Valkyrie - the Vampire Princess 2 (7 page)

I sat at the dining table next to Valeska. Eros sat facing Valeska and Bizak was at his side facing me. My father sat on a chair near the table’s edge.

The m
enu was just raw meat.

Finally
, I tasted the drink made with blood. My father demanded a toast among us. It was the first meal I shared with them in that exotic style, where the blood was the main dish. We were all with our gray eyes and sharp teeth.

The glare reflected from lit torches on the
walls of the corners made us see each one clearly. The first person that I faced was my father monitoring our dinner. Then I looked at Valeska, who whispered into my ear after she ran her curious eyes over Eros.

“Remember  what we talked ab
out,” she said quietly, just for me to hear.

I said nothing and looked at Bizak. I
noticed he was facing me with his huge eyes.

Automatically I swerved my look to his left and saw Eros keeping his head down
. He was quiet all the time. He avoided looking at everyone sitting around the dining table.

I looked at a jar on the table, near him.

“Eros, can you hand me that jar?” I asked.

He looked up into my gray eyes. I gazed fearlessly at his face as I believed in the possibility he also f
elt something for me. He made the jar come up to me only with the power of his mind. I was shocked at how quickly the object came towards me.

“You can also do it Valkyrie
,” my father articulated as he saw how amazed I was.

“I cannot do it
,” I said serenely.

“Try to do the same,
” he insisted.

He put the jar back in its origin
al place, in the same way as Eros has placed it in front of me.

“You can do it!” my father persisted.

I tried not to disappoint him and did what was suggested to me. I stared at the jar, placing all power in my mind as I tried to get something to happen. After several unsuccessful attempts, I gave up, embarrassed.

“I cannot!” I whispered.

“Okay dear,” my father said. “When your powers become more precise, you will not fail at it.”

Even saying these words, I noted my father expected more from me.

“I also took time to learn how to do this,” Bizak commented.

It improved my mood, listening to Bizak saying he went through the same difficulties as I did. It was a sign the problem was not just with me.

I would
eventually be able to. It was just a matter of time.

Chapter 13

After the dinner
we went to a salon called the ‘Melody Room’.

My father snapped his fingers  and a melody invaded the room. It was in absence of musical instruments and musicians. But the music was perfect.

The sound of the violin clearly sounded into our ears. It was a soft music and pleasant to hear. Vincent went with the melody. He ran through the room, grabbed my hand and made me dance with him. We went off the ground, our bodies levitated. I was a little dizzy from so much moving in a circle, but it was fun. Our heads almost touched the ceiling of the castle.

Valeska and Bizak did the same and joined us to dance too. Eros remained standing in the corner. He
seemed to be in no mood for festivities. I noticed he had scowled all the time. Nothing made him relaxed.

Several melodies paraded
through our eardrums until the hour came and we had to go to bed.

Then everyone was sleeping in their bedrooms.

I was the only exception. I stayed in the great hall for a few moments.

Silence reigned in that dark place.

I walked toward the balcony of the castle. I saw nothing in that darkness but an uncontrolled wind. Soon I closed my eyes to feel it with more spirit on my face.

I opened my eyes when I felt a cold breath
blow into my ear and then my heart ran in a hurry at his unmistakable presence.

Eros was behind me.

In the first moment, I had no reaction as I kept my gaze straight ahead.

“You’re still awake?”

I recognized his voice, and then I turned to face him.

“I thought ...”

“This could be Eros,” he completed.

Bizak looked at my face and noticed my disappointment by not being who I expected
.

Actually, I went to the balcony in the hope Eros would appear and I could reveal my love for him. We could be alone, just he and I.

I lowered my chin being disappointed at not being true when I felt the presence of Eros there, behind me, breathing into my ear. All I wanted at that moment was to be with him.

“Everyone is asleep ... Even ... Eros,” Bizak said still looking at me.

“I think we should do the same,
” I said, trying to escape.

But I was prevented from moving forward when I felt his cold hand clutching my arm.

“If Eros was here you wouldn’t be in a hurry to sleep,” he said and released my arm.

“I do not understand. Why do you rely on Eros and suspect me?” he asked.

“I’ve known Eros the longest,” I responded.

“Eros knows perfectly how to dazzle people
,” he whispered.

“What
do you have against him?”

“Me?”
He put his hands on his head and took two steps forward, going against the wall. “Nothing against ...just I see he is featured in everything he does. Everyone notices him!”

He raised his arms up into the air.

I approached the wall, remaining close to Bizak. Our conversation became interesting. After all, it was all about Eros. I longed to know more about him.

We stared into the darkness, as we remained silent for a time. Both had different thoughts.
Then, I felt his hand on top of my head. It was sliding through my hair with the greatest of care.

“He'll make you suffer ...”
he said, looking at my expression without any reaction on his part.

His assertion challenged my expectations about what Valeska made clear to me hours before. I was again unsure in relation to the feelings of Eros.

Bizak turned into a snake and it was dragging on the floor of the balcony. Its swift movements made it disappear immediately. I stayed there for some time, hoping Eros would wake up and come to me.

Chapter 14

I spent my last few hours of rest in
despair. My doubts and concerns chased away my sleep.

I was lying on my back, watching the ceiling of my bedroom with precision, where I deposited several images of Eros, several scenes imagined by me.

In my imagination Eros corresponded all I felt for him. How easy it was to love that way.

***

I got up the next morning. My window curtains were open. I changed my clothes and I was in my long, wine -colored dress.

I walked through the castle. Everyone was sleeping.

I decided to take a ride in the vicinity of my father’s dwelling. The overcast sky punished my vision. I walked to the edge of the lake. It was one of my favorite places, since everything there was so adventitious. I looked at the lake’s water. I could no more see my reflection on it and at that moment I realized I was no longer human.

I was condemned for all eternity to never again be able to see my own image. I did not exist any longer...

I moved away from the lake as I was anxious and then I walked toward the forest of dry trees. They were burned by the snow. The landscape consisted of dark colors. I was standing on a rock and I looked up at the immense sky.

Seconds later, my vision had detected a black figure coming down from the heights. It was so fast I had no time to follow its movements ... This same thing was already at my side. It fell on its feet upon the rock. Our eyes met and there was a silence.

“
You’re awake so early!” A male voice said, breaking the silence between us.

“I could not sleep
last night,” I said retracted as if he could know the reason I could not close my eyes last night.

“What
disturbed your sleep?” he asked looking at the lifeless trees.

His question sounded unimportant to him
. It was a way to continue our conversation.

“Oh…I...in fact ... I went to bed thinking about how ...”

I looked at his face and he stared at me waiting for me to finish my sentence.

I became dumb. The courage fled from my
heart.

“I would talk to ... you.”

I kept my head down as it was difficult  trying to declare my love for him.

“What's so important
that you have talk to me about? To the point it has made you restless.”

He proved to be compassionate.

“The love I feel ...for you ...”

I felt a strange reaction in my body as I said those words. It was kind of relief mixed with despair.

“So that's what you wanted to tell me?” he asked looking
to his left. His indifference shattered all my expectations with regard to his feelings.

“I already knew ...”
He acted with more coolness.

“Did you know all this time?” I asked as I stared at him. However, he
continued looking in the other direction.

“I always knew ...
from when we were on Earth,” he confessed to me.