Chapter 15

The ceremony itself was to take place in the lower bowels of the Carrington Estate. Normally the ceremony was done before a large group of friends and peers, the crowd unknowing of the route that she would take until they made the choice. Colbie, as she floated down the hallway, felt like she was going to her death. Never had she expected to be here, with no choice other than to choose immortality.

Her feet slapped on the stone steps as she followed her mother and talon, down and down. She went down further into the earth than she had ever been before - further than she had ever wanted to be. Despite her heritage, the princess had never been the biggest fan of dark confined spaces.

The curling, winding staircase stopped abruptly. Colbie almost ran into the back of her mother who had stopped saddened. A quickly glance over her shoulder revealed a door, a closed door. Her mother stared at the door for several long seconds before dropping her head so that her chin rested on her chest. She sighed and looked back at Colbie before leaning forwards to whisper to Talon.

They nodded and murmured. The next thing Colbie knew, Eleanor Carrington was gone. One second she was there and next she wasn’t. Having lived around the supernatural all her life, the young woman should have been used to the strange and the wonderful but still she felt her heart racing at the rapid disappearance of her mother.

It was a feat that she had never been able to get used to. Her family had all turned hundreds of years before she had ever been born and thus were well used to their gifts. Their slip from human speed to vampire speed was instantaneous.

Colbie gulped and looked down at Talon but he too had gone. The door which had been locked fast only moments before was now standing wide open, beckoning her into the darkness within. It would be the end of her life as she knew it and the start of an entirely new one.

Putting one foot in front of the other, she stepped through the wooden threshold and into the darkness. It caressed and comforted her as it something within her heart urged her feet forwards. Her footsteps continued to slap as she walked further into the depths of the Carrington estate in complete blindness. She felt her heart beating twice its normal speed as it banged against her ribcage just begging to be released.

The door behind her groaned before a loud bang echoed through the stone space. And then the definite sound of the lock clicking into place was like putting the final nail in the coffin. Colbie closed her eyes and will herself to go on.

And then she was walking so fast forwards that her feet were barely touching the ground. She put her hands out in front of her to protect her body from any hidden dangers but the darkness just stretched on and on. It was claustrophobic because Colbie had no way of telling which way was which or if the walls were only a few inches away or whether they were so far away she could host a ball and there would still be room to space.

It was like the thought had triggered something in the passageway as flickering light drew her attention. It looked about two hundred metres away but there was definitely light coming from under the edge of a door. She followed it willingly and when she came to the door, she pressed both hands against the wood and pushed. It opened with ease.  The hinges were obviously more cared for as there wasn’t even the slightest groan as the wood gave way under her touch.

Light assaulted her eyes, blinding her temporarily with its sudden brightness. And then her eyes adjusted and Colbie smiled. She recognised the room. It trigged some faint memory from her childhood, one so deeply locked away that she had forgotten he place even existed. It was her grandfather’s old study.

Ralph Carrington was a strange man – or at least that was how the stories had gone. The old coot had been so paranoid about attacks from humans and supernatural types alike that he had chosen the deepest and most defended part of the old Carrington fortress to put his private quarters. As to why she had been brought to the hidden rooms was not a question Colbie could answer.

“Hello?”

There was shuffling behind the young woman causing her to spin of her heel. She found herself staring face to face with the oldest looking vampire she had ever seen. His face was heavily lined and his ear lobes were really long. It was something she had noticed in the older politicians that had interacted with her father. But if they had appeared old, then this man was ancient.

He also had long stringy hair and a white beard that was long enough that he could actually tuck it into his belt. He looked like he was approaching his nineties but he was definitely vampire. Colbie was certain he was – his posture and his movements were too smooth and graceful to belong to any other special.

“What are you doing standing in my doorway? Don’t you know it’s rude to linger?”

The words were a bit slurred and so difficult to understand. Colbie didn’t seem to notice is lack of pronunciation. The young woman just gaped up at the aged man. He just snorted in response and shoved her aside.

