The Golden House

"The rosy sky over Rome faded, taking on a deep violet hue. For a few moments, the horizon above the sea still glowed, then the last colors vanished, and the night cast its shadow over the Eternal City.

Silence still lingered through the stone chambers beneath the ruins of the Baths of Trajan. In the west wing, stone coffins lined the walls. Some of them showed only a smooth marble surface, while others were adorned with intricate reliefs and gilded inscriptions. Suddenly, a creaking sound echoed. A simple coffin lid began to move aside, revealing a gap. Short white fingers with chewed nails reached up from the depths of the sarcophagus and paused for a moment. A groan rose up and echoed off the stone walls. Then the hand pressed against the stone lid and pushed it aside with a strong thrust, allowing the figure in the coffin to sit up. Luciano muttered a few Italian curses and breathed in the moist air of the nearly two-thousand-year-old chamber. Now, from the other rooms, the scraping and scratching of stone on stone could be heard. A new night was awakening.

Luciano yawned heartily and ran his fingers through his black hair, which stood wild from his head like the spines of a hedgehog. His face was round, and his body appeared well-fed.

"Francesco, where are you? Damn it, I'm tired of having to push this heavy slab myself! What good are you if you're always away when I need you?" No response, but voices could be heard in the distance. Luciano stretched his slightly short neck and listened. Had the guests already arrived? He forgot to continue his irritation over his neglectful servant. Unusually agile for his standards, he climbed out of the coffin and gave the slab a strong push, causing it to slide back a bit and now rest crookedly on the pedestal. Francesco could straighten the slab later. Who cared? Luciano shrugged and hastily smoothed out his crumpled clothes: He wore his sturdy brown pants with a green frock coat over them, under which peeked a red-patterned waistcoat and a yellow scarf. Like most members of the Nosferas family, Luciano loved bold colors - and he always felt an insatiable thirst! Since his shadow was not tangible to serve him, he ran himself to the hall with the golden ceiling to numb the unbearable pain in his jaw with animal blood.

"Have the guests arrived yet?" he asked the plump, gray-haired woman serving him. Her gray, plain gown marked her as impure.

Zita shook her head. "No, I haven't heard that any of the carriages have returned yet. They had them harnessed even before the sun set, and they left as soon as the last ray vanished."

A younger woman with a baby in her arms approached. Luciano beamed at her. Everyone liked the cheerful, pretty Raphaela, who had been assisting Zita for a few years and had now also taken on the task of feeding the apparently always hungry infant that Melita, Count Claudio's cousin, had procured after failing to have her own child for many years. Now, after five years of care, she seemed to be growing weary of the little troublemaker and increasingly left him to Raphaela.

Luciano exchanged a few playful words with the servant girl, then turned back to Zita.

"Do you know where Francesco is roaming off to again?" Luciano wanted to know. He stretched to his full height and pulled a grimace to express his displeasure with his servant, but at least it didn't seem to make an impression on Zita. She smiled and ran her hand over his hair, which stood out in all directions.

"Count Claudio called for him to accompany him to the station. Have you drunk enough, my dear?"

Before Luciano could reply, Chiara rushed in, her servant Leonarda always two steps behind her. Chiara had the same round face as her cousin Luciano and already voluptuous feminine curves, although she, like him, was only thirteen years old.

"Come on, they're here!" Impatiently, she brushed the long black hair from her face.

"Who? All the guests?" Luciano wanted to know as he panted alongside her.

"No, I've only seen the Dracas from Vienna so far. They are - incredible! But see for yourself." She rolled her eyes and let out a short, nervous laugh.

