Waerham Castle (2)

Girls dressed as pixies with colored hair or wigs and silvery wings, men and women with painted blue skins in long cloaks, men looking like grim reapers, folks with long pointy ears, white hair, imitating elves, a boy in a peacock mask and golden diadem, laughing women wearing fox clothes, a man with long raven feather cloak, a gaggle of girls with beautiful flowers braided in their hair, men with feathers on their neck and some with large tattered wings. Amelia wasn’t surprised - she was stunned at the spectacle. She was not able to remove her eyes from them. She didn’t even realize that she was literally gaping at them. And how come most of them were so beautiful? Several men walked past her, their wings brushing her softly. She realized that amidst them, they looked like a real demon. The room was smelling heavily of the roses and other crushed herbs and wine. 

She bit her lip. Hooking Sasha’s arm, she walked along with them. Xavier led the two girls further inside. As they walked, Xavier said, “The owner of this place keeps throwing such parties.” He pointed at the bar over which several colored drinks were kept. One of them was a violet wine that was shimmering with golden starry specks and said, “Don’t touch that. The last time one of my friends had it, he passed out for three days.” He gave a low chuckle. 

Music flowed in the background filling the room with its heavy low beats. The notes swum through Amelia’s brain like a chimera and she was instantly reminded of the roses and vines of her dreams. 

Sasha grabbed food from a tray—a sliced pineapple and a cube of blue cheese. She took two and handed one to Amelia who thought that the pineapple never tasted so good before. They passed a man with waist length braided white hair. Dressed like a fae, he looked stately with those white feathers that spanned wide. Amelia couldn’t help wondering what it was with the feathers here. Almost eighty percent of the crowd had various types of wings, which even fluttered. Perhaps on batteries. They walked further inside the hall and the lights became dimmer and dimmer. Only a few soft yellow orbs were visible in the corners, which spread a warm faded glow. 

“All these people who have worn wing accessories call themselves Tozhar Mik,” said Xavier in a low voice. “Just stay away from them. I feel like they are a cult and we got nothing to do with them. Most of them hardly speak with us.” 

“Why are we here?” Sasha asked, feeling intimidated. 

“We will exchange greetings with the owner and straightaway head for dinner. I don’t want you girls to stay back longer because the party only becomes wilder by the night,” Xavier replied. “Walk close to me.” More pageantry followed. Women wearing elaborate silks gowns and brocades in deep colors.

Amelia suddenly regretted coming. “I don’t think that I should go to meet him. I wasn’t even invited” She stopped in her tracks. “You guys go,” she said in a breathy tone. 

“Oh please Amelia, it’s nothing big. Stop being so formal and uptight. It’s just for a moment and then we are going to be out!” Sasha chided her and held her hand tightly.

Amelia pursed her lips. She nodded and they walked further in. 

Xavier looked around. He pointed with his chin in the direction of a crowd that was murmuring in a corner. “That way.” 

Amelia noticed three men and a woman—all wearing very expensive clothing. 

They stopped a little further away and then Xavier said in a gentle voice, “Good evening Mr. Vargauz Rotzwak.” 

Amelia’s face was frozen into a stunned expression when the man turned to look at them. The bandage on his left eye was prominent even in the dim light. Her eyes became wide and her lips parted as her skin tingled. For a moment she forgot everything else and stared at the man in front of her – blue eyes in the black ones. So black that they were made of the nightmares. Over six feet tall, even more stunning than what she had seen, he appeared sober. Amelia’s knees gave in and she felt weak. A faint smile tugged on his lips. 

“Hello Dr. Amelia,” he said staring at her with expressions she couldn’t fathom. 

“H— hello,” her reply was almost a whisper. She was thrown into a toss of insane attraction and illogical adrenalin gush. But perhaps every woman who saw him felt like that. He was god’s best specimen. 

“Wait, you guys know each other?” Xavier said excitedly. He dared not ask about his wound. He chuckled and then said, “Meet Mr. Vargauz, owner of the Waerham Castle.” 

The music soared taking the audience to a dance floor in the center of the hall. 

“Hello Xavier,” said Vargauz, still looking at Amelia who was trying to recover from the shock. The other three turned to look at them. The woman next to him, tugged at his arms. Wearing a deep blue velvety gown, her hair was loose—long golden curls, which were braided with shiny silver thread. She stared at the three of them as she sipped her scarlet wine. 

“This is my girlfriend, Sasha,” Xavier introduced an excited Sasha. “And that is Dr. Amelia… who you already know.” He let out a short laugh. 

“And what about you Dr. Amelia? Where’s your boyfriend?” asked Vargauz, with dark expressions. 

That was such a straight question that Amelia wanted to slap him. Who was he to ask her about her personal details? “Not everyone is lucky as you, Mr. Rotzwak,” she replied with a scorn while glancing at the woman who practically hung upon him. 

“True,” he winked and brought his arm behind the woman. “Meet Dana,” he said as he caressed her back. 

“Hello Dana,” Xavier said before anyone else. Sasha brought her hands to shake them with Dana, but she averted her gaze making Sasha feel embarrassed. 

Amelia was mad. She had had enough of these rude, smarmy people. She clenched her jaw. 

The music picked up further. 

“We need to leave,” Amelia said. She wanted to flee from there. 

“Please have dinner and go,” Vargauz requested in a smooth velvety voice like it came over steel. 

Xavier looked nervously at Amelia as if asking her shut up. That man was his employer. He smiled and said, “Thank you Mr. Vargauz. We will.” He bowed and left. Sasha and Amelia followed. 

“I don’t feel like eating,” said Amelia as they walked back to the place where there were lights feeling his eyes boring at her back.