Temporal Tide
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor any of its characters or franchises, I am not making money for this, so please don't sue me.
A/N: For the purposes of this story, there will be a hospital in La Push, despite there being no such thing in reality.
[Warning: Implied Sexual Content of Dubious Consent]
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Chapter 06
Bella
Awareness returned to me along with the sensation of cool wooden flooring. Blinking my eyes, I looked around and realized I was back in Sam's kitchen. My gaze eventually landed on the two women staring at me with a deer in the headlights expression.
The woman with the facial scars and Sue Clearwater were preparing dinner when I'd decided to crash the party. My eyes darted to the calendar and clock on the wall. If they were anything to go by, I'd only been gone a few hours.
Listening intently, I could tell that aside from the two women in front of me, there was no one else in the house. In other words, there were no wolves around to protect them. I guess their stunned and fearful expressions made more sense now.
Knowing that the younger woman would undoubtedly still be bleeding, I ceased my breathing immediately. I had just enough air in my lungs to grit out a question.
"Where is laundry room?" My words were choppy to save air. I needed another scent to distract me, and I needed one pronto.
Sue merely pointed with her finger and I flashed over to the door she'd indicated. Wrenching open the handle, I beelined to the bottles of chemicals arranged on the shelves and pulled down a bottle of bleach.
Twisting off the cap, I slopped some of it onto my hand and promptly smeared it on and under my nose. Setting down the bottle, I braced my hands on the washing machine and took a cautionary sniff.
I yelped.
My olfactory senses burned with the sharp toxic smell of bleach. The sensation was painful in its intensity, it was only now that I remembered Edward telling me that a vampire's sense of smell was dozens of times more powerful than a blood hound's.
Moaning with misery, I walked back into the kitchen and washed my hands. As tempted as I was to get rid of the chemical stench covering my face, I no longer had to worry about losing my control around scar girl.
Once I'd washed my hands, I finally noticed that Sue was on the phone and that the other woman was eying me like I was a strange and exotic creature.
Wiping my hands on my shirt, I nervously extended my hand.
"Bella Swan. Newborn Vampire. Vegetarian. It's nice to meet you." The girl burst into laughter, although it had an edge of hysteria, before she extended her own warm palm to clasp mine.
"Emily Young. Human. Omnivore. The pleasure's mine." We smiled at each other while Sue appeared to be under the impression that we'd both lost our marbles. "So may I ask what you were doing in my laundry room?" The tone was congenial enough, and since I couldn't smell a damn thing, I decided to relax my guard a bit.
"I was using your bleach. It's completely killed my sense of smell, and it burns something fierce, but it keeps me from detecting any other scents so I'll put up with it."
"Oh," Emily seemed to digest that bit of information. "Is it because of my period?" I shrugged, but it was fairly obvious it was a big factor. "Thanks."
I scuffed my feet against the wood and nodded, feeling a little shy at the praise.
Before anything else could happen, Sam, Jacob, and Paul burst into the house. They looked around wildly, and judging by the way their eyes honed in, I was probably about to become acquainted with the floor. Fortunately I didn't have to fight off a bunch of crazed wolves, because they recognized neither of us were tense or agitated.
Not so subtly placing himself between me and Emily, Sam stiffly looked me over.
"Where did you go leech? You disappeared into thin air." I sighed, largely aggravated with the day I'd been having.
"I told you already. I end up getting transported somewhere else entirely. The people usually don't even speak English."
"So you're a teleporter or something? That's awesome." Jake interjected, gracing me with a wide grin.
"Something like that." I muttered, knowing I wasn't telling the Quileute's the whole story. It was kind of crazy anyway, and even on the off chance they believed me they might start asking me to change things.
"Councilman Black will be here in a few minutes, I suggest you find yourself something more appropriate to wear." Looking down at myself, I was reminded of my haggard appearance.
Emily left the room and came back with a change of clothes for my wet and muddied attire. We weren't exactly the same size, so she gave me one of those dresses you just tie around the middle to fit your form.
When I returned to the living room, I could only assume I'd been restored to a vampires regular flawless state if the stares were any indication. While I could no longer view myself as plain, I also found that I couldn't take any enjoyment in the looks of appreciation my new features afforded me. I didn't feel like I'd earned it. It was a side effect of my nature and not a result of my character.
