Chapter 22
As Ambrose, Lila, and Rebekkah descended onto a small platform jutting out from the tower, Lila saw a small group of people huddled at the floor’s entryway. She saw the familiar facade of Bogdan, whose sharp teeth were gleaming in a horrifying yet endearing smile. Behind him were two young women, who looked much more like herself or Rebekkah, but both had large, nearly buggish eyes that seemed to be glowing that pale blue she saw in Bogdan at Sanktus Pernox.
But none of them surprised her as much as the man in the center of the entourage.
Ambrose was right, the man was beyond comprehension. He was incredibly tall—taller than Ambrose, maybe even nearing the height of Darius Maronia’s strange butler, Balzar. He was completely bald, with two long gray eyebrows that seemed to shoot from his face. His ears were large and pointed and his nails were long claws on even longer fingers. His eyes were a blue so pale, they almost looked white, and his skin was the color of eggshell.
But what truly surprised Lila wasn’t the fact this vampire looked like he’d been permanently stuck between his monstrous and humanoid form, nor was it that he looked like a walking corpse ready to fall over. It was something else . . . maybe the way he held himself, Lila guessed.
But she knew, without a doubt, this was Gustov Nostro, the Lord of the Maggot Mansion. He wore all black, a coat with a high cowl, black pants, and black shoes, all melting into one another. And on his head sat a pair of glasses . . . only, the frames and glass were also a black color. How was he supposed to see out of them?
What really sent the entire image off, however, was the drink in Nostro’s hand. His long-clawed fingers were wrapped around a funny-shaped glass that held what she only assumed was blood, but it was thick. Almost as if it had been mixed with snow or ice. And springing out of the cup was a hot pink straw that managed to curl around itself before pointing toward Nostro.
Lila withheld her balked expression, the fits of giggles that wanted to spring forth after. Ambrose was right, Gustov Nostro was beyond explaining.
“Ah, the lovely Crow Lord and Sun Child,” Nostro flourished a long arm and gave a small bow. His voice was so thick with an accent Lila had only heard from Bogdan, and just a tad bit shrill. “Welcome to the Maggot Mansion. Your arrival has been long anticipated, dear friends. In fact, we’re throwing a revel right now, in your honor.”
More like, using our arrival as an excuse to continue their party, Ambrose harrumphed in her mind, and Lila once again had to fight the urge to laugh aloud.
I don’t know about you, but I desperately want to revel with this man.
Trust me, love. You’ll regret it for a full week after any of his revels. I wouldn’t wish a Gustov Nostro hangover on anyone. It is too awful a punishment.
Before Lila could burst, Ambrose stepped forward. “Nostro, it’s so great to see you.”
The two clapped each other on the back—or, Ambrose did. Nostro kind of just wrapped an awkward arm around Ambrose’s shoulders and squeezed once before letting go completely. But his smile was unquestionable.
“Rebekkah, you’re looking fantastic, especially without the two sacks of meat that always followed you around.”
Lila guessed the news of Ciro’s death hadn’t yet made it to the Maggot Mansion then.
A pained smile slid along Rebekkah’s lips. “Likewise, Gustov. I see you still fancy your blood in the form of cocktails.”
He smirked, his jagged fangs peeking through his lips. “Want one, dear?”
“Desperately.”
Rebekkah patted Lila on the shoulder and sauntered off, kissing Bogdan and his daughters hello as she entered the tower and disappeared.
Nostro’s eyes landed on Lila’s. “And this lilac-haired fox must be Lila Bran? I’ve heard so much about you, child.” He reached for her hand, and at their first touch, a wave of static shock sparked up Lila’s arm, and she felt how cold and clammy his palm was.
“It is great to meet you,” she said. It wasn’t her first time meeting an oddity and being surprised later when they became her favorite person in the room.
Speaking of, Bogdan stepped forward and threw cold arms around Lila. “Miss Bran, I am so pleased you’re here! I want you to meet my daughters—”
“Ah, Bogdan!” Nostro hissed. “That can wait! First, we revel!” He grabbed Lila’s hand again, and dragged her into the sprawling tower before her. Lila had no idea what to expect, but she was immediately filled with a rushing sense of wonder.
The moment Lila walked into the tall tower, her mind just couldn’t pick a spot to focus on. Everything was so dazzling, like something she’d see in a children’s picture book. The candles lining the room were of all different colors, producing flames that matched the color of the wax. Greens, pinks, blues, and purples engulfed every corner, and instead of blending together or looking muddy, the colors sparkled all on their own, like sunlight peeking through a stained-glass window.
The room was circular shaped, and massive—Lila assumed the room alone took the entire floor.
Fabrics of every color were draped from the ceilings, creating a cozy effect, and tables were propped about with glass that twinkled in her eyes as the candles shined off of them. Below her feet, the floor was bedecked in real grass, with tiny pink flowers springing from the emerald-green blades.
Lila started when something lit up in her face, right between her eyes. The tiny light pulsed and shimmered a neon green, and then flickered out.
It was a firefly. The room was full of them, roaming around the real trees lining the edges of the room.
“I like to call this room the Hidden Spring,” Nostro says, admiring his own home. “A friend from my youth inspired it. From what I hear, she was much like you actually.”
Lila watched the man for a moment. Could he mean the first wife? The Sun Maiden?
Nostro, seeming to understand Lila’s thoughts as Ambrose always had, nodded sadly. “Yes . . . I was already old when the Sun Maiden was a child. We were neighbors in a tiny, decrepit village. But she was always a ray of sunlight. When she first began to notice me, I was a widower, my children had grown and left, and all I had was myself and my dog.” His eyes gleamed, and a smile tilted his lips. “She found Bear injured, attacked by another animal. She brought him to me, and took care of him—took care of me. The Sun Maiden nursed the poor hound back to full health, and made a friend of a lonely old man. I met her in the spring, and this room is for her.”
