Chapter Ten
After dinner, Tanya showed me around the rest of the compound, and I was actually a little impressed. I didn’t want to be, because I had no intention of staying, but I couldn’t help but gawk at all the rooms they had. There were a dozen of rooms for some of the more permanent residents that stayed there, including Finn, Tanya, Ezra, and Holly.
“How does Holly find her, uh…” I wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence and I just trailed off.
“Victims?” Ezra asked with a smile. He was walking beside Tanya, but looking at me. “There are plenty of people here that don’t mind being fed on, though Holly does have particular tastes that aren’t always filled here.” Tanya scowled and Ezra continued. “Holly is particularly fond of feeding from fairies. They have so much magic in their blood that it takes much sweeter than other blood.”
“Do vampires ever force people to feed them?”
“Sometimes. Most don’t though. Holly doesn’t have to. She’s beautiful and alluring and most people fall for that, like the vampire that forcibly turned her. There are some like him that force their victims to sustain them,” Ezra said darkly. “We don’t like those kinds of vampires. They’re not welcome here.”
“Do they kill people?”
“Yes,” Ezra said, frowning. “They think it’s their right to feed and kill indiscriminately. They’re very fast and very powerful, and they know there isn’t a lot that can stop them.”
We walked in silence for a few minutes, until I realized where Tanya and Ezra were leading me. The double doors to the Council room appeared and they stepped aside. Tanya frowned. “Good luck, Ronnie. I hope they have some good news for you.”
I took a deep breath and pushed open the doors. The three Council members were sitting at their high table, and they regarded me with carefully neutral expressions. The man in the middle, Marcel Trent, almost looked a little sad, and I knew they’d most likely reached a decision I wouldn’t like or agree with.
“Veronica, this Council has been deliberating about you for some time now, and we’ve finally reached a decision. As of this moment, we are unsure of the powers you may or may not possess, and we have no idea how the choices your mother made have affected you. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to keep you here under observation for the time being. You will begin training with the only other necromancer that resides here. When we are sure of your abilities and your threat to us, we will meet again, and your fate will be decided.”
“You can’t do this!” I said, exploding. “I’m a human being with rights that you can’t just violate like this. You can’t hold me here against my will anymore. I wanna go home and I wanna go right this instant!” I shouted, stamping my foot again. “I’m leaving with or without your permission.”
Marcel Trent sighed. “No, Veronica, you’re not. This Council has spoken, and you will not go against our word. Any attempt to escape will just result in you being here much longer. Do yourself a favor, and just train your powers while we review you. It’ll be the best thing for you to do.”
I clenched my hands. “You can’t do this!” I hissed.
“This Council has spoken,” Lisa Valentine said somberly. “Do not defy us on this, Veronica. It will do you no good. Return to your room for the night and your training will begin in the morning.”
I wanted to stay and fight with them, but I knew it would do me no good. These three people had my entire future in their hands and nothing I could say would convince them to let me go anytime soon. For now, I’d have to return to my room here, go through with the training, pretend to be ok with everything, and then make my escape the first chance I could get. I’d be safe at home before they even realized I had planned the whole thing.
I just had to find a way to ditch Finn, who was standing at the back of the Council room like a fly on the wall, watching and listening to everything I said and did. With his enhanced senses and strength, he would be impossible to beat in a fight, or outrun, or hide from. It would take time and careful planning to get rid of him.
I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room, wishing I could slam the doors to emphasize my anger. Tanya and Ezra were waiting for me outside the Council room and she jumped when I marched out. “That didn’t take very long,” she said worriedly. “Is everything alright?”
“I’m gonna be held prisoner here until they decide I’m safe to release. How can they do this?”
“They’re powerful, and they’re in charge of making sure nothing happens to our community. I’m sorry you don’t wanna be here, but it’s really not so bad. I’m sure after a few days you’ll eventually like it here. I’ve been here for two years, and I can’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else again. This is home for me.”
“Well, I don’t belong here. I’m not a danger to anyone, Tanya. I’ve never raised the dead, and I wouldn’t have the faintest clue how to do it. I’m not going to raise an undead army and try to take over the world. I just wanna go home and get on with my life.”
She shrugged. “I’m sure the Council will reach that decision soon enough. Until then, you just have to accept that this is what is gonna happen, and try to make the most of a shitty situation. But at least now you’ll get to stay long enough to actually get to know me! I can show you around and help you get used to the idea of being a necromancer.”
“Right.”
Tanya took me back to my room so I could think about everything that had happened. Before she left she promised me that everything would get better, even if I didn’t believe it now. Then she and Ezra were gone and I was left alone in my small room that felt more like a prison cell than anything.
There was nothing to do but sit on my bed and wait for my training to begin in the morning. Even though I was bored and alone, it took me almost until midnight to fall asleep, and I had strange dreams all night long. The most prominent feature to my dreams was a strange pair of eyes watching me from the trees–eyes that looked oddly like Finn’s pale blue ones.