Page 101 of Crimson Oath
The lights that were scattered around the hill were one by one turned off, and the lights on the stage shone bright.
“Welcome.” The master of ceremonies swept onto the stage with a dramatic bow. “Guests of the kamvasa, brothers and sisters of the Poshani, welcome to the debut performance ofThe Captain’s Daughter, an enchanting and romantic tale of love and struggle. War and loyalty.”
The audience clapped, and Tatyana looked around to see where her fellow vampires were sitting.
There were Hazar hovering in the air, and the kamvasa guests were scattered around the slope. Darius and Madina were surrounded by servers, Kezia and René drank wine in an eclectic group of glittering vampires and humans, while Fynn was at his table on the edge of the crowd. Radu was sitting with him, drinking from a pewter goblet with his eyes on the stage.
Vano wasn’t in her line of sight.
Tatyana tried to relax. What could the vampire do? She was surrounded by Poshani vampires and humans. There were lights on the stage. Nearly everyone in the camp had gathered for the play’s premier.
The master of ceremonies continued. “Friends, Romans” —a scatter of laughter— “Poshani.” The audience clapped wildly and a few hooted. “We present…The Captain’s Daughter!”
The lights dimmed again, and when they rose, there was snow blowing across the stage and a young man in thick clothes trudging slowly through what appeared to be a birch forest.
“Hello!” the actor called out. “Is anyone there to help me?”
In the dim shadows beside the stage, Tatyana saw a water vampire gathering fat snowflakes in her hand and blowing them across the stage with hercold breath.
Vampire-created stage snow. Tatyana couldn’t help but smile. She was going to try making snow later.
“I heard you say you were saving this seat.”
Her head whipped around when she heard him speak. Vano was standing in the darkness, his eyes fixed on Tatyana, pointing at the empty seat beside her.
How inconvenient.
“They must still be working.” She gestured to the far side of the sofa. “Please, join me.”
“I would be delighted.” Vano wasn’t wearing sunglasses that night, but he still reminded her of a Hazar with his black pants and black shirt. While most of the audience was dressed in festive clothing—Tatyana had donned a sky-blue sundress—Vano still appeared to be mimicking the guards.
“Your friends” —Vano kept his voice whisper-low— “if they are able to join you, I will move, of course.”
“No, it’s fine.” She didn’t think Rumi, Desiree, or Katrina would have time to watch the play even though they would love it. Vano’s lecture the night before might have chilled their desire to be around vampires.
Especially the one sitting next to her.
She kept her eyes fixed on the play as the forest disappeared and the birch trees transformed into an old-fashioned military fort with men marching in dull brown coats as a red-coated captain shouted orders.
Drums pounded as the men marched and sang, and Vano scooted closer to Tatyana on the sofa.
“Kezia told me you’ve been spending time with the cooks.” He smiled a little. “Are they the ones teaching you Poshani?”
She kept her voice low, knowing his keen immortal ears would hear her over the drums on stage. “They were kind enough to teach me, yes.”
Though Kezia spoke to Tatyana in Poshani, Vano addressed her in very formal Russian.
“If you would prefer a language tutor with a higher level of proficiency, it can be arranged.”
Tatyana turned to him. “Are you saying that the women who grew up speaking Poshani don’t know the language well enough to teach me?”
“I’m saying that they are uneducated cooks and they speak like it.”
“Hmm.” Tatyana lifted her chin. “I grew up on a farm, running around like a wild animal, so I think the Poshani that I’ve learned suits me. Thank you.”
His eyes glittered, and Tatyana realized she’d given too much away.
They don’t need cakes and treats all day. They should be working with their parents anyway, not playing in the forest like wild animals.
