I open my eyes to see the library. How odd; I must have fallen asleep here. How silly of me. Then again though rest is welcomed after dealing with Daniela.
Daniela...
I touch my lips. Still covered in a small amount of the blood from her lips, but only stained mine by a little bit. I wipe it off realizing it was probably from that food earlier. Speaking of earlier how long was I out? Getting up slowly I walked over to the window above me and saw the night sky, with a half moon. It was a lovely evening. It was Cold, but lovely to watch.
Through my eye I spotted a small pile of books stacked in 2 rows. Only 5 books were looked at out of this whole archive collection. That may take awhile should I manage to survive.
I placed the books back in what I assumed was the correct topics in alphabetical order by author and title. Once the final book was inside the crevice I left the library. The candles were light all around the top floor still shining brightly as earlier. How strange for it to be as bright as the sun in this room. I walked down the staircase and view the piano as I searched for a way out. I wonder who plays it?
A door bearing a Crest which I can assume is this castle's Crest was to my suprise it was unlocked. I open the door to enter a courtyard. It was filled with almost frozen flowers and bushes with a structure in the middle looking almost like a gazebo with no step or flooring just only the stone ground.
"Hrgh it's freezing." I shuffles my hands together looking across at a two handle door.
I look through the window and recognize the table. This was the dining hall, but I didn't see anyone. Upon opening the door and I was calling out to anyone around.
"Hello? Lady Dimitrescu..?" I shouted out hoping to hear a response. Silence. "Cassandra? Daniela?" I shuddered realizing the only one I haven't called was Bela. Something is off about her, but same can be said for all of them.
"You called?" Cassandra manifested before me bearing a grin.
"AH. C-Cassandra." I stutter given the suprise. "You scared me there."
"Trying to work my appetite are you?" She teased.
"Yes...I mean no I just was curious where was everyone." I inquired to her.
Her grin faded and she sighed. "Mother is out, Daniela is somewhere else, and Bela is downstairs." She said nonchalantly.
I nodded in response.
"You know...come to think of it. There was something weird Daniela said to me earlier." She said her smile returning. "Very weird indeed." she purred walking up to me inches away from my breath.
"What do you mean?" I said unintentionally backing a foot away from her.
She got closer to me and moved to my ear.
"She told me you said something no one said to her before and I wonder what that was." She whispered and licked my cheek.
I felt goosebumps from that sensation. I only lifted my face away from hers and stared up to avoid eye contact.
"I think I deserve a taste if we aren't killing you anytime soon." She giggled as she gripped my shoulders. "Don't you think that'll be fair?"
She wasn't powerful, but the mass of insects swarming inside her must be creating an added weight to hold me down. My back hit the door and I struggled to break free. It was hardly any use. She tilted her head back and bit into my shoulder ripping through my flesh. It hurt like hell. I tried pushing her off, but to no avail she only dug into it harder.
She tilted back and gulped down the flesh and blood. I could see the small bulge in her throat and she squealed in delight.
"So delicious." She moaned holding her cheeks with her hands.
I gripped my shoulder as I fell down against the door.
"Argh can't I just go one day without...dealing with this shit." I grunted to myself.
Cassandra broke out of her delight hearing my words and gripped my face with her hand.
"You are our prey manthing. Be grateful you're alive with us." She spoke in a playful tone.
She took out a handkerchief from her dress and dipped it on my bite-sized wound on my shoulder and waited for the contents of my blood to stain the cloth. She lifted it up to her face and smelled the cloth.
"Mmm I love it so much." She let out a deep breath. "Maybe just maybe I'll have you soon enough and maybe share some for Bela. I can be kind when I want to be."
I looked up at her and got up to leave as quickly as I could. She only stared at me and laughed to herself still smelling the cloth. By the time I reached the door holding my shoulder I looked back. She met my gaze and waved the handkerchief as if she way saying goodbye and phased through the walls.
I exited into the hallway I was in before with the stairway to my right. I walked forward staggering with each step.
I somehow made it to the floor below and noticed a door to my left with a lit lantern bearing a horn pair. I looked back and forth around me and entered in hoping to find some sort of bandage. Instead I found a large man reading a book with a cigar in his free hand.
