The Holtur Curse (The Holtur Trilogy Book 2)
Page 26
“What happens if she fails to adjust?”
“She’ll be released.”
Sonja sighed. “Released?”
“Please, miss, don’t worry yourself over Moongate matters. Rest up, and I’ll see you at first moon.” The woman then left the room, closing the door before Sonja could throw more questions at her.
Sonja shook her head. “I hope this makes sense soon.” She unbuckled her claymore’s sheath and made for the hot bath.
Chapter 20: House Aepherius
A knock came at the door, prompting Sonja to lift her head. She’d been resting in the bath, the salts and scents had relaxed her a little more than she had intended. Without any windows, she also lacked any concept of time. “Yes?” Sonja called out.
The door creaked open. “Sonja, dear, first moon has crept over the valley. It is time for us to dine,” Oddette said. “Are you ok, my dear?” The door creaked further open, and light footsteps made their way towards the bath room.
“Fine,” Sonja responded. “Enjoying that bath.”
“Oh, my dear,” Oddette gasped. She held a hand up to her mouth while her eyes studied Sonja’s figure. “You are quite a solid one, aren’t you?” Oddette picked up a brown towel and carried it towards Sonja.
“I’m a slayer,” Sonja said gruffly. “So yes, I am built slightly different to your maids.”
“Oh, they aren’t maids, my dear,” Oddette said, offering the towel. “Just my daughters-in-law. We care for our elders here.”
“I noticed,” Sonja said sarcastically, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around her body to block out the Oddette’s wandering eyes. “So, are you supposed to take me to dinner, still naked and dripping wet? Or can I have a moment to get dressed?”
Oddette’s spindly hand gripped Sonja’s shoulders, digging her digits in to massage the muscles. “You can stay wet if you’d like. I’m here for whatever you desire,” Oddette said, offering a wink assisted smirk.
“What?” Sonja pushed the hand away. “You’re Tormond’s wife!”
Oddette frowned with disapproval. “There’s nothing to say that a woman can’t touch another woman. Besides, Tormond has five wives, how often do you think he devotes his fluids to me?”
All of a sudden this quirky and conservative community seemed a lot wilder. “Thank you for the offer,” Sonja said, “but, I’m not in the mood right now.” Nor did Sonja like women almost double her age!
“That is fair enough,” Oddette said. “You won’t mind if I watch you prepare though, would you my dear?”
Sonja rolled her eyes. “If you must.”
Dressing as quickly as possible became Sonja’s immediate goal. Oddette watching her—drooling and moaning—didn’t make it any easier. Sonja was unsure if she’d ever seen anyone display such lust towards her, male or female! She wrapped herself in furs then attached her sheath, unsure if she’d need to use her claymore to fight her way out of this current predicament.
Fortunately, no bloodshed was required. Once Sonja was dressed, Oddette regained her composure and led the way back to the dining hall as if nothing had ever happened. This Moongate was a very unique community indeed.
People in the dining hall were talking, laughing, and a group of the men were even singing. The aroma of the cooking foods Sonja had smelt earlier now had a crispier edge, and she couldn’t wait to fill her belly.
Oddette seated herself atop the lavish throne at the northern head of the east-side table. Right down the other end of the long table, Genivee sat merrily atop the other head chair. The bench seats were far from filled—not even to a quarter of capacity—but most huddled around either Oddette or Genivee’s location. A few small clumps of women sat scattered along the benches, were they outcasts?
“Sit wherever you like, my dear,” Oddette said, waving her arm before her.
Sonja looked to the table on the western side. Tormond sat at the northern head while the southern remained vacant. All the men sat gathered around him; Sonja could sense the adoration. She nodded upon catching Volk’s gaze, he too seemed at ease in Tormond’s company.
Oddette cleared her throat. “Sit wherever you want, at the women's table, that is.”
Sonja looked back at the women's table and scanned it momentarily. “Do you not get along with Genivee?” she asked curiously.
“On the contrary, my dear,” Oddette responded. “As the matriarchs of the Portana family, we must spread our attention evenly among the wives of our sons.”
