Camelot
October, 506 AD
The team split into three groups the next morning so that we can cover more ground as we investigate the case. Each group will focus on one of the victims, and then we'll meet for supper at the tavern inside the Inn to discuss our findings.
Merlin and I had been quick to dart towards each other like opposing magnets as soon as Arthur had announced the plan. The Prince had argued that the two of us are troublesome and irresponsible, so Lancelot offered to 'keep an eye on us' after Gwaine's request to join us had been instantly shot down.
For some reason, Arthur seems to think that Lancelot is the epitome of 'responsible'. I guess he doesn't remember that the first thing he did upon arriving in Camelot was commit identity fraud. But oh, well.
Leon, Percival and Elyan chose to team up, leaving Gwaine with Arthur and Philip.
Gwaine grumbled all through breakfast, not happy to be stuck with 'the boring ones'.
After I gave my dear Prince and friends some encouraging words – "I bet Merls, Lance n' I will solve the case before any of you losers can find a single clue!" – Merlin, Lancelot and I raced off towards the home of Amelie Rockham, who was the vampire's first victim.
The Rockham house stands on the outskirts of the town, near a lake. It's a well-sized country house made of white stone with a small botanical garden to the side. According to the little bit of information that Philip gave us, the household consists of a widowed mother, Catherine, and her three youngest children: Amelie (now deceased), Pauline, and Rebecca. They have an older brother, Thomas, but he married two years ago and moved in with his wife on the other side of Branmoor.
"So... should we knock?" Lancelot asked nervously as we stood outside the home.
Merlin and I shared a wary look. Sure, we have plenty of experience with playing detectives, but we've never had to question the family of a recently deceased twenty-two-year-old. However, I've seen enough TV to know how to approach the situation (or that's what I'm telling myself), so I took the lead and knocked twice before I could chicken out.
The door opened to reveal a woman around Uther's age. She has dark brown hair with streaks of white in it, a slim face, and bloodshot hazel eyes. Not in a vampire-y way, but in a way that suggests she's been crying a lot. And, honestly, who can blame her?
"Uh. Catherine Rockham?" I asked softly. She sniffled and nodded. "I'm the Lady-Knight Astraea, these are Sir Lancelot and Merlin. We're here on behalf of Prince Arthur…" My dumbass heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "We want to ask you a few questions about your daughter Amelie."
The woman dropped her head and nodded, then she let us into her home.
Without saying a word, she led us into a dining room and motioned for us to sit down, then she disappeared into another room to the side, which I presume to be the kitchen.
I took advantage of her absence and walked around the room while my friends took seats at the table. It was clear to me from the start that the Rockhams are on the wealthier side of the social spectrum, an idea that is only strengthened by the silver chandelier that hangs from the ceiling, the rich green and gold tapestries that adorn the chairs, the spacious house, and the metre-and-a-half tall family portrait that hangs between two windows at the back of the room.
However, I didn't get the chance to analyse the painting because I heard footsteps just outside the door, so I darted to sit down next to Merlin and took out my notebook and pen from my crossbody bag.
Catherine returned with a tray that contained a teapot, four cups, and a plate with some pastries. I grinned at the prospect of getting to entertain my stomach and smiled at the woman as she placed the tray on the table. Then she moved to sit across from us.
"Help yourselves," she whispered in a slightly raspy voice while motioning towards the tray.
Hesitantly, Merlin reached for a scone while Lancelot gallantly filled all four cups, handing one to Catherine before he gave me another one. My best friend grabbed his own.
I sighed. "Mrs. Rockham... I know this is a difficult subject, but–"
"All that matters is that you find who killed my Amelie and make them pay," she cut off my attempt to be tactful in a slightly aggressive mutter. I recoiled at the unexpected change in her mood, but promptly nodded before sharing a look with Merlin
"Okay, uh… Can you describe what happened that night?" I asked, then I bit my bottom lip to keep myself from blurting out a million questions in a row.
Catherine nodded. "I took Pauline and Rebecca out to get fabric to make them new dresses, and Amelie stayed behind because she was feeling unwell. By the time we returned, she had put out the candles in her chambers. So I assumed that she had gone to bed…" She paused to sniffle and wipe at her teary eyes. "The next morning, she did not wake up to attend mass. I thought it strange, but I did not think to check on her until the girls and I returned. That is when I found her, cold and pale on the floor..." She wasn't able to finish as sobs began to shake her body.
