SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (30 page)

»The
vampires are chairing the meeting this year,« explained Calum quietly. »And the
elves organized everything.«

A
younger man who reminded me of Tolkien’s Legolas approached us, politely
handing over the keys to our rooms. He explained to Dr. Erickson which of the
castle’s wings we would be staying in.

»We
would like to request that everyone be at dinner at seven on the dot,« he said
in conclusion, taking his leave with a nod and a slight bow.

I
watched him curiously as he went from group to group and to repeat the
procedure. I looked around again. Over near the stairs, there was a large group
of men dressed in black suits. Every single one of them would have looked the
part of a Wall Street broker—that is if their skin hadn’t been so unnaturally
pale and their lips such a deep red.

»They’re
the vampire lords,« explained Calum as he followed my gaze.

Over
by the blazing fire stood a group of men and women, and in their midst the man
who had greeted us outside.

»That’s
Corin, the leader of the elves,« I heard Calum’s voice in my ear again.

»They’re
all so young.« I said.

»Elves
age only to a certain age, then stop. They’re immortal.« I took a deep breath.

Corin
broke away from the group and went over to the entrance to greet other new
arrivals. I noticed that a red-haired girl from the group was looking over at
me. A peaceful feeling spread out within me under her gaze. All at once, I was
sure nothing bad would happen to me here. The girl strolled over to us.

»Lovely
to see you, Calum,« she said, greeting him in an angelic voice.

»This
is Raven,« said Calum. »we went to Avallach together.«

»And
neither of us has graduated yet,« she reminded him with a smile.

He
nodded. »Would you please let that go?« he said. I didn’t understand what he
meant.

»Elves
are able to influence your feelings,« Calum told me.

»I
meant it in a nice way,« said Raven. Then she looked at me. »She seems tense.
Though no wonder, given the occasion.«

I
felt the sense of elation fade, giving way to sadness. Calum put his arm around
me as I edged towards him.

Raven
looked at us.

»If
I had suspected for even a moment that you could be interested in anyone other
than Amia, I would have made an effort myself.« She smiled mischievously,
making it clear that she was joking.

»We
should go to our rooms,« interrupted Dr. Erickson. »Peter and Emma will be able
to see everything at dinnertime.«

Calum
picked up my bag and pulled me towards the steps. On the way, he pointed out
various groups as they looked at us with curiosity.

»Those
are the fauns, and over there the werewolves. And beneath that picture are the
fairies.«

We
were just walking up the steps when I heard the gate creak. I looked over. A
group of men with long silver hair had come into the room. The shellycoats.

»Calum,
look.« But I didn’t need to call his attention to them. Peter, Calum, and Dr.
Erickson had already stopped in their tracks and were staring at them.

»Something
wicked this way comes,« said Calum in a barely audible tone, quoting from his
beloved Macbeth.

Right
next to Ares stood Elin, looking up at us with an evil grin. Ares had spotted
us too, and was smiling sadly.

Calum
gripped my hand more tightly and pulled me up the steps.

»Did
you know he would be coming, Calum?« I stammered.

»I
didn’t know for sure, but I feared as much. He normally prefers to pull the
strings from behind the scenes, but he had to come in person because he brought
the charges against me. I’ll take you to your room now. You’re not to open the
door to anyone besides me, Peter, Raven, and Dr. Erickson. Is that clear?«

»It’s
not that hard a concept to grasp,« I mumbled.

»I’ll
ask Corin to have Raven sleep in there with you. I don’t want you to be alone
at night.«

»Just
a minute,« I protested, »I thought we’d be sharing a room.«

Amused
by what he clearly saw as a completely absurd idea, he shook his head and
pulled me into his arms.

»You
can’t seriously have believed that, Emma.«

I
turned my head away when he tried to kiss me, pouting. Still smiling, he
ushered me into the room and made me promise to lock the door behind me.

I
did what he had ordered, then looked around the room. Silk tapestries were
stretched across the high walls. In the middle stood a white four-poster bed,
its pillows upholstered with shimmering dark green silk. The room was filled
with the scent of the flowers which were distributed all around it. I sat on
the bed and took off my shoes and jacket. Curious, I then tiptoed across to a
door on the other side of the room. A small bathroom was concealed behind it.
In the middle was a bath resting on lion’s claws. I went over to the sink to
wash my hands, then, on the spur of the moment, decided to run a bath. After
finding a bowl of aromatic bath balls on the windowsill, I sank down into the
foam, feeling like I was in a luxury hotel. With all these comforts, it was
almost possible to forget why we were here. I closed my eyes.

A
loud knocking startled me out of my reverie. I looked around in confusion.

»Just
a minute,« I called once I had collected my thoughts. I slipped into the soft
white bathing robe and hurried over to the door, leaving a trail of soap suds
behind me on the stone floor.

»Who
is it?« I asked cautiously.

»It’s
me, Calum, open up.«

»Password?«
I asked cheekily.

»Emma,
open the door!«

I
unlocked the door and stared out into his concerned face. He looked at me
standing there in the bathrobe, my hair still damp.

»You’re
absolutely irresistible.«

He
enveloped me in his arms, closing the door behind him at the same time, and
running his hands through my hair. His lips sought mine and his kiss took my
breath away.

»We
have to go to dinner,« I reminded him after a while.

»Hmm.«
His lips stroked my neck, gliding behind my ears.

»Do
I have to be the sensible one tonight?«

»Looks
like it.«

He
made no move to let me go, so I wriggled out of his embrace.

