen to me if I didn’t lie. Would I be dead already instead of drawing air, most likely. That or I would be tortured and then killed. He smiled showing me his perfect white teeth and his long fangs on display.

“Wonderful, Theo, you may take her home, keep me updated on her progress.” He turned his back to the two of us and resumed lording over his subjects on his throne. As Theodore bowed a little to his master, I watched as Malachar pulled one of his humans up and roughly bit into her neck. The last thing I saw was the blood dripping down her throat and then I was gone and standing before large stone, was it a castle? “Welcome to Astor Hall mongrel.”