Disclaimer: The show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone one else and not me.
Revenge of the Wolf
Chapter 27 – Better than that
Jade's Pov
Quietly we crept down the stairs, with me in the lead. With each step, I knew I was getting closer to Claudia. My wolf instincts kept my senses on alert.
We were in the main building and came down onto the top floor from the tower. The door was locked, but Julia easily used magic to unlock it. Once through the door, we found ourselves in a small corridor.
In the other world, the hallways are brightly lit and the artwork is cheery subjects such as meadows and grand mountain views.
This hallway was dimly lit and lined with portraits of people from long ago, their faces seeming to watch us as we walked. This whole place had a haunted house kind of feel.
We first came upon a set of double doors which in the other universe was the grand suite. Opening the doors we realized we were in Claudia's bedroom.
Stepping into the room, which was only lit by moonlight streaming in the windows, I listened but could hear no one. But I could detect a scent, but one I did not recognize.
"Someone's here?" I whispered.
The first room was a well furnished sitting room, with a fireplace, a small bar and some overstuffed leather furniture. Ahead of me was a small balcony. To my right and left were doors.
Creeping in, Valentina pointed to the painting above the fireplace. It was a picture of a small boat on a stormy sea.
"My uncle worked in a fine art museum. I used to help him when I was younger. He taught me a lot about art. That picture is Rembrant Van Rijn's, Storm on the sea of Galilee."
"So"
"If that's the real deal, we can add possession of stolen property to her crimes. That painting was one of 11, stolen from a Boston Art museum, 25 years ago. That is worth 10's of millions."
Noting the stolen art, we looked into the door on the left, which led to a very large walk in closet. On the racks were hundreds of designer dresses, shoes, furs and laying around was some expensive jewelry. Una promptly took all that Jewerly and gave it to Dawn.
"More jewelry for my beautiful perfect angel"
The other room was her bedroom itself. It had a large vanity, a, antique four poster bed and two dressers. The room was dark and quiet, but I could smell someone for sure. It seemed to be coming from a door which I guessed was a bathroom.
I gestured to be quiet and we made for the door. Bursting in we found ourselves in a large bathroom with marble countertops. Normally the room would be of little interest, except the fact there was a young woman, whose ankle was chained to a pipe. She had long brown hair and was wearing nothing.
"Please don't hurt me." Whimpered the girl.
Tori and Dawn rushed over. "It's ok, we're here to help. Who are you? Did Claudia lock you up here?" Asked Dawn.
The girl nodded, flipping on the light I could see not only was she nude, but her back was covered in red welts and scars, indicating she had been the victim of repeated whippings.
"I'm Jenna. Please tell me you're not with her."
I looked to Julia. "Can you determine if she's lying or under some form of control."
With a nod, Julia cast a spell, causing her to briefly glow with blue light. "Not under any form of control."
She then cast a second one. "She'll tell truth for the next 2 minutes."
She was obviously very scared and Tori took her hand. "We're not here with Claudia. What happened?"
"I'm American and I was in the bar in Munich and some guy put something in my drink. I wake up and I'm here. Claudia says she owns me, that I'm her pleasure slave." Sobbed Jenna. "She makes me pleasure her and if I don't do a good enough a job, she beats and whips me. Sometimes she whips me for no reason. She also takes delight in raping me…."
Claudia is getting more despicable by the moment, but one thing puzzled me. So I wondered out loud. "Why doesn't' she put her under control like the rest of the girls in the brothel."
Una stepped forward and examined the scars on her back. "I can answer that. She wants a sexual plaything, but she also wants to enjoy this girl's, pain, misery and fear. Claudia wants to hear this girl whimper and cry. Claudia gets off on it, Jenna's suffering that is. If Jenna was passive and obedient, Claudia couldn't get that extra thrill that comes from her misery. She gets off on it, the pain, the power she can wield, the suffering. It's all about power and pain. In a nutshell, she's a power hungry, sadist."
"How do you know that" Asked Julia, looking absolutely horrified. .
"Enjoying the whimpering, the fear, the begging for mercy, it's intoxicating…..I've done it myself. It will take a long time, for me to atone for my sins, a very long time." Replied Una, with a detached and somewhat sad look.
"Can you get me out of here….I just want to go home."
"At this moment, that would be risky." Commented Julia. "If I teleport her out of here, it may set off one of her magical alarms, we can't use the cable car as that also may be wired to some alarm."
I kneeled down by her. "We can unlock you, but for the moment, you need to stay put. But first, is Claudia here?"
"Yes, she is? She left a few hours ago. She keeps me locked up in here, when she leaves."
"Look Jenna. We're going after Claudia but we need to be quiet. So she doesn't know were here. So can you stay here, until the coast is clear. It's very important."
Slowly she nodded. "But please don't leave me."
I looked to Tori. "Get this girl some clothes from the closet, even a bathrobe."
