Split Blood: The Ancient Codex - Part One (Book #1 ) - COMPLETE

CHAPTER TWO - FORBIDDEN LOVE (Part 4)

CHAPTER TWO – FORBIDDEN LOVE

(Part 4)

<CLICK ON THE YOUTUBE VIDEO AT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THIS PAGE WHILST READING THIS CHAPTER TO ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE>

Our secret meetings continued as the weeks went by, and with each encounter came new surprises. ‘Where are we going?’ I asked as Rohan told me to hold onto him.

‘You’ll see,’ he replied as we shot up into the cold night sky and flew out of the town. The cold gusts of air slapped my face repeatedly as I looked down and saw the people unaware of the miracle above them, and after hours of dodging confused bats, hiding from aeroplanes and trying not to die of pneumonia, we finally reached the mystery location he’d seemingly chosen for our final date. ‘Here we are!’ he announced proudly, as I looked on at the derelict castle.

Clad in grey bricks and grand in size, many of the external walls of the castle were still intact, although years of pollution, lack of care and vandals had left the building looking a shadow of its former self. ‘Where are we?’ I asked nervously as he guided me into the demolition site with caution.

‘This was the Suco headquarters - where the more affluent vampires would come to entertain, do business and celebrate at the end of year ball,’ he explained as we walked from room to room.

We stopped in a large circular room and I looked up. This was the only room still with its roof intact; many of its original features were still visible. ‘What on earth is that?’ I asked, surprised at observing the beautiful painting of a naked man intertwined with a red cloth and a naked woman on the ceiling. On closer inspection, I could see that beauty was definitely in the eye of the beholder… ‘Is the man taking a chunk out of her neck?’ I gasped as Rohan started to shift apprehensively from foot to foot.

He looked up. ‘Yes. It is said that they were the first vampires to be born and it shows the story of how Deus, God of Blood, turned Ambrosia, Goddess of Immortality, into a vampire. The myth tells that he was so hungry; he went looking for food and was attacked by a mysterious entity. This encounter gave him extraordinary strength, power and speed, but to avoid being killed by others, the entity told him to bite Ambrosia to allow her immortal blood to fuse into his own. He lured her to his castle and bit her, only for her to turn her into a vampire; thereafter, they fell in love.’

The room began to glow a warm orange, and within seconds I felt a balmy, safe and loving feeling spread through my body. I looked down (simply to make sure the warm sensation was not anything I had to be embarrassed about!) before looking around me to see the room transform from a derelict wreck into a much more beautiful, inviting space. Taking a second to look at my own changing appearance, I noticed that my clothes had morphed to fit in with the era.

The ballroom was now fully animated as people streamed past us on both sides, waltzing into the night. I joined in with the dancing, now clad in a beautiful red and white ball gown picked straight from the Stuart Period. A tight whalebone bodice and laced petticoat helped to enhance my bosom and make my waist look non-existent. After a brief glimpse of my reflection in the only mirror in the hall, I noticed my hair had also transformed - I now had an abundance of dark, flowing ringlets, escaping from a neat centre-parting like rivers meandering into the night. With jewels holding the locks together and an equally extravagant floral gold brooch attached to the centre of my low neckline on the dress, I blended nicely into this seemingly exclusive gathering.