I think that's why I'd loved Edward and the Cullens so much. In my opinion, they loved me despite how un-extraordinary I was.
Or had, at least.
A knock came from the door, breaking the trance cast over the room. Paul started, and walked to the door. Billy Black wheeled himself into the room with a worn and melancholy expression. I knew Billy as a strong man, a man who didn't let the fact that he was bound to a wheelchair keep him down.
In the months since I'd gone missing he'd transformed into an old Quileute with too many wrinkles and the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The moment his gaze landed on me, tears filled his eyes. Sorrow passed over his face as he took in my new appearance.
I shifted in discomfort because the way he was looking at me was similar to how one would peer at the face of a deceased family member. In that moment I became painfully aware that Billy truly thought that I was dead. Not just physically, but that whatever part of me that had a soul no longer inhabited my body.
In his eyes, I was just a husk wearing the face of his best friend's daughter.
Stiffly meeting his gaze, I nodded a greeting despite the fact that all I wanted to do was run. No matter how Billy felt about me now, I needed to know how my father was.
"How is Charlie?" I whispered, and watched as he shivered at my saccharine voice.
"Your father is badly injured, but as long as he doesn't receive any further injuries he will live. Whoever worked him over broke his leg, one of his wrists, four ribs and gave him a concussion to top it all off. He still hasn't woken up, but the doctors are confident he will soon."
Covering my eyes with my hand, I tried to compose myself as relief, anger, sadness, and guilt warred within me. I couldn't deny that while Victoria was no doubt responsible for Charlie's injuries, I felt a large part of the blame also rested on me.
If I'd never gotten involved with vampires in the first place, Charlie wouldn't have been a target. While I'd been reining in my emotions, Sam and Jacob got Billy up to speed on everything that had been happening. When they finished, I impatiently interjected.
"So how are we going to get my father out of Forks? Victoria has been hanging around the hospital. She could kill him at any time, I – We can't risk him coming to harm." Looking thoughtful, Billy silently appraised me.
"You were smart to inquire about who Charlie made his medical agent. He did, in fact, appoint me to make decisions for him in the event that he is unable to. As such, I can have him transferred to the hospital here on the reservation. It will be easier for the boys to protect him. The staff won't like it, but they'll comply.
After that, with your help, it should be a simple matter to hunt down the parasite. You have golden eyes, and the Cullen's unofficially adopted you while you were human. Since you're a vampire now, if you gave us 'permission' we could hunt her in Forks and on their land."
My heart only ached a little when he called the Cullen's family, but if it would keep my father safe I wouldn't reject the moniker.
"We should leave as soon as possible," I said. "How many wolves can you spare to help me pick him up? I'm sure Victoria will attack if she figures out what we're doing and I would like to have numbers on my side."
Billy and Sam exchanged glances, before Sam spoke up.
"We have ten pack members right now. I'm not willing to leave the reservation completely undefended, so two of them will stay to patrol the border. The rest of us will accompany you. Once Billy gets his transfer approved, you will transport Chief Swan in Billy's van. We will follow on foot until he's safely within La Push."
Nodding in assent, I looked uneasily out the living room window. The plan was straightforward, and not even Victoria could take on eight wolves plus one vampire at the same time.
Still, I felt uneasy.
If she was anything like her mate, Victoria would definitely have something up her sleeve.
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The ride back to Forks was tense.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to cram eight wolves and a vampire into an enclosed area obviously wasn't thinking straight. It was easy to see that being in such close proximity to something their instincts were telling them was an enemy was setting every wolf on edge.
That wasn't even including me, who had to fight the urge to lash out like a cornered animal. Even Seth, the youngest and most accepting Quileute, was setting off my fight or flight impulses.
When we reached the outskirts of town, everyone but Jacob and Seth piled out of the vehicle. They were going to phase and wait, since Victoria probably wouldn't attack in town with so many witnesses. I let them out with no small amount of relief.
After we reached the hospital I took Jake's seat behind the wheel as I waited for them to bring Charlie out. As much as I wanted to rush inside to see my father, we decided that it would be better for me to avoid temptation by waiting in the car.
