Heritage: A Crown of Thorns

Chapter 1: A fateful meeting (part three)

An arrow of light flew up and the doors parted. A butler standing a few feet off the ground with a golden trumpet greeted Tom. He scurried back and forth cleaning the bits of dust and snow, and like a small mouse clicking his tongue in displeasure of Tom’s state of being. When the Butler was done, he bowed and directed Tom to walk down the grey carpet. Tom collected his thoughts and walked slowly through the dark corridor. At the end, a flash of light hit him and he walked into a large hall. A golden colored chandelier hung overhead and the hall basked in its radiant glow.

The hall was filled with people. Their faces were covered in dark veils, while some wore dark suits. They were seated encircling the hall. The seatings were divided into eight sections with an empty column splitting each section. And in the middle of the encirclement was a memorial and an open casket. All of them turned and stared daggers at Tom, waltzing into the room in his raggedy clothes.

But Tom did not heed the stares from the strangers. His gaze was fixed on the open casket and the person lying in it. Tom’s light steps echoed loudly in the quiet hall. His heart beat louder and louder with each step. Tom could barely see the face of the person lying in the casket. He walked until he was almost standing over the casket. A woman that looked aged with wrinkles, but the warmth of her soul still radiated from her face. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her fingers held a small blue flower. Tom had never seen this woman before in his life and yet he was drawn in by a deep sense of kinship. It was a feeling that he had never felt before, but at that moment in his heart he knew that this woman truly was her family.

“Excuse me, my lord!” A butler called out to Tom from behind. “Family members are requested to be seated here.” The butler pointed to an empty row of chairs at the head of an empty section. Isolated from the others, the row had three chairs. The two on the sides had a reserved sticker attached to them, so Tom took a seat in the middle seat. There was a banner towering over the seats from behind. The banner adorned a golden lizard head with a silver background.

One by one, a person stood in each section and spoke a few words. They carried their respective banners with them. Some were sincere while others were clearly reading off a script. Tom wanted to speak to her, but how could he? He had never met the person in question, nor did he know the history of the Helsing family. But from the bits in each speech he had figured some of the designations of the other families present. Going clockwise from where Tom was sitting, the families introduced themselves as representatives from the House of Gorgons, House of Asura, House of Orcus, House of Vṛtra, House of Lycans, House of Skuld, House of Dracul, and finally, the circle completed with Tom seated in the House of Helsing.

When all the families were done with their speeches, it looked like the funeral was coming to an end. But from the Dracul family a man stood up. The other members of his family were tall and fair. But he was a giant even among his family members. His thin yet strong fingers took the Dracul family banner - which was a dark castle basking in the glow of a full moon. He wore a black suit and covered his eyes with grey cloth like all his family. He walked straight with a smooth stride, even though he could have walked straight over to the middle of the hall. He took a turn toward the Helsing House. He stood behind Tom just a few steps, and glared at him for a moment. Tom, puzzled at the giant lurking over him, offered him passage by dragging his chair a little to the right.

“Pathetic!” He clicked his tongue and stepped over the chairs. But before heading for the memorial, he grabs the Helsing family flag and carries it on his shoulder.

“Young master Vlad! This is outrageous. How could you disrespect the House of Helsing in front of all the elders.” An old man croaked from yonder on the other side of the hall.

“But that young Lord didn’t even flinch.”

“Is he even a member of Helsing?”

The silence in the hall broke with loud bickering among the members of all the families present. Some shouted preserving family traditions, while others condoned the impulsive master of House Dracul. Tom, on the other hand, could not understand the importance of a single banner. He figured such props were only ceremonial and a remnant of a long lost tradition.

“Quiet all of you buzzards!” Vlad, the young master of House Dracul, slammed the metal banner into the ground and rooted it deep in the marble. His proclamation left the hall silent once more. But this time the crowd were left stunned by what Vlad’s words meant to the people present.

“Vlad, sit down before you further embarrass our family name. Or else I will be forced to tell the patriarch about your childish outbursts.” A woman stood up from the house of Dracul. But her warnings fell on deaf ears as Vlad scoffed at her threats.

“I remember Lady Lara as a strong and proud leader. She was my goal, a goal I wanted to beat in my lifetime. And I will not accept this weakling as her blood kin.” Vlad pumped his chest with the banner. His face filled with pride and utter disgust for Tom.

“You will pay your respect to your elders,” a voice boomed in the vast hall. And with its arrival, all the previous bravado on Vlad’s face vanished and in its place a look of terror.

“I ask for your forgiveness on behalf of my rash youngest, Master Tom.” A slimy voice climbed up Tom’s spine. He jumped up from his seat to find a man standing behind him. He was half the size of Tom, but for some reason he oozed danger from every pore in his body. He wore a black leather cap, and leaned on an ebony cane. His red slit eyes glared at Vlad standing near the memorial. “Return it, now.” He slammed his cane onto the ground. And Vlad, like a scared puppy, came running and returned the banner without making a single sound.

“My name is Rasputin and I, as the Grand patriarch of House Dracul, greet the successor of the Helsing family. Please accept this small gift as a token of my deep-hearted apology for my family offense. I assure you they will all be thoroughly disciplined.” His words were sincere, but Tom could not shake this feeling of sliminess from him. He composed himself and took a step back.

“The wrongdoings of a child are that of a child. So, I ask you, Sir, not to be too harsh on your family. Because, in the end, family is what really matters. And when it comes to the matter of the gift, I cannot accept it. Because it was not a wrongdoing warranting compensation in my end.” Tom had a lot of practice handling brats back at his orphanage. And he had his fair share of tantrums from boys of all ages. And through his excuse, he could avoid getting, excuse to a stranger that his body was actively trying to get as far away as he could.

Rasputin was taken back by Tom’s response and for a moment snickered in amusement. Tom had increased his interest and soon his true intentions began to give way to his intervention.

“Master Tom, we are a house in need of people like you…”

“Vastra Code Article 1 section B: No House elder shall ever directly recruit a member of another house without the explicit admission of the said House Grand patriarch/matriarch.” A young lady clad in black stood from the house Lycans over on the left side of the House. She had golden brown hair with hazel eyes. She walked with confidence but the other members of her family leaped to stop her from interrupting the Grand Patriarch of House Dracul.

“Young Miss Clara Von Lycan, I don’t think it is appropriate for a young lady of your house to interfere in the affairs of other houses.” Vlad almost hovered between the young lady and Tom, as if stopping the two making eye contact.

“I agree with you on that account, Grand Patriarch.” She stops and takes out a piece of parchment from under her dress and reads it out loud to the audience. “I, Lady Lara, henceforth, bind my heir and successor, Thomas D. Helsing, with the young lady Clara Von Lycan of House Lycan as betrothed. And their union shall be under the blessing of my house and the house of Lycan.”

*****************************************************