The alarm in that bunker—where everything was permitted—forces us out into the open. Mr. Vandereck is looking for us. As we step through the steel door, I'm met with a harsh reality: two women and two men, dressed in military fatigues, are standing inside Annia's room. Yes, girl, I'm wondering the exact same thing: if he summons his own daughter in such an authoritarian way, imagine what he could do to anyone else in here if they don't do exactly what he wants.
Annia walks past them with a defiant look, but they don't flinch. When Killian appears at the top of the stairs, things change instantly; I see the shock in the men's eyes at his sheer size. One of them speaks:
"Your father asked us to express his deep displeasure that you did not answer the phone when he called. Fortunately, we have found you in your usual hiding spot. All four of you must come with us; the Master wishes to speak to you in the Trophy Room."
We leave the room, and only when the uniformed guards see us in the hallway do they stop escorting us, though they keep their eyes on us from a distance.
The doors to that room are ancient iron, replicas from some castle. Mr. Vandereck is in casual clothes and sneakers. The walls are covered with aircraft carrier designs, presidential medals from various countries, and photographs of massive explosions, alongside gold-plated weapons and scale models of warships. As if nothing had happened, he shakes Killian's hand and addresses us all:
"We are on the eve of the most significant event since the wedding of Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile in 1496. Here, enemy empires will unite, and a new dynasty will be born."
Killian smiles while examining a jewel-encrusted sword and asks:
"But didn't Philip die at twenty-eight, and then everyone conspired against Joanna, calling her 'The Mad'?"
Vandereck replies:
"Exactly. But their six children went on to rule every known empire. What I have built and what your father has forged cannot simply die with us. The world needs us to be stronger, bigger, and better... Tonight, during dinner, I will explain what Longfield and I have agreed upon regarding three matters: 1) where you will live—we've chosen the best strategy, I assure you; 2) what your roles will be in the new empire; and 3) your future children. When dinner is over, I expect nothing less than total acceptance from you. You may leave."
To my surprise, neither Annia nor Killian speaks; they just bow their heads, and we leave. Evangelina squeezes my arm and whispers sadly:
"Do you see, Carmilla? This is the true price of gold."
In those words, I find the storm. Something deep in my spirit begins to stir, to darken, and it isn't going to stop.
We go to get ready. In my room, I find two new dresses with a card that reads: "Wear whichever you like best: Vandereck." Both are hideous. After showering, I still can't wrap my head around our host's intention in giving me something so tight, so trashy, so over-the-top—certainly more suited for a lady of the night than for me. Looking in the mirror, I feel a total lack of class. I opt instead for a simple but elegant black dress that Carol bought me for my sixteenth birthday and I've never had the chance to wear.
At 8:00 p.m., we gather and walk to the dining hall. Inside, the table is a masterpiece of black wood, and the gold cutlery gleams. The mansion staff welcomes us, sets down the trays, and retreats behind soundproof doors, leaving only two behind, standing against a wall in military posture.
Mr. Vandereck arrives alone. He smiles, but immediately shoots me a sharp look for disobeying his wishes. Still, he says:
"Well, let us dine in peace while we talk."
We haven't even taken two bites of the exquisite appetizer before Vandereck has already solved all the world's problems, according to his own stories designed to prove his power and conviction.
Killian endures every exaggeration, even the snide remarks about the Longfields' business tactics, with a fake smile, unmoving, never talking back.
By the time the main course arrives, I've already lost my appetite. I want to scream at him to shut up, to stop talking so I can hear the voices of Annia and Evangelina again—those two lovely women who, unlike him, fill any room with joy.
And then dessert arrives, and from his mouth come the worst words I've ever heard. It is the end of his macabre anecdote, and he says with pride:
"So I spoke with the high command and convinced the general to run the tests. I chose the area myself: an insignificant, poor zone, two derelict enemy ships at the pier, and a few fishermen. Acceptable collateral damage and... boom! Nothing left but a massive wave that washed the remains inland. We signed the contract ten minutes later and toasted to freedom."
A bolt of lightning awakens the storm inside me, and I say:
"We should toast right now to those fishermen who involuntarily gave their lives just so you could sign a contract."
Annia and Evangelina look at me, shaking their heads "no," signaling for me to calm down and stay quiet... Killian has the same expression, as if he hasn't heard such evil. But I don't need to be quiet, because Vandereck's voice floods everything again.
In a mocking tone that hides a deep hatred for me, he stands up, unbuttons his black shirt, and shows two circular scars.