Turning to Julia I said. "Unlock this lock."
In a few short minutes, Jenna was free and now wearing a bathrobe. "Now, the best thing is to stay here. Can you tell me anything else about this place or who is here?"
"No, the only rooms I've ever seen was this bathroom and the bedroom."
"Thank you Jenna, I just need you to hold on a bit longer and stay put. You also must be very quiet. We can't afford for you or anyone of our group to be found. Ok. We'll come for you as soon as we find Claudia and rip her heart out."
The girl was scared but would stay here.
We left the girl, sitting on the bed, with a tortured expression. Yet another one of this woman's victims.
So we left her bedroom and headed down to the next level. Again all was quiet and in the bedrooms we searched, we found suitcases and evidence people were staying there, but no one seemed to be around. Where were they?
Yet another level down, we found the same thing, people were around somewhere but the place was quiet. So we continued our searching, learning a bit about Claudia on the way. She enjoys the most expensive furniture imaginable but at the same time, keeps the place looking like a haunted House. I do like the decor. She also has a fondness for stolen art. Valentina nearly fainted when she saw in a glass display case, a Faberge egg. She explained these eggs, usually made with gold and diamonds were made for the Romanov family. This one had vanished around the time of the 1917 revolution and has been missing ever since.
About an hour into our search, we had searched about 1/3 of the castle and found no one. Finally we heard footsteps coming towards us, while in one of the main corridors.
Hiding quickly around a corner, we waited until the steps grew closer. Jumping out we could see it was a man of about 30, in nondescript uniform.
Grabbing him quickly, we shoved him against the wall and covered his mouth.
Una quickly got right up to his face and said. "Look into my eye."
After a few moments the man, who was struggling, stopped.
"He's under my power now. You can let him go." Said Una, who then turned back to him. "Security guard?"
"Yes."
"How many are you?"
"Tonight only 3. Me , who's wandering around, Han's who's by where the cable car docs and Uther who, is sleeping in his quarters, in the east wing."
Una thought for a moment, "Tell me, is Claudia a nice boss."
"Yes, the last girl she had, when she got tired of her, she let me…have her. I passed her off to one of the cooks, when I got tired of her myself. She lets me indulge in some of the things that police locked me up for."
"So you're a rapist." I hissed.
"Yes, all of the staff are wanted criminals or escaped prisoners. We can't leave or the police will find us. It keeps us under control I guess from leaving or telling what we see. None of us can ever leave. But she lets us indulge, so it's kind of nice."
Another fucking sicko, this place is full of them.
Una then asked. "Where are the others."
"In the catacombs, I'm not permitted down there."
"How many are with her?"
"Not sure off hand. At least 20. I'm not paid to ask questions."
So now we knew where she was. That was good, very good.
"What do we do with him?"
Before anyone could say a word, Valentina reached out and broke his neck.
As she watched his body crumple to the floor, Una protested. "Hey, I was going to feed off him."
"Too late vampire." Valentina said dismissively, a she lifted his body and threw it out the window.
Once the guard was dealt with, we decided to go straight for the catacombs.
Where the stairs were in the other world, we found a wall. Had we not taken the tour in the other world, we would have never known it was there. Assuming they were still there behind a door, we searched and soon enough found a switch.
I was getting ever closer and now my heart was beating fast and faster.
The catacombs were slightly damp and appeared to be carved out of the living rock. They were lit and as we stepped in could hear some faint noise.
Heading down the corridor, we saw a door which led into a classroom of some sort. Yet again it was empty.
The next door was a heavy oak door and was locked. Once Julia unlocked the door via magic we stepped into find a large room that appeared to be a magicians lab. On various tables were spell books, bottles of various ingredients, notes in Claudia's hand about this spell or that spell.
Notably in one corner was an operating table with restraints. On it lay strapped down was what appeared to be the desiccated form of what was once a young woman. From the expression on her face, I could see she died in agony. In the movies, I'd think this was cool, here in real life, it's just disturbing.
As we poked around, Julia picked up a black tome and opened it.
"MY god, this is Verniac's Grimoire."
"Who's Vernac?" I asked.
"As dark and evil wizard's go, he was one of the darkest and corrupt He died hundreds of years ago. I don't even want to describe the things he did to people. This is his spell book, curses, demon summoning the works. Here look at this table."
Julia then pointed to a nearby table full of bottles full of various substances. "This is where she makes the stuff she uses in her mind control potions. Some of these ingredients are extremely rare."
This whole room was full of evil magic crap and as the others poked around, I happened to notice a door on the opposite wall. I thought it was just a closet initially, but when I opened it, saw it was a large room.
Curious, I stepped inside to see what it was.
It was a room just as big, with an even higher ceiling. On my left was a desk covered with papers and behind that walls of bookshelves and cabinets. Ahead of me was a small sitting area in front of a fireplace and too my right was a bar.
