The Vampire's Harvest

67

You've known Ferris a long time and you've seen the extent of his skills. You trust that he can pull this off if given the chance.

"All right, I'll do it." You hear a sweep of relieved sighs somewhere behind Ferris in the ash pit.

"Thank..." Ferris begins, but then pulls away at the sound of the door handle turning. You snap up from your kneeling position by the fireplace and brush off whatever ash may have collected on your clothes.

"Ah, Micah, my apologies for keeping you waiting." Your vampire smiles at you and begins to head over to where you wait by the hearth. However, you realize that should they draw near, they may sense Ferris and the others. Grabbing onto the first idea that pops into your head, you run forward to meet them with a pleased grin on your face.

"I'm thrilled you have returned. I wanted to get out for some fresh air."

"You do?" they ask as they take your hands into theirs. "But, we only just got to the lounge."

"Yes, but it's so dark and stuffy." You think that had it been Ailisa, she would have rejoiced at being together with a vamp in such an intimate setting, but perhaps you can think of an even more romantic location to catch the vamp's interest. Some place that could also offer a quick escape if your plan takes a turn for the worst. "There must be a balcony or veranda somewhere. Someplace quiet and solitary beneath the stars." You try to give your words a seductive curl to them, but you aren't as gifted as Ailisa when it comes to such skills.

"Hmm, I do know of a balcony overlooking the forest. It's close to where the coaches are kept so it may not be the most secluded..."

"No, that sounds perfect! Let's go." You slip your arm through theirs and your enthusiasm beams from your toothy smile. You wonder if your desperation is too thick, but after a moment, Ell takes the bait.

"Yes, the clear night air may be nice right now. Let's head over there instead." They pat your arm and walk you through the door. Your heart, which until that moment had been beating a hole through your chest, suddenly finds release and your muscles ache from the tension slipping away from them.

Then, Ell opens the door and a swarm of drones flows into the room as you step out.

"What?" you mumble, though you can't form a full question as Ell tugs you along down the hall.

"There's a matter to be attended to in there. Now why don't we get outside so we can have some room to talk."

You swallow hard as the last drone slams the lounge door behind him. The grip Ell has on your arm feels stiffer than before and their steps rushed. You wonder if you really are going to go out onto the balcony or if you are being whisked away to some dirty dungeon to be saved for a less than pleasant feeding session that can only end happily with Ell mercifully making you a drone instead of giving you a slow death.

You need to think fast, you don't know what door Ell may turn into, especially when the hallway is lined with them. You can't run, you can't shout, you can't act as if there's a problem. However, you can bump into the drone that is walking towards you with a tray of butlered hors d'oeuvres.

The hall is spacious enough for the drone to be able to pass without incident, but tight enough that if you pretend to trip, you can easily bump into the mindless servant. You don't have much time to think on it. As the drone draws near, you pretend to lose your footing in Ell's quick pace and stumble to the side so that you collide with the drone just as she passes. She's sturdier than you expected, almost as if she is stone made living, but, fortunately, that doesn't mean she has a solid grip. The tray flies out of her hands and tumbles to the floor.

You make your apologies and then kneel to help the drone pick up the remnants. As you do so, you grab a knife that had fallen from the tray and slide it up your frilly sleeve.

"Are you all right?" Ell takes your hand and helps you up. They're gentle and take the time to look you over, to see if you've been hurt.

"Yes, I'm fine," you say, uncertain what the vamp's intentions are at this point.

"Good," they say with a slight sigh. They then turn to the drone, "Go, hurry. And make way for a vamp from now on." The drone says nothing, but follows the full extent of Ell's orders, leaving behind a napkin in her wake.

"Come," says Ell who has hooked their arm around yours again so that they may tug you along the hallway. "We're not far."

They follow through with their word and direct you out to a sweeping balcony made of marbled stone. An elegant staircase leads down a slight slope to where you see horses, coaches, and their attendants waiting to whisk their vamp's, and whatever company they may have chosen, back to their castles.

As you marvel at your surroundings, you find your arm suddenly released. You look with wonder as Ell walks to the side of the balcony and scans the moonlit treetops of the forest. Nothing is stopping you from running except for the fact that any vamp could chase you down in a matter of seconds. A rather tight, but invisible rope.

"I'm such a fool to have chosen a rebel on my first night at the ball. I've spent two centuries working my way up the ranks. To be invited here is to be confirmed as nobility. Yet, I swept up a rebel." They never turn to look at you, which is probably for the best as you stand there coping with the realization that they, in fact, know that Ferris was in the lounge and that the coven meant the vampires harm. They know that you helped the mages by trying to get Ell away. And now your suspicions are confirmed. Just as you feared, the drones that entered the lounge are going in to forcefully drag every one of the coven out of the ash pit. What you don't know is what Ell plans to do with them.

"Tell me, were you using me from the start?" They turn to you now, their steely eyes sharp and cold. "Were you sent to work the vamps? To run interference if someone threatened the plan?"

"I..." They're drawing closer to you and the words are stuck behind your bated breath.

"At least I caught the rebels, maybe I can save face," they say as if to boost their own confidence. "I probably should just kill you to save myself the embarrassment." They are within arm's reach now and their eyes are hypnotic in their glare. They're holding you fast with just a glance, but you can still do something.

You look around and you see that even this balcony has been decorated for the event. Wicker baskets filled with a bountiful harvest dot the corners, blood red linen is coiled around the balustrade, and jack-o-lanterns offer a subtle golden glow to the dark balcony. You could use the skills Ferris taught you and grab a jack-o-lantern which can be used to cast an effective ward. Or you can try to catch Ell by surprise. You can lash out and strike, and then run while they recover. Of course, a part of you still wants to live out that dream you've always had — to be taken by a vamp and brought into a new life and a new world with the hope of eventually becoming immortal. Perhaps if you show them that you aren't a rebel, that you were just helping a friend. Perhaps a spontaneous, romantic gesture in the form of a passionate kiss may stop their destructive thinking.

Ell hasn't said they've killed the others, yet, they just said they 'caught' them. So maybe you still have a chance. All you have to do is figure out how to stop them long enough to save the others.

- Cast a Ward with a Jack-o-Lantern: ch 76

- Strike Out at Ell: ch 77

- Kiss Ell: ch 78