Seventeenth wonder
The Assembly
Bess and Roy accompanied us until we reached the end of the forest, nearly to the gate of the Manganthe’s castle. They stayed behind so as not to be discovered. Len, Jim and I continued our walk. There were three men standing in front of the gate. As soon as they saw us, their red eyes shined in the dark. Len stayed fairly tranquil but I could hear Jim breathing hard next to me. Len walked up to the gate first. Jim stood close to me. Both of them tried their best to hide me.
The men made some gestures and opened the gate to let us through. As we passed, they stared at me with the most vice eyes I had ever seen. The gate locked behind us and we knew we could not leave this place anymore.
The garden was different from the first time I visited here. There were no white or red roses but black and the withered ones.
“Whatever happened in this place?” Jim said quietly.
“The roses have been stained with blood.” Len said. “That’s why they are black. Many must have been killed in the banquet.”
I covered my mouth. The strong, choking smell of blood was stimulating my nostrils. It was disgusting when I thought of people being torn by enemies and corpses being thrown to the flowerbeds. It was cruel and wicked.
The garden was full of blood souls. There were at least twenty of them, all throwing malicious stares as we walked by. Their expression suggested that they would watch our every step to ensure we would not escape. I began to feel sick.
“Are you alright?” Len asked, slowing down his pace.
“Yes.” I nodded, but both Len and Jim knew I was sick.
Len’s face turned paler than ever, filled with regret and grief. Sure enough, he was fighting himself for having brought me here, right into the trap.
Someone opened the front door for us. I could not catch the sight of that man. It was too dark in this place anyway. No one made any speeches. There were only smells and breathing noises.
I shuddered the second I stepped into the hall. It was completely black in there.
Just then, the lights were on. The hall was nothing I had seen before. The paints on the wall had changed, so did most of the furniture. Even with my vague memory, I remembered there used to be a long grey table in the corner but it was gone. In its place was a statue of the most hideous creature I had ever seen. In fact, the entire room was decorated with statues of what I supposed were demons and devils, oil paintings of gloomy forests and bloody rivers as well as golden swords.
“This is unsightly, Carmine.” Len commented.
Sitting in an immense chair, more like a throne ancient kings used to sit on, were two people. Precisely, it was the boy who was taking the seat of state, with the girl on his lap. The boy was Carmine. I could not believe he was related to Len though. The two looked completely different, or I should say Len was the one different from his family members. He did not take after Demonia’s features, not a bit. Carmine was more after Demonia’s beauty. He had her silvery white hair, as I recalled how she looked. I was also sure his eyes were the same as those Demonia possessed, except his appeared more unkind and evil. His skin was lighter than Len too. Both of his hair and eyes shone with unlimited charisma. It was then I realized why he could look down and discriminate Len, for he was really even more glamorous than Len. The girl leaning against his chest shared the exact same face with him but had long straight hair instead. The first grimace they made when they saw us was more like an insult than a welcome.
“Welcome home, Lucard.” Carmine held out his hands in a friendly way. “Or should I call you Len?”
“That’s my name in the other world.” Len said, expressionless.
“I have been waiting for you.” Carmina said, her voice less hoarse than her twin. “We all have.”
I blinked at her posture. Her two legs just climbed onto Carmine’s other knee. They were so intimate that I began to think it was fulsome. The two siblings seemed not to care what others thought. Instead of pushing Carmina away, Carmine held her even tighter.
“You are sickening.” Len said.
“Are we?” Carmina hurled something at Len. It was so fast that I could not see what it was. Len dodged. The thing hit on the wall. It was a dagger.
“Good dodge, Lucard.” Carmine laughed.
“Release father and mother.” Len commanded. “You are such a Judas, Carmine.”
“We are.” Carmine said. “And I do not think they will ever be released. You, too, will soon be imprisoned. As I have said, I can take your life into some account if you reveal where the Great Cane of Ancestors is.”
“I am not going to tell unless you hand over the antidote.” Len said firmly.
“Is that so?” Carmine stood up, leaving Carmina on the throne. “Let me take a look at her.”
Len and Jim stood in front of me.
“What is there to hide?” Carmine was taller than Len and was well-built. Each move he made was graceful yet aggressive.
“The antidote.” Len said. It was more like a warning.
“I will give it to you but I have to see her.” Carmine said. “Viktoria said this one is rather special.”
“I cannot see how humans can be special.” Carmina laughed. “I will say no matter how pretty she is, she is around Lucard’s standard. Only someone like that would suit him.”
“Let’s see.” Carmine pushed Len and Jim away.
My eyes met his. He kind of frowned when he saw me. He said nothing at first. Carmina stood up to see what caused the silence and grasped.
“That girl is a human?” Carmina walked down, rushing to me in an instant.
Carmine sniffed.
“No humans should look that perfect!” Carmina stared at me as if I was a monster.
“She does not smell like humans but I think she is one.” Carmine still did not take his eyes off me.
I looked away. My body was shaking so badly.
“Her mind.” Carmina said. “She is so frightened.”
Carmine laughed. “Poor little thing you have brought here, Lucard.”
“She does not know how to hide her mind.” Carmina said, walking back to the throne. “She can’t be a blood soul.”
