She walked along the short hallway into the main room. She felt calm at the sight of the old familiar frescos. Why, she’d even seen some of them painted. She walked to the podium and placed her hands on the top of it. In front of her seated at the semicircular table were twelve Order members. One was missing-- her son, Stuart. But she knew he wasn’t going to be there. She hadn’t seen him in over fifty years. And that didn’t seem likely to change.
The members stood and bowed. Speaker Tallus stood, his long white hair sparkling in the candlelight. He was wearing robes that were so purple that the only description that gave the robes justice was to describe them as a deep, dark amethyst. A nod her to position. “Your Majesty,” he said.
She nodded at him and smiled. “You all may sit. Hopefully, we will not be here long today.” She paused. “You know that I do not come here unless something has gotten so out of hand that it can no longer be ignored.”
The Order nodded.
“We have a grave situation. The boy, who at this point cannot be denied as the reincarnation of King Mathias of Myrddin, has created, although inadvertently, a serious problem for me. With prompting from Tepes, he showed one of my loyal subjects, images of a time we all know about and wish to forget. Now, Nicolai Karsavin has spread the information around the court like a cancer. I have heard from my son that members of court are calling for my head.”
The Order gasped.
“So, I came up with the idea of testing young Mathias to see his worthiness to join our ranks. I remembered the old law, and thought it would suit our purposes grandly. Because he was crossed without my or your express permission, the boy is subject to testing because of our laws. If he lives, the vampire world will see how gracious we are and willing to try to remedy old mistakes. If he dies, well, then they will be reminded of my wrath.”
Speaker Tallus coughed; his was the seat exactly in the center of the semi-circle. “Your Majesty, if they are already calling for your head, are you sure that this is wise?”
The Queen’s eyes began to glow, ever so softly. “It is my only recourse at this juncture.”
Speaker Tallus nodded slowly. “And you plan to test the boy yourself?”
“Yes, I do.”
Speaker Tallus looked around the Order. “Well, I’m not sure why you have come to us, my lady. Our advice would be to welcome young Mathias into the fray and try to befriend the boy and show your subjects that you have changed.”
“Trust me; that will not work.”
“We cannot stop you; you are our Queen and thus outrank us. We can only advise. I believe that if you are sure about this test that you should speak with your family first. I do not think young Master Stuart would like this idea very much.”
The Queen’s eyes turned red. “What my family does and does not think is of no concern of yours!”
Speaker Tallus paused.
She stared at him and broke through the barrier he’d created in his mind. She caught one thought: The Queen has really had lost her grip on reality, just as Nosferatu said.
“Very well, my lady,” Speaker Tallus said. “Let us know when the testing will be held, and we will make sure that the room is ready.”
“Thank you for your support, Speaker Tallus.” She gathered her things and stormed out of the room, the iron door slamming behind her. She pricked her ears and waited. She wanted to hear what they were going to say.
“Well, I believe we shall have to notify Nosferatu that he can take any measure that he wishes in order to protect young Mathias.” Speaker Tallus said.
“Should we tell Stuart?” another Order member asked.
“It would be nice to, but I have no idea where he is. He said something about exploring the Amazon. I don’t even know what he will be back.”
“Well then, that is all that we can do. Let’s let Nosferatu know immediately,” another said.
Lilith ground her teeth and walked in the direction of her chambers. “After Mathias, I’ll get them all.”
* * * * *
Lilith waved her hand and righted the furniture she’d destroyed after coming back from the meeting with the Order. Calmly, she walked over to her favorite chair and sat, allowing the velveteen smoothness to engulf her body and leech away the stress of the day. Ever so slightly, the index finger of her left hand began to tap against the arm of the chair.
She knew that as Queen, she had to uphold the laws of the kingdom, but her own misguided opinions made her morality faulty. Before Mathias met her son, she’d been a great ruler, kind but stern. Her people were her largest concern, second only to her son. Then, he’d come back with all of his glory and wiles. He distracted her son and distracted her as well. And when Lestan provided his lie, it provided the vehicle for her to take over the entire vampire world.
When Mathias’ soul was gone from the earth, Myrddin lands were conquered and the vampire world united. Since the return, her life was once again upside down. She could think of nothing but of destroying Mathias, and because of that, her kingdom suffered. Because of Nosferatu’s demands, the child Mathias must be destroyed at all costs.
She supposed that she had given her side of the matter much too descriptively to Nosferatu. There was no way that she could make him believe in her innocence. And then there was the matter of the court, and what to do about those who thought ill of her.
“They can die,” she said. “How dare they speak ill of their Queen. There will always be more subjects, and if I lose this lot, I can always make more.”
She rose from her chair and walked over to her corner desk, removed a piece of parchment from its place and set it exactly in the center of the desk. She gently lowered herself into the desk chair, located her favorite pen, and bit into her finger so that she could use her blood as ink. She dipped the nib into the drop of blood on her finger and pressed it to the parchment.
