The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Sixteen

Athen was home before the next morning. Morpheus was on watch, pretending not to be on watch, by lying with his head in Laudanum's lap, as Absinthe rollerskated past, through the second floor hall. Morpheus sensed Psyche's arrival before Athen. She was, though once mortal and raised to a Devi, now fully Angelic in nature, and her mere presence warped reality on a local level.

The large front door opened and Athen strode in, flanked by Psyche and a petite Vampyre. "Dolly," Laudanum yawned. Morpheus hadn't realized Dolores was also teenaged in form; she looked like an extra from a high school production of Grease, with ponytail, fringe of bangs, and a pink satin bomber.

"Why would Psyche be with them?" Morpheus asked, as Absinthe spun across his field of vision on polyurethane wheels.

His cousin-aunt stopped at the railing that overlooked the grande hall. "If someone's not in their right mind, Psyche can tell."

Morpheus sat up, as Shio came from the east wing, hair damp, and heels clicking rapidly. Athen and Shade had both indicated the Palace belonged to Shade, but Athen had built it, and the servants reported to him. It wasn't quite dawn, with summer ended, and either by electronic or telepathic call, Athen had summoned those he needed.

Julien came down from the third floor, wearing red kurta and shalwar, burning cigarette in his fingers. He hadn't been smoking much, recently, and Morpheus suspected the Vampyre's only addiction was psychological. There were no mortals about he needed to fool with breathing, so it seemed a sign of stress.

Ganymede came down the stairs after him, bounding down several at a time, and passing Julien to arrive at the landing before him. He took his mobile from the front pocket of his hooded sweatshirt and captured an image of the three climbing the stairs.

Absinthe skated over to Julien and gave him a kiss. He laughed, and though Morpheus didn't hear the words, it looked like Julien asked to share her earbuds. They were whispering to each other, and looking towards Morpheus, when Athen reached the top of the stairs.

He first introduced the new Vampyre, "I've brought Dolores," he said, "Shio, For the present, Dolores will be staying with us. I think the room closest to the stairs, in the west wing. I'll need some thicker drapes as soon as possible; take them from another room, if need be. Have night crew skip cleaning there for a few days, while she gets settled. I may need you to do some other things, later."

Shio agreed, and was dismissed to carry out her tasks.

"What's up?" Dolores greeted them in American sounding English.

Athen pointed out the others present: Morpheus, Ganymede, Absinthe and Laudanum. "Dolly's Salamielite," he said, "through the ones named Sarah and Vlad, but she's operated independently most of her life, and she's had a treaty with Julien and I near a century. She's going to react differently to some things. I think Joy knows. Sarah's brood was in that Nede place, weren't they?"

Morpheus looked to Absinthe, then Laudanum. "Yeah," he said.

"Ganymede," Athen said, "Have my Vampyres been treating you well?"

Ganymede turned his head to look to Julien first. "Your uphill gardener's got my back, and Joy an I are mates now. Miranda keeps to herself. It's Faye who got into it with Ardor and Angel."

"I'll deal with Faye," Athen told the group, "This palace is a haven. It's a safe place for us, and we can't have infighting. Ganymede, I'd like you to teach Dolores the rules."

"If she's up for it."

"No problem," Dolores said, fingering a necklace at her throat; it looked like it was made of fangs.