Bela watches Erika vomit again. And again.
One of the servants had found her curled in a ball in a corner of a random hallway, shaking, a puddle of piss beneath her. Having heard that the servant was now Bela's property, the scullery maid had brought her up here – to the Hall of Joy, of all places. Helga made quick but proficient work of ripping Erika's tainted skirt from the dress and replacing it with her apron.
The housekeeper stands stone-faced behind Bela as the girl pukes into the bucket again — only bile and spittle this time — and at last raises her head.
"What happened," Bela asks, her tone particularly cold.
"I ran into Cassandra," Erika rasps.
They both go still.
"She found me the moment I was left alone." Erika says, her voice uneven with rage or fear, "I had written a letter to Luiza, to warn about those lycans in the forest. I wanted to seek Lady Dimitrescu's permission to send it."
"Out with it." Bela urges, her hands fisting at her side.
Erika's face is white as death, making her freckles look like dried, splattered blood. "I was on my way to Duke, to see if they were together, when Cassandra found me. She swiped the letter and forced me to play one of her games."
"I presume she promised a beneficial award in order to get you to play." Helga says. "Or she threatened to kill you."
Erika stays on the floor, her leg twisted out to the side. But the eyes that meet Bela's spark with that fiery temper that the girl tries so hard to hide. "She left me with no choice. She lured me all around the fucking castle, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find her. Keep up with her. It's like she was a wraith." She lurches towards the bucket and leans over it, but doesn't vomit. After another moment, she says, "Then she led me upstairs, towards Dimitrescu's chambers."
Everything goes quiet in Bela's head. "Go on."
"The Lady's private chambers?" Helga breathes.
Erika really does vomit again this time.
When she is done, Bela masters herself enough to say, "What did you see?"
"She . . . she was devouring something," Erika spits, covering her face with her hands as if to rip out her eyes. "All I saw was lumps of meat and blood. So much blood. She had these pale wings sprouting from her back, and these — these tentacles wriggling around like the tail of a frantic rat. Fangs. She had such large fangs. And blood all along her mouth." She lowers her hands. "The sounds she made, there was nothing human in it."
If Helga is horrified, she shows nothing.
"She roared at me to leave, rampaged and destroyed with those claws. And then I ran. I ran from there as fast as I could, and . . . oh, gods. Oh, gods." Erika begins weeping.
Slowly, slowly Bela turns to the housekeeper.
Helga is pale, her eyes raging. A fury that Bela has never seen directed at her. "What is your sister up to?"
Bela snarls. "As if I'm supposed to know everything my sister does?"
"I figured you would've done some snooping about." She points towards Erika, who flinches as if she had been slapped. "You go through all this trouble to get this woman as your personal pet, and now you're just leaving her for the wolves? You're not at all bothered by the torment your sisters wrought upon your 'property?'"
Bela takes a step froward. To Helga's credit, she doesn't back down. "Watch your tongue, housekeeper. She can take care of herself."
"Against your sisters? Really?"
"Don't underestimate her."
Erika's heaving between sobs doesn't aid in her argument.
"There's nothing she can do, Lady Bela. Not against Dimitrescu, or your sisters. Only you can protect her. But you just leave her to the wolves despite your claims of ownership."
"Everything was fine until today! The one moment I give her space, and Cassandra takes full advantage."
"You should have known this would happen."
Erika pauses her weeping. And backs away to the safety of the fireplace.
Bela's snarl is pure animalistic, but as she takes steps towards Helga – the housekeeper ready to accept her punishment – there's heavy footsteps striding down the hall.
Erika whimpers as she fruitlessly scrambles further back into the crevice between the fireplace and the wall.
"What do we do?" Helga whispers.
"Let me handle it."
Bela steps up to the front, Helga positioning herself between her and Erika. The footsteps reach the door, and Bela resists the urge to turn around as Erika's breathing begins to saw in and out of her.
"I should've ran." She whimpers.
"It would've only made things worse." Helga says, keeping her gaze on the door.
The footsteps reach the front of the door.
And there's a gentle knock, as if afraid to disturb. "Bela? I've come to talk to you."
Bela approaches the door and with a steadying breath, opens one. "Yes, mother."
Her mother bends deep in the knees to peer into the room. Bela can see her golden eyes graze right past Helga to Erika, still cowering by the fireplace.
