The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Chapter 2/the obedience of stones

Victoria's POV. 

After the feast, my iron cage was taken to a hall. I pulled my blind off to see my situation but the cage was still covered. From the motion, a crane was used to pull the iron cage up a shaft in the building to be deposited in a large assembly room. Then I was left for an age without water and then handed over by the captain of the familiars, to a new one. The cover was lifted and the man who served as my jailor who fancied himself Master Nightshade.

Master Nightshade, a loathsome male familiar to the vampire, was a grotesque figure clad in a soiled, tattered black uniform. His once-black long coat had been stained with blotches of dark crimson, bearing witness to the countless raids he had assisted in. His hands, covered in mismatched gloves that reeked of beer, appeared permanently stained with blood residue.

Nightshade's face was a visage of repulsion, marred by disfigured features. His skin, pallid and sickly, clung tightly to his gaunt frame. His sunken, rheumy eyes were rimmed with a sickly yellow hue, and his pupils seemed to perpetually dilate and contract, giving him a perpetually sinister expression.

A mop of greasy, unkempt hair, the color of faded gray, tumbled haphazardly onto his shoulders, as if it hadn't seen a brush in years. His breath carried the stench of alcohol and decay, a scent that lingered long after he had departed.

Master Nightshade's presence was malevolent, and he moved with an eerie, calculated grace. He looked to have once been a formidable and fearsome soldier, but the twisted path of vampirism had transformed him into the repugnant creature before me now.

He carried a whip in one hand, which he slapped against his thigh in frustration. He ordered the cage to be broken. I had wondered if that would happen and if my family would prefer me to stay wrapped inside it like a pet bird. A chisel was brought up and struck with large hammers until the lock broke off. The door then opened with a creaking squeal, as if the iron screamed at its treatment.

I was released and was then taken to what were politely referred to as 'my rooms'. It didn't take long to realise it was another cage but with better furniture. My quarters, ensconced deep within the heart of the eerie Black Tower, were a haunting blend of opulence and confinement. The air inside was thick with a heady mixture of age-old secrets and the intoxicating scent of aged wine. The room itself was draped in a somber palette of deep purples and velvety blacks, casting an enigmatic ambiance over every corner.

From a day room an ornate doorway led to a bedroom, at its center stood a four-poster bed, an imposing structure wrought from dark, ornate wood that seemed to have been carved by the hands of ancient artisans. The bed's curtains, heavy and luxurious, fell like funeral shrouds, concealing its occupant from prying eyes. The posts themselves rose like mournful sentinels, their intricate patterns reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals, and seemed to reach for the shadowy recesses of the towering chamber.

My sanctuary was adorned with dimly flickering candelabras, casting wavering, ethereal light upon the walls adorned with tapestries depicting forgotten battles and scenes of desolation. I quickly noticed the light was coming from some of Satan's candles the ones powered by what my father called electricity. I was surprised the duke was wealthy enough to light even the cages of their hostages. The occasional glint of crimson velvet upholstery added a macabre touch to the room, as if to remind its occupant of the inescapable embrace of the vampire world.

Heavy, velvet draperies veiled the shuttered windows, shielding the occupants from the unwelcome intrusion of the sun's rays. Each curtain was drawn taut and bound with heavy cords, an ominous symbol of the captivity that held me within this Gothic enclave.

Yet, despite its lavish decor, the room's most chilling feature was its single locked door, which was secured from the outside, an emblem of my inescapable confinement. Within these sinister walls, I was a fragile prisoner, my fate inextricably entwined with the enigmatic beings who ruled the Black Tower, and my every breath a testament to the enduring allure and terror of the vampire world.