Season 1 Episode 6: Seeds of Tragedy
~Transylvanian~
"English"
'Thoughts'
Magda sat the dresser in the Count's room, well it was more a desk with a mirror on top of it. With a pen in hand, she wrote in an elegant hand befitting a lady of the aristocracy a letter for the one that had to be informed of this day's events.
Grand High Vampire
My Lord, I am afraid I write to you with distressing news that you must be informed of, to do not would be treason. I have returned to my lover at the current Dracula abode, the castle on the tall hill in a small town by the name of Stokely.
This morning I was harshly awoken by Belladonna's servant girl and was informed that a slayer was on the way to the castle. Had I known there was a slayer nearby be assured I would have written immediately sire.
We did what we could to defend ourselves. but the slayer came prepared with many weapons in the middle of the day, he has even broken several windows to allow daylight into our castle to cut off our escape routes and further corner us.
The Count was wounded in the attack, barely avoiding death by staking and my daughter, Belladonna was nearly struck down had she not been saved by her choice of concubine. She was wounded and the stress from the attack induced her labour.
She is currently giving birth, but I had to be quick or the Count would try to stop my efforts. I can hear her screams of agony now as I write this.
I suggest you send someone fast my Lord before your children are endangered, as is the future of the vampire race.
Magda Carmilla Elizabetta Bathoria Westenra
Folding the parchment, she slid it into an envelope before sealing it with the wax seal of the Westenra clan before taking her to leave of the room, concealing the envelope in her ample bosom, her corset serving the additional purpose of pushing her breasts together.
She needed to send off her letter before the Count became aware of it.
If all went to plan she would earn herself the good favour of the Grand High Vampire and with a touch of luck, it will put an end to the mockery she had been subjected to after the Count had ensured everyone knew of her dalliances with the werewolves.
…
The room shimmered around her. A dark fog rippled around her vision as Bella's eyes latched onto Musa standing to the side of her, two small bundles in her arms, the fabric embracing them discoloured by dust and the light pink of diluted blood. Her body was partially submerged in the now bloody water of the bath.
Cold sweat coated the parts of her body not submerged beneath the dark cooling surface. The dank room around her was continuing to fade. She felt so weak. Had her heart still beat it would be hammering from the exertion and anxiety of what she had just undergone.
~H-Ho…How…~
~They're healthy, congratulations Bella, you're the proud mother of a baby boy and a girl,~ Musa smiled at her beloved.
Thoughts of the slayer had long since faded from Musa's mind after aiding and coaxing Bella through the long and painful ordeal of birthing the twins.
Flora stepped passed the Jorogumo and held her wrist to her Mistress' lips, the bolt had been removed from her gut when Renfield had set about treating the wounds the slayer had inflicted on her and the Count, grey bandages were wrapped around her midriff, a noticeable dark almost maroon stain over where the wound was located.
Bella's fangs pierced the thin flesh, Flora squeezed her eyes shut ignoring the stinging pain of the points piercing her skin. The familiar pulling sensation began, it almost felt enjoyable now. Bella gulped down her blood, her throat bulging as the hot liquid flowed into her.
The dim almost dull eyes of the young vampire began to glow an unholy red. Bella could feel her strength returning, the room coming into focus again and lucidity returning.
She released her servant. Flora stumbled but managed to remain standing.
Shakily Bella sat up in the tub, pink water pouring down her shoulders and over her chest, drawing Flora's eyes almost drunkenly.
~You need rest~ Musa said.
~I know…and I will…but the slayer…~
~You're not going after him.~
~No…~ she seemed to be struggling to push the words out, focusing too hard to remain conscious. ~He'll tell the slayers…send your children…send them all out…~
~After him?~
~No…that'll spur him to act…the school…~
~The school?~
~His son is his weakness…he cares for the children…show him…that his son…is in danger…make him fear us…he will leave us or…~
~Or his son will die?~
~And the town.~
~Bella you can't be-~
~I am!~ her head jerked up, glaring at Musa ~he made me fear death…my children…not again…this town will die…he will be silent…~
…
Magda entered the dining room of the castle, Renfield was in the process of boarding up one of the many broken windows, the daylight split the room in half. A dim barrier stopped her from reaching the further end of the room.
The breather looked up at her, his expression of distaste once he realized it was her. Not that she cared, she detested the fool so much she wouldn't even entertain the idea of biting him, should she even snap his neck would mean burning her glove afterwards and he was not worth the value of a replacement.
~You, go make yourself useful and bring me something to drink.~
~Yes Mistress Magda~ the man muttered as he hurriedly stepped across the room and headed towards the kitchen.