On the first day of the month of April, it has been decreed that Mathias Drvar must submit to The Order of the Dragon for testing to prove his worthiness to the vampire world and the lands of Lilitu. If the subject is found unworthy, the law of Les Morts will be applied in accordance with the laws of The Order of the Dragon. If the subject does not appear for testing, the test will be considered failed and the subject will be left to face the bowels of the beast.
Time of Testing: 7:00 pm 1st day of April.
Judge: Lilith, Queen of Lilitu and respective lands.
Place: The Ring of Immortality.
Lilith grinned as she slowly folded the parchment. She knew that Nosferatu fully understood the rules of the test. She could only hope that the notification would inspire the fear that she wanted.
* * * * *
Nosferatu swirled the wine in his glass. Being with Vlad was comfortable, and that was what he needed right now. “You know, I do believe that this is the finest Merlot I’ve tasted in recent years.”
Vlad laughed. “You do realize that the wine you are drinking is a cheap fruit flavored infusion available in American supermarkets?”
Nossy grinned. “I never said I had taste.”
“Be that as it may, I do believe that we have other things to worry about.”
Nossy grunted. That was certainly true. His mother wanted Mathias dead, and when she discovered his betrayal, he’d be next on the list. “I got the word from the Order today. Apparently Mother came to see them, and showed them exactly what I was trying to tell them. They’ve given me permission to do whatever needs to be done.”
“Even if it means killing her?”
“Even that.” That talk hadn’t been easy, but after they had seen the insanity for themselves, they decided that Nossy was right. It was about time.
Vlad’s shoulders slumped. “Is her pride that great, or is she just that self-absorbed?”
“Given what my childhood was like, I vote for self-absorbed.”
Vlad nodded. “So what are we going to do?”
“If she’s going to try to kill him, that means that one of us is going to h
ave to take her out,” Nossy said as he reached across the table to pour himself another glass of wine.
“Is that the only way?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll do it.” He couldn’t expect anyone else to do the dirty work for him. It was his mother after all.
Vlad loosened his tie. “How?”
Nossy smiled. “I had considered an angry wildebeest in her toilet.”
Vlad stared.
He wished he could make all of this a joke. Have his mother stand up; give Mathias a cookie, and say, “Just kidding!” But that was never going to happen. “Kidding aside. I know what I’m going to do. I think it best that I not talk about it anymore.”
“So now what?” Vlad asked.
“Let’s see what her next move is first. I’ll come up with a plan then.”
* * * * *
Mathias got himself ready for bed. He could sense some type of tension in the air. Nosferatu had been spending more and more time away from his chambers when he wasn’t training Mathias. It wasn’t that he felt neglected, in fact he welcomed some time to himself. But the staying away wasn’t like the Nosferatu he knew. In fact, all the vampires he’d been in contact with seemed to not want to leave him alone by himself. Something was definitely going on, he just didn’t know what.
He crawled into bed. Hopefully tomorrow would be a bit more normal.
* * * * *
Nosferatu held his head. He’d woken up only minutes before to find an official note slipped underneath the main door to the chamber. He walked over to it, and gently picked it up, almost as if it were a poisonous snake about to bite. He recognized his mother’s handwriting. Dread crept down his spine. The paper was cream colored parchment, and Nossy could smell his mother’s blood emanating from it. He opened the note by slipping his claw underneath the wax seal. The note unfolded slowly.
He read the note in moments and had to keep himself calm. While he had spoken to the Order about his fears, he’d held onto a small amount of hope. He truly wanted his mother not to be the person she was. But she’d decided her course long ago and there was nothing that he could do to save her.
He pulled his mobile out of his pocket and dialed.
“Stuart? I hate to call you when I know you are busy, but we have a really big problem.”
Nossy paused.
“It’s Mother. She’s going to try to kill Mathias again.”
Screaming and shouts could be heard from the phone.
“I’ll be expecting you then? Good. Come as quickly as possible.”
Nossy closed his phone and placed the note in his pocket. It was time to get things ready. He quickly jotted down a note for Mathias and left his chambers.
* * * * *
Nossy flew through the halls, not caring about the rules about no flying in the hallways. His mother hadn’t left them much time.
When he reached Vlad’s door, he didn’t even bother to knock. He simply opened the door himself with a flick of a claw and landed gracefully in the cushy chair near the breakfast table.
Nossy tossed the note on the table. It landed in the middle of Vlad’s scrambled eggs. Egg flew through the air and settled itself all over Vlad.
“Damnit Nossy!” Vlad said as he wiped wayward egg from his shirt.
“Just read it.”
Vlad picked up the note and read it. “The test is April first.”
“Yes. Isn’t my mother grand? She’s given us two weeks. I would kill her now if I could.” Nossy speared a piece of cantaloupe from Vlad’s plate with his claw and popped it into his mouth.
“I imagine that’s what she expects,” Vlad stroked his chin. “Are we so sure that she plans to stop with Mathias?”
“Knowing her, anything is possible.”
Vlad nodded.
“I called Stuart.”
Vlad’s eyes grew wide. “He actually answered his phone?”
“He said he felt like something was wrong. Needless to say, once he heard what I was calling about... well... let’s just say that he could give Mathias a lesson in expletives.”
