The Manor Part VII

When they entered the Manor the hustle and bustle of the morning was in full throttle. Children and attendants rushed around completing their morning duties and attending breakfast. Alden stood in the grand foyer and quietly took in the scene before him. Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. Though the scent of human blood called to him, it’s call had quieted. Before, the scent had been loud and overwhelming. Now, he could differentiate the scents. He opened his eyes and began tracking which scent belonged to which child.

That’s when he caught it, a scent that felt like home.

“Papa!” Emily’s voice called out.

Then he felt her little arms around his waist grasping him in a tight hug. Alden’s heart filled with a warmth that bled into his entire being. Emily was the light to his darkness. The harshness and brutality of the previous days melted away as tears filled his eyes. He crouched to meet his daughter and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Oh, Emily dear I have missed you so,” he said into her ear. Kissing her head and cheek. Her grip around his neck tightened and he could feel her little body whimper.

“P-papa I missed you so much. I-I kept asking where you were but n-no one would tell me,” Her voice broke and her sobs deepened.

Alden’s heart felt bruised and sorrow hung in his throat, “I’m sorry Emily, I didn’t mean to be away for so long.” He let his own tears fall now.

“You can’t go away like that papa. I don’t like it,” she cried.

He nodded and picked her up in his arms. Holding her in an embrace he hoped expressed the depth of his love for her.

“Miss Emmerson,” Lady Anastasia called from beside Alden.

Miss Emmerson, no longer in her cloaked attire, gave a small bow, “Yes My Lady?”

“Please excuse Emily from her classes today,” Lady Anastasia looked to Alden and continued, “You are free to spend the day with your daughter.” Then, long black hair flowing behind her like a veil, she and Miss Emmerson disappeared into the Manor.

A weight lifted from Alden as he whispered into his daughter’s ear, “Were you listening Emily? I am all yours today.”

Emily nuzzled her face deeper into Alden’s neck and gave a nod. Her arms were still tightly wrapped around him like she was petrified to let go. Holding his daughter close, he returned to his room and took a seat on the bed.

Emily pulled herself away and wiped her eyes, “W-where were you, Papa? Why did you leave me behind?”

Alden wiped her tears, “I never meant to leave you behind Emily.”

Emily’s’ lower lip jutted out in a pout, her lip quivering.

“Oh, my darling girl, you must know how much you mean to me, I could never leave you behind,” Alden pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tightly. “How can I possibly make it up to you?”

Emily pulled away again, wiping her own eyes this time and giving her father a mischievous grin, “C-can we play dress up?”

The weight in Alden’s heart lightened at his daughter’s request. She looked up at her father with a satisfied yet guilty look.

He couldn’t help but let out a laugh, “Is that all it takes to make it up to you?”

She shrugged, “I have other ideas too.”

He kissed his daughter on the top of the head, “Today is your day, we can do whatever you please,” he saw her eyes light up again like she had a brilliant idea, “Within reason,” he added for his own safety.

She nodded happily, “Let’s go then papa! To my room.” She leapt from his lap and grabbed at his hand, pulling him away from his bed. “Miss Emmerson gave me a whole chest of new dresses! Though I don’t think any of them will fit you. But your hair is getting long again so I can practice braiding it.” Emily rambled on as she pulled her father out of his room and into hers.

The next several hours were spent watching his daughter try on her entire new wardrobe of dresses. Alden came to learn that Emily loved flower lace and her favorite pattern on her dresses was stripes. But her favorite dress was dark purple with long sleeves and a lace hem.

Alden was smiling ear from ear. His heart was full as he watched Emily come in and out of the bathroom with each new dress. Grateful his daughter was getting the childhood she always deserved. After Emily finished showing off her favorite dress she ran to the bathroom and grabbed a hairbrush. Her mischievous grin was back as she looked at her father.

He gave her a defeated but loving smile as he moved from the edge of the bed to the floor. Emily was nearly rumbling with excitement as she jumped up onto the bed and took a seat behind him. Her legs dangling off the edge while she brushed through her fathers’ curls with ferocity. As she brushed away, she told her father stories about all her new friends, what she was learning in school, and what her life had been like since coming to the manor.

Alden grimaced at his daughters’ rough strokes through his hair and after a somewhat excruciating amount of time, she finally finished, “Go look in the mirror papa and tell me how I did!”

Alden moved from a seated position to his knees, eyes barely above the height of the bed he looked at Emily with a raised brow, then raised his hands and pounced. Emily’s laughter filled the room as Alden attacked. She pushed at his hands and breathlessly exclaimed, “Stop! You’ll ruin your hair!”

He conceded and gave her a kiss on the forehead, “Fine, fine.”

Emily pushed at him as he moved away from the bed, “It’s not fair you’re bigger than me.”

Smirking at his daughters complaint, Alden made his way to the bathroom. When he caught sight of his new hairdo, he almost laughed at the sight. His curly brown hair had been braided haphazardly in varying directions leaving a jumbled mess of tangles on top of his head. Some braids were large and loose; others were so tightly braided he questioned if he would ever free the hair within them.

“What do you think?” Emily asked as she stepped beside him.

“You’ve improved,” he said hesitantly.

“You don’t like it,” Emily said as her shoulders sagged.

“Emily dear I love it, you did well.”

