Blood Descendants (St. Clair Vampires Book 1) (18 page)

Navigating the reef
took our captains several hours. The tide was higher than expected at
this time of day and we were going to have to be patient if we didn’t
want to end up like so many other vessels who had attempted to land
on the island. Our yachts made their way to the western-most side of
the island where there appeared to be an opening in the reef. More
natives appeared on the shore but they were all subdued by the
presence of the Stewards. From the right angle I could see a canal
cut into the island. It was hard to see if you didn’t know what
to look for, but it was clearly there and that was where our captain
aimed our yacht.

The canal was a system
of locks like the Panama Canal except on a much smaller level. All
three yachts were lowered into an underground docking and receiving
area where we were greeted by the Steward Governor. The man was
wearing all white and bowed so deeply that he brushed his chin on the
ground at Efia’s feet. The top of his bald head was so shiny
that I could see Efia’s smile as she extended her hand for him
to stand.

“
Welcome,
Queen Efia”, the man said., his voice even deeper than
Solomon's.

He reached for and
kissed Efia’s hand, careful not to linger too long. His granite
gray eyes swept over the rest of our party as he did a quick
assessment of who we were. When he released Efia’s hand, he
snapped his fingers twice and a number of Stewards sprung into
action. Our yachts were unloaded in mere minutes and our belongings
were on their way to our accommodations.

“
Ezekiel,”
Efia called to the Steward Governor.

“
Yes,
Queen Efia?”

“
I’d
like you to meet my granddaughters.”

Ezekiel turned to us
then and bowed, not quite as deeply as he did for Efia but adequately
enough for me to feel important. He didn’t attempt to kiss our
hands but he did give us both a smile that lit up his entire face.
Ezekiel was a handsome man yet he reminded me of a billy goat with
his gray goatee and playful eyes. His skin was pale, especially for
someone who spent all of his life on an island, but extremely clear
and smooth looking. I immediately wondered how old he was and made a
mental note to ask Solomon later.

“
It
is very nice to meet the two of you,” Ezekiel said. “We
have quite a treat planned for tomorrow, but tonight we eat."

“
You
never fail to amuse, Ezekiel.” Efia had placed her hand in the
crook of his arm. “And call me Efia, my friend. We need not be
so formal in the presence of family.”

“
You
are too kind,” Ezekiel said, as we continued to walk.

I was less interested
in eating than I was in finding somewhere to shower and rest. I had
hoped that Ezekiel was taking us to our rooms for room service but I
was mistaken. The room that he led us to was anything but restful.
What I saw when I looked around was not a soft cozy bed but an
arrival party fit for the Queen of England, or Africa since it was
Efia that they were fawning over.

There was strange music
and ceremonial dancers with Calla Lily bouquets, corsages and
boutonnières all in a variety of colors. In the far corner I
saw other flowers being prepared and tried to remember which royal
family they were for. I should have done more studying on the plane
because I didn’t want to embarrass Efia with my ignorance.
After we were all adorned with flowers and well wishes we were
whisked into the large banquet hall.

Saying the room was
huge was like saying water was wet. Of course it was huge. There were
five large tables on a raised dais at the front of the room. Each
table had a large center piece in the middle of it containing the
family flower. As Efia and the Governor talked, the rest of us milled
around. I was floored by the number of tables in the room and
wondered just how many people were expected. The room was at least
100 feet wide and twice as long. There were dozens upon dozens of
flowers in the most fascinating colors. the aroma was just short of
overpowering.

I stood near the
entrance and took a deep breath. This was too much for me. The
reality that this room was soon to be filled with Vampires and their
‘support team’, as I called them, was just unreal. I felt
a hand on my elbow and turned to see Solomon standing next to me. He
gave me a polite smile and gestured me forward.

“
I
know this must seem overwhelming for you, Cheyenne. It is natural to
be wary of what you do not understand so I will try to ease your
uncertainties.”

