“You all look perfect,” I said.
“Put this on,” Cathy said, handing me a suit and a some other clothes.
When I emerged from the bathroom, I was wearing a black suit, a white dress shirt, and a black tie.
“You look great,” Cathy said.
“Thank you,” I said.
I walked to my bag and found my dagger. I tried to find a place to hide it.
“They won't let you carry that in there,” Cathy said. “The seer at the door will notice it immediately.”
“No weapons allowed,” Meg said.
I decided that I was going to test that theory.
“I'll block the seer,” I said. “I blocked the witch's probe of my mind, and I'll stop the seer from detecting the blade.”
I put the dagger in a sheath and strapped it to my leg.
“Now, just be careful,” Meg said to all of us. “We don't know what's going to happen tonight. Be on guard at all times. Also, try to stick close together. Stay in sight of each other as much as possible.”
We exited the suite and Cathy wrapped her arm around mine.
“This is our first dance together,” she whispered to me.
“There’s only one problem,” I said.
“What's that?” she asked.
“I don't know how to dance,” I said.
“Have you ever been to a dance?” she asked.
“Does foot fellowship at a college and singles church social count?” I asked.
“What kind of dancing did you do?” she asked.
I told her about how we all tried to go ‘as low as we could go’ and she laughed.
“I'll show you how to dance,” she said.
The five of us walked towards the ballroom, and I saw the line. About a hundred or more vampires and other creatures – most of them couples – had formed a line. One by one, the individuals or couples were allowed to enter. Upon walking into the ballroom, their name was announced to everyone inside.
“Lady Ezra Martin,” I heard the announcer say.
“Mr. and Mrs. Menendez,” I heard him say, as a couple were allowed inside.
“Is there anything different about this dance that I should know about?” I asked Sarah.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, the restaurant you took me to was unique, to say the least,” I said. “Is there anything I should be aware about when it comes to this dance?”
“Well, you'll see,” she said.
Her words didn’t reassure me.
Lizzie ushered Cathy and me ahead of her, and we were the first of our group to enter the large, ornate room.
“Mr. Elias Smith, and his betrothed, Catherine Marie Pearl,” the announcer called out.
As we walked forward, I was stunned by my surroundings. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and an illuminated water fountain filled the center of the room. Ribbons and strings of lights were stretched from wall to wall. In every corner, I could see large buffet tables filled with food.
We walked towards one of the buffet tables, and I saw what looked like small beef fillets with melted cheese. I took one, popped it in my mouth, and savored the amazing taste. Cathy did the same, and we watched as our family members walked towards another buffet.
In the far end of the room, I could see an elevated platform covered with men and women holding musical instruments ready to play.
Looking around the room, I saw women wearing a wide array of dresses. Some of the dresses were conservative and looked classical. Others were low cut, revealing, and looked rather trashy. A few, like Cathy's, looked perfect.
In the distance, I saw the three witches. They were socializing with a number of people at another buffet. Rebecca looked at me and winked.
I then heard the announcer speak.
“Her supreme beauty, Ms. Agatha,” he said.
Sarah's grandmother then walked into the room.
The announcer paused, and he spoke again.
“Her royal highness, empress of the State of Georgia, Emma Kate Sky,” he said.
The empress emerged and walked towards the center of the room. All chatter in the room ceased as she prepared to address the crowd.
“I’d like to thank all of you for attending tonight,” she said. “As all of you know, it’s an honor and a privilege to be a vampire. Tonight is the event that celebrates what it means to be a creature of the night and walk like gods among the humans. I hope that each of you’ll enjoy this evening as much as I will.”
I then heard a loud mechanical sound. The roof of the ballroom began to open, revealing the stars above.
“As our tradition, we will start this festival by sending a signal to the beings who gave us our great power,” she said. “If we’re fortunate, they may join us.”
“I’d like to ask a special guest of mine to do the honors,” she said. “He’s more than just a vampire. He’s part griffin, and I want all of you to meet him.”
“Please come here, Eli,” she called out to me.
I walked up to her, and stood beside her next to the huge fountain.
“You’re an honored guest,” she said to me. “I'm so glad you’re here with us.”
The empress motioned towards the announcer.
“Henry Patterson, bearer of the artifact,” he called out.
My mind raced. I hoped that this Henry was not Albert's father.
The door opened, and my eyes widened. It was him. He was carrying a large object that looked something like a cross between a telescope and a gun.
