Hellfire - The Awakening (Complete)

Chapter Twenty Five *

When we returned to Schwarz Manor, everything went by in a blur of numbness. I think my mind had automatically set my body to autopilot to protect my sanity after everything I had witnessed, not unlike that fateful night was killed.

As Evangeliine dissolved into tears at the sight of Masquerade's body, I was vaguely aware of someone wrapping a blanket around my shoulders and then escorting me away from the situation.

When my mind finally allowed emotion to creep into my frozen state, all I could feel was wave after wave of unrelenting, unforgiving guilt alongside rage, sorrow, loss and regret; it was overwhelming.
There was a flurry of vampires drifting outside to comfort Evangeline, some of them seemed shocked at everything which had happened, others were wracked with grief, yet Cinder stuck with me the whole time. As we reached the foyer Desdemona hobbled out of the shadows on an ancient set of wooden crutches and nodded at me and Cinder.

“Cinder, go and be with your mother, I'll take care of Ebony,” she said.

Cinder kissed me on the cheek and promised to return later, then with a grateful smile to Desdemona he was gone.

As we navigated the way to my room,we lapsed into silence. Desdemona didn't any stupid advice, nor did she ask how I was feeling which I was grateful for, because at at that moment I wasn't even sure what I felt.

When we reached my room and I unlocked the door my room had been cleaned, the clothes I had left on my bed had been put away and the note I had left for Cinder, and the note and orchid the rogue had sent to me had been removed. If I hadn't watched Masquerade die and fought the rogues myself it would be as if it had never happened; except it had happened.

Overwhelmed I staggered towards my bed and clambered inside, I didn't bother changing out of my clothes, I so cold, so cold that I was shivering uncontrollably.

“Hey do you still have the herbs I gave you?” Desdemona asked.

I nodded weakly, “They're under my bed.”

Desdemona retrieved the case from my bed and settled into a wooden chair, within a few minutes she'd whipped up a healing remedy and using a soft cloth she gently rubbed the potion into the red welts on my wrists and ankles. I ground me teeth against the pain and willed it to be over. Once she's finished Desdemona retrieved two bags of blood from the bathroom.

“When I realised that you'd gone after the rogue, I stashed these here whilst everyone else gathered weapons, we didn't know what kind of state you'd be in,” she explained.

I didn't finish her sentence, we both knew that blood had been for myself and Masquerade. She should have been beside me, tucked up under a blanket with a warm mug of tea, not laid outside as her mother weeped over her death.

Desdemona opened the bags of blood and held them to my lips encouraging me to drink, eventually I gave in and drank. I drained both bags quickly. Whilst facing the rogues I had overexerted my self and I now had a severe hankering for as much blood as I could get my hands on.

Before I could ask for more, Desdemona pressed a steaming cup into my hands. I sniffed and recoiled at the liquid inside, “I know you don't like it, but you need sleep in order for your body to heal,” she said firmly.

I grimaced as I sipped the tea, but continued drinking, more than anything I wanted sleep to claim me and help me forget everything which had happened, even if it was only for a few hours. Desdemona smiled encouragingly as my eyes drifted close; I was asleep before my head had even hit the pillow.

When I woke up I had no idea what day it was, but Cinder was waiting at the end of my bed in the same wooden chair that Desdemona had sat in.

“How are you feeling?” He asked gently.

“Physically, I feel better,” I replied.

“Emotionally?” He probed.

Tears formed in my eyes and rushed down my cheeks as I remembered everything that had happened, in an attempt to distract myself I turned to Cinder.

“What day is it?” I asked.

“It's two days after everything, you've been asleep for forty eight hours,” he replied.

I sat up with a start and Cinder pressed a finger to his lips, signalling for me to stay silent. “Today's is Masquerade's funeral, if you wish to attend than we need to get ready now, if you want to stay here that's okay,” he continued.

“I want to be there but...” I trailed off not wanting to finish the sentence.

Cinder stood up and moved towards me, gently he eased himself next to me and tentatively placed his arm around my shoulders.

“Ebony, nobody blames you for Masquerade's death and that includes myself, my mother and my siblings. Everyone within the manor is shocked and we are now a united front ready to fight and destroy the rest of those bastards,” he finished.

I bit my lip, “I feel so guilty...It should have been me,” I replied sadly.

Cinder placed his hand on the side of my face and looked into my eyes, “It was already you that night you went out Sophie, if anyone feels bad it's mother, she feels like she failed at her duty to protect everyone,” he said.

“I'm going to need to get dressed, can you wait for me?” I asked.

Cinder nodded encouragingly and stepped outside of my room. Today I was in complete contrast with how I'd been two days earlier, I no longer felt numb but overcome with emotion. As I slipped into a black dress, tights and heels my stomach twisted; Masquerade shouldn't have died.

