Count Rothchild

by Michael W. Huard

  We set off on foot heading back to her farm, knowing well that we would not arrive until morning. She was not lazy and had plenty endurance to keep up with me as we traveled.

  Strange how some people didn’t realize that when a man sees a woman who was shapely, he thought of having her sexually; every single man thought the same way. If she was attractive and had a lovely look, he imagined taking her, being inside her, and having his way with her. He fantasized she would love it and would want him as well.

  Was this so bad, I wondered as we kept walking. Should a woman be upset of such a male prerogative? To be desired, was that so terrible?

  Where had my mind wandered now? I had enough craziness with love and lust as of late. I needed to focus. We needed to keep going.

  It grew dark and we stopped for a rest. I heard the beating of her heart. I sensed the throbbing of her carotid artery close to her pouty lips. I found myself edging closer to smell her scent; one quick bite and she would be gone. I could dispose of the body and not let her turn as to me, but I could not do. We could have wild sex out here; no, I promised her mother. I had given my word and I was going to keep it; this time I had to behave.

  She made small talk with me and we were again off. I tried to avoid looking at her as much as possible.

  As we made way, she asked, “Why do you stare at me so much?”

  I laughed inside, but did not answer.

  She was still devastated as to all that had happened, and this was by far quite understandable. She had her moments, stopping and hanging her head, even crying some.

  We paused several hours later, when in the woods I heard movement. It was a squirrel as I spotted a moment later. My hearing was excellent. Oh, and I hated squirrels, such pests. Jez asked to rest again and we sat on a large fallen tree off the trail.

  She looked at me as if she wanted to say something, thus I told her, “What is it; something is on your mind?”

  She twisted her lips to one side. “You’re a wild man, are you not? I bet there are places in you not yet explored.”

  She read me well. There were places in me to find; I could only hope someone discovered them and loved me there before my life was over.

  Early the next day we finally reached her farmstead. She ran most of the rest of the way calling to her mother and, as Eleanor came to the front porch, she went to her and embraced her.

  The older woman thanked me; she thanked me for saving her daughter and protecting their family and, as Jezebel disappeared into a back room, she also thanked me for our previous love making session.

  She told me I was good, that I was real good. I smiled and gave her a soft kiss upon the cheek. I figured I might as well leave her a good memory. My work was complete now. I had done what was asked from the Matriarch of the Sea, and it was time to go back and learn the story of the first true vampire.

  I shall be signing out now.

  Count Rothchild.

  “He was your responsibility,” spoke the leader of the Crim vampire organization, the arch Supreme Manfred.

  Claudiva waved her hands about indicating she did her best to get him there and had no idea he would fly off.

  Manfred was displeased and mocked the woman. “You have no control over him, do you?”

  She balked. “Well, if you haven’t noticed, it’s not that easy dealing with one that old and powerful; and, no, I don’t own him.”

  “We can certainly see that now,” spoke the leader. “You have no such power whatsoever. I will do it myself.”

  The return of Richman and the remaining hunters now finally happened. Richmond had fought little and escaped without injury earlier. The legion stood before Claudiva and Manfred. They were but half their original numbers.

  Richman bowed. “We were unable to get him.”

  Manfred shook his head in disgust. “No shit. He’s been here and left already. You come with me,” he then instructed Richman.

  Manfred changed to a wolf, as did Richman. The pair ran off thereafter.

  This ought to be interesting, thought Claudiva. Where were they going now?

  She then looked about at the giant coven of vampires awaiting the arrival of the first of their kin; each was anxious to see who was this individual would be and if the Tome of Blood and the dagger would allow such to be reformed and reincarnated.

  They had come from the four corners of the realm, all looking to change the world.

  She stood around for a few more minutes and it was all she could do; she then changed into bat form and flew off herself.

  Back in his little crevice below the caretaker’s cabin, Drakko had completed his task and now awaited his answer. He put an end to Adrian and sat with his eyes closed listening to the roar of the ocean. This was turning out to be an excellent spot down by the water.

  Not long after, the large octopus woman, she who ruled the sea appeared. She wore a crown of gold and silver and from her shoulders jutting tentacles rose up. Her eyes were black with the smallest of milky white orbs.

  “We meet again and I sense the task is done. Good for you! Now I will tell you what you need to know.”

  Drakko was ready to hear such a tale. The first of his kin; no one truly knew the real history.

  “There was once a woman named Ambrosita, though many refer to her as a man in legend. She was a wisdom seeker and lover of all matters occult. At a young age she heard about the prophets to the far Northeast and it was her dream to visit these oracles to know her future so as to plan in advance and be one step ahead of such a life worth living. After several years of adventuring and gathering treasures, she was able to finally afford to make her way to the temple of the sun god Apollo, which was the center of the oracle’s home. It was a beautiful ornate golden temple and one with the sun and likewise symbols of the god himself all about its structure.

  “When her time came, the eldest and greatest oracle in the known era, a one-eyed woman wearing a light purple headscarf, sat with Ambrosita; the time of unveiling was at hand.