His attention immediately went to the book cases and the numerous volumes there. Muttering under his breath about ‘children these days’ he caressed his finger over the spines lovingly as he searched. Finally he plucked one out, he glanced at the title before pulling what once would have been a brilliant smile. Now however it was a little off putting as the man had no teeth or at least not any that she could see.

The old man smoothed his fingers over the cover of the book like it was a prized pet not an inanimate object. He stroked his fingers one more before flinging out his hand so fast that the edge of the book cover cut the end of Colbie’s nose. Her eyes went cross eyed in an attempt to keep the entire book within her view.

When she made no move to take it, the old man sighed and dropped him arm. He glared at her like she had barely a brain cell between her ears. He looked down at his beloved red bound book, running a finger lovingly over the cover once more before taking her hand and gently placing it on her open palm.

“Keep it. Read it. Trust in it.”

The old man nodded his head stiffly before turning around. He joints creaked with the movement but he paid no attention to it. Instead he shuffled his weight towards the large armchair position behind the intricately carved desk.

Colbie frowned as she watched him move, wondering why he dressed like a sixteenth century monk but more why he seemed to think that her grandfather’s office was his to do with as he wished. She bit her lip to keep from saying anything when the old man lowered himself into the armchair, letting out a breath as he sank down into the plush cushions.

Looking down at the book now in her hands, the young woman frowned at the title. Embossed into the worm and much loved cover were the words ‘Vampire truths most secret’. Colbie stared at the words for several long seconds, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked between the old man and the book that was supposed to help her in some way.

Glancing up, she looked at her grandfather’s chair and frowned. The old man was gone and the room was barren and cold. The warm light that had drawn her into it was gone and now the room the room was strangely bereft of light. Glancing down at the floor, Colbie could clearly see where her own feet had cut a path through the room but there was no sign of a second set of foot prints. No sign that the old man had been there.

Colbie shivered and clutched the book closer to her chest. It was the only sign that what she had just experienced was not a dream.

Talon appeared in the doorway then. His dark skin was coated in dust and despite his usual ambivalence, the man had a deep furrow in his brow and lines had formed around his mouth where his lips were pressed tightly together.

“Where did you run off to?” He murmured, his eyes darting around the space, his features taking on just a slight hint of curiosity as he stared around the space.

Colbie stepped up to his side, glancing back over her shoulder before nudging him towards the door.

“You’re the one who left me there alone. Even my mother left me there on my own.”

Talon shot her a sharp look, his skin paling for just a second before he shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter, we have a meeting to go to. “ His gruffness left Colbie more than a little taken aback.

She spared on last glance at the cold and empty office, before following Talon out and closing the door behind her. The torch in his hand lit the way.

Now that the place was illuminated, Colbie marvelled in the beauty of the place. Although these levels were hardly used in the modern days, Colbie noted that every inch of the thick stone columns, which were holding up the ceiling, had been delicately carved into. Swirling pattered and foreign words her been written onto the stone. In some places they had become worn down to a mere blur where the vampires before her time had walked pasts and caressed their hands over the words.

Her footsteps echoed loudly as she wandered down the hallway, one hand tracing over the designs carved into stone while her other hand was clutched tightly around the book. She still wondered how it had all been possible but then Colbie supposed that nothing in her life made much sense any more. Nothing had been going right for months, even years.

“This is where I leave you. The rest of the journey is between you and your kin.”

So lost in her thoughts, Colbie almost ran headfirst into Talon’s back. If she hadn’t been dawdling so much she would have walked straight into his back. His beautiful bow lips tilted up as he glanced back at her.

“You just need to follow the columns for a short while and you will find your father. He will show you what to do.”

Colbie frowned. Why did they insist on dragging the entire thing out? Could they not just get this over and done with already? Her stomach was a ball of nerves, knotting and unknotting so rapidly that she was becoming nauseous.

Ignoring the tremble in her hand, Colbie stretched out and took the proffered torch. Her lips trembled as she met her guides gaze, holding it for as long as she could before nodding her head. Before she could change her mind, Colbie put one foot in front of the other and continued on and on.

