The Belladonna Palace

The palace didn't look large, but Ayrie soon learned that was because most of it was built underground. As soon as they entered the great double doors,, Lauden ordered the servants to show the newcomers to their rooms, then told Ayrie he would see them at dinner. Ayre's heart sank as the small servant led the three men down a dim, dank stairwell that seemed to go on forever. He refused to look at Ote, afraid he'd see his own horror reflected on his friend's face. Lyles walked a few steps behind them, his heavier footfalls echoing on the stone floor and walls.

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The first thing Ayrie noticed upon entering his room was that his trunk had arrived and was already unpacked. The second was outer appearance of the servant, whom Ayrie had not been able to examine until that moment.

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He was an odd-looking creature—half Ayrie's height, humanoid, with arms disproportionately long for his stature. His shock of bristly-looking dark hair stood out all over his bulbous head and his glassy amber eyes were set far apart on his leathery face. Ayrie noticed each eye could move independently, which as a little distracting. His nose consisted of two narrow slits between his eyes and his wide mouth, which was filled with double rows of sharp-looking teeth. Bowing to Ayrie, he introduced himself.

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"I am Jarvin, head dredge at the Palace Belladonna."

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"Dredge?" Ayrie inquired, never having heard the word before.

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"That is my race. My people. We dredges are born to be servants to the Vampires, and my family is fortunate to have served the Belladonna royal family for many centuries." He swept one long arm to the side, as though to showcase the room. "This suite is yours, Prince Ayrie." He scampered to another door and opened it. "And this adjoining room is for your guardsman." He nodded to Lyles.

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A quick peek through the doorway revealed a dimmer, more sparsely furnished room that was more along the lines of what Ayrie had expected for himself; however, to his delight, the rooms that had been prepared for him were very well lit. The stone walls had been whitewashed and decorated with mint and rose tapestries with beautiful embroidered images of flowers and herbs that Ayrie recognized as being native to the Ephemeral. A huge bouquet of white roses in a heavy-looking crystal vase took up the center of a round table, and a peek behind gauzy white curtains revealed a plush bed with a green silk covering and plenty of pillows. The Belladonna family had obviously done their best to make Ayrie feel welcome and comfortable in his new home.

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"If you don't have any questions, I will show Mr. Vanderbussen to his suite on a lower floor," Jarvin said, motioning for Ote to follow him. "If you need me, sound the gong in the vestibule."

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"Wait," Ayrie said, stopping the dredge, who looked up at him in inquiry. "Why are Mr. Vanderbussen's rooms not on this floor?"

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"This is Prince Lauden's private floor. There are no rooms left on it that are suitable for your friend's station," Jarvin explained.

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"Just put him in with my guard," Ayrie instructed. He was not about to have Ote separated from him, and he couldn't exactly send his protector downstairs with Ote.

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Jarvin bowed. "I'll send Mr. Vanderbussen's trunk up immediately."

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"You don't mind terribly, do you?" Aryie asked Ote when they were left alone. "I could not stand the thought of you so far away. We need to keep an eye on each other here."

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"It's fine. There are two beds and plenty of space next door," Ote said, peering into the adjoining room. Lyles had left to explore the rest of the floor.

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An odd expression flickered over Ote's face, although his friend was doing his best to cover it.

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"You aren't shy to be staying with Lyles, are you? You've known him since you were a kid," Ayrie said.

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"Of course not. It's just hot in here, that's all," Ote mumbled, refusing to meet Ayrie's gaze.

 

Was he blushing?

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Suddenly, things became clear. "My gods! Oh, I can't believe I didn't realize it before. Lyles is your secret—mmph!"

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Lunging at Ayrie, Ote slapped his hand over the prince's mouth. "Shh! Don't say another word. In fact, never speak of this again!" he hissed. When he removed his hand, Aryie grinned and winked.

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"You do realize you'll get to watch him undress every day. You're welcome."

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Ote made a choked noise and stalked into his room, slamming the door behind him.

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Ayrie broke into laughter, to which Ote responded by yelling, "Shut. Up!"

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A knock sounded on the open door to the hall, and Ayrie turned to find Prince Lauden watching him.

