Eve took a deep breath before stepping out of the large kitchen space. Trays of mouthwatering food in tiny bowls and tall glasses of fizzy drinks that were oddly fluorescent filled her hands. Her hair was tied back in a neat french braid that pulled back any strays from her squeaky clean face.
Rows of lamps with textured glass hung from the low wooden ceiling of the hall, casting a warm glow over her head, making the white of the plain dress that she was wearing appear a soft cream. As she kept walking forward, Eve felt her resolve wavering.
She was walking into a den of predators that she knew nothing of, hoping that the knife that she had snuck from the kitchen would kill their king in one clean sweep. The hushed murmurs she had heard from the other hostages, was now getting to her.
Vampires one said, werewolves the other said. The existence of creatures that her little village was blissfully ignorant of was now haunting her every step, sending currents of fear through her veins. She was now a slave to the Nightwell Hold, the stronghold of the southern kingdom that was swarming with creatures of the night.
For the first time in years, Eve found herself muttering a prayer that had so failed to keep those at St Yvon from the fangs of the beasts that had left some drained and the others mutilated or scarred for life. With every step that she took, the sound grew louder. The beat of the drums that felt so out of place in a palace flowed smoothly with the flow of violin.
It reached out to her, slithering up her bare feet and hands, raising the hairs on her skin. Eve clenched her teeth, trying to ignore the sensation that was circling around her softer parts. The matron's warning echoed in her head.
"Keep your ears closed to the music and resist the temptation of the magic." The woman had said, looking down at the crowd of slaves garbed in white with pity. "Let's hope you all come out alive from the feast."
An enormous pair of wooden doors swung open at her arrival, a pair of soldiers garbed in purple staring the entourage of slaves up and down. Lust danced in their eyes despite the strange cushions that they wore over their ears. Eve searched for the familiar crest of the crescent on their tightly fitted coats. But there were none.
The impure ones, she thought to herself. That was another thing that the matron had warned them of. To stay away from those that did not have the crest on their coats, especially for the next few days until the feast ended. Those creatures that were not fully of the night, she said, were more prone to the drunkenness of the magic that was pushing towards the group of slaves that hesitated at the door. The lust would drive them crazy without the earmuffs that were fitted tightly against their skulls.
Eve licked her lips nervously as one of the servants called from behind angrily, asking them to keep walking. Her grip tightened around the corner of one of the trays, feeling the handle of the knife that she held underneath. Taking a deep breath she put a foot forward and another, keeping her eyes on her tray to keep her mind from wavering.
As she descended the marble stairs that were strewn with delicate rose petals, she heard someone behind her moan, the effects of the magic slowly getting to those among them. The doors shut close behind the group quickly, stranding four dozen slaves inside the enormous room filled with night creatures.
Her eyes grew wide as she paused in the middle of the stairs, staring at the sight before her. The matron's description of the event and even of the room fell short of what it was.
Huge Roman columns ran through the circular space, its polished surface taken over by vines of deep red roses that shone in the light of the few crystal lanterns that hung from the floral brackets on the pillars. Between every adjacent column were spaces separated from the rest by sheer red curtains that flowed with the wind that magically flowed through the closed space.
The huge glass dome ceiling magnified the array of stars that sparkled against the midnight sky that was surprisingly clear. A lone waxing gibbous loomed slightly towards the right from the middle of the curved ceiling, its size tripled under the shape of the glass.
The moonlight coursed through the material, sending bright rays of white light towards the black unpolished marble of the floor, casting light on the squirming bodies that hid behind curtains and those on the outside. Eve made her way through the crowd, keeping her head lowered as she paused beside each man and woman dressed lavishly in yards of silk and velvet, waiting for them to pick a glass or a bowl from her heavy tray.
While some of them were dressed in shades of blue, adorning the crescent on their necks and fingers, their jeweled bodies announcing their statuses as the king's army, there were others wearing a deep shade of red. They were busy talking and laughing amongst themselves, swaying to the rhythm of the music as they did.
She tried to ignore the hunger in their eyes, trying her best not to react against the slight brush of their hands against her skin as she moved past them.
"The goddess has blessed us for this year's feast again." She heard one of them say as she slipped away from a group of night creatures.
"We got lucky this time. The walkers are all so juicy.."
Eve tried hard to keep her breathing steady and her fear suppressed, focusing her attention on the feel of the velvety petals on the floor that rubbed softly against the soles of her bare feet with every step. She had to put in an effort to keep her eyes from wandering to the sides every time she heard a moan or a gasp.
But it was hard to ignore the screams. She watched a slave boy, one of the hostages who had arrived with them being pushed against a pillar, his long tunic torn from the sides and blood leaking from the insides of his thigh as a man in red buried his head between his legs.
Eve looked away, only to find another slave, one among the older slaves loosening the buttons of her dress, baring her small breasts to a woman in red, throwing her head back in pleasure as the vampire sank her teeth into her upright nipples.
The metallic scent of blood was fast overpowering the sweet smell of roses and perfume. The sound of the drums echoing through the room was slowly overpowering the resolve that most of them had when they had left the kitchen with the serving trays with the matron's strict instructions.
It was then that Eve understood the meaning behind the woman's words. 'Let's see if you survive the night..'
A shiver ran down her spine as another scream pierced through the magnetic rhythm of the heady music.
"Get a hold on yourself Eve." She whispered, trying to block out the sounds around her.
Eve shook her head. That's right. She had to stay strong if she wanted to get her revenge. She would force him to shift first before driving the knife into his heart. That was the plan. She would make sure that he would die a miserable death in the same form he should have died twelve years back- a beast with no soul.
Noticing a group of gray-clad women hurriedly walking past her, Eve set her tray down behind the corner of a pillar, ignoring the cries of pleasure that came from inside the curtained cubicle in front of her. She quietly rose, sticking to the shadows as she followed the servants, holding her knife tightly while hiding it within the folds of her dress.
The moment the servants slipped inside the heavily draped black curtains with trays of sparkling jewels, she knew that she had reached the right place. The royal crest embroidered on the drapes left no room for doubt. Eve waited for the women to come out before she slipped into the cubicle. But nothing prepared her for the sight inside.