Chapter 4:
Elijah left with a promise to Dorothy they would begin searching for her mother as soon as the storm cleared. In the meantime, Dorothy remained with Gabrielle and Malkin, helping them with whatever chores needed doing.
'Be sure to keep her in the house and out of sight,' Elijah had warned them both, Dorothy having overheard them talking by accident. She did not quite understand why, but did not want to inquire.
What Dorothy did want to inquire was the photographs of the girl in the room. There was also pictures on the mantle above the fireplace. She took one of them after placing a few longs on the fire and looked at it closely.
"I see you have found our Wendy," came Malkin's voice.
Dorothy jumped, not having heard him return from outside shoveling.
"I assumed this is your daughter," Dorothy said. "She looks just like you."
Malkin smiled kindly at her.
"She has more of her mother's spirit."
"May I ask where she is?"
"She sought employment up at the castle. It has been nearly two years since we have seen and spoken to her."
"'Two years'?" Dorothy's eyes widened in shock. "Do you mean she has not come home?"
"No," he said sadly. "Lady Dimitrescu does not permit her wards to leave her castle."
"Alcina Dimitrescu," Dorothy said.
"She is one of the four lords appointed by Mother Miranda."
"My mother knew an Alcina Dimitrescu," Dorothy said. "From her journal and… the photographs, but it could not possibly be the same woman."
"There are horrible rumors about her. The 'bloody lady' as she has been named by many of the villagers."
"Why?" Dorothy asked.
"It is said she tortures and kills all those who work in her castle. She is said to be extremely cruel. A monster. One extreme rumor is she devours human flesh and bathes in human blood."
Dorothy blanched at his words.
"I want to show you a photograph," Dorothy said. "Please wait one moment."
Dorothy rushed to the room, picking through her bag and taking out a few photographs of her mother's old friend. When she returned back to the room, she handed Malkin the photographs. He stared at it for a moment, his face growing paler and paler.
"How did you say you knew her again?"
"My mother was a childhood friend of hers," Dorothy said. "Is that the same person?"
"It is," he said, handing the photographs back to her.
Dorothy took the photographs back, continuing to stare at him to get any sense of what else he was thinking. What were the odds of this village being the home of the woman her mother had been dear friends with?
'Could Mother have wandered here knowing Lady Dimitrescu was here? If that were the case, what if Mother is in the castle? Malkin did say Lady Dimitrescu was a lord of this village, perhaps she could be of more help to me…' Dorothy thought; however, Malkin's words sent a cold shiver down her spine. 'Yet what if his words are true? What if she is a murderer as he claims?'
For the rest of the late afternoon, Dorothy spent her time in Wendy's room reading through her journal. Each page telling a completely different story than what Malkin had described to her. She would then look at the pictures. Alcina and her mother smiling so brightly. Two young women. Then there were photographs of them as little girls.
"I must seek her out…" Dorothy said aloud, unable to believe her words. "It may be the quickest way I can locate her rather than wait for Elijah…"
A little clock on a counter ticked the hours by. Darkness once more consumed the land.
Dorothy drifted off to sleep with the journal on her stomach. She did not know how long she had been asleep for, but what awoke her was a 'thump!' above her. Thinking a branch from the tree that stood beside the house had landed on the roof, she lazily placed the journal to her side and started to close her eyes.
"I want you to see these. It is very important that you do before my memories are all taken from me." Beatrice placed a kiss to Dorothy's cheek.
"It will be all right, Mother," Dorothy said, touching her mother's wrist lovingly. "You will not forget a thing. I will be here to help you through this process."
Beatrice stared into her child's blue eyes with a sad smile. How much she saw her own mother in Dorothy. She stood up from her chair and walked over to her vanity. Using a small silver key, she unlocked the drawer and pulled out a mahogany journal.
"I think it is time you learn of my dear friend. A secret I have kept even from your father. God rest his soul," Beatrice said, taking out a photo album from the larger drawer below that.
Dorothy was already flipping through the photo album. Pausing at the sight of her mother whom she guessed to be in her early teens with a black haired girl. They were seated underneath a tree and having a picnic.
Beatrice rejoined her daughter on the bed, smiling over her shoulder as Dorothy continued to turn the pages.
"We were inseparable, but as we grew older things changed. I moved to America with your father. She and I wrote from time to time, but then I did not receive any letters from her. I was soon to learn of her tragedies. She had lost her husband and then both her daughters." Beatrice swallowed down the emotions rising dangerously to the surface. "I had left you to see her. She and her children were in a bad situation, and I tried to help them, but things did not go as I had planned."
"What happened?"
"They were imprisoned by a madman. I was so close to taking them home with me to America, but Alcina would not let me. Something was wrong with her. She was broken. The girl; the young woman I had known was gone."