My eyes and ears were continually scanning the area, but I didn't see hide nor hair of Victoria. Her scent still lingered faintly, but I could tell she hadn't been around in at least a few hours.
I wasn't given the chance to brood over it however, because I caught a glimpse of Jacob and Seth wheeling my father out on a gurney.
Charlie was a mess. Every inch of him was wrapped in gauze or trapped in a cast. Mottled bruises covered the majority of his face and chest, and I could tell there were some in places even I couldn't see. Anguish welled in my chest and I nearly cracked the steering wheel I was so upset. A big part of me wanted to rush over to see him, but as they got closer it was clear that he was still unconscious. Judging by the bag hooked up to his IV, he was probably also doped up to his eyeballs.
A doctor was trailing beside the duo, giving frantic instructions and obviously displeased that we were moving his patient. I appreciated his dedication when it came to the welfare of my father, but necessity dictated he be moved.
Quil and Sam gently loaded Charlie into the back. The smell of starch and antiseptic filled the van, and it took a supreme effort of will not to anxiously glance to the back as I pulled out onto the road. My driving habits as a human were still firmly ingrained, so I wasn't quite up to Cullen style recklessness while driving.
Jacob sat next to me in the passenger seat, while Seth stayed in back with Charlie. The moment we hit the city limits I noticed the shadows of giant wolves following us in the trees on either side. Their presence relaxed me enough that I wasn't jumping at anything that moved.
We were little more than halfway back to the Rez when I heard six wolves snarl simultaneously. Without pausing to let us know what was going on they all rocketed forward, leaving our car in the dust as they made a beeline for La Push. Jacob leaned forward in his seat, anxiously staring as his pack mates quickly disappeared.
"Something's wrong," He whispered. "Sam and the others wouldn't take off like that for no reason. Seth, Bella, keep your guards up."
Jacob barely finished his sentence before something slammed into the side of the van. I watched in slow motion as we were plowed off the side of the road. Seth scrambled to keep Charlie on the gurney even as he was thrown against the wall by the impact. The side windows shattered, pelting Jake and I with glass. The car's momentum rammed his head against the side door.
A flash of red catches my attention and before I know it, I've lunged through the driver side door, tearing through metal and seat-belt like tissue paper.
High malicious laughter caressed the air, and I was abruptly faced with three vampires. Victoria, flanked by two nearly rabid newborns. While Jake and Seth recovered in the van, my adversary bared her teeth in a vicious grin.
"Do you think I'm stupid Bella?" She hissed, her fingers curling into the semblance of claws. "Did you think I wouldn't notice your fumbling attempts to hide your presence at the hospital? That I wouldn't follow you to the fleabag infested coast? I overheard your little conversation in the woods, so I decided to bring a few friends along to play. I hope you don't mind.
By the way, if you're wondering where the rest of your little mutts went, they're racing to protect their pathetic little village from a couple of my acquaintances. It's too bad they've left you here all alone."
Jake crawled out of the car, blood streaked his arms, but he didn't seem to notice. His whole body was shaking.
"Well," Victoria amended. "Almost."
She snapped her fingers and both of her companions descended on Jacob as he exploded. Before I could come to his aid, Victoria was on me.
She struck like a snake, all lightning fast strikes. Every time I tried to fend her off she'd bat aside my attacks with a skill and ease born from centuries of practice. Several times I barely managed to dodge a fatal blow, and my newborn strength was the only thing keeping me alive.
As dangerous as Edward had always made newborns seem, I was now coming to realize that the only danger they really posed was their strength and unpredictability. I wasn't a fighter; I had no training in self-defense. My instincts were the only saving grace I had.
From the corner of my eye I noticed Seth finally scrambling out of the back of the vehicle, clearly torn on who he should assist. Just as he was about to move to help Jake, I noticed Victoria's eyes gleefully dart to the van. If my heart still beat it would have stopped with the fearful certainty I experienced in that moment. The second Seth left, Victoria would strike.
This is why she waited to finish off Charlie. She wanted me to know the agony of watching my loved ones die, while I remained powerless to stop it.
