Claws of Eternity ✔️

Chapter 19: Masquerade

GISELLE 

None of Giselle's companions asked about what exactly happened in those woods when the shadows disappeared, and she was grateful. She wouldn't be able to tell them anything except that she honestly didn't know.

Once they reached the Border, they slept through the most of their trip. Giselle hasn't eaten anything in a few days and she felt the burning of the sun on her skin. Apparently, only the lack of blood made them vulnerable to sun.

Luckily for them, the weather was getting colder and the winter smiled upon them.

They were late to the ball, a bit because of their encounter with the creatures outside the Border and a bit because once they reached the Border, Sergey spent a few hours simply kissing the soil beneath his feet. They had to change in the carriage an hour before they reached Cardona. And God, they were a sight to be seen. Sergey was dressed in golden robes with embroidered flowers all across the fabric. He had put make up on his eyes, which made him look a little bit like a fat cat.

"People seem to like the best the high fashion of their time, so don't stare." Warned Alacaris, she wore a loose white dress, her hair straight and decorated with leaves and flowers. She wasn't wearing any undergarments and Giselle could see her nipples through the white fabric.

"Vampires like wearing clothes they wore when they were alive, so you will see a lot of different styles around here tonight." Octavia added. She was wearing a simple, olive green dress, that went incredibly well with her skin.

"Sounds like a masquerade ball." Giselle commented. While Sergey was fixing every hair on his beard, he nodded.

"Every ball is a masquerade ball, darling, every man and woman pretending to be richer, better and more beautiful than they truly are."

Giselle wore a black dress, one Rosa made once out of pure spite, because they weren't allowed to wear black dresses on any sort of cheerful occasion. And this wasn't a funeral dress. It was tight in the waist and around breasts, the sleeves were long and puffed, but the neckline was cut deep. Even Giselle wouldn't have dared wear it before. The rest of it was embroidered with silk details, making the dress shine at the slightest touch of light. Her hair was tidied up, but she kept her golden curls loose and the only thing she put on, was a deep red colour on her lips. Where Giselle was born, the Church considered coloured lips a form of trickery to men, a misinterpretation of what you actually looked like, and therefore a crime. She was never taking the damn thing off.

As they approached Cardona, Giselle shivered with anticipation. This seemed to scare her more than the monsters in the woods. Everyone would be here, everybody who's anybody would ne at this ball. And Giselle could hardly believe she would be here, too. She would get to meet the strongest race that currently walks the earth, the top of all tops.

Carcassonne balls were nothing compared to what stood before her. Cardona was a smaller castle, less magnificent than Carcassonne or even Bran, but it was alive. So many people, of all races, dressed in different clothes talked in the town. Candles shone everywhere, lighting the pathways, inviting people to taverns and workshops. People were shouting, selling different, exotic things. One man was selling mice, as they approached him, Giselle heard his words.

"Bribe your Messengers with a fresh, fat mouse!" He shouted and others actually bought them. Music was coming from the inside of the castle, where they were headed. The castle stood tall at the top of a hill, like a huge candle rising from the forest. And a line, leading towards the entrance, put Giselle in perspective on how important this ball really was. Only those that had an invitation could enter.

"I'm scared." Giselle whispered to Sergey who offered her a warm smile.

"I remember my first vampire ball, dear God, I almost puked on the stairs towards the castle. It's normal, thrive in it." He whispered back.