Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Treasured

by Jolynn Raymond

  The boy snarled and barred his fangs, saliva dripping from his mouth, his teeth poised to tear flesh as he ripped open Katia’s blanket.

  The babe, who up until this time had been mostly quiet, suddenly let out a shriek as if she knew her life was in peril, and Alliana lunged forward, grappling for the tiny bundle in the vampire boy’s arms. She raised one hand and clawed at his eyes, blinding him, and then pummeled his face as she pulled at Katia, and listened to Marishka’s outraged shrieks.

  “Give her to me. Give me my daughter. Give me my daughter!”

  Alliana hit and clawed at the blinded boy, and finally gained a strong hold on a screaming Katia. The vampire had little leverage as he continued to sink and Alliana finally pulled Katia free.

  She clutched her daughter to her breast and stood back, face expressionless, as the child she had once cried tears over slowly sunk into the quagmire and was then gone completely. Once he had disappeared from sight, Alliana grasped the medallion and waved her hand over the muck, causing it to change once more into solid earth, burying the child alive forever. She then turned her eyes towards Marishka who now stood silent at the mouth of the cave, a very stunned look upon her face.

  Alliana turned away and took a few steps towards the edge of the clearing, only to hear Marishka’s laughter at her back.

  “Run and hide little Gypsy whore. Take your brat back where she will just be another among the cattle.”

  Alliana ignored her. She looked about, searching for just the right place, then found what she was looking for, and cuddled Katia tightly before wrapping her safe and snug and laying her down in a soft mossy spot. She than turn back to Marishka, the look upon her face immediately telling the vampiress that she had no intention of fleeing.

  “If you think I have any notion of leaving you alive to haunt the rest of my days and pose a danger to my children you are truly delusional, Marishka. There is no death painful and just enough to suit you, but I can surely try.”

  “Mikhal would be livid if you killed me, you little fool. You would be thrown in the dungeon and tortured.”

  “Mikhal wishes to see you dead as well.”

  “You forget that the only reason he tolerates you and your girl brat is because of the curse. It is possible that you could go back having killed me, but what of tomorrow and the next day and the next month? Will the curse last? Will he always be so kind? Will he be tolerant of a girl child with no magic? That is the reason he stole you in the first place. You and your brat mean nothing. He has his son now and in time, the spell will probably fade, leaving you and your daughter in a place of danger.”

  “You speak lies. You know nothing of this. Nothing of how Mikhal truly feels. You also have no idea if Katia carries magick like mine as well.”

  “Then he keeps you alive for what your magicks can do for him until he tires of you both and sets the minions upon you. Tis a fool’s dream to think his love will last, and a wretched future waiting for him to reject you.”

  “Tis your own foolishness and insanity that has sealed your wretched future, Marishka. If I were you, I wouldn’t worry so about me. Mikhal loves me and he loves both his children.”

  As they were taking, Alliana again subtlety took hold of her medallion and made a tiny waving motion with her hand towards the perimeter of the cave, making the ground stir and soften. Marishka, so caught up in her mission to torment Alliana with her words, paid her no mind.

  “You still believe he feels for you. He doesn’t. He can’t, and neither will his son. Your boy will be like us. He will not ignore his beast, because there will be no curse to tame him. He shall be wild, and shall feed on pain and lust and blood. Tell me, what does he eat now? Is he satisfied with your breast or does he even as an infant need more to silence the cravings of his demon?”

  Her words hit home, and Alliana’s doubts came flooding back. Marishka saw the look of pain on Alliana’s face and stepped forward towards Alliana, into the muck. She looked down in shock as she quickly sunk to her knees, and then looked back at Alliana who was already waving her hand in a much grander fashion, turning the quicksand back into solid earth.

  Marishka’s eyes flew open and she looked up. She was right at the mouth of the cave, stuck solid in a very vulnerable place. If there weren’t thick cloud cover, the sun’s rays would reach her in just a matter of time. Her only hope was to destroy all hope in the heart of her enemy, before she herself was struck down. Death would come, but could she shatter the heart of the Gypsy whore before she met her own demise?