»You
sit down here.« I tried to sound as authoritative as possible. »And I’ll get
dressed.«

He
nodded, but tried to reach out for me anyway. »We still have half an hour,« he
said, looking at me pleadingly.

»No
arguments—after all, Amelie isn’t here and I have to figure out what to wear
all by myself.«

I
ran into the bathroom and got dressed.

»Have
you been to see Ares?« I called out. »What’s Elin planning to do?«

Calum
came to stand in the doorway of the bathroom, watching me as I put on my makeup
and tried to achieve the same effect Amelie had that morning.

»Elin
wants to make the charges against me in person. He has every right to do that.
And he’s also brought six of his followers with him to make sure the
shellycoats are against us in a vote.«

»That’s
not good, right?« Fear crept up inside me.

Calum
gave me a somber look. »The decision in the Great Council will be put to a
collective vote, and each clan has ten votes. I don’t know who will support us
when it comes down to it. But you’re right, those six will be against us. The
only thing that reassures me is Corin’s promise that you’ll be allowed to
return home safely.«

As
I dried my hair, we both fell silent, each lost in our own thoughts.

»Ready?«
asked Calum once I had brushed my hair.

»Ready,«
I answered, hoping I didn’t sound too nervous.

Chapter Twenty

We
walked down the steps to the main hall together, soft violin music flowing up
to greet us. A long table was decked with white porcelain and tall
candlesticks.

The
young elf who had handed us our keys brought us to our seats. I was pleased to
see that Ares was seated on one side of me, and Calum on the other.

Ares
gave me an encouraging look.

»I’m
so proud of you,« he said softly. »And if it’s possible, you’re even more
beautiful than your mother.«

I
gave him a grateful smile. He had changed since the last time I saw him. He no
longer looked as sad, and his eyes had taken on an almost gladiatorial
boldness. I felt better at once.

Peter
was seated opposite, looking at the other guests in amazement, just as I was.
Then the room went quiet as the chatter faded and the music died down.

»I
would like to extend you all a very warm welcome, my dear friends,« said a
velvety voice from the head of the table, »especially, of course, the guests
who are joining us for the first time.«

The
gaze of the pale, handsome man speaking rested first on me, then Peter, then
some of the other guests. His gaze was so intense that I had to look away. The
guests clapped politely.

»As
always,« he continued, »there are a number of problems which will be presented
to the Council and which require a ruling to be made. And we will also need to
talk about the nature of our relationship with humankind.«

I
looked around and found myself staring into Elin’s glinting eyes. He glared at
me, his gaze full of hate. I quickly looked forward at the speaker again.

»But
before we turn to serious matters, I would like to suggest that we enjoy the
delicious meal the fairies have prepared for us.«

He
looked around and sat down.

At
both ends of the room, the immense double doors opened, and enchanting little
creatures with long golden hair fluttered into the room. They were no taller
than two-year-old children. Each one of them was carrying a large silver
platter laden with aromatic delicacies. Only now did I realize I hadn’t eaten
the whole day, and my stomach began to rumble.

Peter
was looking at the fairies in such wide-eyed amazement that his expression made
me giggle. Calum elbowed me in the side. One of the creatures was fluttering
next to me. On closer inspection, I noticed that the fairy’s dress was
fascinating. The material, if one could call it that, seemed to be transparent.
It shimmered, just like their wings, in all the colors of the rainbow. But
despite that, you couldn’t see through it. Wanting to see how it felt, I put my
hand out to touch it. But at the last moment it occurred to me that it might be
impolite, so I pulled my hand back.

»You
have to take something,« Calum prompted me.

I
looked at the plate the little creature was holding in front of me. Nothing on
it seemed familiar. So I bravely took something that looked vaguely like
mushrooms and flowers and put it on my plate. Then the little fairy flew on to
the next guest.

»What
is that?« I asked Ares.

»It’s
a fairy specialty, so I’m not exactly sure myself. It tastes different to everyone;
each person tastes whatever their favorite flavors are.«

I
looked at him in disbelief.

»I’m
always glad when the fairies are in charge of cooking. Just imagine when the
werewolves are in control…« I couldn’t help but laugh as he shuddered. I took a
tentative bite of the flowers. What would they taste of for me? I popped them
in my mouth and began to chew, my taste buds blossoming. Never before had I
eaten anything so delicious. It was like strawberries and raspberries with a
dash of lemon and vanilla ice cream.

Next,
a small man poured drinks into our glasses from a huge silver carafe, and it
tasted like pure spring water with wild strawberries and mint.

Course
after course arrived. I looked around, wondering what the food tasted like for
the vampires or werewolves. Wherever I looked, everyone around the table was
reaching enthusiastically for the dishes, and the fairies were fluttering
around the tables without pause. The mood was truly exuberant. Everyone was
laughing and having a great time. Everyone, that is, except Elin, who sat
silently at the table with his followers. He was staring unrelentingly at
Calum, who was chattering animatedly with two elves.

I
didn’t know how long we had been sitting there, for everything around me was so
fascinating. While we ate dessert, the fauns played strange instruments and
sang songs in a language that was foreign to me. Their deep voices resounded
through the room, painting pictures on the walls. I saw fauns fighting with
people, lovers kissing passionately, children dancing around the fire.

Then
the velvety voice rose over the chatter: »Now that we’ve nourished ourselves
and exchanged our news, I think it’s time to call the Council together. We’ll
meet in the Council room in half an hour.«