Ivy is Utterly Lost: Thank you for your feedback. You can get a hint of what order the backstories are being told in from the film. ;)
A/N: I'm sorry to my readers this chapter had to be a few days late. On the bright side, this means a shorter wait to Chapter 8. :)
Chapter 7: Aleera
Transylvania, 1805
Entering the castle armoury, Aleera found her sister, cousin and father equipping themselves for the hunt, all dressed in hunting coats, boots and pantaloons. Her cousin Vidor, a tall and thin young man, was considering a flintlock.
"Father." The bearded, broad-shouldered man looked, dark eyes widening. Though his curly brown beard concealed his mouth, Aleera could tell by the way the moustache's edges curled he was grimacing slightly.
"Why on earth are you wearing that?" Vidor said, giving Aleera a teasing grin. He had dark eyes and angular cheekbones like her father – his uncle – but his jaw was more square-shaped and he had no beard.
"Father said I would take part in a hunt one day," Aleera replied, crossing her arms while looking at Vidor almost-haughtily. She was dressed in pantaloons, waistcoat and a spencer coat like her sister, curly red hair tied in a bun. She swallowed down her self-consciousness about her mannish attire.
"Aleera, I said I would consider it," Kazmer Valerious said, voice deep and commanding. He took three steps towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hunting is no wade in a river nor stroll in the village. It involves facing beasts that will kill you if you don't kill them first."
"Then let me come so I won't ask to see such things again," Aleera pleaded. "Father, I will soon be in my thirtieth year, yet I know nothing about what my own family does outside of the castle walls. Nor have I ever been outside those walls without being accompanied!"
"My answer remains no, Aleera," Kazmer said firmly. "Read to your mother, you know how she enjoys you reading to her." Aleera glared slightly – though she loved her father, she hated being ordered around like a child, told how to behave and what to do.
"Very well," she said coolly. Aleera caught a sympathetic look from her brown-haired sister, who had eyes matching hers, before the redhead turned heel and marched – almost stormed – from the armoury.
Aleera sat at the bedside in her pale-grey daywear dress, novel open in her hands as she read aloud – she'd been reading it chapter-by-chapter for the last two weeks. With her bun undone, her red curls flowed past her shoulders, looking fiery in the orange candlelight. Reaching the chapter's end, she closed the book.
"What a remarkable turn of events," the elderly half-Spanish woman in the bed croaked, eyes gazing at the ceiling. She had the same fiery hair as Aleera, though it had started greying. Aleera's heart ached, looking at her mother who'd been bedridden for two months. Vidor didn't think much of her state – the stuck-up oaf thought nothing could keep down a woman as stubborn as she'd once been. Aleera's sister felt worried, the same as she did and she thought their father did. But besides heartache, Aleera also felt fear. For whatever reason her parents insisted was so bland it would be of no interest to her, Aleera's mother had never left Castle Valerious without her husband, her entire married life. Whether out of resentment or genuine belief, Aleera blamed her mother's isolated life for her health's slow decline, and she couldn't stop thinking of herself slowly falling ill like that. A knock at the door made Aleera turn her head. Her twin sister, Elena, stepped in. Though their eyes matched and their hair had the same curls, Elena's face was slightly thinner than Aleera's. She had a broadsword at her waist, pistols slotted in either Hessian boot. Elena gave a greeting look at Aleera, who smiled, then looked concerned at their mother.
"How do you feel today, Mother?" Elena asked softly, arms crossed and face soft.
"Much better than when I slept through an entire day," the old woman croaked slightly-defiantly. Grinning, Aleera suppressed a giggle. Her mother and sister's clashing had always amused her.
"Vidor, Father and I are now leaving on a hunt," Elena said. Looking at Aleera: "Do you want to see us off?"
"I shall," Aleera said, almost sighing defeatedly. She held and rubbed her mother's hand comfortingly a moment, then rose and walked towards the door.
"Goodbye, Mother," Elena said.
"Be careful not to get yourself killed, handling all those men's pistols!" the old woman called loudly as Aleera exited, before Elena followed. Aleera walked ahead down the hallway, before Elena caught up at a fast walker's pace.
"I am sorry about what happened in the armoury, Aleera," Elena said, walking just behind her shoulder.
"I know you are," Aleera said, casting a warm look back at her.
"We should return in the late afternoon, as usual," Elena said more formally. She put her hand on Aleera's arm, both of them stopping in the hallway, looking at each-other. "But I promise, I will speak to Father about you and the family hunting business." Aleera smiled, recognising her sister's I-mean-it tone.
"Thank you, Elena," Aleera said meaningfully.
"If the hunt goes well today, and I shall go to extra efforts to see that it does, we might return home early," Elena said, smiling back.
"Elena!" Vidor's voice called from ahead, in the front hall below the landing. "Are you coming or not?!"
"We had best hurry to the doors before Father gets impatient," Elena said, she and Aleera sharing a mischievous grin before half-running ahead, Aleera holding up her dress's hem.
When not seeing to her mother, Aleera passed the time wandering the castle's halls, looking at the wall's paintings and weapons again. In spite of how dull she found seeing the same pictures, Aleera would have had to look twice to tell if one had gone missing – it had happened once or twice, as unlike other estates, the Valerious hired villagers as servants instead of having a staff living in the castle. Though every time it had happened, Kazmer had found the perpetrator and punished them severely.
At one o'clock, Aleera watched her family returning, from the window. Elena had an awful bruise on her face, and their hunting clothing was dirtied and cut deep enough to draw blood. Aleera proceeded downstairs, opening the front hall's huge double-doors.
"What happened?" Aleera asked quietly as her family passed through, looking at them in concern.
"The wolf we were hunting nearly savaged Vidor," Elena murmured, entering after Kazmer and before Vidor. "It got away."
"The hunt will resume tomorrow," Kazmer murmured.
After dinner, Aleera retreated to her study room to revise her language skills. She heard Elena and Kazmer's voices competing in the dining hall, making her look forward to talking with them later in the day. In the early evening, she finished reading to her mother her current book's last chapter. At sunset, she was in the ground-floor library, removing a new novel from the shelf to read to her mother. She turned from the shelf, stopping when she saw her father in the library's doorway.
"Father," Aleera said, smiling. Kazmer strode in, bearded face looking grave. Aleera knew it meant he was very serious, and was half-eager to hear what he would say, hoping it concerned her and her family's hunting.
"Sit down," Kazmer said, gesturing to the library's armchair. Aleera obeyed. He walked in front and stood over her, looking down with hands behind his back.
