Chapter 16
Demis is a fortress meant to pay respect to our ancestors and the stones placed above their heads. A millennia of history and change has made little mark on the traditional operations of its interior. Demis, for we are but half of the god that created us.
One week after my attempt to flee, servants waken me at daybreak.
Lazily creaking open the door, I squint at the group in front of me. The sun is especially bright today.
“Can I help you?” I manage, still groggy from waking up.
“We’re here to move you back to the castle, Lady Liv,” one of the servants at the head of the group states.
He’s definitely a vampyr, which makes me wonder why he works in the position he does.
Behind the workers, at least three carriages await to be loaded with my things.
Well, whatever they stocked for me at the cottage.
“On whose orders?”
“King Cedric’s,” the worker replies, putting leather gloves on.
Growling, I roll my neck side to side. That bastard thinks all is well after our row and dead, uncomfortably tense ride back to Demis?
Not to mention our mutual avoidance. The cottage has been a solitary, peaceful place and I’ve not made any attempt to go to Demis since.
“Must I?”
“What was that?” the worker asks.
“Oh, erm, how can I help?”
The men look to each other before laughing a bit. The head servant speaks up again. “Miss, you needn’t help us a bit. You’re to be our queen. Lee is waiting to take you up when you’ve dressed.” My eyes travel back up to the royal carriage with Lee upon the driver’s seat, giving me a lazy wave.
“Right,” I say as I duck back in the cottage.
I pause and peek my head back out. “Just give me a moment,” I say before shutting the door.
I pause and open it just enough to put my head out again.
“And I’m not your queen,” I state. They all look at each other again and nod, continuing with their work on the carriage.
I quickly comb my hair and dress in a modest purple gown before exiting the cottage, letting the men in to do their job.
“Hello, Lee,” I say as I approach the carriage.
“Lady Liv,” he greets me as he bows before me.
“Oh, don’t,” I whisper. It really makes me uncomfortable.
I’ve just barely come to acceptance about that.
But the whole royalty thing is an itch I can’t scratch quite yet.
Lee straightens and opens the door for me.
Luckily, there is no surprise of someone trying to sit on me this time as I cozy up inside the carriage.
The short ride turns into a long trek around the grounds, straight to the main entrance of the castle. The main part of the grounds is loaded with more beauty than the parts I’d seen briefly.
A larger fountain is set out front with beds of elys circling it, lanterns hanging in a staggering pattern within the beds.
The middle of the fountain has a large stone elys flower poking out of the center of the water.
The sun has just barely risen, so the water warms with yellow and orange as it dances down the stone tiers.
Demis is bigger than I originally mapped out.
Just the front wing of the castle looks to stretch a quarter of a mile on each side.
The stone on the front of it is well kept with a shine to the gold and silver metal embellishments upon the windows and spires.
Carved gargoyles overlook the pebbled path as we wrap around to the front.
The entrance, though, is magical.
A large, tarnished iron door swings open on either side by two sets of guards pushing it back. The light hitting it almost blinds me as it catches the sun before swinging under the eaves of stone.
Lee helps me out of the carriage and I nearly trip down the steps, unable to avert my gaze from the beauty of it. Rows of guards, servants and court members file out of the castle and line up on either side of the gravel entrance, which has now been laid with a black rug.
Standing awkwardly outside of the carriage, I lean over and whisper to Lee. “What do I do?” He turns his head to me as if not understanding what I just asked. Before he can open his mouth, Cedric steps out and into the sun.
It feels like I am seeing him again. Not quite the monster I first met, but more human.
Well, as human as you can get, which is consistent with vampyr.
They look, breathe and speak like humans do.
For the most part, at least. But there are key differences that set them apart.
The first being how absolutely gorgeous they all are.
Cedric, ever the king, is in a deep crimson tunic. A shade that is truly befitting of him. Strong, fierce and deep. His facial features are incredibly sharp and sculpted, emanating the image of a strong king under the small circlet upon his head. Not the same crown he wore to Duresden.
