Chapter 14: Estate
"We have arrived." As Horace said these words Aurik stopped asking questions and turned to look outside the window with an expression of disappointment on his face. Although he wasn't happy about having to wait to ask more questions, his attitude quickly changed when the sights outside came into view.
The car stopped briefly outside a large set of gates that were attached to walls that easily reached over 3 meters in height (10ft) and spread for several kilometres. The gates were quickly opened by two men, who were either expecting the arrival of the car or knew it well enough to skip over identity verification.
The moment Aurik saw the gates his heart skipped and fluttered furiously inside his chest, after all, he recognized those gates just as any citizen of the city would have. It was well known that beyond these gates was an estate so large and magnificent that if the people were told a king lived there they wouldn't have been surprised.
These rumours were known by all and the moment Aurik could see beyond the gates he understood that they were not false in the slightest. A pathway for cars to drive on stretched forwards with magnificent trees and various other shrubs and flora decorating its fringes.
Beyond the trees and shrubs was the most vibrant and healthy grass fields a person could ever hope to gaze upon and it felt as though it was the perfect example for what grass should look like.
Scattered around the property were several buildings that could each be described as mansions, with some appearing more luxurious than the rest. Each of these buildings was far enough apart that no matter what went on inside the nearest buildings would not be disturbed.
Every so often the pathway the car was currently driving on would split and lead towards one of the various buildings scattered about. These new pathways weren't decorated with shrubs, flowers and trees like the main one but the natural beauty of the surroundings more than made up for it.
Aurik would have happily claimed that this was the most beautiful place in the country had it not been for one thing that he considered an eyesore. Scattered throughout the grassy fields, amidst the trees and shrubs, were dozens of structures that had only one purpose, to block out the sun.
The lights that each building had, as well as the dozens of lamp posts set up all over, made it easy for Aurik to see everything almost as clearly as if it were day. The areas that were under cover, the 'shaded areas', were especially well lit and clearly had some purpose that Aurik couldn't discern from this distance.
After driving for almost 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) the car came to a gentle stop in front of what was clearly the main building on this property. It was at least 3 times as large as the biggest building Aurik had seen since passing the gate and the spacing between floors seemed to be larger than usual, which Aurik immediately associated with high ceiling rooms that he assumed would likely be quite large overall.
Thinking about the odd spacing of the windows that led him to his previous conclusion, Aurik shook his head as though to berate himself for getting distracted by unimportant things.
"Alright, lets head inside." Horace opened the door and stepped out of the car in an elegant motion before gesturing for Aurik to follow.
"Why are we here...exactly?" Aurik asked nervously as he stepped out of the car and closed the door behind him. The car drove away moments later and disappeared behind the building shortly after, making him feel especially isolated in this unfamiliar place.
"You don't need to be so nervous, this is the home of all vampires within the city and you are one of us, which makes this your home now as well. So long as you are on these grounds you will never have to worry for your safety." Horace spoke with a welcoming tone as he gestured to the main building and began to walk forwards.
'That didn't answer my question!' Aurik screamed internally as he quickly followed behind the only person here that he knew.
A young man in his 20's was standing at the entrance and opened the door when he noticed people approaching. "Good evening, Sir." He said with a slight bow of his head when Horace walked passed him.
Aurik did not receive a greeting but the young man gave him a nod as if to show that he was acknowledged. Aurik didn't really notice the greeting though, as he was distracted by the young man's eyes, which were a cloudy grey colour.
'His eyes are just like the man who attacked me... just like mine. Do all vampires have the same eye colour? No, Horace has green eyes... but it can't be a coincidence that my eyes changed to become the same colour as two out of three vampires I've met.' Aurik felt that rather than receiving answers he was just starting to have more questions.
Horace walked down several hallways with Aurik following behind and on the way they passed several other people, all of whom had grey eyes and greeted Horace with a respectful bow. The more people they saw, the more Aurik became confused about Horace and his green eyes, especially when he noticed how they treated him with such respect and he himself only received a few nods.
"Alright." Horace suddenly stopped just outside a set of large double doors at the end of a wide hallway. "Take a seat here and wait for a bit, I need to get things ready." He pointed at a comfortable looking black and red ornate chair.
Aurik didn't even have a chance to reply when Horace opened one of the doors and went inside before closing it behind him. With no other choice, Aurik sat down and waited.
Over twenty minutes passed before the door finally opened again. Aurik looked up, excited that his only acquaintance had returned, but was disappointed to see a woman with grey eyes standing by the door instead.
She looked at him with a slight smile and gestured at the room she had just come from. "You can head inside, the Knights are waiting for you."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone