In The Blood
Chapter 11 - Bad Blood
Sarah couldn't see where they'd landed with her cloak billowing up over her face. The Goblin King's means of transporting them being unnecessarily dramatic and breezy. She expected to find herself back inside his castle, but when she looked around, she was astonished to find an equally bemused Jude staring up at her. He rubbed his eyes, convinced he must be dreaming as he took in the surreal sight of Sarah and the Goblin King casually stood in the middle of the living room. Turning to the couch and expecting Billie to be similarly dumbstruck, he grew wide-eyed in alarm to find it empty. She could have gone to use the bathroom or decided to go and sleep in the spare room, he supposed. Both possibilities were reasonable assumptions to make, and yet he felt uneasy.
"Did you see where she went?" Jude questioned as he jumped to his feet and grabbed a weapon from his bag. Eyeing the Goblin King warily, he edged towards the stairs.
"Billie's missing?" Sarah felt her stomach lurch as panic gripped her. Sensing that his royal highness didn't care to be ignored, even when other matters rightly took precedence over introductions, she called after Jude, "This is Jareth, by the way."
"And you may address me as your Majesty," the Goblin King added.
Sarah scowled at him, but he remained unapologetic.
"Only you are permitted to call me by my given name," he clarified as he surveyed the room with a critical eye.
Jareth obviously intended her to take that as a sign he held her in high regard. However, anxiety prevented her from giving the matter deeper examination as she hovered at the foot of the stairs waiting for Jude to reappear. The crucifixes on the wall and Catholic Church paraphernalia led her to assume they were in Father Stack's house. Sure enough, the priest soon appeared, having been awoken by the commotion. His irritated expression turned to one of bemusement as he took in the flamboyant appearance of the Goblin King and his would-be queen.
"What the devil?" Caspar exclaimed.
"Not quite," Jareth smirked as he picked up a leather-bound Bible and idly flicked through it without glancing at the pages. "As Shakespeare once said; there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy." He dropped the book onto the sideboard.
Before the perturbed priest could respond, Jude came tearing down the stairs.
"Billie's gone," he shrieked his face white with fear as the dreadful possibilities dawned on him.
Sarah shuddered.
"If no one invited Dracula in, he must have drawn Billie out somehow," Jude reasoned, giving voice to her thoughts. He opened the front door and began frantically scouring up and down the street for any clues.
Father Stack pulled a wooden crucifix from the wall, apparently not worried about being clad only in his pyjamas, and rushed to help with the search. Sarah prepared to do likewise when Jareth grabbed her by the arm.
"Your friends did not appear to be as troubled by your absence. Not one of them inquired if you were well or where you'd been," he chided, not caring that they'd both been occupied with more pressing concerns.
"Thank you for returning me to them," she said determined to be polite despite her desperation to join the others. "I'm sure they could see I was in no danger. Billie, on the other hand, could be in serious trouble." Sarah tried to pull free from his grasp, but he held fast.
"Come with me," the Goblin King begged, "Be my Queen, and put an end to my unbearable solitude."
There was such loneliness in his odd eyes, her heart ached for him. His lips descended on hers and she got lost in his kiss until the sound of an anguished masculine howl pierced the cool night air. Sarah broke free from Jareth's embrace and ran in the direction of the commotion as fast as her jewelled shoes would allow. Around the corner, on the next street, was the entrance to the church cemetery. The wrought iron gates were padlocked, but to the side of them, a section of flimsy wire fencing had been torn away. Under the arched entryway, two silhouettes, she identified as Jude and Father Stack were stood in defensive postures. A scene of horror awaited her as she caught up to them. For there, a short distance ahead of them, the dark figure of the Count held a limp Billie in his deadly embrace. They were half in shadow but by the pale moonlight, their friend's mouth appeared to be smeared with blood.
Dracula positively dripped with triumphant glee. "It was all too easy," he boasted as the girl in his arms slowly began to regain her senses.
"Oh no, oh God, what have I done?" Billie whimpered as she gagged at the metallic taste on her tongue.
"Do not be afeared," the Count murmured as he softly brushed aside her dark tresses to reveal her slender neck.
The three onlookers cried out in despair at the sight of two distinct puncture marks made by his fangs.
"You were kind enough to offer me refreshment and I returned the favour," Dracula held up his wrist so they could see the congealed blood of his slash wound.
Billie furiously shook her head, not wanting to believe it.
"The blood is the life!" the Count gleefully exclaimed.
