The Legend of the Blue Eyes (8 page)

“That will take much longer to explain.
Let’s just say, for now, it was something you inherited from your
father’s side of the family,” Devin replied. “Gabriel could
probably tell you more.” Arianna nodded, though she hadn’t gotten
the explanation she wanted.

At the end of the song, Arianna quickly
turned to her grandfather who was beginning to stand. The rustle of
fabric caught her attention as a girl, who could be Arianna’s
long-lost twin, rose and stood beside the older man.

“Look familiar?” Devin asked, as he stood
next to Arianna, staring at the pair. Arianna didn’t have time to
reply as Lord Randolph stood on the edge of the platform, and
rapped his walking stick three times on the top step. The room
hushed at the sound, and everyone dancing moved closer to the
platform, forcing Devin and Arianna into the crowd of people. Devin
placed his hands around her waist to keep her from being pulled
farther away from him. Arianna felt herself blushing, but didn’t
want to be separated from him either.

“I’d like to begin by welcoming everyone
tonight to this special occasion. It has been ten, long years since
my granddaughter was given to her adoptive parents to raise, but
I’ve thought about her every day. I knew some day she would return,
but I didn’t know how happy it could make an old man like me to see
her smile.” Lord Randolph talked while the young lady next to him
smiled brighter.

Arianna stared from her grandfather to the
girl. Her grandfather was standing before everyone, truthfully
telling everyone of his happiness, while the girl next to him was
faking hers. Though Devin wouldn’t explain why, as her five senses
had increased the past two days, also had her perception of
people’s feelings. How could the girl appear to be so calm when she
was impersonating someone? The girl slightly swayed out of fake
happiness in a pink taffeta dress to Lord Randolph’s words. Arianna
smiled, secretly happy to not be wearing the awful dress.

“It is with great pride that I welcome our
newest family member into the clan,” Lord Randolph ended as
applause began. Panic set into the girl’s face as the crowd began
to part.

The crowd began to murmur as a person
covered in a white cape walked between the people. Arianna listened
from person to person around her to try to understand in her
confusion.

“But it isn’t midnight,” the lady in the
peacock mask said to the short man beside her.

“What is he planning now?” another man asked
his companion.

“It’s too early,” the curly-haired man said
to the younger man with him.

Arianna slightly tapped the hand firmly
holding her in place. Devin leaned nearer to Arianna.

“What’s going on now?” she asked
curiously.

“When a dearg-dul turns, they need a large
amount of blood. So a sacrifice is chosen and presented to the
person at their coming-out party. At midnight, when they turn, they
drink from their sacrifice. The person coming now is the sacrifice
for you,” Devin explained.

Arianna looked around the room for a clock
and found large, ornately-decorated clock across the room from the
platform. 11:26. Arianna turned back to her grandfather, and he
smiled as the girl next to him was beginning to panic so badly that
her cool cover was breaking. She was as confused as the crowd.

“A dearg-dul turns at midnight, right?”
Arianna asked, and Devin chuckled. “But that girl, if she’s
supposed to be me, won’t turn for another thirty-four minutes.”
Devin gazed across the room to Molina, who nodded her reply to the
situation.

“Everything must be set then,” he explained,
as Arianna followed his gaze. Devin released his grip on Arianna
who instead took his arm.

Arianna watched as her sacrifice neared.
“So, what happens to the sacrifice?” she asked Devin.

“They die,” Devin replied.

“But what if you don’t want to kill a
person?” Arianna asked, not approving of the situation.

“The first time anyone turns, they black out
like you did, and won’t know the difference. In normal situations
you can take blood from someone without killing them by just
stopping when the heartbeat changes. But for the first time, most
people can’t stop because they are overcome with thirst,” Devin
explained.

“But you’re not dead,” Arianna replied
pointing out that she had changed without a sacrifice.

“I was prepared to die, but for some reason
you stopped,” he added. “You don’t need to worry about the person
who sacrifices themself,” he added, seeing Arianna’s concern. “That
person knows what will happen. They choose to be the sacrifice. I’d
have gladly died for you.”

Arianna turned to watch the hooded person
passed nearby Arianna and Devin’s location in the crowd. Arianna
caught the faint scent of lilacs, which she vaguely recognized, as
the person passed. When they slowly began to climb the stairs, the
whispers in the crowd increased.

“Everyone seems a bit talkative today,” Lord
Randolph said loudly, as the sacrifice approached the top stairs.
“I understand I’m causing a bit of confusion by beginning this
early, but I figured that since my granddaughter actually turned
last night, it would be alright.” The crowd burst into more
conversations. Arianna tried to listen to everyone, but the fear
growing on the fake Arianna’s face caught her attention. “Since she
didn’t finish the transformation last night, I figure we can finish
it now.” The fake Arianna began to back away from Lord Randolph on
the platform. “Don’t be scared, dear,” he said kindly, though
Arianna could feel the wickedness in his voice. “Everything has
been prepared, just how you asked.” Lord Randolph stepped down to
the hooded person and untied the cape around her neck.

At the same moment, as the sacrifice’s face
was finally revealed, Arianna finally knew where the scent was
from. Breaking from Devin’s grasp, Arianna pushed her way through
the crowd to the staircase. Hurrying to her aunt at the top of the
stairs, Arianna tried to climb two stairs at a time.

“Don’t, Aunt Lilly!” Arianna called to the
woman, who watched Arianna trip as she approached her.

Arianna felt the sting in her knee as it hit
the edge of the stairs, but quickly stood to continue up the last
few. Arianna desperately wanted to save her aunt. As she moved to
continue, Devin appeared beside her, and offered her his hand.
Arianna finally realized the crowd had become completely silent.
Arianna turned to her grandfather as he nodded to Devin. Molina and
the other guards removed several people from the crowd. Remembering
her aunt, Arianna climbed the last few steps and hugged her.