At that exact moment, a firefly landed on Lila’s arm, pulsing its dazzling light, its tiny feet tickling as it walked.
“It’s gorgeous,” she breathed. “Beyond gorgeous—beyond words.”
“It’s one of my favorites. It’s why I made this one of the entryways to the mansion. I hoped everyone would see it.” Nostro held out his arm, and the firefly flew off. “I’d like to show you more, if you’d like? Preferably before we start consuming our spirits.”
Lila took his arm. “I would like that very much.” She quickly looked over her shoulder, back at Ambrose. He was just behind her, smiled and nodded.
Go, I’ll be around if you need me.
Lila grinned back, and then followed Nostro’s lead as he stepped into the hollow of a tree.
Ten floors. Ten floors that were all incredible in their own way, things like she’d never seen. There was an entire floor dedicated to a hot spring, full of steam that smelled minty and immediately relaxed every muscle in her body, flowing with waterfalls and fountains. She saw people swimming within, while others leaned back and relaxed, wrapped in towels or completely nude. But no one seemed to mind, as the air was utterly relaxing. Another floor held a massive menagerie. There was a small caged walkway in the center, and all around them animals wandered freely. Big cats and birds of every color, small weasels and deer species she’d never seen before.
Lila felt like her head would screw right off her neck at the rate she was turning to ogle at everything in sight. It was all so . . . spectacular. That was the only word she could think of.
“Which is your favorite floor?” she asked, turning to face Nostro. The man was watching her with a prideful gleam in his eyes.
“Hmm. You know, everyone has always been too preoccupied choosing their own favorite—I don’t believe anyone has ever asked for mine.” He sheepishly grinned, revealing scraggly sharp teeth.
Lila put her arm through his. “Well, I want to see it. I’m sure it’s the best in the mansion.”
He patted the back of her hand and guided her to a bronze grate with a set of buttons next to it on the wall. Nostro pressed one of them and, after a ding, shoved the grate open. “Have you been to any of the major cities in the vampire manors?”
Lila shook her head. “Small villages, towns—and now the four manors. Not really the world traveler. Not yet, anyway.”
Nostro smirked. “Well, then, you’ll never have seen one of these. Much better than stairs, I fancy.” He held his hand out to her, and guided her into a tiny room behind the grated door, before sliding it shut again. The entire room jolted up, and Lila grabbed onto Nostro.
“It’s an elevator. They were invented just before the climax of the Mass Death,” he explained.
“What do they do?”
“They’re attached to pulley systems and travel up and down. Traveling the tower by stairs is exhausting for this old man, so I had an elevator installed, and can go to any floor I please.”
Once again Lila was left awe-struck. The ride was quick and carried them from the hundredth floor to the 147th floor.
As Nostro unlatched the lock and pushed the bronze grate open once more, he said, “Now, the floors in which I hold the majority of the Maggot Mansion’s revels are some of my favorites, of course. I thrive on hosting and I promise the party tonight will be unlike any other you’ve been to—but this room is my favorite for me. When I like to just think or be alone or reminisce, this is where I come. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
He led her out of the elevator and into a wide circular room. It was dark, with no windows, but small lights were set into the stone all around, only illuminating the floor to see where to walk.
“Come, the center is best.”
The room was silent, but Lila followed him, and as they stood in the center, she waited. Maybe standing in the dark for him was the same she felt when she was in a coffin the first time: relaxing and—
An array of colors lit up the walls, lavender melded into a golden yellow that became brighter and brighter till it illuminated white. Lila gasped, and Nostro chuckled in response. Then the white morphed again, as it spread throughout the entire room, turning into tiny white specks. Not specks, Lila realized . . . stars. And the dark walls were breathing color—dark blue.
It was the night sky.
“This room shows you your favorite memory—not the actions, not the words, not the people, but how it looked. Almost so you can relive it once again. The flashes of color were the room reading you.”
The night sky. She knew exactly what night this was. A special night on the roof of the Crow Court manor, Ambrose’s tongue on her body as he told her to watch the stars.
“I see a field in the middle of spring,” Nostro said softly. “It’s daytime, just after noon if I remember correctly. The flowers—sunflowers—are swaying in the wind. But I know—I know because I was there—the wind isn’t what’s pulling them.”
“Pulling them?”
Nostro nods. “Did you know sunflowers stretch toward the sun? They reach and reach, trying to get as close to it as their delicate little bodies can.”
Lila pulled her gaze from the night sky and watched Nostro’s expression.
“In this memory, however, they’re not reaching for the sun. They’re reaching for her.”
Realization dawned on Lila. The Sun Maiden, the original vampire’s first wife.
“She was with me that day. I believe we were having a tea party. She was still so young, yet even then her power— her warmth—it radiated. The sunflowers knew it, I knew it.” He sighed. “I wonder . . . would they stretch to you as well?”
Lila didn’t answer, but then again, she got the sense he wasn’t really asking her. His gaze was fixed on his own illusion, eyes misting, so Lila turned to give him a moment of privacy. She watched the stars, as Ambrose had once told her to do, and wondered . . . Ambrose had shown her the beauty of the night. Could she ever show him the radiance of the day? How his white hair would be blinding under the sun, his dark skin would glow with such warmth. Suddenly, Lila had the violent need to see his eyes in the daylight. To see the sun brighten them, reflect her, and radiate with such vibrance.
Watch the stars, love, he’d said once. But now Lila wanted to reciprocate, wanted to tell him, Feel the sun, Ambrose.