Chapter 30
Fog blanketed the landscape, giving an eerie glow to the road we now traveled. The trees surrounding us seemed dead, yet they were alive. The very ground we traveled give the impression as if it would swallow us whole. Not a bird chirped, and not a single animal we saw. It seemed as if we had stepped from the relative safety of the earth, into a universe where nothing was certain.
Many stories had come from these woods when I was a child, stories that I could only remember vaguely. Stories of beasts and humanoid creatures that I believed only lived in legend. The fog, which seemed to eternally hide them, only enhanced the aura of its myth. It was through this fog that according to legend these creatures came. They made their homes in caves and trees, killing unknowing travelers, draining them of blood. The very vicious way in that these stories were told was exactly how the men and women of the village were kept alive.
And it was also the stories of these disappearances and deaths, which kept the reputation of these woods vividly within my memory. Many men would enter the woods, never to be seen again. Women would be awakened from a deep sleep, and led to their doom. It was these very stories that kept me vigilant.
Velkan and I, well aware of our situation, still wandered through it, our hearts and minds intent on finding the ones we loved. But, thankfully enough, our determination to find them had made us blind to any sort of danger. We had not encountered any sort of problem, after all. And it was because of this silence that I was allowed sometime to gather my thoughts, remembering everything that had occurred in only one night.
It had seemed to rush by me in a blur of events I could barely remember. The ballroom. The dance with Count Vladislaus Dracula. The escape from the castle. The pursuit of the wolves. Everything seemed so unreal, as if I lived in a storybook. Event after event seemed to throw me off balance. Almost as if god himself had vowed to ruin me for some sin I had not yet committed.
William had disappeared. How was I to explain that to my Uncle? Back at the estate he sat in his room, penning letters he knew would arrive at our doorstep, asking about William. I had already vowed to myself to not his mention word of his son's predicament, at least not until he was either dead to us or safely back in my hands.
It sent chills down my spine just thinking what the reaction of his father would be should he find his son missing. The rage he would feel, the revenge he would want to follow through with. It was something I wished not to see. Even an attempt at rescuing his son would most likely turn disastrous.
As to Velkan…it was something I did not want to even imagine. The man himself was not the problem, only the name. And the curse it brought along with it. Any children issuing from our union would most likely lead a life of danger I could not, and would not fathom. But, naïve and selfish as I was, I ignored that aspect of our tie, throwing caution to the wind. Somehow, I knew that it would be fine. And it was with these thoughts plaguing my mind that we continued our quiet search.
The following morning, Velkan and I had arrived only to find that Anna and Uncle Christopher Rajon were no longer in the neighboring chapel. Following news from some villagers, we followed a deeply wooded path in the general direction where they were last seen traveling. An uneventful day, to say the least. We did not find a single shred of evidence that they had even been there.
As we traveled those haunted roads, we kept sharp lookout all around us, knowing full well the dangers we had gotten ourselves into. At least we had found horses, and were now traveling on horseback, allowing for a quick and speedy escape should anything less than desirable occur. Of course, we hoped for the best.
"Your home!" I blurted suddenly. I saw Velkan's gaze turn slowly towards me, his eyes furrowing in a questioning glance.
"What do you mean?" he asked me. I quickened the step of my mare, taking the lead. He did not make a move to do the same.
"They have gone to your home." I said over my shoulder. "Where else could they have gone besides there?"
"What makes you so positive?" he asked me. I smiled at him briefly before I turned my gaze forward. "Well?" he asked me.
"I suppose---" I began, but I was not to finish the sentence. In moments, my horse had reared forward. My head shot forward to see the source of the sudden scare, but found nothing.
The mare's call was loud and shrill as I struggled to keep my grip on the reigns. But I failed miserably. In moments I had lost my grasp, and felt myself fall backward. Everything seemed to move slower as I fall, the horse stamping its feet and running full on into the dense fog, disappearing out of sight. I looked after the mare with a dizzied, yet shocked look on my face.
"I'm alright." I said after the horse had disappeared out of sight. I groaned in pain as I struggled to a sitting position. So surprised by the sudden commotion Velkan was, that he couldblinked rapidly, not making a move nor replying to my comment. Shaking his head rapidly, he jumped from horseback, coming to my side.
