CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gabrelle wandered the countryside aimlessly and all she knew that she had halfway circled the lake and that alone told her that she was not going home on this day. She did not even know on which path to take and once the light was snuffed out then she would be prey for the undead. All the rumors and myths were turning out to be a reality that would make nightmare`s blush at the heinous action. She did not feel the need to return to the Castle, but she also needed a place of shelter. Out here she was in grave danger. At introspection, she was enfolded by the thoughts of what little meaning her life had but dying at the hands of a blood sucking demon left her sweating cold. She shivered even though the sun still held on powerfully and her stomach growled. To return to the castle would mean an accurate attiring and a resolution that she was contemplating and supporting the undead. Tears were a luxury that Gabrelle could not afford but suddenly they were falling freely. She was between the literal devil and the big bad forest. Regret pounded as she realized that she was too hasty in agreeing to accompany the countess but at that point the veracity of the situation had been unknown to her. Where did the time retire to? She had roamed the countryside aimlessly and now the sun was dissipating far too quickly. The castle was no longer within the range of her sight, and she panicked. There was nothing that she could do but hide into the forest and wish for the best. Who knew what other creatures lurked behind the thicket of the flora. She shivered profusely. She would try to eat humble pie and go back to the castle. The countess would protect her and even as she tried that theory to fit the size of her thinking capacity, Gabrelle knew that to be a fable only for the lazy minded. Her thoughts were deep and attired with wisdom and while she was not knowledgeable about the children of the dark, intuition warned her that their thirst was ravenous and blinded to reasoning. The sun was no longer glowing, and Gabrelle picked up the pace of her feet.
"Just where did the time go to?" Now she was muttering too specifically no one. The fields were quiet, and she attributed this to being a Sunday and the norm for the day of Sunday was rest and more rest. She felt goose bumps prick her skin and the sun did not even leave as yet. Gabrelle was at a loss for now the pickle that she had immersed herself into would surely be the one to macerate her in a briny brawl of suffocation. She took a moment to rest at the lake. It was so compelling and inviting and if time was not against her, surely, she would take a well-deserved bath. Just like that the sun was sprinting towards the horizon and the atmosphere was left dull and limp. The castle finally came to her view, but the distance was still too far. Gabrelle felt the ache on her limbs, and she knew that it will be very dark before she reached and then her concern was taking flight as she hoped that she would be welcomed back. She tried picking up the pace and, in her haste, she did not see a rock and before she knew it, she tripped, and she fell with brutal force. The pain seared and she winced out aloud. This time she was sobbing with intense pain, and she could not move. Time was not her friend and soon enough, Gabrelle had to face the dark, possibly a broken leg and she was fair prey for any scavenger that would eat her up. She shivered as the darkness crept in. She knew that she was now done for. Succumbing to the darkness, the light fled from her eyes as she dropped into a deep sleep. She awaited the light that many said was the doorway to the afterlife but only darkness flooded her. She was cold and hungry and while food was not that of a need for her it was a contributing factor to her. Her leg hurt something fierce in the background, but Gabrelle knew that she was ready to be reunited with her family. There was the presence that held onto her, scooping her up and carrying her. She smiled because she knew that these arms that carried her over the celestial path was revolved in strength and comfort. She smiled but could not understand the chill that hit her bones. Surely the afterlife held no emotions to be felt. She sighed, enjoying being held so closely and then her eyes opened up. It was dark and she was not dead. Some good Samaritan had rescued her. She wanted to speak but no words would come until he spoke and then the rock fell.
"You put the fear of the devil in my mother little lady." She knew that voice; she knew that tone only she never heard it when it held this ease of gentleness. As they walked further, soft lamps of welcome beckoned them to the castle. Before she could look into the eyes of her savior, she understood why that tone was all too familiar. It was too late for a quick but nearly impossible escape. As he stepped onto the doorstep the light highlighted his face. She was now in lair of the devil as Count Samsidion looked into her eyes with a slight grin showing off his hardened features. Gabrelle felt the pain clutch her heart.
