Lewis said: ‘I would take Laszlo myself if I had half the chance. He is a forest rodent, of which there is no doubt, but we must have order and we can control him to a certain degree.’
I did not say it but I wondered whether Lewis was becoming more careless now that he was close to his rest period underground.
‘Why was she at dinner?’ I asked, suddenly annoyed that Lilah was paraded in such a way, and exposed.
‘It is time for her coming out. She should not hide away in her rooms. She must participate in strigoi diplomacy.’
‘But she is not one of us. She is just a girl.’
‘She is quickly becoming a woman. Something you have noticed also.’
We locked eyes and for a moment I thought that perhaps he was aware of the kiss. I must never forget that he sees more than most of us. I fled then pleased to be free of his scrutiny and confines of the castle. It was time to hunt. The smell of blood was in the air.
I hid at the edge of town awaiting my mark, and the chance to purge this town of its waste. Other strigoi appeared by my side. As much as I liked to hunt alone I did not mind the company this time. Short and muscular, Pietro was an elder, a good friend of mine, and a favourite of Lewis.
A drunkard exited the tavern. He was kicked out for smashing some flasks. I read his mind filled with perversions and knew that those homeless youngsters he thought about would now be safe. Pietro’s face lit up beside me.
‘Be my guest,’ I said, and ushered him forward.
He nodded his thanks and in the blink of an eye had grabbed the man and dragged him into the bushes. I watched the wretch have barely seconds of fear before Pietro sank his extended incisors into the thickness of his neck. The man trembled violently before suddenly stiffening, his skin slowly shrivelling as the blood and life drained from his body. Pietro stood up with the victim’s remains across one shoulder. He bowed his farewell then disappeared into the night.
I travelled alone to a small hut on the edge of the woods. Inside was a man near death, wheezing loudly. A child slept on the floor beside him. I stepped stealthily inside the hut. Passing my hand over the man I felt his grave ills. Time was running out and had I stayed another hour I may have seen his soul float away without my help. Instead, I killed him while he lay there, drinking only some of his blood to ease my hunger, and leaving his soul to find another resting place. He had led an honest life.
Again, one might ask why I chose to kill and not heal this man. But I do not think for a moment that putting an old man out of his misery is in any way cruel. My healing of humans was cast aside when I gave up my witch’s soul two hundred years earlier. Though, admittedly, in certain cases, there has been a concession or two – something I do not freely admit to others of my kind – when it has benefitted my cause.
Then what of the child you may be wondering? I carried the sleeping child through the night. It would be my parting gift to the monastery of Güs. For it was the last time I would visit the place.
I entered the building and headed up the stairs to Arianne’s room to place the child on the bed. Of course, Arianne was no longer there.
The snow fell in sheets and I liked the way it caressed my face with feathery fingers. I glided quickly then, my feet barely touching the ground to return to my house where the strigoi had recently ambushed our would-be assassins. This dwelling had been owned by wealthy landowners: large, with many chambers, galley, hearths and rugs. Now dilapidated, with toothless window slats, it was my home and I had always preferred its weathered state, the absence of life, glass and gold, and the smell of wood as old as me. On entering there was a slight odour of blood from Lewis’s last vanquishing, only detectable by a strigoi. I wound my way up the broken, twisted staircase, which would have once been polished and magnificent. Cobwebs brushed my shoulder and the rotted boards creaked under my step. I opened the chamber door to find a blazing fire and the floor covered with thick new rugs.
Arianne lay on the large bed, a newly acquired piece of furniture. This room was in contrast to the rambling walls within the house. It was decorated with artwork, lace curtains and silk coverlets all thanks to the pestering of the newest inhabitant. I had scoured the land to search for the best, stealing from only the wealthiest.
She lay seductively across the covers with just a nightgown over her nakedness, one long white leg bare against the silk sheets. Flaxen hair spilled over her shoulders likes waves in the ocean. She was exquisite.
