The Bathory Curse

by Renee Lake

  “No problem, I love children…” Valora chuckled and got into the coach next to the nervous wet nurse.

  After they left, Imre approached her from the shadows, “Mistress.” He bowed low, his beard unkempt and hair much too long.

  “Oh Imre, when was the last time you bathed?” Nea sighed.

  “Don’t need to out in the woods and around the cemeteries.” Imre laughed.

  “I need you to do me a favor,” Nea told him, beckoning him to join her inside, he did, but she could tell he was uncomfortable.

  “Hopefully something not so pleasant?”

  “The Lady Anna Bathory needs to, quite frankly, be put down…before she destroys her other daughters the way she has begun to with my Lizzy.” Nea sat on the sofa in the library, knowing the books would make Imre feel a bit better. It was something that kept him from killing innocents. She allowed him free access to each of her libraries. After becoming Strigoi he had taught himself to read and enjoyed it.

  “So you want me to kill her.” Imre was blunt, his dirty fingers caressing a leather bound tome.

  “Yes, it is unfortunately a duty my Strigoi must carry out for me, and since you would care the least…” She trailed off, uncomfortable with the conversation.

  “Only because the other one in Hungary has too much heart left.” Imre snorted. “Aside from that, I thought you might enjoy it.” Nea finished, letting his comment go, trying to detach herself and her emotions from their discussion.

  “As good as done mistress.” He plucked the book he was fingering from the shelf and slid it into the pocket of his ragged coat.

  “Thank you Imre, and try to remember I am holding the Winter Festival at the Castle this year and I expect you to be there,” Nea told him firmly. He only laughed sardonically and then faded out of existence as he went to do her bidding. Once he was gone she curled up on her seat and cried angry hot tears of self loathing.

  Nea went to bed anxious and weary. The next day when news of Anna’s death reached her she was distraught and no one thought twice about her sweeping in and taking over all the arrangements. Anna and the “baby” were buried in graves right next to each other and Elizabeth was shipped off to begin a new life living with her future husband and mother-in-law.

  “Promise you’ll come visit me!” Elizabeth called out the carriage window, waving at Nea and her younger sisters.

  “Promise!” Nea called back, hoping that the time with her mother hadn’t scarred the young woman for life. She seemed so happy and bright, always searching for knowledge and life. Nea would enjoy visiting her in a fresh, hopefully more joyful, setting.

  Nea allowed Klara and Zsofia to run after the carriage for a few minutes before calling them back to her. They had both lost so much in such a small amount of time. She hated to see them cry and mourn the loss of the older sister who had basically mothered them. It had been decided they would stay with their second oldest brother; Gabor.

  Gabor lived with his wife and mother-in-law in Nyirbator, not far from his mother’s home. He was doing better financially then Istavan having been the main heir to his father’s estate. He inherited most of the money and property and had gladly accepted both girls into his household, promising to set them up properly with dowries since Anna never took the time to even think about a future for her younger children.

  Ruxandra met her that night after she dropped the little girls off with their brother. He had been excited to see them and his wife had made a small feast in welcome. They had all eaten and then played games until the both girls were asleep on their feet. Too worn-out to even care that they had a much larger room to share than at home.

  “You look sick.” Ruxandra mentioned as they walked away from the voices and warmth of Gabor’s hearth and into the darkness.

  “It has been a trying week….I have known Anna since she was a small child, her death is on my soul now just as her picture is on my wall. I couldn’t save her and it troubles me.” Nea admitted.

  “Maybe you should take a break, or do something besides worry about your other kin….” Ruxandra suggested.

  “It’s my task, one that Bendis has assigned me.”

  “But it isn’t all there is to life, there are other adventures.”

  “Such as?” Nea turned down the road leading to her house. She wanted good food and her bed before travelling to the Castle.

  “Such as going to your Castle and having the chance to raise Anastasia from birth to grown woman. You didn’t get to with your sons.”

  “Raise her as my own?” Nea had not considered that before.

