by P. Mattern
Adrastos disarmed her by chuckling. ”Of course you don’t… that would be classless. You are a virtuous woman Parmitsvia. If you weren’t you wouldn’t be here now, with me. ”In spite of herself, Mitzi gasped. ”How - how do you know my full name? No one - not even my own son - knows my full given name!”
Adrastos drained his glass and set it down before answering. ”Mitzi, what do you know of your lineage?” He asked.
Mitzi didn’t feel inclined to start answering questions when her own questions had gone unanswered. Unwillingly she said, ”Not very much. Some French, German, Russian - and that I was a named for a female relative that lived eons ago.”
“Excellent. And the ancestor that was your namesake, I knew her well.”
“She wasn’t a – a… ”it was too difficult for Mitzi to make the rest of the words come out.
Adrastos shook his head, ”Of course she wasn’t a vampire. If I had had time to transition her you wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I met her four years after her marriage to a French nobleman. It was a loveless marriage, designed to consolidate power and land holdings among the existing nobility.
“That must have been during the dark ages.” Mitzi murmured.
Adrastos smiled, ”How astute of you my brilliant little Parmitsvia. She’d - your predecessor - already given the nobleman two sons. She was unhappy in her marriage, unfulfilled by motherhood, the wildness in her yearning for a better life. It was her yearning that drew me to her. We met through a group of wealthy merchants that traded with the nobility. It was, I must say, molten mutual attraction from the first instant our eyes met.
At first she had no clue concerning what I was. We became lovers for a time. When at last I worked up the courage to confess my Blood Bondage, she was so deeply in love with me that she offered to join me in immortality.
Up to that point I had exercised the utmost restraint. Although I could smell the tantalizing bouquet of her blood through her skin… ”Adrastos leaned towards Mitzi and breathed in deeply,” So much like yours, Parmitsvia, I wanted her to make her own decision. The spongy lushness of her human flesh sated me in a way I never believed was possible. She was truly the first creature that was mine, for I had enjoyed with cell – to -cell intimacy every part of her…”
Adrastos’s narrative trailed off at that point and Mitzi noted with alarm that his breathing seemed to have gotten more rapid and ragged. It was obvious to her that he had gotten aroused by his recitation. She wanted to hand him a Vampire Playboy and tell him to take a break in another chamber.
Instead she cleared her throat.
“Well, did you make her a vampire?” she asked, warily noting a new gleam that had come into his eyes.
Adrastos seemed to recover himself with a slight, decisive shake of his head, almost as if he were clearing it. ”No.” He continued sadly, ”The night before I was to take her blood’s virginity she died - a mortal.”
Mitzi found herself on the verge of feeling sorry for Adrastos; having lost a loved one herself she felt a deep empathy for others who had experienced a similar tragedy.
“I am sorry for your loss,” she said. ”But I am not my relative that you loved so long ago. I am just an American mother that misses her son. So - Adrastos, I am asking you to allow me to return to my life, my friends, my family.”
Although Adrastos had moved a few feet away from Mitzi as he recounted his past, in an instant he closed the space between them.
“Parmitsvia your happiness is of utmost importance to me. But I am convinced that only I am capable of granting you the eternal bliss that you deserve. Your son will be a welcome visitor here. I understand that you share a special bond with your son, especially since your husband’s unfortunate passing. How old is Charley Parmitsvia?”
“Twenty - four.” Mitzi answered. She could feel a flush of irritation creeping upwards from her neck as she sensed what Adrastos was getting at. “But he hasn’t been… normal… for very long at all. Nowhere near. For most of his life he’s…”
“Needed your help with everything.” Adrastos’ voice was sympathetic. ”But now? He has become quite the young man, non? It should be time to ‘cut the apron strings’ my dear.”
Inwardly Mitzi cringed at Adrastos’ assessment. There it was exposed - her own raw secret, that she needed Charley now more than he would ever need her again. She struggled for words.
Adrastos pressed his face even closer to hers. The look in his tourmaline eyes was both mesmerizing and frightening at the same time.