I swept her into my arms as I had done for many nights now.
‘You are late,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry. I had some business.’ The blood had revitalised me and I felt stronger and powerful. A feed on a full moon always gave me more than the usual energy. At that moment, I could have run faster than any living creature.
I bent down to kiss her and run my hand along the curve of her glistening thigh. Her lips were soft and warm. I tried not to think of another’s whose mouth was less ready, but just as soft.
Lilah
The knock at the door roused me from a deep sleep. I was slightly dazed as I stood barefoot on the cool wooden floorboards
Composing myself, I had a sense that it was Gabriel on the other side and eagerly reached for the door, forgetting the sheerness of my night attire.
As my hand turned the handle I could hear the thoughts of someone else behind the door.
Standing there holding a candle was Gabriel and beside him stood Arianne gushing: ‘I am so happy to see you. I have been dreaming of this meeting.’
It took a moment to get my breath before I realised just how much I had missed her too. I held her to me. She entered and pulled me to sit with her on the bed just as she used to do in her room at the monastery. Arianne’s personality was such that she was hard to ignore. Just her very presence made the room seem small while she described her journey through the forest, exclaimed at the richness of my room and the magnificence of the castle.
‘So, how are you?’
‘I am well,’ I said. ‘But what…how have you come to be here?’
Her smile was girlish and wider than the one she wore at the monastery.
‘I have left. I am no longer a sister.’
‘I don’t understand.’ This was indeed the strangest thing. Arianne who had dedicated her life to the church, the poor and her children. Perhaps I thought at the time that I was dreaming. ‘What about your calling?’
‘You would not recognise the place. It is so changed since you left, and orders from the Papacy have meant many changes. People are welcome to come once a week to chapel and receive a small amount of charity but that is all. They have halved the number of orphans being looked after as a section of the building has now been dedicated to lunatics. Lunatics are said to be possessed by Lucifer and I feel that it is more about experiments with exorcism than charity, and donations from wealthy patrons rather than providing a safe house for unfortunate children. Two more doctors and a priest have arrived to be paid for by the Papacy. The whole thing is dreadful. It is good thing you had to leave. You would be deeply unhappy there, Lilah. I am very glad I left before the changes.’
There was more news to hear. Sister Gertrude had aged and seemed to be nothing but a pawn of the church unable to make decisions unless first receiving written confirmation from Rome. Sister Nora had suffered an unfortunate accident and fell from one of the windows. Apparently she had been trying to shut the window when she slipped. She did not die immediately but must have hung on to life, slowly bleeding to death and possibly crying out in pain for several hours.
Claude became sick again. It seemed I had not cured all the disease and the doctors said it was in his blood, and though they had leeched him several times, they could not remove all the poison. Was this God’s way of telling me that I had meddled too far; that perhaps it was Claude’s time and not even my healing could prevent this? But even as I thought it I did not fully believe it. If I had the chance I would attempt to cure Claude once more.
&n
bsp; Arianne paused to catch her breath. It was during this moment – a chance to observe the pair together – that a strange thought crept in
‘Arianne. You still haven’t said how you came to be here.’ Arianne looked into her lap and then to Gabriel who gazed admiringly at her and it was no wonder why. I had never seen her in common garb before. The bodice of her dress was low, and puffed sleeves from below her shoulders revealed much of her exquisitely creamy flesh. Her hair cascaded freely around her bare shoulders. I had wondered what was different about her and now I knew. She was breathtakingly beautiful without her nun’s attire.
‘You look so shocked,’ she said, grasping my hands and squeezing them.
‘It is because I am,’ I said cautiously. ‘What did Sister Gertrude say when you left. She must be very sad!’
‘I did not face her but left her a note saying that I would not be back. I think she understood that I had outgrown the place.’
I shook my head. ‘I still can’t believe it. Who is taking care of Claude?’