"I am sorry…"
Beatrice reached out and flipped through the photo album with her daughter. Pointing out different locations she and Alcina were sitting or posing together in..
"She is beautiful."
"Yes… yes she is." She ran her fingertips across Alcina's smiling face. How youthful and carefree she looked compared to the last time she had seen her.
Dorothy watched her mother closely. The love in her eyes as she stared at Alcina. The clear yearning to see her again. Never had she seen her mother hold such a gaze as this with her father.
Slowly Dorothy blinked her eyes open upon hearing footsteps walking by. The room was a bit dark now. The dream still fresh in her mind. She sat up and touched her aching head. She had no idea how long she had been out for.
"I wonder if that was Malkin checking the roof?" Dorothy lay back in the bed and stared up at the dark ceiling in thought of her mother now. Wondering where her mother could have gone if she had indeed made it to this village.
Dorothy lay in silence for a while. The cold seeping in and making her shiver. She pulled the blankets closer to her and closed her eyes. Eventually she fell back to sleep, but images of her mother dead plagued her mind, jolting her awake in a cold sweat. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and booming loudly in her ears. She felt nauseous. Dizzy. Wiping the sweat off her face, Dorothy sat up once more and covered her face with her hands, sighing.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Dorothy lowered her hands and turned her attention to the window.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
"What is that?" she whispered.
It was too dark to see anything in the room, but the tapping persisted. Slowly she pulled the blankets off herself and walked up to the window. She reached for the curtain and drew it back an inch. To her astonishment it was a bird. A black raven pecking at the frost covered window. Its pitch-back eyes stared straight at her, unblinking.
Dorothy could not look away from it. Transfixed by the bird.
'Open the window and let me in child. Do not fear me, for I can be of service to you. I have seen what your heart desires the most. Above the village I have flown many a time and seen what you yearn for…'
"My mother? You are speaking of my mother."
The raven bobbed its head up and down.
Dorothy rested her fist against the glass.
"Where. Is. She?"
The raven stretched out its wings, making what sounded like a cackling laugh as it took flight.
No!
Dorothy scrambled to put her boots on along with her coat and pants; however, when she entered the hall did she feel a cold breeze running through the house. She quickened her steps to see the door had been left open. The hall was still quite dark, but she could smell a strange odor. Dorothy rushed to the door first to close it only to stop dead in her tracks.
"God, what did this?" she gasped, covering her mouth with one hand to see blood in the snow. It was leading away from the doorway and into the darkness beyond. Panic seized her heart and she closed and locked the door. Dorothy then turned back and went to Malkin and Gabrielle's door.
"Malkin? Gabrielle?" she knocked on the door, but there was no answer. This time she shakily grabbed hold of the doorknob and turned it. It opened with no issue and that is when she nearly wretched. The stench of what she thought was of a dead animal assaulted her nostrils, but then came a new sound. One of crunching and growling.
Dorothy reached a shaky hand to find the light switch, if there was one, she did not know.
Another growl issued from the creature situated over the bed, chewing and tearing either Malkin or Gabrielle apart.
Boom!
Dorothy whipped her head back in the direction of the kitchen to stare upon a creature she had never seen before. It stood like a man, but had the glowing yellow eyes of an animal. It was quick in its movements. Leaping further into the kitchen and knocking dozens of things over.
Dorothy quietly closing the door, tiptoed back into Wendy's room and went straight to the window. It took all her strength, but she managed to get the window open just enough for her to escape.
Bang! Bang!
The creature had reached the door and was attempting to get it open. Quickly she grabbed her bag and shoved the journal and photos inside before she crawled through the window just as the door burst open. She crashed to the snowy ground and ran.
'Here! Here!'
The raven seemed to be calling down to her as it led her.
'This way. So very close.'
The crunching of snow beneath quick feet sounded from behind her.
Her breathing was becoming painful. Her lungs burning from the strain of moving through the heavy snow. The creature was hunting her. She was awaiting for it to jump on her, but the blow never came.
The raven still overhead and leading her, but to where was her guess…
Dorothy was growing more and more enthralled by the raven. Its purple-black wings holding her and leading her closer to what she realized was the castle. The threat of the creature was drifting further away from the forefront of her mind.
"Dorothy!" a firm hand grabbed hold of her shoulder, spinning her away and back around. "Dorothy stop!"
Dorothy blinked her eyes as if she had just woken from a deep sleep.
"E-Elijah?" she said. "What happened?"
She started to turn back to the raven.
"Don't look back!" he snapped, keeping his grip on her. "Follow me now."
Dorothy did as she was told, following Elijah back the way she had come without a word and clambered into the nearest building: the church. Once they both were inside, Elijah bolted both doors and then turned to her with a hard look.