"Oh ho ho I have been waiting for you Mister (L/N)." He looked away from his book to me.
"How...how do you know my name?" I asked breathing heavily.
"Anyone who is anyone has heard of the likes of you. Though I must say you look very worse for wear." His face bearing concern as he glanced at my bandages and open wound.
"Yeah...I'm having a hard time here. Can you help me??" I asked pleadingily.
"Oh, forgive my manners call me The Duke now straight to business. Weapons, ammunition, healing salves- anything you desire. I can provide." He chuckled.
"A Business? I have no money." I exclaimed.
His demeanor changed to a frown. "Then I can't provide my services. Bring a treasure of some sort and I can provide you currency fit to purchase whatever you need (F/N).
I blinked in bewilderment and remembered the ring holding the eye gem. I reach quickly in my pocket to pull out the gold ring.
"What about this? Will this get me something to heal Duke?" I said desperately.
The Duke leaned forward and his chuckle returned.
"Oh yes I would gladly take that." He set down his book and opened his palm.
I walked forward and hand him the ring. He inspected it and smiled at me.
"I can add this to my collection. Here's the payment my friend." He reached behind him to hand me a small sack of coins.
I inspected the contents and counted a total of 4,000 Lei.
"Is there anything I can use to heal that is in my price range Duke?" I asked.
"Why yes take a look." He held out a green bottle of what seemed like disinfectant. "Securing goods is more important than anything. Anything, my friend."
"How much?" I inquired at the man.
"2,000 please." He replied.
I rustled through the sack and pull out 20 coins and hand them over to him. He accepted them with glee.
"Now just apply that on your wound and it will work it's magic. Even I don't know its contents, but yet it can work wonders." He leaned forward and chuckled.
I looked up at him and to the bottle. He tilted his head to his right glancing at my shoulder. I took the cork out of the bottle and dropped some onto my shoulder. It stung and I recoiled for a second at the feeling. I looked at my shoulder and it appeared that the flesh was covering up the missing pieces. The blood was slowly washed away from the liquid, but it worked. I sat down and unwrapped my leg bandages to look a little disturbed at the burned parts on my leg from the cauterized parts. I poured some of the rest of the liquid on each leg with the remainder of the bottle. The same result happened and my injuries faded away as if there was no injury at all.
"How the hell?" I ask myself looking at the bottle for a possible explanation. Sadly there was none except that it was labeled as a First Aid Mead.
The Duke chuckled hearing my confused question. "Thank you for patronage. Oh and (F/N) please do come again. I'll be here."
I nodded giving him a smile. Definitely a BIG guy, but friendly man it seems. Maybe I can pass the time hearing his story than passing out from the blood loss.
"I'll be back Duke...Thank you." I look back as I approach the door waving goodbye. "I'll try and find something for you and your collection if it means you can provide me higher chances of survival."
The Duke laughed and nodded. "No no thank you. Now I finally have a customer after such time has passed. Please do come again."
I open and close the door behind me.
Hm. A friend... Maybe just maybe, this won't be so bad after all.
"Quite an odd fellow to not have been attacked by the women here." I said to myself strolling up the stairs to the hallway. "It's kinda od-"
My words were interrupted by loud footsteps. I heard a door open. The sound came from above on the second floor. I look up and spot Dimitrescu coming out of the wine room. She held in her hand a black bottle with an elegant plating on the rim. A very ancient wine perhaps?
She paused for a moment and looked down to see me gazing up at her.
"Ah there you are." She said walking down the stairway.
I remained still waiting for her to come down. I wasn't gonna run from her because I would run into one of the daughters and deal with them. So there's only one option. Try to keep my cool and understand what it is she will do.
The slow footsteps came to a halt right in front of me at the final step. She lowered her eyes to me. I look up at her astounding stature.
"I'm amazed you're still alive." She stated a little disappointed. "Since you are still here though I do sadly require your presence. Do not upset me or you will regret it."
"Yes of course." I straightened my posture nodding.
She waved her free hand signaling me to follow. She began walking to the dining hall room. I followed suite.
We walked through the courtyard outside and entered the opera hall. Neither of us spoke a word during our stroll. Once we came to the the middle of the hall she paused and turned towards me.
