“Here, you may want this.” Jasmine handed Bree a veil. “I don’t think it would be wise to let you down there without something to block the smell.”Bree took the headdress and topped her lovely chestnut hair with it, then positioned the dark veil behind her head. She was wearing a deep blue gown covered in a fine pale blue lace.
Jasmine led Bree through Zane’s quarters until they reached the great library.Some of the books on the cherry wood shelves looked ancient and fragile where others looked new.Bree pulled an old book off of a shelf and opened it, putting her nose into the crease and sniffing.It reminded her of her grandmother’s place, so long ago, before she passed away when Bree was only five.But the memories were clear in her mind, her grandmother’s wrinkled face, wrinkles flattering because they were in the shape of kindness.Her mother’s mother was nearly a saint.Bree remembered the shock she felt when her mother told her that grandma was going away on a long trip.Why would she leave them?For the longest time Bree resented it, how her grandmother left them, but as she got older it made sense and she regretted her hard feelings.
Jasmine reached up and pulled a book out from the shelf.When it was nearly out, it caught and a cabinet popped open a crack.Bree heard it and looked.“This is Zane’s private entrance to the tunnels below.” Her tone was serious. “Unless he shows it to you himself, you do not know about it, ok?”Bree nodded and Jasmine pushed open the secret door.The scent of mustiness floated to Bree’s nose.
Jasmine took a large torch off of the wall just inside the passage. She struck it on a stone and it ignited, causing the dark entrance to the tunnel to burst into view.It was narrow, rocky, harsh, and webs laced the top of the passage.Bree ducked as she entered after Jasmine. Although the webs were high above her, she hated the thought of running into them.
The tunnel led down.It seemed as if they kept going and going, down further and further.The air became cooler and damper as they descended.The steps were uneven, carved roughly out of the rock.When the passage leveled off, Bree caught a stench of a smell.It was like urine, feces, and rot.She shuddered.It was rumored that when a prisoner died, Zane would leave the body to decay as another way to torment the others that lived in virtual darkness.He figured that to leave the sight of rotting flesh to the imagination of the slaves was worse than them seeing it.Then, when light passed by their cells and they looked onto the cause of the stench, it would have a more terrifying effect.Bree crumpled up her veil and held it over her nose and mouth.
Up ahead in the blackness sounded a feeble cry.At first Bree could not make out any words, but when one the cell gates came into sight, she saw the face of a man, gaunt and skull-like, peering out through the iron bars.When he saw who it was, he sighed.It wasn’t Zane or another vampire.It was only Zane’s mother, who proved to be gentle enough when she fed.“Have you come for my blood?” His voice was soft and hoarse. Bree couldn’t understand why Zane would make his fellow vampires of the castle, even his own mother, come down here to feed in this detestable place.She wondered if he would make her come here, too, when she was turned.It wasn’t fair, how Zane fed in the comfort of his quarters and everyone else had to come down here, even though she knew the reason why.It was to prevent there being a chance of poison being ingested by the slaves with the intent to make sick and weaken the vampires that fed on them.
They passed several cells.Many housed on or two or even as much as five slaves.Some of the cell ceilings were so low that the prisoners could not even stand.Other cells were so narrow that they could not sit.And some were empty, waiting like snakes for the next prisoners to arrive through their gawking mouths.
Once again the two women descended to another level.Here there were many passages, they were marked by holes of blackness in the rock, their jutting walls illuminated as Jasmine passed by with the torch.And, inside of the passages were more passages.Tormented screams could be heard far away somewhere in the maze.Then, once again, they descended.