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The Vampire prince had changed from his riding clothes and was now wearing black pants and a black tunic tied at the waist. His boots had been exchanged for a shoes made of soft black leather. He looked comfortable and elegant as he stood staring at Ayrie, an unreadable look on his aristocratic face. His blond hair was tied back, but strands had loosened and fallen into his face, softening the sharpness of it. His eyes were green with flecks of brown, and, at the moment, they were wandering over the Fae prince as though taking in every detail. Ayrie couldn't help thinking he would be quite handsome if he smiled.

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"Is it time for dinner? I'm afraid I haven't changed yet," Ayrie said when the silence stretched out uncomfortably long.

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Lauden's eyes continued to move over him, and a rush of heat passed through Ayrie. He was glad Ote wasn't there, or he'd never hear the end of it. When the Vampire's eyes lingered unexpectantly long on Ayrie's right ear, Ayrie reached up and fingered the slightly pointed tip to find out what was amiss. Lauden's intense gaze snapped to meet Ayrie's.

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Clearing his throat, he intoned, "Jarvin said there was a problem with your accommodations. Is the room unsatisfactory?"

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"The room is beautiful," Ayrie said truthfully. "Thank you for going to so much trouble."

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"It was my mother's doing, not mine," Lauden said.

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Well, okay, then.

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Lifting his chin, Ayrie said, "I will give her my thanks, in that case. Your servant wanted to place my friend on another floor and that just won't do. I must have Ote close to me. We solved the problem by putting him in with my guard. I hope you don't have an objection to that." He added the last part out of courtesy. If Lauden objected, Ayrie didn't care.

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As it was, Lauden's expression remained closed off, giving Ayrie no clue as to how the Vampire felt about the change in sleeping arrangements. "If your friend is content to share a room with your guard rather than have one to himself on a lower floor, that is completely up to him. We only sought to accommodate him as fit his station."

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"Good, then," Ayrie said.

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"My mother wanted me to ask you to make a list of how many servants you'll need and anything else that will make you more comfortable," Lauden said.

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"Your mother is very gracious," Ayrie said stiffly, the conversation becoming more and more stilted as it went on.

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"Jarvin will be back shortly to escort you to dinner. I will leave you to change," Lauden said, turning to leave, but not without his eyes again lingering on Ayrie's ear—this time, the left one.

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Once again, heat ran through Ayrie's body, and, unexpectedly, the ear Lauden was focused on twitched.

Gasping at the strange reaction, Ayrie covered the appendage with his hand.

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Lauden's nostrils flared, and he gave Ayrie a short bow before exiting the room.

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Ayrie's visceral reaction to the Vampire's obvious fascination with his ears shook him, and it took a few minutes for him to gather his wits enough to knock on the door to Ote's room. "Time to dress for dinner," he called to his friend.

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As he chose his clothing, he thought, Aren't there creatures in the dark realm with pointed ears? He thought of the books he'd read on the subject.

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"Orcs!" he said aloud, just as Ote entered the room.

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"What?" Ote said.

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"Don't Orcs have pointed ears?"

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Ote nodded. "I believe so. But Orcs are ugly, and I've heard they smell like raw sewage."

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"The prince was just here and he stared at my ears like he'd never seen anything like them before," Ayrie explained. "But Orcs live in the Umbral."

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"They're also enemies of the Vampires. They've fought each other many times, so the prince would surely have seen an Orc's ears. Perhaps he'd just never seen the lovely ears of the Fae." Ote walked to the long mirror standing in the corner of the room and, looking at his reflection, lifted a finger to lightly stroke the tip of his right ear. "You forget the effect our kind can have on those who have never been in our presence before."

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"How conceited you sound."

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Ote's laugh was like the tinkling of bells. "I'm only stating the truth, and I'm talking about you as well. You have probably already begun casting a spell on the Vampire prince."

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"I don't cast spells," I said.

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Ote sighed. "You know exactly what I mean. You are being purposely obtuse." He looked Ayrie over. "You look nice in that light blue color. It makes your eyes look even more blue than they are, if that's possible. Are you ready?"

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A knock sounded at the door before Ayrie could answer that he was.

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"Where's Lyles?" he asked as he and Ote followed Jarvin into the vestibule where the large gong hung that Jarvin had told Ayrie to use to call him if needed. At home, Ayrie had used a form of telepathy to call his servants and couldn't imagine doing it by hitting the piece of iron with the provided hammer.

