He strode inside, the door slamming back into the wall, eyes dark, his beast rising to the surface. Be the intruder one of the minions, or a peasant lad, no male should dare to be in Katia’s private chambers. His fury grew when he set eyes upon the man who had called out to him. It was quite clear he had just recently vacated the unmade bed in the corner of the room.
The young man opened his mouth to speak, but Mikhal let out a growl that would silence any minion and still the heart of one who lived. He came closer, scenting the air, identifying the one before him as a human before stopping just shy of the stranger when the whispered urgings of the man deep inside Mikhal bade him to wait before he tore the other’s man throat out.
“If you have a reasonable excuse for daring to be in my daughter’s bed chamber you would be wise to share it with me now. My demon is ready to rip your throat out, and I am inclined to let it.”
Emillian paled, then opened and closed his mouth in rapid succession, looking like a terrified fish out of water. If he told Katia’s father the truth, and the man before him must be Katia’s father, then her papa was liable to tear him limb from limb. If he attempted to lie or to buy time with feeble excuses, the result would most likely be the same.
“You were told to identify yourself. Now state your business in my daughter’s bed chamber or suffer my demons wrath.”
“Papa wait!” Katia had been coming down the hall, having not found her husband in the great room. She knew he’d been busy trying to see to the peasants and the running of the castle while Sebastian slept, and was exhausted herself. Her plans to get some sleep were dashed however when she heard her papa’s voice rising in anger. Katia now only hoped that she was in time. It was clear her maman hadn’t told her papa about her marriage. Finding a man in his daughter’s rooms and possibly in her bed, would be more than enough reason for her papa to descend upon Emillian in a fury.
She arrived in the doorway, her eyes taking in her pale husband and furious father who were mere inches apart. No blood had been shed.... yet, but Katia knew she had to explain quickly or the room would be awash in red. Men simply were not to enter a woman’s bedchamber. If they did, they often didn’t live to tell of it if they were discovered.
“Papa, please wait. I can explain.”
Though Mikhal had ceased his advance upon Emillian, the thunderous look upon his face made it clear that he wasn’t appeased by her offer. Katia moved closer then boldly pulled her papa back far enough for her to step between him and Emillian. Her father growled at her actions, but Katia wasn’t swayed. Emillian was certainly man enough to defend himself against another man, but an enraged vampire was a different story.
“Papa, this is a misunderstanding.”
“So you have said. I am losing my patience, Katia.”
“He, Emillian is... Oh I wish maman had told you.”
“Your maman is resting as she should be. You were given leave to search Marishka’s chambers and read through her books to find a way to help us. I do not recall giving you leave to have a man in your chambers... or in your bed.” Mikhal turned eyes that had a dangerous amber glow upon Emillian once more. For his part, Emillian stood stock till. It wasn’t like him to hide behind a woman’s skirts, but he had heard the tales of Mikhal the Merciless since he was a small child. True the man had changed, but you couldn’t tell it by looking at him now.
In his fury the name Emillian sparked no memory in Mikhal. It had been what seemed like a lifetime since the night Katia had appeared back at the castle, having fled the Gypsy clan where she grew up. Yes his daughter had told him of the boy named Emillian, who she loved, and yes he had forbid her to marry anyone, and that had been that as far as Mikhal was concerned. The rider had arrived warning of the war and the marauders invading Hungary, banishing all thoughts except for those of survival from everyone’s mind.
“Maybe we could sit.” Katia’s voiced was strained, her suggestion more of an effort to bide for time and appease her father.
Mikhal’s eyes moved from Katia to the mussed up bed and then to Emillian. His leash on his demon was but a thin thread. If his daughter didn’t give him an acceptable reason for the man before him being in her room, he was set to release the beast that snarled for vengeance.
