The horse galloped as fast as its legs would carry it, its two passengers clinging on for dear life as they rode with their eyes trained on the tendril-covered cottage. Seras heard a strange clicky-crunchy noise and looked behind her, wondering if it was some weird cricket. It unnerved her how quiet everything was. Shouldn't the people inside be screaming in fear, begging for their lives at the feet of the king?
Suddenly the horse reared in the air with a terrified whinny, stopping dead in its tracks and almost slinging Sala over its head. The boy yelled something and one hand reached around and grabbed Seras' thigh, keeping her steady until the horse righted itself. He clicked his tongue and urged the animal onward, but to no avail. He commanded sharply and the horse sniggered, shaking its large head. Seras growled impatiently and slid off the creature's back. She didn't have time to try and coax the massive beast onward right now; every second counted and she was losing precious time. She took off in a dead run towards the thatch roof that loomed just over the hillside, ignoring the human's warning cry behind her.
She passed by the fields and hit an expanse of rocky ground. The dusty, gravel-filled dirt was marked only by large flat stones that jutted at odd angles into the air. She jumped among them, using the broad surfaces as leverage in order to speed up. She was halfway through the stony patch when she heard a bleating noise and a child's scream. Pivoting at a breakneck speed, she gasped in horror as a young girl flailed her arms in an attempt to balance herself before stumbling and falling off one of the stones. She was so tiny, and the fall so great; she would easily be killed if nothing intervened!
Seras forgot about the cottage for the moment, instead running back and lifting her arms in order to catch the girl. She reached her just as the child was about to smash headfirst into the ground, grabbing her around the waist and pulling up with all her might. She was in the nick of time; the girl's long plaits barely brushed the ground and they both let out a half-sob of relief. Hearing a jingling noise, Seras looked up to see a fluffy sheep peering over the lip of the rock, the bell on its neck ringing in time with its calls. The little girl bent up at the waist, motioning for the sheep to come down with comforting-sounding words.
"What the heck did you think you were doing?" Seras muttered as she set the girl on the dirt and watched her scramble to her feet. She didn't expect an answer but the child looked up with large, dark eyes and replied in near-perfect English, albeit with a thick accent.
"My family's sheep ran away, and I had to go find it before it was lost to us. Thank you for rescuing me. How did you reach me in time?" she asked curiously, snapping her fingers. The sheep appeared a minute later, bowing its curly head for her to grab the torn rope that hung from its neck. Seras stared for a minute in shock as she tried to think of how to explain before the strange crunching noise reached her ears again, louder this time. It was coming from the cottage, she realized. With a growing sense of dread, the noise sharpened in a thick chomp and it became clear to Seras what it was. Her master had unleashed his hellhounds and they were feasting.
"Wh-where do you live?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. The girl looked around her and pointed silently to the visible cottage roof. "Of course," Seras squeaked. How was she supposed to tell her that her whole family was no more? This little thing couldn't be any more than seven, if that old!
"Pardon me, ma'am. But I have to get home in time for dinner. Please come and join us- my parents will want to thank you for saving my life." The girl jogged around her, the kerchief on her head bouncing in time with her movements. Seras watched her move towards the house, sheep in tow and followed, intent on keeping her away.
"No, don't go there! You're going to be…" She stopped mid-sentence as she looked at the peaceful hut. The shadows were gone, and the only sound was the wind and the creaking of the bucket on the well rope. The girl looked at her suspiciously before shrugging to herself and leading the sheep onward. She only stopped when the door slammed open and Alucard strode out, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He caught sight of the child and made his way towards her. "Master!" Seras called out helplessly. She didn't want him to kill the child; but what could she do? She'd already promised not to interfere with his motives anymore. To her relief, he seemed to be alright; there was no sign of crazy peasant tricks and he wasn't reeking of garlic.
The human child bowed to him on her way to the house, trying to avoid crossing his path as she led the sheep to a wooden post staked to the ground. He reached out a long leg and stopped her without uncrossing his arms, forcing her back on the path without a word. The child stared wide-eyed at him, but Seras couldn't tell if she was frightened, wary, or just curious. She didn't tremble in fear, but she gripped the lead tightly with white knuckles as she took in the crimson sight before her. He asked something in Romanian, his cold words biting into Seras even if she couldn't understand them. The girl nodded and bowed again, answering with a "Yes, sir".
"How old are you?" Alucard asked in English, his eyes moving up the path to see Seras standing there at the hill's apex. She averted her gaze, looking instead at the bugs that crawled along the sheep's wool coat. She felt his mind press hers and submitted meekly, wanting him to be absolutely sure that she wasn't trying to defy his orders. He mind left hers with a rough caress, his entire being now focused again on the child before him.
"I'm six, seven come the winter." She looked around him, apparently waiting for one of her parents to come out of the open door and explain what this man was doing here, interrogating her. Alucard caught her subtle gaze and grinned viciously.
"There's no one there anymore, little one. I don't take too kindly to dishonesty. You can say that I wasn't the only one to lose my head in there." The girl's jaw dropped and she let go of the sheep's lead, running around him to jump inside the open door and disappear within the gloom, calling for her parents. Alucard watched her with an amused expression before turning back to his fledgling. "Police Girl; I don't see how you managed to cross that water, but you shouldn't have come here."