‘The doctors are taking care of him, though I believe it is only temporary and he will be returned to the streets. One day I plan to find all those children cast out of the monastery.’
‘And take them where?’ I asked, for such a plan excited me.
She seemed flustered by the question and I could tell she had not put any thought into it. ‘I will have a house, Gabriel will see to that.’
Gabriel met my gaping look of confusion. He was smiling but it was carefully arranged and I found he could not hold my stare this time. I remembered our kiss earlier and wondered if he was thinking about that too.
‘How did the two of you meet?’
‘First, how is my family? Gabriel has told me his version of finding you there and the rescue but I would like to know about my brothers and sisters.’
I told her briefly about what I had encountered. She nodded, occasionally closing her eyes as if remembering, but she did not seem upset that her brothers and father were dead.
‘I am so glad that Evaline will never endure that again and I feel somewhat guilty leaving my sisters to their fates.’ I wondered at the depth of these words for I could already hear her thoughts were jumbled and her mind engaged with other thoughts I could not yet translate.
‘So, you haven’t told me, how you…did Gabriel come to find you on my behalf?’
She then told me the story of meeting Gabriel at the markets and how she knew immediately that they were destined to be ‘friends’. But the word was accentuated suggesting they were more. My heart dropped and I felt a sudden pain in my chest. She told me that they had spent hours together and while she spoke, images flashed in my head of the two of them, bodies entwined. It was unbearable and in an attempt to be free I stood up suddenly to move to the window.
Arianne followed me. ‘Are you alright?’ She sounded concerned for me despite her own distractions, and I was fortunate that she could not see the image I had of Gabriel earlier that evening.
‘Yes, I am fine,’ I lied.
‘Perhaps we should not have disturbed you so late,’ said Gabriel. ‘But Arianne can be insistent. She had to see you.’
Arianne giggled playfully and touched Gabriel’s arm. Suddenly I was overcome with nausea.
‘It is wonderful to see you,’ I said without conviction. ‘But I am very weary. We can talk more in the morning.’
The pair left and I wondered whether they would be spending the night together. Although I was no longer considered chaste I was still innocent of the experience of being touched with hands meant for loving. Those images of the two of them stayed with me and I found I could not sleep. Until the previous day I had never imagined that Gabriel and I might have some sort of future together, but the tension in my body and my fast-beating heart told me that I had been hopeful.
It was still dark when Gabriel reappeared in my room without knocking.
‘You are having trouble sleeping?’
I did not answer but kept my eyes closed.
‘I know you are awake. Will you talk to me?’
I sat up then and he saw my face.
‘What upsets you so?’
‘Nothing,’ I said.
‘I’m sorry if I hurt you. I should have told you about us. I did not realise that you had such feelings until tonight. Although I can sense you, I cannot read your thoughts.’ This fact alone told that she was much stronger than most witches, more often weak and born from humans.
‘Then you must sense that I have no feelings for you.’
We faced each other and I hoped that my lie would work. ‘I am upset for Arianne for I am thinking of all the children she has left behind. Who will take care of them?’
I do not know whether he believed me but he played along with the reason I gave. ‘They are safe for now.’
‘And what of Arianne? She is a human. She should not be here. She will be in danger from the other strigoi won’t she?’
‘No-one will touch her. They wouldn’t dare. Though I expect she cannot stay here in the castle. Lewis will be angry. He does not like humans here unless he has bought their loyalty with their services, or unless…’ He does not finish and I closed my eyes hoping to block out unwanted images.
‘Then she cannot stay in the castle.’
‘She will be placed somewhere safe.’
Gabriel was often missing from the castle. It was at these times I guessed the pair were together. The feeling that I had lost two friends turned to anger to replace the grief.
‘Does she know what you really are?’
‘Yes. She knows that I have extraordinary powers.’
‘But does she know what you are capable of? That you extend your life with the lives of her kind?’
