The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (7 page)

“Lady Elizabeth?” Richard inched closer and o
ffered his arm again. His face was pleasant and persuasive, and she could tell—they wanted her to leave. She cast a worried glance at her mom who gave her an encouraging nod.

Reluctantly, Elizabeth took Richard's arm and let him accompany her out of the room.

Elizabeth walked with Richard along the hallway leading back to the front foyer. She would rather stay than go with him alone. Like the men in the chambers, he made her feel uneasy. His weird-looking eyes reminded her that he was a Vampire—which meant he was dangerous and she was unsafe.

“Is anything the matter?” Richard asked as he led her to the entrance hall. “You seem troubled.”

“Oh, no, I'm okay.” Elizabeth avoided his gaze.

“I hope so. I'm beginning to su
spect you don't think so highly of me.”

“It's not that—.”

“It is a typical human reaction,” he insinuated with a sideways glance. “Fear.”

“But I'm not afrai—.”

“Yes, you are,” he interjected. “Except you're not human—, you're one of us.”

Elizabeth felt her cheeks burn. He was right. She was one of them and she hated it. She feared her own kind.

“I must apologize.” Richard paused in the middle of the main foyer. “I didn't mean to embarrass you.”

“It's okay.” Elizabeth concealed her unease and met his gaze. “I deserved it. I was acting like an id
iot.”

“Rest assured.
We're not the evil creatures portrayed in human movies.” He guided her towards the life-sized sculpture of an Archangel standing over the devil's corpse impaled in his magnificent sword. “Do you know who this is?”

“Saint Michael.” Elizabeth d
irected her attention to the monument that dominated the lobby.

“We call him Prince Mikhail,” Richard studied the angel warrior, “Commander of the Omni's army, who defeated the forces of evil to save the citizens of the s
acred land. He is symbolic to the doctrine of Darian Hall that we abide in:
To Uphold the Greater Good
.”

Elizabeth grew skeptical. She couldn't believe Vampires adhered to such an idealistic principle.

“Inconceivable, isn't it?” Richard ushered her to the front doors. “But it's true. We are the protectors, not the adversary.”

“No way.” Elizabeth gave him a disparaging look. “Vampires are pred
ators!”

“Predators?” Richard threw his head back with a hearty laugh. “I see that your notion about our race date back to the Stone Age. We are far different from Va
mpires.” He ushered her towards the brightly illuminated gardens.

“What do you mean?” she asked, a
nnoyed with his not-so-subtle implication that she was ignorant.

“Pardon me.” He inclined his head in apology. “I didn't mean to be rude. I just haven't heard that word in a long time. But the answer to your question is also a question,” he said in a thought-provoking tone.

“If we truly are predators—, potent murderers to be exact, then why does humankind still exist? Don't you think we would have eradicated them all by now and ruled the world? After all, we are more powerful than they are.” He halted briefly by a magnificent fountain adorned with frolicking mermaids. “We're extremely dangerous and deadly. Even
you
don't feel safe.”

Elizabeth was taken aback. He perceived her thoughts so often it u
nnerved her. Nevertheless, she hid her anxiety lest she be branded an ignoramus again, and that—, she could not take. She wasn't on the debate team for nothing.

“Exactly my point,” she tilted her chin defiantly. “I just don't see how it is possible for a violent race like
ours
to become protectors.”

“I daresay it is.” Richard directed her to the other side of the garden where another building stood.

“I'm waiting to hear how,” Elizabeth challenged, wishing she could wipe the smirk off his face.

“Immortality and Destiny.” Richard stopped hal
fway to the great structure with an elliptical shape. “The gift of eternal life grants us the opportunity to have more experiences to learn from and master what we have learned, paving the way for constant evolution. As a result, we have progressed into an advanced society headed by leaders whose destiny is to enforce the Omni's
Divine Providence
, which is, to maintain the balance of nature, discipline, and coexistence. 

“I sense your loyalty to humankind.” Richard fol
ded his arms over his chest. “Tell me, do your mortal friends have the same level of mindset as us? Suppose they discovered that Vampires—we consider that label an insult, by the way—lived among them. Do you think they would be tolerant and considerate towards us?”

Elizabeth pursed her lips.
No, they would see you as a threat and find a way to kill every single one,
she contemplated without voicing out.

“I don't know, but you haven't answered my que
stion,” she retorted instead.

“Nor have you answered mine.” Richard resumed their stroll in anot
her direction. “You’ll see the coliseum over there.” He pointed towards the magnificent elliptical structure bathed in light from the ground up.

Elizabeth purposely overlooked his clever attempt to change the subject. “I told you I don't know the a
nswer.”

“You do know,” Richard replied with patent co
nviction. “Only you refused to tell me, because it would validate my point that we're a more broadminded society than humans.”

“You can make any point you want,” Elizabeth r
eplied stubbornly, “but I'm still not convinced that Vamp—, I mean,
Deimons
are protectors. Who are you trying to protect anyways?”

“Wrong question. You should be asking—
what
are we trying to protect?”

Elizabeth expelled an impatient breath. “Okay—what?”

“The Peace.” Richard checked his watch.

She threw him a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' look. “Peace?”
Who does he think he is? Mr. America?

“The peace between the human race and ours.” He steered her into a sp
acious area filled with vehicles and lit by several lampposts.

“But how—?”

Richard raised his hand to keep Elizabeth from saying anything more. “This has been a most stimulating conversation, but the rest you must learn in school.” He reverted back to the smug expression he had earlier. “I'm afraid I must expedite the tour to make it in time for orientation. Oh, and by the way—,” he gestured toward the rows of cars they passed, “this is the parking lot.”