Wide-eyed and white as a ghost, Father Stack shakily held his crucifix aloft. "Only God is the giver of life," he declared his voice cracking under the weight of the vampire's withering glare.
"Let her go," Jude demanded his voice cool and controlled. The strain of keeping the hand he held Jonathan Harker's kukri in steady, made the veins in his neck bulge.
The Count saw his fear and answered with a snort of derision. His amusement swiftly turned to menace as demonic red fire lit his eyes. "Ah, Van Helsing's kinsman, we meet at last," his false charm morphing into an evil sneer. "You are too late to save her," he hissed his exposed fangs glinting in the moonlight.
Father Stack clutched his rosary beads and began fervently praying.
Sarah feared Dracula meant to kill them all. He radiated fury, and he'd already confided in her his murderous intentions towards Jude during her time as his captive. His hypnotic gaze fell upon her as if he could read her thoughts, and her mind began to cloud.
"Come hither," he beckoned all the while keeping his tight hold around Billie's neck.
Sarah couldn't fight the compulsion to step forward but Jude immediately blocked her path by placing himself between her and the Count.
"I hope you recognise this weapon and the significance of me choosing it," he said holding the kukri up in a threatening pose so the vampire could get a good look at it.
Billie sucked in a breath, terrified of what might happen next.
Dracula let out a cackle of mocking laughter before fixing Jude with a deadly glare. "I could snap her neck as if it were a twig, as I could yours." His diabolic smile died on his lips as a glittery figure materialised before him. He drew back slightly and hissed like a startled cat. "Sprite," he addressed the haughty Goblin King, "You have returned."
Sarah gasped with relief to see Jareth hadn't abandoned them.
"I am a king," he impatiently informed the vampire, "And you would do well to address me as such."
The Count refused to be humbled and turned his attention back to Billie. "Come, my dear," he meant it as an order, not an invitation. "This world, to which I have been reborn, is crying out for salvation. Only we can give the people what they so desperately want."
Weakened by blood loss, she couldn't put up much of a struggle against his supernatural might.
"Jareth, please," Sarah implored him to intervene.
The Goblin King wore his familiar bored expression but decided to indulge her. In a glittering flash, he transported Billie into Jude's arms, leaving Dracula to growl in frustration.
"It is no matter," the Count sneered. "What has been done cannot be undone. You belong to me now, body and soul."
"God, no," Billie wept as Father Stack gazed upon her with pity and fear.
"Begone, vampire," Jareth commanded as he summoned forth a light-filled crystal and began twirling it in impossible ways.
Sarah hoped he would use it to kill the Count and end their misery, but he didn't.
Dracula shrank away slightly and prepared for a dignified retreat. "Very well, have it your way," he spat. Turning once more to Billie, he delivered his parting shot. "This is only the beginning for us, my child. There can be no escape now and you know it. I shall return for you in three days, and you will come willingly, or else I'll kill everyone you hold dear." Dracula evaporated into a puff of smoke before their eyes. A bat emerged from the mist and flew off into the night sky.
Father Stack continued to pray as Jude held an inconsolable Billie to his chest. Sarah didn't hesitate when Jareth held his arms open for her, grateful for the comfort as she wept against the ruffles of his shirt. The five of them were a forlorn bunch as they trooped back to the clergy house.
As they reached the door, the Goblin King tugged on Sarah's hand to prevent her from following the other's inside. "I cannot stay," he said twirling his wrist to reveal the light-filled crystal ball, which he then handed to her.
"Will it kill him?" She inquired as she carefully inspected it.
Jareth shook his head. "If that foul creature returns during the night, it will weaken him like the sun's rays. You must smash the crystal to release the light inside but the effect won't last long. It's a good thing you can run fast," he taunted, recalling her time in the Labyrinth.
"Please, you have to kill him, for me," Sarah begged, knowing he wouldn't do it for Billie's sake.
She looked pale with exhaustion, and he tenderly caressed her cheek with a gloved hand. "You know my price for performing such a feat," Jareth firmly reminded her.
As tired and sorrowful as she felt, her anger flared. "You're no better than Dracula," Sarah raged. "You say you care for me but all you want is to make me yours."
"Is what I'm asking really so repulsive to you? You are fortunate to have a choice in the matter," he snapped, clearly vexed.
She always felt in over her head when confronted with his mercurial temper. But, if nothing else, it did usually serve to provoke a defiant response from her. "I'm glad I do have the power to refuse you, even if I don't completely understand how I have it. I mean, you drag me off to your kingdom and make me believe I'm trapped there only for me to get pulled back here. It doesn't sound like you can simply take me again without my agreement. And what the heck does a Goblin Queen do anyway? Would I have to steal babies, because I'm telling you straight, that's never gonna happen."
