CHAPTER TEN: The Flock
We were locked in that cellar for a few days, surviving on insects and mice, yet if we were lucky a large rat would visit for us to prey upon. We spoke very little to each other, as if afraid the more we spoke the more of vampires we would become. Auguste cradled me in his arms and Jacqueline and I held each other's hands tight. Now, as far as we had all gotten and all the chaos we had experienced, nothing would separate us.
Soon, the Sorel man himself had opened the door, unsheathing the blinding light of the outside. "Well, there are still the three of you. I'm quite impressed. All of the other candidates end up eaten by each other." He motioned us to step out of the cellar. We stepped out into a gloomy courtyard, the skies above us shrouded with grey clouds. He turned and began to walk towards a grand and ominous castle, speaking with us.
"You three will serve as my minions. You are loyal to me, your master; Raphael Sorel."
Master Raphael Sorel… I repeated in my head. For some reason I had grown very protective of him and longed to be his favorite. I will serve you with my life, master.
Raphael ceased his pace and glanced at us. "Your names?"
"Marienbard O'Flaherty sir," I said first with a loyal bow.
"Your surname won't be necessary, or needed for that matter. The other two?"
"Auguste and Jacqueline, sir." I speak for them.
"And are you three related?"
I shake my head. "No sir, though we are all very close."
We continue walking only a few more steps before Jacqueline decided to speak up.
"So… are you the noble who is wanted in Rouen?"
He cringed. I wanted to kick her.
"So they're still buzzing about that."
She flinches. "Ah, well, not really sir, I was only curious."
"They are my matters and they are not yours to meddle with. I do not question your past."
Jacqueline bows her head respectively.
"Master, what will be our objectives as your servants?" Auguste says, much more humble and stately than Jacqueline.
"We will converse those matters when we arrive at my manor. Right now I must contradict myself and know you three better." He adjusts the scabbard on his belt that is cradling his rapier, as if to warn us that we are but mere servants and he can do as he pleases with us. "I trust you are searching for Soul Edge?"
Master Sorel knew what Soul Edge was? I suppose the matters were universal after all. How ignorant of me; surely if they had churned up a war in Germany about Soul Edge that it was worldwide news. "Yes, sir. The Azure Knight has depicted death upon my family, and I wish to avenge those lost souls."
"I see. You won't have that as your priority, unfortunately. Post pone your vengeance to after your terms with me."
I nodded respectfully. "Yes, Master Sorel."
As we were heading to his castle, Raphael commenced to telling us about himself. He narrated his past and how he had once lived in Rouen as the young master of his family, but soon he had committed something that he refused to explain. Nonetheless he had to escape the soldiers that were chasing him, much like how it had happened with Auguste and I, and a small street child named Amy had saved him.
I could tell by how he explained his experience with her that he could speak endlessly about Amy. Raphael even decided to take her in as his own daughter, since her original parents were dead, and they managed to be freed from the bustling city. He said that he too had heard about Soul Edge and wanted to seek it, doing so by leaving Amy alone in their mansion and setting off for his quest. He kept inflicting in his story that he had to make a "perfect world for Amy." I suppose he wanted to make up the bad childhood she had, and he thought that finding the cursed sword would be the way to accomplish that.
Raphael had been defeated in battle and struggled back home, infected with the evil plague of the sword Soul Edge. Amy had tried to tend his wounds but she had become infected also, and the two had become vampires. I felt pity over my master now – he was trying so hard to have an easy life for Amy, yet so many obstacles kept blocking their path… It struck my heart like ice.
The two had to leave again, now fleeing for a country in Transylvania. They settled in a province called Wallachia, in which he resides now, trying still to make Amy happy. Even with a few years gone by the news of Soul Edge had risen once again, and of course he set off on another adventure to find it.
"I returned once more empty handed," Master Sorel said, sighing. "When I returned I had been wracked with guilt by Amy; the forgiving look in her eyes struck me… After leaving her so many times and she still forgave me. I was such a horrible father…" He recollects himself.
"And now I fear it has risen again. It would truly break her heart for me to leave her once more, so I must be slow about leaving for my quest. Often and again I travel into distant countries just to see if any major news has risen, yet never have I left Amy alone for more than two months. She is too young and has been through too many hardships to have experience such loneliness." He turns to face us.
"This, is my manor."
To any other person, Raphael's estate looked ominous, like it belonged to a dark and brooding count, controlling the minds of the villages miles away, but as I was now chosen into his favor, it was jaw-dropping; I stood there for what seemed like an eternity musing at this grand palace that I would eventually have to call home.