Luciano was about to ask her what exactly she meant when they reached the octagonal hall where the guests were being received. Of course, Count Claudio was there, the leader of the Roman family, and his most trusted confidants, but Luciano also saw some of the Elders, foremost among them Count Giuseppe, Claudio's grandfather and his predecessor as clan leader. But Luciano wasn't interested in his own family members, of course. Before him, Chiara came to a sudden stop, almost causing him to bump into her. She folded her hands in front of her chest and sighed with delight. Luciano squeezed in beside her and followed her gaze to the guests from Vienna, who were being warmly greeted by Count Claudio. Yes, he now understood what Chiara had meant. They were incredible! They all shared a tall stature and noble faces with a narrow, straight nose. They had thick dark brown hair, which the women had styled into elaborate updos, while the men wore it shoulder-length, tied back with a gemstone-encrusted bow at the nape of their necks. Their clothing was made of expensive fabric and accentuated their flawless bodies. They didn't look like they had traveled for two days in their coffins from Vienna over the Alps to Rome. No, it seemed to Luciano more like they had just been dolled up by a swarm of serving spirits for a ball at the Hofburg. Unconsciously, Luciano brushed a speck of dust from his crumpled trousers.

Count Claudio had respectfully greeted the two most magnificent visitors - Baron Maximilian and his sister Antonia, they must be - and shaken hands with their companions. Now, he waved two boys and two girls over and greeted them with a broad smile. One of the girls seemed a few years older than him and Chiara, the other couldn't be older than twelve. Then one of the boys stepped forward and gracefully paid his respects to

"Alisa, of the Vamalia Clan," she said, bowing politely. "And is this what one wears in Hamburg these days?" He extended his index finger, gesturing toward her Victorian dress. Alisa sighed and nodded. "Yes, unfortunately."

The old man leaned forward slightly. "Doesn't look very comfortable." "It isn't. Who are you?" "Giuseppe - Conte Giuseppe. Or at least, I used to be, before my grandson took over. Now I suppose I belong to the Elders. But let me tell you, in the hundred years I led the clan, we were grand and powerful."

Another Elder limped over and continued the sentence. "Yes, grand and powerful and independent! We didn't have to make compromises or beg for the favor of other clans." His voice sounded bitter. "To think I would live to see this!" Alisa didn't know how to respond. Luckily, Dame Elina called for her, so she quickly bowed and hurried back to the others.

Dame Elina announced what would happen next. "Delegations from Paris, Vienna, and London have already arrived. They came by train like us. The ship carrying the Lycans from Ireland hasn't been reported yet. They probably ran into bad weather. They won't be docking at the port of Civitavecchia tonight." Alisa heard a muffled voice behind her. "They're not bringing that..." The speaker hesitated, then said, "That old woman with them, are they?" "I wouldn't put anything past them," replied a man. "After all, she dared to show up in Chillon."

Alisa turned around but couldn't see the two speakers as they stood behind a group of sculptures. At any rate, they were speaking German with a southern accent. "Perhaps it would be best if the ship sank and never reached its destination," the woman said. "Quiet! I can't stop you from thinking it, but at least don't say it while we're here with the others in the hall."

A dark-haired, slender woman swept out, followed by a man of similar stature. Alisa turned some of her attention back to Dame Elina. In the hall with the golden ceiling, they could quench their thirst, then they would be shown through the Domus Aurea and shown their sleeping chambers. Alisa found herself distracted again.

One figure caught her interest. It was an unassuming vampire of middle age who surely wouldn't have caught her eye had he entered the hall normally. But the way he peeked around a pillar and then pressed himself against the wall was odd. Now Alisa also noticed that his clothes were dirty and torn at the knees and sleeves. He exuded a sense of being hunted, as his gaze darted around the hall. When Conte Claudio turned away from his guests, he rushed to him.

