Her eyes swept the area. The house was two stories tall with a wide front porch. The yard was neat and well maintained. From the outside, all the lights were on and music drifted down to them from somewhere on the second floor. It would have been festive to anyone else but it only made her apprehensive. Marie walked briskly up the porch stairs and knocked on the door. Adrian stayed a couple of steps behind her, just outside the porch light. The door opened and she turned her attention back to the front. A young man in his early twenties leaned against the door in a relaxed manner. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt and jeans with rips around the knees.
“Can I help you?”
“I’d like to speak to your Mistress.” He laughed and smiled.
“I don’t understand.”
“Tell your Mistress the Guardian is here to see her.” The change from pleasant to expressionless was almost instant. His eyes swept over the both of them before he stepped out of the way and gestured for them to come inside. There were fifteen vampires in the room they entered. Some were sitting on the three sofas that were pushed up against the walls while others stood near them. There was only one other door in the room and it was located at the very back. The man closed the door behind them before he went over to a sofa and sat down. That was the cue the vampires in the room were waiting for. No one talked as fifteen pairs of eyes stared at them. A female vampire wearing a black dress and large red earrings sashayed over to them.
“Why are you here?” Her focus was completely on Adrian.
“He’s my escort. This is my right as Guardian.” The woman turned her eyes on Marie and sneered in her direction.
“Right? He’s only using you to enter. Once he’s done, maybe he’ll leave you here so we can have a taste.” The woman took a step closer and the rest of the vampires in the room seemed to lean in, hunger on their faces. Would the Mistress refuse to talk to her if she knocked a few of the vampires out? If they got any closer then she was going to need to take the chance. Her view was blocked by Adrian as he moved to stand between her and the other vampires.
[Someone is coming.] Marie frowned. There was no way she was going to get used to that. She heard the clicking of heels getting louder.
“Welcome.” A female voice spoke in a pleasant enough tone. The woman stood in the doorway for a moment before she sauntered towards them. The vampires in the room froze for several moments not even blinking before they scrambled to stand on either side of the room.The vampires in the room stood still with their head bowed. They didn’t even look like they were breathing.
The Mistress of Bel Meade was wearing a tight grey skirt with a long sleeved button up top dyed a deep red. Her jet black hair swished from side to side as her gray-green eyes took in the entire room.
“It appears my people need to be reeducated.” Several vampires flinched at her words. “I didn’t want to commit further offense after what happened but it seems I didn't do enough. I will make sure that such rudeness doesn’t happen again.” She opened her arms and gestured to the entire room. “I welcome you and your escort into my domain.” Her eyes never left Adrian’s face. She didn’t even try to hide the scornful look she gave him.
“I assume you wished to see him.” The Mistress turned away and gestured for them to follow her. She walked back through the door and the vampire who had let them in, followed after her. Adrian turned toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
[Walk in front until we reach the door.] Marie did as he asked. It was better just to listen to him when she wasn’t sure what to expect. When they reached the door, they found the Mistress and the other vampire waiting for them. There was no one else in the hallway, so Adrian took the lead this time and kept himself between her and the other vampires. She didn’t need his protection but she preferred him in front so she could keep an eye on him. If Mark was here, he would be the first to know. That and standing in between vampires wasn’t a good idea.
This was impossible. Marie followed the vampires through yet another door. The outside of the house was normal but the inside was built like a maze. The hallways they entered looked exactly the same. Pictures and furniture were duplicated in the exact same places. She had given up trying to keep the route straight in her head and hoped Adrian would remember for the both of them. Her thoughts turned inward as she stared at his back. She tried to keep her emotions even, considering the vampires, but some of her frustration must be leaking through. He glanced at her but didn’t say anything.
Calling him her escort, was not what she’d planned when she originally told him she was going first. She had originally thought about saying she needed a bodyguard or something like that to get them to let Adrian in but then she had to go and say that. Adrian glanced back at her again. Marie forced her emotions back down. He turned back around and she went back to brooding.
Escort was the official title given to the partner of a Guardian. To become one, a person needed to go through a ceremony and have them recognized by the Council, the governing body for the Guardians. There shouldn’t be any repercussions for her but she didn’t want to take any chances. This would be the one and only time she called him that. With that issue decided, she focused back on the vampires and wondered if they were almost there.
Finally, after going through what felt like the hundredth door, the Mistress stopped and gestured to the door in front of her.
“This is where we have kept Noah. We have decided not to lay him to rest until whoever has done this is punished.” A malicious smile curled her lips. “We are quite eager to see justice done.” Adrian remained silent. His clenched fists and stiff posture let Marie know he wasn’t unfazed. “Please inform Daniel when you are done.” She gestured to the other vampire before disappearing into a door further down the hallway.
Daniel opened the door and went inside with Adrian close behind. Marie glanced around the hallway one more time before she entered the room.
The room was small. Almost half of it was taken up by a large wood table that sat in the very center of the room. On the table lay an ornate coffin made of some dark wood which looked heavier than the table it sat on. The rest of the room was bare. Daniel leaned against the wall near the door, watching the both of them.