“Of course, I should have known.” Sonja wasn’t sure how much of Oddette she could handle. Her smug attitude put Sonja off—even though it disguised the woman’s lust.
Sonja grabbed a clean plate, then began walking down the table collecting food: Chicken legs, kuhvi steaks, some mixed vegetables in a brown sauce. She then stopped before three women. One would have been in her mid twenties, with the other two aged a decade apart on either side. The two older women stopped their giggling and gazed upon Sonja; the younger woman—practically a girl—appeared a nervous wreck.
“Mind if I sit here?” Sonja asked.
The youngest looked at the ground and the middle woman looked to her elder. The eldest one said, “The woman from Holtur, and a slayer I hear? We’d love nothing more than your company this moon.”
“Thank you.” Sonja hoped the woman’s way of speaking conveyed pleasantries, not another flirtatious attempt by this bizarre family. She put her meal down with a thud, then climbed over the bench seat. “So, what’s wrong with this one?” Sonja pointed to the younger woman.
“Oh, Isa needs to spend some time with Oddette, isn’t that right dear?” the elder woman said.
The middle woman helped the girl to her feet. “Come on now, it will be alright.”
Isa’s face twitched, she looked at Sonja—well, in the direction she was sitting—and asked, “You’re a slayer?”
Sonja let out a deep breath. “Indeed I am. Captain Sonja Bluwahlt of Holtur, at your service.”
“You can help me,” said Isa, prompting the older woman to help the middle one. “HELP ME!” Isa began to scream and cry, releasing a flurry of emotions.
Both matriarchs stood up and walked hastily towards the wailing girl. Sonja leapt up too—before she managed to eat more than a single mouthful of her meal—and unsheathed her claymore.
“Leave the girl alone!” Sonja said, pointing her blade to the two woman restraining her. They let Isa go, and she collapsed to the ground. “What do you need help with?”
“I don’t want to be here!” Isa yelled. “But I don’t want to be—” Her mouth clasped shut and her flickering eyes stopped moving, locking onto something.
“Be what?” Sonja asked.
Isa’s lips trembled, her mouth bounced open and close, but she failed to manage any words. She raised an unsteady hand and pointed to where her eyes were fixed.
Sonja turned around, noticing the men were still seated. Their expressions had grown grim, and the two men on either side of Volk had placed hands on his shoulders, holding him in place. Approaching Sonja was a single person. Not a large farmhand, guard or warrior, but a petite, frail girl of about ten-years of age. The girl was porcelain-white, with jet black hair that matched a dress of the same colour. In her hand was a red ice-block that she licked every few steps.
“Captain Sonja Bluwahlt?” the girl asked.
“Yes?”
“I suggest you sit yourself down and shut your mouth before you get hurt, girl,” the girl said, then bit off the top of her ice-block.
“What?” Sonja said out of shock. The kid looked like she wouldn’t reach puberty for some time, yet she had the audacity to call Sonja ‘girl’?
“Do you have shit in your ears, girl?” the kid said, annoyed. “Sit down, shut up, avoid pain. It’s simple, really.”
“Right…” Sonja shook her head in disbelief, then sheathed her claymore; she wasn’t going to fight a little girl, regardless of any threats she offered. “And who are you?”
Sonja diverted her attention to the man. “Rigst!” she exclaimed. Was this place, Moongate, home to the leech creatures?
“Rigst?” Volk called out. It was the first time he had seen him in months. The men holding Volk down released him, allowing him to stand.
Rigst stormed up to Sonja and clasped a firm hand on her shoulder. “Consider her under my protection!” Three women and another man, all pale and clad in black, followed in behind him. Rigst caught Volk’s gaze and pointed at him. “Him too.”
“No need to create such a scene, boy,” said the young girl, Velatoria. She took another lick of her ice-block and looked up to him. “Unlike you, I’m not new to any of this. I would never harm anyone… as long as they weren’t a threat to our family… or a violator.”
“Of course, Velatoria,” Rigst said, bowing his head slightly. He narrowed his eyes on Sonja. “Why are you here?”
“It’s good to see you too, Rider,” Sonja said sarcastically.
“I’m serious, you shouldn’t be here. Why did you come?”
