"Very well," he said, his voice a whisper that reverberated in the stillness. "You made a wise decision, Miss Montclair." A strange smile crossed his lips, revealing two elongated, pointed fangs, and then he bowed in greeting. As quickly as it had appeared, the smile vanished from his lips, and his face resumed its usual countenance as he walked towards me.
For a moment, I felt as if I was being suffocated by an unknown force. This commonly happened to me whenever a dark entity was nearby. The air seemed dense and heavy, weighing on my limbs and making it impossible for me to move forward.
Then, slowly, I regained my senses and managed to move. My heart hammered against my rib cage while my hands shook violently. It was no good. Even the slightest movement caused my stomach to twist painfully, as though someone was trying to squeeze something out through the hole in my gut.
I forced myself to stop shaking and focused on breathing slowly until the sensation subsided. Only then did I notice how much taller he had gotten since we'd started walking together. He was over 6 ft. now, far taller than me. A chill ran down my spine, sending shivers up my neck.
He glanced at my pale face and frowned with confusion, evidently noticing my weird reaction to his presence. His piercing gaze seemed to penetrate through my very soul, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable.
"What's wrong, Masha? Are you afraid of me?" His voice dripped with a twisted amusement that sent shivers down my spine. His eyes glinted wickedly, and I found myself wondering whether he could tell the truth behind my words. Was he aware of my fear of him?
There was something wrong with him, but I could not point it out. I tried to read his aura again, and I felt the familiar energy of darkness and blood. Perhaps he was once a dark magician who used blood magic or worked with dark beings.
"You seem to be a creature of darkness," I ventured, my words cautious yet probing. "A demon, perhaps? I don't think so; their energy is heavier. You can't be a fallen angel either; they are usually imprisoned."
Nikolai's lips curled into a wry smile, his eyes gleaming with a glint of amusement. "Perhaps, my dear, but I am most certainly not one of them. My purpose here is not one of conquest, and I do not seek power or riches. There is another reason why I am here, but you shall know it soon." The words hung in the air, pregnant with hidden meaning. He leaned forward, his face almost touching mine, his breath cool against my skin. "Oh, did you not realize that I am a vampire?
I took a step back, my heart torn between fear and fascination. The reality of his nature was both daunting and strangely alluring. "So, you're a vampire."
"We are not inherently evil, Masha," Nikolai said, his voice carrying a touch of melancholy. "Just as humans, we have our complexities, our choices. Darkness and light coexist within us."
I gave him a weak smile. Working with a vampire was never going to be easy.
*****
"And now," Victor said, giving me a dark smile, "I'm going to teach you a type of pathworking to discover your subconscious." He placed his hand on the back of my neck, and I felt an odd sensation there. He didn't seem to notice, however, that his fingers weren't warm but rather cold. I shivered. "Are you ready for that, Miss Montclair? Are you able to focus for ten minutes?"
I looked up at him from under my eyelashes. "I can try."
"Good." He nodded. "I know this is a lot to take in at first. You're not prepared. It's a bit like taking medicine. You have to be patient and make sure that it isn't too much for you to handle. Now close your eyes."
I obliged.
"You'll need to let your mind go blank. Observe your thoughts; do not try to control or remove them. And just listen to me talk for a while." His voice sounded far away. I couldn't see anything around us at all. Not even any trees or grass. Just darkness and something else. My body tingled as if it were vibrating in a bass drum.
"Now, a common misconception about this type of meditation is that we, as practitioners, would somehow become influenced by our darkest thoughts and desires," Victor explained. "This is not entirely true at all! This meditation is not some type of sorcery. It only allows us to become aware of our minds. Most people are only aware of their emotions, thus they have difficulty thinking critically. However, once we enter into a meditative state, we can see and hear things other humans cannot."
He paused for a moment as he walked slowly around me. "Magic without a will is only imagination, a fleeting daydream."
I listened carefully, and I felt him sit across me.
"Now," he continued, "if you could please listen very quietly... "
Victor began speaking in a low tone of voice, and the sounds were so soft and muffled that I could barely hear him. "As you calm down, feel yourself relax and listen more deeply. Feel every particle of your being. Your bones, your organs, your blood—everything, just relax and listen. Relax and relax."