"Seth!" I shouted, ducking a blow to the head. "Take Charlie and run!"
The young Quileute paused, uncertain, but Jake took the opportunity to dispatch one of the newborns. His russet fur bristled as he pounced on his second crazed opponent.
"Please!" I yelled, unable to dodge a swift kick to my chest that sent me careening across the asphalt. Victoria pinned me the ground. As I struggled, I caught a glimpse of Seth scooping my father into his arms before Victoria bit into my shoulder.
Screaming in pain, I thrashed in an attempt to buck her off. My marble skin begin to crack and tear when Jacob barreled into Victoria, flinging her into the woods from the force of his blow. I struggled to my feet and noted that at some point during my fight with Victoria, Jake had defeated his other enemy.
Snarling with rage, Victoria noticed she was now outnumbered, her companions strewn across the road like so much rubble.
"This isn't over," she growled, before racing off into the woods. Jake made a move to follow but I grabbed a fist-full of fur to keep him from pursuing.
"Stop! We don't know if she has anymore friends, and you have to go back to defend the reservation." Jacob huffed, but allowed me to pull him back. "Go help Sam. As soon as I finish burning these bodies, I'll join you."
Shaking his big furry head, Jacob phased back, giving me an unexpected eyeful. Averting my eyes, I would have blushed if I'd still been capable.
"No need. The others dispatched the vampires on our land. Sam told me to personally make sure these ones won't be a problem anymore. Paul and Jared managed to hold them off before the others arrived, but they still killed five people."
Dismayed, I felt my shoulders slump.
Five people were dead because Victoria needed a distraction.
Five people were dead because of her vendetta against me.
In a way, I was responsible for those deaths. They never would have gotten involved if I hadn't run to the wolves. My only consolation was that Seth had escaped with my father, and was undoubtedly on the reservation by now.
Starting a fire on the side of the road, the two of us gathered up the remains of the newborns and watched as they burned. Plumes of purple smoke curled into the sky, and I counted myself lucky that this stretch of highway was seldom used.
Pushing the shattered wreck of the van further into the forest, I hoped that it would conceal the accident long enough for us to dispose of the evidence.
Once the deed was done, Jake snuffed out the fire and we both ran back to La Push.
The atmosphere, when we arrived, was stifling. Grief hung in the air like a thick cloud, and I had to hold my breath when I noticed blood stained sheets covering the victims' remains.
Sam and the others were huddled around the injured forms of Paul and Jared, who held off three newborns by themselves. Considering they weren't trained to fight vampires, I thought they'd done pretty well.
Much better than I had, I thought with a touch of bitterness.
The moment the pack caught my scent, they all tensed and snarled, their heads whipped around in unison. Apparently they were still on high alert, because it took a noticeable effort for them to reduce their shaking. At this point, any vampire seemed like a threat.
"Bella," Sam grunted, acknowledging my presence. "Seth just called from the hospital. He got Chief Swan there safely, but he decided to stay and help with the wounded they're bringing in. The locals aren't sure what's going on, but they're calling in the police. You might want to leave before they get here."
I nodded shakily. Questions would be asked if the missing daughter of the injured police chief reappeared in the middle of a massacre.
Before I could gather myself enough to leave, Leah stormed over and aggressively seized a fist-full of my collar.
"This is your fault!" She thundered. "Those people would still be alive right now if we'd just left you to die in the first place!" Tears streamed down her face. "My father would still be here if it weren't for you…"
"I'm sorry." I whispered, fully expecting her to tear me to pieces. Leah's face twisted and we stared at each other for several moments before she pushed me away and stormed off. I stood and watched her leave when Jacob placed a hand on my shoulder.
"It's not your fault Bella. We all knew the risks when we decided to help you. Leah is just upset right now. Her father was one of the first to fall. She hasn't told Seth yet. Come on, I'll show you where they're keeping Charlie."
Emotionally numb, I let Jake lead me away.
I managed to shake off my quagmire of mixed feelings when we reached the emergency room Charlie was staying in. Bypassing the front desk, Jacob showed me to my father's room, although I just had to follow the smell of wet dog to find it.