I stepped into the bathroom and looked into the mirror, I still had that unattainable vampiric beauty but my skin had lost some of its luster, my eyes seemed duller and I looked haggard as if I had suddenly aged overnight.

I stared at myself and tried to keep my blank as I twisted my hair into a chignon and applied a mask of makeup to my face, but the same thoughts kept creeping into my mind: It should have been me, I should have saved her, if only I'd have discovered the prophetic poem sooner...

The worst thing was that because of Sophie's involvement I felt even more to blame, as if by knowing her in previous life, I was somehow responsible for her behaviour and actions in the afterlife. This wasn't the way it was supposed to turn out.

I left the bathroom and rejoined with Cinder, he squeezed my hand tightly as we wove our way through the corridors and descended the staircase to the foyer, Evangeline was already waiting.
She had knotted her hair into a loose bun and was wearing a black dress with a smart jacket; it was the first time I had ever seen her in black.

She dipped her head next to my ear, “I'm so glad that you could make it and I would like you to know that nobody blames you for my daughter's death,” she whispered.

As we stepped outside I was overwhelmed. Dozens of vampires stood by the lake dressed in black, wreaths of white lilies draped around trees and floated across the lake and several glittering masks were suspended from tree branches with black ribbon after Masquerade's namesake. It was tragically beautiful and she would have loved it.

Evangeline left us to stand at the head of the party, due to the unearthly nature of the vampires there would be no vicar to recite any biblical passages and so the job fell to Evangeline.

My vision blurred as my eyes welled up, my breathing quickened as emotion overtook me, I wavered slightly and Cinder who had quickly noticed my emotional state led me over to Shade, Thorn, Desdemona and Velvet to provide me with some comfort.

I had been anxious about seeing Cinder's siblings since the fight and their discovery of Masquerade's death and I wondered if any of them secretly did blame me,despite everyone's reassurance, but my emotions slowly started to calm as Shade lifted me off of the ground, Desdemona embraced me, Velvet smiled kindly and Thorn nodded. Evangeline cleared her throat and the funeral commenced.

As Evangeline spoke of Masquerade's achievements, of her personaliy and of her life I started to feel like an intruder. Masquerade's coffin was behind Evangeline resting beside a large pit which I assumed the guards had dug. Her coffin as crafted out of purple wood and was wrapped in a shimmering, white, translucent material.

As Evangeline spokeof Masquerade's most recent birthday her eyes began to well up. Salazar rested his hand on her shoulder and I chewed the inside of my cheek. After a few minutes Evangeline managed to compose herself and finished the rest of her speech. Masquerade's closed casket was gently lowered into the pit of mud and each vampire stepped forward to toss a lily into her grave.

I stepped forwards to toss my lily into the grave and my stomach flipped, sensing my discomfort, Cinder took the lily from me and tossed both mine and his into the ground together whilst squeezing my hand.

Eventually the ceremony was over, although each vampire patiently waited behind to listen to Evangeline's speech. She stood at the front of the crowd and tossed her head. When I gazed upon her face, I noticed her eyes burning into my soul like fire.

“I am going to explain the situation for anyone who is still unsure. Two nights ago Masquerade was murdered by Ash Sanguinolency who was working with the rogue vampires to kill us all. We had already take two rogue vampires out on earlier occasions and of the night of Masquerade''s death, three more were killed including Ash Sanguinolency. I would personally like to thank Ebony Noire for risking her life to risking her life to protect us all. As irrational as it may have been Ebony worked with my family to defeat as many rogues as possible and helped to prevent other victims like Masquerade,” started Evangeline.

Each vampire turned to me and I was transported back to my first day as a vampire when Cinder had carried my back from the forest and I'd fainted at the sight of hundreds of sets of yellow eyes. Only now it was different, the sets of eyes belonged to people I had befriended, people who had become my family, people who I had sworn to protect. I raised my eyes sheepishly as each vampireraised a lily in the air in my honour.

“I would like add one more point, currently there are still three rogues out, two of which are the founding rogues, and they are all determined to kill us. But I refuse to concede, I am hellbent on their destruction. We are on the brink of change. The Lucien Association is convinced that I am unable to reign and are desperate to intervene changing this monarchy into a dictatorship in the process. But I won't let that happen. We must eliminate the rogues before they take anymore lives, shatter anymore hearts and destroy anyone elses humanity. From this day forward weare a united front and I can officially announce that we are at war against the rogues,” Evangeline cried.

There was a roar of approval from the rest of the vampires and I looked directly into Evangeline's eyes, she was reliant on me and I would do everything in my power to destroy those who threatened my family...