"Elena has talked to me about your interest in hunting," Kazmer murmured quietly. Aleera watched his face carefully, becoming suddenly uncertain about his manner. "She made valid points about your behaviour, and about how much you do and don't know."
"How did the argument end?" Aleera asked. A pause followed, before her father slowly sat on the armchair opposite her, looking at her.
"You will spend the next summer with your mother's second cousins in Vienna," Kazmer murmured. Aleera took a moment to respond.
"But Father-!" she began, shocked and aghast.
"Elena argued it was unhealthy for you to be overly-sheltered in the castle, and she was right," Kazmer cut her off. "But it is even more dangerous for you to be exposed to Transylvania's wilds. In Vienna, you will have fresh air, safety, and the freedom to be outside and meeting new people."
"But I do not want to be carted off to a distant city, Father!" Aleera snapped – she rose from the armchair, suddenly feeling very angry. "What I want is to know where my family are, nearly a third of their waking time in each month!"
"Watch your tongue, Princess Aleera," Kazmer said darkly, holding Aleera's eyes. "Your sister told me your emotional situation, and this is my remedy."
"Father, I don't want to be separated from my family for months because of-!"
"Enough!" Kazmer raised his voice, instantly silencing Aleera. "My decision is final!" Aleera looked her father in the eye, emotions beginning to swirl in her with increasing power – she felt horrid, angry and desperate. Kazmer sighed slightly, face instantly softening, and stood up. "It is nearly nightfall. You should see to your mother." Aleera stared at her father a moment longer, then she angrily marched past him.
Reading to her mother, silently eating her evening meal and putting her mother to bed, Aleera couldn't shake off her fury at her situation. She'd hoped Elena talking with their father would grant her more freedom and let her know what her family did when hunting, she'd never dreaded it would result in her being apart from them for an entire season. Lying awake late at night, Aleera toiled with her distraught thoughts, and with everything Elena and Kazmer had said. Her thoughts came back to the hunting, specifically what her father had said about resuming tomorrow.
Aleera was woken by Vidor just after dawn – the usual time. She quickly slipped into daywear, then started making hers and her mother's breakfast. By the time Aleera had finished preparing, her father, Elena and Vidor had finished their morning food. Exiting from the kitchen into the hallway, carrying her mother's breakfast on a bronze tray, Aleera saw Kazmer, Vidor and Elena entering the armoury by the castle's rear side, backs to her apart from Vidor glancing over his shoulder in acknowledgement. Aleera's mother was sound asleep when she placed the tray beside the bed, and when she quietly exited. Going straight to Elena's bedroom, Aleera traded her daywear for pantaloons, boots, a waistcoat and a spencer like she'd had yesterday, though she didn't tie her hair up. Returning to her west-facing bedroom, Aleera watched from the window until she saw her family's horses riding northwards alongside the house. She immediately made her way downstairs and out the front doors – it felt somewhat strange to be outside without anyone she knew – and wound towards the stables on the castle's west side. Choosing a large horse her family had had for a year, Aleera mounted it and guided it out of the stable gates at a trot – she was thankful her parents had allowed her to learn horse-riding close to the castle. Once it was clear, Aleera urged the horse into a slow run to Vaseria's northern border, then into a full-blown run, following the tiny black dots that were her family's horses, skirting around Vaseria.
The cold wind bit hard at Aleera's face with her horse's speed. Seeing the world blur by so fast also took Aleera some time to adjust to, having never been on a speeding horse before. She at one point lost a hand on the horse's reins, almost dislodging her. Four or five horses broke away from the village, joining the Valerious, then another five descended from the mountains' slopes and did likewise. Gypsies, Aleera thought of the mountain-riders. Nearly half of the gypsy bands in Transylvania were sworn to serve the Valerious, having even proclaimed them their Royalty. The party skirted around to the valley's southern side, riding into the mountains, Aleera's horse following no more than a mile behind. Aleera passed high enough up the first mountains' slopes that she could see the whole village behind her, houses looking tiny. Then the village was gone, blocked by the first two mountains when they were behind Aleera. Gigantic-looking peaks stretched seemingly to Heaven in front, left and right. Less than a mile ahead, the uneven path bent off left, into the space behind one peak and in front of another, so Aleera urged her horse to get closer to the party before she lost sight of them. She dreaded the idea of taking a wrong turn and getting lost in the mountains, having almost never gone this far in. The horse at the party's tail disappeared around the corner, thirty seconds before Aleera's horse rounded it. She saw the party ahead, ten seconds before they again disappeared, at a fork between the peaks. The party and Aleera navigated five more bends, the fourth of which brought them up an awkward rocky path high on a mountain's side, before the party wound halfway around the mountain – its other side formed part of a wooded, V-shaped valley-slope. Slowing her horse to a stop, Aleera watched from the path's sharp curve as the party dismounted their horses at the valley-woods' borders, where the trees thinned out. The party-members tied their horses to the ground by nailing their reins in with spikes, then they started removing extra loads from the horses. Aleera saw pistols, rope, tools and what looked like metal bars. She saw her father gesture to the others with his arm, then lead the party into the valley-trees. When the last non-green moving shape had disappeared, Aleera urged her horse into a forward trot.
Reaching the wood's edge, Aleera dismounted her horse, tying its reins to one of the other horses' spikes. Looking at the trees that started thin but quickly thickened further downhill, Aleera stood still for a few moments. The way it looked so dim under the trees, like even if the sun were bright it wouldn't penetrate, made Aleera hesitant, as did the thin, wispy mist crawling among the trees. It conjured mental images of bears and wolves tearing her apart. Aleera quickly brushed the thoughts aside, reminding herself her family and ten other hunting men couldn't be far from here. Slowly, she made her way forward, entering the first few trees. Descending the sloping land, long-dead leaves and pine needles were soon crunching under Aleera's boots, prompting her to try skirting them and keeping her boots on bare earth. As the trees thickened, she felt almost like she were indoors. She couldn't hear any distant noises but the odd bird-call, which made Aleera consider making herself heard so she could find the party – then she thought better, worrying her father might take her home immediately. She looked between the thick tree-trunks for any movement among the woodland. After what seemed like several minutes, she saw two heads and dark clothing, disappearing down a nearby incline. Aleera made her way towards them, barely missing twigs and fallen branches. Eventually, she saw her family, and several gypsies and villagers, moving through the woods further ahead.