“How can you let him in here?” I whispered to the empress. “You know what he did.”
She turned and smiled at me. “He’s a good friend – our families have always been close.”
I shuddered, realizing why we had been warned about the empress.
“It’s time for the device to be activated,” she said to the crowd. “Once again, it will send a signal that will travel across the galaxy. We can only hope our makers will respond.”
I wasn’t sure what to do, but Henry quickly placed the device in my hands.
“Point it up and place your hand on the display panel,” he said.
The empress nodded.
I didn't know whether to attack him or flee from the room. Looking ahead of me, I saw my family members pushing through the crowd to get closer. Meg’s eyes locked onto mine, and she nodded her head. I pointed at the device, and she nodded again.
I pointed the long, skinny end of the metallic device into the air while Henry continued to stare at me. Placing my hand on the panel, I saw lights start to flash on the device. A display started showing a series of odd symbols I couldn’t read and the machine started to make a humming sound.
On the display, I saw an image appear. It was a figure of a griffin – much like the creature that abducted my ancestor.
In a flash, a beam of light shot into the air. At first it was white light, but it then changed color to yellow, green, and then blue.
The empress looked shocked.
“It's never done that before,” she uttered.
For some unknown reason, I felt a desire to transform.
I raised my power level, and I morphed into my hybrid form. Immediately, the device started to beep and an indicator on the display flashed. The beam intensified and a massive, laser like blast of energy flooded the sky.
An instant later, the device went dead. All the lights went dim, and the beam cut off. There were gasps of shock from the assembled guests. Apparently that was not supposed to happen.
“What are you doing? How did you do that?” the empress asked, shocked. “You’ve ruined the ceremony!”
“I don't know,” I said.
Henry grabbed the device from me and handed it to another vampire.
“I knew it – you are here to sabotage this whole event. You have disrespected the empress in front of this very important gathering. I bet your queen is behind this somehow – no way will she be ordained now!”
“They’re all traitors!” Henry shouted to the audience. Then he turned to me.
“I hear you have your little lady with you. You know, I'm going to have a good time with her for killing Clint. Maybe I'll just take her to my room tonight and have my way with her. Do I have your permission to do so, majesty?” he asked, looking at the empress.
“Do as you please,” she said.
I began to reach for my dagger when a bright light appeared in the sky. A large, disc shaped craft started to descend downwards. Several of the guests ran in terror, but many others remained and looked up in awe.
Henry looked up at the craft, and I took the opportunity to claw his neck. He stepped backwards, touched his neck, and then rushed towards me. I focused my power and slowed down time. As he reached to grab me, I reached down, pulled out my dagger, and stabbed him in the chest.
Before I could pull the dagger out, the empress had her hand around my throat. She had transformed, and her claws were cutting into my skin.
“You dare commit an act of violence in my home?” she scolded.
I raised my power level further, and I pulled the knife out of Henry's chest. He fell backwards onto the floor. When I attempted to stab the empress, she grabbed my wrist with her other hand.
“You fool,” she said. “You can't hurt me.”
“If he can't I sure can,” I heard a voice say from behind her.
I then saw Cathy smash a basketball sized rock over her head. I remembered that it had been sitting near the fountain. The large stone turned to dust, and the empress released her grip on my throat.
She turned towards Cathy, and I saw Lizzie rush towards her. However, in a split second, she was suddenly gone.
“Where did she go?” I asked.
I looked around the room, and I didn't see her anywhere.
The large craft that hovered above us started to move away.
Looking down, I saw Henry try to get to his feet. I picked up my knife and attempted to stab him when I felt a fist smash into my face. I was knocked backwards into the fountain.
The empress was standing over me. I saw Sarah rush to grab her, but she disappeared again. She was playing games with us.
Meg finally appeared and pulled me out of the fountain.
“I need you to focus,” Meg told me. “Remember the training we did in the mountains. You can't beat her with strength; you have to be faster than she is.”
I then saw Henry grab Cathy. He was bleeding badly, but somehow he was strong enough to prevent her from breaking free. In an instant, he transformed and his eyes turned black.
“Come one inch closer and I'll snap her neck,” he said.
My blood began to boil. I raised my power level even higher, and a wind started to blow in the room.
Before I could slow down time, I felt another impact. A claw sliced into my back.
I turned around, and I felt another claw rip across my face.
Falling backwards, I saw Meg suddenly appear out of nowhere. She had her hand around the neck of the empress.