In her lower peripheral vision she could see her chest heaving slightly as her breath quickened. ”Stop it, stop it”, she thought, willing her rapidly beating heart to slow down. Taking the seat next to her, Adrastos spoke again, his voice velvety and soothing. Listening to him, Mitzi felt as if she was being drawn slowly into a warm, dark pool.
“It is so easy for these little kingdoms to exist,” he murmured, ”undisturbed and untouched in your ‘technologically advanced’ modern world. In fact, we can hide them out in the open my dear. Immense wealth is the power of this modern age, and those that possess it are the only truly free citizens of the earth. We are unquestioned by the rest of the world, protected as no others, above every President, Chairman or Dictator. We not only prosper, we are the hidden puppeteers behind the scenes. You’ve heard of Dubai?”
Mitzi nodded, her eyes widening.
“That is one of our well know enclaves”. He smirked. ”To the rest of the world, a playground for princes… It is one of the seven kingdoms.”
He drew back slightly and sighed deeply.
“Parmitsvia I have been searching for you, waiting for you, preparing for your coming. I could feel your existence, smell the bouquet of your blood on the trade winds, but wasn’t able to find you until now. You must get used to the idea of forgetting everything you’ve ever known about your mortal life. You will be changed; you will live in immortality with me, because I have found you.”
“How did you finally find me?” Mitzi queried, finally finding her voice.
“On Friendsybook” Adrastos answered wryly. ”It is somewhat ironic, non?”
“You can’t be so certain that it’s me you want - this may be a huge mistake. Maybe there are two or more Parmitsvias and you brought the wrong one here. Maybe I’m not the only descendant named after the original…”
Adrastos looked thoughtfully at the dust motes floating in a shaft of bright sunshine that was pouring down through one of the high casement windows. He seemed to be contemplating something. He turned his head back to face her and looking into her eyes said, ”Here, Mitzi - let me show you.”
Roughly he reached out and pulled Mitzi’s skirt over her right knee. Quickly, before she could protest, he separated her knees, pulling her right knee slightly outward. “LOOK!” he commanded eagerly, ”Behold your mark!”
Mitzi looked down in confusion, with a flush of anger, and on the inside of her thigh above the knee saw the crescent shaped strawberry mark that she’d carried all of her life from her earliest memory. Her legs were trembling. Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
“She - the original Parmitsvia - she had the same birthmark?”
“Yes my dear,” Adrastos chuckled and reached to quickly restore her skirts, smoothing and patting them almost paternally.
He stretched his arms above his head and relaxed back into his chair.
“So you see why I am certain, and why you must be mine… in every sense. I can promise you this - I will not take you now… I will wait for your acquiescence. These ceremonies are conducted according to ritual. But you will be mine. And soon.”
* * *
Chapter 19: Arrival
Faquier Hall in Motuo County China, carved out of the imposing mountainside, loomed over a steep and treacherous series of trails and bridges that were in a constant state of being washed out and rebuilt. Although a virtual untouched paradise of natural flora and fauna, the volatile terrain resisted any attempts at developme
nt despite the millions poured into it by business magnates attempting to turn it into a tourist destination. The only reasonable way to access its beauty, for humans, was by hiking on the treacherous trails.
The only reasonable way for vampires to access it was by portal.
Fress, the twins, their old friend Orry, Charley, and Merilee were sitting just below the treetop level of the surrounding forest, silently gazing up at the gloomy structure. Their feet were either planted firmly on flat areas created by tree forks or they were straddling some of the wider branches. Merilee sat on one of the lower branches alone, which she dubbed the “smoking section.” Everyone was quiet, having just arrived through the portal system.
Merilee broke the silence by noisily scrambling in her shoulder bag, and having found what she was searching for, quickly lit a pastel colored cigarette and inhaled deeply. ”Anyone need a smoke?” She offered casually.
“Uh…yes, please, Mer.” Cass swung his long legs down until he was sitting on the branch beside her. Merilee handed him a small, longish cylinder and simultaneously offered him a light.