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Rockham," I whispered as my heart twisted. Then I shared a glance with Merlin and Lancelot. They both seemed at a loss for words as they gaped at the woman.
"W-we can stop, if..." Merlin began softly, but Catherine shook her head.
"No. It is all right," she said, composing herself. Then she nodded at me.
"Uh. The physician said that the victims were drained of blood. Did you see any pooled around her?" I asked and instantly cringed at my own words. So much for 'tactful'!
"There were a few drops, but nothing to the extent that Elmer described upon inspection," Catherine replied, her demeanour now stoic.
"Were there any signs of forced entry? Any open windows?" I questioned.
Catherine shook her head again. "None that I could tell."
I nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. "Just one more question, Mrs. Rockham," I assured her. She sighed in relief at that. "Is there anyone you can think of who might've wanted to harm your daughter?"
She quickly shook her head once more. "No. She was a quiet girl, kept to herself, hardly ever left the house."
Sounds like me before the time-machine.
I let out a shaky sigh and quickly summarised everything in my notebook.
"Could we take a look at her room?" Lancelot inquired.
The woman's eyes widened, then she nodded. "Certainly. Right this way," she mumbled and stood up. She led us up a narrow flight of stairs and into a room.
It's maybe a third of the size of my room in Camelot. An individual bed with baby pink covers sits in the middle with a vanity desk on one side and a bookshelf on the other, next to the window.
What caught my attention the most, though, was a small white rug in the centre of the room. It had a couple of red dots on it, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that it's blood.
"T-thats where I found her," Catherine mentioned while pointing at the rug. "I will leave you to it," she added and scurried away.
I nibbled on my bottom lip as I looked around for anything that might be helpful.
"Scratch marks," Lancelot noted in a whisper as he moved to stand next to me and he pointed towards the wooden floorboards just beside the rug.
My eyes travelled to said spot and they widened as my breath hitched. I crouched down to get a closer look. There were hints of blood around the marks; which didn't look at all animalistic, but entirely human. Images of a girl trying to crawl away from her attacker flashed through my mind and I grimaced.
I scrambled to stand up and moved towards the window, which was closed with a latch. I opened it and looked around. It would be too hard to climb up the wall to reach it, since the stone that was used to build the house is too smooth and the surface is surprisingly even. Also, I couldn't see any dirt or any claw marks on it.
"Merls – what d'ya think?" I asked my best friend, who stood by the door as his eyes glanced around the room with a mix of curiosity and horror.
"There is, uh, not much to go off from," he noted in a mumble. I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. If she fought back, it was short-lived," I replied as my eyes continued to scan the room.
"The attacker must have come in and left rather easily," Lancelot threw in.
We left the home shortly after, thanking Catherine for her help, and set out back towards the Inn, hoping that the rest of the team found better clues. So much for beating them to solve the case…
I was disappointed, but not too surprised, to find that the information that the other two groups gathered doesn't provide a much clearer picture.
The second victim, Cordelia, had been found in the kitchen of her home by her husband when he'd returned from work. There were no signs of a struggle and, just like with Amelie, the blood at the site was scarce. According to what Leon gathered, Cordelia did have a sort of enemy: her brother-in-law, with whom she had an affair before she married her husband. However, the man has an alibi – he'd been working at the forge during two of the attacks, which has been confirmed by his boss and several co-workers.
Meredith, the latest victim, had been attacked at her aunt's house while the elderly lady had been asleep. Similarly, there had been little signs of struggle and just a few drops of blood. The twenty-nine-year-old has no potential enemies in Branmoor, since she only was supposed to be visiting for the week in order to take care of her sick relative. She actually lived in Camelot.
"At least this all seems to confirm Astraea's theory," Arthur commented as he leaned back on his seat. I couldn't help but grin a little. "The apparent speed with which these attacks were carried out, the drained bodies..."
"Yes, but we are not any closer to finding out who is responsible," Merlin cut in with a huff.
"Well, there are some clues that could narrow down the possibilities," I pointed out.
"Like what?" Elyan asked.
I straightened up before explaining, "Given that the vamp is targeting young females, we can speculate that he's a male and attracted to them in some way. Also, he probably stalks them for a while to find the perfect moment to strike. The cleanliness of the crime scenes speaks of a calculated mind."
Gwaine snatched my notebook – which was being passed around for everyone to look at the notes – from Leon and he skimmed it with a pensive look. "He must be quite a handsome vampire, if what you wrote about them needing permission to enter a house holds weight," he stated after a few moments.
