Sousa was a beautiful vampire, too bad she had such a bitchy attitude and a loose mouth. Of course it was too early to judge her character, she might just be his way because of her history with Asha. And I was sure it was not a pretty one, due to a number of reasons.
Apart from the obvious staring daggers at each other situation they were currently engaged in, Sousa is the leader or at least one of the leaders of the Zekeri bloodline coven. A coven which Asha was a former member of. And I'm sure there's more, but I have no idea what that was.
"Is there anyway I can get you to ditch little Ms. Curse Everything In Sight, and escorts me to the banquet instead. I'll be sure to make it worth your while Lord Kael." Sousa said to me as she rubbed her palm on my forearm.
Was it just me or did the temperature drop a few hundred degrees, but it was also weird that I was sweating too. I placed my other hand on top of Sousa's palm, and patted it a bit before turning round to look at Asha and speaking loud enough for both women and whoever care to listen to hear.
"While I'm sure escorting you to the banquet would be an invigorating experience, I can't very well ditch my blue sun for someone I just met. Apart from the fact that my wife would curse me for quite a while, I don't have it in me to hurt the women I care about. So please forgive me Elder Sousa, but I have to decline your gracious invitation. I'm attending the banquet with my wife, who is also the first Lady of the Cor family. It would be suicide to offend a noble who happens to be the woman I love and, would give my life for."
I felt Sousa's grip tighten, looks like she doesn't handle rejection well. However she still had a bright smile on her face even though I could catch a flash of anger, frustration and was that sadness in her gaze.
I was getting quite used too reading people's expression, and while Sousa was quite schooled in the art of controlling her emotions and facial expressions, I'm a vampire with the ability to experience the world in slow motion, catching her expressions was easy.
"However lady Sousa if you don't mind me shamelessly asking, would you find yourself available to accompany me and my wife to this banquet today, I would really like to know why you two want to tear out each other's throat. Also I believe we have quite a lot to discuss."
"Seriously!"
"What!"
Both Sousa and Asha spoke out loud in surprise. I'm pretty sure Asha would chew me out the moment we're alone, she hates this woman, and no doubt want to stay far away from her, and I'm sure the feeling was mutual.
Now here I was trying to get both enemies to accompany each other for a whole night or God knows how long this party would last. This was a recipe for disaster, and I was the idiot brewing it.
"You have a real talent for politics Lord Kael, and you're very direct. I like that in a man, I find it....Arousing." Sousa said to me
"Well he's not your man is he? Back Off!"
"You're right he's not, well not yet anyway. But I would love to accompany you both for the night, though it would be more you than her, I look forward to getting to know you." Sousa answered Asha and me. Then she turned to the still bowing messenger and said.
"I think it's about time you announce us errand boy."
After a few erratic bowing, he ran up a set of stairs and past the open double doors at the front of the tower. I grabbed Asha's hands and ascended the steps, making our way into the tower properly.
There were quite a few number of steps that kept on going up until we came out at the top of an arena of sorts, where we standing could be considered the viewing stands, since the seats were carved out of the tower itself. Once we got there, I heard the messenger shouting loudly.
"Introducing Lord Kael of house Cor, and Lord of the blue district. Lady Asha Ysmir Leona Cor, First lady of the house Cor. Elder of the blue district. And accompanied by her excellency, Lady Sousa Seteria Zekeri, first elder of the Zekeri bloodline coven, and grand elder of the vampire council!"
A number of things happened after we were introduced, and chief among them was the fact that the music stopped, and it stopped long enough for me to hear multiple people spit out the drinks in their mouth in surprise. I was surprised to say the least, and it left me feeling a little out of place for a while, but that was it.
We're finally here, and I realize that I'm not as nervous as I expected, as if his was nothing mew to me, and it was something I knew how to deal with. I didn't feel as pressured as I thought I would be.
"Now that's what I call an entrance. Come along let's go meet the rest of this rabble of bloodsuckers."
Sousa said to me as she made her way down into the well decorated arena below. I turned towards Asha, and all she did was shrug her shoulder.
She looked like she really didn't want to be here, and I could understand her sentiment, she was public enemy number 1 after the stunt she pulled of the last time she was here, and I was enemy number 2 by virtue of association.
The party looked really lively, there were dinner tables placed at the edge of the arena, and the center of it was cleared as a dancefloor that had quite a significant amount of vampires on it, vampires that were now staring at me.