The Goblin King took her hand even as she tried to pull it away, and planted a soft kiss over her fingers. He really did care for her. Too much to let her go, despite the consequences. "You should get some sleep, my love," he said releasing her and taking a step back. "I shall return in, shall we say, thirteen hours with a formal offer of marriage and answers to all of your questions. You do deserve to know the precise nature of the union you would be entering into. I fear you are too fatigued at present to wrap that pretty little head of yours around the finer details of such an arrangement. I simply ask you to consider my offer and how little I am asking for in return."
She'd heard similar words from him before. The little things he'd wanted from her three years ago were nothing of the sort, not by her estimation. Sarah started to protest but he waved her words away.
"Go to your friends," Jareth instructed preparing to take his leave and he gave her hand one last tender kiss. "Would being my queen really be so terrible?"
His words lingered even as he faded from sight.
"Damn him," Sarah grumbled frustrated at being left to wrestle with such a big dilemma on top of everything else.
How unfair of the Goblin King to make her decide not only her own fate but her friend's too. Now she'd let him back into her life, he would clearly never stop trying to turn her misery to his advantage. To tell him to go to hell would be to condemn her friend to it. It had turned two in the morning and they were exhausted but too wired to sleep. Jude had a desperate need to do something useful and he questioned Sarah about her time in Dracula's clutches. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to add much to what they already knew. Billie sat in silence, managing the occasional sip of sweet tea. The puncture wounds in her neck had closed and her pulse was steady. Medical assistance wouldn't have been able to do anything for her condition. As the clock ticked on, they decided to try and get some rest. Jude hoped Billie's dreams would aid them. But feeling drained in body and spirit, she wished only for peaceful slumber and some respite from her nightmares. She decided to take the spare room, shunning all offers of companionship. Caspar gave up his bed for Sarah and slept downstairs on the couch with Jude in the armchair. Each of them lay wallowing in their own private torment, not yet defeated, but needing time to lick their wounds.
Bright sunshine woke them one by one from their fitful, and too fleeting, slumber. Father Stack hovered awkwardly outside his bedroom door. He wasn't comfortable with the thought of having a woman in his bed, even if his vows had not been compromised. It seemed a small matter to be concerned about in the scheme of things, but he didn't want to think about the big stuff. The existence of vampires and Goblin Kings shook his world, even if they didn't diminish his faith. Prayer was all he needed, he assured himself, and perhaps some time for quiet reflection. But first, he required his clothing. Once he had his clergy collar safely around his neck, he felt sure everything would make sense again.
Sarah had been awake and counting down the hours to Jareth's return when she heard a light knock at the door. No one attempted to enter and so she got up, still wearing the red velvet gown from the previous night. "Father, is something the matter?" she greeted the priest as he sheepishly loitered on the threshold, unable to meet her eye.
"Sorry to disturb you, but I have mass and I really must prepare," he explained trying to avoid her gaze, which led him to unintentionally cast his eyes upon her bosom and he blushed profusely.
She bit back a smirk and grabbed her cloak and shoes. "Of course, I'll get right out of your way," Sarah said scooting off to use the bathroom.
It had just gone eight in the morning by Caspar's bedside clock which, by her reckoning, left almost seven hours until the Goblin King's return. Flushing the toilet, she flipped the lid down and sat with her head in her hands. The light-filled crystal ball Jareth gave her, lay at her feet wrapped up in her black velvet cloak. She carefully uncovered it and stared intently into the orb as if the answers to her troubles could be found there. The sound of knocking startled her, and she almost dropped it. Recovering the crystal with a sigh of relief, she opened the bathroom door to find Billie standing there, her face deathly pale, making the blue of her veins stand out. "Sorry, but I really need to go," she insisted waiting for her friend to vacate the room before locking herself in.
"We need to talk," Sarah said through the door.
Billie emerged a short while later; the dark shadows around her dull eyes gave them a hollow appearance in contrast to the whiteness of her skin.
"Let's go get some coffee," Sarah suggested taking her by the arm. "I know I could sure use some."
The few hours of sleep they'd managed proved inadequate to refresh them, and it wasn't as if they'd enjoyed restful slumber. Jude certainly looked the worse for wear. His usually youthful features were lined with worry and his eyes were bloodshot. He fumbled for his glasses, which he'd discarded on the sideboard next to the armchair. "Did you get anything from your dreams?" He inquired hopefully as Billie descended the stairs, frowning with disappointment as she shook her head.
