Hello everyone! We continue with the daughters next phase of transformation. Finally Bela, Cassandra and Daniela arrive. The title of this chapter was influenced by the song 'Here I am' from the amazing film: Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron. I thought it fit for this particular chapter. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy!
Alcina watched over Mother Miranda's shoulders as she implanted the Cadou parasite into each of the girls. The procedure had gone without any issue, but despite that Alcina felt a constant worry. Never did she stray too far from them, and if she had to leave the room, she made sure to lock it so no one else could enter inside.
There had been one maid who had foolishly stepped up to the door and tried to get inside. The poor thing was only looking for Alcina, but the possessive; protective mother had launched on her. Taking her down to the cellar to be harvested.
The girls were in the most critical part of their transformation and nothing would disturb them! Eventually she never left the room, ordering her servants to bring her her meals to the door.
And then the day finally arrived:
Rain trickled down from the heavens. Gently pattering against the castle. Alcina stood over by the window and watched the rain fall. She always enjoyed listening to the sound of raindrops, but on this night she was not listening to that. No, something else was stirring in the room.
The flames in the fireplace flickered, bringing her attention back over to the girls. The mass of insects had finally transformed back into bodies. Who they were did not resemble Sybilla, Ezrabeth and Vivian. The three girls she had known were completely gone. They had died in order for her daughters to be born.
Alcina walked away from the window, approaching the beds when all three blinked their eyes open. Yellow eyes. Just like her own. Innocent faces staring up at her like newborns. Following her every movement. She chuckled. The joy overwhelming her to the point she could not speak.
She approached each girl one by one; carefully picking them up in her arms and kissing them, taking note their pale skin was glossy and had a white coating on it. (She soon uncovered it was vernix that lingered on a newborns skin that acted as protection).
"Mother," they all chirped, wanting to receive more of her affections. The sound was bliss to her ears, and she did not deny them. Once again she walked to each one, starting with the blonde whose arms shook as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, but her strength gave out and she slumped back against the pillow. Frustration and annoyance played across her face. Unable to decide which one she was feeling the most.
"Bela," Alcina said.
It had taken her a long time to decide which names would suit them. Alcina had gotten to work on reading through her family history and uncovering three very influential and strong relatives.
There was a Queen Bela who had been one of the most powerful women in medieval times. It was said she had taken on Europe's most powerful men. Then there was a Cassandra who was Queen of an Iceni tribe during the Roman occupation in Britain. It was said she united tribes and lead an army of 100,000 and had successfully driven the Romans out. Lastly was another queen by the name of Daniela who was a poet, artist and proclaimed a 'goddess of the arts'.
'They will carry these names with pride," Alcina had thought. 'My blood. Their blood flows through the girls' veins. They will become just as great. Just as mighty.'
"Motherrrr." She glanced over to Cassandra, who was growing more and more impatient to not be receiving attention.
"I will go to you last if you keep that up," Alcina warned her… she already has an attitude. This will be quite interesting.
Cassandra fell silent, a pout on her face.
She faced Bela again, who was beginning to smack her lips together and growing just as restless as Cassandra.
"You are hungry, aren't you?"
Bela whimpered in reply.
'Interesting,' Alcina thought. 'They have not yet developed a vocabulary. Though they know the word, 'mother', and clearly understand me when I speak. However, all other responses are just sounds. They are clearly attempting to talk, but haven't the facilities to produce words. Their brains appear to be functioning at an infant level.'
Bela had started to knead at Alcina's arm, her mouth partially open to indicate for food.
"Yes, my darling," she said, using one of her nails to make a small laceration across her breast and took a seat on the bed, pulling Bela closer to her.
The smell of the blood prompted Bela to start nursing. At first she was sucking frantically, but slowed down once she knew her mother was not going to move away. After another minute, Bela stopped and slumped back in the bed, satisfied.
Wiping away the excess blood from her face, Alcina moved next to her middle child, who was sitting straight up in the bed and shaking. She wanted the blood. Seeing Bela suckling along with the smell was driving her into a frenzy.
Alcina barely had time to sit down when Cassandra launched at her. Digging her teeth deep into Alcina's flesh.
"Cassandra!" she yelped.
The urge to smack her across the face had flashed through her mind, but Alcina permitted this one error to go unpunished. Cassandra did not know any better, and she understood how terrible the pain of hunger was.
Cassandra not as gentle or ladylike in her feeding as Bela, knew like her sister precisely when to stop.
"Look at you," Alcina said, grabbing a cloth and wiping the blood off her face. "We must work on your manners, young lady."
Cassandra was indifferent to her mother's criticism, releasing a loud yawn and snuggling back down into the bed.
"Mother…, hungry."
"What did you say?" Alcina said, gracefully turning in Daniela's direction.
"Hungry…, Mother," she said again, correcting her sentence structure.
Alcina smiled proudly at her youngest.
"I shall remedy that for you, my brilliant girl."
