The Princess of Prophecy

Misa was having trouble wrapping her head around what Ida had said. 

She was pulled at great speed through the inner workings of the castle until they reached a circular chamber which bounced the sound of their footsteps back at them, a thunderous echo. The chamber was built of large slabs of ancient stone; somehow the walls, floor, and ceiling were more grandiose than the bedroom and bathroom she'd seen inside. The room was illuminated with a spot of strong natural moonlight from a circular ceiling window high above. The light expanded like an upside-down funnel, growing outward from the center. It cast a mysterious image on the floor.

Wings, Misa thought just as Ida pulled her into the center of the chamber. 

There, a waist-high stone pillar of sorts protruded upward from the ground. "Place your hand here," Ida instructed, and Misa, her thoughts again mostly occupied by the thought of some vengeful ex-prince out to get her for marrying his evil brother, did as she was told. She placed her hand on top of the gleaming magenta gem that covered the top of the short pillar.

At once, the entire floor shifted, prompting a noise of surprise from Misa and plumes of dust to lift from the ancient stones. At the farthest point the circle of light from above could reach, the floor dropped downward, just slightly, and began a slow descent to a deeper level of the castle. 

Beside her, Ida was noticeably shaken by what had just transpired. Misa cocked an eyebrow at the child-like creature and asked, "What is it, Miss Ida?"

Ida blew out a breath and answered, "It actually worked... I had half a mind that we would just be stuck up there like two sitting ducks."

Misa wasn't following. "Eh? What do you mean 'it worked'?"

"M'lady, I mean that no one but this castle's royalty has ever used the entrance to The Vault before. Not without the assistance of one with royal blood. We--vampires such as I--do not have the authority to use it."

"But I don't have royal blood."

"Exactly why I was not positive it would work."

Misa paused for a moment to ponder what would have happened if they were in grave danger and this vampire's half-cocked plan hadn't worked in their time of need. "Damn. Could've died, man..." she mumbled.

Ida's vampire hearing caught Misa's words anyway, and she said, "Good thing it did not come to that."

"Ha. Yeah, no kidding." Misa answered. For a time, she listened to the grind of stone-against-stone on the walls of the giant elevator-like shaft they were traveling down. She looked above her, at the bright circle of light growing farther away and dimmer the longer they traveled downward. 

She thought about how just a few hours ago, she had been in her bed reading about vampires, hearing fantasy in her head, seeing it behind her eyes. And now, she was surrounded by them and thrust into a new world. 

It was all overwhelming and Misa could feel herself getting tired, worn out. She rubbed her eyes, which were still giving her head trouble. "Why do you suppose it worked, Miss Ida?" She asked suddenly, her eyes still closed tightly, "Me opening The Vault."

Ida was silent for several seconds, making Misa think she either hadn't heard her (unlikely, considering even Misa's hearing was now so enhanced that she could hear rats scuttling around in places unseen if she focused enough) or was choosing to ignore her. Misa was fine with either option.

It's been such a long night, honestly, I'd start ignoring me, too. She thought. But Ida seemed to have simply been pondering her answer because the child vampire finally responded in her voice that was as old as the night was long. 

"Look down," Ida said, "beneath our feet."

Misa opened her aching eyes and obliged Ida's request. She looked at the stone beneath her feet and her sharp eyes focused on the fine carvings below. Shifting her weight multiple times and walking around the stone to capture the entire image, Misa tried to make sense of what she was seeing. After about a minute had passed, Ida asked Misa, "What do you think?"

"I think..." Misa thought for a moment, moving back toward where she'd started, planting her feet at the center of the circle. "I want to say something profound, but I actually have no idea what the heck I'm looking at. I see what looks to be a kingdom, probably this one, surrounded by many figures. They seem split, half on one side, half on the other.

"The ones on the right side have their hands out in front of them and the ones of the left are holding spears and arrows. They must be human?" Misa guessed, "Because humans would need weapons against vampires."

Nodding, Ida said, "Great observation, M'lady. But those are not vampires. They are the Fae of the neighboring land. We share this world with just two other species: the Humans and the Fae. Humans are prey to both us vampires and Fae in some way or another. The humans outside our walls have become smarter, less fearful, and stronger in their efforts to repel us. They have been less willing in recent years to offer sacrifices for blood."

Sacrifices?? Misa thought as Ida continued. "Meanwhile, Fae are our natural enemies. We fall to craze upon a taste of their blood but gain significant power if we manage to drain them, retaining our sanity. Only our king, his queen, and our former Prince Ryusei have ever managed to drain a Fae. They are considerably powerful."

This perked Misa's attention. "Not Prince Ran?" She asked.

Ida shook her head. "The prince has a lasting arrangement in place with a Fae girl outside the kingdom." Ida peeked an eye at Misa who frowned at Ida's rather uncomfortable expression. Ida cleared her throat and moved on. "Any interaction with these groups come with risk," she said, "You stand at the center of this triad of conflict." 

Misa looked down at her feet. "Literally." She commented.

"Literally," Ida agreed. "I supposed The Vault opened for you because it was always meant to. You are here to do something about the conflict that tears our land in three. Soon, us vampires will find ourselves entangled in a war that we likely will not win. You, with the power given you by Prince Ran, will become our savior, helping us keep the humans in line and defeat the Fae."

As the massive stone elevator scraped to a halt at the bottom of the shaft, Misa repeated 'help keep the humans in line' in her head. She had forgotten for a moment that she sort of was one--a vampire--and that these vamps were totally opposed to humanity. 

They see humans as food, she thought, and nothing else. I may be their prophesied future princess, but I am human. There's no telling how long they'll accept me in their care... and this 'power given to me by Prince Ran?' Is it turning me into a real vampire?

Misa couldn't sort out her feelings about that one. Fantasizing about something in the midst of being swallowed up by a good book was something totally different than actually living the experience. She wasn't sure if she was prepared to die and come back as an undead corpse, leaving her humanity, mortality, and everything she'd ever known behind.

I don't think I'm prepared to 'live' forever, she thought as Ida pulled her off the massive stone slab. It started its way back up to the surface and Misa realized she had gotten herself stuck in this unreachable vault with an ancient vampire.

How much did she really trust Ida, who could harm her within an inch of her life but still keep her breathing for prophecy's sake? 

Misa grimaced and shook the scary thought away. But she was just as good at torturing herself. The thoughts wouldn't stop coming. I don't belong in this place.

I want to go home.

I need to run away.

They'll kill me to make me one of them.

But if I choose not to stay with them forever... 

Won't they just kill me anyway?