1885
The convent in the mountains lights up in a flash of lightening and a clap of thunder.
The needle like turrets seeming to touch the night sky.
Sister Mary tried to cling on to life as she carried on with her story. Sister Agatha was indeed interested, this was a whole new dimension in the existence of Count Dracula.
"Fitz stayed with this Captain Kronos?"
"Yes...they traveled the land together helping those who are haunted by the sinners of evil..."
1863
The small village was nested in between two huge mountain reaches in deepest Stygia. Fitz rode his wary horse along side Captain Kronos as they trotted out of the thick cool pine forests, and into the narrow cobbled main street of the village.
A mature man in tight breaches and a frilly white shirt came forward and removed his hat, "You are Captain Kronos?"
The captain looked down to him from his horse, "Yes...I hear that you are in need of my services?"
The man nodded in sadness, "A dark veil of death pours over our community"
Kronos nods and looks up and around him at the old housing with their window shutters nailed tight.
"Yes...it happens a lot here in these parts...", he looks at the man in the eyes, "...where is the body?"
The man turns and points to the barn nearby, "...it's in there"
Kronos dismounts his horse and looks to his new trainee, "come boy...come and see what you are now up against"
Fitz blinks in the bright sunny glare, and jumps off his own horse without unease at all. A gathering of cloaked villagers come out of their homes and crowd around the barn door as Kronos knelt down at the body and pulled back the sack cloth that was shielding it from the world.
A cloud of buzzing flies he swots off his person, as he looks at the tainted shriveled thing in the dress, "oh I see...the youth draining variety"
Fitz came forward and stared at the stinking wretch, "youth draining?"
Kronos nods and points to the corpse, "yes boy...there are all sorts of Vampire, this type of creature is rare, and can be elusive"
The mature man who had met them at the village perimeter stood nearby with a handkerchief to his face, "elusive you say? Then how can, in God's name, it be destroyed"
Kronos stood up and smiled some reassurance, "a Vampire of this type lives within the community...have there been any new arrivals to the village since this all started"
The man considered this, but another villager was quick to answer for him, "only that girl La-Freda...she looks like one of those filthy gypsy types, but she says she is of fine heritage"
Fitz didn't like this boy who had spoken up...filthy gypsy types indeed!
Kronos could see his new companion was giving this other boy evils and was quick to set his attention to the blood drained corpse to hand.
"See boy...see how this dried up old husk is all what remains of the victim"
"Zondralia", called a voice.
Kronos nodded, he didn't want to offend anybody, "yes...Zondralia"
The mature man stepped forward on to the dried straw of the barn floor, "she was only sweet sixteen...she is the squires daughter...when he found her, he went back to his house and hung himself"
Kronos looked back to the remains, "I'm afraid that does happen...the sense of grief after something this unnatural goes beyond any normal mourning"
The man took charge as there was a sense of unsettlement among the on looking villagers, "where do you want to begin?"
Fitz looked at him, Kronos smiled and turned to the man, "This La-Freda...where is it she lays her head?"
XXX
At the village tavern, the big fat inn keeper with a thick course beard pointed to yonder, "nay...she is out in the woods...she says she is one with nature"
Kronos nodded, "is it possible I can see where she lays?"
The inn keeper laughed somewhat as he swept up the front step of the tavern, "she is a siren who never sleeps, she is a night owl"
Fitz turns to see a girl approach with a basket of picked apples hanging from her elbow, he tugs at his new friends arm and points.
"Who seeks me?", she utters...her eyes are ice blue.
Captain Kronos straddles up to her in his knee high boots, "It is I who seeks you...you are La-Freda? I am..."
She cuts in to finish his introduction, "...yes, I am La-Freda...and you are Captain Abel Kronos, I know...I saw you arrive here along with the boy with the dark eyes"
Kronos chuckled as he looked towards Fitz, "he is a gypsy boy"
La-Freda also laid her eyes on him, her eyes were almost enticing to him, "I think he is far more that that"
The captain circled her as he spoke, she listened to him intently, "I am here to seek...the unnatural"
La-Freda almost fell down in far off amusement, "you think that I am unnatural, sire? I have you know that I am a virgin and am as pure as the high mountain snow"
She walks up to Fitz and smirks at him, "and what about you? Are you a virgin?"