Quil was standing guard at the foot of my father's bed. He nodded to us as we entered, and seemed to take it as his cue to leave. Jake followed soon after when he realized I wanted a moment alone.
Taking a seat in the chair next to him, I reached out and gently stroked the back of Charlie's hand. It was amazing how frail he looked. His skin felt paper thin.
Before becoming a vampire, I never really gave a thought to how delicate an existence it was to be human. We go about our days with a weird sense of invincibility, where bad things only happen to other people.
The reality was much different.
"I'm sorry." I breathed, resting my cheek against his warm palm. I could only repeat the word; to Leah, to my father, and to myself.
I'm unsure how long I stayed there, hunched over Charlie's bedside, but eventually the sound of an approaching nurse caught my attention. Unwilling to answer the questions that would follow if I was discovered, I hid myself behind one of the partitions.
A young man in scrubs walked through the door and began performing checks on Charlie's condition. His pen scratched loudly against the paper on his clipboard and I felt my heart resonate in response. Clutching a fist to my chest, I tried to fight the sensation. I couldn't leave now. Charlie needed me.
For a brief second I thought I succeeded, until I was yanked ingloriously to the past.
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Hungary – 1016 A.D.
My eyesight returned slowly, bringing my surroundings into hazy focus. It had never taken this long for me to recover my senses during previous episodes, and I had to wonder if it was a side effect of fighting the pull.
Eventually I recognized the walls and pallet belonging to Tatyana's room. Sure enough, just a small whiff of the room confirmed Tanya's raspberry-almond scent. Although, I was puzzled by how old the marker was. Tanya hadn't slept here in several days.
Voices from the main room of the dwelling caught my attention, and I used my index finger to push the cloth partition blocking the door open just enough to peer through.
Two men stood on opposite sides of the table in the center of the room. I recognized one of them as Yakov, the other was a well-dressed man in his thirties. Unlike Yakov's gruff exterior, he was fairly handsome. His fine features and poise complimented his dark hair and pale skin.
As I watched, the stranger bent over and scratched his signature onto a piece of parchment with a quill. Lifting the document, which I couldn't read at this angle, he carefully blew on the ink.
"There," he spoke. "As agreed, in exchange for a year of barley, three horses, and a pig; you give me possession of your only daughter with the promise that I properly feed and care for her. Now that our business is concluded, was there anything else you needed to discuss?"
"No, Baron Szendrey. I believe everything has already been said." Yakov grunted.
"Good. I am eager to be home. I'll have your things delivered within the fortnight. I'll have the barley delivered once a month for the remainder of the year. Normally I wouldn't have paid such a high price, but your daughter's literacy is a valuable skill. I doubt another woman within a hundred leagues has that knowledge." Yakov didn't seem very pleased by the comment, but he held his tongue. "Good day Trapper."
With those parting words, the man swept out of the small abode. I stood behind the curtain, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Did I just witness Yakov selling off his thirteen year old daughter as if she were chattel?
Blind rage swallowed my reason and before he could even blink, I'd seized Yakov by the throat. Lifting him into the air, I snarled and trapped him against the wall.
"Why?" I roared, watching as his face turned red from lack of oxygen. "Why would you do this to your own daughter?!" Yakov's fingers scraped ineffectually against my arms and I loosened my grip enough for him to speak.
"Who are you? Why are you he-" My grip flexed, cutting him off mid word as a growl rumbled up from my chest. A look of stark terror crossed his face at the sound, and his bowels released as a result. Disgusted, I leaned away from him slightly, but kept him pinned.
"You haven't answered my question." I hissed, tearing gouges in the wall near his head with my fingers. Tears fell from Yakov's eyes, and I could tell he thought he was going to die from the way he was shaking.
"Please don't kill me. I only did what I had to. Damek is a man now, he needs a wife, but he cannot provide a bride price. Game has been scarce and the father of the girl he's been courting won't allow the union without one. This was the only way I could provide for my son and ensure a good match for my daughter. Baron Szendrey will take care of Tanya, she will always be kept warm and well fed.
I cannot do the same. I won't watch my little girl waste away and die in childbirth like her mother. Please, understand."