"Welcome back." She did not encounter such fear jostling her. The very people that she had tried to escape from; now one of them had her imprisoned in his arms. Before she could retaliate, her head became lightheaded, and she collapsed into the arms of her captor.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gabrelle groaned in pain and temporarily she shut off all her senses but realization, a formidable foe hurled a molded ball of wet clay in her direction. She came around and her eyes flew across the space that she occupied. She was back in the castle and in the very same room that she had inhabited the night before. Light came from the soft glow of lamps that spread a mild cheer across the room and she quickly picked up herself to sit up. The room was too quiet and the breathing that could be heard was hers as it hastened because he was standing at the window looking into the darkened sky. Gabrelle did not know how to get up because her leg hurt like something mad. She winced, a light howl fell off her lips and he turned to face her. He did not come towards her but he faced her full on.
"You should not move." His command was not harsh, but it was not friendly either. Gabrelle wanted to run out of the room, but she incapacitated, and she would have to stay and face the chilling presence of death. "The local doctor has treated your leg with a salve made of eucalyptus and the oil of flowers."
This news stung and struck Gabrelle as odd. If he was going to hurt, her then why would he get the local doctor to attend to her. She was heightened in confusion, and she blushed stupidly as he never took his eyes off her. While she was naïve, she knew that look he gave her was drenched in empathy and it was nothing like the devouring look his younger brother had given her when she first arrived. Perhaps now was the time to ask for a safe passage back home.
"I told the Contessa that there was nothing I could do for you and your brother." Gabrelle instantly jumped at the opportunity. "I do not see my purpose here." He remained quiet, stood still at the window but his eyes never left her face. Gabrelle felt strangely uncomfortable by his presence, but she could not say that to his face. He did not look at her as though she would become a delectable meal for; instead, he had a hopeful look that allowed him to believe that she would serve a purpose for betterment. Gabrelle knew that she was reading too much into one expression. She had no gifts and she was certainly no witch. These aristocrats because of their yielding wealth they thought that they could manipulate and coerce the poor folk like herself. Suddenly Gabrelle was grappled by the new inner strength that she is commanding. The blood sucking Count was right there in front of her. They were alone in this room of a big castle, and she was no longer afraid of this monster. Something had changed inside of herself. She could not understand it but it was when he had picked her up and carried her back; she had encircled a trust before knowing who he was. Now that she knew who her savior was, she understood his intention was not to suck her blood.
"I cannot help you'll." It was a bare whisper lingering on a flimsy thread, but he had heard her enough to come before in a flash of second. A dark wind swished pass her as he knelt on the floor. "I am just a healer that sources potions of the earth." She was pleading but she knew that she would bare her soul and administer the truth despite the property of consequences. She shook her head with profuse adamancy. It was the order of this life given by a creator that enabled her to speak out her next words forcefully. "This is not the way your life should be lived." She wanted to be gentle, but the hiss came out abnormally. "You do not live but exist at the price of an innocent."
His eyes glowed to the embers of a ruby embroiled in the cones of smoldering fire chips. Gabrelle caught her breath. Perhaps she spoke too much too soon but it was too late to retract her words.
He surprised her, "I know that I am damned." The pain squeezed out of the contours of his slurring words. "I did not ask for this." He got of his knee and stood up. "It was decisive power that had taken my right for choice. Do I enjoy killing the innocent that you speak of." His tempo was raising and then he punched out hard. "NO! I enable this life because I am forced to survive." He was anguished and Gabrelle actually reached deep into the pockets of her heart and found that his pain was mirroring her. The heinous thought of just existing with enjoying nothing that the earth had to offer was a cruel hand that had been given to him. The man that she had been introduced in the early hours of Sunday morning had been rough and angry and unapproachable. Now she was faced with a soul less man that had a conscious that was eating him up alive. Gabrelle was in a maze of loss and a way out was impossible and fraught. She could not lead the brothers down a garden of falsehood. She could not help them in any way. Even taking a burning stake to his heart would be a mission intolerable for anyone.
"There is still nothing that I can do for you and your brother." Despondency was awakened in his eyes as they diluted from red to gleaming charcoal of stagnant black. She was struck by the conflagrant vulnerability that he was displayed. He was unashamed of his emotions, and he held his dead heart in the palm of his hands. For Gabrelle she was not habituated and never had been in the company of any man. Count Samsidion was no ordinary man. He was a man of means but Gabrelle felt the strings of her heart tug something fierce for him. Her emotions were being drawn out and her heartbeat faster. She wanted him to redeem a part of his life but she just a peasant that knew nothing about magic. She was not even sure about the tall claims that the countess made against her own mother. Gabrelle closed her eyes; fear had now evaded her, and she wanted to help but she knew the limitations and the value of her healing. This was beyond anything she had ever encountered.
