The Other Lords

Lord Fashire's grip on the vial tightened as he circled it in his fist, his gaze distant and his jaw clenched. He lifted his other hand to touch his lips, a fleeting frown crossing his face before vanishing in an instant. His shoulders sagged and he let out an exasperated sigh, his eyes drifting up to the ceiling.

I tensed with anticipation and dread. What was he planning to do next?

For what felt like an eternity, Lord Fashire remained motionless, a statue carved from the darkest nightmares. Then, with an unsettling smirk curling his lips, he glanced down at me.

He murmured, "The others are going to have a field day about this." 

At those very words, the ringing in my ears ceased and a deathly pall of gloom hung over me. He slipped his fingers into the breast pocket of his dark shirt, retrieving a gleaming silver key. The bright lighting caught its shine as he grabbed my hands and turned the key in the lock. The shackles fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

He held my wrists in a crushing grip and dragged me to the door like I was a near-empty sack of grain. I dug my leg into the ground, trying to gain footing, but it all proved futile against his force. My wounded shoulder screamed in agony and a sharp gasp escaped my lips as the blinding pain surged through me.

In a last-ditch effort, I mustered the courage to reach out, my elbows grappling at his leg. My wrists throbbed from the strain and I released my elbows from the flimsy grip.

"Please, stop!" I pleaded.

The heavy desperation in my voice accomplished nothing, so I yelled at the top of my lungs, "My blood is in you now and if anything happens to me, I can't guarantee your safety!"

I bumped into his legs when his steps faltered right in front of the double doors. Lord Fashire peered down at me, his eyes widening with incredulity. "Unbelievable. Did you just threaten me?"

My heart roared once more and I suppressed the rising tide of fear that threatened to consume me. I had to stand my ground, to fight for my life and the life of my father. If I didn't, our lives would be over the moment I passed through those doors. 

His lips twisted into a sour grimace, and he withdrew his hand from the door. Silence enveloped us, the tension thickening the air as our gazes locked in a battle of wills.

"Do you really want to hand me over to the other Lords?" I managed to force out, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and determination.

A flicker of amusement danced in the corners of his lips, an enigmatic smirk playing upon them. "How quaint of you to think that anyone can oppose me."

My heart stuttered to a stop as if frozen in time. There was a gleam in his eyes, an unsettling knowledge that stripped me of all defences. He knew. He knew I was just trying to save my skin.

With one final tug, we crossed the threshold, and my heart lodged itself in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, silently praying for a miracle. It couldn't be over. Not like this. One small mistake, and I had sealed my fate. And my father... What would become of him?

A rush of air raced past my skin and in less than a moment, Lady Gremlin's soft voice caressed my ears. "Oh, Venti… what is this now?"

Chills shot down my spine, and my eyes snapped open, but I couldn't bear to look up. The polished floorboards of the dining hall were unmistakable, along with the striking presence of the other Lords looming in the air

Lord Fashire's grip tightened once more as he pulled and flung me forward. My feet tangled, and I crashed onto the floor, a jarring pain radiating from my side, momentarily dazing me.

"Why is a human wearing our servant's clothing? An intruder?" a Lord spoke up, his voice dripping with sick amusement. I stilled, tight-lipped, with my gaze fixed upon the ground.

My shoulder throbbed violently and my face twisted in anguish. I couldn't even vocally express the pain I felt.

Another Lord chuckled—a voice all too familiar. Lord Daniels. He often spent time in the gardens with Lady Gremlin, his voice carrying to the far corners of the other yard where I used to work. "They appear to grow bolder and bolder by the day."

It was then I noticed what I was wearing. Had he dressed me up in servant clothing for this?

"Are you blind, Venti? Or do you not see how you're soiling the floor with her blood?" someone else added, their sharp tone seething with annoyance.

I finally noticed the dark drops on the floor, the bloody splotches were beginning to merge into a small puddle. The sight went a wave of panic crashing over me.

I was losing blood.

Lord Fashire's deep-throated laughter pierced the heavy silence, a wicked sound that seemed to mock my misery as it echoed off the chamber walls. He finished with a sigh and spoke a little louder than before, "It appears the humans have found a way to mask as vamps."

My ears rang at the deafening silence and I couldn't help flinching at the sudden sound that tore at the tortured quiet.

