Chapter 19 #2
When the creature quieted once more, I heard Vastion’s familiar voice, which caused my breath to hitch sharply.
My inclination was to flee, but my muscles didn’t so much as tremble in response.
I couldn’t outrun him, but I did fear being caught somewhere I shouldn’t be.
Especially since I had not yet overcome my previous trespasses.
“Silence!” Vastion yelled angrily to the others. “Someone is here.”
Their voices hushed immediately, and I could hear foreboding footsteps moving toward the bottom of the stairs. There was nowhere to hide, and I remained frozen in place on the landing, thinking of all the ways I would beg for his mercy.
His voice, low and husky, arrived before his steps.
“Vanilla,” he said flatly. “Mixed with something citrus.”
Vastion’s shadow casted before he rounded the corner to where he could spot me.
“Mixed with fear and still the mildest hint of contempt.”
He finally reached the bottom of the stairs where he could see me fully.
“Why, none other than my dear wife has decided to grace us with a most unexpected visit.”
I stood stoically against the wall, refusing to meet his accusatory gaze. Angry with myself for being caught. Just when I went to make some brash remark, “You weren’t—” my words were cut off by the screeching echo that had led me to my current predicament.
Vastion yelled angrily, “Put him out of his misery right now! I can’t hear myself think.”
Thinking that they, whoever he commanded, were about to kill someone at my expense, I scurried down the stairs to intervene.
When I reached the bottom, I was horror-stricken by the sight before me.
A man was chained to the wall by all four limbs, but all humanity was absent from his expression.
His sharp fangs were displayed prominently, spittle foaming around the corners of his mouth.
His long fingernails were outgrown, sharp like talons.
His skin color, greyish and sickly. Suddenly, he cocked his head in my direction and sniffed.
My human scent had sent the confined Rabid into a frenzy.
He screeched so loud it caused me to reach for my ears to shield them from the deafening sound.
Roused by the scent of human blood and a beating heart just feet away, the beastlike man thrashed wildly against his constraints, trying to free himself and reach me.
Three other males surrounded the Rabid with long sharp spears, each trying to get close enough to wound him, but they shifted nervously in all directions, unable to strike.
“Fine, I’ll handle this.” Vastion advanced with Vampyr swiftness, speeding past me and unsheathing the sword from his hip, fluidly separating the Rabid’s head from its body.
There was a sickeningly wet thud as the head hit the floor.
I hadn’t realized it, but even my knees were shaking and struggling to hold me up.
I stared in disbelief at the scene before me, shaken by my first time seeing one alive…and so close.
“Get the head quickly!” One of the older-looking men ordered a younger boy. His voice crackled with age. “Don’t let it go to waste, quickly now, boy!”
The young man scurried toward the bloodied scene and placed the decapitated head in a bowl and quickly set it on the ground before going and grabbing a metal sheet to place below the severed body, collecting pools of blood from the now exposed neck.
“Wh…what…” My voice quivered and cracked, struggling to find the right words, any words.
Vastion handed his sword to the tallest man and said, “Every drop matters. Collect, then clean.”
As Vastion strode back to me, I retreated nervously, trying to distance myself from him. He closed in on me and I sputtered again, “Rab—wha, what…” I couldn’t form a single thought.
“What are Rabids doing in the castle?” Vastion stated my question clearly and calmly, though it brought me no sense of relief.
I nodded, then peeked around his muscular form, taking another glance at the body—just to ensure he really was dead. That no others were coming to harm me.
“Es. You’re safe,” Vastion whispered.
“Rabids?” I whispered back fearfully. “There’s more than one?”
He placed his hand on my shoulder, “Yes, but they’re confined. You are not in danger.” His assurances did little to calm my nerves as I continued to stare around at the bloody mess and the three strangers inspecting the carcass.
When the senior one took notice of me, he paced slowly toward us. His long brown robe dragged along the floor and hung loosely over his bony frame. He was very old, given the white hair and grooves that rippled across his face.
“My Lord, her presence poses significant risks,” he said to Vastion, not even acknowledging me. I studied him, eyes widening as I noticed his skin did not have the same waxy pallor that most Vampyr presented with. In fact, despite his obvious elder age, his complexion was quite warm.
“You’re a human?” I asked incredulously.
He looked up at Vastion, seeking permission. Vastion nodded.
“Yes, we are human,” he answered, jutting his chin in the direction of his younger peers who were still meticulously focused on whatever they were doing.