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"A guard came by to show him to where the guards eat," Ote answered. Jarvin led them back to the steep staircase they had come down earlier, and Ote paused to look out one of the narrow windows lining the stairwell. "It's pitch black out there."

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It was. Leaning over Ote's shoulder, Ayrie tried to make out shapes in the dense darkness but couldn't.

When they reached the top of the staircase, Jarvin pushed open the great wooden door that led into the hallway.

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"This way, my lords," he said, turning to the right and walking briskly down a long hallway. The upper floor had more candles and sconces brightening their path than the lower floor had. On the stone walls of the hallway hung tapestries depicting bloody battles between the Vampires and various other creatures, including Orcs. Ayrie would have liked to stop and examine them, but Jarvin was walking fast, and Ayrie was having trouble keeping up.

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At the end of the hall, a great black bird sat on a perch outside a pair of elaborately carved doors. When they approached, the bird flew off its perch and disappeared around the corner. Jarvin opened the doors to reveal Marona and Lauden talking quietly in front of a large window. The table was set, and when Ayrie and Ote appeared, Marona smiled and invited them to sit down to eat. Two servants appeared and took the domed tops off the plates before filling the glasses with wine and leaving again.

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The food was surprisingly delicious, thank the gods. He thought he might have cried if it wasn't, he was so hungry after the long day. When he met Ote's eyes across the table, he knew his friend was thinking something similar.

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"I questioned your fathers about some of your favorite dishes," Marona told Ayrie, pulling the cover off a plate of dumplings. She solicitously spooned some onto his plate.

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Ayrie tasted them and smiled. "Wonderful. I was telling Lauden earlier how gracious you've been to us. Thank you."

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"We want you to be happy here," Marona said. "Don't we, Lauden?"

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Lauden nodded curtly and continued eating.

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"My rooms are beautiful," Ayrie said.

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"I'm glad you like them."

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On impulse, Ayrie scratched his ear, bringing Marona's attention to it. She didn't seem affected in the least.

So much for Vampires being entranced by pointed ears, Ayrie thought. When he glanced at Ote, his friend looked amused. Ayrie shrugged slightly.

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"You boys seem very close," Marona said. "Like brothers."

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"We were raised together, as our fathers are close," Ayrie told her, smiling. "We've been inseparable our whole lives."

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"How wonderful that Ote accompanied you here," Marona said.

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"The moment Ayrie made up his mind to do it, I knew I would go with him," Ote said.

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Ayrie felt a sudden rush of love for my best friend, and, suddenly, he couldn't imagine how dismal it would be without him there.

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"Perhaps after Ayrie and Lauden are wed, I will find you someone to join lives with." Marona motioned to the servant girl to pour more wine. "Do you prefer male, female, or other?"

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Ote's blush took over his face and neck, and when Marona leaned close to him and said, "Tell me, Ote, do you like older women?" Ayrie thought his friend was going to jump from his seat and run out of the room.

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"Mother," Lauden murmured crossly.

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Marona only laughed. "I may be thousands of years old, darling, but I don't look it. By the way, what has been done about the Orcs that were captured?"

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"When questioned, they told us they entered our grounds by mistake when they were chasing luminari, which I judge to be the truth. I gave the guards orders to escort them off our land after giving them dinner. Prolonged imprisonment and questioning would only cause tension."

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Marona nodded. "Wise decision. One that I don't believe your father would have made. We were just in time." She turned to Ayrie. "I understand that your birth father is a Drago-Fae?"

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Ayrie nodded. "Yes. He met my sire when he came to our kingdom to fight the red dragon."

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"How fascinating, I—" Marona's sentence was cut short when something heavy hit the windowpane, shaking it.

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"What in the devil's balls was that?" Lauden said, standing up and striding toward the window.

Marona pressed a bead on one of her bracelets, Ayrie assumed to call the guards. He was proved right a moment later when a group of them swarmed the dining area.

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"Are you all right, Prince Ayrie? Ote?" Lyles asked when he reached them.

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"We're fine," Ayrie said. "Something hit the window a moment ago, that's all." He wondered if it had been a bird.