It seemed like the party had been descending for an hour before they stopped. Aleera crouched by a tree trunk, watching. Over several minutes, some gypsies and villagers disappeared into well-covered hiding spots among the shrubs, while others and Aleera's family started putting their metal bar loads together with tools. When they were nearly finished after eight minutes, Aleera realised they were constructed a floorless cage. A gypsy-man approached the cage with a large rope. Aleera leaned forward, hoping to see better. Her spencer brushed the trunk's bark, and a twig snapped loudly when her boot's heel pressed down, making her slightly recoil. Aleera didn't see Vidor by the cage go straight-backed. Gypsies threw the cage-rope over a high branch, working together to hoist the cage into the air. Aleera stared, realising the cage was a trap, then wondering what a cage that size was intended for. She didn't notice the silent figure closing in on her side, before it slapped a hand over her mouth and forced her back to the trunk.
"Aleera?!" Vidor hissed quietly, square-jawed face a foot from hers. "What on earth are you doing here?!" He lowered his hand so she could speak. Aleera was momentarily lost for words.
"I-I followed you, Elena and Father!" she said quickly. "Elena left a flintlock behind…"
"Are you insane?!" Vidor growled urgently through his teeth, and Aleera found herself distressed by his serious behaviour. "Did Father not tell you about the dangers?!"
"Vidor, Father does not need to know I'm here, if you-" Aleera trailed off, something yellowish-pink just past the edge of Vidor's head catching her eye.
"No, Aleera," Vidor hissed, "this is not a time or a place for secret-keeping! Father needs to know about this and-" Aleera's eyes had started widening, and Vidor stopped talking. He turned his head, both of them seeing the severed human hand on the ground. Aleera's mouth opened – Vidor covered it just before she could scream. Her eyes re-met his, and he put a finger to his lips for silence. A quiet sound started in the wood – Vidor looked first, then Aleera. Thirty feet down the wood-slope, Elena was making a quiet sobbing sound like a distressed woman, practically the only audible sound. Vidor wordlessly pulled Aleera to her feet, hurriedly leading her towards a large shrub and forcing her to crouch beside him. Just able to see through the shrub's green and branches, Aleera stared at Elena's back, her clothing standing out among the trees and mist. Aleera's eyes squinted slightly, wondering what was going on. She turned her head to Vidor, who gently placed a hand back over her mouth and put a finger to his lips again, eyes deadly-serious. A few moments later, there was a new sound mixed with Elena's sobbing – a low growl, equal in quietness. Aleera's heart skipped a beat. Elena's sobbing continued, the growling gone. The white-haired monster burst through the branches with a sudden roar, man-like arms – one of which ended in a stub – splayed ahead of its wolfish head. Elena ran like she hadn't just looked vulnerable. In the second the wolf touched earth, the metal cage fell, bottom rim catching the creature's back and slamming it to the ground. Gypsies, villagers and Kazmer emerged, firing pistols.
"Stay down!" Vidor yelled at Aleera, before sprinting out from the shrub. The wolf-creature threw the cage off its back, roaring at the people surrounding it. Several people carried a metal net between them and threw it – it only got over half the creature's body, before the creature shrugged it off. Grabbing the nearest villager, the monster threw him like he were a ragdoll, then it swiped its clawed hand at someone else. Aleera saw her father run forward, broadsword raised, pistol in the other hand. A second before he would've stabbed the creature, it grabbed his pistol-hand's wrist, lifting him off the ground. It lunged its head, jaws open, but Kazmer swung his broadsword – the blade horizontally entered the wolf's mouth, extending its corners. Aleera's hand flew to her mouth again. Roaring, the creature threw Kazmer twenty feet through the air – his boots caught the top of Vidor's head, sending the younger man falling head-over-boots. Kazmer's back hit a tree trunk near Aleera, and he landed on one knee and hand. The party was closing in on the monster, firing furiously. The creature swung its arms seemingly-blindly. Villagers approached with another net, but the wolf backhanded them into the air. They smacked into a tree directly above Aleera – a body fell hard on her back a moment later. Barely stopping herself from crying out, Aleera pushed the limp body off, horrified.
"ALEERA!" Head above the shrub, Aleera looked in Vidor's direction, seeing him on the ground looking urgently at her. A second later, she looked back at the wolf – its yellow eyes were looking straight at her. "RUN!" The monster roared, showing its oversized fangs. Scrambling to her feet, Aleera horizontally ran on the sloped ground. She heard people yelling, heard the wolf's vicious snarling and thumping on the earth. Looking sideways, Aleera saw the wolf break through the party's ranks, running on four limbs towards her with ferocious power. Elena ran horizontally into the wolf's path, bending her knees to skid along the ground. She stabbed her shining scabbard upward just as the wolf shot over her. Screeching, the werewolf crashed head-first into a tree eight feet behind Aleera. Aleera didn't stop running. After five seconds, she noticed the monster wasn't making any sound and looked over her shoulder. Her run slowed. The wolf-creature was crumpled at the tree trunk's bottom, unmoving. Villagers and gypsies rushed forward, crowding it.
"Aleera?!" Aleera turned, her eyes meeting Elena's – she was still on her knees thirty feet away, staring. "Oh, God…" Rising, Elena sprinted straight towards Aleera. The brown-haired twin reached her in about four seconds – she pulled Aleera into a one-armed embrace, bloody scabbard hanging to the ground. "Are you alright?!" Her voice was choked with emotion. Chin on Elena's shoulder, Aleera opened her mouth but couldn't think of any answer. Her head felt wild and numb, and she simply returned Elena's embrace. Around the trees, Aleera saw gypsies and villagers crying triumphantly. She saw her father, pistol in one hand, staring straight at her – he'd never looked so pale with horror.
"That creature," Aleera said, remembering. She pushed out of Elena's arms. "Is it dead?! Is i-?" Words stuck in her throat. The crowd had slightly broken, revealing a white-haired old man's stabbed, naked body by the tree trunk. Aleera stared for a few seconds, before her father entered her vision's edges, walking towards the body. He shot her a sideways look that seemed like a mix of sternness and unusual fright.
Directly after the beast's death, Kazmer thanked the villagers and gypsies for their help. The Valerious helped to dismantle the cage and remove the ropes over seven minutes, before all the party broke up and the Valerious returned home. Kazmer said nothing during the ride. Immediately after returning the horses to their stables, he threw Castle Valerious' front doors open and marched in, his daughters and nephew following behind him.