“Volk and I were hunting the Brothers of Eternity—”
“Impossible!” one of the women with Rigst interrupted. She had blood red lips, dark eyes, and shoulder-length, blonde hair that seemed to float in the air. “The shroud destroyed them in Holtur, we witnessed that ourselves.”
“Please Savra, allow her to speak,” Rigst said. “I trust this woman.”
“Fine!” Savra sneered, her blonde hair twirling as she turned away. “However, you know the Brothers of Eternity are dead.”
“They aren’t!” Sonja exclaimed. “They killed Professor Formidor and are seeking the Eternity Grail.”
Velatoria laughed. “The Eternity Grail? What do you know of such things, girl?”
Sonja turned to face the authority-wielding girl. “All I know is Caede and Crispin are after it, and will stop at nothing to get their greedy hands upon it.”
“Even if it this thing you speak of existed,” Savra said, sarcastically, “it would be no use to dead men.”
“They are alive, damn it!” Sonja beat her chest with her fist as if to make a point. “Ask Tormond if you don’t believe me. He dined with the bastards at mid-sun!”
“It’s true,” Tormond said, walking up to the group with Volk at his side. “But this conversation will not continue in my dining hall. If it’s fine with you, I’d like to take this conversation outside.” Tormond looked to Velatoria.
“Of course, Tormond,” Velatoria said respectfully, then waved her hands to the door. “Out!”
Sonja obeyed—but not before shovelling in a mouthful of chicken—and made her way for the exit. Men and women were gazing upon them, and all the onlookers—even Isa—shared mixed expressions of worry. Sonja assumed that the four people that Rigst had entered with must be leeches, vampires. The Portana family, the people of Moongate, however, had a completely different vibe about them. Were they slaves of the vampires? It was hard for Sonja to distinguish. The Portana’s were free to do as they pleased, but the way Tormond looked to Velatoria for permission was quite submissive. Was Velatoria—that child—the leader of these vampires?
Little Velatoria took another lick of her red ice-block. It was then that Sonja caught a hint of a metallic smell in the air. Then it dawned on her, the kid was eating frozen blood. Sonja was well aware those creatures drained the blood of their victims, but realising what she initially thought was an innocent little girl eating an ice-block was actually a bloodsucking monster, chilled her to the bone. Suddenly all the food in the room stank like blood and Sonja felt bile rising in her throat.
The fresh air upon escaping into the cold darkness outside was a blessing. It had began lightly snowing, and Sonja found the below-zero temperatures comforting. She spat a ball of chicken-infused phlegm into the soft white powder, then turned back to Rigst.
After the doors had been closed and they were left to the outside, the odd group remained in silence for a moment. Tormond broke the silence. “I overheard you say something about Wilbart Formidor before, correct?”
“Correct,” Sonja responded. “He died telling us about this place. Telling us we must stop the Brothers of Eternity before they arrive. They had murdered him—along with many others—before they visited your family.”
“I can’t believe I fed them…” Tormond said, his eyes welling up. “Wilbart, he was my brother.”
“Your ties were severed,” Velatoria said. “You shouldn’t worry yourself with such issues. Your family is here now.”
“Yes,” Tormond said, wiping away his tears. “Sorry.”
“You dined with them?” Velatoria asked. “Did they seem dangerous to you?”
“Not at all!” Tormond said.
“They are!” Sonja disagreed.
“We know,” Savra confirmed. “We just thought they had been cleansed already. The Aesterus-blessed. Is he still alive?”
“Crispin?” Volk asked. “How such a vile man secured such a powerful blessing escapes me. Yes, the bastard’s still alive.”
“Fuck…” Savra swore.
“Aesterus-blessed…” Velatoria sighed. “That one may be a problem.”
Rigst placed his hands on Sonja’s shoulders and gazed into her eyes with the same look she had longed to see. At least she hoped it held that same emotion. “Listen, Sonja, if those Brothers of Eternity get their hands on the Eternity Grail, they will become vampires.”
“Rigst!” Velatoria lashed out. “You mustn’t speak such things to someone outside the house.”
