Prettiest Vampire

Chapter VIII: Lilian

Chapter VIII: Lilian

A bump in the road startled Lilian. He looked around, tried to understand where he was this time.

Lilian was alone in an enclosed carriage, being carried along at a feverish pace. He could feel the bumps of the road beneath him as he proceeded along the rough mountain road, could hear the pounding of the horses hooves and the rattle of their reins and harness. The carriage itself was small but luxurious, with hand-carved detailing and red velvet seats and drapes. Lilian pulled back the drapes, exposing a startling scene of sheer cliffs beside the narrow road he was travelling. Deep valleys and distant mountains were visible under the setting sun.

Lilian turned his attention to himself at this point, wondering what had happened since his last memories. Lilian found he was now wearing a white, halter-style gown with a skirt that billowed out and down to just above his knees, with sheer silk stockings and silver sandals with a three inch heel. He desperately wanted to look at himself in a mirror except the carriage had none. This was likely a good thing, Lilian thought to himself, as he was beginning to associate mirrors with the blackouts he had been experiencing all day.

Lilian's arms were bare, and uncomfortably cool in the night air. The carriage appeared to have some source of heating, but not nearly enough for the way Lilian was dressed. He looked at his arms, and for the first time noticed his long, red-painted nails. Lilian couldn't remember anything of this, and was oddly curious as to how it had even been achieved. Some sort of plastic extension was his guess, somehow glued to his own nails and filed to be indistinguishable from the real thing. Weird.

Lilian noticed that at the front of the cabin there was a sliding panel. Pushing it aside a blast of cold air entered the carriage, along with the sounds and scents of the mountain. Lilian called out to the driver.

"Driver? Please sir, where are we heading?" he called into the wind and noise. His voice sounded small and weak, so when he received no reply he tried again.

"Driver! Please stop! Please, driver, this is an emergency."

Lilian's pleas raised no reply whatsoever and so after a few attempts he gave up, closing the sliding panel to maintain what little heat remained in the carriage.

Lilian sat in the carriage, waiting, wondering where he was going and what was to happen when he arrived. The carriage rolled on relentlessly, but after about a half hour Lilian felt a change in its movement. The carriage seemed to roll to a stop, then made a sharp turn. Lilian pulled aside the drapes from the window in the direction of the turn, and saw the distinct outlines of Castle Dodrescu.

The carriage pulled through the parking area where Lilian had stopped the night before, and continued on toward the drawbridge. Lilian held his breath as they crossed the narrow bridge, looking out both sides to see there was no room for error. He didn't release his breath until they were safely on the other side, where the carriage finally stopped in the very center of the inner courtyard.

Lilian waited to see if someone planned to open the door, but no one did. He heard nothing outside the carriage other than the movement of the horses in their harnesses. Lilian finally opened the carriage door himself, and stepped down into the courtyard he remembered all too well from the previous evening.

Lilian looked around for the driver but he was gone, as surely as if he had never been there. The courtyard was empty except for the carriage. Lilian looked at the large wooden doors that led to the castle's grand entryway. Then he considered how he was dressed.

He couldn't do it; he couldn't go through those doors! Lilian turned toward the bridge and started to run...

Lilian looked up, startled. How did he get here?

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A/N: Poor Lilian! 

Prettiest Vampire suddenly took off this week, more than doubling its number of reads from 750 to over 1600! Thanks to all of you who have voted and commented and stayed with this story!!

xox,

Lori