chapter 61
I was sitting at my desk when Theo walked out of his office. Tobias stepping out of his a second later. I stood knowing it was time leave. “Ready?” Tobias asked.
“As ready as I will ever be” I said grabbing my handbag from under my desk and throwing it over my shoulder. We made our way to Tobias's car. As soon as the car started, I knew there would be no turning back, the seatbelt suddenly feeling more like a restraint as we left the City to meet the people that would decide when I die.
The drive took about forty-five minutes. When Tobias pulled the car over on what appeared to be and abandoned school in literally the most deserted place, hidden amongst the trees. We got out the car and I looked around. It was an old school building, with trees going through it the roof caved in and the place looked desolate and like it hadn't been a functioning school in hundreds of years. No signage, no nothing.
“Are we at the right place?” I asked looking around confused. There were broken swings in the distance and the gate out front was rusted. Tobias and Theo nodded before walking through the gate and suddenly vanishing into thin air. I stopped shocked, where did they go? Then suddenly Theo's hand came out waving at me on my side of the gate, his body invisible. I took a step back; I must be tripping what the hell was in that coffee I thought.
Suddenly Theo stepped back into view, my heart skipping a beat as he suddenly materialised in front of me.
“Come on,” he said holding out his hand, I nervously took it and he pulled me through the gate. I could hear like a high pitch whistling and had to fight the urge to block my ears then suddenly a feeling like I was being suctioned through a vacuum, before finally feeling air again, I sucked in a deep breath. What I wasn't expecting was when I looked around was the sight of the huge mansion in front of me, that can't be the school I just seen. I turned around and looked back at the gate, I just walked through which was no longer there. I could see the car and the dirt road, but the abandoned school was gone. I took a step back and bumped into Tobias. I looked up at him and he smiled. “Cool huh” I nodded not really knowing what to say. I looked around the place was huge as we walked up the grand steps towards the huge archway for a door.
“How?” I asked not understanding how this place was so hidden from the world.
“Witches put wards up, to humans and anyone else it just appears as an abandoned building, anyone walks past the gates they just feel uncomfortable and don't understand why. It's for protection stops anyone from discovery this place, there are many around the City as well” Tobias explained. Theo walked over to the door and banged on it. A man or should I say strange looking goblin/elf looking thing walked out, a snarl on his face. He looked at me then at Theo his face lighting up excitedly.
“Theo, I heard you were coming to visit today, did you bring them?” he asked his voice sounded really squeaky kind of like listening to a mouse, he kind of reminded me of golem off the lord of the rings except he was dressed like a butler.
“Yep, sure did, did mum and dad already head to the chambers?” he said pulling a paper bag out of his pocket. The elf looked inside before pulling out some stringy red liquorice. Biting a piece off with his sharp looking teeth
“Yep, they are inside already, this must be your mate. I am Percy,” he said holding his hand out which was the size of a small child's but with long sharp looking nails. I shook his hand wondering how he knew my name.
“Josiah told me about you, you're much prettier than I thought,” he said with a wink answering the question I was thinking. I smiled I liked him already. He shoved the doors open. It opened up to a huge square room before we walked directly across to another set of doors. Theo opened them before placing his hand on my lower back.
“Don't freak out and whatever you do, don't stare it will be awkward,” he said.
I wondered what he meant. I didn't have to wait long to find out though. Stepping through the door we were in some sort of quadrangle. The place was bustling with people and creatures I had only read about in fairy tales. Shops and buildings along every side, the place was like a little town. I couldn't help but stare when a centaur walked past me. A fucking centaur. “You're staring” Said Theo whispering in my ear.
“How the hell does he hide in the human world” I asked not being able to believe my own eyes. "He doesn't, his name Bruno and he lives permanently hear at court, he is the last of his kind” Theo answered.
Maybe there really was something in that coffee or maybe my mind conjured up this delusion or I was dreaming, none of this made sense, first an elf creature now a centaur. Was every mythical creature real?
“Not all just some, where do you think the stories come from? Humans aren't that imaginative to come up with that stuff on their own. There is always a little truth to legend,” Theo said answering my thoughts.
I dragged my eyes away from the half donkey looking man. Theo's hand on my lower back pushing me along seeing as my feet just weren't cooperating. When we were halfway through the quad I started really looking around. I felt Tobias grab my hand before bending slightly blocking my view. “What are you looking for?” he asked, an amused look on his face as I stared at all the people and half peoples roaming around.
“I figured since all these exist that I should make sure jebus isn't here too. I might need to ask for forgiveness since every other mythical creature exist, I am assuming he does too and need to make sure I cover all my bases if I am gonna die,” I said looking past him and searching the faces of the many people passing by. I heard Theo chuckle.
“Ask forgiveness for what? And just so you know, Jesus or jebus as you like to call him was human, not a supernatural creature.”
“What, so he does exist?” I questioned. Shit I am going to hell for being an adulterer.
I heard Theo chuckle obviously reading my thoughts. “Human, not supernatural, Imogen, and he was just some man someone wrote a story about, doesn't mean what they wrote is real or not real, people just needed to believe in something bigger than themselves help them sleep better at night.”
Tobias and Theo both found my shock of this place amusing. We walked for a few minutes finally coming to the biggest building in the quad it kind of resembled a sandstone courthouse. It was a huge imposing building with guards out the front that I could tell were vampires by their red eyes and godly looks. We marched up the steps and walked inside. Caroline and Josiah were inside waiting patiently on some red velvet seats. Caroline stood up and walked over giving me a hug. “We have registered that we are here, so we shouldn't have to wait long” she said.
I sat next to her, this room was some kind of waiting area, lined with seats and pictures on the wall of scary looking men and woman who definitely weren't human, the huge paintings and photos leading up a huge corridor with doors running off each side.
I sat nervously twiddling my thumbs when Tobias put his hand over mine covering my shaking hands. I instantly calmed down the heat of his skin was soothing.
When suddenly a tall woman in a black dress that went to the floor walked out, her red eyes indicating she was another vampire as her eyes roamed over all of us, before settling on Tobias and Theo.
“Alaric will see you three now” she said brushing her long black hair over her shoulder and turning her back on us. Tobias pulled me up from my seat and suddenly my mouth went dry. We walked up the long corridor to the last door. She opened it and stepped aside allowing us to enter.
I walked in after Tobias and Theo. A man was sitting behind a huge desk, wearing a suit. He looked up as we entered. “Tobias Theo,” he said, standing up and walking around his desk. He shook their hands before turning to me.
“You must be the human woman Imogen,” he said. I could hear the distaste in his mouth as he looked at me before escorting us over too some chairs and a table on the other side of the room. The room was full of bookshelves and old looking scrolls dumped on different surfaces, the walls covered in old painted portraits, a portrait of the man from the photograph Josiah found, was hanging above the fireplace. Only he didn't look like the same man from the photo, he looked demonic, with his red eyes and slightly crazed the perfect predator, the sort of man you wouldn't want to bump into of a night down a dark alley. I swallowed and froze staring up at the picture.