  “The dark-haired oracle with a yellow star sigil on her forehead took her hand and read her palm. She then recited, ‘I see the moon, I see the sunrise, and I see blood.’ This was not what Ambrosita was hoping to hear. She had traveled far and now her time was over with the oracle before she felt it had truly begun.

  “On the next day she awoke from the small apartment she stayed in via the temple to see a young man dressed in white crossing the central courtyard outside. He was a beautiful, long dark-haired, handsome man, just her age, and as she was thinking about trying to get the Oracle to speak with her again this coming afternoon, she had time to run out to meet such a man. Some legends say that it was another woman that she met this day, but in truth it was this man and his name was Kalene.”

  The giant octopus woman had several of her tentacles rise up from the water and Drakko realized she before him was surely a creation of someone truly powerful.

  The Goddess smiled at him, letting her snake-like tongue move about as though she licked her lips. She then continued her tale.

  “Ambrosita learned that he was a servant in the temple of Apollo and most helpful to the actual Oracle herself. They talked for quite some time and she made it a point to stay another few nights still in hope of another oracle meeting, and each day happy to see Kalene again. Each morning at the stroke of dawn they met in the courtyard and talked. He had the loveliest of brown eyes.

  “It took merely these few meetings for Ambrosita to fall in love with Kalene, but little did they know Apollo himself had eyes for Kalene and, seeing that the two were close, the next day he brought down a great curse on the young woman.

  “For if the sun was to ever touch Ambrosita’s skin, she would be burned to death. With such a terrible curse, it made it impossible for her to visit Kalene the next morning. It was a day when the lovers were to finalize plans to take a ship and leave that place forever.

  “Ambrosita, now desperate, her only hope was to delve deep into the bowels of so
me nearby caves, be it there to seek out Hades. When she finally came to the see the Lord of the Underworld, she told him she would do anything to be with her beloved Kalene. Hades saw great opportunity and replied, ‘I will take your soul for such a deal, one where you must retrieve for me the silver bow of Artemis, Apollo’s sister.’ He then smiled broadly upon his black throne. ‘I will give you a quiver of arrows blessed by me to use to take the blood of swans to write notes to he you love and, once you return with the bow, I shall grant you eternal love to be with him and give you your soul back.’

  “Ambrosita took the deal and used the arrows to hunt the so-named swans nearby the temple. Their blood was used for messages and she told Kalene everything that had happened, writing with a swan’s feather. Kalene was furious; he swore he now would leave the temple. He loved the young woman Ambrosita. He kept working not to give away his leaving soon, for fear of retribution from Apollo. He was excited to escape with his new love Ambrosita.

  “But after several days of using the arrows, she was soon running low and eventually came to having only one arrow left. It was then the Sun God’s sister Artemis took notice of her; Hades assumption and plan working in full.

  “She came to Ambrosita and told her she was proud of her loyalty and desire for love. She was impressed with her bow and arrow skill, too. The words that rang most were, ‘I want you to have the love you seek.’ The beautiful blonde-haired goddess would help in this manner.

  “Ambrosita then begged the goddess to give to her the silver bow so that she may kill the most difficult to hunt, to prove her hunting talents and then use its blood to write one last note to Kalene. It would be their final plans to leave. Artemis gave her such, anxious to see if she could hunt down the most hard to kill fox in the region. Ambrosita was told she must thereafter return the bow. Ambrosita hunted without sleep to finally locate the fox and shoot it. She used its blood for her final note to Kalene and it said, ‘We shall leave tomorrow. Meet me here tonight at the stroke of eleven.’

  “But, as it happened, Ambrosita slipped out to the northern caves to bring the bow to Hades. Artemis was disappointed. She cursed the young woman before she reached the mountains, causing her flesh to burn each time it touched silver metal like to her bow. Ambrosita dropped the bow and fell to the ground in tears.

  “She did not give up; she was a good hunter and found more ways to send notes each morning at dawn to Kalene. She explained the craziness she had endured and asked him never to give up hope, for one day they would be together.”

  Drakko was immersed in the tale and was taken aback when the Matriarch had a tentacle of hers suddenly splash and grasp a massive blue fish. The half-breed then swallowed it whole. She smiled at Drakko after moving her snake-like tongue about as to say it was a delicious treat.

  She then went about telling more of the story. “Some say Ambrosita and Kalene found love, her soul returned, and that was it. This is not true.” The Matriarch smiled now. “Being the great adventurer that she was, the woman had no plans to leave her soul with Hades. She would enter the underworld, the dark realm once more.

  “Hades confronted her. ‘Why do you return now? You have failed me; you did not retrieve the silver bow of Artemis. Thus it is that your soul shall remain here forever.’

  “Ambrosita would not take no for an answer. ‘What do I have to do to win your favor again?’ she asked.

  “Hades admired her relentless drive in the name of love. He gave an offering, ‘You must take this black dagger and draw the blood of Artemis from such, then I will return to you your soul and grant you the love with Kalene you seek.’