Magda sat at the table. The day was still young but she would not dare allow herself to rest until she could post the letter. She doubted anyone would question her given the attack, it was only natural to assume they could be struck again while they slept. Not like anyone would wonder, not while Bella is in labour, nor a while after she has given birth. Though now that she thought about it, she hadn't heard any screams for in the last half hour, perhaps the deed was done.
'I wonder if they survived the process, then again if they didn't the Grand High Vampire would definitely not be happy,' she allowed a sly smirk to play her lips as the thought of the most powerful vampire storming into the castle amused her.
Knock Knock
Magda's gaze slithered towards the front door.
'Another slayer? Well if it is, it's the most polite slayer I've ever heard of.'
With a flick of her wrist the worn curtains closed, a faint breeze still allowed the occasional streak of light to sneak into the room, but at least now she wouldn't burn on the way to the door.
Daintily she crossed the room, stopping a good few paces from the door.
She inhaled deeply. A breather male was on the other side.
She trained her predatory instincts.
His heartbeat was firm and constant. Relaxed. Healthy. On the edge of youth, somewhere between twenty and thirty…unless he was far healthier than any man had any right to be.
Her mouth salivated.
She swallowed and with another wave of her hand the left member of the double doors creaked open, allowing a corridor of light to come in at an angle as well as her prey.
He peered around the door, an awkward expression of confusion becoming a small smile as he stepped in, the door silently closing behind him. Her expression became one of nervousness as he looked back at the door as the cool shade of the castle consumed him.
"Hello, my name is Magda and who do I have the pleasure of hosting this afternoon?" she offered him her hand.
Caught off-guard by the greeting the man took the offered hand and re-enacting the many films he had seen placed his lips to her knuckles and planted a kiss.
She smiled.
"I'm Fred- err Officer Fred." He corrected himself, gesturing to the name tag on his luminescent jacket.
"Oh, and what do I owe the pleasure of hosting an officer of the law?" Magda stepped forward, already altering her posture so she pushed out her chest.
His cheeks tinged a little pink as he encouraged his eyes to focus on Magda's face, attempting to ignore the tempting valley below.
"I've come to speak with…" he took out a piece of paper from his chest pocket, "Musa Kinbaku-bi and Bloom Count."
He struggled a bit with the foreignness of Musa's last name, almost putting an accent into the word that didn't belong there, mixing awkwardly with his natural Welsh accent.
"Ah, I'm afraid they are indisposed at the moment, I am…Bloom's…" the name tasted wrong on her lips, "mother."
He slid the paper back into his pocket.
"I'm afraid I must insist on speaking with them, this is very important."
He was still trying to look at Magda's face.
With a small smile, Magda focused on drawing in his gaze. With the intensity of him avoiding her breasts it was a simple task.
His mouth opened in a gaumless expression as his pupils dilated, his consciousness captured by her superior will.
She stepped forward, tilting her head slightly, the man mirrored the action.
Once she stood in front of him, she reached over and stroked the flesh of his neck. She swallowed as she felt the strong yet relaxed pulse beneath her cold fingertips.
She couldn't resist any longer.
She bit into his neck and began to drink.
The man radiated health and his blood did not disappoint, she felt her cheeks flush with warmth, her chest burned, energy surged through her veins.
When she released him, she actually took an involuntary breath, her chest heaving as her lung filled after so long.
She looked into his empty eyes.
She could already feel the effect. His blood inside her body called to him. Her eyes glowed a nauseating gold sealing his fate. She spoke the words that would eternally bind him to her. He would crave, no he would need her. He would ache for her to feed on him. He would endure great agony should he ever try disobey her. The thought of hurting her would be worse than death. He would be her thrall for as long as she wanted, and should she grow tired of him, she would snuff him out.
"Now, you're going to tell me everything."
He nodded as she gave him her first command.
By the time Magda sent her new thrall on his way back to the station with instructions that would send him and his underlings away from the castle the sun was dipping beyond the horizon. A fiery glow illuminating the small town at the bottom of the hill, the officer turned back, his build framed by the appealing glow.
Magda smiled and blew him a kiss, mesmerized he caught it before turning and continuing on his journey back.
'I'll need to make sure the Grand High Vampire hears of this too, perhaps I'll even gain custody of that harlot,' she mused to herself, moistening her lips with a subtle flick of her tongue as images of the prestige and power her less favoured offspring would bring her, the annoyance of the bitch's insults would be a small price to pay.
Once the sun vanished from view entirely Magda fully opened the door and stepped over the threshold, the cool night air enveloping her. Her senses opened up, enticed by the world of night. Holding the dark envelope close to herself she made her way down the pathway that led to the castle, the sooner the letter was out of her hands and away the better.
As she began to descend the trail of the hill, she heard the familiar sound of a leathery flap. Slowly looking over her shoulder, she saw a small bat dive out of one of the upper windows of the castle. Even from the distance she had reached her eyes told her the specimen was male, she spied the luscious lashes of her lover above the bloody eyes.