Bela steps aside as her mother takes a step into the room, adjusting her hat so its rim doesn't graze the frame.
When she steps into the room and stands at her full height, Bela resists the urge to stand before her, to block her sight of Erika. Bela is about to close the door, when Daniela and Cassandra whizz past her on a carrion breeze.
Bela sneers as Daniela skips into the room, Cassandra walking with that insufferable swagger.
"Mother, what are they doing here?" Bela snarls.
"This requires us to be together, dear. I believe it is important."
Bela snarls. "Important to watch me rip out Cassandra's throat?" The voice might as well have been her mother's.
"You can certainly try." Cassandra gives a challenging grin.
"Enough, daughters!" Their mother shouts, and each of them stiffen. Alcina turns towards Erika, staring at them with widened eyes. The sphere of teal lost in the whites of her eyes. "Apologies for before, Erika. Let's calm down, and talk things out."
Erika doesn't seem to be ashamed of wearing just an apron in the presence of the Lady. But it is better than a piss-stained gown. The woman reins in her quivering as best as she can as she adjusts herself, setting her knees on the floor and bowing forward until her forehead touches the floor. "I swear I didn't mean any harm, My Lady. I didn't see anything, nothing that anyone would believe me anyway."
Alcina takes two slow steps towards Erika, Bela keeping herself rooted in place. She glances over towards Helga – and something like pleading reflects in the housekeeper's blue-grey eyes.
"I understand your plight, my dear. I really do. You had been exposed to something" – she casts a seething glare over towards Cassandra – "you were never meant to know. And for that, I pity you. Your life shall be spared, but there will be as change in your . . . routines, now."
Erika released a long-held and heartbreaking breath as she mutters, "Thank you. Thank you, My Lady. I am most grateful."
"Mother, what changes are you implying?" Daniela asks with a smirk that indicates she might have a say in what is in store for Erika.
"None that concern you, dear." Their mother retorts with enough bite that Daniela looks to her with a bit of hurt. She looks to Bela. "To me."
Bela squares her shoulders and approaches. "Yes, Mother."
"We have been met with an unfortunate occurrence, my dear. And despite your unexpected trust in this woman, I'm afraid I cannot share the same opinion."
Bela bites her tongue against her mother's words; she didn't think her granted freedom to Erika was a sign of trust. At least, not as much as it had portrayed. She knew the woman wouldn't run off, and she accomplished her chores remarkably. She earned that freedom. It was a compromise. Right?
"Therefore, I am taking the girl my personal handmaid. Once she has finished with her chores for you, she is to be mine for the rest of the day."
"What?!" Cassandra barks in unison with Bela.
Erika's head slowly rises, horror still paling her skin. Bela can see her shaking.
"Mother, I –"
"It is an assurance, Bela dear. I cannot have her blabbing about what she saw to the others."
"I would never –" Erika starts, layered over Bela saying, "Mother, I promise, she would never –"
"So very few have looked into the darkness of this castle and survived, Erika Pavel." That's the first in a long while that their mother said her full name. It still sounds foreign to Bela's ears.
Erika casts a look over to Helga, and the two share a glaring conversation that Bela wants no part of. The betrayal in Erika's eyes is enough to make Bela's chest tighten.
Helga is the only person in the entire castle, in the entire village, to fully know and understand what goes on here in Castle Dimitrescu. She knows of the second skin their mother bears only for the most desperate of times. Though none of them have ever seen it; only glimpses like Erika. But it was enough to warrant never wanting to see it again.
Helga knows of the many killings that have happened within these walls, has heard the screams and pleas and cries for help – to loved ones, to gods that never answered.
Alcina continues, "I need to know that I have your undying loyalty to this House and its members, and right now, I don't trust you. Will that change in time? Perhaps. Until that day – if it ever comes – I'll have you in my sights for hours in a day."
She takes another steps towards Erika, still kneeling. One of her mother's long claws extends from her pointer finger.
"And if word should reach my ears about your exposure of me," she takes the claw and sets it directly into the crook between Erika's jaw and neck. One flick of her wrist, and Erika's head will be rolling on the floor.
Alcina only grins as Erika's bottom lip begins to tremble. The girl nods her head, hissing as she slices her own skin over the nail. Her mother wipes the blood and brings the nail to her mouth, licking along its length while staring directly at Erika.