“We need Sonja’s help,” Rigst said. “We cannot let them become monsters.”
“Can’t let them become like you?” Sonja asked hoarsely.
“No,” Rigst disagreed. “They wouldn’t become like us. House Aepherius are protectors of Holtur. We are the Moonwatch.”
“Protectors of Holtur? Moonwatch?” Sonja laughed, throwing her arms in the air. “You’re telling me all those leech attacks on Holtur were for our protection.”
“Why do you think wyvern, beast, and horror attacks during the moons were always so rare?” Rigst asked. “Do you think all those creatures just went to sleep and waited for a nice, bright sun before trying to devour the people of Holtur?”
Sonja and Volk both remained silent, their brows furrowing as they thought.
“Of course not,” Velatoria answered Rigst’s question. “It was the warriors of the moon defending the people of the sun. Protecting the people of Holtur.”
“Why did you drain all those poor Holtur souls?” Sonja asked.
“We had to,” Savra admitted. “If we are wounded, we can recover by taking the life of another. We always fed on the elderly or sick.”
“Elderly or sick?” Sonja clenched her fist. “When the Brothers of Eternity appeared, you leeches drained so many of our people.”
“We took on a lot of injuries holding them back,” Rigst said. “I’m sorry we didn’t stop them in the end.”
“No, you didn’t. It was my brother, as always, who saved Holtur,” Sonja said. “He’s sickly, will his future involve becoming a snack to keep one of you alive?”
“No,” Rigst said. “I’m sorry this is all being dumped on you, I really am, but we need to focus on the task at hand.”
“Do you really think these Brothers of Eternity will pose a threat to the house?” Velatoria asked, then turned to Volk. “You, you’re Aesterus-blessed. Is his blessing greater than yours?”
Volk swallowed. “I pray every sun, but Crispin’s power surpasses everything I thought possible.”
“Fighting fire with fire won’t help,” Rigst said, putting himself between Volk and the other vampires.
“Then what would you suggest?” Savra asked. “You want to go up against an Aesterus-blessed with nothing but fang and blade?”
Rigst’s shoulders slumped. “I
don’t know…”
“I do,” Sonja said. “I don’t know you creatures all that well—I don’t even know if I should trust you—but I do agree that Caede and Crispin are a lot more ruthless than you bloodsuckers.”
“Watch what you call us, girl,” Velatoria said. “And how, may I ask, could a mere human help in this fight?”
“Something is coming!” the other male vampire stated, focusing his eyes on the sky.
Hot air blasted across the ground, melting the settled snow as it raced towards them. Raithia released a deafening roar. Then, for those who weren’t already deafened, Reizexus released an even deeper, louder one himself. Once the wyverns had quietened, another roar from a man burst from Reizexus’ piloting sack.
“Ever heard of Kallum Bluwahlt?” Sonja asked, smirking. “My genius brother has a tendency to solve the problems thrown at Holtur.”
A humanoid insect rushed towards them, prompting the vampires—Rigst included—to unsheathe their weapons. Sonja and Volk simply watched him approach in amusement. Rounded, pitch-black carapace overlapped across the body, but the armour didn’t fit him quite right, as though it was crafted for one of a smaller frame. Skin showed between the greaves and chest piece, as well as a bit of toned flesh at the base of the arms near the shoulder. The biggest circular armour chunk covered the torso, then the round plates grew smaller as they climbed down along the limbs. The front of the head was round with a narrow eye-slit surrounded by small bumps, with the back of the head curved into a long spike. The elbows and knees were edged with talon-like claws.
“Captain,” the armoured man said. He dropped a bag before Sonja then focused on the vampires. “Rigst?”
“Yeah,” Rigst said, “and you?”
“Haha! I thought you disappeared?” the man said. “And you can’t recognise me? It’s me! Ivan Griswald!”
“Fancy suit.” Rigst sheathed his sword.
“Fire resistant,” Sonja added. “At least it should be!” She opened the bag and began inspecting the armoured suits sent for her and Volk. “Made from sorbguamis.” She paused and looked at Ivan. “Shouldn’t you have your helm off? Strike fear into your enemy with your mark?”