Mirrors & Shadows

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕

գ 𝔪𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔥𝔰 𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔬𝔯~ 𝔒𝔫𝔢 𝔳𝔬𝔦𝔠𝔢

"You're sure you know where we're going?" Arthur asked for the second time as Marie-Élise stopped in front of him in the darkness.

"Quit fussing. I've taken this route a hundred times if not more," she snapped back. He stayed silent.

Believe it or not, he had lived here for two years after he was changed and deemed too unstable to live at the surface among humans. Every street here in the underground network of Paris was mirrored to the streets at the surface. He had no recollection of the  path she was leading him on. Nevertheless, he trusted her to know what she was doing.  This was his first ever meeting he would attend. The first time he would set eyes on the Vampire Council.

The darkness soon materialized into tall somber buildings. The only lights that illuminated them were the lampposts which cast a faint yellow glow on the buildings' elegant façades.  The street itself was empty, surely everyone was already gathering in the hall.

"We're late." Marie-Élise grumbled.

Soon enough, they made it to the end of the street at which stood an imposing edifice crowned with a cupola that reminded Arthur a little of the Saint-Augustin Church. Not far, four girls who looked to be in their early twenties stood giggling silently, their 18th-century dresses billowing as they mischievously passed around a pipe and took turns in smoking it. At the sight of Arthur and Marie-Élise, they scampered away out of the lamppost's light, leaving behind them a faint cloud of smoke. Marie-Élise ignored them, walking confidently up to the building's entrance. She held the large golden lion knocker in her small hand, and without hesitation rapped on the wooden door. They waited for a while before they were greeted by a man with a thin white mustache. He adjusted his monocle as he peered down at them.

"You're late," he observed matter-of-factly.

"We know," Marie-Élise hissed back between gritted teeth.

He stepped aside without a word, exposing them to the grand hall behind him that Arthur had heard so much about but had never seen up until now.

"Follow me if you will," he beckoned.

Candles hung on the walls, their flames flickering in the dimness, casting grim reflections on the black and white floor tiles as if the three of them stood like pawns on a giant chessboard. The walls themselves seemed to tell a hidden tale. The fresco's characters were frozen in vivid action, each one seemed to be reaching out to the next somehow. But the candles on the wall were placed in such a way that what was in between was left in utter darkness. Arthur wondered if this was intentional, making viewers imagine the scene in its entirety.

'There are still seats available in the second tier." Their host informed them as they came to the end of the hall, near a winding set of stairs.

"Thanks." Marie-Élise mumbled without looking up at him as she started climbing up the stairs.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied courteously, his voice devoid of emotion.

Arthur and Marie-Élise seemed to enter what looked like an ancient Opera Theatre. In their designated box, they spotted Émile Bellois. By the looks of it, spectators had been reluctant to sit next to one they didn't consider fully their own yet. But Émile didn't seem to be bothered in the least by this hostile behavior. On the contrary, he seemed to be enjoying the extra space to himself. When Arthur sat to his right, he gave him a welcoming smile. On Arthur's other side, Marie-Élise tugged at his arm, directing his attention to the the scene taking place on the stage below.

A half circle of high chairs looked down upon a figure Arthur recognized to be Edmond. It was the first time since the war between clans had started that Arthur saw his sire again.