Gabrelle had to break the ice and perhaps understand the complexities of his reality. "I am assuming that you can go out into the dark."
He took a moment and went quiet before replying. "It is the sunlight that scorches the skin that causes unbearable pain but once out of the sunlight the skin restores to normal. The night is a friend and even the glow of lamps do not entice any burning. Our eye color changers as per our mood and our hunger." He became hesitant and she knew that he was ashamed of who he had become. "Food is nothing to us as we feel no hunger." In a fleck of a second Gabrelle blinked. While she was tough on her thoughts, he brought her up to speed with a stable explanation. "We thirst like mad men and not for water of gallons of wine. We thirst for blood that pulsates out of the vein of man." While he did not relish the thought of sucking into another person`s blood, she noticed that his face lit up by the mere talk of blood. "The fill and satiation are only complete if we suck the person dry until the life force out of him trembles to death." Gabrelle was horrified and she made no qualms about being visible. Her jaw was literally hanging as her eyes rounded to saucers. The visual that she saw in her mind compelled her to invite a fire of fear inside her. Count Samsidion read her expression well because he let a light laugh. Stamped with no malice and bites of humor, she marveled as the dimple on his cheek alighted to delight. "You should not worry; I have no need for the blood of a witch. Besides I am quenched for a good few day." Gabrelle felt the pangs of pain flush the strength of her system. Some poor soul had been terminated for him to be sustained.
"I hate myself." He spat out. "My brother has adapted but I am having difficulty." He came back and knelt by her bed side. "I beg of you dear Lady, please help me."
Gabrelle wanted to protest that she was no lady and that she was no witch either. Seeing his stance and hearing his passionate pleas she wanted to promise him the that she would give him back his life but she knew that honesty was the key to the clean living she thrived upon.
"Truly I want to help you but," she wrung her hands together, defeated. "There is no potion that I can brew to make this go away." Helplessness hung over her as a tree barren by autumn as the branches hang void of green life. She was that twig that was just waiting to break. "I wish that I could find you a path that will cure you but.." She let her hand fall lifelessly onto her lap.
"I just want to visit daylight again. To drink in the beauty of a warm atmosphere beating against my face." He was passionate as a poet that was distressed in love. "To feel the touch of a woman`s lip against my cheek and never to have to feed off anyone`s blood." His speech was not impoverished and Gabrelle knew that he was sincere. Still after an impeaching speech of passionate honesty she still had nothing to add that will preserve his life. She said nothing because she had no promise to offer him.
"I would like to see the Contessa please." Gabrelle had little choice now. She would have to arrange for her return back home. "There is nothing here that I can do for you." Under the circumstances Gabrelle felt that it was best to be honest. She expected the Count to counteract her decision but his lips just set on grim lines and he nodded. He was not unhappy but there were no signs of any joy for the obvious inevitability. He left the room under no protestations. It would take a while until the heavy-set door squeaked miserably. Gabrelle looked up expecting the Contessa to walk in but it was one of the chamber maids followed by ladies in waiting that carried a tray of steaming and aromatic bowls of food. Immediately the traitorous pit of Gabrelle`s tummy began grumbling off starvation and she smiled and allowed for the tray to be placed across of her lap. The chicken soup with fresh vegetables accompanied by freshly baked wheat bread went down wonderfully with a cool glass of water. Gabrelle was grateful for the food and once she was finished the door opened once more to bring in the Contessa. She was looking warn out and wan to Gabrelle`s sight and once more Gabrelle found herself feeling much guilty.
"You gave us quite the scare, child." She scolded Gabrelle but only with an intention to show her the concern that had plied her with culpability. "My Samsidion says that you wish to me see." There was an attachment of hope as she spoke. Gabrelle was stumbling in the tides of a sea of loss. She did not relish the thought of being a bearer of bad news, but her choices were poorly limited. In the end, she had to say what was needed.
"Contessa, I wish to go home for I fear that I have failed you." Gabrelle decided that oozing a bit of charm would not hurt her chances any bit. The countess did the unthinkable and came and sat on the side of the bed.