I focused hard, feeling myself sinking deeper and deeper into the nothingness of the darkness around me. I breathed out slowly. Slowly but evenly. I was relaxed and tranquil, floating on this gentle ocean of nothingness, the way that Victor described. I listened with all my might. I heard Victor, then I realized that he'd stopped speaking and the darkness around me had completely vanished. I opened my eyes. In front of me was a young woman. We were inside a horse-drawn carriage, and it was nighttime. Victor sat across from me, and the moonlight cast shadows on his face. He wore a white mask and a robe covered in strange patterns. The same markings covered his arms and legs, except where they were black.
"Victor," I said, turning towards him in confusion. "What is happening? Why are you here?"
"Miss Montclair..." His voice became quiet and measured. "It is not good for you to be here."
"What are you talking about? Aren't we meditating?"
I thought I saw fear in his eyes. He shook his head quickly. "I am not allowed to say anything about the future, but I believe that you should leave."
"What did I do wrong?" I demanded, confused. What kind of weird thing was this? "Where on earth are we?"
Victor stood and took his mask off. He stared at me. His eyes were cold and emotionless, almost empty. "I will protect you if I can, Miss Montclair." With that, he immediately left, but I had no idea how he did that. He seemed to vanish in my vision, and it seemed normal.
The windows of the carriage were tinted, blocking out what little light there might have been outside, except for one near me which was clear. I sat alone on one side of the carriage with my knees pulled to my chest. The woman next to me wore an elegant dress with lace trimming her bodice and skirts. She also wore an elegant necklace made of golden links. Her skin seemed pale, and she wore red lipstick and gold hoop earrings. Her hair was straight and blonde, falling past her shoulders, and she wore large bangs covering her forehead. A small diamond brooch was pinned near her throat. As I watched her, she leaned forward and spoke softly to a masked man sitting beside her. Next to them were more men and women, all dressed elegantly.
The man's head moved, and I noticed that he too wore an elaborate mask like the women. Both men wore dark suits and long coats that were both expensive and well-cut. One held a large cigar while the other played absently with the ends of his mustache. They didn't look particularly dangerous. But then again, I wasn't exactly in a position to judge. All of this went through my mind in a split second before the man who was playing with the end of his mustache suddenly stood up. Without a word, he grabbed the woman's hand and kissed the back of it before leaving.
I focused harder, but it was somewhat difficult. I heard a few of their whispers.
"They would bring little children," a soft female voice said.
"I would like to have some cheese, too, for the party," another female voice said with a giggle.
"Every year, we will know who is the next sacrifice," I heard a male voice say, and I looked at the man and saw him talking to another.
"Let them sleep as they will, a beautiful, comfortable dream for humanity," the other man replied, and then they both laughed.
"Where are we?" I found myself saying.
The two men looked back at me. "You aren't supposed to be here, are you? Who are you?" the first man asked.
"Wait," his companion said, raising a hand, "aren't you a sacrifice?"
"Would you like something to drink?" the first man inquired, raising a glass of dark red wine. "This is a special one; it makes you far younger and stronger."
The other man nodded when suddenly a young woman appeared in my sight. She giggled softly when I turned to her in alarm.
"Don't worry, dear," she whispered, patting my shoulder. "The masked men won't hurt you. You've done nothing wrong." She winked.
Before I could speak, someone grabbed my hand so violently that I was forced to stand up. A tall man clad in a dark cloak appeared from my side as he held me tightly. "You should not bother her." He then signaled the driver to stop, and we went out of the carriage.
I looked up in confusion as the carriages and horses pulled away.
Victor came out of nowhere and blocked me from the man's view, putting himself between me and whoever he wanted me to run away from. The man turned to regard Victor, his expression unreadable, before looking at me.
"What the hell, Masha?" Victor said, annoyed.
"What do you mean?" I exclaimed. My heartbeat quickened. "Who is that?"
"I will explain everything," Victor said sternly, "and I hope that you don't mind listening to me. For now, though, get on." He pointed behind him to another carriage.
"Why do we need another carriage?"
"Just get on. Please."
"But..."
"Please, Miss Montclair."
I sighed heavily, walking over to get onto the carriage, glancing nervously back as I climbed onto it. Victor climbed on after me. We started moving.
"Miss Montclair?" I heard Victor say.
I looked up at him, my forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"Please come back to me," he said. That's when I opened my eyes again, and I found myself back in one of the rooms in the lodge.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Nothing. You fell asleep. For an hour. Now, eat something." Victor gave me a tray of food. I realized that I was on a soft, white bed.
I hesitated for a moment. Were those visions just my dreams? They looked too realistic. "Did I really fall asleep?"
"Yes," he said, smiling. "Go on then. I'm sure you'll be fine."