With a snarl of frustration I slammed Yakov into the mortar and wrenched myself away. I didn't want to sympathize with a man who would sell his daughter like a possession, no matter his reasons. The cool winter air outside helped cool my fury as I dashed after Szendrey.
Easily catching up to his horse, I followed him for two days as he traveled the roads, knowing he would lead me to Tanya. My patience was rewarded when we eventually came to a township in the early evening. It was much larger than Ruzinov, practically on the verge of becoming a city. The signpost labeled it as Bratislava, and I wasn't surprised when the Baron rode his horse through the gates of a giant two story mansion perched on a hill overlooking the nearby lake.
Unlike the hovel Tanya used to live in, this place was made of sturdy brick, with clay tiles for the roof. The grounds were expansive, with lush flowers, trees, and vegetation. The entire property was surrounded by a high perimeter, to discourage thieves.
It didn't pose even a passing challenge as I vaulted over, keeping out of sight as much as possible.
The inside was as lavishly decorated as I suspected, with plush rugs, tapestries, and ornate furniture. Listening closely I could make out several voices scattered throughout the household. None of which I recognized as Tanya's.
Slipping up to the second floor, I sighed with relief when I finally caught her scent. I tracked it through the house, ducking around corners and hanging over ledges to avoid people as I went. Inevitably drawn to one of the doors, I pressed my hand against the wood and cocked my head.
One heart beat in the room beyond.
Turning the handle, I snuck inside, my back to the occupant as I closed the door. From the corner of my eye I could see I'd entered a bedroom. It was a large living space, with a bed piled with soft furs and an armoire. A large bronze mirror was hung on the wall across from the bed, which struck me as strange because I was used to glass. However, when I turned around it was not the opulence of the atmosphere that caught my attention.
Beauty was sitting at the windowsill.
Sixteen and lovely, with creamy rose tinted skin; Tatyana gazed through her open window. Red-gold hair tumbled around her shoulders in wild curly locks, framing soft elegant features. The awkwardness of adolescence had melted into a lithe and ample figure. She was garbed in an ivory roman dress, her arms bared at the shoulders. A style popular in Greece, but spread throughout Europe in noble circles.
I stood, unable to move or even breathe, as this young woman I barely recognized twisted her head to lock gazes with me. Joy sprang, instantly, to her face. If my heart still beat, it would have shuddered to a stop. Her happiness was as guileless and pure as it was reflected through her eyes when she was six.
Without speaking, Tanya leapt from the sill, ran across the room, and threw her arms around my neck. Shakily, I returned the embrace, still partially stunned. This was not the thirteen year old girl I was expecting. This Tanya was practically a woman. She even topped me by an inch.
Pulling back, she tenderly touched my face, her fingers wonderingly brushed over my cheek.
"You haven't aged a day." She murmured, and her tone snapped me out of the weird trance I'd fallen under. Clasping her hand, I tugged it down between us.
"I never will. I'll always be like this." I said with a hint of sadness. Now that I had eternity I realized how lonely it was watching the people you care about age and pass away while you stayed the same. I was experiencing it first hand, in fast forward, through Tatyana.
Tanya's sky blues openly appraised me, but she chose not to comment. It was only in the silence that I noticed how rapidly Tatyana's heart was pounding; there was a slight flush to her cheeks. Her gaze kept darting down to our hands, where our fingers were twined together.
Feeling suddenly awkward, I made to let go, figuring that she was uncomfortable with the contact. But the second my fingers loosened, Tanya immediately tightened her grip. Touched, I gently squeezed her hand in return.
"I overheard your father and the Baron talking. I came straight here the moment I knew where you were."
Tanya's countenance dimmed. Releasing my hand, she crossed the room to sit on the bed.
"My father has 'gifted' me to the Baron. It's a good match. Father says I'll never want for anything. To my great misfortune, I don't even have the privilege of being his recalcitrant wife. Instead I'm to be his reluctant mistress." She smiled bitterly. "I'm too lowborn to marry."
Spanning the room in a single stride, I gripped Tanya's shoulders, my eyes bored into hers fiercely.
"Say the word and I'll take you far away from here. Someplace they'll never find you. You don't have to stay here."
