Veridian Shores

Chapter 12 - Once They Get to Know Me

Gliss felt Capper's Aspect before she saw him and instantly she knew whatever confrontation he'd had with Brooke had almost knocked him into a feral rage. The uncontrolled torrent of energy washed over her as he emerged from the passages and she found herself marvelling at just how strong his presence became when someone had the misfortune to make him angry.

She didn't say anything when he stormed over and stopped beside her, instead just waiting as he settled his Aspect. Slowly the barely contained expression of fury on his face began to subside and with it went the seething mess of energy that surrounded him.

"So," he said eventually, locking eyes with her. "Let's talk about the Synod."

"Oh yeah?"

"Let's just say Brooke and I have had our last disagreement for a while." He gave an exasperated shake of his head. "So for now, we might as well think about how the hell I can get you into this party without pissing off half the city."

She couldn't keep a smile off her face. "Well, I'm game."

"Good. Then let's take a walk. We've got a lot of work to do."

Happily, Gliss fell into step behind him, the pieces of her plan falling to place before her. With Brooke more or less out of the picture, with her went the biggest obstacle to operating freely within the Glaive sphere. That, and the added bonus that if they could pull it off, she would be going to the Synod with Capper, which would drive the prissy Elder-blood into a jealous fury.

They climbed back through the levels of the estate, away from the quiet dimness of the library and up into the heavily populated upper regions, where Aspects swam and eddied like miniature storms in Gliss's mind. Soon they were weaving through other members of the clan, and she didn't fail to notice the sharp looks that many of them fired Capper's way. Their Aspects were taut with tension – whatever disagreement the vampires of Veridian Shores were embroiled in, she could sense things were reached their breaking point.

She kept her head high, meeting the stares of those powerful clan members. If they were to take her seriously she couldn't show a sliver of fear, but at the same time she needed to remain respectful. Shooting her mouth off at the wrong person could destroy her chances of attending the Synod before she could get started.

Pulling level with Capper, Gliss let him guide her up to a part of the mansion she'd not yet been allowed in by her normal guard chaperones. They'd steered her away from these upper regions through a mixture of reverence and fear.

The chambers of the Elder-Bloods.

With Capper by her side no one challenged her, though that didn't stop the occasional curious look. They strode through plush carpeted passages that burned warm with the glow of gas-lamps, decorated with swirling murals and archaic portraits. The artists who'd captured the Glaive aristocracy had not spared their imagination, extending their immortal subjects into creatures of myth. Long angular skills with thin, oval eyes glared daggers at her as she walked, skin the colour of polished alabaster gleaming in the light. From the clothing they wore Gliss could see these portraits had been painted long, long ago.

They emerged into a wide corridor with a staggered arrangement of towering mahogany doors looming over them. As they passed, Gliss sharp eyes spotted faint but unmistakable etched patterns in the woodwork, lines and spirals barely visible to even her enhanced senses. She recognised them to – markings in arcane Vampyr. While the language may have faded out of the minds of the clan, whoever had built this house had stayed true to the old ways.

Capper stopped at one of the doors, fingers closing around the handle. He gave her an oddly sheepish look, then turned and pushed. The hulking door swung open with the faint hiss of well-oiled hinges, to reveal what she could only assume was his room.