I was beyond relieved
to have Solomon as my tour guide because I trusted him. We began at
the rear of the room where there were 6 large oval tables. Each table
sat 20 people and had a bouquet of Sunflowers at its center. Solomon
informed me that, being the seats nearest the entrance doors, these
tables were for the Steward Guard. These Stewards were selected for
their physical and mental attributes. They would protect any and all
Vampires and Fare present; it was their destiny to do so.

I also noticed that
there were other tables throughout the room with Sunflowers on them
as well. These were the tables of Steward families with Electus.
Electus were the Steward and Fare that had come of age and were ready
to be selected into a Vampire family. These were the tables from
which Solomon would choose the best Stewards for me and Chloe.

All of the tables were
covered in white lines with matching chairs. The only difference was
the centerpieces. We walked through the many tables and admired the
floral arrangements. I was awed by the amount of care it must have
taken to nurture and grow the many different plants represented here.
Nearest the Steward Guard tables, and thus the end of the room, the
tables had Daisies at their center. Although the centerpiece was
full, there was something subtle that made them seem lesser than the
others. I wasn't sure why I felt that way until Solomon pointed out
that Fare were to sit in relation to their caste. The highest caste
would sit in the front, just beyond the Vampire clan members; their
tables had larger and more substantial centerpieces. Centered around
bright orange Tiger Lilies was an assortment of baby’s breath,
Pincushion Protea and Mokara Orchids. I looked closer at the design
and noticed several of the table’s centerpieces had a single
large Calla Lily. The flower was a muted orange color and almost
indiscernible, but I was sure that it meant something. When I ask
Solomon about it, he laughed and said that they were trying to win
favor with Efia since the last Fare selected to her family was from
the Middle Caste.

The Middle Caste Fare
were smack dab in the middle of the room. Their tables had, you got
it, medium sized centerpieces on them. They were no less magnificent
with their purple and white Petunias and lush greenery. I searched
the centerpieces for the telltale signs of favoritism but did not
find a kiss-up in the bunch. Solomon explained that the Middle Caste
did not feel the need to pander to any of the clans since they were
chosen most often by virtue of the fact that there was less political
drama with the selections.

I let the idea of the
caste system sink in as we passed by the Higher Caste tables. I
wasn’t sure if the shape of the table had any bearing in the
significance of the occupants since the Steward Guards were at oval
tables and the Fare would sit around circular ones, but the square
tables that we encountered had me wondering. There were 10 centered
in pairs in front of 5 long rectangular tables. The square tables
would have 8 occupants each and their centerpiece matched the one on
the table in front of them. These, Solomon said, were the tables for
the members of each clan. I knew that you were not necessarily
royalty if you were a member of a clan. Since the clans were
separated by virtue of their attributes, most members were not of the
royal family at all. Their presence here would signify either their
need to select a Fare and/or Steward or their standing with the royal
family and the importance of their witnessing the events.

We had reached the
front of the room and the 5 long tables. These tables were on their
own individual raised dais' with seating for 10. It didn’t
surprise me that the St. Clair table was in the center of the 5 Royal
Families since I had just discovered just how powerful Els had the
potential to be. The table was topped with several bouquets of white
Calla Lilies and minimal garnishments. The arrangements were simply
elegant and a perfect representation of Efia. To the right of the St.
Clair table was the position of the second most powerful family, the
Dewhurst table. Since Tabitha was a Dewhurst I was anxious to meet
the family.

The Dewhurst table had
the most gorgeous floral arrangement. Solomon had to tell me that the
main flower was called a Narcissus. There was no prominent color as
some of the Narcissi were yellow and white and others were a pale
pink. The flowers seemed to draw you in as if they had a secret to
tell you. The Narcissi, seeming to be just like their name suggested,
were so beautiful that I couldn’t stop looking at them. I found
myself reaching for a blossom before Solomon took my hand. Apparently
it was bad taste to touch a royal table without permission. I looked
longingly at the little blossoms as they appeared to pucker up to
blow little kisses.

