Lilah (30 page)

Several of them cried out before returning to
the forest. Seconds later there were more screams and howls of pain. Then there
was nothing. These remaining barbarians looked among themselves and then to
their leader, waiting his command. They were terrified, perhaps coming to terms
that they were outsmarted and overpowered by something they thought they could
destroy. But despite their years of hunting, such creatures were still beyond
their comprehension. This was not an even match even with the Brodnici
outnumbering the strigoi three to one.

Quite suddenly one of the bodies of the
assailants was thrown from the dark shadows of the forest trees to land in the
clearing. Then another. They were drained of blood now just shrunken and dried
skin stretched over bones.

One by one the strigoi walked slowly this time
from the corners of the clearing. They were the shadow of souls I thought at
the time. They were neither human nor animal, existing on the blood of others.
I did not see Lewis anywhere but knew that he did not feed as much and
certainly not while I looked on. He knew it upset me and strangely he cared.

There were many female strigoi in gowns of
light wool and silk, with flowing cloaks lined with fur, and headwear adorned
with jewels, appearing dressed for a ball. But it was the gleaming smear of
blood across their lips that told the true story.

It was soon clear who were the aggressors and
each strigoi marked a human jumping high and fast to land on him, with mouth
aimed precisely at flesh beneath the jaw-lines. Their victims shook in spasm
before a frozen stillness, knees buckling as the weight of their overpowering
aggressors. I watched with fascination and repulsion as the blood drained from
their faces yet still gripping their fire torches while approaching slow
deaths. One by one they dropped to the ground leaving their victors’ faces with
expressions of rapture.

Gabriel was no longer among them and I wondered
whether my observance had deterred him. Lewis was also missing, and I guessed
they were both at the rear of the castle.

The Brodnici bodies were dragged through the
snow leaving trails of blood that would still be there by morning. There was no
more fresh
fall to cover them, the old snow hardening
to ice before it would melt away in the days ahead.

Some strigoi were slower, savouring the moment.
I could no longer watch the blood bath beneath my window. Oleander frowned and
twitched in her dream. It had become clearer by the day that I must find a way
to leave, and thus protect her from such a future.

Lewis

The night of the slaughter appeared
a success but marred by our losses, which I was glad Lilah did not witness. Two
of our elders and several of the reborn were burnt by fire and ceased to exist,
while several had their bodies so badly cut with limbs removed, they now lay in
the vault below awaiting a new shell.

Those newer strigoi could easily be replaced
but losing the elders was a tragedy with centuries of skill, knowledge and
strength eliminated, not to mention the loss of some old friends who had been
looking forward to their years of sleep. We’d had many injuries from attacks in
centuries gone, but it was rare for a strigoi to die. This was a sign that the
reborn were too weak to protect the coven and perhaps
the change
had
been given to undeserving witches.

At the meeting afterwards I was livid that none
had gleaned any information on the source of the invasion. The strigoi had
drained their blood and had learned nothing. This had an ominous feeling. And
now I had the problem that the castle was exposed. The Brodnici – the
grown sons of those men killed – would undoubtedly return in years to
come to continue the legacy.

‘They cover their thoughts well,’ said Giorgio.
‘The people in their past were hooded and faceless and I could see no evidence
of secret meetings. Their blood showed that they were clean of any ill doing.’

I slammed the table. ‘This is not good. We must
never forget the cunning of a human but one at least of these we killed should
have been the leader
;
the person with the most to gain
and with much history in his veins. If this was not learned then he must still
be out there. I do not believe that you were perceptive enough to do this job
properly. Now go!’ I needed to think on this alone.

Georgio looked surly and led the strigoi from
the room.

The loyalty of the witches was now in question
and I wondered whether I could trust any in the castle. If I accused them and
put them to death without evidence, Lilah would never forgive me.

She entered the library and lit up the room in
her dress of pale yellow. It may not have been love that I experienced, but
what I knew for certain, and despite her sometime indifference, was that with
her by my side the future seemed brighter and many irritations dissipated.

Today her entrance was hesitant and she
massaged her fingers nervously.

‘Lewis,’ she said. ‘There is something that you
promised me and I have come to ask that you honour it.’

‘Not now,’ I said, dismissively. I had other
things on my mind, but I also knew her purpose and wished to avoid it.

‘But you promised that Oleander could see her
grandparents. It is right they should know their granddaughter, and that I
should know them. You must tell me where they are.’

‘Oleander is too young for the journey and especially
in the wake of such an attack. It is too far and will not be safe for either of
you.’

‘I can read people. I understand things. I can
sense danger.’

‘It is too early, Lilah. I cannot allow it.’

She did not give in lightly but looked at me
directly now, the nervousness removed.

‘I must go. You cannot keep me a prisoner. I
have done all that you asked.’

‘Yes, you have been a good wife and mother but
it is for your protection and I will say when you leave.’

‘And how would you stop me? Would you have me beaten
and imprisoned?’

‘If I have to.’

This stopped her unexpectedly. She looked lost
and I wondered whether she might try to escape. I did not want an opportunity
to punish her.

‘I can go,’ said Gabriel who had entered the
room. ‘I can take them both to Dalmatia. We can be back within seven weeks. She
will be safe with me.’

‘Dalmatia?’

Lilah was genuinely surprised at the location.
I had not given the region away. I was pleased that this had not been a scheme
between them.

‘I know it is a far journey for someone so
young but I can protect them.’

‘I do not need your protection. I have
experienced that before.’

The message was clear to Gabriel that his
betrayal was still an irritant between them. I was relieved that she did not
forgive so easily. There had been moments when I thought she still had feelings
for Gabriel. His betrayal had left her scarred.