The screech of a chair being scraped across the floor shattered the stillness, causing my heart to skip multiple beats. "What?!" 

Lord Fashire's boots appeared in my line of sight, and he reached down, clutching my cheeks with a cruel grip, forcing my face upward to face the stunned audience. My heart shattered into a thousand pieces as my gaze flitted across their feet before eventually settling on Becca's mortified expression.

"What do you have to say about that, young lady?" Lord Fashire's boots appeared beside me and he reached down to clutch my cheeks, forcing my face up and towards the audience. My heart skipped multiple beats as my eyes skimmed their feet and flitted to Becca's mortified expression.

'No. No. No.' My stomach shrivelled up.

The vampire Lords stared in stunned silence, their faces etched with the battle raging within their minds as they struggled to process just what Lord Fashire's words meant. 

Lady Gremlin's fair brows shot up in surprise, and a Lord I had never seen before removed his rimmed glasses, his troubled expression evident on his face. The other Lords simply sat there, their eyes wide with shock.

For a brief moment, Lady Gremlin's usually composed features revealed a flicker of distress. Matadre, normally stern and composed, stood rigid, her face etched with devastation. They both seemed at a loss for words.

"My Lord," Matadre finally spoke up, her hands gesturing helplessly at her sides like the scales of a weighing balance. "That's... I find this to be impossible." She shook her head as if the scene unfolding before her was unimaginable. It was the first time I had seen such strong emotions from her, and it scared me. "How?" she whispered. "I—I vetted her myself, and—"

I averted my gaze, and as though sensing my movement, his fingers dug into my cheeks even further and I winced, looking up into his eyes. They emitted a faint glow and I was fairly certain I saw glints of red within the silver hue.

"Where did you find her?" he asked Matadre, all the while keeping his eyes on me.

My eyes watered and I mentally pleaded for the head maid to hear me, as hopeless and impossible as it was. 

'No. Please don't say a word.'

"She was recommended by a former servant who used to work... here," Matadre began, her voice trailing off as realization dawned upon her. Then she paled, the weight of her words settling over the chamber as the significance of her statement hit everyone present like a sledgehammer.

"What staff?" one of the Lords growled, and I heard a deep crack, followed by the crunching sound of wood being gripped and crushed.

Matadre wasted no time in responding, her voice dripping with distress. My chest tightened. "Her name is Strome. She retired six years prior. We worked together at the North stronghold decades before coming here." She paused, pain etched across her face as she squeezed her eyes shut. I had no idea she was close to my aunt. "I do not know which village she came from." She lowered her head, clasping her hands tightly at her stomach. "My mistake, my Lords."

A Lord rose from his seat, causing me to jolt at the sudden movement. His eyes blazed a molten red, and as he took a step forward, the floor cracked underneath his foot.

Lady Gremlin stood as though to intervene. "Eden—"

But Lord Eden roared, his rage reverberating through the chamber as he brought his hand down upon the centre table, ramming it down to the floor. The chamber trembled under the force of his fury, and I shrank back, but Lord Fashire's grip on me held me in place. He grimaced in Lord Eden's direction.

Lady Gremlin glared at me, her green eyes blazing with contempt. I had never seen her so angry, and the contrast between her usual sweetness and this newfound fury sent countless needle pricks of fear all over my skin. "Hold on. I do not smell her blood." She pointed at the wound on my shoulder and her frown deepened. "What is the meaning of this, Venti?"

Lord Fashire yanked me to my feet, and I gasped in pain. My arm felt as though it was on the verge of tearing off. Trembling under the scrutiny of the audience, I went rigid as I realized that the other pets were there too, their faces filled with fascination at the spectacle before them. We had seen each other countless times before, sometimes exchanging words, other times ignoring each other. But now, I found myself in a far worse predicament than theirs, and I didn't know how to feel.

The little boy was conspicuously absent.

The Lord who had put his glasses back on spoke in a calm, soft-spoken voice, his words carrying a hypnotic quality, "Where are you from?" 

I shook my head, taking a step back. Lord Fashire gripped my upper arm and whirled me forward. My legs danced on the floor and I wheezed at the gnawing ache of my shoulder. Unable to take it anymore, I clawed at his hand, my eyes watering. He could hold me anywhere but there. Why was he subjecting me to this torment?

"Matadre," Lord Fashire growled, his eyes livid as I stared back at him. "Escort the servants and pets out."