"Are you alright?" he asked, somewhat confused. "What happened?" I glared at him as if he had gone totally mad, but I chose to ignore his confusion.
"I do not know." I replied quietly. I reached behind me, rubbing my back to ease the pain. I noticed Velkan's small smirk as I did this. "What?" I asked him. He slowly began to laugh.
"You were so fixated on impressing me that you didn't look where you were going." He said simply. I reddened slightly in anger.
"I was not fixated on impressing you!" I replied angrily. I heard the snort of laughter come from him as I said this. "Something frightened the mare." I continued. My eyes drifted towards the obscured pathway. "We should go look for it." I said.
"I suppose," he said in answer. Reaching his hand out for me to take, I noticed him smile. I glared at him for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand. I felt immense pain in my bottom as I rose, but I merely squinted my eyes shut, forcing myself not to cry out. I was far from a weak woman, and I didn't want to seem any other way.
The sound of my horse could be heard not far away, it's winnie the only indication that it was close by. "I suppose we should go." I said after a moment. Velkan nodded silently, before heading towards his steed. Taking the reigns, he gestured for me to come.
Just as we were beginning our walk towards a heavy gathering of trees, we heard the sound of hooves approaching us. Velkan immediately stopped his horse, straining to hear from whence the sounds came. But, just as our footfalls stopped, so did the noise. I looked to Velkan in confusion, casting a worried glance about our surrounding. The fog could hide anything.
"Did you hear that?" he asked me, his wide eyes met mine, a hint of fear shining within them. I nodded in affirmation, choosing not to voice my thoughts. I felt as though if I did, my voice would crack in fear. He took a quick step forward, and as the step of the horse could be heard once again, we yet again heard the sound of an animal approaching us.
Velkan stopped suddenly, staying his horse. I attempted to venture forward, but with his free hand he reached out and blocked my path. I hit his arm, and looked up at him in anger.
"What do you think is happening?" I asked quietly. He shrugged his shoulders, saying not a word. I strained to catch a whisper of an unfamiliar sound, but heard nothing. "Perhaps it is Anna or my Uncle…" I murmured quietly to myself.
"It can't be." He said quietly. "They would not be playing these games…"
I heard every single word of what he had said, but I did not believe it. My uncle was usually the man to scare the wits out of people when they did not know what was coming. And so I smiled. Velkan glared at me in pure confusion.
"This is not funny!" he said to me. My grin only widened.
"You are taking this far to seriously." I whispered to him. "You do not know my uncle." His eyes widened at my comment.
"Your Uncle?!" he said almost angrily, I noticed his lips curl into a sneer. "Don't you understand…" A small laugh escaped my lips, imagining my uncle's smile as he noticed our fearful gaze. Velkan merely glared at me as if I had gone completely mad. I chuckled.
"You don't know my family." I said simply in response to Velkan's frustrated gaze. If, by some fluke, my uncle was hiding out there somewhere, waiting to frighten me, I would be ready. I would not allowhim to have that satisfaction. Reaching up, I pulled Velkan's arm away, talking a step forward. Straining my eyes to look through the fog, I still saw nothing. I turned my gaze back to Velkan.
A loud laugh was heard suddenly. So very familiar it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It was William. My William. Velkan shot his gaze towards me, surprise in his expression. My own gaze quickly turnedforward, into the milky haze ahead of me.
"William!" I said in a hushed whisper. "It is William." Velkan shook his head in denial, confusion racking his senses. In moments I had taken some hurried steps forward, straining to catch a glimpse of my cousin, finding nothing but pure whiteness in answer.
I did not hear his laugh any longer, not even his movement I sensed. Was it all in my mind? Was I hearing what I longed so much to hear? My mind went over and over the sound in my mind, trying to find a plausible answer. But, I could find nothing.
"It couldn't have been him." I heard Velkan say behind me. "He is gone. There is no possible way he could have escaped…" I shot my gaze back towards Velkan.
"And why exactly would---" he was interrupted suddenly by a call. The unmistakable call of my cousin. At first, the words were almost incoherent, as if he struggled to voice his thoughts. Another language he seemed to speak. "I cannot get a single word out today, can I?" I heard Velkan say behind me. I shushed him immediately. The voice had stopped.