"Dear child," The late remaining spark inside of her was gone but she conceded to defeat. She patted Gabrelle on her hand. "You were my last hope but if there is nothing to be done then I shall not keep you here. I fear that my boys have little hope left." She awakened to leave and then she turned to address Gabrelle. "There is just one request I can politely make from you." There was a darkness in her eyes that told Gabrelle that this was a serious side of her. "Please keep our secret because if word gets out my boys will be slaughtered." Gabrelle nodded but then she got a frisson of a dark coldness running through her spine. The unspoken words were there, hung to dry waiting to be snapped off. She was smart enough to know that if anything untoward happened to the two Count, the countess would be knocking on her door for someone to blame.
"I will never repeat what I have seen." Gabrelle assured her but she knew that this night she would not sleep in the fear that she will be murdered in her sleep.
"Very well, my carriage will be ready to leave at first light." She did not await any further response; instead, she walked out leaving a chill slicing the air. Gabrelle knew that on this night she would have to sleep with her one eye open. Unfortunately, her eyes were too tired to stay open and her foot throbbed mercilessly. In no minutes she was back in the forest and being chased as though she were a savage being hunted. It was dark and the forest was charged with darkness and sounds that were foreign to her. She ran; she stumbled; she fell and she picked herself up. Her panic was real and she felt sure that it was not the undead that chased her. It was something else that moved with stride and confidence. Her gut told her to keep pushing forward but the bleak blackness seemed to be getting inkier by the minute. Gabrelle was tired, out of breath and on the verge of giving up there. It was then that Lady Luck had walked out on her when a boulder would be the obstacle that would drop her to the ground. She was wounded like an animal and her stalker was closing on her. Her breathing was a wisp as her chest wheezed. She was crying out but then a dark shadow loomed over her, Gabrelle covered her eyes with her hand as her elbow jutted. It was over and she had given up succumbing to her demise when suddenly a silver light of hope shone. It was an angel, all garbed in pristine white, and a halo of golden flowers crowned her head. She was young and beautiful. Oddly familiar but Gabrelle was confused.
"You can do this Elle." She smiled, encouraging her and Gabrelle wanted to cry more because only her mother had called her Elle. "Go back home and seek the book of herbs." Gabrelle adjusted her eyes to take a look at the angel that spoke so sweetly to her. "All of your unanswered questions will be answered in the book. Help the Debracus Counts my dear Elle. You can. I know you will." She was insistent and her smile turned to dour. "A guiding hand will always be in your presence. Helping the young Counts will restore the world to a peace that will stop the unnecessary culling."
"Mother!" Reality hit Gabrelle so hard. This was her mother; only she was in her much younger days. The afterlife had transformed to the ages of youth. "Mother I miss you so much." Gabrelle was streaming her tears and she knew that at that moment she wanted to join her mother. "Mother, please, take me with you." Gabrelle pleaded; she felt so much less lonely.
"Hush now child." Her mother bargained with a sweet smile. "There is a time for everything and yours has not arrived." Every nuance of her physical structure and her thoughtful words held nuances of pride and love. "You are needed here my dear child."
"But Mother, I do not know how to help them."
The Angel smiled, cheerful and dotted with encouragement. "You will find the path. The amulet you seek is not easy to get but you will help them."
Gabrelle could see her apparition fading but she had to ask her just one more question before she disappeared. "Is it true Mother? Are you the famous witch of Nottingham?" Her mother had no time to remain; not even a milli second to respond. Instead, she tweaked her smile into a grin and waved her goodbye. It was at this point that the dark avenger chose his moment to snuff the life of Gabrelle. She screamed as hard as she could.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
It was Count Samsidion who had been roaming the castle in frustration that had heard Gabrelle screaming. He panicked for a moment, thinking that his mother in a rage of panic had sacked the henchman to take care of the witness. He stormed the room only to find that Gabrelle was suspended over the bed, and he had to blink twice to make extra sure that his eyes were not playing useless games with him. Eventually, he had little choice but to gently lay onto the bed. It was then that his brother and mother rushed in to see what the commotion was all about.
Samsidion turned to his people and said simply, "She is a witch but she does not know it and neither does she embrace." Perhaps it was her subconscious that got Gabrelle stabilized and she heard Count Samsidion speak but her eyes flew open and she sat up bewildered. She was not dead but she was locked into vortex of sufferance.
"There is something dark that awakens just for you two." She looked at Count Samsidion and then focused her attention on the equally handsome and younger brother. "I have to help you." Her stubborn streak realized her purpose and she looked into the befuddled face of the countess. "Contessa, something tells me that you were right about me and my mission is to save the Counts."