"Master." Seras didn't know what to say. He could make of it what he will. The smirk fell from his face and he walked over to her, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
"I'm not angry with you." She closed her eyes as he placed a hand on her head affectionately. "I'm not even angry at the child. I should have staked those traitorous humans up where they lay, though. But I'm going to save that punishment for our own kind. It's the real meaning of fun." He ruffled her hair and she heard the sound of quiet crying coming from inside the cabin. He turned to the home, grumbling low in his throat in annoyance. "Come out here, little brat." Seras opened her eyes to see the now red-eyed girl come slowly from within the darkness of the hut, clutching a scrap of brightly colored, bloodstained cloth to her chest. She walked until she reached the ancient vampire's boots, wiping her eyes. Alucard looked her over, clucking mockingly and reaching down to pat the kerchief on her little head.
"You killed them all; even my sister. She couldn't even defend herself." The girl's voice was quiet, but didn't shake or betray any grief or anger on her part. Alucard's hand stilled on her head and he bent down on one knee, pushing the girl's head until she looked him in the eyes.
"Your family was a bunch of liars, deceivers. Do you know what happens to liars when they die?" he asked almost gently, but Seras' trained ears could hear the rage bubbling beneath the cool words. "I'll tell you; they go straight to Hell, where they burn forever and ever. I was worried that such a family might corrupt a young, pretty little thing like you. That's why I ate them all." Seras shivered at the remorseless tone. He wasn't showing the girl his joy at killing and devouring the "sinners", but she knew it was there.
"L-liars?" the girl questioned, looking up innocently into the orange lenses. Seras knew she wouldn't be able to see his eyes, only her own reflection in the glasses. Alucard grinned widely and the girl's pupils dilated in fear as she saw the long fangs. "What…" Understanding filled her gaze and she backed away slowly. "Strigoi."
"Not exactly, but you're damn close." The grin, if possible, got even wider and threatened to split his face. "Now, since you're so young it simply wouldn't do for you to pay for a crime you didn't commit-well, not intentionally anyway. You've been trained in the art of a servant for my wife, and I'm not letting that go to waste. So, you're going to come with us now." He took off his glasses, finally letting her see his abnormally colored irises. The girl let out a shiver and looked over at the sheep.
"But who will take care of my-" she tapered off, watching the fluffy creature eat grass without a care in the world. Alucard looked over as well, his mouth set into a thin line.
"Is that all? If that's a problem, there's only one solution." Before Seras could even move, a shadowy hellhound burst from the cabin and gobbled the sheep with one pitiful bleat. The girl screamed, her hands over her eyes as the dog dissipated into thin air. She stared through her fingers for a moment at the spot where the sheep had been before her tiny hands balled into fists. Seras saw the danger in the air, both in her master's expectant smile and the angry blush working its way across the girl's face. She dashed forward, picking up the child before she could foolishly rush the vampire and began walking quickly back in the direction of the carriage.
"Don't be an idiot. He'd of killed you," she whispered to the girl as she walked. "Now, tell me your name."
"Mihaela," the girl whispered back, her voice breaking for the first time as she leaned into Seras' arms. "He killed my Mama and Papa. And my brothers, and-and…" she sniffed quietly, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. "My sister was hurt in the head after she was kicked by a bull. She wasn't even able to talk or anything. She couldn't have defended herself, but she must have been so frightened." The girl whimpered and held herself and Seras looked down at her, pity fluttering in her stomach. The poor little thing.
"Don't cry. You're going to be with me now, and I'll make sure that Master doesn't hurt you. I'm your new family now." Mihaela said nothing, only staring ahead at the passing landscape and closing her eyes with a quiver as Alucard swept past them both on his long legs.
At the sight of them, Sala waded into the waist-deep water and held out his hands. Seras placed Mila, as she'd taken to calling her mentally, in his arms and screeched as Alucard picked her up under his arm and jumped. Her bones went to jelly and then they were on the other side, on the ground as she swayed and clung to his jacket. Sala emerged sopping wet with a dry servant girl on his shoulders and he looked towards Seras, trying to convey something with his eyes. Is she all that's left? Seras nodded once, looking sympathetically at the girl clinging to the boy's cap and watching the horses with an awed expression. Getting an idea, Seras walked over to address her.
"Do you want to sit up here with Sala?" she asked before leaning in. "It would be better than riding in the back with me and…him." She nodded towards Alucard.
"Can I really?" she asked with a small hint of excitement before posing what sounded like the same question to Sala. They both nodded and she jumped up happily beside the driver's seat while Seras was pulled by Alucard into the back. Sala shut the door and a moment later, the carriage began to move.
Rain pounded on the windows of the carriage, the world outside only lit by the frequent flashes of lightning. Seras looked out at the inky darkness, worried about the two humans in the driver's seat. They were going over mountains now; one false move could send them all over the edge.
"Don't worry yourself. The boy knows the way." Alucard had his eyes closed, but she knew he'd been listening to her thoughts ever since they'd left the cottage behind. "Seras." She looked over at him, surprised to see that he was looking her over. He sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes. "Do not question me," he ordered quietly. She nodded, turning back to the window.
"I'll do my best."