Len dragged me away from Carmine.
“It’s a beauty.” Carmine said. “A rare beauty. No wonder Viktoria said this human is special. I have never seen one with such wonderful features.”
Carmina coughed as if to hint Carmine had said something wrong.
“Carmine, a deal is a deal.” Jim said. “Hand over the antidote and you can have the Great Cane.”
“Deal!” Carmine laughed. “We never have a deal, Lockwood boy. I heard your parents have been looking all over for you.”
“Shut up and give me the antidote.” Len shouted.
“Do not shout at me.” Carmine shouted back, his voice high and strong.
I took a step backwards. We were all surrounded by Carmine’s servants.
“I will give her the antidote.” Carmine smiled an evil smile. “But on one occasion,”
“What?” Len said under his breath.
Carmine seized my wrist and pulled me to him. Not only was he brawny, he was also mean. My wrists hurt as it was pressed under his palm.
“She will be mine.”
I turned to look at Len and Jim, who looked back at me. All of us seemed to open our mouths with no words out.
“Are you deaf?” Carmine said.
“You can’t do that!” Jim shrieked and was immediately held by two men. He kicked and struggled, punching one to bleed but there were just too many for him to handle.
“You can’t take Alice!” Len howled, trying to reach Carmine but was also forced to fight several blood souls.
“Of course, I can.” Carmine gripped my wrist even tighter. I heard the bone crack inside. I cried. He pulled me up, lifting my whole body into the air.
I screamed in pain.
“So, this sweetie is called Alice.” Carmine leaned forwards to me. Tea
rs were running down my face.
“Let her go!” Len and Jim begged, but were busy fighting. They could not even take an inch closer to us. Carmine let go of my wrist and held me in his arms.
“This is not happening.” I shook my head. My mind was saying to me something like this had happened before, but where?
“Oh yes, I remember this scene.” Carmine said. “Hunter Morlette did the same once to Winona Grimmel, our aunt. I think it is quite interesting.”
“You are a devil!” Jim accused.
“We will see if you can rescue her, Lucard.” Carmine said. “You have to kill me then. I will cure her but she will have to stay with me, forever.”
The word “forever” made me tremble.
“What’re you talking about?” Carmina stood up with rage. “You can’t have her, Carmine.”
“Why not?” Carmine grinned. “I have not had the unbreakable oath with you yet. I have found this girl even more charming than you are. Though she is a human, I will change her soon.”
“You are joking!” Carmina shot a furious stare at Carmine and grabbed his arm. Carmine slapped her hard to get rid of her.
“Do I look like I was joking?” Carmine’s grin disappeared. He roared in anger. “I can have as many women as I want because I am the master of this house.”
“You are forgetting who got you this far.” Carmina shouted.
“I will pay you back.”
“I don’t want land!” Carmina shrieked and vanished.
I looked over Carmine’s shoulder. Len and Jim were captured. They both looked in my way, their faces in anguish.
“Carmine, the Morlettes can be tricking you.” Len said. “They hate Morganthes too much. They are just taking revenge on us through you. Once Hunter kills father, you will be his next target.”
“Well, I have thought of that too.” Carmine said. “But it doesn’t matter.”
“You will have no power at that time. You will be killed as well!” Jim said.
“I will not care much about power at that time, I believe.” Carmine turned to face the two struggling boys. “I want power right now, just at this moment, to beat you, Lucard and to defeat father. I am taking my vengeance upon this home, this family of mine. The only aim I have is for me to make you and father disappear completely in this world. You two have caused enough misery in my life. I know what the Morlettes will be up to and I will be happy to hand over this entire land to them just to accomplish my mission.”
“You will lose everything, Carmine!” Len shouted. “Turn back now before it’s too late. The Morlettes are your true enemies. They taught you to betray your family. They are the ones to blame for your banishment, not father!”
“My banishment!” Carmine exclaimed. “I was banished because of you, who are supposed to be a useless outsider of this house. I could never understand why father sees you as the material to lead. I, the mighty one, should be the one to rule, not you, brother.”
“Carmine!” Len pleaded as he and Jim were dragged away. “Do not hurt Alice!”
I shouted for Len but Carmine shut my mouth with a smack.
“Well, that depends.” Carmine smiled. “But right now, I won’t hurt her. I will wait until tomorrow when you shall witness me changing her in front of you. See how painful it is. Just so you know, everything that belongs to you, I will take them away by all means. The throne, the power and even the bride of yours are now mine.”
The causes for Carmine’s betrayal were often in people’s discussion. On hearing his conversation with Len, I believed he did so due to lack of trust in the family and the jealousy he grew towards his younger brother. I could never be sure though. I had never spent as much time with this family as Len did. The family knew the best of their own issues. Even after the war was over, I pondered about why Carmine was brainless enough to turn against his own family. Blood souls were meant to be the most intelligent species in this world and that only implied there should be more reasons behind Carmine’s doing than what we presumed from the surface.
We climbed up the stairs and then out of blues, Carmine dropped me to the ground. In fact, he tossed me hard. My broken wrist had healed but I dared not let him know. He still assumed I was a human. I cried and pretended I was in pain as my hand landed on the ground.