Gabriel looked away at this. It was the first time I had seen him less confident.
‘I will show her, Lilah, before I make any commitment.’
‘But it is too late. You have made a commitment. She has left the order for you. It is wrong.’
‘Are you taking a moralistic view?’
‘Yes...no!’ I stammered, confused at my feelings. ‘I am thinking of my friend.’ But it wasn’t the full truth. It was jealousy that drove my speech and the attachment and loyalty I felt towards Arianne had lessened from the moment she had told me of her defection from the order.
‘All I know is that I have had human lovers before and discarded the relationship. This one is different. But I will never stop being your friend. You only have to call and I will be here.’
I was glad when he left so I could stop trying to disguise the hurt. By the morning I had convinced myself that I was being unreasonable and that I would welcome Arianne back into my life. Though, it was difficult to get over the fact that she had abandoned her calling and years of charitable work.
In the morning I summoned Irene to enquire whether the pair were in the castle but her blank expression answered the question. They had slipped into the castle unseen and departed just as quickly. I could not see the relationship lasting once Arianne learned the truth about Gabriel.
She did not visit the castle again for several days. One time, Gabriel came briefly into the library to check on my welfare. After he left, Lewis muttered something under his breath. It was clear he knew about Arianne and did not like that Gabriel was involved with a human girl.
I asked where Gabriel went when he did not stay at the castle. Lewis said that he had another house where ‘he lives with the rats’.
Several days passed. I was allowed free access to Lewis’s library and close to mastering the reading of the strange dots and dashes that was the ancient witch language. I read page after page of histories. One account told how many centuries earlier there were thousands of strigoi who roamed the earth, and many were in positions of power.
One such strigoi, Sigimund the elder, led a secret order at the beginning of time. He talked of his fellow strigoi as brothers and sisters, as they had all originated from heaven, and given human forms
to guide the new human race designed by God. Enjoying their time as rulers, and worshipped as gods themselves, by the end of the third century on Earth when it came time to return to heaven, they had asked to stay longer. They were punished by God for their desire for dominance and lust for earthly pleasures: their immortal souls were then trapped in aging grotesque bodies, and only human blood could sustain their hunger. Humans now recognised that these magical beings they had once revered were now hideous and dangerous but for a century, out of fear, they continued to serve them.
Sometime later, Sigimund came to be imprisoned by trickery. Many humans who had masked their own minds through magic had plotted to kill the strigoi. He was fed daily with slaves. One day they poisoned a slave with magic blood after discovering a potion that was not strong enough to kill a strigoi, but enough to leave him fighting the effects of sleep. While Sigmund slept the humans burnt his body and spread his ashes out to sea.
I asked Lewis whether Sigimund’s soul would have gone to hell. He told me that burning a strigoi ceases their existence, and the most humane way – to borrow such a term – to kill them. Had they not burnt all his remains to ash, Sigimund’s soul would have floated in darkness for eternity in what Lewis described as strigoi hell, and ultimately plunging the spirit being into madness.
I read on. Other strigoi were tricked also at the same time and it was how humans got the upper hand for a period. After that, many strigoi kept a low profile, deciding that it was best they live in secret. With numbers diminishing the creatures stole humans to couple with and this gave birth to witches. Also around this time began the strange tales of body stealing as a way of hiding the strigoi’s hideous identities so they could live among humans without being caught; long before they learnt that sleeping would reverse their ageing grotesque bodies and return them to their original perfect humanly form. Then, over time, they came to understand their own strength, which was well beyond any mortal.
I questioned Lewis on my own ancestry.
Lewis said: ‘Strigoi females cannot give birth. It is normal these days for a male strigoi to wed a witch to provide a stronger offspring rather than a human female. However, in the last few centuries, witches, from their coupling with humans, have given birth to their own kind as well. But this linking with humans has created, in many cases, less powerful witches; so weak that some are unaware of their inheritance.’
Lilah Page 12