"Uncle, we-" Kazmer raised a hand for silence, cutting Vidor off. Aleera, entering behind Vidor, couldn't see her father's face with his back turned, and immediately felt anxious.
"You saw us," Kazmer murmured, deep voice sounding forlorn. He turned his head, and the look he had, Aleera was just as unused to as his expression in the woods – his bearded face was anguished, brows sloping and eyes nearly wet. Aleera would've felt a twinge of regret for causing him this pain, if not for the previous night's talk.
"I will explain everything to her," Elena said, stepping beside Aleera and putting a hand on her shoulder. Her voice was soft but firm. Kazmer's eyes shifted between the twins once.
"Good. You do that." He said, before turning and marching towards the armoury. Vidor glanced at Elena.
"Go," she told him gruffly. He shot Aleera a look she thought seemed slightly apologetic, before following his uncle. "Come with me." Still wearing Elena's hunting clothes – making them look like doppelgangers – Aleera followed Elena through the castle halls to the main living room. "Wait here," Elena ordered before promptly exiting again through the room's archway. Aleera went to the two opposing armchairs in the room's centre and sat, wringing her hands with uncertainty. A few minutes passed before Elena returned, carrying a bronze tray holding a teapot, cup and a glass of brandy. Aleera couldn't say it didn't seem slightly ridiculous, seeing her sister in slightly blood-stained hunting clothes, serving drinks. Elena placed the tray on Aleera's armchair, then promptly went to the fireplace. Taking the flint and striker from the mantel, Elena got a flame lit in the hearth with one harsh strike – Aleera had always wondered how she did that. Going back to the armchair, Elena lifted the pot and filled the cup, then wordlessly handed the cup to Aleera. She took it, and Elena took the brandy glass and sat in the opposite armchair, crossing one leg above the other. They both took a first sip of their drinks.
"Those stories you heard from the villagers when we were younger, that Mother and Father told you were made up," Elena spoke first, "they're true." Aleera had two hands on her teacup, eyes slightly wide. "That monster you saw me kill today was a werewolf. A man who'd been bitten by another werewolf and turned into a monster." Elena sipped again. "The stories about Count Dracula, the Valerious who became a monster, are true as well." From there, Elena told Aleera about Valerious the Elder's vow that forbade their House's souls from entering Heaven until they destroyed Dracula – which disturbed Aleera – and their family's war against Dracula to save their souls.
"Dracula seeks to destroy our house because our family wants to destroy him?" Aleera asked.
"That's what we think," Elena said, smiling bitterly. She twirled her near-empty glass. "It would help us if we knew how to kill him and not just his servants."
"…Why was I kept unaware of all this?" Aleera asked, outraged.
"I asked that when we were children," Elena said. Directly meeting Aleera's gaze, she said: "It's because Mother and Father wanted you to be happy." Aleera's brows furrowed in confusion.
"What?" she murmured.
"They wanted one of us to grow up and die in bliss, believing there weren't any monsters around us who wanted to kill us," Elena said, leaning forward. She sipped her glass, then twirled it, staring at its contents almost-absently. "They thought if you never knew about all of this you would never be tainted by all the death and suffering that has plagued our father, and his father and siblings before him. Most of our aunts and uncles were killed before their twenty-fifth year, and Vidor's parents died days after he was born." She looked at Aleera's face. "I said it wouldn't last until you were an old woman, but Father and Mother wouldn't hear it." Aleera stared. Then her eyes slowly fell from Elena to the floor. A spiral of emotion slowly twisted inside her – most of all, she felt furious at her parents for keeping this from her, immediately imagining scenarios she thought they hadn't considered, where they and her sister and cousin were murdered by these monsters and she would never know what had happened. Her jaw clenched.
"Don't be angry with Mother and Father, they only wanted to keep you away from this," Elena said softly, leaning forward and taking Aleera's free hand in her hands. "Besides – it is my job to be angry at them, not yours." After a pause, Aleera couldn't help giggling slightly, while Elena smiled. Aleera continued smiling for several seconds, before another thought occurred to her and she felt she had to ask.
"Elena… why did Mother and Father lie to me, instead of you or Vidor?" Aleera asked. Elena wasn't smiling, but didn't outright frown either. Reading Elena's eyes, Aleera thought they both knew why though Elena wouldn't dare speak it, and it made Aleera's heart sink slightly further. Their parents thought Aleera wasn't as good as the other two. She and Elena had always suspected they thought so, even if it hadn't come between the two. Aleera had had trouble learning to walk as an infant and had needed their parents' intervention. In any dispute she, Elena and Vidor had been privy to she'd always been the third-mentioned child. And her parents had always subjected her to stricter rules – not simply confining her to the house and forbidding her to hunt, but rules about restrictions on manner, freedom and choice, as though she needed more rules than the other two. Watching Elena and Vidor spar, with Elena often winning, Aleera hadn't thought she'd ever achieve that same level of physical skill, which hadn't been nurtured in her. Aleera sat for some time, these thoughts flowing through her almost involuntarily, before she thought of something else.
"Elena, about Dracula," Aleera said, meeting Elena's gaze.
"What about him?" Elena asked, tone darkening slightly.
"Did you ever fight him directly?" Aleera pressed.
"Once, when we were fourteen," Elena murmured, looking at the floor. "Two monster-hunters from Amsterdam who were friends with our grandfather, tried to capture one of Dracula's brides. Father tried to stop them, and I followed him. What the vampires did to those men was horrible. I saw Dracula step near the men's trap – a broken ring of rosemary that would be closed and set on fire once he was inside – and I fought him on my own, trying to get him in." Elena half-scowled. "I didn't stand a chance. I barely got away."
"How did you get away?" Aleera asked, half-mesmerised yet also slightly disturbed. Remembering the stories about Dracula, she would've thought it would be impossible for anyone to escape him.
"He disarmed me," Elena said. "Father created a distraction, and I ran." Aleera's brow furrowed slightly, feeling that explanation didn't fit.
"I haven't known you to be easily disarmed before," Aleera said. Elena caught exactly what she was thinking.
"Dracula. Is a monster." Elena said. "I do not wish to talk about it further. But there is more you should know, Aleera. Do you remember the stories that Dracula can see and hear through his monsters' senses?"
"Yes?" Aleera said. Elena leaned forward slightly, serious.