"It was him!" I said in a hushed whisper, my voice rising slightly in excitement. "It is him!" I continued.
"Christine!" I heard him call suddenly, his voice so pleading, yet playful. "Christine!"
I turned back to Velkan, and found him shaking his head, knowing full well what I planned to do. But he did not expect to see my response as quickly as he did. Casting a smile in his direction, I turned and fled into the fog, ignoring his call behind me.
"William!" I yelled frantically. "William! Where are you!"
I stopped finally, surrounded completely by the fog. "William!" I called. In moments, I could hear the slow approach of steps, his baritone voice humming a small tune. I felt my eyes tear as I noticed his familiar form.
Velkan I heard in the distance, calling my name, looking for where I had gone. I ignored his call. I kept my gaze on my cousin's quiet approach. "Christine…" I heard him sing, his voice slowly stopping its song. "I'm glad to see you so well!"
"William!" I said. He had stopped his approach, and remained a mere two feet away from me, his arms crossed. I noticed his gaze briefly travel up and down my body in amusement.
"Well, well…" he said. His sneer was all the answer I needed to call my wrong. I had been fooled. "I didn't expect you to come running all on your own…" he murmured.
I did not reply, so shocked I was. I opened my voice to venture a comment, but I could not say a single word. I closed my eyes in panic, wanting so much for this not to happen. I heard him venture a step closer to me. My eyes shot open. I was face to face with his throat, and on his flawless skin I found he had been bitten.
I opened my mouth to scream, but in moments he had smothered it by covering my mouth with his hand. My eyes had become so wide that I noticed him smirk in amusement.
"No need to be so surprised, cousin." I heard him say. Angrily, I reached up to pull his hand away, but to no avail. "If you promise not to scream, I will move my hand away." I heard him say mockingly. It was almost as if he were speaking to a mere child. "Perhaps I will even 'forget' to notify the Count of our chance meeting…" I shook my head in denial, not understanding how he had become what he now was. I looked up and saw his smile.
"It is not so bad as you think." He continued, noticing my eyes travel to his throat once again. "It rather surprises me that you would deny yourself the pleasure of becoming one of us."
"Oh, my darling," I heard suddenly. It was a feminine voice. Followed by an all to familiar laugh. "You are not one of us yet." Aleera. She was here as well. As I noticed her approach us, I realized a glint of jealousy shining in her light eyes.
"Aleera." William said in response. "It is only by your decision I have not yet joined your ranks." She laughed even louder then as she heard his comment. Taking a cautious step forward, I noticed her gently lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Only because I so like the taste of your pure blood, my love." I heard her say in response. I felt myself nearly wretch at the use 'my love'. Feeling the sudden movement, William tightened his grip on me. I noticed Aleera's hauntingly beautiful eyes rest on me once again. "Perhaps now that we have the Baroness, I will make an exception…." She continued. William's gaze shot from me towards Aleera.
"No!" I heard him order angrily. "Let me deal with my own!"
"Oh William!" she said sadly. "Please, it is rather rude of you not to let me have a taste of her!" As I heard the venomous sparring of their conversation, I quickly realized I was in a bit of trouble. As an argument slowly began to heighten between the two, I felt his grip loosen on my mouth.
In moments I had pulled away from him frantically, running for my life. "Velkan!" I screamed in a panic. In moments I heard Velkan's call in reply, his rushed footfalls. He could not arrive soon enough.
I stopped suddenly, panic stricken. I didn't know where to go. The hurried steps of my cousin behind me seemed almost to speed to an unimaginable pace, sending my racing heart to a ridiculous speed.
"No, no, no…" I heard Aleera say suddenly. Her voice was almost at my ear. I turned suddenly to see her deceivingly innocent smile, a glint of playfulness in her eyes. "That was a bad thing to do indeed!" she hissed suddenly. In moments, she had reached out for me, shoving me roughly to the ground.
"A bad thing indeed." Came the voice of William. He was above me, smiling sardonically. "We wouldn't want you to escape so easily, now would we? It would simply not do."