The tug that tightened the dress nearly drove the wind from Gliss's body, and she had to bite back a tirade of expletives as the thrall, Lilly, continued to wrestle with the fastenings down the back. She ached to be back in her simple jeans and top, but the little voice in the back of her mind kept telling her: you don't have a choice. If she wanted to impress the Glaives; if she wanted to get to the Synod she needed to endure this. It would be a small price to pay if it got her what she needed.
So she let Lilly tighten up the lace fastenings, acutely aware of the faint breeze that kissed her spine. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have gone near the dress with a ten foot pole. It had long sleeves to mask the scarring on her arms, woven of a deep, midnight blue material that felt almost weightless, as though it had been woven from clouds, but the firm night-black corset that went with it made her feel like she was being squeezed by a vice. The long skirt hugged her legs together tightly, making it impossible to move faster than a brisk walk. Topping that off were set of ostentatious heels that, while not the biggest she'd ever seen, did more than enough to make walking more of a hassle than ever before.
But, there was nothing for it. Gritting her teeth she practised a couple of lengths tottering back and forth across Capper's bed chamber under Lilly's eye.
"Em, Milady, if I may?"
"Don't call me that," Gliss snapped in frustration as she made another unsteady circuit. "But if you've got any advice about walking in these damned things, then please, share it with me!"
The thrall bit her lip, lowering her eyes to the floor before speaking. "Respectfully, it looks you've never really tried to walk in something like this before."
"I knew that already." She shot the girl an irate glance.
"Apologies – I just mean that you must adjust the way you move within the restrictions of your attire. It will take a little time if you're not used to it. If you shorten your stride and keep your back straight it will help keep you steady."
A part of Gliss was disgusted to be receiving advice from such a weak specimen, but the logic of the statement hit home. Lilly, she supposed, had spent a lot of time watching from the sidelines in her capacity as a glorified slave.
With her jaw clenched tightly, she tried to follow the girl's advice. Checking her usual languid stroll, she took deliberately smaller steps and attempted to keep her back straight. At first it didn't seem to make much difference as she wobbled her way back and forth across the carpet, but after a couple of circuits of the room she got a feel for the balance. Once she'd gone back and forth three times without stumbling she exhaled a long, satisfied breath and looked at Lilly.
"Better?"
The thrall risked a timid smile. "Much better, Milady."
"I told you, stop calling me that," she said, fighting to keep the sharpness out of her voice. "I'm not an Elder-Blood. I'm not even part of your clan."
"It is not my place to question such things," Lilly assured her. "I do as my lord bids. That is my role."
"And you're happy with that?"
"It is not a matter of happiness. It is simply the way things are."
"And Capper? Does he think that too?"
"I think he feels...uncomfortable in my presence," she said, and to Gliss's amazement she heard a twinge of disappointment in the thrall's voice. "I was assigned by the Elders as his thrall but he does not seem to really want one. It leaves me feeling..." She shrugged. "I do feel useless, at times."
Gliss turned to face the girl, placing her hands on her hips. "Where I come from there are no thralls."
A look of surprise flashed across Lilly's face. "Truly?"
"Truly."
"Then...who attends to the needs-,"
"We attend to our own needs." Gliss shook her head in black amusement. "The ways of your clans...let's just say I find them a bit old-fashioned."
Lilly smiled faintly. "That may be, but it is how things are done in Veridian Shores. With respect, I would not push back against the traditions here. Those who do seldom survive."
Gliss frowned at that. Lilly might well have been correct, but that didn't make the traditions and rigid castes of this urban mire any less archaic. Before she could carry on the conversation, however, the heavy door of the room creaked open and in strode Capper. He closed the door behind him and turned. When he saw her his eyes widened and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.
She raised an eyebrow, spreading her arms wide. "Okay, what do you think? Am I pulling it off?"
"Well, colour me impressed," he replied, the smile broadening into a grin. "Who knew you could scrub up so well?"
"Very funny." Gliss shot him a scything look. "So where's yours?"
"I told you already, I get away without dressing up most of the time."
"Lucky for some." She turned awkwardly left and right, feeling constricted and thoroughly foolish. It was alright for him standing there in his jeans and jacket, but he still got away with wearing a beanie around the mansion. "I feel like an idiot."
"Maybe, but you don't look like one." He nodded to the thrall. "Thanks, Lilly. You can go."
"Milord." She bowed quickly then scuttled from the room, leaving them alone.