Alisa discreetly moved a little closer and listened intently. "He's disappeared," gasped the newcomer. "I followed him last night, as he requested, and then he sent me on an errand. When I returned, he was gone. I searched for him until sunrise but couldn't find him. I had no choice but to hide in a cellar all day. I don't know what to do. He's vanished into thin air!" Conte Claudio didn't seem to be listening attentively or perhaps the story didn't interest him. "Who are you talking about?" he asked casually, glancing over at another group entering the hall. "

About Erado, your uncle Erado," the newcomer replied. Now Conte Claudio turned to the speaker. A strange spark flickered in his brown eyes. "Erado has disappeared?" The other nodded. Alisa felt his desperation. "And there's no hope left?" Conte Claudio pressed. The unassuming vampire shrugged. "I could go out searching again right away. I just wanted to inform you. Should I assemble a search party? Most of the lesser ones are with the sedan chairs.

They carried the Elders to the opera." Conte Claudio hesitated. His gaze wandered to the old Giuseppe, sitting upright in his chair. Could he hear the conversation from this distance? Alisa felt someone tugging at her sleeve. "Come on," scolded her younger brother. "There's finally blood. I'm so famished I'd even pounce on rats!" She had missed Conte's decision! The unknown vampire was already bowing and darting away. "Tammo, you are truly the most annoying thing this earth has ever produced," his sister hissed. Offended, Tammo turned away and left the hall.

Alisa followed him as quickly as her dress allowed. She would exchange it for something more practical as soon as possible! In any case, she had already had much to think about, even though they had been in the Domus Aurea for barely more than an hour. The year in Rome promised to be even more interesting than she had hoped!

After their meal, a vampire named Lorenzo led them through the Domus Aurea. He was a second cousin of Conte Claudio, about half his age and only half as corpulent. Nonetheless, he moved slowly with the same waddling gait as the head of the family. He spoke of the Roman Emperor Nero, under whose rule in the year 64 AD, some residential districts of Rome were destroyed in a fire.

This area, with the hills of the Palatine, the Caelian, and the Oppius, including the valley enclosed by them, was chosen by the Emperor to build the greatest palace complex of all time - fitting for his person and power! A paradise with pavilions and landscaped gardens, an artificial sea, and gardens full of exotic animals. "Nero's sea stretched where the Colosseum stands today. The Domus Aurea was only the eastern part of the palace and not intended as a residence for the Emperor and his wife," Lorenzo explained as he led them from one stone room to another. "Here he invited his important guests to grand banquets with music and dance and many surprises - like rose petals raining down from the ceiling."

Lorenzo spoke of the rich wall and ceiling paintings, scenes from ancient mythology and fantastical landscapes, of the statues and incredible water features, of rotating ceilings and artificial skies. Alisa quickly realized that the splendor of the ancient imperial era was now only hinted at in the halls and rooms that seemed important to the family: especially in the eastern wing, in the rooms around the octagonal hall and the courtyard, where evidently the Elders resided. Even the hall with the golden ceiling was magnificent to behold.

Alisa suspected that Conte Claudio and some esteemed family members had also had their tombs lavishly outfitted. However, they were not allowed to visit these rooms. The sleeping quarters of the young vampires and especially those of the servants in the west wing, on the other hand, were bare and damp. While remnants of the ancient paintings could still be seen on the walls, no one had bothered to remove the traces of nearly two thousand years.

The dripping water had left white calcium traces, and in many places, the plaster had crumbled from ceilings and walls. Only the layered bricks seemed to have withstood the ravages of time. And while the reception rooms in the east wing shone in extravagant light, they only rarely passed burning lamps here.But in the end, they all didn't need light to find their way in the dark. Alisa tried to focus again on Lorenzo's voice.

"After Nero's death, his successors were eager to erase every memory of him. They drained the sea and built there for the people the first stone amphitheater, the Colosseum. They tore down the palace." "Except for the Domus Aurea. Why did they leave it standing?" Sören wanted to know.

Their guide smiled. "You can feel, of course, that we are underground here, more precisely in the Oppius hill. That's why it's cool and damp here. We owe all this to Emperor Trajan. He wanted to use the Golden House as the foundation for a new bathhouse. That's why it stayed.

