"Now is not the time. For all I care you can move the whole mansion to Bran once we've dealt with the problem at hand," Freya said, pushing me aside. "And don't, this needs a woman's gentle touch, not a brute's loss of self-control."
I sighed and turned to Selene.
"Sorry. Here, have some blood," I offered. She turned away from me, visibly angry.
"I'm pregnant. Don't forget it, Ivan. What if a splinter had struck a couple of inches below and through the baby?"
"Selene, you do realize it's only been a couple of hours since you become pregnant, no? How could it kill the baby?"
"I'm just saying!" she snapped. "Ugh! You need to be more aware of your surroundings and the people in your life. Not all of us are gods and goddesses!"
"I know, please. I'm sorry. Come here," I whispered, putting my arms around her. She buried her face in my neck and bit down. "Shit! Not like that!" I hissed.
"That's what you get! Now take care of me."
"Women. You can't live with them nor without them," I murmured.
"Hey, lovebirds. Over here," Freya called from the other side of the room. I turned back to her and noticed a piece of parchment. She put it down on the table and spread it out.
"Can you read?" Selene asked nudging me in the side.
"No, how about you do the honors?" I replied, sliding behind her. She sighed and leaned over the table, studying the letter.
"I-- can't read it," she said after her frown deepened. I almost burst out in laughter but managed to control myself somehow.
"Why?" I asked, looking down at the parchment.
"Because I don't know the language." She sighed and sat serself at the edge of the table.
"It's more or less ancient Vatacanese," Freya said after putting her hand on the parchment. "There isn't much information in the text, even though it looks quite long. The first paragraph here," she added, pointing at the text, "Is just a very long greeting. Then this second part here tells them about Zharevo's destruction and the situation at the keep. The third part speaks about where we might be hiding and where to look next. Namely in the direction of Bran and Rasnov castle."
"Well, that was quite informative. Is it addressed to anyone in particular?" I asked. She shook her head.
"No, just to the highest-ranking official of the army."
"Good, good. Alright then, let's get this to the mayor and see if we can make it work for us. Then all we need to do is get the shit out of here and prepare our defenses."
Chapter Thirty-Three
"You want me to go out there and approach an army in the tens of thousands carrying a piece of parchment and hope to get out alive?" the mayor asked.
"Something like that, yes. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. I feel rather lucky that I can only die once, and not thirty thousand times," he replied sarcastically, then looked away from me in fear.
"No worries. Humans are rather fragile, so I won't hold it against you."
"You know, I have done this once, but back then it was only a couple of hundred soldiers and a big, blonde warrior."
I sighed and pushed the piece of parchment into his hands and walked the man toward the western gate. It was rather small and could only fit three men at the same time. If push came to shove, we'd have a nice little bottleneck.
"I knew you had, but I wanted to hear it from you. Now, go and return immediately. I want to know if it worked. If it has, then we're out of your hair by the hour," I ordered as he stepped past the gate. He sighed and started walking toward the army.
"Right. Maybe I'll be able to rest my weary bones once this debacle is over," he murmured. I chuckled inwardly at his wishful thinking. The war had just started with no end in sight.
Despite the fear and his old bones, he walked steadily and with dignity toward the group of officials seated on horseback. The cane in his right hand and the brown leather coat gave him an air of importance. I couldn't help but admire the man, even though the chances of dying were minimal, it was never an easy task to put your life on the line, even less for a mortal.
"Halt!" a loud male voice yelled. "Do you have the instructions, peasant?"
"I do, your grace," the mayor replied. One of the men at the front rode out to meet him. His dark mare was broad in the shoulders, with sturdy legs and a magnificent black mane. It looked as every strong as the man atop it. Bald and muscled, the man wore a priest's robe improvised for battle.
"I am Bishop Renevaldi and am here to assist you and this region by getting rid of the scum Vampyre that roams these woods. On our way back, you will grace us with our traditional one-day feasting ceremony. Please prepare the food and ale for our brave men," the Bishop said.