"So we are searching for a handsome young man?" Arthur asked while raising an eyebrow.
"I would not be so sure about the 'young' part," Philip piped in with a small smirk. "Some ladies like older men."
My face scrunched up at that. Then I tilted my head pensively. Actually, who am I to talk? I'm always parroting about a certain hundred-year-old super-soldier. Granted, he's fictional.
In any case, this does nothing to help prevent another attack. And if the three-day pattern continues, another one could be occurring tonight. If there was a clearer connecting factor between the three girls, other than their age range and gender, I could find a way to make myself the next target and play the bait; but I have no way of ensuring that the vampire would come for me.
"Guys – we should find a way to warn everyone not to leave any young females alone," I suggested. If only we had Twitter! Everyone seemed to agree with my idea and we soon started passing the message to everyone we could find on the streets, asking them to spread the word.
Early on the next morning, a grievous-looking Philip came to the Inn looking for Arthur, and I joined them as the Earl led him towards a home.
The signs of struggle were a lot more evident this time, trailing from the kitchen to where the victim was ultimately caught and put to rest in the short corridor to his bedroom. A bunch of furniture was upside-down, there were cracks on the wooden floorboards, and there was a smear of blood on the wall.
I barely caught a glimpse of the deceased middle-aged man before Arthur quickly turned me around and gently pressed my head against his chest, shielding my eyes from looking at the bloody scene any longer.
We waited outside while Elmer inspected the victim, then he met us some minutes later.
"Drained," he said with a huff as he stepped out of the home.
"Any puncture marks?" I asked.
"Yes, two to the side of the neck," he responded. I let out a sigh and wrote everything down in my notebook. "I have to make some house calls. I will see you later," he added, then he bowed to Arthur and left.
I tilted my head and watched him go, noticing how he avoided standing directly in the sunlight. Instead, he walked close to the buildings, where these were able to provide a bit of shade.
Interesting.
Amelie was sick…
Meredith's aunt was sick…
Coincidence, or could Elmer be it?
Philip also left soon, claiming that he had to make arrangements for the latest victim's funeral. Arthur and I returned to the Inn, where we reunited with the rest of the team, and then we all went to the tavern to get some breakfast.
"Great, so the pattern was only a coincidence," Elyan grumbled in between forkfuls of scrambled egg. "Now what?"
"Not necessarily," I said with a shrug, causing all heads to turn my way. "The vamp probably heard that we were taking measures to protect the girls, so he went for an easier target."
"He is close enough to the community that the warnings reached his ears," Lancelot noted.
"Yup. In fact, he may even be an important part of it. It would explain why he was easily let into all those houses," I added, raising an eyebrow as I grinned. "He's not just a pretty face."
"Who are you thinking of? Philip?" Arthur asked me with a frown.
"Elmer," Merlin and I said at the same time. Our eyes snapped to make contact and we shared a surprised grin.
Arthur's eyes widened. "Philip mentioned that he has only been in Branmoor for two months…"
I couldn't help but get excited as the pieces started falling into place.
"But it does not make sense," Leon interjected. "He is a physician, so he sees a lot of blood. Would he not have revealed his identity by now?"
I leaned back in my seat and huffed.
Then I thought of the Salvatore brothers.
"He could have a lot of restraint and simply be killing for the fun of it," I suggested.
"Or he could have a lot of restraint, but still has to eat," Lancelot countered.
I nodded. "Yeah. That, too."
"All right, so what do we do now?" Percival inquired.
"We gotta test him and make sure we're right. Don't wanna decapitate the wrong person. That'd be awkward," I noted with a giggle. Multiple widened eyes fell on me and I pressed my lips to shut myself up.
"How do we test him, Trae?" Gwaine asked.
I shrugged and glanced at my notebook. "Throw garlic at 'em? Push him under the direct sunlight? Hold up a mirror to his face? Inject him with deadman's blood? Wait – that won't work 'cause he drained the only corpse we have–" I rambled on until Merlin's hand covered my mouth, making me frown at him.
He gave me a knowing look and my eyes widened.
Right! He could reveal his identity with his special super-powers!
"We can try several things," I concluded with a shrug after swatting my best friend's hand away.
"We cannot all go, or he will know that something is up," Lancelot pointed out, his eyes fixing on mine. I guess he caught onto Merlin's plan, too!