  “You may have me, but what will my death bring about? Mikhal will never be yours, not truly. He belongs with his own kind, not with you. Someday he will see that. If he doesn’t, his softness will cause the rest of the minions to rise up and rebel. Either way you and your daughter will be slaughtered.

  “It’s pure magick, that’s all it is, and magick won’t control your son. He won’t be tame like his father, and he will never ever love you or his sister. Given time, as he grows older, he will overpower his weak father just as he should if my brother has become less of a man. If you take your daughter back, you had best beware, for your son will hurt her. It will only be a matter of time. Two of a different breed cannot be close, not even if they come from the same womb. Run now; take her away. Your life at the castle is but a bit of spun sugar and twill melt in the rain of your tears.”

  “Why do you care? Why warn me?”

  “I simply wish to shatter your heart and any illusions you have. It also makes me sick to think of you as mistress in my castle. If I can’t be Lady Arcos, I certainly don’t want a Gypsy whore in my place. Mikhal was to be mine for eternity. If I can’t have him, I don’t want you to have him either. He made me what I am, and for that I should be at his side.”

  “He didn’t do this to you. The creature that created you did. Mikhal was never yours, not really, not in his heart. What you did was depraved. He felt the lust of his kind and he pitied you.”

  “You could never even dream of what we did. I doubt he would touch his sweet bride in such a way, but as degrading as the things we did were, they provided pure pleasure. That is something you will never be able to give him. He will lose interest in your sweetness in time, and crave the true passion he can find with one of his own kind.”

  “I can give him love. I gave him children. A family.”

  “The boy he will keep because he is a demon, as for the love, I told you, he feels your love and he probably laughs at it and thinks you a fool. It is a tool he uses to bed you and to pacify you. He can’t feel love! His heart is dead. Tis a spell, a curse, it is not real, and one day he will tire of it and find a way to be rid of it and of you, and when he does, your life will become hell again. Pity I won’t be here to witness such a grand event.”

  “Yes, pity isn’t it. At least one of us will see the demise of the other. Lucky for me I am the one who will triumph today.” The malice in Alliana’s voice hit home then, and Marishka knew she was truly going to die at the hands of her brother’s Gypsy whore. She began to wail and sway, her arms raised over her head, acting the part of the demented creature once more.

  It stuck Alliana then that Marishka had been quite lucid during their entire talk, and it made her wonder just how much of her insanity was real and how much she had used it to simply gain her way in things. She was conniving, that was certain, and smart as well. Her little plan would have worked wonderfully of it hadn’t been for Alliana’s new powers. The fact that she had been so clear headed in all this made Alliana worry, and start down the road of doubt once more.

  What if Marishka were right? It was a crazy thought but what if? Why hadn’t Mikhal told her? What would happen if the curse were gone? Did her truly love her? Could he still be tender and loving to her and Katia if the spell were removed? And what of little Mikhalen? Was he indeed a threat to his sister? He certainly had his aunt’s temperament at times.

  Another pain hit her then, and Alliana realized that no matter what she decided
to do, she had to find shelter soon so she and Katia could rest. The blood that had been flowing from her body during her race through the woods had slowed considerably, but the cramping hadn’t, and there was a large dark stain upon her nightdress, indicating she had lost a good amount of the precious fluid.

  She took one last look at Marishka, dredging up all the hatred she held in her soul for the woman before her, and then slipped the medallion over her head and held it tightly as she raised her arms over her head, using everything inside her to summon a the bolt of lightning that would put an end to the miserable excuse of a thing before her.

  As the sky rumbled and the first blot of lightning struck near the swaying vampire woman, she ceased her movements and stared at Alliana, eyes wide, and mouth open in shock. Another bolt hit, this time directly at her legs, singing her tattered dress, making Marishka scream.

  “NOOOOO! You can’t do this, you little bitch. Not like this.”