The kettle began to boil as Father Stack rattled around in the kitchen.
"I'm grateful to you all, but I can't stay here," Billie said in a quiet voice as she began frantically checking through her pockets for her car keys. She glanced uneasily at the religious symbols adorning the walls and edged away from them. The poison that was Dracula's blood had already begun working its way through her veins. Shrugging off her friend's attempts to comfort her, she made for the door. "I've put you all in enough danger," she cried. "I won't have your blood on my hands too."
Sarah grabbed hold of Billie's arm and refused to let go as Jude barred the exit. "I won't let you give up, do you hear?" She forced her friend to meet her eye. "The Goblin King gave me something that might help," she held up the crystal. "This will weaken Dracula if he tries to strike again under the cover of darkness." She paused, not sure if she should reveal his proposal.
Without being in full possession of the facts, she didn't know if she could agree to his terms, whatever they were. Yes, she had seen his face in the bonfire as her future spouse, but that didn't mean anything. It could have been trickery on his part, and even if it wasn't, it was no guarantee of a happy ending. Billie looked so forlorn that Sarah wanted to offer her some glimmer of hope. Could she accept Jareth's proposal to save her friend's life? It was a lot to ask, but perhaps she could barter over the terms and play for time. However, the Goblin King was far too canny to kill Dracula without getting some kind of binding agreement from her in return. But, if he wanted her as much as he claimed, he might be willing to negotiate. Sarah halted her internal debate when she noted the other three sets of eyes in the room were gazing hopefully in her direction. "Um, I might be able to strike a bargain which would rid you of Dracula forever," she spoke hesitantly, knowing Billie would likely object. "Jareth will return in a little over six hours," Sarah continued. "You've seen something of the power he possesses, he's way stronger than a vampire," she argued.
"He would kill Dracula?" Jude questioned.
"For a price," Sarah said as she met her friend's disapproving gaze.
"I told you before, I don't want you trading your soul for mine," Billie scowled.
Father Stack brought a clinking tray of coffee cups over to the table and set it down. His hands were shaking due to the tense atmosphere in the room.
"First, let us replenish our bodies and then we can tend to our souls," he counselled.
"I don't think God has the answers this time," Jude scoffed, immediately regretting his harsh tone when he saw his friend's hurt expression.
"He's never let me down yet," Caspar said as he continued to tend to breakfast.
Billie moved away from the door and slumped down on the couch. She didn't want to be unkind, even in her state of abject misery, but she was in no mood to humour her host. "I don't have my great-great-grandmother's faith, I wish I did," she lamented angrily yanking at the crucifix around her neck. "This is useless; I don't know why I'm still wearing it."
"It isn't a fashion accessory," Father Stack rebuked his sharp tone causing Jude to cast a harsh glare in his direction.
Tempers were frayed, and as a priest, it was his job to pour oil on troubled waters. Caspar offered an apology and sought to beat a hasty retreat. "I really must be getting next door to prepare for mass. Please, do come, all of you. I will pray with you," he entreated them. "God is our refuge and strength, a present help in all our troubles."
His three guests thanked him for his hospitality and politely declined to join him. Sarah longed to change into some of her own clothes, not wanting to face Jareth again wearing a gown he'd conjured up. Billie reluctantly agreed to go back to Greenwich. She desperately wanted to see her family, but she now regarded herself as tainted and she didn't want to doom them too. If she couldn't save her own soul, she could at least save theirs.
Jude attempted to surreptitiously observe her in the rear-view mirror as he drove them to her home. But he couldn't conceal his concern over her pale appearance and what Dracula's blood was doing to her. "I have to hypnotise you again," he insisted as Billie frowned at the idea. "We have to find out where the Count is and what his plans are."
"And then what are we gonna do?" Sarah questioned. Risking falling into Dracula's grasp again wasn't a good plan, especially not if there were better options.
"I don't know," Billie said as she turned to her friend. "But there is one thing I do know for sure; this is my mess and I am going to be the one to fix it."
We'll just see about that, Sarah plotted as she checked the clock. In six hours, the Goblin King might make her an offer she couldn't refuse.
There are a few songs with the title Bad Blood, but for this chapter, I'm thinking of Bad Blood by Alison Mosshart and Eric Arjes. It was used in an episode of The Walking Dead and I think the lyrics are fitting for the way Billie feels towards the end of this chapter.
Please do leave a review and thanks for reading - Mrs P.