"Vidor said the werewolf saw you, and he yelled at you," Elena said. "Which means Dracula may have also seen and heard." A shiver ran down Aleera's spine at the idea. "If Dracula thinks you are precious to our family, the vampires will now be after you, which means it's very important that you are careful when you leave the castle. The castle is protected by charms which keep most evil things out, so you are safest here." Aleera still didn't like the idea of being confined to the castle, she liked even less that Elena was now saying she should stay, but she wasn't inclined to object with what she now knew.
"What about you?" Aleera asked. "Am I supposed to stand by while you risk your life?" Elena shrugged and smirked slightly.
"I've been killing werewolves and trolls since I was thirteen," she said, before downing the rest of her glass. "I am at no more risk of dying than Father. Besides, there are worse things than death. Being tortured for one, becoming one of Dracula's monsters for another." Elena put her glass back on the tray. Aleera looked from the tray back at Elena – she'd grown up being taught there were worse things than death, but she'd struggled to grasp the idea as a little girl. Aleera knew Elena saw what was going on in her head. "I have an idea." She leaned forward. "We make a vow. I will do everything to make sure you never have to meet Dracula or his creatures, but if that fails – and if the monsters attempt to condemn one or both of us to a worse fate than death – we will die before allowing that to happen." After a second's pause, Aleera nodded. Elena removed a small knife from her boot, opening her hand. Aleera gave her hand, and Elena cut the palm as gently as possible. Then Elena cut her own hand, and the sisters placed the palms over each-other.
"We make a vow," Elena said.
"We make a vow," Aleera followed. The fireplace crackled between the two.
"Should the bane of our house, Count Dracula…"
"Should the bane of our house, Count Dracula…"
"…or his wicked servants seize our bodies or souls…"
"…or his wicked servants seize our bodies or souls…"
"…with their arms or their tools of torture or their curses…"
"…with their arms or their tools of torture or their curses…"
"…we shall die before suffering the fate they would bring us."
"…we shall die before suffering the fate they would bring us."
The bleeding palms separated. Aleera cradled hers while Elena barely acknowledged hers. Aleera knew this was very serious – they'd only made a blood vow once before as children.
After the encounter with the werewolf, Aleera had stopped asking about her family's hunting business beyond being concerned about their safety, and she didn't wish to accompany them anymore. She now dutifully cared for her mother when the others were hunting. Ten days later, Aleera was lounging on the living room's armchair, the fire casting the room in yellow while rain pattered against the dark window-panes. She'd already consumed her evening meal, given her mother hers and ensured all the used crockery and cutlery were washed, which left her lounging and reading a book, but finding little interest. She was waiting to see her family return from the hunt they'd left on in the evening, and was starting to grow worried. They'd rarely been gone on an evening hunt until this late after sunset. A loud tapping echoed in the room, making Aleera's head shoot up – knocking at the front doors. But her family never knocked before entering, which meant a visitor – perhaps an unwelcome one.
Wearing her daywear dress, Aleera went to the armoury – the candle she held encased her in an illuminating orb as she traversed the dark hallway. The door-knock repeating almost-rhythmically every ten seconds. Aleera removed the nearest mace to the armoury entrance, then exited, walking down the corridors. The knocking sounded frighteningly loud when Aleera was in the torch-lit front hall, approaching the doors – she thought it must've been made by a strong hand. That made Aleera slow the closer she came to the door, practically stalking forward once she was within four feet. She put the mace on the floor beside the door, then slowly reached her now-free hand towards the black-painted door handle. The knocking repeated once more. Aleera grasped the handle, turned and opened the door.
"Pardon me!" said a man's voice, loud and clear. In the blackness beyond the door, Aleera didn't see anything until a lightning-flash revealed the black-clad figure, standing short of the threshold. "I believe I am lost." Raising the candle in the half-open door, Aleera's mind stopped momentarily. In its light, she saw a worn-looking yet handsome face with thick eyebrows. Rainwater was running down it, and the stray dark strands on either side stuck to the face gorgeously. The man wore a distressed-seeming expression, eyes narrowed and mouth slightly ajar, yet something about his blue eyes seemed alluring and fierce. Realising she was staring, Aleera broke eye contact. "The castle is near the road I was travelling on. Is this Bargau?"
"I'm afraid it isn't," Aleera said. "You are in Vaseria. Bargau is sixty miles north."
"I see," the man said, sounding stoically bitter. "I had hoped to reach Bargau before nightfall, but apparently my driver is an imbecile." The man turned his head at the sentence's second half, glancing over his shoulder.
"So it would seem," Aleera said, grinning and instantly feeling drawn to this man. Looking past him, in a lightning-flash she saw a horse-pulled carriage in front of the village houses. Looking back at the man, she saw he was smiling very-handsomely, suddenly unaffected by the rain.
"My driver and myself need shelter from this rain," the man said.
"I am sorry to hear that, as you will not find many a reputable inn that will cater to coaches in these parts," Aleera said, grinning despite herself.
"Then I thank you for saving me from a vain search," the man said, face seeming miserable though his voice was clear. "I shall bid you a good evening and trouble you no more." He bowed again, then turned on the doorstep. Aleera saw him stalking away in another lightning-flash.
"Wait, I do not know your name!" Aleera called after him. She saw the man instantly freeze, back to her. She didn't know why, but she wanted to see more of that face.
"Forgive me, that was most rude of me," the man's voice said, before his face re-entered Aleera's candle's sphere of light. "I am Baron Béla Karloff. I must beg forgiveness for my breach of manners, and ask who it is I am speaking to." Aleera smiled, practically drinking in his cold blue eyes.
"Princess Aleera, of the House of Valerious," she said, making a slight curtsy despite having a candle in one hand.
"I am entertaining royalty?" the Baron asked, eyes widening.
"In honesty, my House is merely old and reputable nobility," Aleera said. Looking at his eyes again, she was aware it took some effort to break contact. She quickly looked him up and down in the candlelight, seeing he was dressed entirely in black, wearing a traveller's coat. "Though I cannot stand by and let any nobleman risk tragedy or injury in a downpour. You and your driver are welcome in my family's home, and your horses may shelter in our stables." The man smiled almost-warmly.
Turning his head, he barked: "Take the coach to the stables!" He looked back at Aleera whilst the coach drove away from its former spot. "My driver will not be joining us. I am afraid he does not enjoy the company of people." Aleera nodded in acknowledgement, then opened the door wider. She watched the Baron step over the threshold into the warmly-lit hall, and Aleera's last suspicions he was untrustworthy evaporated – Elena had said quite clearly that most evil things couldn't enter the castle. She pushed the door shut, while the Baron's eyes roamed the hall and ceiling as he stepped forward, removing his gloves. Behind him, Aleera couldn't see his face, but got the sense he was looking over every inch of the front hall and the landing overlooking it, making her interested to know what it was that captivated him. He removed his cloak and hung it on the hooks left of the doors. Underneath, he wore all-black clothing – a coat, and knee-length boots.