To the left was the
Dubois table, the Oracle clan and their flower, the Ghost Orchid,
matched my perception of them. The white flowers were even less
adorned than the Lily on the St. Clair table. The Ghost Orchid
signifies the mystic of the clan’s attributes. Even though I
knew they weren't sentient, I felt as if the flowers were trying to
warn me of something bad to come. I didn’t have the slightest
urge to touch these flowers and eagerly followed Solomon to the next
table.

The Castellanos, the
clan without attributes, was placed on the end of the row. They were
set out of the way as if they are insignificant and I could see why
that would make them angry and dangerous to be around. I was
surprised to see such vibrant colors coming from their table. Their
flower was the red Poppy and the centerpieces had red, yellow and
orange poppies arranged in them. By far, this table was the most
ornate and impressive table of all in the room, as if by virtue of
their centerpiece they could gain prestige. I instantly felt sorry
for them. I had never considered that beings as powerful as Vampires
could be deemed irrelevant in their own society. I had mix feelings
of guilt and relief to be a member of the St. Clair family. I guess
if I was going to be a Vampire one day, belonging to a powerful
family was my best bet.

Speaking of powerful, I
knew that Violeta’s was the most physically powerful family and
I wondered why their table was not closer to the center. The Miklos
table, in fact, was on the opposite end of the room. Solomon said
that, with only two living members of the royal family, even their
attribute was not enough to make the family powerful in the political
arena. I asked why the table was set for ten like all of the rest. I
didn’t like the idea of Violeta and her brother sitting alone
with empty chairs reminding them of what they had lost.

“
Efia
has suggested that Zander and Jordan join the Miklos’ clan for
the duration of the events. It will be symbolic of the pending union
of the two families and will show our allegiance to them. Dominic was
also able to find five surviving cousins, distant though they may be,
who were not present during the raids. They had been in hiding for
many years and are now ready to rejoin our society.”

I loved to listen to
Solomon speak. His voice was so deep and smooth that anything he said
instantly put me at ease. I would often ask him to say “You’re
in good hands with Allstate”; and he would always do it with a
smile just to please me. He continued to talk about the numerous
options in which the Miklos clan could grow. Obviously they could
bred, which would take longer for Violeta than her brother if he
chose to have a harem instead of a single mate. They could donate
blood to the Castellano clan in the hopes that the attributes would
be passed on. There were problems with this, however. The Castellanos
were looking to gain power for themselves, not to allow their clan
members to join a powerful family. So, getting permission to adopt
clan members was nearly impossible. Aside from that, it would be best
for the Miklos to adopt infants so that the vampires didn’t
retain any familial allegiance. Infant adoption was even rarer in the
Castellano clan since some Vampires are born with attributes despite
the lack in the parents. Being a Muted Vampire had a diverse set of
hardships but rebuilding a once powerful clan seemed unfathomably
daunting.

We reached the Miklos
table and I breathed in deeply. There were red Roses in tall glass
vases on the table. Most of them were closed and had dew on their
petals while just a few had begun to open. Looking at the thorns, the
flower obviously represented strength and the ability to protect
oneself. It made me wonder how another clan was able to catch them
unaware and kill them off. It had to have been an inside job but why
would anyone want to massacre their own people? It was a question for
another day, however, and Solomon led me through a side door and
towards our accommodations.

Chapter 16

After a quick shower,
I dressed in the clothes that the Stewards laid out for me. The
clothes were simple for a person of royal blood, it was Efia’s
idea to be understated even in the presence of other clans. Chloe was
sitting in my room in an identical outfit; dark purple tunics with
loose fitting pants to match. On upper left hand side of the tunic,
right over the heart, was a perfect white Calla Lily. I appreciated
that the outfit was comfortable and practical. Even in the Bruce Lee
type shoes I felt like I could withstand anything that came up.