Once the door had closed again, Capper nodded approvingly. Lighting a cigarette, he crossed the room, leaning casually against one of the thick posts of his bed. Gliss waited as his eyes flashed up and down her body, and an enticing feeling rippled through her.
"You look good," he said eventually through a haze of smoke. "Very good."
Gliss smiled invitingly, letting her fangs show for an instant. "I have numerous hidden talents. So now what do we do?"
"Now I think it's time we made some introductions," he answered. The cigarette danced between his fingers and the mischief on his face seemed to deepen. "You remember the atrium, when we first brought you here?"
"I remember."
"Well, when there's no official session that's where a lot of the Elder-Bloods will spend their time. It's a place where they can hash out the problems of the day without the need for formal proceedings. They'll crack heads and argue until the sky falls, but it's a good place for people to vent in a way they couldn't in the assembly chamber."
She pulled a face. "Sounds delightful."
"I know what you mean." Capper nodded. "It's a bit of a vipers' nest, but nothing you can't handle. Just try not to insult anyone too directly."
"Not sure I can promise that," she joked.
"Maybe just for me?" He gave her an imploring look.
"I'll try."
"I guess that'll have to do." He swept the door open and made an extravagant gesture to the hallway beyond. "Shall we, milady?"
"Bite me," she hissed as she stomped past him, doing everything in her power to remain steady and collected in front of the Glaive Elder-Blood.
Capper was soon walking along by her side, chuckling to himself. She glared at him dangerously as she walked. Keep laughing, buddy. Together they turned through the halls descending towards the atrium, and immediately Gliss noticed a small but definite change in the perception of her. The vampires she passed looked at her with expressions of surprise – as though they couldn't believe that the stranger from the north could actually create the veneer of respectability.
Their shallowness staggered her. A quick change of clothes and she'd gone from being regarded with contempt to curiosity. There were still a small number of the estate's inhabitants that held onto their suspicion, their Aspects churning defensively as they passed her, but overall the place felt rather abruptly more welcoming to someone in the right attire. She'd been wrong to doubt the importance Capper placed on her image.
It wasn't long before they emerged into the atrium, into the haze of burning gas-lights and coiling cigarette smoke. A thousand scents washed over her as she stepped over the threshold, cinnamon, thyme, alcohol, burning oak and incense, all tied together with the underlying metallic tang of infused blood. Sharp eyes flashed to her then back as the Elder-Bloods within registered her presence. In this room, however, most of them were so heavily involved in their internal squabbles that they took no more immediate notice.
"Take this."
Gliss looked down and saw Capper's hand holding a crystalline goblet filled with a deep aquamarine liquid. She bent forward and took an experimental sniff. A refreshing blast of searing mint shot up her nose and she blinked from the intensity, pulling her head back.
"What is it?" she asked, taking the goblet from him.
"It's called Myr'unna. They make it in on the Estate – outsiders never get a taste."
"Ah."
"Yeah, it's all part of the image." He shrugged. "Just take a sip now and again and if you don't like it, don't let on."
"Don't worry about me," she replied. "I can handle my drink."
Once Capper had a glass of his own the pair dived headlong into the internal politics of Clan Glaive. Following his lead, Gliss stayed close behind as he made his way towards a pair of Elder-Bloods deep in conversation near one of the looming pillars that supported the atrium's vaulted roof. She didn't recognise either of them from her handful of encounters around the estate. The male vampire was had a slender frame and long hair the colour of of oil, his narrow, predatory eyes roving around the room as he spoke. His companion stood a fraction taller, her deep chestnut hair tied into a tight, uncomfortable-looking bun.
Both of them spotted her and she felt their Aspects twist in curiosity as Capper led her over.
"Gliss Raynor, meet Breen Havnor and Leanor Vi' Nurin."
"Hi," she managed, raising her glass to the two Elder-Bloods. Both their Aspects burned bright in her mind – two powerful presences. Under their watchful gaze she took a sip of the Myr'unna, controlling her face with an effort as the savage, searing taste burned its way down into her gut. In a word, it was vile, but most of the people in this room seemed to be enjoying it.
"I saw you in the training pits," Breen said, acknowledging her with a nod. "You fight well."
"A little out-with the rules," his companion said through a fanged smile. "But yes, quite impressive. It's been a long time since someone managed to best Brooke in a duel."
A host of vicious indictments of Brooke's character leapt to the tip of her tongue but she caught Capper's sidelong glance and checked the impulse. Instead, she managed a slow, respectful nod.
"She's got skill," she forced out.
"As do you." Leanor tapped a finger against her glass slowly. "Where did you learn your trade?"
