The Darkest Eternities

XXXVII. Vengeance

Cara

I reveled in the pleasure of being on solid ground again. My head began to clear up, the dizziness the leaving me. I was amazed by the wonder of it all. Not more that five minutes before had I been back at Ivan's house and now I was here. And 'here' was quite far from home.

My eyes travelled the room, taking everything in, from the shining stone floors to the spectacular view of the sky. The room was circular and large, with a grand cupola forming its ceiling. Large sculpted pillars held up the dome above us and in between them there were spaces allowing for a nice view.

I shifted my attention back at the people before us. Directly in front of me stood a tall, heavy brown-eyed man with a head of long, curly, blonde hair. He eyed me top to bottom, saying nothing.

Three people stood behind the giant of a man: a woman dressed in a leather military jacket and leather pants to match, a man dressed the same way and a young woman who wore a simple white dress.

"Sir," the built man greeted Ivan. He gave a brief bow and the people behind him replicated his actions. This had me wondering: in the future would I have to bow too?

"Grayson, it is good to see you again," Ivan's tone was relaxed. I established that the two men were probably friends. Their gestures around each other were comfortable, showing familiarity between the two. "This is Cara Matthews." He introduced me as if I were a some important person. It was good to know that he thought I deserved a such a formal introduction.

Grayson's facial expression changed. He turned to me and gave me a smile, " a great pleasure to meet you, Miss Matthews." Only as he leaned down did I see the gruesome lash that ran from the side of his cheek down to his neck and possibly further. The rest of the healed cut was covered up by his shirt.

Our eyes suddenly met and my immediate thought was 'shit! He caught me staring. '

I quietly hoped that he would not get angry. He looked like the temperamental type, like any second now he would lose his cool.

"Relax. I don't mind you staring," said Grayson, smiling. My nerves calmed. Undeterred by his open invitation to stare, I averted my eyes. But curiosity had already sparked inside me. I now wanted to know the story behind his marks.

Ivan directed a harsh glare at Grayson and the latter turned to him.

"Excuse us. Cara here needs to be shown around."

***

As promised, I was shown around the castle. From what I gathered it was more of a fortress than a palace. Guards stood at each corner, holding large spears with them. They remained silently alert as were passed.

The fortress held a theme of modern royalty highlighted by medieval touches. 

In it were more than a thousand rooms, each better than the last. My favorite place in the castle was the garden. 

Nestled at the center of the castle was a wonderful garden that extended just outside the buildings but still in the compound. The garden had all sorts of flowers. Ivan sat on the bench by the pond as I wandered around, taking my time to admire the plants. I developed a liking for the white tulips.

"I really like this place. It's so beautiful," I told Ivan. " What's your favorite place in the castle?"

He turned to me, "...come to think of it, I don't truly like anywhere in the castle."

" What? You can't be serious. Your own castle and you don't even like it. What do you like then?...No, let me give you a bit of a challenge. Name five things that you actually like."