Alcina making a new laceration on her other breast, nuzzled her nose into Daniela's red hair as she drank. As the girls took in her blood, she could feel their bond grow stronger. Their minds and souls becoming as one. She would feel all their pain, sorrow, joy…, all their emotions as if she were experiencing it herself.
"That's enough now, Daniela," Alcina said, but unlike her siblings she did not stop on her own, requiring Alcina to pull away from her. She whimpered, staring up at her mother in hopes she'd give in to her. "Do not give me that look, dearest, you have had plenty."
In truth Alcina was feeling a bit light headed; she hadn't expected to feel weakened. She took a seat in the large chair by the fire to gather herself. She would need to consume extra flesh and blood at this rate.
"I am going to need to wean you three quickly, or else you may kill me. And we cannot have that, can we girls?" she chortled quietly, remaining in the room and watching them sleep. Their hearts and breathing steady. A slight movement here and there. An occasional light whimper from Daniela; Bela still and calm; Cassandra who had begun to snore loudly. They were already so unique from one another.
Alcina winced suddenly. A sharp pain that felt like a knife in her chest jolted her up to her feet. She had waited too long. She needed to feed. She staggered out of the room, breathing hard as she made her way down the hall.
Passing by a mirror hanging on the wall, she caught a glimpse of her face. Seeing her eye color had changed to orange. Soon they would be red indicating her body would start transforming.
{-}
Blood trickled down the sides of her face.
By some miracle Alcina managed to hold out and reach her destination. Entering into her dungeon, she approached the very first cell that contained 8 young girls ranging from 12-18 years of age. Each cell she had strategically placed the females in upon the best vintages. 19-25 she found the most delectable, but at the moment she was not picky.
The girls scurried back as her claws grew out and she sliced right through the metal bars.
"Do not be afraid, my pretties," she cooed, presenting them with a warm smile. "Your essences' will live on inside of me after you depart this wor-." She gasped as another sharp pain exploded in her core. Now!
She launched at them, slicing off one of the girls heads and consuming the blood that gushed out like a fire hydrant. Stabbing another girl in the midsection as she tried to flee the cell. Two others tried to make an escape while the others were being eaten, but Alcina was already upon them. Flinging away the two bodies still impaled on her long, dragon-like claws, she sliced off both children's legs and watched for a moment as they attempted to crawl away.
"Even now on the brink of death you still fight. Crawling like worms, and to what end? If I simply left you alone to crawl away, what would you do next?" Alcina then sliced off their left arm and then their right with a cruel; sadistic laugh. "Look at you! Now you are worms! Wiggling in the grime!"
"You bitch!" a girl from the corner of the cell shouted.
"Ahh, yes! That's it. Show me your anger. It makes the blood all the more sweeter." Alcina laughed harder, as one of the older girls stood and faced her. "Astounding, and brava to you for staying alive."
"You will pay for what you have done here!"
"I have paid more than my share, child," she said. "I no longer live in a world where there is justice. Where good and evil collide. I live in a world where it is eat or be eaten!" It was merely a simple flick of her wrist. The girl gasped, looking down to see Alcina's claws in her chest and out she pulled her heart. The last thing she ever heard was Alcina's laughter as she devoured her heart.
{-}
Alcina had returned to her chambers to clean herself up. Her dress was covered with blood along with her face. Some blood splatter had even landed in her hair. She took off her hat with a sigh, lighting her cigarette as she prepared her bath. Once the water was steaming, she lowered herself in and relaxed. Closing her eyes and enjoying how powerful she felt again.
"Too close this time. If I had not eaten all eight of those girls…" she drew in more of the smoke, exhaling it out of her nose. She had only transformed once into her 'other half', and it had been in front of Mother Miranda. She had pushed beyond her limits and lost control. Never had Alcina experienced pain such as the transformation. Her body had quite literally been tearing itself apart. Bones breaking; muscles ripped to shreds. Convincing herself death was better than this. "If Mother Miranda had not intervened, well, I may have been stuck in that form forever."
Lowering herself further down into the tub, Alcina felt an unexplainable amount of sorrow surge through her. Such pain to her heart it made her sit up.
"Impossible, do I really need to feed again…? No this is different. I feel sadness." It was in that moment Alcina heard distant crying. Dropping her cigarette in the tub, she hastily got out and didn't stop to dry herself off. Instead she grabbed her night robe on her way out and placed it on. It took her but a minute to reach the nursery where the sounds of their crying were now deafening.
She ducked through the doorway, where she found all three huddled in the same bed, clinging to one another.
"What is the matter, my darlings?"
All three looked up simultaneously, and proceeded to crawl over one another in a mad dash to reach their mother first.
"There, there, I am here. It is all right. You are all right." She dropped down to her knees, the three packed together and nestled into her with renewed smiles on their faces. "What am I to do with you three? Hmm?" she giggled, enveloping them in her arms; adoring the tender loving kisses and nips upon her face. "You know what I think?"
All three stared up at her expectantly.
"I think the first thing is to find you three some decent attire. We cannot have young ladies running about naked, can we?"
They all inclined their heads to the left, not quite fathoming what she said. All that mattered to them was their mother was there.