"Good point," I nodded. "I'll be the bait, and Merls n' Lance can hide somewhere in the room, then pounce when the vamp is revealed."
"No!" Arthur and Gwaine protested at the same time, then they exchanged a narrow-eyed glance that caused me to laugh.
"All right, I will be the bait," Merlin said with a shrug. I gave him a wary look.
"Yes, much better," Arthur relented.
"No!" Gwaine still protested.
"I will not let anything happen to either of them," Lancelot assured him. Gwaine puffed, but he gave up.
"Why you three, though?" Elyan questioned with a quirked eyebrow.
Arthur's eyes widened and he crossed his arms. "He is right! I am in charge here!"
I faltered for a second.
"Well, Merls and I have to be there 'cause we have to settle the bet…" I stated and cringed at my own dumb excuse. But no one seemed to bat an eye at the stupidity, so I ran with it. "And Lance is responsible enough to keep us in line," I eyed Gwaine, whose jaw dropped in offence (I instantly felt bad, but I can't backtrack!), "but not so apprehensive that he'll ruin the plan," I gestured towards Leon and Arthur, "still, he won't be a party pooper," I winked at Elyan, earning a glare, "nor will he alert Elmer of our presence with his big size and loud steps," I looked at Percival. Then I returned my attention to the Prince, putting on a sweet smile, "Also, we're supposed to be equals. Remember, Peaches?"
"So – when are we leaving?" Lancelot asked before anyone could refute my genius logic.
"I still do not like this," Arthur grumbled as he helped me to put on some armour before I went out with Merlin and Lancelot later that afternoon. He insisted that I wear it for protection and, after a short argument, I reluctantly accepted. It's either that or he's gonna join us and ruin the plan.
I reached up to gently trace the side of his jaw as he did some clasps on my shoulder. "I'll be fine, Artie. Y'know I'm good with a sword, and Merls and Lance won't let anything get me."
He let out a sigh and placed his hands on my upper arms, then he leaned his forehead against mine. "I want to be the one to protect you always," he whispered. His words sent a tingle up my spine and I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.
"I don't think you should carry that weight all on your own. I'm too crazy."
Arthur rolled his eyes and brought his lips down to mine. I sighed in contentment as I wrapped my arms around his neck, gladly allowing him to deepen the kiss. His arms moved to my waist and he pulled me closer against his chest.
A knock on the door caused us to pull apart.
"Astra – let's go!" Merlin called out.
Arthur sighed and rested his forehead against mine once more.
"I'll see ya' soon, yeah?" I told him.
He nodded and gave me another quick kiss before releasing my body. "I love you, Astra."
"I love you, too, Artie."
I grabbed the stake that Gwaine got for me off the desk and skipped towards the door.
"Ready to be proven wrong, bestie?" I asked Merlin with a grin as I stepped outside.
"I thought that had been settled already," Lancelot commented while smirking at my best friend.
"There is still a chance she might be wrong," Merlin replied, not looking at the knight as he narrowed his eyes at me. I simply winked at him.
The three of us snuck around the town square and made our way towards Elmer's home/office just one block south of the Inn. It's a small two-storey terraced house made of grey stone and wood. I shrugged off my armour and hid it behind some wooden crates before sharing a determined glance with my two friends.
I knocked on the door while they moved to hide behind a cart that was parked just across the street. We decided, behind Arthur's back, that I'm gonna be the bait, after all. It just makes more sense, since I fit the vampire's apparent type, and Merlin can't really cast his spell right in front of him 'cause he'd get killed before he could even start.
Elmer soon opened the door and he smiled widely. His light blue eyes squinted under what sunlight remained as he ushered me inside.
All the drapes were closed and, instead, he seems to get his lighting from candles. He hardly has any furniture, just a rustic dining table and a rocking chair with a maroon tapestry.
"What brings you here, my Lady-Knight?" he asked while motioning towards a room to the back of the house.
"Oh, y'know, just wonderin' if you had any more info on Mr. Pellam," I replied while glancing around nervously as I waited for Merlin and Lancelot to sneak inside the building.
The back room was a bit more friendly-looking, and it almost reminded me of Gaius's home, seeing as there were shelves lined with jars containing herbs and flowers. My eyes widened at one container that held spiders. Live ones. Not that they scare me, but people don't normally keep big spiders in jars just because – and I doubt they serve any medical purpose.
