by Auriane Bell
Followed by these thoughts she walked around the shower cabin and looked up. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The same pattern that was decorating the ceiling in the whole room was also covering the area above the bath tub. Mairin was confused. Hadn’t the immortal told her to look for answers there? Something wasn’t right and when she tried to repeat their conversation in her mind she remembered his strange choice of words.
“Tip your head back and look up at the ceiling the next time you take a bath,” he had said.
Like a hunter sensing that they were on the right track Mairin felt the irresistible urge to pursue her idea and climbed into the bath tub. She didn’t take her eyes off the ceiling for a single moment and already as she proceeded to the centre, different colours started to appear. Crouching, with her head tipped back and her hands holding onto the frame of the bath tub, she finally spotted what she had been warned about. It was the picture of a man dressed in black and red. His face was pale and surrounded by deep-red hair. His sharp teeth were digging into the chest of a young woman he was holding in his arms. It was seemingly the same pristine maiden she had seen upstairs with the unicorn but her body was bizarrely tilted backwards and her arms were hanging down as if she were deprived of all life. Seven black butterflies were resting on the red dress that was flowing down her body. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be the same woman after all. Hadn’t she been wearing blue and not red?
“Miss, are you alright? What in the Lord’s name has gotten into you, Miss?”
Was Hilda talking to her?
Unable to avert her eyes Mairin kept staring at the ceiling and discovered bits of the dark blue dress she had been looking for. Suddenly she realised her mistake. Neither the man nor the woman was wearing red. There was also no red fabric for the butterflies to sit on. There was only blood. It was all blood.
“Back then I didn’t know that my promise to Magdala would turn me into a pimp.” Adrijan grumbled.
“That’s not the problem and you know it. Besides, none of them were forced.”
“But I picked them for you and they were bought by your money, your looks and your charm.”
“I can’t help it. I’m simply irresistible.”
Adrijan didn’t feel like commenting on that.
“You’re acting differently concerning her, Adrijan. You’re behaving more like a spoiled father who can’t bear to find his daughter in the arms of a man. That’s something new.”
Vivian was right. It was the first time in so many years that he really seemed to mind. He had never liked using the girls but they had always received a lot in return and in the end it had been inevitable.
“It was hard work to find an adequate girl and rescue her from Traumstadt. Perhaps I still feel the need to protect her although she’s already safe.”
Vivian smiled knowingly. “Perhaps.”
Adrijan took a sip of his coffee. He felt relieved when the immortal changed the topic.
“Are there any news about Traumstadt?”
“Mhm, most of the staff of Sunflower Garden has to be replaced. We’ve been discussing the options for a new headmistress. I suggested Mairin’s sister Renga. What do you think?”
Vivian gave his suggestion some thought before answering.
“Good choice. The girl is here now so there won’t be any complications. And with the kind of family bond they had, I presume they’ll look after each other from afar and follow our wishes. Just make sure to put some trustworthy security to her disposal. We don’t want her to inherit Mairin’s averted fate.”
“Of course. Oh, and most importantly, Nebel is in the stables of Mondstein castle.”
“Ah, I’m glad he’s safe. About the girl though... “
“Hm?”
“You’re still alright with pulling it through?”
Adrijan bought some time by taking another sip of his coffee. He disliked the very thought of it but it didn’t matter. There were hardly any options even if she decided against the offer and the ones that were created by doing so weren’t favourable. She would have to leave Mondstein castle to make room for the next bride and her sister and brothers would lose the immortal’s support. Financially it would be a whole different matter though if Renga was accepted as the new headmistress of Sunflower Garden. Was he already subconsciously planning a way for Mairin to get out of the deal? Certainly that was the wrong thing to do. It wasn’t his choice and he was there to support his brother and not a stranger.
“Proceed as planned,” he answered.
“Very well. After your little speech in the hallway I’ve decided to give her some time to get accustomed to this world before making a decision. So don’t tell her anything yet.”
Adrijan raised his eyebrows. “I hope you know what you’re doing. What if she finds out without your help?”
“Then so be it. After seven-hundred years I know very well that not everything can be controlled. That’s what makes life interesting. Just remember the reason why we didn’t take her ten years ago.”
Adrijan remembered the pretty French girl well. She had been absolutely loyal to Vivian and allowed him to drain her life without a second thought – until she had found out about the bride.
“Virginie was in love with you. Everyone knew.”
“Yet you had already found Mairin and Virginie wasn’t willing to share. You know how important the role of the bride is.”
Adrijan was aware of that but he had always thought that the bride was sufficient. He disliked Vivian’s approach of using the maids whenever they offered themselves to him.
“She must have given you ten years’ worth of life energy.”
Vivian seemed absent-minded. Was he reliving the incident?
“Virginie was willing to give up everything. She wanted me to take it all. It was difficult to stop the flow... and you know the result.”
