Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Treasured

by Jolynn Raymond

  “Tis storming. The clouds are so thick tis near dark as night, and I shall cover myself. Will you come or do I eat her here and now?”

  “NO!” Of course she would go. She would never let Katia be harmed. Part of her wanted to rush him, clawing and screaming, to beat him until his grotesque face no longer smiled its evil grin, but Alliana knew that wasn’t wise. If she moved he would be on her daughter in a second. Then a thought occurred to her; perhaps she could change his mind in another way.

  “I have powers you are not aware of. Perhaps it would be wise to reconsider your allegiance. I shall not harm you if you will but give me back my daughter. I have always been sorry for what was done to you in my name. Let me make it up to you now by allowing you to leave here unscathed. Otherwise... my magick.” Her words were whispered, a veiled threat, not meant to make the child panic, but to make him think and do as she asked. Unfortunately they were the wrong things to say.

  The boy puffed himself up indignantly, the rage he felt for the Gypsy bitch before him filling him anew. This was all her fault, and now she wanted to bargain and make threats?

  “You’ve nothing that can stop me, Gypsy. You are but a weak human.” The words were spat out, clearly showing his disgust for her. It was clear he knew nothing of the tales of her magick, or had put it out of his mind.

  Alliana reached between her breasts and pulled forth the gold medallion, holding it up in the light of the fire. “You are wrong. This has changed everything. Give me my daughter.”

  The boy’s eyes shifted from the medallion to her face and back again, judging her words. The tales of her impending magick came back to him as he did so, and he began to doubt the wisdom of his plan, but he knew it was too late to turn back. He lifted Katia closer to his mouth, baring his fangs very near the babe’s throat.

  “I’ll do it; I’ll rip her open before you can do so much as blink.”

  Alliana froze, her eyes darting about. What could she do? The fire wasn’t an option; Katia would get hurt. She watched the boy with mounting dread as he backed slowly towards the chamber door, Katia clutched tightly in his arms, fangs poised to do as he promised.

  “Come or you shall never see her again, and be silent or she dies here and now.” With those words he turned and ran, the sudden movement startling the child, making Katia’s cries ring out.

  Alliana screamed and rushed forward, clutching the medallion and waving her hand in the air towards the door, not certain what might happen? A gust of wind blew through the chamber, catching the large plank of wood, slamming it shut, but it was too late, the boy had already slipped through.

  Alliana shook her head in frustration as she ran forward; all she had done was to slow her ability to follow the little demon. As she fumbled with the door she stopped and realized what she was about to do, rush outside once more without any real clothing or shoes.

  Knowing the boy wouldn’t go far, and knowing she couldn’t be stopped in her quest because she became ill from the cold rain that was pummeling the earth, she ran to her wardrobe and pulled forth a cape and shoes, slipping her feet inside, then flinging the cloak around her shoulders before racing back to the door as her body protested in pain at the sudden arduous movement, screaming out for Mikhal in her heart and mind as she went, hoping the bond they shared would alert him to her peril. She prayed he would hear her, prayed he would come rushing down the hall and intercept the child, but even if he did not, Alliana knew she would follow the vampire boy to the ends of the earth or straight into the clutches of Marishka.

  It didn’t matter, none of it mattered, her daughter had been stolen and she had to save Katia. Alliana knew she would do anything the demented woman wanted, if only she let her babe live.

  Chapter Four

  Alliana raced down the stairs and out of the main castle doors, looking about for the boy but seeing nothing. All was quiet, the minions having sought refuge from the daylight and the human guards having all been dismissed in fear that they too were in league with Marishka. Had her husband only known that it was this mere slip of a boy who was really the danger; he would have kept the men on who could at this very moment help her in her quest. Instead, there was no time to lose searching for anyone in the stables or outer kitchens; she had to find the boy and her little Katia.