Suddenly, Elmer's attention darted towards the door. "Who is there?" he hissed.
I didn't hear anything, so I guess that the part about heightened senses is true.
I kept up my act and frowned up at him. "What's wrong?"
Elmer simply clenched his jaw in response, his eyes narrowing as he scanned his little home.
"Buddy?" I pressed and tugged on his sleeve to get his attention back. His head snapped back to me and I could see the veins in his face popping out. "You okay?" I squeaked out, suddenly worried that he might attack me without warning. Fortunately, his features relaxed and he allowed himself to smile again.
I noticed that his canine teeth are unusually sharp. Makes sense.
"Yes. Sorry. Burglars are not uncommon," he noted and motioned towards a small table that stood in a corner of the room. I nodded in understanding and complied with taking a seat.
"I found some information, but I am afraid it may bring me trouble if I speak it," he commented as he took a seat across from me with his back to the door. Perfect!
I shifted in my seat. "W-what kind of trouble?"
Elmer rested his elbow atop the table and his head on his hand, leaning forwards until his face was uncomfortably close to mine. I scooted back on my chair and took a mental note of the protruding veins in the scleras of his eyes.
"Tell me, Lady-Knight Astraea. Have you ever been to the continent?" he asked.
"Uh… yeah, a couple of times," I replied. I held my breath when I saw Merlin peek inside the room.
Something shifted in Elmer's eyes, causing them to darken, and they didn't move away from my face. "How far have you gone, my Lady?" he asked while slightly twitching in his seat.
"Toledo?"
I honestly can't remember if it's called that yet.
I got no reply, for Elmer shot out of his chair and, in a second, he was holding Lancelot by the throat and pinning him against a wall just outside the room. My best friend was nowhere to be seen now.
I took the small wooden stake out of my bag and aimed it like a lance at the young physician's back. "Elmer, let him go," I commanded in a soft voice in hopes of keeping him relatively calm.
Elmer let out a throaty chuckle that sent chills up my spine. His head spun almost a hundred-and-eighty degrees to face me, and he didn't let go of the knight. I noticed that his canines had turned fully into fangs. "No, I do not think so," he said in an eerily calm voice before turning to face Lancelot again.
In the blink of an eye, the knight was letting out a scream while Elmer buried his face in his neck. I dashed forwards and tried to stake the vampire through the back, but his free hand stopped me with a tight grip and I was sent flying towards a wall. A groan pushed past my lips when I fell on the hard wooden floor with a thud. But at least his focus was off Lancelot, and he was able to kick him in the gut and break free, then he quickly unsheathed his sword.
Ignoring the moderate pain in my ribs, I stood up and picked up the stake.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, Mr. Vampire," I muttered before charging at Elmer again.
He managed to stop me once more by simply grabbing my arms, but I quickly tossed the wooden weapon towards Lancelot, who caught it easily.
"Lance!" I gasped as I desperately tried to fight off the vampire's grip, whose face was dangerously close to my neck as his elongated nails dug painfully into my arms. But what are another couple of scars to my large collection?
I sighed in relief when Lancelot appeared behind Elmer, who groaned in pain and turned his head. Only, to my horror, he reached backwards with one arm and pulled the stake out of his back. "You missed," he taunted and shoved the knight backwards before returning his attention to me.
"Crap!" I struggled harder to free myself. Elmer pinned me against the wall and my lungs gained thirty kilograms. Just as he was about to bite me, he was ripped away from me and tossed across the room by an invisible force.
"Took ya' long enough!" I told Merlin, who finally came out of hiding.
I grabbed the stake off the floor and ran towards Elmer, who lay groaning on the floor. Without hesitation this time, I brought the weapon down on his heart. His blue eyes widened and blood began to sputter out of his mouth. I scrambled backwards in horror, feeling the usual dizziness overcome me, and I was quickly steadied by Lancelot.
I watched with widened eyes as the vampire's skin turned ash grey.
"Y'know, we should behead him for good measure," I mumbled. I hated the sight before me, but my eyes refused to move away.
Lancelot passed my trembling figure over to Merlin and complied with my wishes as he used his sword to slice the monster's head off. Blood splattered everywhere.
"Oh, that's so much worse," I winced and turned around to shield my face against my best friend's chest.
"Come on, we should get Arthur and Philip," Lancelot commented while gently pushing Merlin and I away from the scene.
"And Merls has gotta clean Dal's tack," I added with a giggle. Merlin groaned.