The Vampires' Birthright (3 page)

Passing through the ancient granite gates, I’d never witnessed such glorious grandeur before in my life. It was humbling to be there. The Palace of Xu Zheng gleamed inside a spectacular golden halo illuminated by rows of torches along its towering height. A menacing jade dragon adorned the apex of the main structure to the sprawling complex I first saw from my window seat. It loomed well over a hundred feet above a sheer precipice jutting out from the side of a snow-covered mountain.

The rest of the buildings were spread out upon two other hillsides, although none presented the precarious challenge of being scaled by Ralu’s vicious army as the main structure did. I remembered the strange sensation of feeling so vulnerable in a jet airplane with no room for error in negotiating the icy landing strip, and yet at the same time protected from all harm by my undead companions. Only when we exited the plane did that confidence wane to uneasiness, until Chanson and Garvan ushered me into the palace foyer.

“After we are briefed by Xuanxang, I’ll have Huangtian Dadi’s servants accompany you and Garvan to your bedchamber,” said Chanson.

Two young children closed the doors behind us. It was hard to tell if they were little boys or girls. Both were dressed in purple and orange ornamental robes and slippers; they wore their jet-black hair in braided ponytails that hung down to the middle of their backs. The touch of telepathy I mentioned early was worthless on them, their thoughts shrouded either by the language barrier or some other force. The children weren’t the only aspects of a bygone era to greet us. The only lighting came from the small torches that lined the walls and columns of the long corridor that stretched before us. The place was cold, despite those torches and a blazing fire that burned in a huge fireplace in a reception area beyond the foyer.

“Not to sound like a brat, but I hope my bedchamber is a hell of a lot warmer than where we are now,” I whispered to Chanson. A light mist formed on my breath while I looked around to get a fuller impression of what the immediate area was like. I mean, don’t get me wrong… chilly or not, the craftsmanship that went into building the palace was exquisite. I wished the light jacket Armando had handed me as we’d exited the plane was warmer.

The polished granite walls had pink marble inlays decorated with magnificently detailed Asian tapestries depicting a variety of scenes from simple pastoral life to massive battles. In each of them, a single face loomed above, god-like, watching over the fortunes of his people. The floor was gray marble blocks with borders etched in gold, and the cornices for each pillar lining the corridor appeared to be solid gold, as well. There was a clear message to any visitor here of both ancient local history and broad global influence. The purpose was to both impress and intimidate. It worked on me.

“Is it just us, or will Gustav and Racco be coming too?”

For the most part, the main floor of the palace seemed deserted. Chanson shot me a look that said I was acting impatient. But, since so far it was just the five of us—without any of the other vampires who flew from France to China accounted for—I believed some immediate clarity was only fair.

“They will all be joining us, some sooner than others,” she said, and headed down the corridor toward the fireplace without waiting for my reply.

Several more children appeared in the corridor, a little older seeming than the ones assigned to handle the main entrance traffic. They were similarly dressed in robes and slippers. One of them, an older adolescent whom I could tell was male, wore a golden crown adorned with Chinese symbols in jade.

“Come… I believe Xuanxang is ready to meet with us,” whispered Armando into my right ear. He placed his left arm inside my right one while Garvan flanked me similarly on my left side. “It’s been centuries since our last meeting, so this should be fun!”

Fun? I wasn’t so sure this would be an enjoyable experience in any fashion, unless the Chinese vampires always regarded others with the sullen look I saw upon the face of the decorated teenager who had moved next to the fireplace. Sullen but quite handsome, he awaited our arrival. As we approached, he smiled at us all politely.

“It has been a long time, Chanson.”

His voice was rich and mellow, and it defied his stern countenance.

He stood several inches above both Chanson and myself—the tallest members of our group. The ornate crown he wore further enhanced his height. He sort of reminded me of the palace’s golden façade outside, as he was entirely dressed in gold. His textured silk ch’ang-p’ao robe bore a light green disc in the center, which I later learned represented the moon.

But that wasn’t what set him apart from everyone else in attendance. Nor was it the strong muscular body I glimpsed through the gaps in his raiment. Sleek and chiseled facial features, not unlike Armando and Garvan, would certainly cause a stir in most women. But the thing that captured my fascination were his eyes. They were turquoise in color, and seemed even more luminescent than those of my companions.

