Within The Shadows (9 page)

Rushing past
me, she went inside the wardrobe, throwing clothes to the floor.
Suddenly, she roared with laughter. “Ano, to je jedna.” She turned
to me, and handed me the dress.

“
Saty!” Her smile was almost gentle.

“
Dress? You want me to put the dress on?” I asked, holding
the beautiful white gown in my hand.

“
Ano, ano,
saty!”

I did not
understand a word she said, but I obviously had to wear the dress.
Obediently, I did as I was told.

The dress
was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. The fabric alone felt
luxurious against my skin. The gown’s chiffon bodice was completely
covered with the most delicate jewelled beading and intricately
embroidered pattern I had ever seen. A taffeta sash was placed high
across the waist, and was of a soft shade of grey marl. The skirt
gracefully moved as I walked across the room. Standing in front of
the mirror, I gasped. The dress was stunning on me. It made me feel
like a princess.

“
Krasny.” The old woman smiled, holding her hand to her
chest.

I did not
have the heart to argue with her, so I stood still, staring at my
reflection. That was when Atarah entered the room. Smiling, she
walked up behind me, and placed her hands on either side of my
waist. Smelling of vanilla and rosewood, her scent wrapped itself
around me, making me dizzy.

“
You truly
are beautiful, Giselle.”

“
Thanks,” I
falsely muttered.

Sighing, I
turned to face her. I felt as though I could talk to her. She
seemed so motherly and nurturing, and in an odd way, she reminded
me of my mom, whom I missed dearly.

“
Whatever is wrong?” She brushed the mess of hair from my
face. “We will fix you up, but
bed
hair or not, you are the most
stunning ‘nevesta’ I have seen in centuries.”

“
Nevesta?” I
repeated, completely bemused.

“
Bride! This is our mother tongue, Slovak.”

I looked
across to the old woman. “That’s why I couldn’t understand her. Who
is she, anyway?”

Atarah
strolled over to the woman, and placing her arm around her, she
introduced us. “Giselle, this is Angelika. She is my mother, and
one of the elders. She takes it upon herself to take an active role
in all rituals. She made the dress for you.”

I was
astonished at how different they were. I did not know if she meant
Angelika was her birth mother or maker, and now was not the time
for questions.

“
Matka, to je
Giselle, nas novy knazka.”

“
Ah, dcera, je hoden!” Angelika replied. Pure elation was
written upon her face.

These breed
of vampires defied disbelief. In fact, they defied anything
Hollywood ever tried to portray about the creatures of the
night.

“
Okay! I really don’t know what you’re saying. So, maybe we
can talk a little English?” I felt embarrassed witnessing their
bonding session, or whatever it was.

“
Oh, Giselle, I’m sorry. Mother doesn’t speak English like
us, so don’t be alarmed by my conversing with her. She remains very
true to her roots. Although we no longer live in the small village
in the Zemplin region, we do like to hold on to some of our
heritage.”

I felt so
small compared to Atarah and her mother. In fact, I was so
different to them that I found it hard to believe I would be of any
use to them. Then again, with all the trouble Angelika went to in
order to make the dress, perhaps I was the most important
commodity, after all.

Thinking so
much gave me an unbelievable headache
,
and I thought I was going to pass out. Taking a seat, I placed my
head between my knees, taking long deep breaths. It didn’t
help.

“
Giselle, take a sip of this. It will help.” Atarah handed
me a glass.

Taking it, I
looked at her, wondering how someone who has killed to survive
could be so loving to me. She treated me as though I was one of
their own.

“
What is
it?

“
Water,” she
laughed.

I drank, and
slowly regained my composure. God, it was hot in the room, and the
air that flowed in through the open window did not help.

The full
moon shone bright. Its brilliance highlighted the crystal beading
on the breast of my dress. The beads shimmered and danced with
every flicker of the moonbeams.

Atarah stood
behind me, and gently brushed my hair. She pulled it back, and
fixed some pins into place. Angelika rubbed some blusher onto my
cheeks, and applied some mascara and gloss. It was very basic, but
when I saw my reflection, I was dumbfounded. I had been completely
transformed from the girl who wore the most amazing dress ever, to
a girl who deserved to wear anything she wanted. I was beautiful,
and felt beautiful, too.

Alarming as
it might have been, I was quite excited. Sounds pretty crazy, but I
think I got caught up in the moment, and being made a fuss of was
definitely something I could get used to. But, as always, reality
has a nasty way of hitting you hard in the face.

Walking
behind Atarah and Angelika as they led me through corridors that
looked like something out of a gothic fairy tale, I felt like a
lamb being led to slaughter. The walls were painted a strange shade
of pomegranate, its boldness illuminated by softly lit candles. The
wooden floors were temporarily covered with a bluish-red runner
that ran the whole length of the hall. Amaranthine drapes hung over
the grand bay windows. The air had a distinct aroma, and although I
could not quite place the smell, I was sure it was incense. Its
strong, fragrant smoke brushed the back of my nostrils, resulting
in a few disapproving sneezes.

I sniffled, “Excuse me!” as we
entered the hall through a large set of oak doors.

It was a
very dramatic entrance. Standing below me were hundreds of unknown
faces. A few stood out, but they were strangers all the same. They
wore a mixture of black and purple clothes. The women were dressed
in floor-length gowns, their hair pulled back tight, and their
hands covered by long lace gloves. The men’s attire consisted of
black herringbone frockcoats with matching black trousers. All wore
purple shirts with black cravats.