Vlad chuckled. “I’m not surprised. So when’s he coming?”
“He should be here any time. He wants to help.”
“Good.”
* * * * *
Mathias felt as if he was going to die. His arms hurt, his legs hurt, even his hair hurt. He was woken by Nosferatu that morning with a glass of water thrown into his face-- which didn’t make him exactly happy. But he was used to the creature doing bizarre shit. And on top of all of it, Nosferatu had upped his training to a level he wasn’t sure he would survive.
Suddenly, Mathias fell from the tree he’d been climbing. He knew better than to think while he was trying to train. He began to fall backwards, the bark scraping at the skin of his back. Suddenly, his wings burst forth from his back and he took to flight, landing gracefully in the center of the training clearing. The clearing was the same place where he’d learned to break the boards, but the apparatus was gone. It had simply been taken away. Who knew if he’d see it again?
“That was definitely something to watch.” Nosferatu said, smiling.
“Well it’s not like I meant to. I mean, goddamn I’m tired. I’ve never worked this hard in my life.” Mathias mopped the sweat from his face with a sleeve.
“But look at what you’ve just done.” Nosferatu motioned to the tree.
He looked up at the tree. There wasn’t anything unusual about it. “What do you mean?”
Nosferatu flashed his fangs, grinning so widely that Mathias could practically see every tooth in his head. “I would have to say that this is the first time I’ve ever see a young vampire fly and not know it.”
“It’s not that I didn’t know I flew; it’s that I didn’t plan on doing it.” What was the big deal?
“That, Mathias, is what they call instinct.” Nosferatu waved him over to a log. “Come. Sit. There are some things that we need to discuss.”
Mathias saw a flash of anger pass by Nosferatu’s eyes. The news definitely wasn’t good. He sat down on the log and waited.
Nosferatu cleared his throat. “It’s begun.”
He felt like a heavy weight suddenly resided in his gut. “What’s begun?”
“Lilith, she’s made her move. Your test is to be the first of April. That’s about two weeks away.”
Mathias closed his eyes. She really did want him dead. He’d been hoping she would change her mind, but apparently, she hadn’t. “That bitch. Why can’t she just leave me alone? I mean Jesus Christ! Isn’t it enough she tortured me until all I could do was die?”
“You know, Mathias. The crazy thing about that whole mess is that if you would have managed to come to one of us, you could have been saved. It would have taken time, but we could have done it.”
He was talking about the past again. Mathias wanted Nossy to see him as he was now, not continuously dwell. “How was I to know who I could trust? I mean, Lestan ran when he saw me- why wouldn’t the rest of you do the same?”
“Because Mathias,” Nossy took a deep breath. “Most of us are not cowards like Lestan was, but I can see why you would think that way after she broke you. I just wish Stuart could have told us you were there. He was just too young.”
Mathias smiled. He loved Stuart. “And I swore him to secrecy.”
“You did what?”
“What did you expect me to do?”
Nossy scratched his head. “Would you like to see him?”
“Who?”
“Stuart.”
He was still alive? Mathias had never thought about it. It seemed that once he died he would never see Stuart again. But now, here was his chance. “Where is he?”
Nossy smiled. “He’s on his way. He started out as soon as I told him what was happening.”
“And what does he say?”
Nossy’s eyes grew dark. “He wants her to die.”
* * * * *
Stuart landed in the spot he always landed when he came to serve the Orde
r- Mathias’ grave. It felt odd. He could feel Mathias’ heartbeat coming from the school. Part of him felt whole again.
Stuart wiped his tousled brown hair out of his eyes, allowed his wings to settle around him, and walked toward the castle. Once he reached the main entrance, he took a deep breath.
“Vlad Tepes! Get down here!”
Soon, Vlad was rushing down the stairs. “My god, Stuart. Do you want the ears of everyone in here to bleed?”
Stuart smiled. “No, just my mother’s. So where is he?”
“He’s with Nossy. Training.”
* * * * *
“So what do I need to do?” Mathias asked.
Nossy tossed Mathias a wooden sword. “You need to know sword-play. That’s Lilith’s favorite fighting method.”
The sword was made of oak and looked exactly like a fifteenth-century Hungarian sword. The pommel looked like it was a thickened coin, the grip was covered in brown leather lace, and the guard was simple slightly curved rod. Mathias shook himself and tried not to concentrate on how he knew what a fifteenth-century Hungarian sword looked like. Mathias tossed the sword back and forth between his hands. “Why are we starting with this?”
“Until you know what you are doing, I would feel better you using something that you won’t chop your own foot off with.”
Mathias rolled his eyes.
Nosferatu ignored him and blinked a sword of his own into his hand. “I am going to teach you what I hope will help you survive this. My mother originally fought in the Roman style, but switched to iai-do because she felt it was more versatile.”
“What’s that?” Mathias asked.
“Basically, the ability to fight and attack with a sword while crouching, sitting, reclining, standing, or walking. Every angle is mastered- left, right, front, or rear. All of this is mastered in darkness and in light.”