He lets a small smile grow on his face as he ignores the crowd on either side of the aisle. He walks forward quickly, closing the distance in a few strides.
“Liv,” he greets, curtly.
“Is this a little much?” I whisper, aware of Lee right behind us.
“Court culture,” he whispers back, keeping his smile wide for the crowd to see.
“Oh.” I nod. Cedric clears his throat and holds his hand out for me to take, just as we did in Duresden.
He leads us down the path to the castle, keeping his eyes on me.
Everyone we pass dips into a deep bow, eyes closed in reverence.
I can’t help but feel like an imposter as they regard me in such a way.
I’m just Liv. Not their queen. Not his.
If I could take back my words about the grandeur of the castle’s exterior, I would.
The main entrance is far more enchanting than the halls of the castle I was graced with when I awoke.
The stone a pale grey with three staircases before us.
The one in the middle seems to lead to the main halls of the castle I crossed to enter the Chalice Room.
I recognize it by the guards on each side and the peek of sunlight being let in through a courtyard on the second level.
On the left and right are two grand spiral staircases that seem to defy all laws of gravity as they ascend into what should be a third floor.
But as my eyes trail up the staircases, my gaze catches on the ceiling – black as a void bedecked with silver and golden twinkling lights of some sort high above us.
The black mass seems to swirl, as if a sentient abyss.
The lights ebb and flow just like the night sky and I know I’m gaping at it.
The delicateness of the mass is more than weightless. It is magical.
“Like the night sky,” I say to myself. Cedric steps in front of me, bringing my attention back to earth.
“Exactly the thoughts my ancestors had when they put it up there.” He looks up himself, taking in the sight. “Of course, with the help of some clever sorceresses.” He winks.
My magic zaps at that, causing me to jump. Like static electricity in my hands. I rub them and giggle.
“Oh yes,” he drawls, rolling his eyes with a sly smile attached. “You cess have a terrible hold on your power.”
“I don’t know any better.” I laugh awkwardly, shoving my hands into the pockets sewn into my dress. Elivienne had good taste in clothing.
“Sure you do.” He winks again and I’m caught off guard by his casual nature, considering. Just when I want to make a snarky comment, a large man with an oversized belly comes down the left stairwell, barely able to make it down without the help of the railing.
“Your Highness,” he says, bowing before Cedric. The man coughs and bows back down again. “Lady Liv,” he says, holding this one longer than when he greeted his king.
“That’s better,” Cedric says and approaches the man. “What is it?”
“The prince requests an audience,” he coughs out.
Cedric rolls his neck before turning to face me, now just awkwardly standing in the center of the giant chamber. “I have to attend to this. My apologies. The servants are at your disposal and will settle you in.”
Without another word, he walks up the stairs ahead of the man who is left to catch up. The man looks to me and gives a once over before slightly shaking his head and bowing. He departs and the journey up those steps seems to distress him more than coming down.
I turn around to find two women behind me, standing stoically as if waiting for instruction.
“Hello,” I say, unsure of what to do with myself.
The dark-headed one steps forward, chin held high with a smile. She looks about my age.
“Lady Liv,” she says, curtsying deeply. “We promise to use your preferred name only in intimate settings moving forward.”
“Thank you. It’s just Liv,” I correct. Hopefully I can snuff out this “Lady” nonsense. But at least Cedric has spun some lies about a preferred name to those who attend me.
She just smiles at my correction, moving past it to introduce me to the other. “We are your household. I am Jett and this is Isadora.”
So, not maids.
“Nice to meet you both,” I say, extending my hand forward to Isadora. She looks down at it plainly so I slowly retract.
“As your ladies-in-waiting, we are here to help you with whatever you may need. We will organize your wardrobe, affairs and anything in between. Consider us as friends and helpful servants.”
“Did I know both of you before?”
They look at each other oddly. “Before what?”
“Oh, never mind.” I laugh and take both of them in.
While they look young, I’ve come to understand that the vampyr have long lifespans, so any of these women could be centuries old.
I smell no human blood coursing their veins, a recent skill development.
The idea that my biology is crafted to determine prey from friend is terrifying.