“What do you think you are doing?” Arianna
asked, pulling her mask off.

“Arianna?” Lilly questioned. “But why are
there two of you?” Arianna hugged her aunt closer, protecting her
from the fake Arianna who had just planned to kill her.

“I can explain that,” Lord Randolph replied.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you Arianna,” he added, kissing his
granddaughter’s hand before returning to the platform next to the
trembling impostor. “As everyone who isn’t human here can tell from
the scent of her blood, the girl on the steps is my real
granddaughter, Arianna Caoimhe. There was a bit of trouble this
morning, but it has all been sorted out now.” In one fluid
movement, Devin reached forward and grabbed the base of Lord
Randolph’s walking stick as he pulled the sword from its case.
Before anyone could speak, Lord Randolph moved so quickly that only
Arianna could watch his movements. With one swing, the frightened
girl’s head rolled to the floor behind her. Arianna shuddered at
the sight.

As she stood in shock, Arianna held onto her
aunt. Both were horrified by Lord Randolph’s actions. Arianna had
never seen anyone die before. The headless body remained lying on
the top platform next to her grandfather as he handed the bloody
sword to Devin. Confused, Arianna was disgusted by the scene in
front of her, but the scent of blood was beginning to make her
thirsty. Suppressing the thirst within, Arianna stared at her
cold-hearted grandfather. Lord Randolph’s evil expression softened
as he looked kindly down at Arianna.

“I’m sorry about shedding blood at your
party,” he replied honestly. “It will be cleaned up in a moment.”
Lord Randolph waved a hand. Several people appeared on the steps
and removed the body.

The crowd stood like stone below, watching
the scene unfold. Unable to move or talk, everyone stood completely
still waiting for some indication of what to do. It was obvious, by
the scent of her blood, Arianna was a purebred, a rarity amongst
most families, but expected of the Randolph family.

Arianna continued to hug her aunt to keep
from shaking as Lord Randolph addressed the crowd. “With great
pleasure, I’d like to introduce everyone to my granddaughter, heir
to the Randolph family.” Lord Randolph offered his hand to Arianna,
but scared, she continued to hold onto her aunt. Lord Randolph
smiled. “I guess she’s a bit shy since this is our first meeting as
well.” Devin walked back down the stairs to Arianna.

“I’ll stay beside you,” he said only to her,
knowing Arianna was afraid to let go of the only person in the room
she knew. Hesitantly, with the urging of her aunt, Arianna took
Devin’s arm and walked up the last few stairs to the platform
beside her grandfather. Lord Randolph beamed as she neared him.
Arianna could feel his genuine happiness, yet she couldn’t do
anything but fear him. The applause began as she took her
grandfather’s outstretched hand.

Arianna began to feel her knees weaken. The
scent of blood was becoming more overwhelming. The body of the dead
girl was gone and the blood wiped away, but her scent was now
mixing with the new scent of additional blood. The aroma was
growing stronger, and, closing her eyes, Arianna felt her face
flush. It wasn’t the overpowering thirst she felt before when Devin
had given her blood, but more of an automatic reaction to the large
amount of blood she could smell. Arianna opened her eyes as she
felt Devin place his hand softly on her back to steady her.

“A toast,” Lord Randolph began. “To my
beautiful granddaughter, Arianna.”

“To Lady Arianna,” the crowd cried in unison
as they raised their red-liquid-filled glasses.

Lord Randolph nodded to Devin standing
beside Arianna. He momentarily let go of her back, causing her to
turn towards him. Quickly, he pricked the tip of his finger and
Arianna stared at the blood. The scent of his blood was different
than the blood in the glasses below and from the blood of the
imposter. The slight sweetness in the smell made Arianna unable to
keep her composure. A thirst began that hadn’t been triggered by
the scent of the blood below. Arianna felt the change come over her
as she involuntarily began the transformation into a dearg-dul. The
scent of blood and the change of her body disorientated her.
Arianna reached out her hand for Devin, and he smiled in response,
bowing to Lord Randolph. Confused, Arianna turned to her
grandfather. He smiled as the crowd began to whisper. Arianna
listened from one conversation to the other.

“It can’t be,” an overweight woman with
brown curly hair proclaimed.

“It’s true,” a younger, well-dressed
gentleman whispered in disbelief.

“But how can it be,” an older, gray-haired
man asked his wife.

Arianna turned back to her grandfather after
she scanned the crowd, wondering why they were shocked.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him.

“Nothing is wrong,” he replied. “They are
all just entranced by your beautiful blue eyes.”

Arianna looked down below at all the
transformed faces. She searched from dearg-dul face to dearg-dul
face. Hidden behind colorful, feathered masks, she could not tell
who each person was, but one thing was all the same. She could see
only brown eyes staring back at her.

The dance continued once Arianna released
her dearg-dul form, and the chatter died down. As she sat beside
her grandfather watching the crowd of richly colored dresses twirl
before her, periodically she could hear someone ask their neighbor
about Arianna. She sat and listened to several of the
conversations, still unsure as to why she was any different from
the people standing below her, or what it meant. Strangely, Arianna
was now relaxed sitting next to her grandfather. Love was pouring
off of him, masking the slight murderous feeling she felt
before.

“Grandfather,” she hesitantly began. Lord
Randolph nodded, as he stopped watching their guests, and turned to
Arianna giving her his full attention. “Why am I different?”

Lord Randolph smiled and patted her hand.
“You truly don’t remember anything of your past, do you?” Arianna
shook her head no. “We have a lot to tell you about, but don’t
worry about it tonight. We have plenty of time.” Arianna tried to
hide her disappointment from his loving stare.