Not that I felt attracted sexually, per se… at least not that night. It was more curiosity about what lurked behind those eyes.

“The last time was when Gustav and I traveled to Hong Kong, back in 1917,” said Chanson, smiling shyly, as if she too were trapped in the magical grip of his gaze.

“Ha! I remember how neither of you wanted to be caught up in the carnage of the first European war!” He laughed, revealing a mouth full of perfect teeth and a gleaming pair of fangs. “Yet, was it not worse when France later fell to the Third Reich?”

“No worse than living under Chairman Mao,” she quipped in response.

He chuckled warmly, conceding their harmless joust of words with a nod.

“So, tell me, who have you brought with you?” He turned to study me. “I am acquainted with Armando and Garvan, and I have seen the little one before in your entourage.”

“Do you mean Raquel?” Chanson motioned to her while smiling at me and Tyreen, who entered at that moment from the corridor. We surrounded him in an arc, while two of the servant youths brought chairs from around the room for us. “Xuanxang, allow me to officially introduce you to Raquel Meurtrier, Tyreen Davenport, and last but not least, my cousin… the now infamous Txema Ybarra.”

“I am pleased to meet you all.” His gaze lingered briefly on Raquel and Tyreen before settling on me.

I felt disrobed, but the coldness of his stare made it hard to tell if his intent was predatory or curious. I returned his stare unflinchingly, wondering if he could discern my thoughts with the usual vampire lucidity, or if he would encounter the same new protective wall. A slight flutter upon his left eyelid made me think my mind’s privacy remained intact.

His skin seemed flushed, and he looked no paler than any of the young servants present with us. Chanson and Raquel looked especially pasty in his presence, since neither had fed. If I’d not been told earlier that Xuanxang was the ‘eternal’ servant and protector for Huangtian Dadi, I might not have realized he was a vampire. Then again, he did have those crazy eyes and a pair of incisors that would count as lethal weapons in most countries.

But the brief consideration of Xuanxang as a warm-blooded man stirred something inside me. At the time, I thought it was merely a hot flash brought on by raging hormones from the onset of my pregnancy.

“Please, sit so we can visit for a few minutes. Then you can rest for a few hours, until three o’clock. At that time, you and your vampire contingent will join our Himalayan assembly for a meeting with Huangtian Dadi and Gustav.”

“I thought they wanted to meet with us tonight, which would allow us to rejuvenate fully after our battle with Ralu’s forces.” Chanson frowned while glancing at a large gilded clock sitting on a table next to the fireplace. Hard to read the time from where I was sitting, but it looked as if the hour hand pointed to midnight. “I presume that other unfortunate developments have taken place since we entered China’s airspace.”

“Perceptive as ever. Yes, that is correct,” he said, and looked at me again. “As far as the details involved, unfortunately, everyone must wait until our two leaders can address us at once.”

“That sounds really serious,” I said, without first considering how customs were handled in the Himalayas’ vampire-land. Everything seemed very formal so far, and I worried for a moment that I might’ve come across as too assertive.

Xuanxang gave me a look that suggested I should act like a good little girl and keep my mouth shut. “It is
quite
serious.” He held me in his gaze until Armando cleared his throat. “I cannot stress this fact enough to all of you!” He allowed his stone-like gaze to survey us all as we sat there. Despite his forceful tone, his countenance remained controlled, confident. There were no obvious signs of simmering anger fueling his words, bubbling somewhere beneath the coolness of his façade. Instead, his persona remained stoic and calm.

“Will we have access to every building here?” Tyreen seemed the most comfortable among us, and voiced this concern with the same fervor she once held for pep rallies in college. “I was hoping to get started as soon as the sun sets this coming evening.”

“You shall have unlimited access to almost anything here, except for Huangtian Dadi’s private quarters,” said Xuanxang. He motioned and one of his servants approached, carrying a tray bearing a lone porcelain cup of tea and several crystal flasks filled with blood. Steam rose into the air in gentle wisps, more from the tea than from the flasks. “For as long as you are here, we will see to it that you enjoy privileges extended only to our most cherished guests.”