“Go help Cathy!” she shouted.
I turned, looked towards Lizzie, and saw her suddenly fly backwards into a wall.
“Lizzie!” I called out.
I then heard an evil laugh.
“Your girlfriend is so cute,” Henry said. “I wonder what she looks like underneath this pretty dress of hers.”
“No!” I screamed, summoning more power. With my mind, I extended a bubble across the room to slow down time.
Once again, I picked up my blade and rushed towards Henry. I swung the dagger and it sliced into his throat.
Cathy broke free, turned around, and started attacking him. As blood poured out of his neck, she took her claws and plunged them into his eye sockets. He screamed, but Cathy showed him no mercy. She continued to rip apart his face.
I turned around and saw that Meg was fighting the empress. Since I was slowing down time, the two of them appeared to move at normal speed. They were trading blows and slamming each other against the walls of the room. I watched as Meg dodged a blow, and kicked in the knee of the empress. The bone cracked as her joint caved in.
Several of the empress’s guards rushed towards Meg.
“Take the dagger,” I called out to Meg, tossing it in her direction. She caught it by the hilt.
Immediately, she began slashing and hacking the oncoming guards. One by one, she took them out – decapitated heads began to roll on the floor.
I looked for Sarah, and in the distance I saw her fighting her grandmother who was pounding her body into a wall. In an instant, I appeared next to her grandmother, grabbed her head, and shoved it down into my knee. Blood started to pour out of her nose, and I slammed her head into the wall.
“I'll take it from here,” Sarah said.
I rushed back towards Cathy. She was covered in Henry's blood.
Suddenly, I heard a series of explosions. A moment later, I saw Demetrius and two other men enter the ballroom all wearing brown robes.
“Get your people behind me,” he called out. “Hurry.”
I looked around the room and saw that all my family members were in battle. Cathy was ripping apart Henry, Meg was fighting the royal guards, Sarah was battling her grandmother, and Lizzie was trading blows with the hobbled empress.
Demetrius held out his hand, and I knew what he was going to do.
I ran towards Cathy and lifted her off the floor.
“We have to move,” I told her.
I raced to get behind Demetrius.
“Get over here now,” I shouted. “Lizzie! Meg! Sarah! Get over here!”
Each of them began to make their way across the room.
A few moments later, we were all behind Demetrius and the other two men. They held their hands up, their sigils began to glow, and a red light filled the room. It illuminated the empress, Agatha, and the bloody remains of Henry.
As they chanted, the light became brighter. Several seconds later, they stopped. The three men pulled out swords, rushed towards the empress, and began to slash into her. I could see a pool of blood form around her limp body. With a final blow, they cut off her head.
Sarah then rushed to her grandmother who was trying to crawl out of the room. I followed her and remained by her side as she began to speak.
“I'll let you live,” she told Agatha. “But you have to promise that we can be a family again. You have to promise that we can put the past behind us.”
“I can never forgive you,” her grandmother said. “I'd rather rot in hell than forgive the harlot that murdered my daughter.”
“Will you at least promise to leave me alone?” Sarah said. “Will you stay away from my friends and my family?”
“I won't promise you anything,” she said, before spitting in Sarah's direction.
Sarah leaned down and kissed her grandmother on the forehead.
“I'm sorry,” she said. “I love you.”
I saw a look of anger on her grandmother's face as we walked away. The three men in robes then rushed on her and began to slash her with their swords. We heard screams, and then we heard nothing.
“We’re done here,” I heard Demetrius say. He and his men quickly fled the room.
I took a look at my family members. They had all sustained injuries of one form or another. Looking back towards the room, all I could see was giant smears of blood and around a dozen bodies on the floor.
“What do we do now?” I asked Meg.
“We do what we came here to do,” she said. “We make sure Sarah is ordained.”
Chapter 14
We walked out of the ballroom and headed towards the dead empress’s throne room. On the way there, we saw a number of vampires running up and down the halls – the mansion was in chaos. In the throne room we pulled up chairs and sat facing the door.
We sat alone for a long time not sure what we were waiting for. Finally the door opened and a short woman with brown hair walked in. She was escorted by a dozen other
vampires.
“All bow before Dawn Mistletoe, the new Empress of Atlanta!” cried one of the vampires
I watched as the woman stepped up to the throne and stood in front of it. I looked at Sarah and she bowed before the woman; the rest of us followed suit.
Golden Hue (Ascension) Page 14