Charley glanced down and snorted.
“Really people? Really? And hey, by the way Cass, I’m curious - are there any abhorrent human habits that you DON”T indulge in?”
Cass blew a huge, white cloudlike smoke ring and watched it drift lazily upwards. A smell of allspice wafted in the air.
“I choose my vices carefully, my friend” he said, ”And I don’t indulge in them too often.”
Charley chuckled, ”And what about that speech you laid on me early on concerning the proper care and feeding of the immortal body - ‘reverent care’ - all that?”
Cass turned and blew another series of smoke rings with such precision that one settled, slightly tipped, over Charley’s brow like a halo.
“I choose my VIRTUES even MORE carefully, Charley - and try not to indulge in them at ALL!”
Lux interrupted their conversation, ”There’s a promenade on the Southern side. Two watchmen that I can see. We might be able to gain entrance there.”
“And then what?” Charley wondered aloud. ”I say we knock on those King Kong sized entrance doors and announce ourselves. Ask to speak to the man of the house. What do the rest of you think - Ariel, Celeste, and Fress? Element of surprise or frontal presentation?”
As the tribe were discussing strategy in the treetops that surrounded the natural wonder of Fauquier Castle, three cavernous floors beneath the floor where Mitzi was having a discussion with the owner of the castle, Byron Chance was recovering from a blackout in which he’d lost time, any memory of the past two days and any orientation concerning where he found himself. It appeared to be a sort of cell, although the rounded walls seemed to converge at one end out into a hall way of sorts. The most distressing part of how he found himself was his lack of clothing - he was completely nude except for a loincloth (to Byron it looked suspiciously like an adult diaper) made of a gauzy material wrapped on itself over and over until it was opaque. He became aware that his wrists and ankles hurt and noticed that they appeared to be chafed, as if he’d been shackled - but looking around at the spare furnishings of his’ cell’ he didn’t see anything of the sort. There was only a cot with a slim mattress that he was sitting on, an elevated stone basin in which a perpetual stream of water ran and three windows that were at least 15 feet off the stone floor.
Standing up, he also discovered a small lowly placed stone structure; also with constantly running water draining into a hole that disappeared into the floor - he assumed that it was a crude sort of toilet.
Cautiously he listened for sounds that might provide clues as to where he was. Far off he heard some echoes as if someone were pushing a metal cart down a corridor outside of his chamber.
Someone was coming.
In his mind he had two choices. Meet the cart pusher and try to muscle past whoever it was, or wait to see what he could find out when they reached his chamber.
As the cart got nearer he could hear low voices. He thought he recognized at least one of the voices, a low sounding male voice, but he couldn’t be sure. There was only really one thing he could be sure of.
Well actually two things.
His name was Byron Chance, and he was in some sort of trouble.
He didn’t have to wait long before two uniformed men, a taller bearded man and a young girl that appeared to be dressed in nun’s garb entered his chamber. The young girl was pushing a cart that held human foods covered by metallic domed lids - to Byron it smelled like a breakfast meal - eggs, toast, coffee, perhaps bangers or bacon. The smell made his stomach rumble.
“Hello”. The tall man said, looking down at him pleasantly.
Byron eyed the tall stranger warily. ”How did I get here?” He asked.
The tall man smirked. ”I didn’t think that you would recall anything. Stunning is so disruptive to the nervous system. You’re about two days ahead of yourself. Usually those we bring here who have been stunned remain disoriented for at least two more days. Most of them can’t even recall their own names. Have you recalled your name yet?”
“Byron” Byron automatically answered. ”But I don’t know this place… and I sure as hell don’t know why I’m wearing a diaper. I look like I stumbled onto the set of the remake of ‘Prisoner of Zenda’.”
The tall man laughed, causing his henchmen to join in by chuckling. ”I do enjoy humor. Thank you for that. I’m surprised that you don’t recall MY name as well… because you are an employee of mine, engaged very recently to procure and deliver an item to me… you recall nothing of this?”