"The living area is this way," Aleera said, gesturing with her arm while smiling at the man. Next to him, she clearly saw his coat bore military embroidery. The wet-faced Baron – whose hair seemed even more gorgeous in the torchlight – smiled at Aleera before they walked side-by-side. Aleera held up the candle for when they would get further from the front hall's torchlight, while the Baron's hands were clasped behind his back.
"Is it just you who is here?" the Baron asked.
"My father, my sister and my cousin are hunting," Aleera replied.
"An unusual hour to be engaged in blood-sport," the Baron remarked.
"I agree," Aleera giggled, grinning. "They should be back soon. Let us sit by the fire in the meantime." She didn't know why, but she just wanted to spend time with this man.
In the living room, the Baron moved with near-slowness to the armchairs, stopping to stand by one.
"Please, sit," Aleera said. The Baron obeyed, lowering himself onto the armchair slowly. "Must I say where you can sit and stand while you are a guest?"
"Not always," the Baron growled in a husky tone, which Aleera thought she liked the sound of.
"Allow me to bring you tea," Aleera said.
"There is no need," the Baron murmured. "I do not eat or drink at this hour. Do sit with me. Your company is most delectable." Aleera felt slightly irked that her guest had ordered her, but sat on the opposite armchair.
"Your father, I presume he is Kazmer Valerious?" the wet-haired Baron asked, sitting straight-backed with his fingertips linked in front of his knees.
"He is," Aleera said. Strangely, she felt she didn't want to talk about her family. "Are you from Transylvania, Baron?"
"You may call me by my given name, Princess," the Baron said, tone charmingly low-pitched. "My family's seat is a small village near Brasov. I doubt you have heard of it, it is very obscure."
"There must be something about it worth telling, Béla – and if I must call you by your first name, then you must call me by mine," Aleera said, disregarding the slight suspicion in the back of her mind. The Baron's eyes met hers.
"Snow is on the rocks all year round," the Baron said. "The population is small, but they know not to break the laws that govern them without expecting punishment." The Baron leaned backwards very-slightly. "What of Vaseria? How do your family and the other people fare in the winter, Aleera?"
Aleera talked about what life was like for the Valerious and villagers, leaving out what she knew about monsters. The Baron seemed consistently interested, face intent as she spoke, and he followed every story with a question. When the conversation returned to her family, Aleera told the Baron when and for how long her family hunted; the domestic upbringing she, her sister and her cousin had received, and her family's relationship with the villagers. She tried to steer the conversation by discussing hobbies. The Baron said he gained joy from select few things, but listened tentatively when Aleera talked about her love of dancing. At some point while they talked, the rain's beating on the windows ceased. The Baron was describing a masquerade ball to Aleera in poetic detail, when they heard the front doors thud open.
"My family have returned," Aleera said, smiling. "You must meet them, Béla. I think my sister would be delighted to meet you." The Baron smiled charmingly, rising to his feet. Not two seconds later, the living room doors were thrown open, Kazmer striding in.
"Aleera-" He froze on seeing the man and woman. Appearing behind him, Vidor and Elena also froze. Brows furrowed, Aleera looked at Béla, who was smiling pleasantly. Suddenly, Kazmer unsheathed his broadsword with lightning-speed.
"ALEERA, GET AWAY!" he bellowed. Béla's irises glowed. Eyes widening, Aleera made to run backwards, but faster than she could blink, Béla pulled her back to him and lunged his mouth at her neck. Aleera screamed, feeling fiery pain spread through her neck as he bit into her.
"NO!" Kazmer roared, all three Valerious running forward. In the split-second Kazmer came within a foot, Béla – barely lifting his head – grabbed and snapped his neck with one hand, a crack sounding in the living room. Aleera fell to the floor, like a tossed-aside toy. Béla threw her father's body like it weighed nearly nothing, knocking Elena and Vidor backwards. Crying out, Aleera rolled onto her side, feeling hot blood make her daywear stick to her skin. She began pushing herself up with her hands.
"ENTER, MY BRIDES!" Béla bellowed, thunderously enough to be heard by an entire opera auditorium. Aleera could've sworn she heard a thunderclap immediately follow. Elena and Vidor pushed off Kazmer's body, just as the window shattered and a half-bat, half-human monstrosity flew in. It arced sharply, hind feet brutally kicking Aleera back to the floor. Arcing, the creature latched bat-like onto the wall beside the broken window. It hissed ferally at the room's other occupants, grey-white skin turning to pink flesh and white-and-gold robes. A second bat-creature flew in, hovering in the room's centre and hissing at Elena and Vidor – Aleera saw womanly dark hair, and the shapes and curves of a woman's torso.
"GO!" Elena shoved Vidor towards the exit, then turned back to the room, broadsword raised. "SAVE HER!" she yelled when Vidor lingered. He sprinted out of the hall. The second bat flew back outside as fast as it had entered. Weakly craning her neck, Aleera saw the first creature – now a blonde woman wearing loose, gold and white materials – crouching sideways with her heels on the wall. She was smiling sweetly at Elena – then her mouth opened unnaturally wide, two fangs lengthening and eyes changing, an ungodly snarl emerging. Elena charged, yelling. Screeching, the blonde pushed off the wall and became the half-bat again, swooping at Elena and kicking with clawed feet. Elena was knocked ten feet backwards into the wall. Landing on her knees, Elena got up, swinging her scabbard just as the bat-woman came upon her. The blade sliced, and the bat-woman cried out. She hovered so close her wings could bat Elena, striking out with clawed hands and feet. Elena furiously deflected each blow, but the bat-woman was relentless.
Vidor bolted down the moonlit corridor, ignoring the shadow that very-briefly blocked each window's moonbeam behind him. When it passed the closest window behind him, he fired his pistol sideways at the next window. He heard no cry but didn't stop. He rounded a corner, running through more moonbeams. Suddenly, a pale-grey arm smashed through the window in front of him, taloned hand grabbing his neck and slamming his body into the window's wall. Verona hissed, face a foot from Vidor's. He met her gaze while removing a knife from his belt, before slashing at her arm. Snarling, Verona recoiled, throwing him like a ragdoll at the adjacent wall. His head took the blow and stars swam in Vidor's vision, slowly sliding to the floor while Verona's shadow flew away. It seemed like Vidor was only on the floor for two seconds, before the sounds of glass breaking and his aunt screaming fully roused his mind.
