Chapter 60: The Point of No Return

June 1999

The Red Velvet Vampires of the Queen’s royal guards walked in stride with the rest of us as the procession began its way up an incline to the royal viewing box. The room was still cold, but with the watch cap pulled over my eyes, I had less body heat escaping. Besides, I had bigger things to worry about. The music continued to play, as the familiars led us to our seats. I felt Rachel let go of my hand, then a hand on my shoulder indicating that we take our seats on the right and the left of the Queen, indicating it was time to sit. The music stopped, as the crowd erupted in an ear-splitting cheer, even with our earplugs in. I still had the cap pulled down. “Malcolm and Rachel, you may lift your caps, if you like,” I could hear Tayla say to both of us. I lifted my cap up to my forehead. Rachel was still covering her eyes, rocking back and forth, moving her lips in prayer.

I went back to prayer, and that was where I stayed. I can only piece together part of the events that took place until I seemingly by instinct made my move.

Tayla stood up, releasing her veil, as all others bowed to her on one knee. Except one ... the Prince of the Order of the Black Velvet! He stood up straight and tall amidst his royal court of vampires.

The pre-gathering festivities had included the ceremonial and ritualistic sacrificing of those familiars who had not been lucky enough to escape. Rascha brought three familiars of Tayla’s to the “crossing over” point. Now inducted into the species of super predators, these familiars felt rewarded for their service. Fortunately, none of them were any of those who had been directly involved in our plans. I did see the naked bodies of Shock, the chief of the Lower Estate, and the rest of the medical staff secured to beams on the walls of the stands. I felt sorry for them. Apparently, they had divulged no information. The undead filled the coliseum to capacity of which more than half of them were Black Velvet vampires. Rascha had brought several thousand of his clan while the rest filling the arena of the coliseum were those who belonged to the Red Velvet Clan. It was a sea of Red and Black. When my eyes peeked, I could not see the white sands of the coliseum for the mass of red and black robes.

Tayla stood and stared at her brother. “Why, my brother, do you show disrespect to me? Are you displeased with me? Am I not the Queen of my clan, and those of the black, purple, and blue? Where are their envoys? Their ambassadors? Are we not so civilized that we cannot communicate to each other? Approach me, Prince Rascha!”

Rascha had an evil look on his face, but then I had never seen anything else but that look.

He parted a wake in the sea of black robes as he walked through his vampire brood. Approaching the Queen, he stopped short of the royal viewing box a few yards away. He was out of range! He would have to get closer. Tayla was going to lure him in, as she would also keep his mind focused on her. I could feel him gazing at me first, and then Rachel. I rebuked him in my mind, casting him to the fires of hell to which he should go.

“My brother, have you not enjoyed yourself while visiting my palace? Have you not feasted enough? Yet, you still show disrespect to me, and my brood. You do not honor me even in my own house. Are you not capable of such honorable attributes that are becoming of a prince? I have asked you many questions, yet you cannot give to me answers regarding your insolent behavior.” Rascha took his turn. “I pay homage to the throne you hold but you were never ordained to this position of power. You know this to be true. You just took it. It is well known that you keep the company of mortals, mortals who will destroy us all if they are not destroyed by us!”

“Rascha, it is accepted by all the clans that I am Queen by my own hand. There was no queen before me. In the early times” she paused, “times which you have long since forgotten, it was I who cared for us all. I protected us and destroyed our enemies. I organized us and brought us to where we are today. It was I. No one ordained it, yet the responsibility to do so was there. I just did what was required. Now we flourish! As always, I made the difference between our races being as wild, ravenous wolves and being a higher order than those we feed upon from this side of the grave. What would you have done? I know the answer to that. Because I know, is why you cannot be king. Ever! You have behaved in such a manner that defies description, worse than those who sacked and burned cities in which we fed! Yet, you did it not because you needed to, but to anger me, to provoke me to respond recklessly. Everything you have done this year, since the last gathering, has been to challenge me for the throne. It is not a debatable issue, brother. I keep the throne. You hardly deserve to be a prince, much less a king! You scheme, you plot, and worse, you hire mortals such as those dreadful Jackals to carry out the plots you lack the courage to do. I am here because of the valor of the man you have marked. He saved my life from your assassins. I should banish you for that. Denying it will do you no good. I have punished all those who have broken my laws. Yes, laws! It is my laws that keep order to our world, so chaos does not reign. Therefore, I rule here, not chaos. At this gathering, there should be many other issues to discuss. This would be the forum to do such a thing. However, you have turned it into wholesale slaughter of my servants, and my human cattle. You have butchered my servants and my flocks of foodstuffs. Most of all, you did it to anger me. What did you think I would do? Do you think I tremble at the thought of war with my brother? Perhaps, both my brothers and sister? Yet you say you should be king. Why? You will destroy our world by attempting to destroy theirs. What would your sustenance be? Animals? That would be like the mortals trying to survive on chewing gum. Yet you accuse me of being Queen of our order by improper attainment. Your humanity is gone, as well as your heart. It is as black as soot, and foul is the breath you breathe!”

Rascha was not going to take a verbal thrashing like that in front of his kind. “Yes, sister, I do stand her accusing you of improperly attaining the throne. I accuse you of fraud, of fraternization with our enemies, of lying and plotting against us. You, because you kept your humanity, are not one of us ... the true vampires! You are a freak, a mistake, a “never should have been.” Yes, I do have the courage to admit to the whole assembly here that I wanted you dead. It takes courage to admit to that! I only regret that they failed. My sister was a vampire. I don’t know who you are.”

A tear welled up in Tayla’s eyes. His insults and accusations hurt her. The crowd of predators hissed at the opposing clan leaders’ comments directed at their leader. They booed and jeered at each other. Tayla sat back down. She replaced the veil to her face.

Rascha continued. “And these mortals!” he said, turning his back on Tayla. “What blasphemy it is that she sits with them in this court ... in our assembly, no less! Mortals sit here at our gathering, to watch our ways, our ceremonies, our rituals, and to hear of our affairs. Already the humans invade us. These are not familiars. They are not under the Queen’s domination. They are not in her royal service. They are her ... guests!” he said mockingly, turning back around to look at Rachel and me. We ignored him, as we stayed in prayer and meditation.

He continued his mocking tirade. “Why does my sister keep company with the likes of them? Maybe, it is because she can be human around them! She does not like being a vampire anymore. So, I ask you all, red and black alike, who should be the ruler of our race?” By now, the crowd began to cheer and roar insults alike. His sarcasm and acid tongue had stirred up both clans.

He began to point his finger at all three of us. “These two creatures are protected by those who sit in judgment of us. They are nothing. They have no power. We have the power, all of it, and no one sits in judgment of us!”