“I assume our caskets will be transported somewhere safe from daylight,” said Armando. I followed his gaze to the upstairs veranda and a wall of glass that surrounded us on all sides. The onset of daylight would replace the soft glow from a multitude of outside torches a few hours after our conference with Gustav and Huangtian Dadi began at 3:00 a.m. “Will any of us be placed near Txema’s chamber?”

Great question, and one I would’ve considered asking sooner or later, I’m sure. With the ever-present threat of Ralu and his army finding me, knowing where my nocturnal bodyguards slept during the day was critical information to know.

“Chanson and Garvan will be accommodated in the same chamber as Txema.” A slight grin tugged at Xuanxang’s lips, as if he relished Armando’s indignant scowl in response to this news. “The rest of you will join your comrades—all ninety-six of them—on the fourth floor. Some coffins have already been placed upstairs, and more should be delivered to their chambers well before dawn.”

“Could there be room for more than two caskets in Txema’s chamber? I travel lightly, compared to my companions.” Armando added a wry smile while motioning to Garvan and Chanson.

“Perhaps one more could be allowed,” said Xuanxang, after hesitating for a moment. “I will need to discuss this first with the Emperor, and then I’ll let you know his answer.”

He smiled politely, and pointed again to the tray of refreshments. This time, the young servant girl moved up to each of us, allowing the vampires a moment to sniff the flasks for their preferred blood type and handing me the steaming cup of tea. I felt reluctant to drink this source of heat, instead cherishing the warmth that embraced my hands and the steam upon my face as I brought the drink close to my mouth.

“Since the human guest among us will especially need her rest, please nourish yourselves now and voice any other immediate concerns you might have,” he said, his tone once again businesslike. “If you require more blood to replenish what has burned off since your last feeding, I can arrange for a fresh source, male or female depending upon your—”

“That won’t be necessary!” said Chanson. She seemed to realize how desperate she sounded, and shook her head. “I’m sorry, what I meant to say was we will be fine with what you’ve already provided for us.”

She chuckled, and in that instant, I knew she regretted not interrupting him sooner. The implied feeding upon a live human being was something she wanted kept secret, or at least not discussed in my presence. I believe Xuanxang knew it also, as he grinned but avoided meeting my eyes.

A sudden awkwardness hovered around us, and we all drank in silence—I from my teacup and my entourage eagerly sharing flasks. Chanson only sipped, perhaps determined to prove she could rise above the needs of her vampire nature.

As good as the tea tasted, laced with cinnamon and ginger, I reluctantly enjoyed it. All the while, the heat quickly dissipated through my fingers—the cooling accelerated by the chill emanating from the five vampires in the room as they waited for me to finish. I honestly worried I’d be sleeping every night in the snowsuit I brought until summer arrived in the Himalayas.

“Perhaps we should retire to the accommodations you mentioned,” Chanson said. “It looks like Txema will have a little less than three hours to rest.”

“Indeed, it does appear that we have run out of things to talk about,” said Xuanxang. “I will have our servants lead the way upstairs…
Dài tāmen shàng lóu!”

At his command, six of the children ran over to us, each one simultaneously extending a hand for us to take. Xuanxang repeated the phrase, this time clapping his hands twice, loudly.

A cute little boy with dimpled cheeks and a long, braided ponytail pulled on my hand. He guided me over to a gorgeous marble staircase that had a variety of birds and Chinese symbols carved upon the railing. The boy couldn’t have been much older than five. I heard Chanson behind me giving instructions to Raquel to accompany Tyreen to the fourth floor and for Garvan to go with me to the third floor where my assigned bedchamber sat. She then said she’d rejoin us there shortly.

“I guess I’ll see you in a few hours, sister?”

Tyreen appeared alongside me as I approached the stairs. Although she is different in many ways from the vivacious and thoughtful girl she used to be, her affection for me has yet to wane. Still, I must admit she made me a little uneasy that night after we embraced, as she stared for a moment at my carotid artery. Her focus seemed drawn to the region below my unusual birthmark. The ‘twin tears’ that so closely resembles a vampire’s teeth puncture tingled, as if warning me to beware.