  “The goddess Artemis had been so kind to her, she felt a knot in her stomach at the thought of what she now had to do in order to win her soul back, and have everlasting love. Artemis still felt for Ambrosita as to her love for Kalene. She came to Ambrosita one last time, offering her and the man to be together, yet never to make love; for those that worship her were always virgins. It was a good offer after the betrayal. Ambrosita agreed and went to thank her with an embrace, yet attempted to slice her with the black dagger of Hades that very moment.

  “Of course, Artemis was too powerful and deflected the blade with her silver bow, screaming at the young woman, ‘I have done so much for you. I have given unto you so much time and multiple ways to have your upmost desire, yet now this? How can you still defy me? I will curse you now forever and never will you find the opportunity to touch Kalene. Not only will the sun burn you, and silver ruin your flesh, but you will now be unhuman.’ The goddess then wove a spell that turned Ambrosita’s lower body as to be a giant green python, and Ambrosita’s mouth also was transformed as to have long pointy fangs as teeth.

  “She then slithered herself away from the world, hiding now in the shadows defeated and in great despair. Yet in time she sought Kalene out once more. Through the years she hoped to grow old and die, but she did not age. Kalene was the one to age right before her sad eyes. He had joined her as the years went by, and they at least were together.

  “Ambrosita hated the world now, she hated the Gods, and one day threw the black shard dagger into the deepest bowels of the sea, cursing these gods. It was then she went about infecting those with her bite to be immortal like herself. These minions of hers became her only companions when Kalene finally passed on.”

  Drakko began to see the proverbial writing on the wall. This person was she, the creator of his kin.

  The Matriarch finished her tale, saying, “No one truly knows what became of Ambrosita, as you can surmise, and yes, she is the mother of all your fellow Nosferatu.”

  “How did she finally die?” asked Drakko.

  The Sea Goddess swirled her long neck side to side. “It is assumed she became so lonely, so old, that one day she made her way outside on a bright sunny morning, and Apollo’s light finished her once and for all, two thousand years later.”

  The goddess dove under the water then emerged once again. She added, “Her children were spread out amongst the world, far and wide, and many of her most ancient went about creating a tome, one that would somehow summon her back. They named her the Foe of Mankind. All hoped for her revival one day.”

  She shook the water off herself and inched more closely to the shoreline; closer now to Count Rothchild.

  “This is all I have for you, and for offering such, you too soon will lose part of your soul.”

  Rothchild was not happy with her final words. “Who are you to give me even more torment than that which I suffer already? I do not have a soul take; you will get nothing from me; for there is nothing to give.”

  The lady of the sea gave him a mocking laugh and slowly lowered her shoulders into the water as to leave merely her chin above such. “We shall see about that. Yes, one day, we shall see.”

  The Matriarch sunk fully below the water and disappeared.

  Chapter 24

  Drakko was all alone now and lost in contemplation.

  A plan formed at the tip of his thought process, and then it came to him. He would confront this foe responsible for his curse. A life-force abruptly poured throughout his body. He had hope once more. The Foe of Mankind was his answer to salvation. It was she all along. It was she, yes, she whom had acted as death.

  He then spider-climbed up the granite cliff back to the caretaker’s old home. The place was a strange cabin and actually had trees growing on its roof and to the right of it. A massive rock had tumbled down from the nearby cliffs and it squatted on the ground randomly. This was the first time he saw such, not ever paying much attention in the past to this odd place. Suddenly Drakko had his senses back in full tilt; everything was that much more defined. He could feel it now; such hope made him a new man.

  From the woods then, Manfred shaped from a wolf to a man. A second wolf changed as well, being Richman right near him.

  The Crim leader approached, calling out, “Did you think you could hide from us; you have made a mistake, old man. Perhaps in your own realm we wo
uld not have been able to find you this quickly, but here it was too easy.” He then pulled the black crystal shard dagger out. “If you will not give your blood freely, we shall take it.”

  Both men now ran at Drakko. He was willing to give blood, but not at this moment, not under their terms; he would fight instead.

  The ancient ones knew that a battle between those of their age would not result in the draining of their energy, strength, or anything for that matter. This would simply be an all-out brawl until one was damaged so badly that he would cease to be conscious.

  The difference could well be the addition of Richman in the fight. He was a tough species of such and had been around a fair while.

  The fight was savage, two-on-one was not good odds, and the ancients tore into one another. Flesh ripped from each of their bodies and the third wheel Richman kept trying to hold Rothchild as to let his master win this epic struggle.

  Manfred and Drakko grabbed hold of one another and flew into trees, bashing over everything they came in contact with. They fought like brutal eagles locked in never-ending combat. Soon they hit the cabin walls, the giant rock and even flew down over the cliff, landing in the sand by the ocean fighting all the while down there.

  The strength of each immortal vampire made such a battle beyond measure; the damage each could instill was unheard of. When they came back above, each was beaten down and it was then Richman joined once more to tip the scales in Manfred’s favor. He now struck out at Drakko and finally the pair of Nosferatu had the upper hand.

  Rothchild was nearly defeated; he was on his knees now simply holding on.

  Claudiva appeared; she shaped from a bat into her true form and yelled at the combatants to cease fighting immediately.

  “Are we not from the same line; are we not in truth family? Is this battle not ego and nothing more; please stop this insanity. We have to work together!”