"No…!" he wheezed, the sound rousing him like any child's mother in distress would have. Quickly getting up, Vidor shot full-speed down the corridor. He practically smashed his body into the door at the far end, throwing it wide open. He stopped past the threshold. His aunt was being held in a sitting-up position, Verona in her gown-dressed human form crouched atop her. Removing her face from the woman's neck, Verona hissed at Vidor, eyes glowing blue, lips dark with blood.
Aleera didn't know how blood loss could sharpen her hearing, but she clearly heard her mother screaming. Weak on the floor with blood pooling around her shoulder, utter anguish welled inside her, a slight whine escaping her. She looked at Elena and the bat-woman – the vampire bride, she'd long guessed. They were still parrying viciously, slowly navigating from the living room doorway towards the opposite wall. The bride suddenly kicked at Elena's abdomen, sending her reeling six feet backwards – Aleera thought the back of Elena's head slammed into the wall just before her back. Dropping to the floor, the bride became human again, wings turning to hanging veil-pieces. She hissed quietly at Elena, who slowly slid down the wall, blood running over her temple. Aleera looked at the Baron – Count Dracula – standing three feet away, back to her. Then she looked back at Elena lying dazed, and the bride standing crouched like a cat waiting to strike, and a fierce anger surged inside Aleera. Her weakness and neck-wound were forgotten, and she started pushing up on her hands. Dracula abruptly turned his head and hissed when she was on one hand and knee. He kicked out, brutally knocking Aleera straight into the opposite wall from Elena, near the doorway.
Vision swimming as she slid down the wall, Aleera didn't know how much time passed before her mind refocused – it could've been seconds or an hour. She saw Elena stagger to her feet, scabbard in hand. Elena looked at the blonde bride, who was closer to Aleera, for five seconds, then ran. The bride transformed and pounced. She lifted Elena by her arm and shoulder, clawed foot twisting the sword-arm's wrist, making Elena drop the scabbard. Then, hovering, she grasped Elena's shoulders with both clawed hands and threw her at the ceiling. Elena hit it near a corner, then fell twenty-five feet, crashing into a corner table near Aleera. The barrel that had been sandwiched in the corner crashed to the floor, liquid spilling. The strong-smelling liquid sloshed over Aleera, burning when it touched her neck puncture. Yellow eyes hellish, the bride-creature hissed at Elena, who groaned atop the shattered table.
"Enough," Dracula said commandingly, walking forward. The bride briefly looked at him, then glided gracefully to the armchairs, perching atop one in her human form. Aleera watched helplessly as the Count stalked towards her crumpled sister.
"Elena…" the Count murmured hoarsely, crouching. With a cry, Elena suddenly swung her arm, glinting dagger in hand, but Dracula caught her wrist like it was nothing. Putting his other hand's fingers under her chin, he forced her to her feet. Elena had blood at her mouth's corner.
"Let my sister go, Count!" she growled defiantly. Holding Elena's gaze a second longer, Dracula turned his head slowly, looking at Aleera like she were someone else's lost trinket.
"I think it's a little late for that, my dear," the Count murmured, growling the last two words huskily as he looked back at Elena. "Don't you?" Aleera groaned slightly, her bite-wound stinging. She tried to move her hand towards it, but it slid across the wine-dark floor at a snail's pace, more of her strength disappearing every minute. Elena spat at Dracula's face. Jaw and teeth transforming, he screeched inhumanly for two seconds, then changed back. For two seconds, he looked like he were holding back something terrible, then he chuckled darkly. In one swift movement, he violently pulled Elena into a ballroom dip, hand on her back, making her cry sharply.
"How… did you get in?" Elena growled the words out, sounding strained. Dracula grinned wickedly, then looked at Aleera.
"I must thank your sister for giving me invitation back into my family's home," he said. Breathing becoming laboured, Aleera listened in helpless shock, eyes meeting Dracula's. Talking to Elena again, he said, "Invitation is a powerful thing to creatures that are like me. With it, we can step on private buildings, hallowed ground, and even through white magic spells, unhindered." Dracula sharply reversed the dip, holding Elena to his body, chest-to-chest, her head on his shoulder, hands joined. He looked at Aleera again, blue eyes she had thought charming now icy enough to freeze. "I must also thank you, Aleera, for giving me her." He slowly lowered Elena into another dip, releasing her hand and tracing a finger from her jawbone, through her clothing over her cleavage. Elena groaned uncomfortably. Aleera mentally shouted, begged her sister to do something, resist him, but nothing happened.
"Oh, yes, her head was so full of interesting facts, Elena," Dracula growled. "Your father and cousin's favourite hunting weapons and why. When you go hunting for me and for how long." Removing a knife from her boot, Elena tried to stab at Dracula's head – he blocked it and twisted her wrist, the knife falling away. "Though I don't think any of that sensitive knowledge will matter after tonight," he growled. The blonde bride gave a wicked laugh, pretty face grinning dementedly. Aleera watched Dracula bring his face to the side of Elena's neck, nose practically touching her flesh. He hissed an intake of air as though tasting it.
"Your flesh… tastes unlike any I have known for centuries, Elena," Dracula groaned, open lips at the curve of her jawbone. Suddenly, Aleera was yanked upwards by her hair, making her body explode with pain – the blonde bride had appeared beside her and disappeared from the armchair, fingers curled through Aleera's hair, her heel planted on Aleera's back so her spine arched painfully. Grinning, the bride lowered her head to Aleera's wounded neck-side, blonde ringlets tickling Aleera's flesh. Cold needles stung Aleera's neck and made her wince as the bride's tongue and teeth teased the flesh wound. Dracula grinned wickedly.