  As she rushed to the castle gates, her feet pounded over the wooden planks of the drawbridge as she ran, echoing the slamming of her heart in her breast. But then, the reality of her situation, the sight of the vast woods before her beyond the fields stopped her in her tracks. Alliana knew at once that she wouldn’t be able to find the boy unless she were patient and waited for him to lead her. That was his goal after all, to make her follow, right into the clutches of Marishka.

  She stood, panting, eyes frantically searching, and then finally spied him as he stepped out from the cover of the edge of the woods. He was wrapped tightly in the fur throw, the heavy hide protecting his vulnerable body, with only his face peeking out. The sight of him filled her with relief, but it was also enough for Alliana to see his glowing eyes. Even during the day, she could see the evil in them, and she knew he was in his demon form. The child was a pure beast, an evil creature of the night, and he had Katia. All it would take was a moment, one hint of hesitation or rebellion on her part, and her daughter’s blood would be spilt on the dirt beneath the boy’s feet.

  Alliana searched for her babe amid the heavy fur throw and finally spied the bright blue blanket that Thalia had woven for her daughter. At least she knew he was keeping her wrapped up. The spring air held a hint of coolness, and the sky was thick with a pending storm. The thought of Katia out here, vulnerable, unshielded from the elements, tore at her soul and made her mother’s heart bleed. Tears of terror and rage formed in her eyes but she angrily swiped them away, now wasn’t the time.

  She stepped forward towards the boy, and then began to run once more as he turned and entered the woods. The urgency that drove her, the one word that screamed in her head and made her heart pound, the insistence that she run, reminded her of the other nights she had fled, twice before from her husband, and once from this very spot. Alliana felt as if she were being thrust in the nightmare again, as if she were doomed to have it reoccur over and over, only this time she was the predator and the boy was the prey, and so help her God, he was not going to escape.

  She raced across the field and entered the woods, spying the boy ahead. He was waiting for her, allowing her to get just close enough so he would be certain she could follow, and then he would sprint ahead again.

  Alliana called out to him, knowing her words would fall on deaf ears, and the child ignored her, but his chilling laughter reached her none the less, making her stomach twist with fear. Onward she ran as her lungs became heavy and her belly began to burn. What she had thought was healed now proved unable to withstand this sprint across the countryside, and Alliana felt a trickle of something wet dampen her thighs. It didn’t matter though, none of it did, and she had to get Katia back.

  Her mind raced as she ran, trying to think of ways she could use her powers to stop the vampire child, but anything she thought of would put Katia at risk. Powerful winds to bring branches down in their path could hit her precious babe. A lightning bolt was far too deadly. Rain would simply slow her as much as it would the boy and it would put Katia at risk of catching cold. In the end, she knew that all she could do for now was follow and bide her time. Perhaps when they arrived at Marishka’s hiding place she could invoke her powers to overcome her husband’s evil and twisted sister.

  Another pain tore through her middle and Alliana nearly doubled over with the intensity of it, but then her mother’s need to protect her child gave her the adrenaline rush she needed to go on. She could feel the blood trickling steadily down her legs now, and knew in the back of her mind that something inside her had gone wrong, something healed had torn free, but she couldn’t stop. They had been playing this game of cat and mouse for what seemed like forever; surely they had
to be close to their destination.

  Finally, just as the adrenaline that had kept her going was ebbing away as surely as her life’s blood was slowly running from her body, Alliana parted some dense brush that she had watched the boy push his way through. She stood still, finding herself in a clearing, at the center of which was the child she sought who still clutched her daughter, and at the back of the barren spot of land lay the mouth of a cave.

  The boy peered out at her from the folds of the fur throw, eyeing her up and down, an evil smirk on his face, his tongue darting out as if tasting the scent of the blood that stained her nightdress.

  She reached her arms out instinctively as Katia let out a wail, the sound only slightly muffled by the blanket that was wrapped around her so tightly. Alliana felt her heart nearly break at the cry, even as her mother’s milk stained the bodice of her gown in response to her child’s voice. She looked at the boy who kept her from her daughter with pleading eyes, knowing it would do no good but unable to help herself.