"I have not seen Daniela for some time now? Care to explain why that is?" Her tone turning quickly to anger.
I quickly realized the gravity of what was about to occur if I chose my words poorly.
"I honestly wouldn't know Lady Dimitrescu I know better than to interfere with your daughter's business." I began sweating down my back little by little in tiny droplets.
"Good of you to know your place, but you still didn't answer my question!" She scowled walking a step closer to me. "Answer or I will cut you down where you stand."
What do I say? I say what happened I die. I lie about what happened I die. If I remain silent I die. What the hell do I say to that?
I sighed and gulped. "I told her...I could fall for her and she seemed happy about it I think." I shut my eyes waiting for a quick death. Instead I recieved silence.
"Oh dear." She sighed and palmed her face gently. "I didn't think she'd go that far with livestock such as you."
That insult hurt to hear. I'm not some pet for her to berate whenever she finds it convenient.
"I may be stepping out of line, but why am I still alive when you have every intention on killing me?" I asked with a puzzled look. "What reason does keeping "a disgusting mortal" alive benefit you?"
Dimitrescu had a grin. "Why kill our blood supply when we can keep them alive for so much more. Think of it as the traditional farmer's practice. Raise cattle for time to pass and when you have an abundance of resources and much more cattle to choose from you can balance your system by taking one every fortnight or two thus keeping you fed and not with a surplus of food."
I hate to admit this, but she was right. If I remained alive I would still survive just as food source meanwhile if I died I would just be scraps they forget about.
"If I died would it matter to any of you?" I asked her.
"Why on earth would your death trouble us? There are always more." She replied in a hint of disgust. "Well not in the village anymore it seems. I'm sure you understand the idea though."
Before I could say anything further I heard the sound of buzzing. I listen and see the mass of insects come to Dimitrescu's side. It formed into one of the sisters. She turned and I looked to her to see Daniela.
"Daniela I was wondering where you ran off to." Dimitrescu spoke in a calm tone.
"I was only in the library mother." Daniela replied only looking at her mother.
I remained silent to avoid any unnecessary jabs from Dimitrescu.
Daniela finally looked over at me and smiled giving a small wave. Dimitrescu noticed the gesture and looked back at me with a look of disapproval. I shuddered at the glare. Daniela looked back up at her mother and giggled.
"Mother the manthing likes me. What's so wrong with the pet admiring his owner?" She giggled to herself. "He's like the dog I never had." She walked up to me to pinch my cheeks gently. "See his flesh is even so squishy and alive. Surely he must be of some importance."
"He's nothing of concern Daniela just remember to share him with everyone including me understand?" She raised a brow awaiting her daughter's response.
"Of course mother." Daniela obliged taking her hands off my cheeks. "But I can't help it. I wanna have my toys all to myself."
Dimitrescu gave a smile and one last glance before leaving the opera hall and outside.
There was only me and her again. There wasn't as much blood on her this time as before. She broke the silence by patting her lap as if she was calling a dog. I hated that gesture, but I complied to avoid risking a new wound.
She squealed in delight clapping her hands as I walked towards her. She pointed to a seat next to the piano and she rushed over to the bench. It was childlike, yet somewhat pure at whatever she was doing. I wonder what's going on right now. Before she sat down she asked.
"Care for a song?"
"Of course...that would be nice." I spoke intrigued.
She glanced at the music sheet and turned it over by 5 pages to the left. She sat down and glanced at me for a second. She snapped her fingers and the candles blew out. The only light was the moonlight shining through the windows. She shuffled in her seat before playing. What I heard was beautiful. It was as if she trained as a child to master each key perfectly and use them to their full potential. Her eyes shut as she had a small bundle of flies sitting upon her wrists acting as eyes for her hands.
(Give it a listen and imagine Daniela playing you a song in the intricate opera hall just the two of you beside each other.)
The song ended and left her opening her eyes staring up at ceiling as if she was waiting for something. The insects receded to her body.
"I loved it Daniela." I spoke softly.
She looked over and smiled not uttering a single word.
I looked up at the ceiling to see what captivated her attention and both of her sisters were there watching on the railing. I was startled for a minute, but somewhat captivated.
It was as if they never heard her produce something so amazing before.