Finally the columns ended, opening up into a large open space. The ceiling was at least thirty feet higher than it had been in the corridors leading up to it and Colbie could see strange rocks embedded into its surface. With her head tilted back to admire the scenery, the young woman did not notice her father until she had stepped on his toes. The man immediately cussed and stepped backwards, a knee jerk reaction which was strange considering he was stronger, faster and supposedly more impervious to minor pains.

The light of the torch and the gloom elsewhere meant that strange shadow were cast upon her father’s face making him seem more otherworldly than he had ever seemed before. There were more smiles exchanged before he took the torch out of her hand and promptly dropped it to the ground. He kicked dirt and dust on the burning torch until the flames were choked out of life. It was then that Colbie noted that no longer were her feet standing on stone, but pure life filled earth.

She could feel the potential thrumming beneath her. Kicking off her shoes, Colbie sunk her toes in deep, curling her toes into the earth. She allowed it to soothe and calm the turmoil roiling within her mind.

“You feel it already do you not?” Her father’s voice sounded as if it was coming from the end of a long tunnel but Colbie found that she could not care. Never had she been so deep down within her own home. Never had she been so deep within the earth. Something told her that she was well below the surface of the earth.

“It’s incredible how attuned you are to the earth and to your gifts when you have not completed the transition. I believe you were always meant for great things Colbie. Maybe not this destiny but you were definitely born to shine.” He coughed and cleared his throat.

“In a moment I will ask you to open your eyes. There are two chalices upon the table. One will grant you a mortal life. You will live one lifetime but with Hecate’s blessing you will not have to suffer the duty of slaying the forces that move against humans and vampires alike. The other cup,  will grant you immortality. The chalices are identical in every way but your heart and its resolve will guide you to the chalice you seek.”

There was clinking and muttering, the sound of liquid hitting metal and then William Carrington turned his withering face to his daughter.

“Open your eyes and look to your future. Choose the chalice which calls to you most and you can never loose. Hecate will bless you no matter your path.”

With those words whispering within her mind, the young woman closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to find the answer. She knew that if she could not choose then it could destroy her. The cup would do its job and turn her one way or another but if she did not truly want that path then it would be a life full of regret and misery. It didn’t always happen but there were still the rare few cases where a soul would become tormented, forced to live a half-life until death finally claimed them.

Her heart thudded loudly, so loudly that she could hear it in the void that her father’s voice has left behind. She knew that he had gone. That she was alone down here in the darkness with only her choice left to make, to decide her fate and how her life would go.

Colbie felt her hand tremble. The book, which had been clasped so tightly within her fingers, fell to the floor in her distraction hitting her toe and causing it to throb.

She had always wanted the life in the sun, the one where she could enjoy the warmth of the sun as she pushed her future children on the swings. But she would not see the sun in the same way again. How could she when, if she chose the immortal life, the very caress would burn and scorch – cause pain unlike anything she had ever felt before.

She took a deep breath and tried to centre her thoughts. Yes she would not get those things but Colbie would be giving so much more. Her uncle, should he succeed to the throne instead of her, would surely drive the country into ruins. Just the scene in the Canterbury McDonalds had reminded her of the fragile balance in the world. It had reminded her of the many lives that would be touched by evil if it was not for them – the vampires – working tirelessly and completely at their own risk to save the earth from total chaos. It was a cause worth fighting for – a cause that she could willingly spend her life pursuing.

Stretching out her hand into the air before her, Colbie drew in a deep breath and willed herself to find the right cup, the cup that would take away her childish dreams but fulfil the promises she had made to her father. The ones that would prove her worth and make the young woman feel like someone important within the Carrington family – not just the spare.

Her fingertips brushed against something warm and hard. Colbie pulled back her hand and yelped before stretching out her fingers once more – slower this time. A second later her fingers were wrapped around the goblet. The liquid inside sloshed around as she lifted the cup. It slopped over the brim, spilling over her fingers causing a curious tingle.