  Marishka, drawn by the odd sound of a babe’s cries out here in the woods, appeared in the mouth of the cave and immediately assessed the situation. That she found it much to her liking was an understatement indeed and she began to sway and shiver with delight and anticipation.

  She had spent months waiting for this moment. Endless days and nights in a cramped dark hovel, trapped in a cave eating bats, but now, now it would all be worth it because here was the Gypsy bitch who had been the cause of all her suffering. She had been delivered right to her doorstep along with her brat. Soon they would be a thing of the past. Well not too soon, there had to be much pain involved, and then she would once again take her rightful place by Mikhal’s side in Castle Arcos.

  “What yummy treats have you brought mummy, you sweet, sweet boy?”

  The boy turned his head to look at Marishka but only for a moment. He knew better than to underestimate Alliana. “The Gypsy whore, my Mistress. I bring you the whore and her girl brat.”

  “Girl? No boy? I promised Mikhal a boy when we did that stupid spell.”

  “There were two, Mistress. I tried to get the boy but this babe was all I could manage.”

  “No mind. She shall be as tasty as her brother. The wee ones are so sweet. They think you are going to coddle them and cuddle them until your fangs pierce their flesh and then they start to scream and wail. The terror is as pure as their blood. It is ever so delicious. You shall watch whore, as I devour your brat, and then you and I shall start our games.”

  “No! Don’t do this. Please. Give her to me. Let me take her back. Let me lay her at the castle gates where she will be safe, and then I will do whatever you wish.”

  “You think me an idiot? You would run to Mikhal and tell him I was being mean again. Fool that he has become he would believe your every word. You have poisoned his heart, but no more. Once you are dead he will come back to me.”

  Alliana was searching her brain, trying to think of a way to get Katia safely away from the boy. She knew if she could only get her babe free, then she could use her powers to kill both of the hated vampires before her.

  She looked at the boy, thinking of his weaknesses, wondering if there were any. It was true he was pure evil, but he was also young, young enough to fear death more than his Mistress. Perhaps she could frighten him into handing Katia over. Standing tall, trying her best to swallow her own fear, ignoring the bedraggled, insane Marishka, Alliana looked at the boy and let her eyes bore into his.

  “You child, you know I have my powers. Shall I open up the sky and send a ray of sunlight streaming through the clouds? Not even your furs would help you then, it would be too bright.”

  The child looked nervously up at the sky. He had felt the power of the wind the Gypsy had created to slam the door he had just narrowly made it through. Could she truly control the heavens as well? The fur protected his body, but his legs were vulnerable, and once he started to burn, his life would be over.

  “And what of the babe, dear Alliana? Your daughter would burn as well.”

  “No, she is not of you. The sunlight does not affect her.” Alliana gave a silent prayer that she had taken Katia to the tower room only that morning and held her tiny hand in the sun. It had been a risk and she thought at the time that perhaps she’d been a fool, but now she realized that something, some kind of instinct, had made her perform such and act.

  Marishka laughed at the news, delighted, her hollow eyes taking on a glow that combined with her torn clothing, blood smeared face, and matted hair made her appear all the more frightening.

  “She is pure human and yet you expect to take her back to the castle? You honestly think my brother would raise her as if she mattered, if you were gone? Girl babes are worthless and human ones more so. What of the boy? Is he human as well? Did my spell fail entirely?”

  Marishka could tell immediately by the look on Alliana’s face that the boy was not.

  “Ah, so he takes after his father does he? I hope he isn’t soft like my Mikhal has become. I shall have to make certain he is raised with a firm hand to bring out all those lovely evil qualities. Aunty Marishka will teach him how to inflict pain and find all the joys of this life.”

  Alliana’s stomach rolled at the thought of Marishka near her son. Even though little Mikhalen reminded her of the woman before her, she still had hope in her heart that if raised right, he wouldn’t carry any of the traits of his demented aunt.

  “You honestly think Mikhal would allow you back in the castle after all of this, after slaughtering his daughter and killing me? You are truly insane Marishka. He doesn’t want anything but to see you die painfully.”

