Chapter 4: Making an Entrance
Oksana
Oksana strode purposely through the halls of the house seat of clan Tereshenko, a clan known for their deep obsidian mines. They had put those mines to good use and had made their fortune exporting the delicate rock to any county, tribe, or clan willing to buy the rock. For themselves, they had gone out of their way to use the rock for decorating the house seat.
Oksana hated to admit it, but they had done an impressive job. From the ceiling hung large chandeliers made entirely of the black stone. The light given off by the candles within the chandeliers contrasted impressively with the black stone. Every doorway was carved from obsidian where intricate designs ranging from flowers to deadly beasts, were carved into the rock. Where many vampiric houses would have red cloths and silks adorning their wall, The Tereshenko’s had made small shiny beads out of the black rock. They had sewn them into a dark silk and hung them all down their halls. It gave off the impression that one was walking through a palace of glass.
Oksana scoffed to herself. Admiring the beauty of this place wasn’t why she was here. She was the heir to the ruling chair of clan Khvostov. Her house was one of the oldest in existence and whose power dwarfed newer clans such as this one. Her parents had sent her here as an envoy to the current ruler of clan Tereshenko, Kostin stone fist, or amongst his enemies, Kostin the shriveled. Despite his impressive name, his nickname suited the man in question far better.
While Oksana had never met him personally, she had heard the stories of the sniveling coward. He was far more likely to hide behind his clan's wealth and never once had gone on slave raids, or gone on hunting trips into the blood lands.
It galled Oksana that a sanguine vampire such as herself had to debase herself, by personally acting as an envoy to a clan that was ruled by an upstart high vampire who didn’t know his place. Still, her father would hear none of it and told her that their clan could benefit greatly from establishing a formal trade agreement with the obsidians. If they could limit who the obsidian was being shipped to, it would increase her clan’s prestige and wealth.
Swallowing her pride, she had agreed to be the envoy. She came ready to impress, however. Vampire clans loved their fashion and never missed an opportunity to impress or show off their wealth. Therefore, Oksana had brought a full diplomatic retinue with her. She had traveled by her family's drawn carriage and brought no less than a detachment of forty house guards, twenty servants, three personal thrall slaves, and finally her most recent and current paramour, Pavel. She had enjoyed watching the impressed and awed looks on the house servants and guards they had passed as they had come through the front gates and down these halls.
As she strode down the halls, accompanied by her full retinue, she stopped by one of the large obsidian mirrors that were inlaid in the walls. She took a moment to admire herself in the mirror, while also ensuring she presented a dominant presence. She was tall, like most vampires of the Sanguine station. She stood just above six feet tall and had a powerful frame to match that height. However, that did not take away from her obviously feminine form. Her long snow-white hair was pulled up on top of her head into a perfect and elegant bun, leaving her face on proud display.
She had regal facial features with her pure red eyes that arrogantly looked down her delicate nose as she admired herself. She wore dark red lipstick, which complemented her pale skin incredibly well. She smiled at herself, displaying her two pronounced canines and she licked her lips with her slim yet long tongue.
Her eyes trailed down her figure, as she looked at the rest of herself. She wore an expensive spider silk dress that hugged her every curve and showed off every asset. The top was dyed black and low cut exposing the top of her impressive chest which the dress predominantly put on display.
Around her neck she wore a necklace made from pure silver and hanging from it was a large blood-red ruby, that sat directly in the center of her chest. She intentionally wore such jewelry, knowing that men she dealt with would use it as an excuse to look at her chest. Seeing them drool on themselves, always amused her. The dress trailed down, flared out over her generous hips, and turned blood red. The dress had a slit on her right side that ran nearly up to her hip, exposing a long expanse of her strong and perfect legs. Sewn into the dress were numerous small rubies that gleamed in the light and twinkled as she moved. On her feet, she wore similar red heels that gave her another few inches in height.
She hummed in satisfaction as she looked at herself. To her lady in waiting, she said, “Do I not look beautiful Lara?”