A blood-oath. The only thing more powerful than your word in the pitiful world of humans. Apparently, it still meant something to their mother; enough that it transcended from her mortal life into now.
"Then it's settled. I'll allow a day's rest for your to . . . comprehend the events. It has been busy for you, hasn't it, little bird?"
"That's it?" Cassandra grouses. "We were brought up here, for this?"
Alcina rises to her full height. "No, you were brought here because I have something to say to both of you."
She turns to Daniela and Cassandra, Bela taking the moment to walk over to Erika and begin helping her to her feet. Her sisters cower – cower – before their mother; taking two steps back as she steps forward.
"I don't know what's going on in those heads of yours daughters, but it will only bring disappointment if you continue to pluck the little songbird's feathers." Their mother's golden eyes flick right to Cassandra, who drops her gaze with a flinch. "You've been acting like brats since her arrival, complaining about Bela's claim over the girl. I give you servants that replicate Erika tenfold, and what do you do? You waste them away like bruised fruit. So tell me, dear daughters, what is it about this woman that makes her special? What perpetuates you to prey upon her, even after your sister's formal claim?"
"Did you ever bother to ask Bela these questions?!" Cassandra bellows.
Daniela steps between Cassandra and their mother. "Stand down."
Cassandra shoves Daniela away so violently that the youngest daughter it sent crashing into the dresser. Before she can recover, Cassandra is inches from Bela.
"You always get whatever you want. The perfect, proudest eldest daughter, and no one ever says anything!"
"You're avoiding the question, Cassy." Bela spits. "Why do you care who I have as my servant?!"
"Because ever since she came into your live, you've changed. Your heart has softened like a useless worm –!"
Bela lashes out, her hand wrapping around Cassandra's throat. But Cassandra grips her arm, digging in her nails so hard that blood runs.
For a moment, Bela's blood dripping on the floor is the only sound.
Light glints off Daniela's sickle as she approaches, ready to tear it into Cassandra's spine if their mother gives the order. Bela could have sworn Daniela's hand wobbled slightly.
Bela meets Cassandra's golden eyes – their mother's eyes. With a killing calm, Bela cays, "So that's what you really think of me. Because I don't kill as often as you do, anymore? Because I don't maim as much as you and Dani do, anymore? Because I found something else to do other than dwell in piss-covered, moldy dungeon, drowning in blood and screams because we have nothing else to do with our lives?"
"Daughters . . ." Their mother warns.
Cassandra's nails dig in harder, shredding flesh. Bela embraces the pain.
"Look I'm sorry that I met someone, because I know you hate it – you both hate it – when I'm happy."
A harsh, broken laugh. "Oh, that is such a load of –"
"Bela –" Daniela starts.
"Admit it, your happiest, when I'm miserable. When someone else is miserable, because then you don't have to look at how miserable you are."
"Shut up, Bela!" Cassandra growls, but her voice quivers.
"I am not going to be miserable for you. For either of you. I am going to try to be happy, and if either of you can't deal with that, then you are even more pathetic than I thought!" Bela hisses, and shoves her sister away, sending Cassandra staggering toward the door. "Loyalty, obedience, brutality—that is what you are."
Bela lets her bloodied arm hang at her side. She'll need to bind it up soon.
"Get out."
Cassandra lets out another joyless laugh. "At least I'm being a realist, Bela. Even Dani knows happiness isn't for us!"
"Says who?"
"Admit it, Bela! We all know where this will go: you'll end up hating her in three weeks because she brought you the wrong tea, or because her voice pitched while singing. Or she'll end up hating you because you're a fucking murderer, just like the rest of us. Then you'll fall apart, we'll pick you up, and then magically you'll be right back in that dungeon with us."
"Go to hell!"
"Alright." Their mother's voice echoes throughout the room. All the women flinch, even Helga. "That's quite enough." Alcina looks to Cassandra. "Tomorrow morning at breakfast, you will receive your punishment. Erika, report to me tomorrow morning, since your hunting has been stalled until I can further speak with Mother Miranda. We are done."
Cassandra whirls towards their mother, and something like hurt flashes across her face.
Bela blinks. Those feelings . . .
Cassandra turns on her heel and leaves, slamming the door behind her.