A heavy metal slam jolted Selene awake and a fire from a small torch blinded her after so long in darkness.
It was a guard. They were covered head to toe in metal armour, not a place on their body that exposed skin or cloth underneath. If not for the first door slamming open, there would be no way for them to tell someone has entered. The guard moved in utter silence. Unnatural for any species that walked the planet.
The torch was placed on a small hanger, providing a soft glow in the room. Even with all this new information, there was nothing for Selene to piece together as to where this cell is. It was already clear it was deep underground from the darkness and the cold stone, and the armour did not give any details for the kingdom or the lord that owned this place.
The guard softly placed a mash of unknown food in front of her cell, and then stepped towards Aro to pass a small vial of blood. The amounts were perfect to just keep them alive, but not enough for either of them to regain any strength.
“Take me to your master.” Selene demanded.
Silence filled the air, and the guard did not even look towards her when he left.
“They are not very chatty.” Aro sighed. “I usually have quite the skill on getting people to talk, however I do doubt those guards are human.”
“Someone will come down sooner or later.” Selene insisted. “There is no point keeping us here, feeding us and making sure we stay alive, if they do not want something.”
“Really? I always like to feed my prisoners as my daily entertainment.” The vampire teased.
If it was not for his obvious tone, Selene would have been really concerned about who she is really next to.
“If that is the peak of your entertainment, then I should be more worried about vampires than I thought.”
The gentle noise of the vial being popped open echoed through the cell, and soon after it was thrown hard towards the entrance door, smashing into a thousand little pieces.
“Did you not perhaps consider that the glass from the vial could have been used?” Selene questioned between bites of her mysterious food.
It was harder than she thought not to gag. The consistency was that of porridge that was left out for a few days and the flavour was of dirt.
“And what would you have used the smallest piece of glass for?” Aro grunted. “Unless you are a fire witch, the torch is not going to grant you powers to enchant the glass and turn it into a key for these cells. Now at least one of the guards can step on it and experience a fraction of pain that I am feeling.”
“I am no fire witch but as I’ve said, spirits guide me. A fire is alive, it breathes, it consumes, it illuminates light.” Selene continued. “A fire of that size is not big enough to carry energy for me to use, but if it gets bigger for even a second, I might be able to do something.”
A brief silence followed, and she could sense something was not quite right.
“A specialty of spirits is rather rare for a witch is it not?” The vampire asked.
“Not as rare as one might think” She insisted.
Which was a complete lie. Only the high coven did not hold an affinity for something and could control most things to an extent. Some were better than others, and the matron could have escaped with even the smallest spark of a flame, but Selene was still too young and growing into her power. Maybe in a thousand years, she too could have already planned her escape.
It was concerning that the vampire knew that. It was information only the witches knew and maybe the vampire royals, unless they started to share that information more freely. Last they checked, the king stated that unlimited power of a witch would cause unnecessary panic in Vrelin.
There was no royal named Aro, and no one who was so young either. Maybe it was a son of a lord? It would make sense to kidnap a vampire of at least slight importance.
“Believe it or not, but us getting a second of my magic back would be better than nothing.” Selene could sense that he did not believe a word that she said.
There was no trust between them.
Hours passed and the light eventually dwindled. With more rest and a clear mind, Selene found herself in more discomfort. The ground was a bit colder and rough, the clothes that clung to her skin were damp from the moisture in the cell, and she was filthy. The dress that Esther picked out for their monthly feast was ripped near the bottom, it exposed the pale skin of her legs, covered in cuts and mud just like her hands. If she was not part of the high coven, then she would have frozen to death at this point.
A day must have passed since she woke up. The full moon feast was done, her absence must have been noticed. Ayah must be concerned by now.
The vampire must be experiencing similar emotions, as even he has not said anything for a while. It was hard for Selene to imagine the pain of blood thirst. The books described it as a burning sensation throughout the whole body, a pain so bad it was maddening.
The cell was just big enough for Selene to stand up and walk small circles, contemplate on what else could be done. Yet, no matter how much she walked or how much skin came off her feet, no new idea formed.
“Would you stop pacing, I can smell the blood on your feet.” Aro’s voice was not demanding, but more pleading and pained.
“My apologies.” Selene stopped in her place and sat down on the ground, the cold immediately caused a shiver up her spine and her own hunger made itself known. “Would you tell me more?” She asked quietly.
“More what?” Aro sounded confused.
“More reasons why your kind is not so bad.”
Something needed to fill the maddening silence of the cell, and distract both of them from their empty stomachs.
“Only if this time you share why the witches aren’t the monsters.” The vampire replied. “I already told you of my land, and I would like to hear of yours.”
“I never claimed for witches not to be monsters. Most of us aren’t, but magic can be tempting, and spirits even more so.” Selene stated sadly as she thought of the past. “Sometimes it is hard to resist, and those witches need to be punished.”
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“You are not really helping with the whole witches aren’t monsters thing you know.” Aro stated.
