I was created with a dream in my heart. It was an aspiration born of a fable, hardly more substantial than a young girl’s hope of finding “somewhere over the rainbow”. But this hope consumed me and formed the center of my raison d’être.

I came up with a plan. I’d solve the Strangerville mystery. But I failed. My vision of captivating the Camarilla Prince dissolved before my very eyes. I had nothing, I was nothing. But I still had my dream.

I crawled, belly scraping the floor, pathetic, following rumor and hearsay to Elysium. I needed help if I was to prove myself to the Prince. This place was supposed to welcome supernaturals of all kinds and provide guidance to those in need. And I was in need.

There was a concept I’d learned of in a book series. Something about divine luck. Something about being the star of one’s own adventure and always, quite out of necessity, being in the right place at the right time. Looking back on it, this concept must have helped guide me to that place at that time. I had no other explanation for why I found him there at the Queens speakeasy.

I was right where I needed to be. There, sitting at a non-descript booth in the crowded theatre, was Tomas Ortega.

I would replay the events that transpired that evening in my mind again and again, as if trying to glean new wisdom. I had presented with weakness, but the Prince, in his infinite grace, had seen to bestow mercy upon my pitiable self.

// THE BLUE VELVET //

SHELBY

I’D LIKE TO REQUEST AN AUDIENCE WITH THE PRINCE.


Standing in front of me, blocking my passage, was a severe looking female vampiress with dark hair and almond eyes. She wore a stern expression on her face. She had every intention of protecting her beloved Prince. What kind of man was he that had earned her undying loyalty?

AIGUL

WHO ARE YOU? WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE WITH THE CAMARILLA?


The question stunned me and my mind went blank. I could not start with my failures.

SHELBY

I’VE COME TO SWEAR FEALTY TO THE PRINCE.


Somewhere in the crowded audience, I heard laughter. But it did not come from the woman in front of me.

AIGUL

HUNDREDS OF PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR KINDRED ARRIVE AT MY PRINCE’S FEET EVERY NIGHT SEEKING HIS FAVOR.

WHAT SETS YOU APART?


I was short of stature, especially compared to the Amazon that stood in front of me. My curly hair was swept away from my face to reveal a youthful brightness that fed my pride. I’d been turned when I was scarcely more than a girl. There is a pause as she looks me over and I feel vulnerable as she scrutinizes my appearance.

AIGUL

WHAT IS YOUR NAME?


It wasn’t my birth name, but I’d left that behind long ago.

SHELBY

I CALL MYSELF SHELBY, SIR.

AIGUL

NO NEED FOR THE FORMALITIES. IT MEANS NOTHING TO ME.

WHERE DO YOU COME FROM, SHELBY?

WHO IS YOUR MASTER?


A lump formed in my throat and I was afraid my voice would utter a squeak.

SHELBY

I…

WOULD RATHER NOT SPEAK OF IT.


She raised a cautious eyebrow.

SHELBY

MY MASTER MISTREATED ME.

I INTEND TO OVERCOME MY BLOOD BOND AND START ANEW HERE.

AIGUL

IT DOES NOT BODE WELL THAT YOU HAVE ABANDONED HE WHO GAVE YOU THOSE FANGS.


I covertly ran over my birthright with my tongue. Her words were true.

SHELBY

I COULD NOT IN GOOD FAITH SUFFER INJUSTICE.


She smiles slightly, a little coy.

AIGUL

YOU ARE FORTUNATE TO FIND YOURSELF HERE TONIGHT.

MY PRINCE IS INTERESTED IN YOUR STORY.

DO NOT HUMILIATE YOURSELF, LITTLE ONE.


She steps to the side.

AIGUL

FOLLOW ME.


She weaves in and out of the crowd, seeming to divide the people with her presence alone. The crowd, in my anxiety, had escaped my notice until now. It was a curious mix of both mortal and supernatural like none I’d ever seen. Was this the promise of Elysium?

Soon we are at a simple wooden table set into the wall, edged by a wooden barrier that formed the backing of another. The Prince is there, in the center, looking every bit worthy of his title. He wears a spotless white suit, contrasting his flawless tanned skin. His followers were a sort of living, or unliving, crown, adorning his sides, their eyes and fangs sparkling as if diamond.

I was a token of pewter in comparison.

SHELBY

PRINCE…


I bowed deeply, as it was the only gesture that seemed even remotely appropriate.

TOMAS

AIGUL TELLS ME THAT YOUR NAME IS SHELBY.


They had spoken no words to each other. Of course they must be capable of telepathy.

TOMAS

SHE ALSO TELLS ME THAT YOU’VE OVERCOME A BLOOD BOND TO APPEAR BEFORE ME TONIGHT.