Trajan had long galleries built to support the structures on the hill, brick up the open arcades, and fill in the large courtyards. In their tomb of earth and stone, the Golden Halls were forgotten. Even when the bathhouse had long since decayed, no one suspected what lay hidden inside this artificial hill.

An ideal place for our family! Gradually, we adapted the rooms to our needs and preferences." Morning was already approaching when Lorenzo concluded his tour. Some of the Roman clan members were returning from their nightly forays. Old and young vampires climbed out of their sedans and made their way lazily to their sleeping quarters. Their colorful garments made the gray-clad servants who had carried the sedan chairs appear like scurrying rats.

Once the courtyard had emptied again, Lorenzo escorted the guests to a row of stone chambers on the south side of the west wing. "This room we call the Hall of the Owls," he explained, pointing to the paintings on the ceiling. "Here or in the galleries that run through the old courtyard garden, the students can stay when there's no class.

The boys sleep in the chambers on the right, the girls in the chambers on the left. Your servants will be accommodated with our lesser ones. Now lie down in your coffins. We begin tonight." Marieke, whom Dame Elina had chosen along with Hindrik as companions for the young vampires, followed Alisa into the next room. Four heavy sarcophagi stood against one wall. On the other, Alisa found her old sleeping box and the container with her belongings. "Do we have to sleep in these things?" she asked, trying to push the lid aside, but it didn't budge.

"I'd rather have my box." She looked from Marieke to a girl with black hair and a - unlike Alisa - very feminine figure, who now approached with outstretched hand. "Greetings," she said in the ancient vampire language. "You're from the new German Empire, aren't you? I don't speak German. It's such a strange language. How can anyone make such sounds with their lips? By the way, my name is Chiara."

"Greetings to you too. You're a Nosferas, that's obvious. My name is Alisa, and this is Marieke." They shook hands. When Marieke also approached her, Chiara stepped back a bit and crossed her arms behind her back. "Isn't she a shadow?" Alisa stared at the girl in understanding.

"Shadow?" "Well, an impure one, a servant who always follows you and must obey you. Doesn't everyone have one? My shadow's name is Leonarda; she was thirteen, like I am now, when she was bitten. That was five years ago. Since then, she has only served me." Alisa looked over to the gray-clad girl, who pressed herself against the wall with her head bowed.

"You see, with us, it's a little different," she began cautiously. "Marieke and Hindrik are servants, and they have come as companions with us, but I'm afraid it's more like we have to do what they say. After all, they're supposed to ensure our safety. They have much more experience than we do."

Chiara widened her eyes and shook her head incredulously. "That's really strange. Aren't you afraid they might seize power if you give them so much freedom?" Alisa shrugged. "Why would they? We all live together, and Dame Elina is a wise leader for us."

At that moment, a stern-looking vampire entered the chamber, pushing a girl in front of her, whom she introduced as Joanne from the Pyras Clan in Paris. Joanne was a sturdy girl with a broad face. She wore her dark hair in two messy braids. Her clothes were made of coarse fabric and patched in several places.

When she grinned at the others, she revealed two missing teeth. "The day is approaching. Your coffins are waiting," said the vampire sternly, pushing aside one of the stone slabs with a strong shove. She waved to Joanne, who jumped in with a single leap, lay down on her back, and folded her hands over her chest. Then the lid was closed. The petite Leonarda had already opened Chiara's sleeping place. Marieke helped Alisa into the coffin next to Chiara's. "But I'd rather be in my box," she protested. "Here, I can't get out when I want to; I have to wait for someone to open the lid for me!" "Maybe that's for the best," replied Marieke, closing the lid. "Just be patient, you young vampires will quickly gain strength, and soon a stone slab will be no obstacle for you." "Now rest, children. We'll see each other tonight. Oh yes, we'll have much to do together!" said the stern lady, then her steps receded, the door slammed shut, and silence descended on the chamber.