"Bishop Renevaldi, it's an honor to meet your grace. We will do everything we can to prepare for your safe return."
"Good, old man. Thank you for the instructions and go with the grace of God."
"With the grace of God!" thundered from behind Renevaldi as all the soldiers chanted in unison. The Bishop returned to the small group of horseback riders, handing the parchment to what looked like the man in charge. His eyes roamed the paper for a long moment before he ordered a forced march.
The earth rumbled as they started moving direction South-East toward the keep. I grinned knowing we'd have this battle on our terms and not theirs. Now all that remained was to go back and prepare for battle.
The mayor looked visibly relieved when the gate closed shut behind his back. Suddenly his legs started shaking and refused to keep him upright any longer. For some reason beyond me, I caught the old man and carried him back to the mansion. Pedestrians and soldiers alike moved out of my way as the old man looked on proudly.
"You've done a good job, old man," I said with a smirk. "For a moment I thought he was about to gut you," I teased.
"Bite your tongue, young man! I can still hold my own, you know?" he laughed.
"That I can see. Anyway, thank you for the hospitality is what a good guest would say, but I'm not a good guest. I'm your Lord from now on. Once we've beaten them back or finished them off, I'll revisit you to talk about the finer details of our arrangement. Until then, I wish you a good rest."
I put him down and looked for my retinue. Boris stood outside, smoking a cigar. I couldn't help but say I was shocked.
"I've gifted him with a box, my Lord," the mayor answered the unasked question. "And thank you, my Lord. I'll be awaiting the good news. Fare you well."
I nodded at the elderly man, shook his hand, and turned to Boris.
"What's with Bella?"
"She's out of it," he replied. "I've bound her myself. Speaking of which, the old guy gave me a box of these cigars. You should try one," Boris said, puffing a waft of smoke into my face.
"Stuff it and go get Bella. We need to move right away if we're to make it in time."
"I'm on it," the Werewolf replied and scampered off into the mayor's mansion. Freya and Selene weren't far off and joined me momentarily. They seemed as ready as ever.
"Freya? Can you take us East? You can haul a group much faster than I can," I asked. She nodded with a wink and summoned the black fog around her body. Soon, we were up in the sky and hiding from the Human, or in this case, the Vatacan eye. I couldn't help but feel restless until we got home. The city we left behind was beautiful and had its own merits, but I preferred my solitude up in the mountains better. I wondered if Gamayun would even still be there when we got back.
Soon we passed the keep. Thousands of light crystals had changed the inside of the keep from night to day. A second, much smaller army was getting ready to march out of the massive stone construct. One person stood proud atop the ramparts and looked right at us. I couldn't help but recognize the bastard and his wicked smile immediately.
"Hello there, Captain," I whispered. He waved our way as if able to hear my greeting. It sent the hairs on my back standing on end. I was a Vampyre and had a hard time being afraid, but that guy was something else. The pain from his punches and from his ki
cks still lingered.
"Who are you talking to?" Selene asked.
"Myself and the monster down there, "I replied, pointing down at the Captain.
"I see. True enough, I wouldn't know what to call him but a monster. He-- moved way too fast and struck much harder than should be possible for a Human being."
"Oh no, he's no Human being my dear. He's either a Supernatural or a Deity or something, even though I have no proof, I know it. I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"Can I have a go at him once they show up? All of us are much stronger right now," Boris asked.
"You did have a look at the army earlier, right? There are more than enough ranked high officials that you can vent your frustration on," I replied. "Speaking of which, we'll have to come up with a battle plan and try to steer them toward Rasnov and not Bran. It's way too small to wage war from," Boris said.
"I already have some ideas which we could implement. But let's wait until we're home and we see what the other ladies have to say."