His voice was smooth and practiced. I wondered how many moons had passed to instill upon him such calm. I could barely look into his eyes, shining with a rich brown that penetrated and destroyed my composure.

SHELBY

YES, YOUR HIGHNESS.

TOMAS

YOU MUST HAVE FELT THE CRIME OF YOUR MASTER EGREGIOUS.

SHELBY

YES, YOUR HIGHNESS, I DID.

HE ASKED OF ME THINGS HE WAS UNWILLING TO DO HIMSELF.

HE PUT ME IN DANGER ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION.

HE DID NOT LOVE ME SO MUCH AS HE WANTED TO POSSESS ME.

TOMAS

SO YOU BELIEVE A BLOOD BOND SHOULD BE FORMED ON THE BASIS OF LOVE?

I WOULD BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS, LEST YOU APPEAR BENEATH YOUR STATION.


I’d take the compliment.

SHELBY

I UNDERSTAND THAT LOVE ALONE CANNOT BE THE BASIS OF SUCH A UNION, BUT SHOULD IT NOT BE PART OF THE TOTAL EQUATION?

I BELIEVE IT IS PART OF WHAT MAKES THE KINDRED DESERVING OF ETERNAL LIFE – OUR ENDLESS CAPACITY FOR LOVE.

TOMAS

A ROMANTIC’S POINT-OF-VIEW.

SHELBY

A WEAKNESS OF MINE.

TOMAS

WERE YOU SHOWING LOVE WHEN YOU FLED YOUR CONDITION?


Now was my chance to defend myself best I could.

SHELBY

I HOPED I COULD INFLUENCE HIM TO CHANGE.

BUT IF I’M HONEST WITH YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS, I DO NOT CLAIM THIS WAS DONE OUT OF LOVE.

IT WAS DONE OUT OF A NEED OF SELF-PRESERVATION.

TOMAS

YOU PLACED YOUR OWN DESIRES AHEAD OF THOSE OF YOUR MASTER’S?

SHELBY

I DID ONLY AS I WAS TAUGHT, YOUR HIGHNESS.

TOMAS

A BOLD CLAIM.


The statement stands alone and I feel exposed underneath the weight of his gaze.

TOMAS

IT WOULD SEEM YOU ARE IN NEED OF RE-EDUCATION.

BUT WHAT WORTH ARE YOU TO ME?

SHELBY

I WANT TO BE HERE.

TOMAS

YES, THAT MUCH SEEMS EVIDENT.

YOU HAVE OVERCOME MUCH TO FIND YOURSELF HERE.

BUT WHO IS TO SAY YOU WON’T USE THAT STRENGTH OF SPIRIT TO BETRAY ME IF YOU FIND YOU DISAGREE WITH MY APPROACH?

SHELBY

YOU ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN MY OLD MASTER.

TOMAS

FLATTERY WITH NOT WORK IN MY COURT.

PRETTY WORDS AND WIDE SMILES ARE THE MORTALS’ PLAYTHINGS.

SHELBY

I BELIEVE THIS TO BE MY FINAL RESTING PLACE.

TOMAS

YOU AND A MYRIAD OF OTHER HOPEFULS.


Fortune favors the bold.

SHELBY

BECAUSE, YOUR HIGHNESS, I’M LUCKY.


He laughed. A quick utterance, just a momentary “ha!” but it was enough to bolster my cause.

TOMAS

LUCK IS THE LESSER MAN’S ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE UNEXPLAINABLE.

I DO NOT GAMBLE ON LUCK.

SHELBY

BUT YOUR HIGHNESS!

IF YOU WERE STANDING IN MY SHOES, YOU’D SURELY FEEL DIFFERENTLY.

I HAVE BEEN ASTOUNDED THAT I WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE SLAVERY, AND MY STRING OF GOOD FORTUNE HAS INEXPLICABLY LED ME TO YOU TONIGHT.

I DID NOT KNOW THAT I WOULD FIND YOU HERE TONIGHT – I EXPECTED TO FIND –

TOMAS

THE CAITIFF OF QUEENS?

YES, I IMAGINE A FOUNDLING SUCH AS YOURSELF WOULD SEEK OUT HIS HALFWAY HOUSE.

SHELBY

I WANTED HIM TO LEAD ME TO YOU AND INDEED HE HAS!


The Prince smirks.

TOMAS

SO THIS IS YOUR LUCK – THAT YOU FIND YOURSELF BEFORE ME BEFORE YOU’VE EVEN PREPARED.


I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth.

SHELBY

I CAN’T SAY IT’S A PERFECT EXPLANATION, YOUR HIGHNESS.