Of course he did. The maid had been sent to a different estate, heartbroken and looking ten years older, while Vivian had turned into a lad in his late teens. After that there had been no pressing need for Mairin and they had decided to let her stay at Sunflower Garden. Unfortunately her life there had been very different to what he had had in mind for her but in the discussion previous to dinner he had learned that at least her education had followed his plan. Maybe his decision to let her be taught the status quo of modern science as far as possible would prove helpful now and make it easier for her to get accustomed to the real world.
“What was Mairin like ten years ago?”
Adrijan was astonished. “Are you interested in her?”
“Not particularly. I was just wondering why you chose her.”
He could imagine that after hundreds of years of Vivian’s lifestyle it was nearly impossible for any woman to impress him.
“I knew her father. He couldn’t get over the loss of his wife and his condition was constantly deteriorating. I visited him several times and Mairin was sometimes there, playing in the same room or helping her sister around the house. I don’t think she remembers me though.”
He had mainly chosen her because she fit the criteria. She had been as pretty as any girl but more importantly she had seemed to be sensitive and capable of sacrifice. Back then the misfortune had already been circling above their heads ever closer like a bird of prey.
Vivian looked at him. “Her father is dead, isn’t he?”
Adrijan swallowed hard. When a wistful smile appeared on his brother’s face he knew that he had understood without him having to explain.
The silence was interrupted by a loud bang which immediately drew their attention to the door. Hilda had rushed through it and stopped in front of them panting for air. Adrijan jumped up from the chair. Had something happened to Mairin?
“What’s the matter girl? Speak!”
Vivian kept his calm. “Don’t rush her. Can’t you see she’s been running all the way?”
Adrijan could hear the servants whisper agitatedly. Hilda’s behaviour was inacceptable.
&
nbsp; “It’s the miss.” The maid was still panting for air. “I can’t quite explain it, Father, but she looked at the ceiling and then...”
Vivian silently laughed. “I’m afraid she didn’t heed my advice after all.”
Adrijan was irritated and didn’t understand what he was talking about. How could he possibly laugh in a situation like this? “Will you-“
“Nah, I’m tired. If Hilda really can’t handle the situation you should go. I don’t think she’d want to see me anyway.”
Vivian’s suggestion and the casual manner in which he had made it, were enough for Adrijan to start moving.
The scent of blood was in the air yet she wasn’t able to stop breathing fast and heavily. Mairin blinked several times. Even when her eyes finally got used to the darkness she could hardly make out anything in the faint moon light that only shone through some of the windows. Her bare body was floating in the heaving red substance that filled the bath tub to its brink. Low waves kept rolling against her chin and made her lift it in disgust. Every part of her being commanded her to escape yet the invisible force that pressed her arms against the cold ceramic was adamant. Then she heard the flapping of wings, wings of an insect, but at the same time the noise was too loud to belong to one. The swelling sound was the harbinger of death, of creatures that had been lurking in the dark and were now drawing closer. The lower part of her body had remained unaffected by the unearthly power and in her fear she tried to free herself by kicking with her legs. It was to no avail. And then there they were, giant shades, blacker and more fearsome than the darkness itself, grotesquely looking like butterflies although lacking all beauty and grace. By flapping their wings that were about the size of her palm they clumsily moved towards her, slowly even, as if they were aware that she couldn’t escape. One, two, three, four… oh Lord, there were so many! And still she discovered more of them once they had left the veil of darkness. Mairin could feel their evil intent even before they finally reached her. Knowing that she was fighting for her life she tried to kick at them but her feet didn’t encounter any resistance and instead of being hit and thrown back the gruesome insects ignored her effort as if their plump hairy bodies were without substance. Despite the results of her struggle and against all logic the sharp stinging on her skin proved to her that she wasn’t simply imagining them. Soon she gave in to the pain and ignoring her disgust she tried to hide as much of her body as possible beneath the surface of the bloody water, hoping that it would keep them at bay. The terror of the shades was far from over though. They came closer and closer and their buzzing and flapping turned louder and louder until her head was pounding. “Go... go away! Leave me alone!” she screamed but her voice didn’t make a sound. The first shade reached her and settled itself on her right arm, nibbling at her skin. Mairin screamed in pain. Then the second joined its companion, this time on her other arm, starting to slit it open from the shoulder to the fingertips. Third and fourth came to her almost at the same time, one of them trying to crawl into her ear, the other into her mouth. Mairin pursed her lips, closed her eyes and tried to shake them off. How long would she be able to keep struggling? The relentless attack continued and Mairin could feel the fifth ghastly creature slowly creep to the nape of her neck. Paralyzed with pain and fear she hardly noticed, as the water level slowly began to sink, but the two remaining embodiments of evil immediately used their chance and landed on her chest. It were those two that afflicted the most pain on her by drilling their long spindly thin legs into her flesh. Mairin knew she couldn’t endure it any longer. She prayed that she would finally lose consciousness.
