Absinthe, A Vampire Tale: Chapter Five

She had done it again – hung up on him abruptly. Absinthe shook her head sadly. Sabbath curled up on her lap, and she stroked him absent-mindedly. It was as if she liked him or something. Bile rose up suddenly in her throat at the mere thought of it. No, there was no way, especially after that. Forcing the thoughts out of her mind, she needed to get to the task at hand. She had to go to see the Lupine elders, like it or not. She picked Sabbath up carefully and set him on the old lounge chair. She walked over to her cupboard – she would need something decent to wear in front of elders. At the back of her clothes was an old dress; it went down to her feet and had long sleeves. That would do. She reached in to take it off the hanger and it fell to pieces in her hand. The fabric was old. She would need something else, something old fashioned to appease the elders – they hated all the new things. She sighed. There was one other dress she had, but she didn’t want to wear it. She took it out gingerly and held it up to her body. In the mirror it showed an Elizabethan dress, deep red velvet with black lace and taffeta. The sleeves were still in good condition, and the petticoats were still clean. She looked for her corset; it had to go underneath the dress for the hourglass shape it held. 1

It had been a long time since she last wore it; yet she remembered the night so clearly. She pulled out the dress mask that went with it, and the shoes. The chandeliers, the large hall, the candelabras, and the multitude of ladies and gentleman dancing to the tunes of the small band at the end of the hall flickered into sight. The people had elaborate masks, and the dresses were too. The candlelight was so beautiful, and she had been dancing with her ‘mystery’ man; whom she knew so well. He had looked so handsome that night, with his dress coat and pants neatly pressed, and his clothes matched hers; a deep red velvet with black and silver trimmings…2

A tear slid down her cheek. She loved him then, she loved him now. Her treated her like she was a delicate rose, and didn’t mind what she was. Those were precious days. Never mind that. She looked at the clock. She had to leave soon or they wouldn’t allow her past the gates. She pulled on her under things, followed by the corset and petticoats. They still fitted perfectly. She smiled as she pulled the dress on. She still looked pretty. 3

She arrived at the gates, after following a maze for about twenty minutes. She almost lost her way but there was a younger werewolf happy to take her to the entrance. Any werewolves that were younger than a century were not allowed in, for they had not earned their places inside. She thanked the Lupine called Bren and pressed the buzzer. Surprisingly they did allow for technology in places. A low voice answered. 4

“What is your business here?”5

“I am here by appointment to see the counsel of elders.” She was worried; would the password have changed?6

“What is the password?”7

“Loups Garou.”8

“That password has not been used for two hundred years, I am afraid that you will-” There was a sound of the gatekeeper being pushed aside. 9

“Hello? What is your name dear?” It was a woman’s voice now, one that she recognized. 10

“Maria, it is Absinthe. It has been awhile. May I come in?”11

“Yes of course. That old bugger Leonard is too crabby. Come in, come in.”12

Absinthe grinned. Maria still had her sense of humor. Had it really been two hundred years? It didn’t seem like that long. Maria must have grown up. She couldn’t wait to see her. 13

As she walked through the gates and up the path, a figure burst out of the door to the ‘mausoleum’ (which was their attempt at creating a secret entrance. It was far too obvious to her liking, there were elders carved into the doors, in lupine form.) It was Maria, and she was the figure of absolute beauty. Her hair was chocolate brown, thick and beautiful. It was the only thing that remained the same. Her skin was now a light brown, her eyes an emerald green, darker, and she had a voluptuous body. She really had turned into a lady. All the men must be drooling. 14

“Maria!”15

“Absinthe! So good to see you! I missed you!” They embraced warmly. 16

“It has most definitely been a while. How are you?” 17

“I’m as good as ever. Ever since I discovered jeans the elders feel I am showing off my legs. Grungy old buggers. They are real comfy. You own a pair?”18

Absinthe grinned. “Sure do. I can see their faces at the sight of you. I’m glad you are so relaxed, its been so busy over the past century, I thought you’d be worn out by now!”19

“Of course not, silly. We can talk more later; right now they are expecting you. I’m glad you dressed up, they’ve been complaining about the state of women all evening.” Maria smiled and led her through the large doors and down the flight of steps. They reached a giant hall, graced by large pillars, with staircases and doors leading off to other rooms all down the walls. They hurried along to the end, and reached a door guarded by two younger werewolves. They wore armor that prevented the penetration of silver to their vital organs. Many a time had human extremists rushed down here to shoot the guards, and since all they used was silver to fire that’s all they needed to protect against. Any metal bullet through the chest will kill any human, vampire or werewolf. The two latter were just happy that the former hadn’t found that out yet. 20

The guard looked up from his post and nodded toward Absinthe. 21

“The elders are waiting in the conference room. You are to go inside. Maria, you can not go past this point. 22

Maria nodded to Absinthe and left. Absinthe curtsied to the guards and walked through the double doors. It was time to face the past, and what would become of the future.