Chapter 7
Don’t Rock the Boat
So there we stood, waiting. Thirteen idiots gathered together on the dock of the bay, all in a row - in the dark – ready and willing to be whisked off by boat to an unknown location - to a party given by vampires. And we could call our leader Captain Red! I couldn’t decide if we humans fit better in the category of fools - or raving lunatics.
As our tattooed and pierced hostess finished her invitation interrogation, I thought again about the chances we were taking. Glancing up, I watched as the thin clouds grew dense and began to block out what little light the moon had allotted us. And then, like an omen, the streetlight above us dimmed and flickered off, and even our shadows slithered away into the darkness. The smaller boat took off with a roar, and once its noise faded into the distance, I heard the distinct screech of an alley cat and then the sound of far off foghorns. A shiver of alarm shot through me. All the night sounds seemed to be getting louder now, and the thickening clouds appeared to dip downward bringing with them a misty haze. All these things did nothing for the increasing spine-chilling creepiness that descended upon me. I was sure this night would turn into, quite possibly, the most unearthly night of my life.
I peered at Melinda through the darkness. As she turned her face to me, I thought I saw the same fear in her eyes that I had been feeling. We grasped hands. If nothing else, we would be together. I took a quick glance at Fiona. She watched our hostess as she made her way to the last person in the line. Fiona’s eyes were wide, but with more of a determined excitement than fear. She had made her mind up a long time ago, and she simply wasn’t going to let all this freakiness scare her.
My mind kept wandering all over the place and I didn’t hear what Captain Red had just said. Lindy elbowed me as our hostess and her servant glided toward the ramp that led up to the yacht. I marveled at their ability to see in the dark.
“What did she say?” I whispered.
Someone clicked on a bright spotlight. It showered us with enough light to see one another and the pathway to where Captain Red stood waiting.
“Just shut up and get on the boat,” Lindy whispered as she pushed me forward. Apparently she wasn’t as fearful as I had thought.
We had to be careful as we climbed onboard; some of us wore heels far too pointy and tall for an evening stroll on a gangplank. I was just glad I didn’t trip and fall into the water. Even global warming wouldn’t have made the temperature tolerable for a swim in October.
One thing I was happy about was the fact that this vessel was large – huge in fact, with a lower deck where we’d be out of the wind. Once in the lower level we emerged into a luxurious living room with plush sofas, tables, chairs and a bar. Nothing about this space felt like a boat. The carpeting was a deep maroon with intricate designs, the furniture - sleek but comfortable, the bar - completely stocked and even had a full sized refrigerator.
At first we sat in silence, easing into our new surroundings - still trying to shake off the edginess of the dark harbor. I picked at my fingernails wishing I had remembered to paint one more coat of polish. The nail on my pinky had chipped a little. Fiona opened and shut her phone three million times and cleared her throat two million times. Lindy looked bored as she glanced around at all the other passengers, or victims - depending on how you looked at them. I wondered what could possibly be going through everyone’s mind, now that it was too late to turn back.
Did any of these people have a clue? Or were we the only ones who had even heard about the legends? Could there be more than three out of thirteen who knowingly and willingly decided to take their lives into their own hands - risking everything? I doubted it. But who was I to judge? I was one of the biggest idiots of all. I could be out dancing right now with Emrys, and even though I hated dancing, I would force myself if it meant I was in his arms.
The boat ride took far longer than I had expected. Most likely, by my estimation, we had to be well into the Narragansett Bay by now. Captain Red came below deck to check on us and asked if we needed to use the lavatory. Fiona raised her hand, and was directed to the door at the end of a short hallway.
“If anyone is thirsty, please feel free to help yourselves,” Captain Red announced. “There are drinks in the refrigerator.” She pointed behind the bar with her long red fingernail. No longer carrying her notebook, her dress was visible, and all eyes were now on her cleavage. It was shocking. The neckline plunged down to her navel, tiny glimmering studs edged the trim- most likely diamonds- and they matched her sparkling blue-gray eyes. I had no idea how her dress stayed on or why her breasts didn’t pop out when she moved. Maybe she used super glue. She only stayed long enough to give us this information, and then she glided away.