"What are you doing outside wandering about?" he said.
"I-I…" Dorothy was still in a bit of a daze, the raven's words spinning around in her head.
"You cannot be out here wandering about," he snapped.
"The raven… the raven spoke to me," she said, collapsing down onto a bench from exhaustion.
"It spoke to you?" he whispered in alarm.
"It knew of my mother. It was leading me to her."
"No, child," Elijah said, walking up to her and standing in front of her. "It was /her/. She was luring you in to kill you."
"Who?"
"Mother Miranda. Somehow she has learned of your presence here, which puts you in grave danger."
"Is that why you told Malkin and Grabrielle I had to remain out of sight?" Dorothy said, her gaze past him and eyeing over four portraits. Three looked quite deranged save /her/. She could not stop staring at the portrait of Lady Dimitrescu. How sad she looked. Lost. Searching for something that could never be found.
'Open the window and let me in child. Do not fear me, for I can be of service to you. I have seen what your heart desires the most. Above the village I have flown many a time and seen what you yearn for…'
The raven's voice echoed in her head again and again.
"… we will wait here until sunrise. I will escort you back to Malkin's home," Elijah was saying.
"No," Dorothy said, really looking at him now to see he appeared hurt. His face was black and blue and he had a nasty scar across his left cheek. "Are you all right?"
"I will be fine," he said.
Dorothy clasped her freezing hands tighter together.
"Elijah… Malkin and Gabrielle…" she could barely get the words out. "They are… dead."
Elijah stared at her in open mouth shock. A flash of anger making his cheeks redden, but he took control of himself quickly, approaching Dorothy and kneeling down to look at her.
"What did you see?"
"A monstrous creature. It looked like a wolf and a man. There was so much blood. And one of them was…" Dorothy's voice quivered. "Devouring either Gabrielle or Malkin I do not know."
Elijah placed a hand on hers and squeezed.
"Take a breath. What you saw was a creature called a Lycan. It was once a villager who was turned by Mother Miranda in her cruel experiments."
"Experiment? What does that mean?"
"Once a long time ago, Miranda was a villager who lived with her daughter. Her husband was a frequent church goer. I met him and found him to be a charming man, though he had an insatiable adventurous streak. One day he went out to the mountains to explore a nearby cave, but never returned. On top of this tragedy, Miranda's daughter would fall ill to the Spanish flu that eventually took the child's life. She was so grieved by this, she too vanished up into the mountains, only she did return much different than the kind woman I had come to know. She had found something up there that had changed her life. A source of power that gave her abilities beyond godly comprehension. A darkness that has taken the lives of many people, which is why you cannot trust the whispers from the dark creature."
Dorothy wiped a few tears away, looking straight into his fearful eyes.
"I am sorry about Gabrielle and Malkin…"
Elijah opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped at the sound of a 'thump!' from the rooftop.
"It's that Lycan," Dorothy said, staring up at the ceiling.
Elijah had gone pale.
"Lower your voice…"
Dorothy did not say another word.
Thump! Thump!
She rose up off the bench and placed herself beside Elijah.
He backed them away from the windows and to the alter.
"Pull the rope," he whispered, pointing to the left.
Dorothy took hold of it and looked to him for the next direction.
"Pull," he mouthed, the two working together to close a curtain across the alter. He then placed his finger to his mouth as more violent thumping could be heard above.
'He cannot help you now. He will sacrifice you for his own got and gains…'
Dorothy jumped at the raven's voice and turned around.
Nothing.
The raven was not there.
Elijah looked at her with confusion.
She shook her head at him and just closed her eyes in hopes this too was just a horrible nightmare.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dorothy ripped her eyelids open at the sound of something now crashing against the doors. Her blood running cold as the sound of wood cracking followed.
Elijah then touched her shoulders.
"Wait here…"
"Wait!" she hissed, but he had already slipped through the curtains. She was shaking from both the cold and fear.
'Do not fear, young one. You will not be harmed… Close your heavy eyes and I will take you away. Close your eyes…'
Dorothy shook her head as a wave of sleep unexpectedly overcame her.
Bang! Bang! Bang…
The sound was growing fainter now. Her vision blurring and just as darkness took hold of her, Dorothy observed the curtain being flung back and a woman in all black garbs stood before her, laughing.
{…}
Morning:
Lady Dimitrescu had not slept well. She was up early and decided to take a walk about her castle and winded up remaining in the Main Hall. She was chilled to the bone and wanted only to be by a fire, along with a hot cup of blood tea.
