Ördögház. The building that has served as the home of the Old World Coven for more than six centuries.
The black Mercedes pulled into the building, allowing Erika to get out of it and walk in casually into the only 'home' she had known in the past three decades since she was turned into a Vampire.
The enhanced vision of the vampire security guards within the battlements and near the entrance did not even blink as she walked in.
For them, she was nothing worth mentioning, just a low-ranked vampire, a maid at the least, and a lady-in-waiting at most.
Walking into the foyer, made of luxurious marble flooring, ancient, priceless, and pristine tapestries that might instantly make their way into the Smithsonian should the humans were handed them, oil pantings that might cost billions each, and oak-paneled walls, Erika did not even acknowledge the many low ranked vampires like her lounging on the various pieces of furniture, drining blood from their crystal glass goblets and cups.
It was a display of sheer wealth and opulence that showed the advantages of being an immortal.
To Erika and many others, however, they were meaningless.
Not when their personal strength and ranking meant that they were little more than servants in this Coven.
Reaching behind the grandest of tapestries, she opened the large hidden door with practiced ease, leading straight into the Grand Salon, the reception area for high-ranking Vampires.
Decorated with tasteful reds, blacks, and walnut browns, it is a place that plays host to many an important meeting, receptions, galas, parties, and many more such events between the two main covens of their species.
It is upstairs from this Grand Salon that the private chambers of the high-ranking vampires are located.
However, for vampires like Erika, they were to live in the servant quarters on the ground floor, connected to the Grand Salon and leading to the back of the castle.
Walking into her quarters that she shared with another female vampire called Mary, she quickly changed into the clothing expected of her in this castle before moving out, heading straight for the library.
Despite her status as a maid, her schedule was rather relaxed. Unlike humans who have a lot of needs and wants that needed to be handled, Vampires cared very little about anything aside from luxury and blood, so her work consisted of shadowing her charge, Selene, the favourite of the Elder Vampire Victor, when she was in the castle and taking care of her needs.
When Selene was not in the castle due to some mission or other reasons, like at this moment, Erika was allowed to do whatever she pleased.
Walking into the library, she did not even waste a moment before beelining into the section that had books related to a rather obscure subject that had been relegated to myths by this point to most of her kind.
However, given what she had seen this night, she was inclined to believe that these myths held more truth than they were credited.
It was a shame that the original scribe who wrote these books, the vampire called Andreas Tanis, was exiled a long while ago from the coven. If he were here, Erika could have asked him directly about these books.
'Then again, the questions he would probably ask are not worth the risk.'
Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she turned back to the book that detailed the various stories, legends, and myths her species had supposedly collected over thousands of years.
Most of these legends were something she was familiar with.
The myths about the so-called original vampire that the humans called Dracula.
The legends about the original Vampires and Lycans, called the Sons of the Corvinus Clan.
The myths about another branch of Vampires that are completely different than themselves, with granite-hard skin, cold as ice to the touch, and immune to sunlight, aside from the side effect of glowing skin.
But the one she was most interested in was a small section in this book, recorded at the very end due to their heretical nature.
'Here it is. 'The Legends of the High Humans''
Compared to the vast sections and chapters upon chapters that the other stories and myths had, this section only had two pages worth of information. But what they implied was so heretical and anathema to their ways that many believe them to be one of the many reasons why Tanis was banished back then.
"Let's see here."
"It is said that, during our eternal war against the beasts. There were a rare few accounts where we came across humans that were...unnatural."
"Unlike the crop upon which we graze, these humans had unnatural power that came in many forms."
"Some accounts speak of a woman who could fly in the air freely, carrying a broom that ignited into flames when swung against her enemies."
"Others speak of a man who was peerless when it came to using anything that could be considered a weapon. So unnatural was his skill that some accounts claim he defeated a whole pack of Lycans by himself with nothing but a rusty shovel."
"There are even some mentions of ancient native warriors from the American continent that can channel-"
The rest of the words in the paragraph were covered in black ink, carefully layered over the words to make sure they would be illegible no matter what method was used.
Then, the stories continued.
"I have taken to calling these unnatural humans High Humans. Creatures that are different from our regular cattle. I have no idea how rare or often such humans can be born or how to detect them, but I can't help but imagine what their blood might taste like."
"Of course, that is not to say that whoever is reading this scroll should go out there hunting for such humans. For now, my High Human theory remains just that, a theory. I have yet to find a proper High Human just yet, living or dead, so there is no way to validate it. If the Elders give me permission, however, I will try to find them."
"Given their power, which, if the legends are true, could rival-[REDCTED]-Then they could be a great boon in our fight against what remains of the Lycans."
With her reading done, she closed the book and closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose as stress started to build up within her mind.
Back then, at the restaurant, she acted very casual, as if her friend's powers and knowledge about her did not faze her one bit. However, in truth, she was truly rattled to her core.
As for her words about not having to kill him for finding out about her nature, that was a blatant lie. No human was allowed to know about their nature. Those were the rules. If someone found out, they must either be turned, provided they were useful, or killed outright.
Erika leaned into the table, her face held in her palms as her expressions became a mix of worry, indecision, and wariness. Her mind is struggling between her loyalty to her coven and her friendship with Gabriel.
If it were any other human who had shown her what Gabriel did, there was no doubt that Erika would have run straight to Kraven with the information, which would inevitably lead to said human getting dissected on a table by her kin and her position elevated from a mere maid. Something that she desperately craved more than anything.
Yet, the human in question was Gabriel. The only one that she could truly call a friend in recent memory. A friendship that she had come to cherish to a great extent.
Here, in the castle, and out there, at the company, she was Erika. The lady-in-waiting of Selene the Death Dealer. She was low-ranked trash that nobody in the castle even gave a damn about. Someone who could only live the life of a servant while witnessing the lavishness and freedom given to the higher-ranked vampires.
Yet, when she was with Gabriel. She truly felt like herself.
With him, she did not need to hide her true self and thoughts. She did not have to act submissive due to her station. She did not need to watch her tone and words, making sure not to offend those above her station.
With him, she truly felt alive. Like an equal. And that was a feeling that she cherished very much.
Unlike the older vampires who knew how to differentiate between their duty and their personal feelings, Erika was not that old, only 53 years old at this point, which was basically an immature teenager in Vampire years, so she struggled greatly with these feelings.
And even if she did not struggle with them, there was still another reason she could not tell her coven about this secret she had just found out.
If she were to bring in proof that the mythical High Humans were actually real, there is a high chance that the Elder currently ruling her kind, Amelia, might brand her a heretic for trying to threaten their way of life and might kill her then and there before ending Gabriel's life as well.
For an immortal like her who had already felt the breath of death on her before she became a vampire, an end to her life was the one thing that scared her more than anything.
That is why, here and now, she decided to bury this secret deep within her heart.
The doors to the Library were pushed open as Mary, the maid who shared a room with Erika, walked in.
"Erika, Selene is back. Kraven wants you to convince her to join him at the party arranged for tomorrow night."
Erika gave an exasperated sigh and nodded.
"Alright, Mary."
Putting the book back into the stack, the vampire left the library, yet her mind still raced with thoughts and plans.
---------------------------------------
Author Notes: Read 5 chapters ahead on Patreon: https://patreon.com/Tiranus2