Dream the Crow's Black Dream - A Tale of Vampires Book Four

by John Hennessy

  “Don’t be frightened, Seth. The things you really need to fear are coming soon enough. You should look to conserve your energy.”

  “Yes ma’am,” replied Seth in a more conciliatory tone. The old man had suggested that Seth pay attention, and that’s what he was going to do. He shuddered as Mariana wrapped a cold arm around his back, her hand cupped around his waist.

  She ushered him to sit down. In the room, the mahogany chairs were embellished with red velvet cushions. The window drapes were closed of course. The scent in the air was musty. Mariana reached for a bottle of perfume, and dabbed the contents on her neck, chest and wrists.

  “Is that better?” she asked.

  “It’s….very nice,” answered Seth, who found his composure all but gone. Damn O’Mahoney for telling him that all of this was actually happening.

  Mariana sat across from Seth and observed his actions. For a few moments, she said nothing. It was not as though she was staring at him; more like she was looking right through him.

  Her black dress had a generous side split, showing her wonderfully toned legs. Her chest was even larger than Juliana’s, and her huge eyes served to mesmerise him. He was unaware that his hands were shaking.

  Juliana had walked in with a tray of drinks. The chill factor made Seth’s teeth bang together.

  “Thank you, dear girl,” said Mariana.

  Juliana said nothing to Seth, but smiled a half-smile at him, as if to say I’ll bet you’ll play nice now, won’t you Seth?

  “The drink will warm you Seth. Drink up.”

  He grabbed the glass, though his hands continued to shake, causing some of the contents to spill out of it.

  “It’s alright,” the vampire said. “Don’t be nervous.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “You don’t believe you are dreaming anymore, do you?”

  “No ma’am.”

  “Oh Seth. If we are going to get on, we should dispense with the formalities, don’t you think so? Call me Mariana. Please.”

  “Mariana.”

  “That’s lovely, I do love your accent, Seth. Now you know this is not a dream, perhaps you can tell me why you’re here. I mean, I know why you’re here. I just want you to tell me.”

  “My sleep is all over the place. I really miss this girl who died in the most extreme manner possible. I feel like I want to get retribution for her. Then maybe I can get my sleep back to what it once was.”

  “Go on.”

  “I want to kill the one, who killed her.”

  “Ah, I see. You’ve been having the crow’s black dream, haven’t you?”

  “I don’t know about that, but I have been seeing a crow, yes.”

  “Always when you sleep, or when you are awake?”

  Seth thought about that for a moment. He believed he saw the crow only when he was asleep. When he would go looking for it, the crow could not be found.

  “I don’t know for sure. I’ve lost that many hours of sleep, it’s possible I am going mad.”

  “I see. Well, we have to make sure, Seth. I have something that might help you.”

  Seth felt a cold hand on his throat. Juliana had returned, and squeezed around his bruised neck just enough to make Seth gasp for air. Mariana walked over to a dressing table, and picked up a small object, before returning once more to Seth, and placing the small object down.

  He could now see what it was. A deck of cards.

  “With his every decision, his every action, a man chooses his way in life. Some of those decisions turn out to be the wrong ones. If your life means anything to you, I implore you to make the right one now.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to answer a few questions, and play a little game. Then, as far as I am concerned, you are free to go.”

  Juliana maintained her grip on Seth’s throat. He could feel a sharp nail probing at his skin.

  “What about her?”

  “Do not speak about Juliana as if she were not here, Seth. That would be a poor decision on your part, don’t you think so?”

  Seth nodded, but he was aware he was perspiring heavily. Juliana would not like that at all. She remained silent, which unnerved him much more than when she was talking.

  Seth winced as Juliana’s nail burst his skin, just enough to cause a trickle of blood to ooze downwards onto the collar of his tee shirt.

  Mariana spread the deck of cards out in front of him.

  “Choose three cards. Three cards only.”

  Seth’s hand hovered over the cards, before choosing one almost dead in the centre of the pack. He was about to go for his second when Mariana interrupted him.

  “No, Seth. You do not choose three cards straight away. We must see what you have chosen, card by card. Make no mistake, your next choice will be based on what the previous card reveals to you.”

  Juliana remained silent, but her grip on Seth’s throat remained intact. His blood trickled over her slim fingers, and her own breath quickened. Mariana could sense what she was thinking. The older vampire’s eyes betrayed nothing to Seth, but confirmed everything to Juliana.

  She would have to wait.

  “Turn the card over,” Mariana ordered.

  Seth did as he was told. A card with a jester type character looked back at him. Or it would have, only it was placed the wrong way around.

  “The Fool, reversed,” said Mariana simply.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means…..many things. Usually, it signifies one who is rash, reckless and impulsive.”

  “Then it is wrong,” offered Seth. “I’m not impulsive.”