Fitz was almost lost in those ice blue eyes, he had never seen anyone so beautiful...her hair was like fire, her skin so pale and so, so soft like pure silk.
Their moment was screwed up by a shout.
"HEY! YOU BOY! I SAW THE BITCH FIRST!"
Fitz looked up and saw a brute of a man come striding over in high boots and a grimace on his sun tanned face.
La-Freda was amused, "Oh come now, Paulo...I belong to nobody"
This Paulo strode up to Fitz and stared at him in ultra hatred, "YOU DARE TO LOOK AT HER...YOU? SOME FILTHY ROBBING GYPSY BOY?"
Fitz looked at him with his jet black eyes, "I fear that you should back off"
The brute laughed in his face, "WHY IS THAT? ARE YOU AFRAID THAT YOU WILL BE TOSSED ASIDE LIKE THE LONG STREAK OF STINKING PISS THAT YOU ARE"
Fitz felt the anger rising within himself, "I warn you BACK OFF!"
The brute's muscles flexed, "COME ON BOY...I SAW YOU TOUCH HER"
Fitz shook his head, "I never touched her"
"WHY NOT? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU"
Fitz went to turn away, but Paulo grabbed his arm and twisted him around and shoved him to the mud. Fitz was on his hands and knees in the mud and horse shit and looked up to him.
In the future, Count Dracula opened his eyes...
paulo grabbed the scruff of Fitz's neck and threw him to the ground and picked him up again and dragged him in the stinking shit by his hair.
In the future, Count Dracula held out his hand and opened up his thumb and fingers.
Fitz was face down in the horse shit, Paulo's foot was keeping him down and was laughing. Kronos turned, "Get off him!"
"MAKE ME OR WILL YOU USE YOUR SWORD AND CUT ME DOWN?"
In the future, Count Dracula closed his thumb and fingers.
Paulo was suddenly choking and clutching his neck, he fell to his knees in the shit and tried gasping for the breath that was no longer there.
"Ahhhhhhhggghhhh"
Fitz picked himself off the floor and smirked, his dark eyes dilated.
Captain Kronos leaped forward and pulled Fitz away to the edge of the barn, Paulo was on his back but was breathing at ease again.
In the future count Dracula sat back in his chair and was troubled.
And La-Freda smiled.
XXX
Later in the tavern, the man that had welcomed them to the village stood at the bar with Captain Kronos.
"The boy has strength I have never seen"
Kronos shook his head, "yes"
"Some would see that as supernatural...others would see that as unnatural"
The captain looked at him with interest, "what do YOU see him as?"
The villager shrugged as he thought about his answer carefully, "I am not sure...the boy shows he wants to help...but his eyes are..."
"Dark...foreboding...?"
He nods, "There is a darkness in him that chills me to the core, and it cannot be his gypsy up-bringing"
Kronos leaned his elbow onto the bar top, "It isn't"
The man met his gaze, "You seem to know what it is..."
"Did I say that?"
"You hinted at it"
Kronos broke off into a chuckle, "There are many a thing I hint at sir...now lets get some ale in, and be merry...for tonight at least..."
XXX
2020
The chess pieces are set. The sky is a deep orange against the outline of the ruins, as Count Dracula looks up from the game and smirks at his approaching guest. Sister Agatha in her habit robes and hair blowing in an unseen wind, settles down in the chair opposite him.
"You have mastered the tricks to summon me Count Dracula"
Dracula leaned back in his chair with a gold goblet of virgin blood at his lips, "Summon? I rather call in an invite, would't you?"
"Call it what you like...I am here"
Dracula reached out and gathered up her hand, "Ohhh I am glad you are"
"What is it? What do you want with me...can I ever rest in peace"
Dracula shook his head, "Not yet..."
"What is it"
"My son..."
Sister Agatha hovered a hand over the chess pieces, "Ohhh...you know what will become of him?"
Dracula shook his head, "I do..."
"You cannot stop ones destiny Count Dracula", she warned.
Count Dracula smiled at her and stood, his eyes dark and narrowing, "I can...and I will...", he snatched her to her feet and was threateningly calm, "...and YOU are going to help me"