“Enough, Katia, I shall give you father the explanation he deserves. Lord Arcos, I am Katia’s husband. Her maman agreed to our marriage nearly six months ago. Lady Alliana consented once she saw that I would make a good husband for Katia, and realized that she and Katia would be staying with the clan indefinitely. Please believe I have behaved in a proper manner towards your daughter before and after we were wed.”
Emillian’s words came out in a rush of breath, he’d not been certain that speaking up was wise, but once he’d started there was no stopping. Surely Lord Arcos wouldn’t kill or maim his son-in-law. The hope began to drain out of him as fast as the words had rushed out when Lord Arcos didn’t reply. Emillian placed his hands on Katia’s shoulders, intending to move her aside, but the small touch elicited another predatory growl. The man before him was still more beast than man.
“Papa, you have to stop. Emillian is a good man. Maman found it to be true, as did Sabina. You know maman wouldn’t have allowed us to marry if he weren’t. Please, Papa. I’m not a little girl anymore. Who was I to marry but one from our clan, some noble who wouldn’t know a thing of my vampire half or my magick? You’ve done all you could to protect me, papa. You made sure I know how to use my power, you had me live where I was safe, you made certain there were people around me all my life to ensure I grew up wise about magick and life. Now I am grown, and it’s Emillian’s job to calm my wild ways and make sure I behave. He’s a strong and good man. He truly is. Just like you, papa.”
Mikhal stood stone still and didn’t say a word in reply to Katia’s speech, but the fire of rage slowly left his eyes, and the man in him came back to the forefront. Katia spoke true about her marriage. Who could she have wed beside a gypsy boy? The son of a lord or an earl would have meant hiding her magick and who she was inside. One of the minions was ridiculous as well as revolting. The thought made him ill. Lucian alone was more a man than a vampire. None of the others held an ounce of humanity though they obeyed. She was right about her needing a strong husband as well. His Katia was a spitfire just like her maman. Hadn’t the boy moved her aside to face the wrath of an enraged vampire? That had to speak for his character. Still, it was a shock. Shock was the probable reason Alliana hadn’t mentioned the union. She was too deep in grief.
Ever so slowly Mikhal held out his hand to his new son. The action was one that required a good dose of humility and self-control, but he did it. Nothing could be changed now, the marriage was done, and short of killing Emillian, he couldn’t change the fact that his baby girl was now a wife. Nothing good would come of being hostile to her husband. Still, if the lad proved unworthy or did anything to harm Katia, he’d find himself in an early grave.
Emillian took Mikhal’s outstretched hand in a strong firm grip, and shook it as he let out the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Katia gave a little squeal of delight like the girl she had so recently been, and flung her arms around her papa’s neck, kissing him.
“Thank you papa. I know he shall have to prove himself to you, just like he did to Sabina and maman, but I know he will. Oh thank you.” She gave him one more kiss then sobered and let her hands drop. Now the immediate crisis had passed and her husband still had his head, the reality of their current situation came flooding back. She knew her maman was well, if she hadn’t been, her papa would have told her at once, Emillian or no Emillian, but she still worried.
“How is maman?”
“She is resting. It soothes her heart to have me home. I made certain she ate, helped her bathe, and gave her more milk of poppy to help her sleep. Only time will ease the pain of losing Natalya. Tell me Katy, what did you find among Marishka’s things?”
“Nothing that can magickly rid of us this sickness. We ar
e already doing all we can. Much of what I read, most actually, is very dark magick. She... it isn’t wise to invoke the spirits spoken of in those books.”
“Marishka lost her sense of right and wrong when she was turned and made a whore for our maker. Her sanity slipped away that night. I’m afraid her actions after that were riddled with darkness and evil. There was nothing that could be changed for the use of good? I trust that you are wise and powerful enough to make a spell that calls upon those who are good spirits.”
“Well... Papa, I do wish to ask you something but...” Katia looked to her husband then back at her father, and though Mikhal wasn’t yet comfortable with trusting the young man completely, he felt he should show an act of trust.
“What is it Katia? You may speak freely.”