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Agitatedly, Lyles said, "I never thought you wouldn't be safe while having dinner with the Prince and Queen, or I would have insisted on accompanying you." Color filled the guard's face when Ayrie tugged the cloth napkin from the collar of Lyles' shirt and set it on the table. 

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"I'm sure there was no real danger."

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Another hard whack to the window was followed by a guttural snarl that made Ayrie recoil. Not a bird, then.

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"Rapax," Marona said. "How did they scale the walls?"

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One of the creatures smashed its face against the window, its wild, blood-shot eyes staring directly at Ayrie as it gnashed its mouthful of serrated teeth, sending saliva running down the pane.

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"They're jumping from one of the statues in the courtyard onto the window ledge, then throwing themselves at the window," Lauden said. Turning to the guards, he directed them to go outside and run them off. "They smell you," he said to Ayrie, Ote, and Lyles. "Your sweet scent is attractive to them."

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"Awesome," Ote mumbled.

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"I'm only part Fae," Lyles said, "Perhaps I can go help."

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"No!" Both Ayrie and Ote exclaimed at the same time.

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"Don't worry, our guards have it under control. I assure you that you are safe in the palace. Those creatures could not have gotten through the heavy glass," Marona said.

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Seeing that the rapax were dealt with, everyone sat down to discuss the wedding the next day. Mostly Marona—Lauden spent the time studying Ayrie with an unfathomable expression on his face. When the old-fashioned grandfather clock across the room struck midnight, everyone bid one another goodnight.

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On the way down the stairs to their rooms, Ayrie heard noises and looked over the banisters to several floors below where he caught sight of three creatures in chains being escorted to the mouth of a tunnel. They were frightening—seven or eight feet tall at least, with skull-like faces and large, curving horns on their heads, they looked capable of taking on all of the guards and winning, but they were docile and obedient to the guards instructing them.

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"Those are Orcs, aren't they?" Ayrie asked Jarvin, who was accompanying the Fae back to their quarters.

Jarvin shivered. "Yes. Easily one of the most frightening race of creatures in the Umbral realm."

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"They look like they could easily overpower those guards," Ote voiced Ayrie's thoughts.

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"Not within the palace walls. Too much magic here. But outside, yes. They would be able to if the guards weren't Vampires. But they are Vampires, and without weapons or the freedom to use their hands, the Orcs are helpless."

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Ayrie knew Vampires were skilled with blades, but the Orcs looked to have the advantage with their extreme height, muscular torsos, and sharp claws. He wanted to know how the Vampires won battles against the Orcs in the past and how the Vampires managed to capture and keep the Orcs captive. He would have asked Jarvin, but they'd reached their rooms. Lyles went into Ayrie's first and searched it before allowing the prince to enter.

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"Did you expect to find a rapax under the bed?" Ayrie teased him.

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"Let him do his job," Ote said just before Lyles called the all clear from their room.

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"Perhaps some alone time with Lyles will improve your disposition," Ayrie whispered to his friend.

Ote made a face that said exactly what he thought of Ayrie at that moment and shut the door.

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A quarter of an hour later, when Ayrie lay in the big bed listening to the unfamiliar sounds of the palace and feeling unbearably homesick, he was tempted to knock on the shared door and beg Ote to sleep with him. But Ayrie was not one to cry and brood over things that couldn't be changed. Instead, he ran over what he knew so far.

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The Umbral was a foreboding place. He'd known it would be, but that hadn't prepared him for the reality of it. Was he safe there? Were Ote and Lyles safe?

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His intended husband was less than receptive. How would things be between them once they were wed? Would Lauden include Ayrie in decisions from the get-go, or would Ayrie have to force it?

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Ayrie refused to think about the consummation, but rather considered ways he might become friendly with the Vampire prince. He knew it wouldn't be easy because, although solicitous thus far, Lauden was haughty at best and silent as stone at worst.

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Ayrie had managed to make a quick list for Marona of what he would need the following day, including a servant capable of helping him dress and manage his hair. From what Marona had told him, the wedding would be held in the Great Hall of the palace with representatives from outlying cities attending. Ayrie reached for the scroll she had given him where he'd left it on the table and, cupping his hand, produced an orb of light bright enough for him to look over the agenda; but, exhausted from the eventful day, he fell asleep while reading.