"Damn it! I've forgotten all about them and the cape! Freya, can you take us to the village so we can retrieve it, and then Zharevo. I'd like to move toward Rasnov from there. I want to see if they made it or if they're still underway."
"Sure. How about I put you to sleep for an hour, that way it will be much faster. I can't really go that fast if you're awake."
"Put us to sleep then. If you see anything that needs our attention or you find them before we're back, wake us up," I said. "Please."
"My Lord," Freya mocked as she squeezed the shadows tighter around us. Something strange aching to a dull toothache washed over me before I drifted off into sleep.
"There he is," Bethrezen's voice rang out in my mind. "I thought you didn't want us around anymore."
"Why are you here? And why is Dracul here as well? Don't you two hate each other's guts?" I asked instead of rising to his taunt.
"Do you want an honest reply or one that will set your mind at ease?" Dracul asked.
"An honest one."
"Very well. The reason why we're here is to come to an agreement. It didn't directly concern you up to this moment, but we might as well tell you," Dracul replied. "See, when you die, or when you are about to do so, Bethrezen will be taking over. What we're trying to come up with is what comes afterward."
"Do I even care?" I asked.
"Well, you should. It will be your body that does all the killing and carnage, my boy." He stopped to look at my curious expression before bursting out with laughter. "You didn't think that your body would change into how Bethrezen looks like in your mind, no? In the demonic realm, he used to be over fifty feet tall, my boy."
"I see. But I still fail to see how it would affect me if I'm dead, and my soul is gone."
"People will think it's you who's doing the killing and destruction. Do you want to be remembered as such?" Bethrezen asked.
"I don't care either way. Either I succeed and then go about trying to find and killing your son, or you do it yourself using my body. But the moment I'm done for, I've stopped caring about what comes next."
"But what if your soul doesn't want to leave? What if it decides to anchor itself to this world and you are forced to observe everything for eternity?" Bethrezen asked again.
"How the hell could it?" I snapped. "What kind of games are the two of you playing?"
"You wanted an honest reply, no? Here you have it. I'm trying to keep your soul in place as fuel for when you die. This body will be so much stronger with all three of us present than with only the two of us."
"You really are fucking bastards, huh? I refuse to play your games!"
"These are no games, Ivan," Dracul said. "This is not an offer, this is the reality. You can either work with or against us, that is up to you."
I was quiet for a long moment. This revelation was both good and bad. The good thing was that I could 'live on' for some strange reason they hadn't yet disclosed, and the bad thing was that I wouldn't be in control at all times. But you had to take the good with the bad if you wanted to achieve your goals.
"How can my soul remain here if I'm dead? This is already beyond Supernatural, this is the divine we're talking about, no?" I asked.
"There are ways like this thing called sacrifice. When you make enough sacrifices to the Lord of death and rebirth, you can get a second chance at life, but not quite like the first. Most of what was good and made you who you were is gone in that case. That is what happened to me, Ivan. That's the reason I am this way."
"So, you want us to sacrifice the enemy army?"
"Exactly," Bethrezen replied sinisterly. His grin was usually enough to send chills down my spine, but this was on another level. He indeed was a Demon and a king at that. The crown atop his head burned with a dark flame, searing the skin beneath.
"You're creepy, just so you know. The both of you are, but alright, I'm in on one condition. Even if I die and still have to deal with you two, I will be in charge. If you can agree to that, then you can tell me how to proceed with our little sacrifice."
"Ohh, now I like him even more," Bethrezen laughed. "It's pretty simple. You need to draw a symbol beneath the sacrifice and burn them do death. But you have to use blood to do it, so there's no easy way out for you."
"There is, trust me. As long as you can tell me how it needs to look like, I'll manage. Besides, do I have to chant something as they burn?"
"No," Dracul replied. "All you need to do is to draw the circle and make the sacrifice by burning them alive."