  Alliana actually smiled. It was one of pure hatred, fueled by the evil Marishka had wrought upon her and her family, and then summoned yet another bolt. This one struck home and lit Marishka on fire. As she screamed in agony, Alliana watched, face expressionless once more as her hated rival writhed in agony, the flames overtaking her as her clothes and hair caught fire.

  Mesmerized, Alliana watched the macabre show until there was but a pile of ashes where Marishka had been. She stepped forward, scooping them up, and blew them from her palm with a little breath and a sigh of relief. It was over; Marishka was gone. Andor was dead as well, and if any of the other minions in the castle had been loyal to them, they would surely flee now, and yet, for some reason, Alliana didn’t feel safe going home. Not now, not yet.

  Be it Marishka’s words that caused fear to rise up in her heart, or her own doubts about Mikhal for keeping the curse a secret from her, she wasn’t certain, but she did know she couldn’t take Katia back to the castle. Not until she and Mikhal talked, and she wanted that talk to be on neutral ground. She would find her clan and beg for refuge with them until the matter could be resolved.

  Natalya had said they would be near when she came of age and the spell took hold, and Alliana knew that instinct would help her find them. She felt a deep need to be with her Godmother, Sabina, and knew the old woman could council her now. She had her magick, and if need be she would use everything in her power to keep her daughter safe, even if that meant losing the man she loved.

  Turning back to where her babe lay bundled in the blue blanket, Alliana reached down and gathered her close. “Don’t worry little one. Your maman will get this all figured out and you shall be safe. My heart does not know what your brother is capable of, and you must be protected. I won’t have anything happen to you, my little lamb. Your father and I will talk soon, but first tis time you met your Gypsy family.”

  Chapter Five

  Mikhal had felt Alliana’s panic, but he had been dozing while rocking Mikhalen and his reaction hadn’t been fast enough. He’d woken from his light sleep with a start, just as little Mikhalen began to wail, feeling Alliana’s terror and plea for help. He’d rushed to the door, barking for the nurse to take the squalling babe from him even as he told the child everything would be fine, and then raced for his wife’s chambers. He’d known it would be empty, knew it even before he’d turned the knob and found the mocking silent chamber, but the horror of discovering for certain that his wife and daughter were indeed gone, sent Mikhal into a near panic.

  Taking deep breaths to calm his panic, Mikhal stood in the empty chamber with his eyes closed, and took in everything around him. The scents, the feelings, reaching out for Alliana, but feeling only the tingle that tied them together; it buzzed with her acute anxiety, but gave him no clue as to what it was that was causing such terror.

  He smelled the sweet infant scent of Katia, and that of his wife as well, but then caught the hint of someone else, and knew at once that someone else hadn’t belonged in his wife’s chamber. The scent was not one he recognized. How could he? He’d barely had contact with the vampire boy. Just a few quick minutes as he handed the reins of his mount over in the courtyard a time or two, and a moment to sentence the boy to death at the hands of Marishka and that was all. The meetings didn’t even register in Mikhal’s mind. The boy was a lowly peon, he the Lord of the Castle. Still, the scent was male and it was vampire, and it certainly didn’t belong in his wife’s chambers.

  Mikhal looked around the chamber, taking in each detail. The wardrobe door that was wide open, Alliana’s missing cloak. So she had stopped to dress? How could the intruder, one that was a vampire, go out during the day? Why would Alliana need her cloak and why had she taken the time, not that he was unhappy that she had. At least she had shown the sense to keep herself warm, but had the journey been planned? No, her panic had been very real, was still quite palatable, she was highly upset by whatever was taking place.

  He looked some more but could see nothing that gave him a clue; the absence of the heavy fur throw upon the chair was not noted. Again, why would it be? He’d never taken inventory of his wife’s rooms. Only seen that she was more that adequately supplied and never in need of anything. Finally, convinced that Alliana’s room could tell him nothing, Mikhal went down the hall to Natalya’s chamber.