TOMAS

I’LL SAY NOT.

BUT I AM IN A GOOD HUMOR TONIGHT AND INCLINED TO OFFER MY HOSPITALITY.

YOU’VE AMUSED ME.

PROVIDED YOU ARE SPEAKING TRUTH, YOU ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE FOUND ME HERE TONIGHT.

COME SIT WITH US AND WATCH THE SHOW.

LET THE SHADOWS OF THE PAST SLIP INTO MEMORY AND LET ME JUDGE YOU ON WHO YOU ARE, NOT WHAT YOU WERE.


My heart, silent as it was, nearly lept from my chest.

SHELBY

OH, THANK YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!!



Several months have now passed since the night I found myself in the Blue Velvet. Tomas, much to my continued surprise, took me under his wing and treated me with a genuine respect that I’d never before known.

Somehow it seemed to be kismet that I’d encountered him that night in the Queens speakeasy. That place would come to represent the first chance I had to do something for him.


TOMAS//

A potted plant, in isolated soil, does not last long without tending. The Queens coterie -- too long I have tried to pretend they are separate from us. But the time for that misconception is over.

SHELBY//

What would you have me do, your Highness?

TOMAS//

I do not quite know, but perhaps we can work it over. I realize you are still new to our coterie but it is good for you to continue to make acquaintances. They are inextricably tied to this land. the Count has resided in Queens longer than I've ruled over the City. It continues to appear to be unwise to refuse him the respect he is due.

SHELBY//

Is it because of the Mages he counts among his friends?

TOMAS//

Their show of power in Brooklyn was enough to cause humility in the most foolhardy of the Kindred. Some of those there I once counted among my friends.

SHELBY//

I'm sorry to hear that, your Highness.

TOMAS//

It is a tragedy no matter how you look at it. The Sabbat attracts the likes of those who have lost their way and are looking for power without having to earn the right. I'd like to see them banished from the City. With the losses they've suffered, perhaps it is not such a lost cause.

SHELBY//

You know I will do anything to further your goals.

TOMAS//

I do not intend to throw you haphazard into the line of fire. The Count has chosen to fight fire with the blazing heat of a thousand suns.

SHELBY//

I am frightened of the Mages.

TOMAS//

You should be. But if this one and his apprentice have decided to involve themselves in this war, perhaps there is hope.

SHELBY//

Isn't there one more Mage who travels with them?

TOMAS//

I do not know what to make of that one. He is the son of Aegwynn but he is not like her. His father, I suspect, is not of Earth.

SHELBY//

Could that really be true, your Highness?

TOMAS//

There are many strange things that cannot be explained by our senses alone. Think of the mysteries that exist around the Mortals. No, we cannot be so prideful as to think we understand all of Heaven & Earth.

SHELBY//

That is wise, your Highness. I must never forget the ignorance from whence I came.

TOMAS//

You may transcend it, and indeed you will, but forget? No. Do not forget.

SHELBY//

Yes, your Highness.

TOMAS//

I want you to form our first line of friendship with the Queens Caitiffs.

SHELBY//

Will they trust me, your Highness?

TOMAS//

I do not know. But I fear they will trust the rest of my court even less.

SHELBY//

What should I know of them?

TOMAS//

The Count Vladislaus Straud is an ancient vampire, far older than I know or understand. His coterie is a mix of orphans and outcasts. Some of them are quite young, I understand. But they are not to be underestimated. It is not enough to simply put them aside due to their generation. As you might hope for yourself.

SHELBY//

Indeed, your Highness.

TOMAS//

I have heard rumor that the vampire with the scar running down his face, Cedric, has no sire.

SHELBY//

But how could that be? Aren't all of our kind begat by another?

TOMAS//

So I believed it too. But that is the tale I have heard. He was created by a magical ritual.

SHELBY//

But why would the mages need to create vampires? Is he truly one of the Kindred?

TOMAS//

It would appear so. His aura is like ours but he does possess the ability to walk unhindered in the daylight.

SHELBY//

That is an extraordinary gift.

TOMAS//

He treats the Elder Vincent Marscapone as his sire, for that is who first found him as a fledgling.

SHELBY//

Not the Count?

TOMAS//

It is something I do not quite understand. Perhaps you'll be able to enlighten me once you've spent some time with them.

SHELBY//

What of the Mages, your Highness?

TOMAS//

Their ringleader is an accomplished Mage by the name of Davian. He has found himself embroiled in the causes of vampirism for many a decade, dating back to his friendship with the Count during the second World War. That was also when he encountered the Marscapones.

SHELBY//

It is a daunting task, your Highness, to insert myself into their business.

TOMAS//

One I am sure you will rise to.