I sighed, partially annoyed by what I had to do. I didn't mind sacrificing anyone, especially after what happened at Zharevo, but the stench of burnt flesh would be stuck for days. Be there a sacrifice or not, I'd have more than enough problems on my hands when they attacked.
"And how big are we talking? Like a hundred? Or a thousand?" I asked to make sure.
"Hah, you wish! No, my boy, no less than fifteen thousand if you wish to even have a chance at anchoring your soul. The more you sacrifice, the better the chance is for you. Say you manage to give her twenty-five thousand, maybe she would be in good spirits and let you keep more of your 'original' soul. Wouldn't that be nice?" Dracul asked.
"It would, but who is this 'dark god'? I want to know who I'm serving, or sacrificing to in this case."
"Her name is Marzanna, though you can't quite call her a female. Gods are omniscient and have no real gender, just the gender they prefer to take on," he explained. "In any case, she's one dark customer, I have to tell you that, so don't even think about double-crossing her."
"How do I contact her?"
"You don't," Dracul replied. "Do the sacrifice, and she'll come to you. Depending on the success, of course. In case the number of sacrifices is too small, she might punish you, so think this through, Ivan."
"Heh, you really made my day, you know? So you two will force me 'somehow' if I don't comply, yet if I do, I might stick around long enough to become as grumpy as the fantastic duo. Great."
"Oh, and don't forget your promise about my son, Ivan," Bethrezen added. "Marzanna is heavily tied to that act, so make sure you are on good terms with the lady."
"Right, right. I haven't forgotten. But as I promised, I first need to become strong enough to do so. Anything else? I would like to plan how things-- should be playing out."
Bethrezen's presence disappeared along with deep laughter while Dracul stayed for a moment longer. He had a deep frown on his face as if he was trying to decide if he should be telling me something or not.
"You might want to stay in the third awakening. The fourth might be too much for you to take. After all, without great sacrifice, there will be no big reward. If you hold those close to you dear, don't think you can get away without any loss."
"Why are you telling me this just now?" I asked. My emotions on his warning were mixed. I could have easily done without them as if it was true what he was saying. Tierney and Katya? Hana and Selene? Freya? Vladimir? Everything?
&nb
sp; "Because you deserve to know the truth, young Ivan. I don't wish to see someone who is trying his best fail so early in his life. Sure, my plans with you were different, but not anymore. I-- have come to like you and your ladies. It's something I never had so maybe it's some kind of wish-fulfillment? Who knows?"
"You've had a change of heart? How hard to believe when it comes to someone without a heart. But very well, I thank you for your warning, Dracul. Let's just hope we both don't regret my decisions in the end."
"Speaking of which, you only need to devour about a-- thousand souls for my most interesting power. It's far from strong, but it can come in handy. So look out for that one. If you figure out how to use it with smarts, you just might not need the last awakening after all."
"Pray, do tell, what is the next power to awaken?" I asked curiously. If it could come in handy, I'd surely want to know about it beforehand.
"Telekinesis. It lets you move things with your mind, like the spear. Or move people out of harm's way from a distance, grab a drink without getting up from your bed, choke someone from twenty feet distance. The possibilities are endless."
"I still don't understand what you're getting out of this, Dracul? I understand that if I stay alive long enough, you might have your revenge on Nosferatu and will generally-- well, live, but still. There has to be more behind you opening your heart."
"Well, I like to watch-- when you do those things."
"Say what? And you couldn't have kept it to yourself?"
"Hah! Where would be the fun in that? But no, jokes aside, you have to understand that I've become evil. All I want is to see the whole world burn along with the Vatacan. And to accomplish that goal, I'll do anything. So keep that in mind. The Vatacan is a very, very strong organization and isn't quite good as it may seem. Sure, they hunt supernaturals, but what for? You couldn't even begin to understand. And you don't have to. Focus on staying alive for now, and maybe one day we'll have the chance to stand against him. Against the Pope."
Lord of Shadows book 2: Bloodlines Page 26