As I watched, Tanya began to cry. She shook her head as she wiped away her own tears.
"Where would we go Mari? Who will take me in and not expect my body in return? What will I do when you disappear again and I'm all alone? How will I survive?"
Stricken, I turned away in shame. Tanya was right. I could make all the promises in the world, but I couldn't keep myself from leaving.
Ironically, Tanya was the one to comfort me. Enfolding me in a hug, she stroked my hair and made soft soothing noises.
"It's alright Mari. I've had several years to become resigned to my fate." She smiled weakly. "It's better than being a whore on the streets, or starving in the cold. The Baron hasn't been unkind.
I've only been here a day, but he's already put me in charge of the household finances. I've even learned Latin. A few years ago a man of god came to Ruzinov to preach, and since I already had some skill, he was kind enough to teach me. I used to help him copy and translate scripture."
Tanya's eyes were bright and animated as she spoke, but the uncertain tilt of her mouth gave away her true feelings. She was trying to be brave, but my soul ached that she even had to. The little girl who had charmed her way into my heart deserved better.
Before I could utter a word, there came a knock at the door. Tatyana instantly tensed.
"Who is it?" she called.
"It's the handmaid, miss. M'lord has requested that you join him for dinner."
"I'll be right there." She said faintly, but the maid must have heard her, because I noted her retreating footsteps. "I have to go." Tanya spoke, turning to me.
"I know." I unhappily stated. An unbearably shy expression appeared on Tanya's features, and she seemed to be struggling to ask something.
"Will you be here when I get back?" It was the tone of a small child who was afraid of being abandoned. Nodding jerkily, for once I was glad that I was incapable of shedding tears.
"I'll try." And I meant it. If the future tried to call me back, I'd fight tooth and nail to stay.
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Evening turned to night, and candlelight was the only thing illuminating my restless pacing. Dinner was hours ago, and Tanya still hadn't returned. My anxiety was ratcheting up by the minute, and I was a hair's breath from tearing the mansion apart when two pairs of footsteps approached from down the hall. They stalled on the other side of the door, and a prolonged quiet filled the air.
"Goodnight Anya. I'll see you tomorrow." A masculine voice softly whispered. A voice I recognized as Szendrey's.
Cloth rustled briefly, and the sound of his receding steps filled my ears. After a moment, Tanya entered the room white faced and trembling slightly, her clothes and hair in disarray. The scent of sex and despair clung to her clothes like a perfume. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.
Tatyana's hands fumbled as she slid the bolt home and leaned against the solid oak. I was beside her in an instant and pulled her into my arms as she slid to the floor. For the first time in my life I felt the beginnings of hate curl in my stomach.
I wanted to kill a man.
Not just as a byproduct of instinct and addiction, but of genuine malice.
The only thing keeping me bound to the room was the way Tanya clutched at my shoulders as she wept into my neck. My urge to alleviate her suffering was stronger than my need for revenge.
I cooed and rocked Tatyana for several minutes before she finally found the nerve to speak.
"I didn't fight." She breathed through hiccupping sobs. "I didn't say no. There was no point. He owns me already. The thought of churning out his bastards for the rest of my life disgusts me. I can't do it Mari. I just can't." Her voice tapered off into soft whimpers that only made me clutch her tighter.
"You won't." I fervently promised. "I'll make sure of it."
When Tanya eventually fell into a fitful slumber, I carried her to the bed and gently placed her beneath the covers.
Within a minute I was standing at the foot of Szendrey's bed. All the candles were out, blanketing the room in darkness, but I had no trouble making out the form of the Baron under the furs. He slept so easily, his arms and legs sprawled across the pallet, completely unconcerned about what he'd done.
My fist clenched as I imagined how to kill him.
I could crawl across the bed and press down on his throat. How satisfying would it be to watch him struggle as he suffocated?
If I was feeling merciful, a quick blow to the head would also suffice. To a vampire, the skull is but a fragile egg.
Or, if I wanted it to seem like an accident I could make it appear that he fell off his balcony. The two story drop would surely kill a man if he landed on his neck.
Gruesome imagery ran the gamut of my thoughts until I wondered, what would happen to Tatyana when the servants found him dead?