The Count, Vladimir Dracula the 6th soared into the darkening sky. With every ounce of light that faded beyond the horizon, he felt his power growing, building energy coursing through his veins. With each flap of his wings, he increased his speed. The wound of his chest almost healed but still burning with the tell-tale signs of a garlic-soaked weapon piercing his flesh.
He needed to feed.
If he didn't feed it would take days to fully recover. And with a slayer in town, he did not have days. It was a risk but he needed fresh blood. Thankfully the Count knew exactly where he could find a…willing source to sate his thirsts.
….
Elizabeth stirred in her sleep, eyes half opening. She felt her heart drop in her chest, fear once again squeezing her. Of their own accord her feet slid out from under the covers, silently sliding out of her bed. Her eyes flicked over to her sleeping husband.
Since he came to see them both she and her husband had found themselves growing sleepy as the sunset and without fail every time, they were fast asleep in bed as the last light faded.
She tried to speak. Her mouth opened but her voice would not follow, a spectral grip on her vocal cords. Her nightie fell around her to her calves as gravity regained its hold. Turning in place she began to make her way downstairs.
She passed the doors of her children's bedrooms. She heard the television in Ian and Paul's room, light footsteps in Robin's, and Chloe's was silent. Part of her wanted to knock on the doors and scream for help, the other half didn't want her children around when he came.
But in truth, it didn't matter what she wanted. Her voice would not work, her arms wouldn't raise. There was nothing she could do as her bare feet took her to the living room.
A pale thin mist slid through minuscule openings in the window and began to pool together in front of her, rising up until it began to compile a humanoid form.
The mist solidified.
Alucard Count stood before her.
His shadowy cloak draped around him.
She began to crane her neck, tears stinging her eyes.
He stepped forward, his cloak opening, she saw a red stain near his chest.
He was injured.
Not that it mattered. Her body wouldn't obey her. This man…no this monster could be on the edge of death and she wouldn't be able to do anything.
His cold lips parted, exposing the points of his fangs. Her heart began to hammer even harder, tears now freely flowing down her cheeks.
His icy fingers curled around the neckline of her nightie and he peeled it back until it slid down her shoulder, exposing the previously hidden almost invisible scar of his previous feeding, hidden by makeup she was compelled to apply.
He leaned in. She wanted to scream. To run. To pound her fists against him.
She stood there motionless.
His fangs pierced her flesh. Like twin needles, they dug deep and he began to drink. She squeezed her eyes shut. If she wasn't frozen, she was sure she'd collapse as the all too familiar weakness spread over her, her head beginning to spin with dizziness.
The Count drank deep, not caring for the woman's health. He had no need to spare her, he took what he needed. Once he was done, it was clear the woman would last at most a week if he continued to feed. She would either rise as one of his own, or become worm food like so many others before her.
"Don't let anyone know. Hide my bite. Go back to bed."
She cringed at the command. He always gave the same one after he came to her.
She felt a shiver trapped in her spine as the Count licked away the excess blood on her shoulder, stopping the stain and slowing the bleeding until it stopped.
When would this nightmare end?
…
Bella's eyes fluttered open. She was laid in a graveyard, the ground damp beneath her, her body half-submerged in the muggy earth. With a thought her body lifted, rotating until her feet softly planted atop the tip of the blades of grass, as if weightless she did not sink.
Fatigue did not exist in the dream realm.
It was as though her powers were fully restored.
The false gift of this realm.
She honed her mind. A door appeared before her, hovering above the ground.
~Slayer.~
The door swung open.
Bella stepped through the doorway, the damp air of the cemetery vanishing for the man-made warmth of central heating. She stood in the slayer's classroom; his dream self was grading papers. An atmosphere of comfort and security lacing the illusionary room around her.
'So, this is his safe place, his ordinary job, I suppose it makes sense that his safe space would be a place void of our world.'
The slayer turned. He saw her. He was suddenly on his feet, his desk chair falling back and vanishing before it hit the floor, forgotten and no longer important.
He reached for his weapons.
They weren't there.
He looked at his belt.
It was gone. As were the rest of his clothes. He stood before his intruder completely naked.
"I have the power here slayer."
With a gesture, the room was filled with students. The colour drained from the man's face as he saw his class…hanging from the ceiling, bloody ropes around their slit necks. Some eyes closed, some staring unfocused back at him, necks limp.
The sound of blood dripping onto the hard floor began to echo around him
Drip
Drip
Drip
He held his ears but the sound persisted.
"What happens next is of your own doing slayer."
He turned to glare at her.
"What!"
Drip Drip
Drip Drip
Drip Drip
The dripping blood began to hasten it's fall.
"You'll see. Make another mistake…I'm sure you can work it out."
Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip
Drip Drip Drip Drip Drip
DRIP DRIP DRIP DRIP DRIP
It was like he was surrounded by heavy rain mixed with concert speakers.
Blood began to seep from his ears.
…
Flora was leaning against the rough stone wall framing one of the many castle windows, the wound in her gut burning with piercing pain. Flora tried to push the pain from her mind, a grey bandage was wrapped around her hip, stained with the now dry blood, but it was the best that could be done until her Mistress was back to full strength.
She turned the page of the book in her lap. Its decorated pages worn by time and fraying at the edges, filled handwritten notes and directions alongside the occasional rough sketches of a plant or poison.
'There has to be something in here I can use.'
She flicked through several more pages.
'Rare flowers? No.
Subtle poisons? No.
Herbal remedies? No.
Fae circles? No.
There has to be something in here…'
She suddenly stopped flicking the pages and turned it back a page.
'Assassin Vine…'
Her eyes danced over the description. A plant that was more like an animal. Dormant when blind to the light, but when exposed to sunlight…anything that steps within the territory of this predator will be stripped of flesh and meat before being discarded. There was a rough sketch of a collection of thorned vines in the top right corner of the page.
It would take some work but Flora was certain she could do it.
'If that slayer comes back, I'll drop his bones at my Mistress's feet.'
Flora struggled to her feet. Pain surged through her. She gritted her teeth and began to make her way towards the staircase that would take her to the battlements and her sanctuary, she had a lot of work to do.
…
Beb Beb Beeb
Beb Beb Beeb
Beb Beb Beeb
Graham groaned as he turned in his sleep. Eyes squeezed shut as the harsh irritating sound of his alarm wrenched him from slumber. Reaching over he slapped the silencing button and turned, sitting upright in bed.
He looked over at his still sleeping wife, his frown from the day before returning. She had insisted all she needed was a goodnight's sleep but if anything, she looked even paler this morning than she had the day before.
'Sorry Elsie…I'm going to have to call a doctor…'
Graham stood from the bed and headed straight out of the room, he doubted Robert would give him flack for being late given the circumstances. His skin prickled as he stepped into the hallway, the cool air of the house before the heating kicked on embracing him.
He hastened his steps, the floorboards creaking, he headed down the stairs and straight into the living room. Graham picked up the phone and began to dial the number for the local surgery before bringing the receiver to his ear not seeing the small black dot that skittered away from his fingers.
Nnnn Nnnn
Nnnn Nnnn
Nnnn Nnnn
Clunk
The phone fell from his grip as a feeling akin to a needle stabbing the back of his hand startled him, swiftly followed by a burning sensation that spread up his arm.
His vision swam, rippling as it began to blur.
He began to sway.
His eyes rolled backwards and he fell to the floor with a loud thud.
A small spider scampered off the back of his hand and made its way back to the shadows, waiting for its meal to succumb before it began to feed.
He was still warm when Chloe found him a couple of hours later. When she saw him, he was laid partially on his side, his head touching the foot of his armchair. He was very pale. His eyes half-closed, only the whites visible.
"D-Da…Dad…" her voice shook a little.
Chloe stepped forward, bending her knee she tried to shake him awake, hand on his shoulder. He rolled and his face pressed into the carpet.
"D…Dad…wake up…"
Tears wet her eyes.
She shook him harder.
He rolled in place limply, returning back to having his face pressed into the rough cream carpet.
"Dad you're scaring me…"
Her voice broke.
…
Flora stumbled outside, the cool air of early morning welcoming her. Grey bags lined her eyes, red veins standing out against the whites of her eyes. With one hand she braced herself against the door frame and in the other, she held a small glass bottle filled with a dark thick liquid with red seeds drunkenly floating within.
Flora uncorked the bottle and with a sweeping motion, she scattered the seeds. The liquid bubbled on contact as the soil drank the gurgling substance, swallowing the seeds with it. Flora recited the short incantation she had read beneath the instructions on how to brew the seeds. Her knees quivered, feeling a sudden loss of energy.
Dark green vines began to sprout from the ground, decorated with noticeable purple red-tipped thorns. With reckless abandon, they multiplied until they resembled a bushel on either side of the pathway leading to the castle doors.
"If that…slayer comes back…he'll never…" her words faded into deep breaths of exhaustion.
A/N I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I had a few more night shifts at work so started writing during some slow hours. Sorry, it's been so long, been struggling with mental health and just finding free time, hopefully, the next chapter will be quicker.
SimplyLovingIt: Thank you again for all your help with proofreading and editing this chapter, and pointing out some stuff I'd overlooked 😊
Vampiric Storm: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for your continued support 😊
Tiggyneo: Haha glad someone finally gave the original show a chance, I hope you enjoyed it 😊 and I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.
DeliriumOfTheEndless: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry for the wait.