One of the men stood and went to the stainless steel fridge. He looked around and asked, “Anyone else want a beer?”
Lindy waved at him, and he tossed her a bottle. I snickered in relief when she caught it. If it had shattered at my feet splashing my dress with hops and barley, I would have been pissed. One of the other women asked if anything else was available in there besides beer. He pulled out a bottle of white wine, and the woman went to the closed cupboard and pulled out some glasses. She passed them out to anyone who held out their hand, which was basically me, one other lady, and herself. We passed the bottle around and poured our own glasses. The wine was tart and crisp, but had a decent flavor. After three sips, I realized I hadn’t eaten since lunch, and if I kept this up, I’d be wasted in no time at all. I wasn’t much of a drinker, and it didn’t take a lot to push me over the edge of intoxication.
I tried to peek out one of the tiny portholes to see if I could spot land. We zipped along much faster than I had expected and it was far too dark. There was no way I’d be able to figure out where we were. A sudden and fleeting moment of fear seized me as I thought about how none of us knew our destination, much less how to get back. We were now in the hands of our hosts - completely at their mercy if we wanted to make it back home. My stomach did a little flip-flop - nerves or wine, I couldn’t be sure.
Fiona returned and took a sip out of my glass.
“Yuck. I need a beer,” she said making a sour face.
She sauntered over to the fridge and opened a bottle, downing half of it in less than a minute. I guessed she wanted to get drunk.
Lindy came and stood near me and whispered, “How long do you think they’ll keep us out here, wherever here is?”
“Not a clue, sis.” At this point, I didn’t even care; alcohol did that to me. And since I had no other choice now that we were here, why worry anyway? I took another sip. The wine would help to keep me calm. Maybe I won’t even faint tonight. That would be a wonderful change. Lindy stared at me with a glaring question in her eyes.
“What?” I asked. I didn’t mean to sound flippant.
“Don’t you want to stay clear-minded and focused tonight?”
“What for?”
“Well, for one thing, if the legends are true, you need to be level-headed to make a decision. And if they’re not, and we’re all just going to get murdered for no reason at all, you might want to be able to defend yourself for at least a little.” Lindy looked squishy again. Her face was squishy now, not just her eyes. Out of focus - squishy.
I reached over and touched her face, “Melinda, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I have a good feeling about tonight.” A little white lie between sisters was expected now and then; especially if you did it for their own good. Besides, I was far more worried about her than she needed to be about me. I glanced down at her cleavage as I took another sip. I hiccupped. “Maybe I’ll meet the love of my life tonight!”
Fiona finally stopped messing with her phone, took a large gulp of beer and smiled at us.
“I thought you already met him?” Melinda sounded sarcastic, as usual.
My heart sped up at the thought of Emrys. I co
uld see his eyes peering into my soul, reading my thoughts. I could see his long rich onyx hair flowing down from his head and his shoulders. His red lips, his chiseled nose and chin. If I were an artist, I could paint him from memory. If I were a songwriter, I could write poetry about his beauty and put it to music. If I were a writer, I could write volumes of books about his eyes. If I were a seductress, I could...
Lindy grabbed my arm. “Hello! Earth to Lizzy!” I blinked at her and took another drink. Just thinking about him got me all hot and bothered. I had never even kissed him; for all I knew, he was an awful kisser. Nah, that wasn’t possible. I had seen his lips...they were soft and full, definitely kissable lips.
“She’s at it again.” Fiona laughed.
“She’s toast,” Melinda added with a grin.