"Listen, Carmilla. I was your age when we carried out a mission on enemy shores. We were supposed to be extracted by two boats. When it was time to leave, enemy fire rained down on us—mortars and cannons exploding everywhere. A piece of shrapnel hit me in the chest, right where you see this wound, and another in the shoulder. I thought I was going to die, and I looked toward the sea waiting for rescue, but the damn boats were at the bottom with the sharks; they had been sunk long before. When we finally escaped, I swore I'd build unsinkable ships to kill every one of those sons of bitches, armed to the teeth. And I did. And since I'm the only one with these marks, the ones my enemies gave me, I'm the only one qualified to speak at this table..."
No one answers him. No one asks him to calm down. I even spot a smirk on the guards dressed as waiters. Inside me, a hurricane is raging. I stand up—Annia looks at me, terrified—I turn around and pull down the back of my dress to show my scars. I tell Vandereck:
"You were marked by your enemies; I was wounded by the people who were supposed to love me. And the worst part is, I loved them back. So, if scars are how you earn the right to speak at your table, then you should listen to me. Mr. Vandereck, after all, mine are much more extensive, and you haven't stopped saying that the bigger... the better."
Killian gives me a sign to sit down, showing no emotion.
Vandereck's eyes are bloodshot. Pointing his finger at me, he says what he really thinks:
"This is exactly why my daughter needs to learn that you don't invite insignificant trash... Did you think I didn't investigate you? That I don't know you're just a debt-ridden gardener, an uneducated orphan? Did you think...?"
He keeps spitting cruel words at me, but I can't hear them, because something has changed in Killian. Something is wrong—really wrong—with him. He is gripping the table, holding back his rage, until he hears Vandereck tell me: "You'll never be anything more than a nobody. Guards... get her out of my sight." I'm not lying, girl: Killian radiates heat from his body so intensely that the air around him turns thin. He snaps the heavy wood of the table with his bare hands, ripping off a piece and tossing it aside. With a vacant, completely possessed look, he moves to deal with the two soldiers who step up to block his path to Vandereck. Vandereck is pleading, terrified, saying: "Killian, let's not ruin everything! I apologize! Don't do anything crazy!" But my man takes down the security with two blows and grabs the idiot by the throat with one hand, pinning him against the wall. He orders:
"You are going to look her in the eye, and you are going to apologize right now. I don't see any boats coming to rescue you, and I promise you, I'm going to hurt you so badly that your stupid mercenary story will look like a day in paradise..."
One of the guards gets up, clutching his ribs, and tries to separate them, but Vandereck orders him:
"Get away from him! Killian is my guest of honor."
And, looking at me, he says:
"Miss Carmilla, I offer you my most sincere apologies. Sometimes I behave with too much impetuosity; my daughter knows that well. I take pride in things I shouldn't. Instead of getting angry with you, I must learn to conduct myself like a gentleman."
Killian lets go of him immediately. The man breathes a sigh of relief and tells him:
"Come, accompany me to the smoking room. My bad temper shouldn't interfere with the agreement we have with your father. By the way, this stays between us; let's make it a gentleman's agreement. Come on! Let's put this behind us and continue; there are many details to perfect..."
Killian asks me if I'm okay. I tell him I am, though I can't take my eyes off the split table, off his display of animal strength. Then he leaves for the adjoining room with Vandereck. They close the door, and in that instant, Annia runs toward me with Evangelina and rushes me out of there. Together, we hurry back into the bunker.
I am still shaking. It doesn't matter how much they hug me or explain that for these men, in their world, nothing is more important than business—that they could shoot at each other in the morning and sign a deal by noon without blinking... but those exact words are what make me tremble. Killian endured all sorts of nonsense during dinner without flinching, but the second Vandereck attacked me, he lost his mind... I look at them and say, crying:
"I love him. I love him. I'm a goner, and I'm completely in love with him. What am I supposed to do?"
Only after I confess do I calm down a little. We leave the bunker and go to my room. They stay in bed with me, stroking me tenderly, until sleep finally takes over.
I wake up early and see Killian sleeping in a chair. He clearly arrived during the night and didn't want to disturb us; he stayed there so I would feel protected the moment I opened my eyes.
I walk over to him, overwhelmed with emotion, and kiss him. When he wakes up, I whisper:
"I have to tell you something important..."
Killian replies with total certainty...
"I know, baby girl. I love you too."