  “Yes, why not? You are rich and have magical powers, who better to raise a child that is destined to be cursed?” Ruxandra had some good points. They reached the house, near the back door to the kitchen.

  “That is true.” Nea was about to say more when out of the dark launched a pale female figure, arms outstretched, mouth wide open revealing pearl colored fangs. She shrieked at Nea and almost collided with her, but Ruxandra intercepted. Her hand connected with the assailant’s chest, throwing her back through the air. The woman landed on her feet and made to attack again.

  Nea gathered power around herself and Ruxandra, this time when the crazed thing leapt it hit an invisible wall and was momentarily stunned. Ruxandra used this time to run and pin her arms behind her back. The creature yelled and hissed.

  “Ugh, it’s a vampire.” Ruxandra sniffed, “smells like old blood.”

  “Bring her inside.” Nea commanded. They went into the kitchen and Ruxandra sat the vampire girl in the chair, when she made like she was going to try and leave, Nea wrapped her in invisible cords, that tightened every time she moved.

  “If you stay still it won’t hurt as much.” Nea warned, watching as she struggled against the constraints and the chair beneath her. The vampire was hissing and her fingers were trying to claw the air, still in a desperate need to get to Nea.

  “Oh stop it, we’ve bested you. If you want us to even consider letting you go alive you better start talking.” Ruxandra slapped the vampire, her jaw snapped closed with the contact and the girl went very still.

  She was wearing a plain white nightgown that was splattered with old blood and dirt. Her hair was long, blonde and dingy, like it hadn’t be brushed or washed in weeks. She was quite pretty once you got past the pasty face and deranged look in her eyes, like a small porcelain doll.

  “Whore, you cannot have him,” she whispered, spearing Nea with a dark glance.

  “Him? What are you talking about? As far as I know I have stolen no man’s heart of late.” Nea laughed.

  “My dark husband, you cannot have him back, he’s mine now.” She was almost growling the words as she pulled her knees up to her chest and began to rock, even though the magic tightened until small lines appeared in her clothes and skin; red abrasions. Her eyes were blazing with crazy bloodshot light, the sign of a vampire who has recently fed. Nea hoped it wasn’t on any of the villagers close by.

  “Again, I don’t know what…” Nea stopped and frowned, thinking about the lingering dark presence that had lurked around her castle for years, always out of sight, never confronting her but persistent.

  “Bunica?” Ruxandra asked, confused.

  “Oh Vlad.” Nea moaned softly, the vampire’s head snapped up, eyes burning.

  “Mine! Mine! Mine! He took me from God and promised to be mine! I cannot live with your memory!” She screeched.

  “Was she a nun?” Ruxandra peered at the girl, appalled.

  “Yes! Almost! Married to the Lord!” The vampire cried in a strange sing-song voice, “Not now, no more…now I have a dark husband! He’s not yours!”

  “Dark Goddess.” Nea rubbed her temple, she knelt by the vampire, using her will to make the girl focus. “Little dead one…I do not want your dark husband, I promise. I am going to let you go, but if you come for me again…I will kill you.”

  “You will kill me?”

  “Yes”

  “He sa
id I cannot die.”

  “He lied.” Nea released the magic and with a maniacal laugh the small vampire fled her house, into the night.

  “You think she’s talking about Grandpa?” Ruxandra asked as she righted the chair and pushed it against the table.

  “Yes…I must go. I need to talk to Mihail. It is time we had some answers…some closure. Be safe Ruxandra, she might come back. I am not sure when I will see you again.” Nea embraced her granddaughter.

  “It will be alright Bunica. I can take care of myself, no matter what Imre thinks of me. I have been alive a lot longer than most.” Ruxandra laughed. Nea was not surprised Ruxandra had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Imre.

  “I know my dear one. I wish I could stay longer, I wanted to take a meal with you before running off.” Nea shrugged.

  “I understand, go.” Ruxandra gave her a friendly shove and Nea gathered her power around her, concentrating on what she wanted it to do and then used it, speeding through the night to her Castle.