Captain Red was back. But she was not alone. A tall man dressed in a dark metallic gray suit stepped forward. His sandy-blond hair came just to his shoulders. I noticed that Captain Red now stayed in the background deferring to this man. They both held their coats in their arms, making me believe we were just about to our destination. I downed my glass and buttoned up.
“Yippee, we’re almost there!” I whispered to my girls.
The man cleared his throat and said in a raised voice, “Good evening everyone. My name is Larkin and I have to go over the rules with you now.” He waited until he had everyone’s full attention.
“First of all, is there anyone here who has never heard of the vampire, or Raven legends?” Everyone was silent. Even though I never heard them called that before, I assumed they were one and the same.
“No one...very well then. There may be a few misconceptions surrounding the legends, and I would like to clear some of them up for you. Number one, and most important of all, we do not go around killing humans at random - we don’t kill them at all.
“Once every ten years we have a gathering - as you will soon encounter. During these gatherings, the humans who attend have been drawn to our lifestyle. Although some of them come for the enjoyment of dining, drinking, and dancing for one evening only, there are often a few of those generous guests who decide to stay on for a while longer - as a donor. Those that choose to donate their life force are paid in return with free room and board, lavish lifestyles and many extra benefits. Of course, each human is free to choose any of the latter options. Occasionally, we encounter a human who wishes to become a Raven who has not been chosen. I shall explain the term, ‘being chosen,’ in a few moments, but first I must make a few things clear and I admonish you all to pay close attention. You will not be able to say you were not warned.”
Captain Red had an uncomfortable look on her face. She glanced around, watching us as the man continued loud and clear.
“If a human becomes a Raven, and he or she then mates with another Raven, they will be mated for life - or in this case for eternity. You must exercise the utmost caution in this matter. If you should decide to go through the process, be aware that, for some, the propensity to mate can become an extreme temptation. During transition the mortal body merging into the Raven body tends to short circuit temporarily, making one less inhibited. This unrestrained attitude is similar to what many humans feel when drinking alcohol to excess.” I glanced down at the empty glass in my hand.
“In these situations, however, there is so much more at stake, and I cannot overemphasize this point enough. You must be crystal-clear on this, so let me repeat myself: If you choose to mate during or immediately after your transformation, it will be for all eternity. You will have no choice in the matter. These bonds are stronger than any human marriage you have ever encountered. Divorce does not exist in our world.”
He glanced from face to face as though waiting for this information to sink in. The silence in the room made the engine sound louder, and for the first time, I noticed the creaking of the yacht.
“If you believe that your attendance to our gathering tonight came from a random invitation, you are mistaken.” He went on in a quieter tone now. “Each of you has been hand-picked by a single Raven who has either been drawn to you or felt you would be a benefit to our society, and some are chosen through the Veinvedia. Regardless of the reason you are here, you will not be told who did the choosing. But if, in fact, the Raven has made the wise choice, you-will-meet. That is the mystery of the Veinvedia: it shall lead you to your chosen one. As you can imagine, the outcome of these gatherings can be wonderful for all. As understood, not all of our guests will wish to participate in anything other than the socialization - the actual party.
“We are the fortunate ones if you should choose to give of yourselves in any way. There will be no coercing tolerated and no hints given away. There could, however, be some broken hearts. When a Raven puts his Signatus on his chosen mortal, the chances greatly increase for both of them to find a perfect love; a love that passes all understanding. Although rare, it can be a beautiful thing. If the human wishes to join with us there is rejoicing, if not, well - use your imagination.”
I peeked at Captain Red just as she licked her dark lips. I was curious to know if she had chosen one of the men standing here with us, most of which had their mouths hanging open since she entered the room. If she had, she hid it well. I also wondered how the Ravens would get their supply of blood if no one ever joined or donated.