  “Au contrare, mon amie,” said Mariana. “You left your home and the comfort of sharing the bed with the one you love, to come here. On the whim of maybe seeing a crow in your dream. Impulsive? Yes you are. But a fool? We will have to see. Now choose another card.”

  Seth chose quickly, and his heart sank. He did not really understand the cards. Tarot, he thought they were, because his grandmother sometimes dabbled in such things. He could guess at what the last card could be.

  Still, the reveal of The Hanging Man card - upright, meant he was not doing too well.

  “Ah,” Mariana sighed. “Maybe it is not as bad as you think, though this card usually means one would sacrifice something in order to save something – or in your case, someone else.”

  A giggle escaped Juliana. She leaned in towards Seth, and breathed on his neck.

  “We both know what your last card will be, don’t we Seth?”

  “Juliana….dear oh dear, don’t unsettle our guest. Come on now Seth. Choose your last card.”

  With a lightning quick response, Seth chose the card, and flipped it over. He didn’t even look at the Death card, but he knew that’s what it was. The tale of the Blood and the Raven meant that if you were not a vampire in the story, you would die. Seth was not one of them, at least not yet.

  “You’re not looking at the card, Seth. Why ever not?”

  “I know what it is.”

  “You’re making assumptions,” snapped Mariana. “It is a poor man who makes assumptions about anything.”

  Slowly, Seth turned his head to look at the card. Mariana had been playing him along, that much was for certain. But Seth had not been wrong.

  “It’s not all bad, Seth. Most people who choose that card, by accident or by design, automatically think that the Death card means that they, or someone they love will die. This is not necessarily so. In your case, the card is upright. It means that one phase or cycle of your life is coming to an end.”

  “You suggested I make the right decisions,” said Seth slowly. “So I will choose my words very carefully.”

  “And we want to hear them!” cried Mariana happily, clapping her hands together.

  “I do not want to become a vampire.”

  Mariana gave Seth a strange look. “You weren’t finished. You were going to add something to that, and then - you just stopped. Come on Seth, en
chant us with your carefully chosen words.”

  “But I do want your daughter to take her hands off my bloody throat.”

  Juliana dug her nails in and ripped his skin back. The trickle of blood had now become a stream. She then picked up the drink Seth had been offered, and splashed it onto his neck. The mix of blood, oxygen and alcohol made him howl in pain.

  “Alright Juliana, that’s enough,” said Mariana. “You can leave us now.”

  “But you’re not going to let him go, are you? Not after what he did to me?”

  “You take offence far too easily, my dear girl,” said Mariana. “Leave us be for now.”

  Juliana brought her heels together and dug her hands into her hips. She took one more look at Seth, who was cradling his bleeding neck, and grabbed his hair, viciously yanking his head backwards.

  “Rats excrete a finer liquid that could be champagne compared to what is coming out of your neck. I will not touch you.”

  Juliana took one more look at her mother. “I hope you’ll do what’s necessary, Mother.”

  “Leave me to make that decision, my child. Now go, Juliana. I told you to leave us be.”

  Juliana said no more, and left quietly. Mariana stood up, and stood behind Seth, her hands on his shoulders.

  “I made poor choices, didn’t I?” said Seth.

  “The cards? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But insulting Juliana, yes – that was a poor choice. I believe that’s the second time you’ve been told that. I don’t think you’ll get a third opportunity.”

  “So what’s to become of me? You’re going to kill me?”

  “Seth, please, forget the game. Forget the cards. Forget Juliana. Forget the dark legend. Right now, I have no plans to kill you. In fact, I find myself wanting to help you. The one you seek – I believe she should be stopped. All blood spilt leaves a trail, doesn’t it? And I do believe her actions, though understandable from a vampire’s point of view, are not helpful. She is rather extreme. No-one has more first hand experience of this than you.”

  Mariana had been playing Seth since he had entered the Blood and the Raven. Perhaps she had been doing this even before then. But Seth could be relieved about one thing. She was not going to kill him; at least not before helping him to protect the one he loved.

  “Let’s have no more games; no more cryptic sayings then. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.”

  “Of course Seth,” said Marian with a rare display of compliance. “I will say it in words that even you can understand. I will help you to kill Gretchen.”

  May She Never Rest in Peace

  Seth had no recollection of how he found himself back in his bed, but one thing was for certain – dream or no dream, he had survived the tale of the Blood and the Raven. As Seth clumsily navigated the stairs en route to his kitchen, this contented view evaporated.

  He put the kettle on to make a cup of tea. As the water slowly came to a boil, pieces of the night before came together, then came apart again.

  It was five to seven in the morning, and Seth heaved a huge sigh of relief when he realised it was a Sunday – there was no need to get ready for work.