  When she arrived she was surprised to see many people filled it with light and love. Valora was holding Anastasia and they were in the sitting room listening to Sabine play the violin. Mihail was standing in the shadows watching everyone and waiting for his mother. When Nea walked in all sound stopped and three pairs of eyes turned to look at her.

  “Mihail, I was just attacked by a crazy vampire stating it is your father’s new wife. I need you to go out into the dark and the shadows and find out once and for all if the rumors are true.” Nea walked to him and held out her hand. He placed his long fingers in hers and squeezed.

  “I was hoping we would have some time together before another crisis hit,” he teased.

  “I know my son. But this is important. If Vlad Dracul has become one of the undead he may be a new threat to us.”

  “I will find out.” Mihail leaned in and placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek then dematerialized.

  “Wow, you have had a busy last few days.” Sabine tried to laugh but it was forced.

  “The gallery?”

  “Complete with new portrait. I’m so sorry Nea.” Sabine frowned, put down her violin and the two of them hugged.

  “Are you here with a new girl for me to hide?” Nea was going for funny, but she was too tired.

  “Nope, just stopped by to see what had Hecate in a twist.” Sabine pointed to Valora, “A Bathory babe in your house…really Nea…what will you do with it?”

  “With her you mean…she has a name; Anastasia…though Stasi will do just fine for now.” Nea reached for the baby, amazed how much she had grown in the week. Cuddling the small bundle near her chest she felt light for a few moments. The scent of a fresh clean baby wafted to her nostrils and she remembered how much joy she had found when Mihail and Mihnea had been small. She had missed so much of their lives, perhaps fate had given her another chance.

  “You cannot mean to keep her.” Sabine broke the cheerful mood.

  “I do indeed.”

  “Hecate will be angry.”

  “My life was taken from me; I didn’t even get to raise my own children. This one I can and best of all it is in the best interest of my task. Perhaps growing with light and love with allow Stasi to break free from the curse as my mother and I have.” She kissed Stasi’s head, the peach fuzz of hair tickling her nose.

  “Maybe…but are you sure? Raising a baby plus everything else is going to be difficult,” Sabine warned.

  “What in this life isn’t difficult? Plus, I have you, Ruxandra and Mihail to help…oh do not scowl, you know you’ll love being an Auntie.”

  “And what am I chopped liver?” Valora’s gruff voice said.

  “Of course not, but you have many duties to attend to, three households run smoothly because of your talents. You cannot be here all the time. I know you use your gift to help those in need. You cannot be a nanny on top of that.” Nea said, understandingly.

  “Well then I better go, that estate you have near Wallachia is practically in ruins. Can’t keep good help in it with all the battles bursting up everywhere.” Valora gave a stiff bow, “I’ll go up to bed now if you don’t mind and take a horse first thing in the morning.”

  “With blessings.” Nea acknowledged.

  “She did a great job this week. She had everything needed for that baby delivered and set up in your rooms. Maybe you should talk to Hecate about letting her go home for a week. She hasn’t seen her own family in six months,” Sabine reminded gently.

  Sometimes Nea forgot that her staff were mostly plucked out of time in penance or servitude for Bendis. Occasionally they were temporary like most of the maids, doing a brief stint and sent home…but permanent staff like Valora were taken and sometimes never given back, or not sent home for decades at a time. Nea had to bargain on their behalf to send them home to visit or have them released from their duties.

  “I wish I could just hire my staff like other rich people.” Nea laughed.

  “You do…but those that need to see more than others…you know…”

  “Lesson 31; Mortals cannot be trusted.”

  “Pretty much.” Sabine looked down at the baby again, “she is pretty cute. Maybe spoiling her won’t ruin her chances of getting pass the curse too much, you think?”

  “Told you so.” Nea had no time to turn and duck before the pillow hit her.

  Chapter 6

  1585

  “Mama, let go!” Stasi giggled, struggling to get away as her mother tickled her after she had refused to clean her room on the basis that, “don’t we have staff for that?”