I looked
around, trying to find Alex. He stood with Leonid in front of an
altar. It was the most spectacular scene I had ever witnessed.
Lighted candles and floral arrangements of violets, orchids, red
roses, lilies, and irises filled the entire room. The scent was
overwhelming.

Silence
fell, and all eyes were on me. My stomach churned, and panic set
in. I wanted to run through the doors, and as far from there as I
could, but behind me were two large men standing in front of the
doors. They were not going to move for me.

I stood
alone, and watched the smile spread across Alex’s face as he
ushered me to him. I must have floated down the stairs, as I cannot
remember walking down. The crowd moved as I walked down an aisle
strewn with rose petals.

Alex looked
amazing. I had never seen him look so handsome. He wore identical
clothes to the rest of the men, except his cravat matched the grey
marl of the sash I wore around my waist. His smile illuminated the
whole room. In normal circumstances, it would have melted my heart,
but there was something sinister shining in his eyes. A deep
redness flickered in the light of the candles.

I was so out
of my depth. Taking my hand, he led me towards a stone slab in
front of the altar.

Shaking, my
voice quivered as I whispered to him
,
“What’s going on?”

“
It’s your consecration. Remember, you will be blessed
tonight. Just follow my lead.”

He was so
calm. It seemed they expected me to mirror his demure behaviour. I
was anything, but calm, however. Sweat began to seep into the palms
of my hands. So many eyes were upon me.

Breathe
, Giselle.
Just breathe!

Alex
directed me to lie down
upon the stone
slab. I obliged, and rested my body on the cold rock beneath me.
Incense filled the space around me. There was no air, just smoky
fumes. There were four men, one standing at each corner of the
slab, and each was holding a staff. Their eyes were filled with the
crimson tide that was visible in both Alex and Leonid. Alex stood
back, and disappeared behind his father. I was alone with the
strange men, each mumbling to himself.

From the
altar came the voice of someone I knew – Atarah.

“
Tonight, we rejoice in the awakening of our sister,
Giselle. She will be the vessel in which our new blood will run. It
has been spoken by our forefathers that a mortal will bear the
child of our beloved Prince Alexander. Our goddess, Lilith, blesses
this union, and with her consent, we will commence.”

Not a sound
was heard. I lay still, and held my own breath. Wind blew around
the room, sending shivers down my spine. Each of the four men
placed their right hand upon me. Joining them was Alex and his
father, Leonid.

“
You are a child of our goddess, Lilith, and I ask her to
bless you.” Atarah’s voice echoed through the room. I could feel
the power that came with her words.

One of the
men touched my head, and said, “May your mind be blessed so that
you can receive the wisdom of the Goddess.”

Another
touched my eyes. “May your eyes be blessed so that you can see
clearly upon this path that has been chosen for you.”

My lips were
next. “May your lips be blessed so that you will always speak with
honour, respect, and love.”

A hand was
placed on my chest. “May your heart be blessed so that you may
love, and be loved throughout life’s long path.”

Alex placed
his right hand on my abdomen. “May your womb be blessed so that you
may respect the creation of life, and thus be the giver of life.”
His smile was gentle.

Leonid was
last. Standing at my feet, he replied, “May your feet be blessed so
that you may walk alongside the Goddess, and always place your
trust in her.”

Alex
helped me to my feet. Atarah walked over to us,
her face serious and full of passion.

“
Tonight, you, Giselle, will pledge your commitment to the
Goddess. You will walk with her beside you, and ask her to guide
you on this journey. Do you pledge to honour her, and ask her that
she allow you to walk alongside her?”

Alex nodded,
and I weakly whispered a small, “Yes.”

“
As you will,
so it shall be.”

The four
candles were blown out, and applause followed.

“
Is it over?”
I whispered in his ear.

“
Almost done. There is just one more thing.” He held my
hand, and we walked towards the altar.

A man stood
in front of us. He took my right hand, and placed it in Alex’s
left.

“
Welcome all. We are here on this extraordinary night to
celebrate the joining of Prince Alexander and Giselle. They ask for
your blessing, encouragement, and lifelong support for their
decision to become one. Giselle, do you come here of your own free
will?”

I hesitated.
I did not know what to make of this, and felt awkward by lying.
Deep inside, it was still a lie. “Yes.”

“
Alexander, do you come here of your own free
will?”

“
Yes.”

“
A ring is an unbroken circle, a symbol of harmony, of
unending love, representative of this greater circle of life in
which we all are spiritually connected. Giselle, do you carry with
you this symbol of love?”

Atarah placed an engraved
silver ring in my hand.

Another lie.
“Yes, I do.”

I kept
thinking,
I have no choice.
It is either this, or something worse.

“
Please, place the ring on Alexander’s left hand, and repeat
after me, ‘You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself, but while
we both wish it, I give to you that which is mine to give. You
cannot control me, for I am a free person, but I shall serve you in
those ways that you require, and the nectar will taste sweeter from
my hand. This is the vow I pledge to you. This is the union of
equals.’”

I
hesitated
, and faltered, stumbling on
some of the words. The gravity of the situation caught within my
throat, and I felt the urge to scream and cry.

Alex
repeated his vows, and placed the ring on my left hand. Holding it
tight, he refused to let go. I could not fight, although I thought
about hitting him right across his face.

“
Giselle and Alexander, tonight the moon stands witness to
your union. You have made an eternal commitment to one another. You
are bound by that commitment. You must honour each other for
eternity. Having joined in this sacred union, I may now pronounce
you, husband and wife. Alexander and Giselle Baranski, you may kiss
each other.”

What a load of horseshit
!
I thought.