“There is no point of lying.” Selene sighed. “And as for my home, it is different from what people expect. The coven might be part of the cursed forest, but at the same time it is not there. We are protected by nature itself from the evil born in the woods. For those who do not know the way, the trees are a maze, but for witches, the path is clear as day.”
“The moment you enter, you can feel the magic all around you. You can see it. The trees are bigger, the grass is greener, the water is clear and glitters in the light. The houses are in the trees so it all blends with nature. You can only really tell there is a house there in the first place, because of the large glass windows, or the bridges that connect places together. A river runs through the coven with water so fresh, any other does not compare. And the lakes and ponds that are scattered around the forest are what we bathe in, they are always as warm as the kiss of the sun on your skin.” Selene continued. “It is hard to describe to someone that has never seen it.”
“I would say you have done rather well.” Aro laughed. “Even if the witches are bad, I would love to see the nature surrounding your home.”
It felt good to tell someone about the forest. Especially when she missed it so dearly.
“Well it’s your turn.” Selene said. “Tell me of your cities and extravagant castles.”
“You speak of it as if you have seen it before.”
“I have once in the past. But I can assure you I did not have enough time to admire the castles.”
“Well what a shame that is.” He said mockingly. “Let me tell you about them. I will say though, you might be just a little disappointed. A city is just that, a city. Most of them look the same, and the beauty lies either in the villages or nature.”
“Are you trying to tell me the famous castle of Yllyndria would disappoint me?” The information shocked her. Everyone has heard of the tales of the royal castle in the middle of the capital. Not many have had the privilege to see it, but as of that moment it was the oldest building standing, and it was something to be admired.
“Personally, I would say it is rather outdated and not very suitable for permanent residency for anyone.” Aro sighed. “If you were to go to Yllyndria there are much better places to see. There is the Riverside Tavern that serves the most exquisite ale you would ever taste, or the Lythari park with the ash willow trees and the sacred golden fountain in the middle. The way the lanterns shine in between the trees snatches my breath every time. Every city looks unique, the architecture after all is hundreds of years old, the houses always have those pointed roofs and windows that are too large or small, every building is just slightly too large.
It’s almost like every vampire craves to live in something extravagant, as if they are trying to prove something about their life and immortality. And it’s so common that I find the small, almost normal places the ones that hold the most beauty.”
“I must admit I would kill someone for ale right at this moment.” Selene groaned.
“Out of all I’ve just said it is the ale that caught your attention.” The vampire laughed.
“Surely you must understand how I am feeling? I am perched and a bit of alcohol might make time go a bit faster.”
“I am glad there is something we agree on.”
Time was getting lost. Another day or two might have passed. Maybe more. It really depended on how often their host wanted them fed. They have gotten another 4 meals since, the same disgusting mash of food that Selene suspected was given every morning and night.
Sometimes hours would pass in silence. The thoughts of the coven, the witches, and possible assailants just circled her mind. Selene came to the conclusion that this must be the work of humans. The werewolves, while they hated both witches and vampires, kept too much to themselves, as long as no one bothered their part of the forest or endangered one of their own, they did not strike. Anything else that lived in that cursed forest, while they were wicked, none of the creatures were bright enough to plan out an attack. So humans were the only ones left, but the answer on how they managed to pull this off was still far away. With no access to magic, they were usually the most vulnerable kingdom. Always signed some treaty to the other kingdoms or leaders. Why they would change their mind out of nowhere, made no sense.
At other moments, Selene and Aro would speak for hours, given that they were each other's only entertainment. Not much of it had any significance. So far she found out that the vampire’s favourite pastime activity is horse riding, he had no siblings but grew up alongside a cousin, who according to him had an attitude problem. And best of all, apparently Aro’s secret talent was that he was unbeatable at any card game, which she suspected involved some form of cheating.
Aro on the other hand could not stop laughing when Selene said her favourite pastime was following the people that entered the cursed forest. Stated it was creepier than any hunting a vampire could do. There was a brief mention of having a sister, but talking in too much detail about Esther could give away who she was.
“So, are you really trying to tell me that you don’t have a single secret talent?” Aro said in disbelief.
“I really don’t think I possess any abilities that are out of the norm.” Selene confirmed.
“I do not believe that.”
After a few moments of silence that allowed Selene to think, she said. “Well I guess I’m rather good at finding people. Although it is hard to say if it’s me or Ayah.”
“Ayah?” He questioned.
“Yes my hawk.”
“I’m sorry you forgot to mention you have a pet hawk?” His voice was full of amusement.
“It’s not that uncommon for witches to have a bird or a different familiar.” She said. “Ayah is a graceful creature. Found her as a small bird, and she followed me back home. Beautiful silver feathers, and the largest hawk my coven has ever seen. Clever thing can track anything.”
“Well befriending a hawk should be a talent in itself.” Aro commented.
Even if this vampire spoke too much, Selene has grown to be thankful for his presence.