The Vampire's Crimson Kiss (Editing)

Interlude:The Maiden in the lake

A/N We are going a bit ( just a bit ) Game of Thrones on you and having multiple characters ( you will see why later). Here we follow Elizabeth's ( new character ) dreams in her delirium. It's OK to skip the Interludes and stick with the main actions with Victoria (next chapter). 

/The sunken city near the edge of the London lake/ 

Elizabeths' POV

Three months before Victoria's arrival 

I lay in the water carried by the cold arms of the lake. Dazed, near death feeling my life running in reverse. Fragments, memories, dreams came to me. I had grown up in Kensington the poorest fishing village on the banks of the great London lake. My parents had always told me to hide and never invite a vampire into to our house. I remember seeing this boy, he had plans, big plans,  he enticed me out to a party. 

I remember being captured by the Vampires. I was given a choice familiar,  blood slave or Turkey dinner. Sadisman turned up in person to the cells and chose me as a feast maiden. He put me to the side personally, I was chosen to be what was the vampire word sealing grail? It meant shared-cup. I remember the tension of the night. The feast of the Obsidian order. It was special it meant the meeting of the clans. I knelt in the point of a long chevron of the feast maidens. The room was full of the most beautiful people watching us sensuously. I had endured weeks of training from the household. For every minor failure I had been slapped, whipped and beaten.

There had an image on my minds eye, clear as day, unforgetable. Like the other feast maidens I knelt face to the floor as the Lord of the coven of Midnight walked ceremonially in accompanied but his Duke host. The Duke and the Lord dominated the room with pure power. Around them, their courts arrayed in solemn precision. Familiars and long coats from each side were arrayed in anciently proscribed order. Particular attention was given to the feast maidens as we were the principle dish of the night.

The room was packed with adorable creatures, the members of the coven, sensuality made flesh. The familiars might dress like the company of shadows but with experience you could tell blood bag from immortal. The immortals looked younger, nearly perfect, slightly more sensual, unblemished and yet they had an indefinable aura of depravity. During the orgies, despite the snow storm of drink, dance, venom and debauchery, I had felt their eyes upon me. As the forbidden meal I was the only one they sorely craved.

I remembered at a signal I and the other feast maidens stood in perfect synchronisation to the upright position. We rose like a theatre curtain before a sumptuous performance. We had been practicing that one act for a fortnight. We had been promised that any deviance or hesitation from the proscribed move would result with us being added to the line of condemned prisoners who were being roasted tonight. I slowly arose. I had practiced that one tricky roll to her feat to graceful perfection and this time I would not, could not err.

Despite having only completed a tenth of the necessary training I had been, as they said broken, and deemed compliant by the Duke him self. Like the other feast maiden's I wore familiars' black uniform that covered every fraction of her body, except my generously exposed pale neck. The uniform came complete with a tight hobble skirt under the long flowing dress. Traditionally the feast maidens were caught fresh, and the skirts made it possible for them to attempt to flee without inconveniencing the guests by having a fully fledged hunt. Appetites could be raised with out the inconvenience of excessive sport. My neck felt cool, she had grown used to the large corset like collar I wore as a sign to the coven that she was off the menu, I was special. What made me different from the other feast maidens was that no matter how well healed or concealed they might be, I had no blemishes.

"The negotiations with the coven of Midnight are important. We don't" said Duke Sadisman "want our honoured guest drinking from a dirty cup."

That night not so long ago, I was chosen to be the sealing grail, the drink to be shared by the coven's overloads as a ceremonial High Point. It was a position of unique honour among the feast maidens; this one position marked me as destined for high rank among the familiars, I might be made a madam in a year, mistress in two, I might rise to be a captain of the long coats or an inquisitor general even end in the high harem and from there immortality its self was just a short step if it I dared to take it. The Duke held up his hand. My neck was free but  the waist corset echoed my heart bead like a drum skin as he approached. Walking forward elegantly swaying to make her self appear chase but as inviting as possible. I was under their spell I radiated the joyous aura of a bride progressing up an isle on her wedding day.

I remember the Duke took my outstretched left hand. Our eyes exchanged cryptic glances. The Duke then gave my hand to the Lord of the midnight coven. The Lord inspected the offering.

"AB negative a rare and exquisite vintage in such a fine and unspoilt bottle." He said approvingly, he sniffed my "just terrified but still obedient, the house Meridian honours me with this gift. He ordered me to open her mouth and inspected my teeth.

Having in great ritual, approved of the offering and following custom, the Lord modestly offered the Duke first strike on me. By custom, the Duke had to prove that the offering was not poisoned. He approached me and I conveniently tilted my head to the right (left was for the guest) and closed my eyes. Behind me, the other feast maidens became tense ready to break and permit themselves to be fed upon in the same way. When the lords had drunk, the feast would begin. I had the most dangerous job. It would be an act of engorgement for a single vampire to fully drain me. For two vampires trying not to offend each other, they might drain me to death by accident. In a normal house for a favoured maiden this might be remedied with a well-placed bottle of plasma. In this ceremony, death was seen as a good portent and the stock would be quickly roasted for dessert.

I felt The Duke's hands upon my corseted waist, and instantly he sank his lips into my neck. It was painful for a brief flash, and then I felt nothing but a warm glow. "The first cut won't hurt at all' I had been told. I felt his fangs within my veins; I could feel their movement within her. It was as if their two pulses combined, two hearts as synchronised as the feast maidens' reveal. I felt the pulse as my blood entered him, nourishing him, mixing with his essence some how. I could appreciate how one of the other more experienced familiars had described it to me as "like having your souls touching". I felt warmth on my shoulder. I just couldn't brake away. I peeked down to see two thick trails of my own blood flow down my bare shoulder to the black dress. I started to feel weak.

The other immortal moved and I shifted my head upright. In a blur, the other Lord had pushed his fangs to my neck.

'The second cut only makes you wonder' I had been told. I felt him tickle my shoulder and the pain of his entry was like two needles going into my neck. My heart skipped a beat. The constant  whippings suddenly became clear, I could control the pain. I felt the Lord's soul collide with hers and the two of them sharing my became completely necessary.

Suddenly, the Duke moved away, and coughed. I remember the look on his face.

"No stop" he shouted grasping his neck. The crowd around him eyeing up which feast maiden they found most appealing, were too busy to notice what he was doing. The Lord broke away early, blood covered his face he chocked. 
"Silver" the Duke hissed "She has silver in her blood."

"You poisoned me" Lord Moratu announced desperately as he watched the Duke. He had accused fall to the ground black blood gushing from his mouth.

My head was swimming; I felt sick and faint they were draining reality from me.

"Long live humanity" I shouted to the surprised covens and consternation of the familiars "long live the first earth army. I was sent to tell you, that you can take our blood but never our freedom. Death to the immortals, Death to the bloodsuckers the witch..." my mission accomplished I fell to the ground and so with the twin assassination of the covens of Albion. I had not only killed the blood lords but I had started a coven war. I might be dying from blood loss but my life was complete.

 If I died there was was I doing here in the cold water. Was I thrown out with the rest of the trash into the lake? Was I alive? Was I dead?  Is this heaven or hell?