We made our way down, with a nonchalant almost arrogant gait. And it was not as if I was trying to do this on purpose, it just came to me naturally. Lost memories or not, it seems I never lost the disposition of a noble.
When we got down to the arena proper and had to locate a table for ourselves, a sickly looking young man, who looked no older than twenty five or eight, was led towards me. He was being helped by quite a group of vampires who were most probably his retainers considering they were all wearing white.
They had to be from a bloodline Coven, though I'm not sure which one. When he got close enough to me, I saw that his clothes were not the only thing that was white, his hair was also white, and his eyes were a shade of silver that gave me a chill.
Then something even more shocking happened as this sickly looking vampire fell to his knees in front of me. The silence that descended this time was beyond awkward, it was stifling and thick.
"My name is Malek Furioso Ur'julai Ausolon. Grand Elder of the vampire council, and head elder of the Ausolon bloodline Coven. I hand over my fate, and the fate of my family, our oath of service we deliver unto you, till the end of our days, or until you so choose to set us free. We willingly choose to serve you, through rain and sunshine, through death and life, till the world fades to darkness. This is our Ébó, our oath and our creed. Now please tell the weaver serving you to free us from this curse, so that I can live, so that my brothers and my children can live, I beg you."
I was touched. I knew this was what I came here for, and it was completely unexpected that what I came for would just fall on my lap without me doing much, but I understood this man in front of me. It was obvious he was dying, and the seal around his neck was the cause for it.
I looked up to see each and every single never of his entourage kneeling too, in fact every member of the Ausolon bloodline Coven were giving this oath to me, a rather unanimous decision.
If their leader was going to serve, then they were also going to serve. It was loyalty the likes which I've not seen amongst the vampires since I came to the pit. Granted I've not mingled with them a lot, but still it was commendable. I looked at Gus for a moment, and listened to his voice in my head.
[[He's sincere, they all are. But most of all he's afraid, it seems each of the bloodline Covens have a special kind of seal given to them when they're born. This seal won't let them live past a certain age once they become elders, and it also dulls their minds, slowly driving them into insanity until their own families are forced to out them down like common animals. He's afraid of you, afraid that you would bring destruction and death to his family, afraid that the vampire race might come to an end because of your meddling in the affairs of the pit. But he's willing to trust you, because ironically he believes in you, and what you've stood for. His heart and mind are at war with himself, but he's left with no choice, this is as much for him, as it is for his family. They just want control over their own fate and destinies.]]
Gus's words shook me, it toe me exactly what I wanted to know about this man and the kind of person he is. He was putting his family first, even at the cost of his own reputation. After he was bowing to me, and elder bowing to a simple blood child, a vampire not even a bit close to his own rank of elder.
He took all of his pride and threw it away. He was honest, he placed emphasis on his family before anything. And while that might be dangerous, it might be to my advantage if his family becomes my family too, if he see's his family as a part of the Cor family rather than just a subsidiary of it.
I would have to work towards that though, and it won't be easy since it won't work from just my effort alone, but from the effort of every vampire under me. I walked towards him, then helped him up, making sure to dust the smidge of dust on his pants. I straightened his coat and looked at his piercing silver eyes, making sure his weight was resting on my shoulder as he was extremely weak.
"I feel you pain, I see it, and I understand. It must have taken a lot out of you for you to come here and do this, not too mention putting your pride and reputation on the line. You might not believe me, but I felt the same way you do now, weak, helpless and incapable of fighting much less changing my own fate. It was hell in and out of itself, and the worst part was I couldn't die, it was killing me, but I couldn't die. I just watched as life slowly whittled away at my sanity and happiness. I can't make any promises about changing your destinies, but what I can do, is give you a chance to fight against your fates, and grow stronger to fight for your freedom. I accept you oath, and from this moment on the Ausolon bloodline is now a part of the Cor family bloodline. Not as servants, or soldiers, but as brothers, as family. Which is why I'm telling you my brother Malek, in four hours, I'll set you free."
I looked at him, trying hard not to shift my gaze from those intimidating and wise looking silver eyes. I have gotten one out of the bloodline Covens to serve me, and it was done without doing or promising anything. Of course granted they were desperate, but it still counted as a victory, now there was five more to go.
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(( the Authors Note won't allow more than 500 characters, so I had to write this here. Special thanks to Ege/Amaranth for supporting me on patreon. Sorry for not doing this sooner. You're amazing.))