“There may be some family matters that should be kept private, Lord Arcos. Though I appreciate your trust, I’ll leave you two to talk.” The expression on Katia’s face was one of relief. She had no desire to be placed in a position where her loyalty to either man was questioned. She had vowed to obey her husband, yet her deference to her papa and his privacy were paramount.
“I think perhaps a stroll would do us both good. I have been resting or sitting by my wife’s bedside, and am in need of stretching my legs, and I think perhaps Katia has been sitting and reading dusty old books all day. Come, daughter, we will talk as we walk.”
Mikhal took his daughter’s arm, making the decision for her, and steered her towards the door. “Emillian, we shall see you at dinner in an hour or so.”
As they walked, Mikhal stayed silent for a bit. He had a few things to say about his daughter’s marriage, but he needed to let them go, at least for now. What was done was done. Between the war, his absence, and the fact that his wife and daughter had lived with the clan for over a year, a camp where Katia’s love lived, it wasn’t surprising. She was of the marrying age, and he was certain the Kris would have considered his headstrong and powerful daughter a handful. It was probably for the best that she had been wed, that was if the boy could manage her, and he suspected Emillian could, otherwise Alliana would have forbidden the union.
Mikhal could feel the tension in his daughter’s body, and that wasn’t a good thing. He wanted her to be straightforward and truthful in all that she had discovered among Marishka’s books and things.
“I shall not chastise you Katia. You are wed. If your husband cannot control you, then he shall be the one to suffer for it. That said, should I deem anything you wish to do dangerous, I will not hesitate to forbid it if Emillian doesn’t. You may be his wife, but you will always be my little girl.”
“Yes, papa. Thank you.”
“Now what did you find today. You are to tell me everything, I want no secrets.”
Katia thought about her venture to Natalya’s potion kitchen and weighed her words carefully. It wouldn’t do to enrage her father right off, but she doubted she could truly keep it a secret from him. There hadn’t been any prying eyes as far as she knew, but her papa had always known when she was lying.
“Well I spent a good bit of time in Aunt Marishka’s chambers...” Katia began to tell Mikhal about her day, being careful to tell him of all she found, and making sure he understood why she had wanted to leave there and venture to Natalya’s room. When she confessed to her change of location her father turned to her, his eyes flashing in anger.
“Do you not recall being forbidden to go there?”
“Yes, papa; I know, but I simply couldn’t use any of the things in Marishka’s chambers, and it was so dusty and dark. I know I was wrong, but please don’t be angry. I want to help but all I’ve been permitted to do since we arrived has been to waste my powers and sulk about. Papa I have magick for a reason!”
“What has been commanded has been said to keep you safe. You were allowed to seek help, but not in Natalya’s kitchen.”
“I know papa.” Katia also knew she shouldn’t interrupt her father, but wanted to tell him about the resurrection spell. “I know that I took a chance but perhaps I can’t even get sick. No one has even thought of that. I am part vampire, so maybe it’s been safe for me all along.”
“And maybe it isn’t. You know you have none of my traits.”
“I must have some of you inside me. I am of your blood.”
“Enough! Do not dare to try and reason with me. You were kept away because of the chance, not because of the certainty. From what Thalia has told me no one knows why those who get sick do so.”
“I’m sorry, Papa. You’re right. I knew I shouldn’t go there. I shall accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”
“I shall leave that to your husband. You shall tell him at dinner.”
Katia blanched. She hated when Emillian was angry with her. It wasn’t that her beat her, but he always managed to chastise her in a way that made her very remorseful.
“Yes papa. I did find something today. May I tell you? I have to ask you something as well.”
“Speak freely, unless you broke other rules, there won’t be any anger.” Katia nodded, but looked away as she thought about how best to ask her father about his thoughts on being made human.
“I did find something in Marishka’s books, but decided it was too dangerous. It was a resurrection spell.” She paused, wanting to see her father’s reaction.