The tall cast iron doors creaked open slowly as we entered into the great hall. A red Turkish carpet lay on the floor beneath our feet, creating a velvety pathway through the mansion. At the end of the hall was a large window almost touching the ceiling, which looked like something out of a cathedral with all of its intricate patterns with the glass, all that were missing were that colors and a portrait of a saint.
A small girl appeared in the dark corridor to our left, holding a porcelain doll and staring silently at Raphael with his same bright crimson irises. He turned and noticed her, smiling fatherly. "Amy," He stepped over, planting a kiss on her forehead. Amy stepped out of the darkness to stand beside her father.
She looked to be about thirteen, a bit on the short side, with red hair that was curled loosely into dual pigtails. She had a cloth choker at her neck, and clutching her torso tightly was a bodice the color of violets. I kept myself from wincing – with a corset squeezing that tightly to her chest she would never develop in time. Taking my gaze off the paining bodice I almost blushed at how short her skirt was – it did not even reach her knees! I suppose that in some sort of compensation she had black lace stockings in an embroidering that was similar to a spider's web. I quickly took my gaze away from Amy, telling myself it was rude to stare.
"Amy, these are three new members of our service." He introduced, unable to remove the small smile from his face. Amy only briefly stared at us, as if judging by our ragged appearances, then set her blinking eyes to the floor.
"I will be in my room, Father." She muttered and Raphael nodded in acknowledgement.
Master Sorel gave us our objectives and because of my Irish blood set me as cook. Auguste and I were parted as he was in charge of tending to the horses and their stables. When he wasn't doing any animal monitoring, Auguste was the weaponry keeper. He told me that Raphael's favored weapon was his grand Flambert, which was the heirloom of the Sorel house. It's English rapier hilt was crimson and decorated with silver. Auguste told me that his personal favorite was Mater Sorel's estoc, which looked like that of a large needle.
Jacqueline was Amy's maid, which I scoffed at, considering her personality. She would complain to me during the times that Amy send her away and rant to me. She keeps saying that she'd rather go back to the cooking with me, as that was her first obligation. Jacqueline was appointed to the latter when Master Sorel almost consumed raw meat.
Jacqueline watched me as I peeled potatoes and their skin fell into a bowl. "How is it you're so good at that?"
I smile. "The potato is the staple crop of my homeland," I begin another. "Of course I am very crafty with it. I know an ages worth of recipes."
She sighs. "Well you lucked out. That Amy girl is a brat!" She exclaims, pouting and crossing her arms.
"Hush!" I order, putting a finger to my lips. "You need to keep your opinions to yourself. If Master Sorel heard you, who knows what could have happened." I point my skinning knife at her in a stern way. "We should be grateful. Master knows a lot about Soul Edge, or seems like it at least. Once we've finished our time with him we will be more than ready to accomplish our primitive goal."
I do not know why I said that. I know that Jacqueline and I both have a sickly and obsessive loyalty to Master Sorel. To be honest, after this transformation from a human to a slave vampire I would rather stay with Raphael than go looking for Soul Edge. The reason why, I was unsure; probably something to do with his manipulation of our minds. Jacqueline scratched at the skin near her underarm.
"You're right. But one thing that I CANNOT stand, I don't care who hears me, are these itchy uniforms!" Master Sorel tossed away our old and torn clothes and then addressed us with these outfits. The blouse was black and had a white bodice clutching my beneath my breasts, the skirt was black also, with white lace trimming the hem and a small apron beneath where the bodice ended. Below all of that we had to wear a corset and an opaque collar that better covered my revealing collarbones. My hands were gloved with grey cloth and a unique design embroidered on them. To complete the uniform were rouge tights, silver boots, and a white bonnet atop my head.
I was dressed in the appropriate code – the full code, at that – but being the free spirit that she is, Jacqueline had to rebel. She did not wear the corset or the collar – such cleavage was showing it made her look like she was some kind of tavern wench. Also, instead of wearing the elegant cotton gloves she wrapped her arms and knuckles in bandages. I loved Jacqueline like the sister I never had, but by Our Holy Savior I wanted to give her a lesson.
Auguste didn't have any uniform, since he was handling the horses and such his clothes were constantly dirtied. Of course, he still bore the wolf mask upon his head. I wondered if he looked like the way I pictured Auguste unmasked in my dream earlier. Perhaps one day he might show me.
When we had finished our objectives for the day, we washed in a fairly sized wooden tub and went to our boarding houses, which was a small annexed room to the kitchen where our beds were. We never slept, though. In fact, most of our work was in the midst of night. It was our freshest time of the day. Though I hate to admit it sometimes, I know that we are forever malfested.