Shaking her head, Colbie lifted the cup up in a silent toast to whoever was watching her and then put the cup to her lips and drunk deep.  At first she tasked nothing apart from a mixture of salty and sweet. The liquid was thin like water and yet, as she swallowed it down, the substance thickened and become more viscous. It was uncomfortable but still Colbie drank on.

She wasn’t too sure if she had picked the right goblet as even when she had finished the glass and nothing else was to be done, she felt nothing. No changes to her body, no intense pain. There was just a horrible aftertaste.

Peeling open her eyes, Colbie let her brown eye stare into the darkness and felt discomforted. There was a strange absence of both sound and light. She was alone down in the depths of the castle, her father wouldn’t be back for her for several hours and something had definitely gone wrong with the transformation.

She absently pressed a hand to her stomach as her insides balled up into knots. At first she had thought the roiling was more nerves. But then it was like someone had wrapped a hand around her insides and squeezed – hard. The goblet fell from Colbie’s hand, crashing down onto her other foot. The young woman did not even cry out. Her eyes had scrunched shut and she had instinctively wrapped both arms around her waist as the cramps started.

The young woman moaned and curled up in on herself as she became away of the burning in her body. It started in her mouth like she had eaten something particularly spicy and then moved down her throat and into her stomach. It spread and burned through each of her cells so rapidly that she did not know which way was up and which way was down. All Colbie knew was pain. And yet, despite it being more than she had ever endured before, the only daughter of William Carrington bit her teeth and refused to give in.

“Must. Be. Strong.” She grits the words out, locking her knees together when her legs became weak.

The books had said that it was back but never had she imagined this. And yet she knew that there was more to come – much more.

The burning took a full five minutes to spread completely through every cell of Colbie’s body. By the time the first stage was completed the young woman could not comprehend how it would get any worse than it already was. But it could.

Her body, insistent of purifying every inch of her form, purged everything within her. The acrid stench of vomit reached her nose as she forced over at the waist but the strong contractions of her stomach that she had no choice but to give up the contents of her stomach. She knew what was to come next and chose to block out the stench and the indignity of letting loose other bodily waste.

Colbie stumbled forwards as her skin started to itch. The fires in her very cells which had been simmering painfully before became so much more intense as the young woman used her finger nails to claw at her skin and her clothes. She had the insane urge to remove it all, to get rid of the constricting fabric so that she could be free in the nature and the night.

Colbie shuddered as pure agony ran up the length of her spine. She was unable to keep her footing any longer as her very bone broke, came apart one crack at a time. It would have turned her stomach and made her violently ill if not for the fact that she had already emptied the entirety of her stomach contents only moments before.

With her pulse banging loudly within her eardrums, Colbie pushed herself onwards through the pain and the terror in her own heart as her bones reformed once more. They were different to how they had been before. She was uncertain how but she just knew that they felt different – that the powerful and yet completely painful magic wreaking havoc within her was changing her very genetic make up.

There would be no going back – ever.

The change chose that moment to intensify, and then her face cracked and splintered and the bones pulled apart changed and reformed. The proximity to her brain and the pure unfiltered pain became too much to bear. Colbie allowed her eyes to close as she lay on the floor only a few feet away from her own stinking messes.

The change would take another six hours of bone breaking and gruesome changes to complete but when she woke once more, Colbie would be a completely new person. And she would be unaware of the damage she had caused. As the change came to an end – magic began to take a hold of her body. With her arms flung out to the sides even in her unconscious state, her skin pulsed with an unearthly light. Her body bowed off of the ground and shuddered like her entire being had been electrocuted.

Throwing her head back and letting loose a silent scream as he vocal cords struggled to reform, the energy from the grew and grew until her skin could withhold it no longer. It exploded outwards and shook the very foundations of the Carrington estate. Even those in the upper floors could feel the floor tremble beneath them. They all paused for a moment, some even whispering a silent prayer for their princess. And then they resumed their night as usual, content in the knowledge that their princess was being looked after by the goddess herself.