Lost in the Castle

~24~

As I sat down next to her, I caught sight of her new ring for the first time. It was an intricately braided band of silver, or maybe white gold, crowned by a large red stone, surrounded by a halo of what looked like tiny diamonds. I had never cared enough about jewels to know what the stones were exactly, to tell the difference. But I knew that rubies were red.

"Is that a ruby?" I asked to break the silence filling the room.

Mesmerised, I observed the stone that seemed to have come to life when it was illuminated by the delicate glow of the candle, its flame dancing and flickering in the draft caused by the movement of Clara's busy fingers.

"No. It's a garnet, my lady. My favourite. A lucky stone." She closed her eyes and added softly, closing her hand in a fist around the ring and bringing it to her chest, "He should have carried it with him, they will need luck more than us."

Her words made me shiver. I turned around to look at Junior for help, but he just watched us silently, lost for the right words as much as me.

"You mustn't worry, Clara, they will be all right," I found myself repeating the words I had heard so often lately; hating them. We couldn't know that. And my nightmares were far from reassuring.

"Of course they will," Junior chimed in finally, trying to sound sure. He could not fool me, though.

I turned to him again in search of the truth, but he had averted his look towards the window before I could catch his eyes.

Has something changed? Was it my last night's dream, the one I had told him about, what made him look so much more worried today? I must talk to him alone, I thought, as Clara passed me a needle, and, distracted as I was, I pricked my finger promptly.

"Ouch!" I cried out, looking at the single drop of blood that welled up on the alabaster skin of my finger, as red and pulsating with life as Clara's gem.

I started to bring the finger to my lips as Junior snatched me off the chair and dragged me to the other side of the room, pushing me against the cold wall in a whirlwind of movement. My heart beat in my ears so loudly that only now I noticed the sound of approaching footsteps in the corridor, followed by a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Junior called.

One of the knights entered, crossed the room towards us silently, and handed a letter to Junior. His dark eyes went wide as he saw me, half hidden behind Junior, making me shiver. I still didn't like the knights. Their looks, the way they hardly ever spoke, were creeping me out too much. He bowed, then was gone before the thought registered properly in my mind.

Junior took a step away from me and turned to look in my face.

"Are you well?" he asked, his voice full of anxiety.

"Yes..." I replied, confused by his concern. By his action.

"Fine. Don't ever do that again!" he exclaimed, reaching for my hand to examine my now perfectly invisible wound.

"But it was just a needle; it didn't even hurt. You are overreacting..."

"Oh, Samara, don't you understand? You must be careful. That tiny drop of blood might be all that it takes... for someone to... Not every vampire is like us here, in this castle." His urgent, exasperated tone became reproachful as he added, "I see why Father thinks that this might not be the place for you."

Tears flooded my eyes as my hands flew to his chest, pushing him away with no effect. "I didn't do it on purpose!" I called as I ran past him towards my room, ignoring his voice trailing behind me, calling my name.