"Before I was...ostracised," Gliss said carefully, "I was one of our most respected fighters. I had a position of authority with our guards. Though, we never used those duelling rods you all seem so fond of."
"So what changed? You have had quite the fall from grace, it would seem."
That would have been quite the insult if her story had been true. Gliss feigned the slightest grimace. "You probably understand more than me the pressures of clans in the same city." She looked from one to the other, keeping her voice as soft and respectful as she could. "We all live in dangerous times. Iron Hollow might be different in some ways, but not in that. Clan Thorne had been driven from the city before my time. Now they are trying to reclaim that lost land as the city expands. Things in the north are pretty unstable right now."
Breen nodded. "Logical enough. None of us should be content to lie down and die."
"Maybe." She took another sip of her drink, her tongue finally beginning to adjust to the taste. "But let me ask you, if your Elders were taking a course of action that you knew would destroy your clan, what would you do?"
She was gratified to see both Glaive Elder-Bloods look thoroughly uncomfortable at the prospect. Beside her she felt the faint appreciative ripple of Capper's Aspect.
"We would vote against it in the Assembly," Leanor said eventually. "Hypothetically, if such an obviously destructive course was taken by the Elders it would be easy to make others see it."
"But if they chose to press on?" She gave them a hollow smile. "I know how the world works. Nothing can stop an Elder Vampire if they are set on a course of action."
That statement cut into them like a knife. She felt the uneasy twist of their Aspects and they glanced at each other. After a moment of silence Breen exhaled a long breath.
"I suppose, hypothetically, we would need to take more direct action – if there was such an undoubtedly destructive course being pursued by our Elders."
"Well, now you know." Gliss raised her glass to them, as though they'd figured everything out for themselves. "That was my 'fall from grace', as you put it. Our Elders were so determined to restore what our clan once had that they threw reason to the sun. They moved into open conflict with clans bigger and more powerful than ours. I pushed back, told them that they were insane for doing it." She paused, taking a reflective sip from her glass. "Thinking back, that was probably a mistake." And she threw in a soft chuckle.
"Indeed," Breen said, nodding slowly. "But it sounds as though you stood by your clan to the last."
"For as long as they would let me."
"Commendable." Leanor let a thin river of smoke flow between her teeth. "So, Gliss Raynor, what will you do now?"
Well, this is your chance. Don't screw it up.
"I have nothing to go back to," she said with as much sincerity and desperation as she could muster. "Capper gave me a roof over my head. If Glaive will have me, I would like to stay."
She caught Capper's short glance out of the corner of her eye, but kept her attention on the two Elder-Bloods. Breen's expression of mild amusement didn't waver; his eyes twitched almost imperceptibly. His companion pursed her lips, goblet stopped half way to her lips.
"You would make your home with us?"
"If your Elders allow it."
Leanor gave a feline smile. "You know, Gliss, there are those who whisper that you are a spy, not to be trusted."
Although just a rumour, the statement still sent a flutter of unease through her. Outwardly, she delivered a scornful laugh. "I know a lot of people here don't trust me. Why would they? I'm a stranger. I've been here barely a couple of weeks. But I've got no axe to grind with your clan. I just want to stay alive."
"A desire we can all understand." Breen's mouth narrowed into a thin, thoughtful line. "You support this, Capper?"
He nodded. "Absolutely."
"Interesting. And what does Brooke think about all this?"
"She's...conflicted," Capper said awkwardly.
"I'll wager she is."
"So why come to us?" Leanor asked. "Why not ask Jocasta yourself?"
"Because I don't want this to be a favour to me. She can earn her place here if she's given the chance. You've seen her fight in the training arena, and she was more than a match for a troop of Baelock guards when they attacked us. Not only that, but she has knowledge of the north, history that could be incredibly valuable to us."
"He's right," Gliss agreed. "I never wanted charity. I can help your clan."
After a moment the two Elder-Bloods exchanged thoughtful looks. Then a mischievous smile slipped across Breen's face. He took a draw of his cigarette and placed his goblet down on the tray of a passing thrall. Then he looked at Capper.
"Very well, I see no reason why we can't give her the opportunity to prove her worth. There is something she might do to gain favour with the Elders. There are no guarantees, obviously, but it should be of some help."
Gliss's heart leapt and she looked to Capper. Her companion had a perplexed frown on his face.
"What might that be?" he asked.
Breen's smile broadened and he looked back to her. "Tell me, Gliss, how would you like to go on a hunt?"