“We don’t wish to raise the dead, Katia, and if your maman perishes I won’t bring her back with dark magick.”
“I know. That wasn’t exactly what Aunt Marishka wanted it for. She, or someone, maybe the Mage, made notes about it being a good spell to make a vampire human once again, and therefore make him weak. It didn’t say anything about if it worked or if she even tried.”
“It worked. Marishka used to spend days upon days practicing her dark arts. She would use her spells on the human of her choice if a living soul was needed, or a lower minion if a vampire one was. I allowed her freedom to do as she wished. It mattered not what she did, as long as she was happy. Marishka took great joy in destroying others. You know what was done to her; perhaps the pain of her victims was a balm to her shattered heart.
“It didn’t matter if the spells evoked danger either. Yes there were consequences to her dark magick, but those consequences rarely touched her, and were always made better by the Mage or me. I never held her accountable. I know now that it was wrong. She was insane and dangerous to herself and all those around her. You are to have nothing to do with that spell, Katia. Tis of no use to us.”
“I know that one is dangerous.”
“But? I hear it in your voice, child. What is the rest?”
“If it were safe, would you ever wish to become human again? You could grow old with maman instead of watching her age and die. You could feel the sun, you could...”
“Katia, I know well what being human could do for me. I’ve thought about how I will endure watching your mother grow old, and knowing someday I will lose her, especially now. Seeing Lucian’s pain at the loss of Natalya drove the fact that I too will suffer his fate into my heart. I will lose you too. In time, Mikhalen may return to us, but you and any children you bear will someday be gone as well. My existence will be riddled with the deaths of those I care most about year after year.”
“Papa, you didn’t answer the first part of my question.”
“It isn’t safe, so why dwell on it? You aren’t to try.”
“Natalya wrote a spell that is safe.” This proclamation took Mikhal aback. He looked at Katia in surprise but then narrowed his eyes as he searched her face.
“Katia, you are forbidden to use Marishka’s spell. That is final.”
“It isn’t papa. Really it isn’t. I was putting the books back in Natalya’s kitchen and I found this.” She pulled the parchment scroll out and handed it to Mikhal. He unfurled it, reading it slowly before looking at his daughter again.
“She never tried this, at least that I know of. Lucian would have told me of his plans before Natalya did the spell, and she had far t
oo much goodness inside her to use this on some unwitting minion.”
“You were gone papa. Maybe...”
“There is no maybe, Katia. Lucian is not human and Natalya never would have used it on a minion. Marishka didn’t care who she hurt as long as it made her happy. Natalya wouldn’t do that, not even if a minion was to be punished. I have heard your maman and Natalya both say that the first rule of magick is do no harm. Trying to turn a minion back to human to test out a spell would violate all your Aunt Natalya stood for. She was a good woman. Don’t disparage her with this kind of talk.”
“But papa, what if one of the minions wanted to be made human?”
Mikhal could tell his daughter had placed the idea firmly in her head, and he was determined to remove it. “No minion would have asked that. I realize you grew up away from the castle, but surely you understand that the only thing that kept your maman and Natalya safe was my power and that of Lucian’s. The minions have no morals, Katia. They lust, they crave blood and terror, and they do as they please. They also serve me. I am their master and with some, their maker, therefore my word is law. The rest of the vampires here are not like Lucian and I, not even your brother who is part human has any desire to silence the demon inside him.”
“I just had to ask papa. Natalya was wise…” Mikhal looked at her ready to silence her, but Katia rushed on. “And so am I. Sabina taught me well. I know what is safe and right, and so did Natalya. This spell could work. I know it could. If Marishka was able to use it for her evil purpose, then I would be able to as well, safely.”
Her voice put emphasis on the last word, but Mikhal was still not having it. Now wasn’t the time for Katia to try risky things. Natalya was dead, Alliana might well succumb to the sickness as well, and there was a war raging in their land. The use of untried magick would be foolish.
Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Treasured Page 42