Staring at the bearded man’s face Byron began to get jolts of memory, coming into his mind’s eye as a cascade of images. In the first one he was having some sort of meeting with the tall man and another man that bore a resemblance to him. Then he saw himself traveling in and out of portals in search of something. But there was something before that - something unpleasant and unexpected, something he hadn’t agreed to that had been forced upon him as part of the bargain he was to fulfill… The tall man spoke ”Ah, there it is - I can see it in your eyes. You remember being infected.”
Byron jumped up, his muscles twitching with anger. ”That was never supposed to be part of the deal. I never agreed to be infected with a demon… do you not know what I am? It - it could have killed me!!!”
The man calmly stood his ground. ”But it didn’t, did it? We had it removed as soon as you ”it” returned with the merchandise. You should be commended; you did a very good job. You will be handsomely rewarded. And, as an added bonus, I intend to keep you in my employ - even though you ARE a Dhampir and as histrionic as any Dhampir I’ve ever come across. We HAD to infect you to give you the tools you needed to procure my “package”. Anyway, no need to get maudlin about it - the doctor says you’re as good as new. I’ve brought you some clothing and your choice of human or vampire refreshment ”he indicated the young woman behind him,” This is Elsie - she is an excellent ‘wet nurse’ and also has other functioning parts that you might be interested in partaking of. “He gave Byron a sympathetic look,” You do seem a little tense - a little stress release might be just the ticket - hmm? We will leave you two alone - there is clothing on the cart - if there is anything else you need Elsie will get it for you. After you’ve rested up I would like to talk to you about more business opportunities.” The bearded man abruptly turned on his heels and exited the chamber, followed by his henchmen. The nunlady stayed behind, her ever patient eyes fixed on Byron’s.
Byron felt two stirrings - one for blood and one for the mysteries that were his to discover under the nunlady’s uniform. He patted the seat beside him on the cot. ”Why don’t you sit down, Elsie so we can get to know each other. First take your head covering off please I’d like to see what you look like.”
The girl unpinned and removed her headpiece, revealing a cascade of auburn hair that reached nearly to her waist, and moved to sit next to Byron on the cot. Without being as
ked, she also removed her collar and habit, pulling them over her head and laying them across an arm of the cart,
“Where would you like to take your refreshment from sir? ”The girl asked, her guileless eyes looking into his own, the lushness of her nude body giving off a delicious bouquet.
“EVERYWHERE.” Byron responded, pulling her against him.
* * *
In their treetop vantage point outside of Fauquier Hall the vampires lounged, still discussing their strategy. It was nearing sunset. To the north they viewed a verdant meadow painted with swaths of wildflowers in violet, blue and yellow. Still no decision had been made in approaching the stone castle. In the late afternoon sun the castle glinted from opalescent bits of feldspar, tourmaline and mica embedded in the walls. Fress sighed and settled back into her tree niche. Her eyelids felt heavy. She wondered if the others would notice if she closed them for a few moments. Everyone else had grown silent. Just as she finally decided to give in to her drowsiness, something registered in her visual line that immediately triggered a primitive alarm response in her brain. Quickly her blue eyes popped open. A long undulating dark horizontal line was barely discernible on the far horizon. It appeared not to be moving toward the castle, but south toward their grove of cozy trees.
“EVERYONE!” Fress trilled, ”Look at the edge of the meadow - what the hell IS that?”
Lux was the first to sit up and stare intently at the darkness on the horizon.
“Cass, Charley, Orry - what IS that?”
Orry looked upward and listened for 7 seconds before responding.
“Dude, you don’t want to know.”
Charley frowned as he surveyed the horizon. ”I see either legs or tentacles. My question would be: Are they genetically modified mosaics or magick?”
Orry’s eyes went opaque, as they did when he was in a prescient state. ”No, not magick thank God - they’re genetically engineered. He responded, ”But we can’t afford to sit here and let them trap us. That’s all they have to do - get between us and the portal. And Charley, in answer to your question they ARE mosaics so they can be killed.”