“To answer another question: Yes, we need blood to survive, though we can and do eat food as well. The blood gives us our strength and our ability to do the extraordinary things, which you will learn about in time. Some of you may call these paranormal activities. Without this life force from humans, we would be weak, though still immortal because of the blood already in our veins. I understand this is a lot to take in and digest in such a short time. As the evening progresses, you will be free to ask questions of any Raven in attendance, and they will help you in any area of misunderstanding. For now, if there are any further questions, please check out the pamphlet that you shall receive shortly. And remember: the reason these rules are in place is for your own protection.”
The little man from the dock passed out the pamphlets to us. Up close he looked completely human, but he never said a word.
Larkin left the room then, followed closely by Captain Red. It was quite obvious all the men followed her steps with their eyes. I’d bet each one of them wished she was their secret admirer.
I opened the booklet that was placed in my hand and paged through it. It listed all the human rules, and then all the vampire rules. There was even a frequently asked questions page which I scanned through half-heartedly, hoping no one caught me rolling my eyes. Some of the questions grabbed my attention, but I had no interest in reading the whole thing. There was a lot I did not understand, and I probably should have read the whole booklet, but after reading number one I skimmed over the first page and then flipped through the rest of the pages at random. I suppose I was being stubborn, but the whole idea of a rulebook seemed a bit corny to me. Of course, the cover of the pamphlet was blood red and the title in another language.
Q. What is The Veinvedia?
A. The Veinvedia comes through our Prophetess. It is her blood vision that allows her to know a Raven’s chosen one.
Q. What is the Signatus?
A. The Signatus is the mark that the Raven puts on his chosen mortal. Some simply call it the Sign. A human can be chosen by a Raven with or without benefit of The Veinvedia. The Veinvedia however, gives assurance of the perfect choice.
Q. How do you know you have a Sign, and how do you go about finding the Raven who put it there?
A. Some humans are attuned to this mystery. Their intuition guides them correctly. Some are drawn to their Raven subconsciously.
Q. Is this the only time a Raven can find a mate?
A. No, just the only time a Raven can put his Sign on a human mate.
Q. Can a human and a Raven mate?
A. The human must give
consent.
Q. Will a Raven ever bite a human without consent?
A. It is against all our rules during this forty-eight hour period; however, we cannot and do not control all vampires that are not members of our own Raven society.
Q. If we speak of the gathering once it’s over, will we be killed?
A. Absolutely not. Your choosing to trust us by coming to our gathering requires us, in turn, to trust you to keep our affairs private.
I closed the book and glanced at Lindy. Her mouth hung open as she continued reading. I looked over at Fiona. Her beaming smile reminded me of a cat in heat. She winked at me as her grin grew even wider.
Barely able to contain her excitement, she flipped from page to page looking up at me and repeating, “I told you so!” after every page or two. With this new permanent smile plastered on her glowing face, I found myself hoping she would find her perfect mate tonight. Although I was sure I didn’t want to lose her friendship, I’d never seen her look this happy in my life.
I didn’t read any more, but I wondered if anything had been written about leaving your old life behind - forever. Perhaps we could invite old friends once every ten years, just to show off our youthfulness. It would be like a school reunion where all your friends got old and crotchety, and you still looked like a million dollars. That would be fun!
The motors started winding down and the boat began to slow. Within a few minutes, we’d be surrounded by vampires. Vampires who called themselves Ravens. The evening was about to get even weirder. And they promised us a good time, good food and drink. All we had to do was trust them to follow all the rules, and we could come out of this quite well. Or, we could become one of them. I already knew Fiona’s decision. She’d been waiting for this for years. Lindy just wanted to party and nothing more. She had told us that – in no uncertain terms - that she intended to remain exactly as she was. Me - that was a different story. I was conflicted, confused, and ambiguous. Someone else should make this decision for me. Or I could wait another ten years and hope to be invited again. Not bloody likely. Good choice of words, I thought, chuckling softly to myself.
The boat stopped and began to roll with the wave from the wake it created. It made me quite nauseous. I pulled my coat tight around my flimsy, short, cobalt blue dress, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the night air.