  “This is your punishment for being a spoiled brat.” Nea laughed and catching her breath, released her daughter. Stasi scrambled away, breathing hard, a grin splitting her face.

  “The maids clean your room,” she pointed out smartly.

  “That they do, because I have many other duties. When you are older and do other chores they can clean your chambers as well.” Nea draped an arm around the girl’s shoulder as they wandered downstairs. The windows in the castle were all open, the refreshing late spring breeze cooling down some of the warmer areas of the castle and bringing with it the smell of woods and flowers.

  “Alright,” Stasi grumbled, leaning into Nea, playing with the fabric on her deep purple dress. The mess in her room had been caused by a desire to find and wear this particular article of clothing, which just happened to be at the back of her closet.

  “Next time just hang the clothing up as you go and it won’t become a clothing ocean on the floor.” Nea tugged one of the little girl’s straw-colored curls that had fallen out of her braid.

  Stasi blinked up at her mom with indigo eyes framed by thick black lashes, “Ok…but I love this dress best.”

  “Just the color or the cut?” Nea asked.

  “The color.”

  “Then I shall order more in that shade.” It was a simple thing, really.

  They reached the back door and into the sunshine of the rear garden where Sabine was waiting for them with breakfast.

  “There you are. Your mom and I thought it would be after eleven before you bothered to get up and get dressed,” Sabine teased, setting out tea and bread with honey. There was a pot of oatmeal and some soft boiled eggs as well.

  “How long are you staying?” Nea asked. Sabine arrived late the day before; to the excitement of her niece, since Aunt Sabine always brought the best presents.

  “Only a few days, sadly…I am just on my way back from a kill in India, one of my Strigoi decided to go and slaughter a whole household. While I am powered up for probably a few months with the terror she fed on….Well, you know how it goes.” Sabine waved a hand like it was no big deal.

  “Are you heading home then?” Nea asked, mixing honey and milk into Stasi’s cup and handing it to her.

  “Well, one of them….Rome for a bit and then I’ll get bored and come back here to see how the two of you are doing.”

  “Do you have a friend waiting for you in Italy?
” Nea smiled.

  “Of course…they should be there by the time I get home.”

  “They?” Stasi asked, she was a bright child and while she didn’t understand quite everything said in front of her, she understood enough. Nea was against the idea of censoring her mind.

  “Yes, a nice couple I met a few months back.” Sabine had a wicked twinkle in her eyes.

  “Did you thank your Aunt for the doll?” Nea nudged her daughter, changing the subject.

  “Of course she did; she’s not a heathen like you, who never did say thank you for the new drawing pencils.”

  “I did so!” Nea exclaimed, a little upset until she realized Sabine was kidding her.

  “You have grown at least an inch since saw you last; maybe you are getting too old for dolls” Sabine teased her niece.

  “Never.” As she remembered the new toy upstairs Stasi gobbled down her breakfast and drank the last few swallows of tea in a hurry.

  “May I be excused, please?”

  “Of course my darling.” Nea rolled her eyes and watched as Stasi darted from the patio.

  “She seems to be doing well.” Sabine commented.

  “Very. She is smart, kind and beautiful, all things you want from a daughter.” Nea laughed.

  “It is good to hear you laugh, to see you with joy, I know there are darker things going on around you.” Sabine sipped her tea.

  “Lesson 24 and 6.”

  “Good memories and have fun.” Sabine agreed; putting her cup down she gave solemn eyes to her friend, “have you told her about her mother yet?”

  “No…I know I am going to have to talk to her about who her mother is, but I am dreading it. She knows she’s not from my womb…” Nea went quiet.

  “But not that you are in contact with her birth mother,” Sabine finished. “That’s not your fault; dreadful Anna told the girl her babe was dead….Elizabeth has been doing well, isn’t that right?”

  “Yes, she and her husband have been happy. I hear nothing but good things about their rule…though lately a few unsavory tidbits have fallen into my ears.” Nea’s voice was a bit strained.