She could only guess it to be close to 4 a.m., the servants should have been preparing to rise and get breakfast ready. How badly she wanted her blood tea, she was once more plagued by a migraine. The scent she had picked up yesterday still lingering in her nostrils. All she could see was the blonde's face. Her beautiful face. How strange it was to know her yet not know her.
She groaned loudly, the sound echoing around the room.
"How unladylike," she said in a voice that did not sound like her own, resting a hand over her eyes. How tired she felt all the way to her bones, and with that exhaustion came the unchallenged memories.
A man with hateful green eyes and a nasty grin.
Such hate. Such greed.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Heavy footsteps were approaching her from behind. The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up, her heart speeding up at the familiar cologne.
She whipped her head up and found she was no longer in her castle, but the manor that had been their prison. He was drawing nearer. She got up and ran. Ran for her children. She had created a secret hiding place for them. One that the bastard did not know about. She reached her children's room, scooping little Josie up into her arms and waking Helena from her deep slumber.
'Mother?'
'Hush now and follow me quietly. Hurry.'
Helena followed right behind her mother, wrapping her fingers around her mother's night robe as she led them down the hall.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His steps were drawing nearer.
'This way.'
Alcina took her children to the end of the hall and entered into the library. Helena closing the door behind them upon her mother's order, she dashed to her mother's side as she climbed the winding stairs to the second floor.
'Where are we going?'
'A secret place.'
Alcina gave her a reassuring smile, taking hold of a book and pulling it slightly out. A loud creaking was heard next and opened to reveal a space with another set of stairs leading upwards. Once they had entered inside, she pushed the door back into place, making sure to hear a 'click' before she motioned with her head for Helena to follow. All the time Josie remained fast asleep in her mother's arms. Not even stirring when she set her down on the single bed that was situated in the attic.
'It is cold…' Helena rubbed at her arms, her entire body shivering.
'Join Josie in the bed.'
'What about you?'
'I will join you soon.'
Alcina tucked her children in, placing a kiss to Helena's cheek and then Josie's. She stared down at them determined to protect them. There would be no way Roderick would find them here. He had not so far. The fool apparently did not know his own manor. She had uncovered this secret by accident while picking through books to read to Josie and Helena and snatched that one by mistake. The only issue was the attic was freezing cold, but there were extra blankets that had been stowed away. It did stink of mildew, but it was safer than below.
As the night wore on, Alcina felt comfortable enough to join her daughters in the bed. Helena scooted closer to her and rested her head under her mother's chin; Josie snoring softly with her mouth hanging open. For the first time she felt at ease. Safe.
'Where are you!? Where are you hiding?!'
Alcina could hear him off in the distance. He was not near the library, but the sound of him gripped her heart with deep fear. She pulled her children closer to herself protectively.
'It will be all right. Everything will be all right…'
"My lady?"
Lady Dimitrescu opened her eyes to spy Harriett was standing close to her with her head bowed.
"Harriett?"
"I did not realize you were seated out here. I took the liberty of adding more wood to the fire, is there anything I can get for you?"
"Blood tea," she said.
"Yes, my lady," she said.
Lady Dimitrescu watched her go with a sort of out of body experience. The vision was still fresh in her mind. She could remember vividly what had happened after she and her children left the attic.
Fifteen minutes later Harriett reappeared out from the dining hall with a tray. She placed it down on the table, pouring it into the cup for her mistress and carefully handing it to her.
She took the cup from Harriett and sniffed the aroma first before she took a sip.
"Well done."
Harriett smiled, her cheeks flushing pink at the compliment.
"Do you know where Anya is by chance?"
"Miss Anya was taking care of a mess, my lady."
"'A mess'? What mess would that be?" Lady Dimitrescu asked, taking another sip from her cup.
"I am not certain what happened," Harriett said.
"I see," Lady Dimitrescu said. "Go and fetch Anya for me."
"Yes, mistress," she said, bowing before she departed the room and entered back to the dining room.
Lady Dimitrescu set her cup down on the little plate and then on the table, growling in annoyance. Just when everything seemed to be running smoothly something always had to occur. Crossing one leg over the other, Lady Dimitrescu rested her hand underneath her chin and waited with growing impatience. Her nails galloping along the arm of the couch until the door finally opened.
Anya walked up to her mistress and bowed.
"Speak, Anya."
"My apologizes. One of the girls was cleaning a shelf in the kitchen. She lost her footing and fell. She hit her head on the floor and lost consciousness."
Lady Dimitrescu tittered at that, shaking her head in frustration.
"Clumsy fool."
"What would you like me to do with her?"
"If she is incapable of working than she is no longer of any use to me."
Anya knew that was code for the dungeons.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No," Lady Dimitrescu said. "Go."
Anya walked back in the direction she had come with her next task. She would bring the wench down tonight when the others were fast asleep…