“Enough!” The commanding voice of a man echoed through the room and without looking she knew to whom it belonged. The shades had no choice but to follow Adrijan’s bidding. The moment he had spoken, his minions had frozen and some had fallen into the remaining water of the tub like discarded sheets of paper. There, soaked with liquid, they started to sink until they touched Mairin’s body and as the water level went down even further, they stuck to her skin like wet cloth. Mairin shivered in disgust. Several moments passed in which she only felt the dead insects, the pounding of her heart in her chest and temples and the pain of the wounds that had been inflicted upon her. Finally she dared to open her eyes and almost shrieked when she discovered Adrijan’s face so close in front of hers, that she should have felt his breath on her skin. He was here, but she knew this time it didn’t bode well for her.
“There is no point in struggling,” he said in an eerie, echoing voice that lacked all traces of humanity and lifted her up as if she weighed no more than a kitten. She had already given up all hope as he carried her upstairs, past the paravent, past the bed, past the unicorn and the maiden and out onto the balcony. There the demon set her down on the marble balustrade with her feet dangling over it, one little push away from falling into the unfathomable depth in front of her. Icy wind blew up here – was tearing at her – as if it couldn’t wait to see her demise. Then she felt another sharp sting, this time on her neck. Her eyes were directed towards the faraway lake and despite her distance to it and the time of day she could see several girls standing at the shore so clearly as if she were amidst them. They were all dressed in white bridal gowns and their hair was adorned with floral head wreaths.
“Join us!”
A chorus of whispers filled the air as they started to walk into the lake in procession until Mairin couldn’t see them anymore. Soon after, their faces appeared again right beneath the water surface. They were looking up at her and the gaze of their cold empty eyes made her shiver. The only thing that gave her warmth was the small flow of her own blood that trickled down her body. As she grew colder and colder a calming weariness spread inside her and the thought of the imminence of the end filled her with great relief. But before she could leave this world of torture she felt a hard push in her back that made her slip off the balustrade. Mairin’s heart was racing as she subconsciously tried to stop her fall. It was in vain.
When she finally lost her consciousness she was overcome by the realisation that she had been discarded like the other brides and was descending into the deep nothingness to meet her inexorable fate.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” His cheek was only slightly burning, even though it seemed she had hit him with all her strength. After finally waking, Mairin had abruptly sat up in bed, causing the towel Hilda had put around her head to slip away and reveal her now dry but untamed curly hair. The strike had come without warning.
“Miss? What are you doing, miss?” Hilda was at least as surprised as he was, but even her words weren’t enough to stop her mistress from raging. Helplessly the maid continued pacing up and down near the bed, wringing her hands and muttering in disbelief. Before Adrijan even had the chance to consider the possibility that Mairin might throw a pillow at him, she had backed away and sent one of them flying. He caught it at the last moment and handed it to the astonished maid, but Mairin had already procured more ammunition. After all she was surrounded by it.
“Mairin? What’s wrong?”
Another cushion found its way through the air and bounced off Adrijan’s hand which he had sloppily raised in defence. This wasn’t the answer he had hoped for. The way she sat at the head of the bed reminded him of a cornered animal that was going wild from fear. Adrijan knitted his brow in frustration. The girl seemed to have lost her mind and he was completely unaware of the reason why. Somehow he had to make her talk, yet he couldn’t ignore the fact that all of her attacks had been directed towards him and he was most likely the last person she wanted to reveal her fears to.
Mairin picked up another pillow and seemingly realising that her attacks with the improvised missiles were futile, simply held onto it as if it were a shield, capable of protecting her. With her widened eyes gazing at him through her untamed curls she looked so endlessly fragile that Adrijan was more than ever ill at ease. As calmly as possible he returned her look and continued to observe her. There was no point in daring an app
roach. Only from time to time her gaze quickly wandered to her sides, perhaps seeking a way past him. Against all odds he thoroughly hoped that if he waited long enough she would come to her senses.
All of a sudden Mairin leapt forward in a desperate attempt to escape. Adrijan wouldn’t let her. With a quick move he grabbed the girl by her wrists and coerced her into lying down on her back. The sudden impact forced the air out of Mairin’s lungs and caused the girl to let the cushion slip out of her hand. Damn it! Why had it come this far? If there was one thing he abhorred, it was demonstrating his physical advantage over women, yet he couldn’t allow her to endanger herself and others by continuing with this madness throughout Mondstein castle. Mairin screamed and started tossing her head while kicking after him. Once or twice she even attempted to dig her teeth into his arm. Determined not to hurt her he absorbed several blows and when he shifted his weight to keep her from moving he didn’t put the possibility that she might go as far as spitting at him past her. Hilda stared at the both of them with her mouth agape.