“Obviously.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes heavenward. She'd noticed the type of cars parked in the spaces. No doubt, her Mother's ancient Plymouth would be the most unique.

Richard escorted her back into the main building through another entrance and quickly showed her the dining hall, library, and the staircase leading to the classrooms. After a short while they ended up back in the main foyer, where he led her to a sitting area by the fireplace.

“Please make yourself comfortable. I must take my leave to see to other duties. Orientation begins in ten minutes at the first room to your right.” He bowed and left.

Ten minutes later Elizabeth walked inside the room across the hallway from the chamber. As far as she could see, nothing or no one looked unusual.

She strolled warily, heading in no particular dire
ction. Numerous students stood in rows of five facing the podium chatting in groups. She avoided the cliques, not wanting to bring attention to herself. As she was about to turn in another direction, she heard a sing-song voice.

“Yoohoo! Haloo?” A dark-skinned boy dressed in fashionable clothes waved at her from a few rows up.

“Me?” Elizabeth raised her brows and pointed at herself.

The boy nodded, wiggling an index finger for her to come over.

“Haloo there!” The boy beamed, indicating for her to take the vacant spot behind him. “I'm Ben, short for Benus. You know—the Goddess of Beauty, except with a
B
.”

“More like the Goddess of Delusion,” a thickset boy wearing a bas
eball cap backwards, snorted to her left. “I'm Carlos.”

“With a silent
R,
as in callus,” Ben said, “you know—like the corn on the foot?”

“Don't let my friends traumatize you,” said the Asian girl to her right. She nodded towards Ben, who was using his comb as a sword, while Ca
rlos used his hat as a shield. “They're actually really nice even though they're mentally ill.”

Elizabeth chuckled and felt lucky to be welcomed. She saw none of them had strange eyes like Richard. In fact, they looked human. She couldn't tell the difference at all.

“I'm Lela,” the Asian girl said.

“I'm Elizabeth.”

“My-oh-my!” Ben joined in. “Eelizzabeth! What a clazzically glamourouzz name!” He made elaborate curlicues in the air with a hand that had nails painted in neon blue.

Elizabeth laughed and began to relax. She'd made new friends in record time.

A sudden hush fell into the room.

“Here comes Administrator Cutie!” Ben whispered. He and Lela cl
apped their fingers quietly and suppressed giggles.

Elizabeth watched in astonishment as Richard walked up the podium. She couldn't believe he was
the
Administrator, and she had picked an argument with him even
before
orientation. She ducked her head behind Ben, mortified.

“Welcome, Primary Class!” He swept his gaze around the room. “My name is Richard Stapleton, A
dministrator of Darian Hall. The Primary Class for the Tainted is a beginners' course in discovering your abilities for adaptive and positive behavior, which will enable you to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of coexisting with humans. Your curriculum is composed of four disciplines, namely; History and Religion, Social Hierarchy, Fundamentals, and Combat. Please pick up your brochures at the Tainted student lounge near the lobby and check out the assigned room for each class. Your classrooms are in the left wing and classes start at midnight.” He held up samples of the pamphlets.

“Midnight?” Elizabeth's eyebrows shot upwards.

“Yup. Same time since prep school.” Lela gave her a questioning look. “You
did
go to prep school right?”

“I—uh—went to high school,” she blurted, then r
ealized she shouldn't have said that, judging from Lela's stupefied expression.

Thankfully, Richard chose that m
oment to proceed with his speech and her gaffe was quickly forgotten.

“On Monday you will start the first day of learning. May I remind you, Darian Hall is an exclusive school for Royals and the Tainted. The Royals are segregated in the right wing. Please remember, you are not allowed to wander on that side. Lik
ewise, you are advised not to approach or disturb the Royals around campus unless it is absolutely necessary. Lastly, as citizens of our hierarchy, you are privileged to pursue progressive learning in any of our schools. With that in mind, I would like to thank you for choosing Darian Hall, one of the finest in the world.” He beamed with pride, concluding the orientation.

“So! Are you excited to start school?” Ben asked as they made their way out.

“Yeah.” Elizabeth hoped she sounded as enthusiastic as her new-found friends.

“Well, it was nice meeting you.” Carlos shook her hand vigorously.

Lela glared at him. “Take it easy! You're making her teeth rattle!” She gave Elizabeth an apologetic smile. “Welcome to the group, Elizabeth.”

“Thanks for adopting me,” Elizabeth replied. “See you on Monday.” She waved as they parted ways in the main foyer.

At the administrative chambers, Sir Henry observed the woman seated across the large table
from him. In spite of her predicament, she held herself with the grace and poise of royalty.

The Duchess still looked as regal as she did seven decades before when she was Queen, the time when her hu
sband conferred him the knighthood in recognition of his excellence as Director of Darian Hall.

“I shall forever be in your debt, Sir Henry,” she said. “I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accommodate the sudden change of plans concerning my daughter.”

“How could I not, Your Grace? This is a most significant event. It will have the best possible effect on our ruling hierarchy. We must do everything we can to help it come to pass—even if the timing is well ahead of what we had expected.” Sir Henry swept his gaze at the five councilors seated at the table and watched everyone nod in agreement. Two months earlier, he met with the Duchess regarding her daughter's circumstances. They decided then that Elizabeth would enroll at Darian Hall in June right after her high school graduation, so she would have enough time to adjust and prepare for her destiny.

“Thank you for permitting her to come in January.” The Duchess’s lovely face showed gratitude. “I was as astounded as you were with the atyp
ical timing.”