This appeared to be, Claudia's office. I'm sure the papers in here would help in smashing her organization once and for all.
Like everywhere in this castle, the walls were lined with dusty old paintings and medieval type tapestries. But it was the bar I was interested in. If I was going into battle I wouldn't do it sober.
So I walked over the bar and poured myself a glass of Jack Daniels, whisky.
On the surface, Claudia was a well-respected member of the wizard community. But she had many secrets, dark nasty secrets and with each new one revealed she looked more demented and twisted than before.
But as I raised the glass of whisky to my lips, I happened to spot yet another painting on the wall. One that was located in a small alcove, so I hadn't noticed it right away.
But it wasn't just any painting, it yet another secret of Claudia's. In fact, it was her biggest, deepest and darkest secret and I knew what it meant instantly. I was so shocked, so stunned by what I was seeing, that the glass simply fell out of my hand, where it shattered on the floor.
For almost a minute I stood there, transfixed by this painting as it all suddenly fell into place, everything that had happened. I had been an utter fool…not just lately, but almost from day one. It was more than realizing I was wrong; it was just realizing just how wrong I was. I'm surprised didn't faint on the spot.
"Oh my god!"
The painting was large, nearly life sized in fact. It had been set apart from the other paintings and unlike them had not one speck of dust on it. It was also draped with a black sash, as if Claudia was in morning for the figure in the picture. In front of the painting on a small table was a unlit candle, a note and some photographs.
This was more than just a painting; it was a shrine. A shrine to someone Claudia obviously revered.
As I took another step towards the painting, I realized that I had started to shake, with fear, dread and disgust.
"NO…no…it can't be." I sputtered in disbelief.
The figure in the painting was a woman with long dark hair, wearing the dress of a 17th century noble woman. Despite her skin being ghostly pale had a very Mediterranean look to her.
But it was the eyes, of the figure that really shook me; Cold, cruel eyes that seemed to mock my utter stupidity.
Those eyes, I remember those cold, cruel eyes. I couldn't forget them if I tried and I have, many times.
"I've been a fool…a total fool all this time on the table and began to read. It was in Claudia's handwriting.
"Mother…
All I am is, due to you, all my power and all my success and in your name I go forth and will achieve what we dreamed of. I only wish you could once again be at my side, teaching me, guiding me, molding me. The pain of your loss stings me to this day. Though now you can rest easier knowing that the vile creature that destroyed you, is now gone. Though I would have rather twisted her to my ends and forced her to destroy everything she loved, you have been avenged, regardless. From the moment….."
Not able to read anymore, I put down the paper. It was as bad as I feared, if not worse. A lot of this didn't make sense, but now it all made sense and the stark reality of it all was chilling.
Still half in shock I walked back into Claudia's magic room/lab where Tori must have sensed my distress right away. Hell I was probably as white as a sheet.
"What's wrong?" Tori said as she rushed up.
I winced as in pain, though thinking of that face reminds of the pain. "Tori….I've been a total fool…all this time…a blind and stupid fool….The clues were right in front of me all this time. I just never saw it."
The others noticing, came over.
"Jade, what's the matter?" Asked Julia.
I shook my head, "This is worse than I thought….I've been so blind…so stupid….."
Tori put her arm around me, but it was little comfort. "What is it?"
Needing to show them, I motioned toward the office. They followed me in, where I led them to the painting.
Tori's reaction was immediate as she gasped in horror and as a reflex, put her hand up to the small scar on her face.
"That is Claudia's deepest darkest secret." I said as I avoided looking at those mocking eyes.
Julia looked to me than to the painting. "Jade, is that who I think it is."
"Yes it is…it's Livia. The vampire I destroyed almost four years ago. You see, that's the reason that Claudia hates me so much, why she kidnapped me, not just because I'm queen of all werewolves. There's so much more than that. That's why she came after me, why she wanted me to be totally aware when I killed Tori. She wanted me to suffer, because you see….Claudia, is Livia's DAUGHTER!"
How's that for a surprise? I do love plot twists.
Well well, how many of you remember the name Livia? If you read the original story, The wolf in me, you should remember. As Livia was the villain in that particular story, at least until Jade jammed a wooden table leg through her heart. So there is a direct connection between, The Wolf in Me" and this story.
You see Claudia is not just another bad guy, not just some wizard gone bad, she's the daughter of one of the evilest and vile creatures to walk the earth. And she has a major axe to grind with Jade.
So, tell me, what do you think of this development?
The painting I describe as being in Claudia's bedroom, Rembrant Van Rijn's, Storm on the sea of Galilee. It is a real painting and indeed was stolen from a Boston Art Museum, in 1990. It has never been recovered.
The song title, Better than That, comes from the song of the same name, by Marina and the Diamonds. It's a song about a rather untrustworthy person, which reflects on Claudia. It's a really good song, which is kind of why I chose it.