  In the scramble to get downstairs and get some caffeine flowing through his body, he had forgotten to check on his girlfriend Rosalyn. Of the couple, Seth was the light sleeper, whereas Rosalyn could sleep through anything.

  As the kettle clicked off to indicate it had arrived at boiling point, Seth ran up the stars to check on his girlfriend, the first girl he had liked since Daisy. She was sleeping on in preferred position, fetal style, with her knees hugged up towards her chest, her eyes facing the bedroom window.

  “Roz. Roz, do you want tea this early or not?”

  Seth realised he sounded rude. But just for once, it would be nice if Rosalyn would get up early and make the drinks. No such luck for Seth – not this day, nor on any Sunday before.

  He gently rubbed her shoulder.

  “Roz.”

  His tone was much gentler this time. So was the turn of her head, as it rolled around to face him, but was detached from her neck. She had no eyes; for they were missing, and looked as if they had been plucked out, leaving bloody sockets where the rims were caked with dried blood.

  “Roz!!!!”

  He grabbed her body, and shook as if he was having a seizure.

  Seth then became aware of a hot stinging sensation on his face.

  “Seth! Seth! What are you doing, you fool?”

  Rosalyn had slapped him hard. Her head was attached. On the surface, everything seemed to be fine.

  “Oh. Oh Roz,” he said, hugging her even though she fought him a little, before giving in. “I thought I’d lost you. It turned out I was just having a bad dream.”

  Rosalyn still fought to keep her distance.

  “I’m alright,” she replied, “but you’re not. You had better get that seen to.”

  “Get what seen to?”

  “Oh Seth! The cut on your neck! It’s so angry looking.”

  Rosalyn wanted to hold back her next words, but found that she couldn’t. “It’s like a woman scratched you.”

  There was no denying the accusing tone in her voice. Seth knew where Rosalyn was going with this, but doubted he could explain it in a way that would sound plausible. He was torn between relief that she was unharmed, yet this was tempered with the feeling she was trying to goad him into a reaction. Seth refused to be baited, and returned to the kitchen to make tea for them both.

  He felt around his neck. The sting was excruciating. The skin felt strange – where it was damaged, it felt coarse around the edge. Seth did not remember being scratched, but it seemed entirely possible that Juliana would have wanted to leave a reminder not to mess with her.

  Seth poured the milk into the tea, whilst his mobile pinged to let him know a text had arrived. It was from one of his friends, no doubt wanting to know if he wanted to go for a drink on the weekend.

  ‘We’re meeting up at the usual place, usual time. Seth, how’s it hanging man? Hope it’s all good. See you on Friday.’

  Seth wasn’t sure he should go, not until he had sorted things out back at the cemetery. He still planned to destroy Gretchen whilst she lay in her grave. Daisy was owed that much. He decided to put such dark thoughts to the back of his mind, and brought the tea up to Rosalyn. He hoped she would accept the peace offering.

  ***

  Despite it being far too early for her to be awake, Rosalyn gulped the tea down. Seth knew that Rosalyn would not stay silent. Little more than a minute had passed before she hit him with it.

  “I do sleep heavy, but don’t take me for an idiot. You were out last night, coming back at some unearthly hour, smelling of alcohol, with cuts on your neck, your tee-shirt reeking of sweat and perfume. Whatever you were doing, you better hope you’re terminal with something. I swear I feel like just getting my stuff and going back to my Mum’s.”

  “Roz!”

  “I mean it Seth. What was all the shouting for this morning? You know I don’t like to be woken up sharply. You nearly scared me to death.”

  “Roz, I can’t really explain, not in a way you’d believe me. But I can promise you, I am not messing around, and I never will. You will just have to trust me on that one.”

  Pretty much everyone thought they were too young to live together. But they would not want to Rosalyn stayed quiet for a moment, processing Seth’s words.

  “Did you get into a fight? Because that wound looks like the kind only a woman could inflict.”

  “It’s complicated, Roz.”

  “So, un-complicate it for me then.”

  Rosalyn was unlikely to let this go, so Seth did his best to explain the situation. Rosalyn understood he was having difficulty sleeping, that he called out names in the dreams, but also that he would just up and leave without saying anything.

  “You have to admit; it looks bad, Seth.”

  So Seth reminded Rosalyn about his sort-of-girlfriend Daisy, and how she had met her end at t
he hands of a vengeful vampire. Rosalyn recalled something about the strange murders from a few years ago, and sure enough, there was enough evidence on the internet to indicate that Seth was indeed telling the truth.

  “But you told me you had nothing to do with the priory murders Seth.”

  “I was….I was there, Roz.”

  “You were there, and you did nothing. Anyone would say you were in on it, or if you weren’t, you were too stupid to realise. Of course you were involved – if all you say is true, you led people to their deaths rather than facing it yourself. How have you lived with yourself all these years?”