Would they cast her out on the streets?
Or perhaps return her to Yakov, where she'd be bartered off to the next man who took an interest in her?
The more I thought about it, the less certain I became. Would killing Szendrey really make her life better, or was I just being selfish?
I realized the decision to kill him didn't lie with me. I wasn't the one who would live with the consequences. Reining in my homicidal impulses, I swiped a purse from his side table and traveled into the night outside.
After a few inquiries, I ended up knocking on the door of a medicine woman. It was late at night and I could hear grumbled curses coming from inside as she shuffled to answer the door. An elderly woman finally came to call, squinting with annoyance as she took in my strange countenance.
"Are you the herbalist?" I asked in the politest voice I could muster.
"Come back in the morning, we can discuss business then." She made to slam the door in my face, but I held it open with only the slightest pressure from my thumb and middle finger. Surprised, she gaped at me when I held out the coin purse I'd stolen from the Baron.
"I can pay you. Handsomely."
The herbalist was much more accommodating as she ushered me into her home. Various plants and spices hung from rafters, filled baskets, and assorted bowls were littered all around the small living space. The smell of dried herbs overpowered the scent of stale unwashed sweat that was common to this time period.
I've never been so glad that I engrained proper hygiene into Tatyana during that week visit I had with her as a child.
"What do you need Milady, that couldn't wait till the morning?" The woman asked as I sat myself at her table.
"I need a herb that will render a woman unable to bear children." I stated, upfront and uncompromising.
The medicine woman looked at me with a knowing expression before scuttling off to retrieve a bowl filled with small prickly seeds.
"These are wild carrot seeds. Chew and swallow a handful of these within half a day of laying with a man and no child will quicken in the womb. If your teeth are bad, crush instead of chew them. Take no more than a handful every three days otherwise you will become sick."
Thanking her with several pieces of silver, I took the large bag of seeds she handed me and left without a backward glance.
When I snuck back into Tanya's room through the window, I found her awake and staring into space. She startled when she saw me, but couldn't hide the look of relief that passed over her features. Embracing me firmly, her body seemed to relax when she realized I was really here.
"I thought you left." She mumbled, and I delicately rubbed her back in a calming gesture. It hadn't occurred to me that, waking alone, Tanya would jump to the conclusion that I'd 'disappeared' again.
"I just had to pick something up from town." I replied, before showing her my bag full of seeds. Peering at them curiously, she looked to me for an explanation.
"These are wild carrot seeds. They will keep you from having children as long as you eat them regularly." Scooping a small handful of seeds out of the pouch, I effortlessly crushed them in my hand; and offered them, palm out, to Tatyana.
Glancing at me shyly, Tanya tentatively placed her fingers on my wrist and ate them straight out of my hand. Flustered and a bit embarrassed by the sensation of her lips on my skin, I swiftly withdrew my hand, trying not to notice the way Tatyana's pulse quickened as she stared at me.
Instead I relayed the medicine woman's instructions and, when prompted by Tanya, lied on the bed beside her. Seeking my reassuring presence, Tatyana pressed herself against my front and tucked her head beneath my chin.
Combing my fingers through her wild tresses, she was almost asleep when I felt the pull. Sitting up, Tanya jolted to wakefulness as I grit my teeth and struggled to stay. My body kept wavering between solid and transparency. Gripping the linens, my nails tore gouges in the cloth as I concentrated, but in the end it wasn't enough.
I faded with a bitter taste of failure.
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A/N: Oh my god, finally done! This chapter petered out at a whopping seven thousand words. That's almost one and a half times as long as a usual chap. So I hope you guys enjoyed it.
I was a bit worried that things were a bit too dramatic in this chapter, so let me know if it is.
Historically speaking Tanya should have been 14 when this happened, but I didn't really want to write about child molestation, so I upped her to 16. It was a compromise because I wanted to retain the realism of how things were for women back then, without becoming completely horrific. A lot of children were married off at 13 or 14 and where expected to have multiple children by the time they were 20. Actually, you were considered old at 20 because most people didn't live to the age of 40.
So did you guys love it? Hate it? Curl up into a little ball and cry? Was there anything you felt was unrealistic or false? Let me know.