“There.” He summoned two female servants who pulled me up. “Lock her in Demonia’s room, clean her and dress her in the morning to prepare for the Changing Ceremony.”
Each of my hands was taken by a servant and I was led along the corridor. What was on that stupid idiot’s mind? I cursed Carmine but was found out by one of the servants.
“You ungrateful girl.” She criticized me. “Sir. Morganthe has taken you as his bride and abandoned Lady Carmina. Now you are saying these disrespectful words against him!”
I saw it was better to think nothing at all. Whatever I thought of now could be easily read by others and I suffered for that. So much of Len’s selfishness!
Still, it made me wonder why Len did so. It was not merely his selfishness that he refused to teach me how to hide my mind. Perhaps it was a way to hide my true identity. Was he actually doing me a great deed?
Across the end of the corridor, someone appeared in a flash.
“Release this girl.” A deep voice demanded. I looked up to see the speaker. At once, I knew who he was.
“No, Sir. Morganthe…” Before the servant could finish her line, the boy cut in. “Carmine has just changed his mind. He ordered me to take care of her.”
“Is that so?” The servants released me and the boy took my hand.
We entered Demonia’s room and he locked the door behind us.
“Are you hurt?” The boy asked.
I shook my head, taking a clear look at him. From his appearance, I could easily tell he was related to Carmine. It was the same light, almost translucent, skin he had and the same dark eyes.
“You are Len’s other brother?” I asked.
“Yes, I am Zander.” Zander said.
So, this was the Zander I had heard before. He looked younger than Carmine, around eighteen of age I guess.
“Actually, I am seventeen.” He said.
“But that is not the matter.” He approached me but I clinched.
“Hey, don’t be scared.” He stopped, seeing me step further away from him. “I will not hurt you. I am here to help you.”
How could I trust this guy? He was one of Carmine’s gang. He was also a traitor to the family.
“Yes, I was a traitor.” He sighed. “But now, I am not.”
I scowled.
“How can you not be a traitor now when you have already betrayed your family?” I asked. It did not make much sense to me.
“You’re right.” Zander took a seat in a chair. “I helped Carmine betray my family but it was never my own will to do so. I never wanted to do that.”
“You are forced?” I began to relax a little. This guy did not seem he would harm me like Carmine did. His face was not evil. The feeling he gave me was more or less like the one when I first met Len. Still, I made caution not to trust him so soon. This could be one of his plans.
“Partly yes.” Zander said. There was a moment of silence before he continued. “Now, he is using the same trick to get Lucard.”
“What do you mean?”
“A year ago, I found out his plans. He persuaded me with all the lies about our parents to join him. I refused.”
“And then?”
Zander took a deep breath. “Carmine spied on me and dug out my secret. I was dating a human girl at that time. I kept this from everyone but Carmine caught me. He kidnapped her and locked her in. He forced me to go along with him. I had no choice because I had to save her.”
“And now, Carmine is using me to force Len to hand over the Great Cane of Ancestors.” I added.
“Exactly.” Zander shook his head. “Carmine is good at threatening someone by snatching the most precious thing from them. I thought he would release
her after I helped him successfully trick father but he did not keep his words. I found out from one of his men that he had killed her long ago. He had no intention to fulfill what he promised me before. I was enraged. There was a moment I considered going up to him and slay him but I had a better idea to make him suffer. I pretended to still be loyal and stayed by his side. I would betray him the same way he did to me and to his family.”
So far, what I had heard was a bit too much for me, especially the part where Zander’s innocent girlfriend had to die. The fact was rather strangling.
“I do not want to repeat the same mistake I have made.” Zander said. “Once Carmine has the Great Cane of Ancestors, he is going to kill you. Even if I cannot save my own bride, I will have to save Lucard’s.”
“Len said you never wanted to betray the family.” I said. “He said you are under his control. That is true, then?”
“I know you don’t quite trust me, but think about it,” Zander said. “If you send me away now, what will happen is that you will become Carmine’s bride next morning and be changed. If you allow me to help you, we can now make an escape and you will return to your human world.”
I thought deep for a moment and then decided to take the risk. It would make more sense to trust him now than to wait slowly for my doom. I would see how nice this brother of Len’s could be.
“I am not a human, Zander.” I said.
Zander raised his brows and stood up. “But I thought…”
“I am actually a blood soul.” For the next hour, I told him my entire story, from the time I met Len to the moment I was informed about my identity and past.
“So Carmine has mistaken you as well.”
I nodded.
“Lucard must have done this on purpose.” Zander said.
“What do you mean?”
“He wants to hide your identity. He wants others to think you as a human.”
I did think of that possibility. But why?
“I don’t know, but he must have his reasons doing this.”
“But even if we escape, Len won’t be saved.”
“I will come back to gather more people and seek help.”
“Well, Uncle Adam…” I shut my mouth before leaking out any more information.
“What? What’s it?” Zander urged.
“Nothing.” I looked away.
“You know something, don’t you? You have to say it or else I won’t be able to help.”
If I talked about Uncle Adam’s plan and Zander was still a traitor, everything would be ruined.