Marie turned back around. Adrian was on the other side of the coffin and looked ready to open it. She quickly put her hand on the lid and shook her head. He frowned back at her before crossing his arms.
[Why?] Always asking questions. She went around the coffin and gestured for his hand. He eyed her hand for a moment before looking her in the eyes. Adrian kept his eyes on her as he gave her his hand. Before he changed her mind, she quickly wrote script on his hand and a matching one on hers. She let his hand go before crossing her arms.
[I want to check the area first.]
[Why?]
[For traps.]
[No, not that. I’m asking about the spell. Why didn’t you use it sooner?] Marie shrugged. He wouldn’t believe her so she didn’t bother to tell him. The simple fact was she forgot about it. What use was a spell to talk to others when she worked alone? His eyes narrowed but he didn’t ask again. Marie stepped up to the coffin and put her hands out in front of her. She felt his eyes on her and she hesitated for a moment. Marie gave herself a mental shake as she turned her attention inward. Her senses were pulled in and then very slowly she opened up her magical senses until they only filled the room they were in. It was better not to explore further, in case, there were traps or security measures in place. She didn’t need to trip anything before she got a chance to examine the body. A faint magical signal was detected inside the coffin but there was nothing outside it. Marie opened her eyes and stepped back.
[I can open it then?]
[Yes. There’s no magic on the outside of the coffin or in the room.]
[The magic inside the coffin won’t trigger when I open it?] Marie shook her head but he wasn’t convinced. He didn’t trust her. No matter what she said he wouldn’t believe her. But he could see magic so that should work in her favor. Marie went up to him and touched him.
[Barrier?]
[If anything triggers, that should protect you.]
[Do you have enough magic for this? Aren’t you still supplying Mark’s barrier?]
[No. I’m cut off from him too. Mark still has a barrier but it’s a normal one.] Whatever had cut off Adrian had also cut her off too. She was no longer feeding energy to the barrier. Mark could only count on whatever magic was left in the barrier to protect him.
[Why didn’t you say anything sooner?]
[We don’t have time for this right now.] If he wanted to get mad, he could do it later. He narrowed his eyes at her as a frown tugged at his lips then the moment passed and he went back to being expressionless.
Adrian slowly opened both of the lids then leaned in to study the body. Marie leaned in as well and nearly stepped back in surprise. If it wasn’t for the stake sticking out of his chest, Noah would have looked healthy. This wasn’t right. If he was as old as she thought he was then he should be a decomposing corpse or, if he was older, a skeleton. As long as a vampire’s regeneration was active they would be able to shrug off most things including a stake to the heart. It was only when you pushed them past their limit, could anyone even hope to kill them. After that, it would take twenty four hours for decomposition to take effect. The corpse would look like any other body that had been sitting under ground for years. In Noah’s case, it would be decades. He shouldn’t look like this.
[Is it the magic keeping him this way?] Possible but given the weak nature of the spell it didn’t seem like that was the case. She shrugged.
[I won't know without checking the spell.] Until she checked the spell, she couldn’t say anything for sure. Adrian reached out to touch the body but she quickly stopped him.
[Going to check again?] His tone was irritated but he pulled his hand back and waited.
[No, I’m going to get rid of the spell.]
[Is that wise? You don’t even know what kind of spell it is.]
[I’ll know once I start.]
[Are you sure you should be doing this given your current condition? It could be a trap.]
[Do you think I’ll get another chance later?]
[No.] Marie heard the resignation in his voice even though his face gave nothing away. [What about our guard?] It was clear that the vampire had been left behind to keep an eye on them. Whether or not it meant that he would prevent her from doing what she needed to do was uncertain.
They spoke a bit more before Adrian turned toward their guard.
“We’re done here.” He gestured to the door and Daniel opened it and stepped out. He held the door open as they walked towards the door. Just as Adrian reached the doorway, he yanked the door away from the other vampire and shoved him through. Adrian slammed it shut just as Daniel turned. Marie stepped forward and placed a spell on the door to reinforce it and keep it closed. She met Adrian’s eyes. He slowly let the doorknob go and stepped back. They ignored the banging on the door but it wouldn’t be long before they would have company. “How long will this hold?”
“Hours. As long as nothing interfered with the spell.” He nodded before glancing at the coffin then back at her. It looked like he wanted to say something but instead remained silent. Marie went back over to the coffin and placed her hand above the stake. Slowly, she lowered her hand until it was an inch away. A second spell activated. Like a tiny barrier it prevented her from coming into contact with the stake. It was a simple spell that was easily shredded with her magic. That was the easy part. Now for the hard part.
The spell that was actually attached to the stake was more complicated than the spell on the box. The stake contained layer upon layer of spell but each of them were interlocked at different points. If she messed with one, the others would react at the same time. Marie read over each script of each spell trying to find its weakness. And then she had an idea.
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