Lara who stood off to her left nodded dutifully and in an admiring voice said, “Yes mistress, as always you can capture the attention of an entire room.”
“Yes, I can,” Oksana purred as she turned from the mirror and made her way up the stairs to the dining room where she was to meet Kostin.
“As much as I hate having to come here, it is a nice chance to show off to a high vampire,” Oksana said as she took the steps one at a time. “Hopefully we can be done here, and be back in a proper clan seat before the next week.”
“This is an important mission mistress Oksana,” said Yuri, her father’s longtime advisor and one of Oksana’s many tutors in her youth. “The duke would not have sent you personally if he did not have a serious interest in this trade agreement.”
Oksana reluctantly nodded her head, and replied, “I know Yuri, it does not mean I have to enjoy it. Still, have you ever known me to fail in a task given to me by my parents?!”
“Of course not, mistress,” Yuri quickly replied in an apologetic tone. “You are and always were my best student. I have full confidence in your ability to successfully negotiate terms of business with Kostin.”
Oksana nodded, satisfied by his words. She knew he was right and that this was an important assignment. But it still galled her that she was going to have to treat with this upstart herself. The vampiric confederation in the heart of the blood lands had existed for centuries and had always been held together by a strict feudal class system. It was simple, the strongest ruled and the weakest served. At the bottom of that hierarchy were the thralls, both natural-born and turned. They were the slave class of the vampire race. Used mainly for manual labor and as an easy source of blood. Above them were the lesser vampires followed by the common variant. These two classes made up the bulk of the vampire’s military might.
The noble classes were the superior, high, and finally the sanguine class. Each class was a large degree more powerful and gifted than those below them. As a sanguine Vampire, Oksana was at the top of the class system. Her natural speed, strength, and vitality were of the highest order for her kind. Her vampiric abilities were also among the highest order. She resented and was offended by the fact that she had to go as an envoy to a high vampire. Still, it would be satisfying bending the man to her will.
“Come, let us show this house what true nobility looks like!” Oksana said as she reached the top of the stairs.
Before her and her retinue was a large obsidian door that rose nearly twenty feet from the ground. Before it stood ten heavily armored guards. They all were gazing at Oksana in open rapture, as she glided forward.
With a bored air, she waved her hand and Yuri stepped past her. He thumped his staff into the stone beneath them, “This is lady Oksana. Daughter of the ruling duke, Aleksander of clan Khvostov. Announce her presence to your master's fools!”
The guards jerked as if coming out of a trance. One guard stepped forward, bowed hastily, and said, “A thousand apologies my lady! We received word of your coming and of your arrival only a few minutes ago. The master is currently entertaining his guests in the ballroom. We shall announce you at once. The other guests have already arrived.”
Oksana smirked. Pleased that her plan to arrive last had panned out, now she and her entourage could command the presence of all behind the doors in front of them. She watched as two of the guards grabbed the large handles of both doors and pulled. The doors swung easily open. Oksana could see the ballroom that awaited them behind the door and smiled in anticipation of the entrance they were about to make.
The guard who had spoken to them stepped forward and slammed the butt of his spear into the ground. The sound easily carried over the din of the ball and all eyes turned towards the main doors. The guard cleared his throat and called out, “Her ladyship, daughter and envoy of Duke Aleksander of clan Khvostov and her retinue!”
Without waiting for a second, longer, Oksana brushed past the guard and walked into the ballroom. She was greeted with the sights of dozens of vampires ranging from superior to High. So far from what she could see, she was the only sanguine here. Her family’s spies had predicted as much and she was glad that information had been corrected. She therefore easily held the most political and cultural power amongst all in the room.
She felt the gazes of all those in the room immediately focus on her and she basked in the attention. Hushed whisperings and surprised expressions rippled throughout the room, as Oksana and her retinue filed into the expansive ballroom.
Oksana scanned the room, not making eye contact with anyone, in particular, instead of taking in the room as a whole. She finally saw Kostin standing at the far end of the ballroom, surrounded by a number of vampires she assumed were to be her rivals in the negotiations.