I sat down for this conversation had become
amusing, and mused that such a journey into the harsh world outside might cure
Lilah of her need to be free. Once among the dangers and without all the
privileges, perhaps she would appreciate what she had here – my
protection of both her and our daughter. But something still troubled me.
Gabriel seemed too quick to intervene in our husband and wifely matters. There
was doubt but…

‘Despite what you think of me,’ continued
Gabriel, ‘I only had your best interests in my heart and this would indeed
honour the promise to your father that I have kept watch of you.’

‘Honour,’ she scoffed. ‘You did not honour
anybody but yourself. You disobeyed my father’s requests that led me to this
predicament and possibly an early grave.’

‘Enough!’ I was enjoying this but I did not
like the way she talked as if being with me was the greatest of punishments and
willing herself to die to prove her point.

Gabriel turned to me in earnest. ‘I promise
you, Lewis, I will look out for both of them. I will not let them come to any
harm.’

‘Oleander is too young.’

‘Then let me take Lilah.’

‘I will not go without my daughter,’ said
Lilah.

‘Why? Is it your plan that you will escape?’
asked Lewis

‘No,’ she said, too quickly, not looking me in
the eye.

‘Then I will say that you can go in a month
when the weather is clear. You must be back within seven weeks of departure and
Oleander must stay here.’

Lilah shook her head. ‘I can’t leave her here.’

‘You know she will come to no harm.’

She was not convinced yet knew she had lost
that part of the bargain. I had seen the torment in her eyes of never knowing
her parents. I used such knowledge of their whereabouts to placate her but
perhaps such control had run its course. It was now time.

She sat down then and I did not like what I was
about to do. She had unearthed feelings in me that I had not felt in centuries.
Before I had a chance to offer my thoughts, she spoke: ‘Alright, I will go
alone.’

‘Not alone,’ I said, and she looked at Gabriel
before marching from the room. Gabriel nodded to leave also but I prevented
him.

‘Gabriel, I have to trust you with this…with
everything.’

‘Of course.’

‘And when do you intend to tell her the truth
of her parents?’

A shadow crossed his face and he did not answer
immediately.

‘I will think on it.’

He left and I was torn over my decision. The
distance they travelled together would mean I was unable to sense them:
uncertain of their safety. Yet I trusted Gabriel and felt no reason to have
them followed. I did not like the idea of Lilah gone from the castle and the
thought of losing her was unsettling. She was a part of my life from which
there was no release.

Claude

It was good that Gabriel returned.
He could not believe the height I had grown and we often rode together or
strolled to talk. Gabriel and Lilah talked often also. I heard they were very
close at one time.

Sometimes I had bad dreams. Sometimes they
happened while I was awake. I was grateful to Lilah. I would not have coped
without her, but there was part of me that also blamed her for my situation.

From the first moment I became a strigoi it had
been difficult. I preferred to kill animals, which often left me hungry, until
I was forced to drink the blood of humans as instructed. This last kill was
only when the fight against my instinct was lost, and the blood too enticing to
ignore. I had an instinct that had become a far greater force than any
conscious thought.

As much as I liked Lilah for her past kindness,
part of me could not ignore her place in this; if not for her I would have died
as a child and not be made to kill. They said that because of my youth my
hunger was great whereas those like Lewis rarely fed. I sometimes wished I had
been left for dead. It is why I felt anger towards Lilah that I could not join
my young brothers in heaven.

There were many strigoi who did not like her. I
heard them talking.

Originally, she wanted to leave for good to find
her family and Lewis did not agree to this. As a compromise, she asked that
any new witches who come to the coven be coached by her
. She
was well read and had convinced Lewis that she would give them proper
instruction before being presented to Lewis, so that they would then be given
the choice to become a strigoi or die. At first the couple fought on this
point. Lilah asked that they choose for themselves without any ultimate
consequence. And it was clear that she had finally influenced our master.

For the past two years out of the eight who
have come to the castle, only two became strigoi and the rest were allowed to
remain there without fear of execution. Lewis was happy not to coach the
witches and relieved that Lilah had taken over; whether it was because he grew
tired or out of a desire to please her, I was not entirely sure. Many of the
strigoi were not happy that she appeared to have her own private coven, as they
referred to it. For the unconverted witches had chosen not to consort with the
strigoi either.

Without Lilah knowing, several of the strigoi
called an interview with Lewis only to be told that it was not their concern. I
felt very sorry for Lewis at times. He was certainly becoming more distracted
by the day, and I heard the whispers of other strigoi wishing that he would
bury himself in the ground sooner rather than later.

It was said that Gabriel was favoured to take
over the circle but I also heard that he had already refused the role, and that
once Lewis was in the ground he would leave, never to return. Who would take
control was the subject of much discussion.

I heard much. Because of my withdrawn nature,
human ancestry, and strigoi youth – even though I was seventeen and
taller and smarter than most of them – I was considered dull and
unthreatening, and mostly ignored at private meetings between the strigoi.

One night, I followed a group of strigoi who
had been quite vocal against Lewis and Lilah. The group slipped into an
alehouse drawing as little attention as possible. The
csarda
was one
long hall full of tables where men and women went to drink under deer antlers,
displayed on the walls as trophies. Girls walked around with jugs of alcohol
and there was the smell of sweat and urine, and the putrid smell of boiled
horsemeat and cabbages, which was nauseating, making me desperate to replace
these smells with that of forest pine. The cautious, serious looks of my
friends suggested that their presence here was significant and I crept in
stealthily.