"I remember our first meeting well, Elena," Dracula murmured, leaning to sniff her neck's flesh. Grinning maliciously, he said: "And I know naked desire when I see it in someone's eyes, as it was in yours, the very first time I saw your face." Aleera's eyes widened slightly, the bride's wound-teasing momentarily becoming insignificant. "When all you had ever seen of me was me as I appear, not me killing or dismembering – when you'd just seen me." Eyes closed, Dracula ran his nose and open lips on Elena's neck, making her cry out slightly. The bride momentarily laughed next to Aleera's head, also watching. "I am looking for my final bride, Elena. Someone strong, and beautiful." Raising his head, Dracula's jaw and teeth started transforming. Elena's eyes trailed on her upside-down head, then found Aleera's, gazes locking. Elena looked at the floor – the vast wine-puddle underneath them all. Aleera's wide eyes flit back to Elena's. The vow echoed in her head. Should the bane of our house… seize or bodies or souls… we shall die before suffering the fate they would bring us. In one swift move, Elena removed a pistol and fired at the floor. The bullet bounced, producing a white spark, and flames started spreading with floodwater-like speed.
In just a few seconds, flames engulfed Elena and Dracula, the vampire screaming. Hissing, the bride recoiled, and Aleera saw the flames racing fast towards her face. The instinct to not die screamed and rattled against a cage inside Aleera, competing with the vow's words. One second before the fire would reach the wall, Aleera pushed and rolled sideways out of the wine. A wall of flames rose off the floor, engulfing the entire corner and nearly a quarter of the living room's space. Dracula's roar suddenly stopped. A flaming figure stepped clear of the fire, carrying another burning form. With one rough roll of its shoulders, the flames on the figure hissed and vanished all at once, leaving a charred, walking skeleton wearing Dracula's clothing. Hair sprouting from its scalp and flesh reappearing, it looked at the body it held. When his face was half-regrown, Dracula tossed back his head, making a horrible sound that was a mix of a man's wail and a monstrous shriek. The sound made Aleera want to cringe, assaulting her ears.
Dracula looked almost-sorrowfully at the bald, blackened corpse. Then he let it fall with half-reverent slowness. Head turning, his cold blue eyes were trained on Aleera. She thought his unscathed face looked darker than ever before in the smoke and shadow from the fire. The face that had first smiled pleasantly at her, then looked at her like she were a minor trinket, now glared with a strange mix of resignation and desire.
"It seems I will have to settle for second best," Dracula murmured, voice ice-cold and stone-hard. Slowly, he stepped towards the wheezing woman.
It wasn't until Verona's winged form was flying back into Castle Valerious that Vidor's head burst through the water's surface. He gasped for air under the wooden privy built over the river, then drew in and exhaled shuddering breaths under the freezing cold's assault. Turning his head, he stared at Castle Valerious, standing above the wooden houses – orange firelight was now flickering in several of its lower windows. A stone of grief worked its way down Vidor's heart, remembering his aunt and uncle's deaths and seeing Dracula bite Aleera.
Vidor remained there for ten minutes in total, until he saw the three vampires' winged shapes exiting the castle and flying to the mountains, before he waded back to shore. The night air did little to banish the cold as Vidor trudged into the village, back towards his family home, snow crunching under his boots.
After Vidor had seen Verona kill his aunt, she'd thrown him backwards into the hallway. He'd tried slowing her by firing a bullet into her eye, then he'd leapt from the nearest window, the shrubbery below breaking his fall. He'd run and dived into the river, one second before Verona had flown out of the broken window. Staying under the water's surface, Vidor had watched Verona fly above the water looking for him, before she'd left – for vampires couldn't resist running water bodies' currents however strong they were, nor could they see through dark running water as well as anything else.
The first thing Vidor did was march into the snow-floored village square.
"Everyone, I am Prince Vidor of the Valerious!" he shouted, standing in the square's centre by the naked well-hole, guarded by a giant cross. He was surprised at how authoritative like his uncle he sounded. He looked around at the wooden buildings' first-floor windows – heads were appearing in some of the windows, candle-light even began to glow in a couple others. "Please, your prince needs your help!"
Vidor had needed to truthfully assure the villagers that the vampires had left the castle and would not take retribution for the villagers' defiance, but twenty-five minutes after he'd entered the village square, he had a band of villagers rushing with him to Castle Valerious, equipped with buckets of water from the well. The fire wasn't nearly as severe as Vidor had feared – it had only broken out in the living room, and the stone walls had prevented it from spreading. The flames didn't take long to beat back, with the villagers refilling their buckets in the river as soon as they were emptied. Vidor saw the extra charred husk in the living room and he recognised Elena's gun-holsters on it, but there was no sign of Aleera. As soon as the flames were gone, Vidor was momentarily petrified – not only his uncle, aunt and Aleera, but Elena was gone as well – he was completely alone. When the flames were wholly extinguished, Vidor ordered the nearest village-man to send for the priest. He wasn't sure how Dracula had entered the castle, but he had a hunch he'd been given invitation like he'd given his brides, which meant Vidor would need a holy man to help re-cast the castle's protective charms to keep them out. His uncle had been better at book-related matters, but Vidor would have to make do.
Immediately after the village-man left to get the priest, Vidor ordered everyone else outside. Equipping himself with a torch, he scoured the castle's dark halls and chambers – which dim grey light was beginning to filter into as morning approached – his heart encased in stone for now. Aleera had been bitten, which meant even if she was still alive, she would join the undead if Vidor didn't find her. Vidor double-checked, then triple-checked every corner of the castle, but he found nothing – his aunt's corpse was still in her bed, but there was no sign of Aleera anywhere. In the late morning, after the castle had been fully re-charmed, Vidor told the priest outside Castle Valerious' front door to spread word of Aleera's disappearance – he warned the man she'd been bitten by Dracula, and made it very clear he wanted to be informed when and if she was found.
For the rest of the grey morning, Vidor was aware of how quiet the castle now was, how devoid of the presences he'd known all his life. He could accept and mourn Elena's death and his aunt and uncle's, but Aleera's disappearance stayed with him. Either she'd fled herself or the vampires had taken her, those were the only possible explanations, and Vidor suddenly wished he'd looked more closely when the vampires had flown away. If the vampires had taken her… the thought made Vidor, who'd been pacing in Aleera's empty bedchamber, suddenly collapse to his knees in the grey-white morning light, eyes wide and staring at nothing. He prayed to God that that hadn't happened, that he could still save her from the undead's fate.
A/N: Please R&R and tell me what you thought of Aleera's backstory! :) :)
As some of you might have guessed, I'm very-much infatuated by the idea that Aleera is a Valerious turned Dracula's bride, even if I don't think the internet-talk calling her Anna and Velkan's sister is true. :) :)
Also, I've been curious among other Van Helsing mysteries to know what indeed Anna did to Aleera in a past life, and hopefully that slightly came across in this chapter. Aleera-mistressofallevil was right, there does seem to be something more with Aleera's grudge against Anna. :) :)