  Marishka waved her hand in a dismissive way, her face openly scoffing at Alliana’s words.

  “Once I remove the spell he shall no longer even think of you, let alone love you.”

  Alliana’s look became quizzical at once. Spell? What spell?

  “It was all a curse you little fool. Do you honestly think he would care for you otherwise? My brother doesn’t love you. He can’t. He hasn’t a soul. His heart is dead. We are evil creatures. The Mage and I cursed him with an empathy spell on the night you fled to the stream, so he would feel love, my love, and return to me. That is all it is. It allows him to sense emotions, to know what others feel. All that has been in his heart has been pity because he feels what you are feeling, and he has become soft and mistaken that pity for love. The mating bond helped deceive him of course, but with you dead, that will be an issue no more. Stupid girl. Love is for humans and fools.”

  Seeing the look of shock and pain on Alliana’s face at her revelation let Marishka know she had struck a cord deep in the Gypsy’s soul. The bitch hadn’t known about the spell. Mikhal had never told her. This was priceless. Oh how she would use this to torment the whore as she killed her slowly.

  “You didn’t actually fall in love with my Mikhal did you? Oh how lovely is that. How sweet, for it will make your heart ache all the more. Think about it. When did he change towards you? Twas that night, the night you suffered so. He became tender because of the curse, because he felt all your pain, not because he fell in love. He pities you.”

  Alliana didn’t say a word. The weight of Marishka’s words had left her feeling crushed, and stolen her tongue.

  “Oh this is priceless. The pain in you poor heart will make your blood that much sweeter. You were betrayed and used. All his talented flowery words, all his tenderness, all his vows of love, they came from magick! If the curse were gone you would be a whelping bitch once more, and your girl brat simply a tasty treat.”

  Marishka began to spin faster and faster and Alliana took advantage of the situation to hone in on the boy once more. She had to cast off her own pain and focus on Katia. Maybe all Marishka said was a lie. The woman was demented. Perhaps none of it was true. Mikhal loved her; she knew he did. ‘But why didn’t he tell you of the spell?’ a little voice asked. The timing was right for what Marishka said, for when the curse would hav
e been cast, for it had been that night that Mikhal’s attitude towards her had changed dramatically.

  Determined to let it go, Alliana watched as Marishka spun and spun, then looked once more at the vampire boy and her daughter. If she were to get Katia safely away, she had to make certain Marishka couldn’t reach the boy or the babe. Clutching the medallion tightly, fighting against a wave of dizziness that suddenly hit her, feeling the steady trickle of blood seep down her thighs, Alliana held the golden disk and raised her hand over her head, lifting her eyes as she began to make a swirling motion with the arm that was raised.

  The boy saw her actions, saw her holding the medallion and guessed something bad was coming at once. He looked back at his Mistress, torn between warning her and calling for help, but having neither spill from his terrified tongue. He then turned back to Alliana as he felt the wind rise and begin to swirl.

  At first it simply caressed his cheeks but then it became more insistent and began to blow past him in gale force. He looked upward, fearing a break in the heavy clouds but none came; instead he felt the earth under his feet begin to soften. Looking down, the vampire boy felt his feet begin to sink in the murky muck that had once been solid ground. He began to struggle, trying to pull his feet out, but the more he fought the faster he sank.

  He called out for Marishka to help him, and twisted back, only to see her staring at the scene before her in shock, the wind blowing in her face so powerfully that she couldn’t move forward to reach him, let alone stop Alliana.

  “Clutch the brat to your chest and drag her down with you. The whore won’t let her babe die.”

  Alliana stepped closer to the boy and held out her arms for her daughter, ignoring Marishka whose words were whipped away by the wind.

  “Give her to me and I shall let you free. You may run away, as far as you can from my husband’s wrath, if you only give me my babe. Hold her and I shall sink you alive. There you will stay as the earth turns hard around you, alive and hungry for eternity.”