  He knocked politely, a gesture he was finally getting used to, but received no reply. Knowing that she would have to be awakened if she were sleeping, Mikhal entered and found the rooms empty, he turned to go, then decided to check to see if Natalya’s midwife bag and her cloak were there. Finding them gone as well he deduced she was in the village doctoring the serfs and doling out food and goods.

  Mikhal turned on his heel and left the chamber, hurrying towards the stairs, his dead heart frozen with fear. Where were Alliana and Katia? Who had taken them away? How could a vampire be involved when it was still daylight? Granted the day was very dark with a heavy layer of clouds blocking out the sun, but still, day was day, and no creature of the night would dare to venture out unless they welcomed death. None except one on a mission perhaps. Did Marishka have another helper, one foolish to brave daylight for her?

  Mikhal grabbed the first minion he saw and shook the man by the collar of his tunic. “I shall be in the great hall. You are to fetch Lucian at once then send a servant to the village for Lady Natalya do you understand?”

  The minion shook. His Master’s eyes were feral with the near insanity brought on by his worry for his family. Mikhal was bordering on the edge of panic and it wouldn’t take much to send him flying into the abyss of a terror-fueled rage. It was then that he realized that Mikhalen could be in danger as well, and damned himself for giving the child to his nurse.

  Hedging on indecision for a moment, the thought of losing his entire family making him dumbstruck and bestial, Mikhal vamped out, snarling, before getting hold of his beast once more and returning to his human form to deal with the crisis. Just before releasing the terrified minion, Mikhal pulled him closer, his eyes boring into the frightened vampire, and issued one more order. “And have the wet nurse bring my son as well. I expect this to be done at once. AT ONCE! Make haste or find your fate in the dungeons below.”

  Mikhal released the minion and the vampire took off running, racing to do as his Master bid. Mikhal watched him go until he was satisfied that the man would carry out his wishes, then went to the chamber doors and opened them wide, wishing for all the world that he dared to rush outside. It was late afternoon and the doorway was dark. What little light penetrated the thick cloud cover was shining down on the other edge of the courtyard, but he knew that that would be as far as he dared to venture.

  Mikhal scanned his eyes across the expanse of ground inside the castle walls, not really expecting to see his wife or the intruder, then strained to see beyond as well, past the drawbridge, across the field, to the edge of the woods, but still he saw nothing. Alliana and Katia were nowhere to be found. Where were they and who had whisked them away, and how?

  He t
urned, the mad rage of being unable to do anything gnawing at his very core. He wanted to go out into the light, but held back. It was dangerous, deadly; a single beam of sunlight could penetrate the thick clouds with the slightest bit of breeze in the heavens, and turn him to dust. True he could cover himself, which is what he supposed the intruder had done, but it was risky, far too risky and though he yearned to go to Alliana and Katia, he also had little Mikhalen to think of.

  It wasn’t that he wouldn’t risk his life for Alliana and the babe, but he knew he was useless to them if he were a bit of dust blowing in the wind, and if his son by some turn of fate were to lose his mother, then he would not lose his father as well.

  It was better to talk to Lucian first. Enlist his help, organize a search of the caverns below, and wait the half hour until sundown. As hard as it would be to stay put, he knew it was the only sensible choice. Once it was near dark, he could track his wife and child until he found them and brought them back safely.

  Mikhal heard footsteps and turned to see the wet nurse coming down the stairs holding little Mikhalen. Her face creased with concern. He went across the room and bound up the remaining steps that separated him from his son and took the boy from the nurse’s arms, wishing for all the world that he still possessed his empathic ability so he could see if the woman was a threat. He gazed at her, his eyes piercing, searching, but of course not able to see what he was looking for, having to be satisfied with what he took for genuine distress in her expression.

  “Go and sit below. You are to care for my son until I return home. Lady Natalya will be home shortly and she will take over his care, but you are to stay with her so my child can be fed if he hungers.”

  “Yes, My Lord.” The woman gratefully skirted around a still glowering Mikhal and went to do as she was told as Lucian came racing around the corner above.

  “Is something amiss, Sire?”