A light of hope alighted the Countess`s eyes and cradled her chin to bring out a smile. Gabrelle turned to Samsidion and asked him boldy,
"How old are you?" He did not flinch and he did not hesitate to answer.
"This year makes me seventy and I stopped breathing when I was twenty-four."
Gabrelle winced and she finally understood why the countess was so old. The boys have been struggling for years with this.
She looked at the younger brother, Thaneus and he smiled that golden smile at her. Unlike his brother, he was in a happy space. "Sixty-eight and I tasted my last breath at the age of twenty-two." Gabrelle fully understood the ramifications of misjudgment. She looked at the Countess, scrutinizing her while all her thoughts were congealing to make the whole scene make sense. "It was not my mother that had helped you, Contessa." Gabrelle was fitting the pieces of the puzzle in designated slots. "That is why I was so adamant because I knew my mother was no witch." She took a moment to breathe and adjust to the new information that she was just piecing together.
"I don't understand." The Countess was shuddering. "I remember like it was yesterday."
"Judging from all of your ages, my mother would have been just a little girl or perhaps not even born as yet." That addition and subtraction she would leave for later to work on. "I am sure it was my grandmother that had been your guardian witch that had helped you." And now she was certain that the apparition that had come to her had been her grandmother Katherine whom she did not know too well.
"You said that you may be able to help us." The countess was eager to get started and while Gabrelle had an idea on how to start, she also had a nagging inkling that this aristocratic family was in trouble. She needed to press on for more information.
"I need to ask more questions." She got three definitive nods. "Has there been some strange occurrences taking place of late."
Samsidion decided to take this one. "We were fine for many years but recently questions are being raised as to why my brother and I no longer come into the town of Nottingham." Gabrelle shook her head because she knew that it had to be something that sparked the curiosity of the Countess to come in search of a witch.
"There is a darkness that roams the forest at night." Thaneus spoke up and he seemed very eager to spill all. "I sense its presence and I know that it watches me." He gave his body a shake as though he was trying to shake off something that was crawling on him. Gabrelle knew that he was not lying because she had seen that strange darkness in her dream just before her grandmother had appeared and it had pressed her hard as though it was trying to suppress her from regaining a healing power.
"It is not happy about my presence here. Maybe it feels intimidated because while I am not a witch, I still have my grandmother`s blood racing through my vein." Gabrelle watched six pairs of eyes watching her carefully and holding onto every word that she uttered. She looked at Samsidion and gave him a reassuring smile. Somehow, she was identifying with him and they seemed to be forming an alliance. He was awaiting with eagerness.
"What exactly do you need the hand of a witch for?" Even though she had no expertise in witchcraft and she would never dabble in something that she considered to be crass it was clear that her grandmother needed her participation.
It was Thaneus that was more confident to speak about the ailments that plagued them. "We will need something to allow us to walk into the sunlight and blend with the natives."
Gabrelle went into a shut down which helped her thoughts manifest ideas. It took her a few minutes and then she shouted out excitedly. "An amulet." They looked at her with great interest.
"An amulet?" The countess was inebriated in curiosity.
Gabrelle was shaking her head with exhilaration bouncing off her face. "A Talisman that would be resistant to the sun and it will have a hex on it that would prevent you two from getting burnt."
"Oh, dear child that sounds like a brilliant idea." The countess was truly pleased as though Gabrelle had scratched an itch that had her in discomfort and annoyance for a long time. "You see my days are almost at the end of my horizon." She was etched with deep sadness. "I am afraid to go without my sons being adjusted to this world of theirs." It made total sense to Gabrelle and that is why she now understood the eagerness of the Contessa`s behavioral pattern. "When do we get started?"
Gabrelle had already formulated her strategy. "I need to go home and look for a book that was left to my mother as a gift from my grandmother. Something tells me that we will get our answers right there."
"Then I suggest that you take Samsidion with you." Gabrelle was beginning to think that the Countess was afraid that she used this as a ruse. Gabrelle was no longer afraid of what Counts Samsidion and Thaneus were and although she did not know them for too long, she was feeling the receptive of warmth radiate from their friendship. She trusted them especially there was something special about Count Samsidion.
"We will leave tomorrow as soon as the sun downs for the evening." Samsidion had taken the proverbial bull by its horn. Gabrelle was ready and awaiting as she had already accepted the challenge.