Then the sound of Emily’s stomach growling filled the small silence between them. She put a hand to her stomach and looked up at her father, wide eyed and giggled. Alden had completely lost track of time. He glanced out the window to find the sun was already setting behind the trees.

“We skipped lunch entirely,” he realized.

Emily shrugged as she set her hairbrush down on the bathroom counter, “I hardly noticed.” Her growling stomach made its presence known again.

Alden glanced at himself in the mirror, then reached for his daughters’ hand, “Come along, let’s find you something to eat.”

Emily looked up at her father, “You’re not going to fix your hair?”

He smiled down at her, “You’ve already fixed it haven’t you?”

Emily’s eyes lit up as she nodded excitedly.

Alden walked with Emily into the great dining hall, head of braided mazes on full display. Many of the attendants that caught sight of him had to cover their mouths to hide snickers. But Alden walked through the dining hall with his head held high.

He sat with Emily while she enjoyed her meal and watched as her eyelids began to grow heavy. By the end of the meal, Emily’s bright laughter had dimmed to slow, tired movements. Alden smiled as he watched her try to blink away the sleep. He got up and pulled the fork from her little hand then pulled her into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck and before he made it out of the dining hall, she was fast asleep.

After tucking her into bed, he laid beside her and brushed some of her own ringlets out of her face. Alden had always thought she looked more like her mother; her small button nose and heart shaped lips were almost exact replicas. But there was no denying she was his daughter. Her unruly curly hair had been a curse he passed on to her, but she wore it far better than he.

Alden laid awake beside his daughter waiting for a sleep that never took him.

“Find me in the grand foyer,” Lady Anastasia’s voice echoed in his mind. He restrained himself from jumping at the sound. The lightness that had settled over him washed away as he let out a sigh. He gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead before making his way out of the room.

In the Grand Foyer, Lady Anastasia stood quietly awaiting his arrival. Dressed in one of her familiar black ballgowns that draped the floor she met him at the base of the stairs.

She put her hand to her mouth as she laid eyes on Alden. Holding back a laugh she asked, “I see Emily had her way with you.”

Alden reached his hand up to his disheveled head of braided hair in realization and laughed, “Indeed she did.” He began to pull loose some of the braids in his hair but left behind the braids that were tightly wound together.

Lady Anastasia watched quietly with an amused look. As he finished pulling apart a braid he asked, “Why have you summoned me at such a late hour. Has there been an emergency?”

Lady Anastasia shook her head, “No, not at all. I simply presumed little Emily would be asleep by now. I still have much to show you.”

Alden raised a brow at her, “Summoning a man at such a late hour is rather scandalous wouldn’t you agree?”

Lady Anastasia rolled her eyes, “Have you not realized?” she asked as she began walking through the winding halls of the Manor.

“Realized what?” Alden asked.

“That you have not rested since you awoke as a vampyr nearly 4 days ago.”

Alden stopped in his tracks. Despite all that had occurred since he awoke, he sensed no weariness within him.

Lady Anastasia had not stopped moving as she called over her shoulder at him, “It is what many call the Eternal night.”

Alden hurried to join her again, “I thought that vampyr were night dwellers. Though-“ he furrowed his brow. Knowing now that all attendants at the manor were vampyr, he noted that all of them moved through the manor at all hours of the day and night.

She shook her head, “The movement of the sun and moon are irrelevant. We need not rest unless injured. Though many believe us to be night dwellers, the reason for that belief is rather uninteresting. It is simply easier to hunt at night.”

Before Alden could respond, they arrived at the mist shrouded door that led below the manor. A knot formed in the back of his throat as he paused.

Lady Anastasia looked at him with a raised brow, “Have you led any other disgusting animals to my Manor Mister Cain?”

He shook his head, “Of course not.”

“Then you’ve nothing to fear,” she said as she disappeared behind the shimmering mist. “Come along,” her voice called from beyond the doorway.

Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Alden stepped through the doorway and followed Lady Anastasia down the spiraling staircase. Without warning, she turned and entered the hall of doors. The once silent corridor now bumbled with boisterous townsfolk. Ophelia stood beside the door, fielding question after question from nervous and quivering townsfolk.

“Where are our children?” one asked.

“This is a trap! Look at the door, it’s clouded with evil,” another added.

“Silence,” Lady Anastasias voice echoed down the hall.

As their voices quieted, she turned to Ophelia and spoke in whispers. After a brief conversation she nodded then turned to address the crowd again.

“Each of you will be sorted into a room,” she said as she waved her hand out. The crowd shifted in fear. Then the back wall of the hall stretched, expanding and adding dozens of rooms to the already expansive corridor.

“Those who wish to join the Manor please step to the left. Everyone else, step to the right,” she commanded.

To Alden’s surprise, only half of the remaining townsfolk chose to join the Manor. As he scanned the two lines, he set eyes on Missus Eade, who was standing in the line of those joining the manor. She stared at the opposing side with wide worried eyes.

“Fools, the lot of you. Will you give up on your children so easily?” Missus Eade called out over the murmurs.

Silence grew before the tailers wife stepped forward and spoke, “I will not become a demon and damn myself to hell like the lot of you!”

“So, you instead choose the selfish path. I thought better of you Agnes. Protecting your own life over your child’s? What are we to tell them about your passing?”

Agnes scoffed, “Tell them that monster killed their parents,” she gestured at Lady Anastasia who remained unperturbed by her remark.

Missus Eade shook her head, “You defended your children with words alone, but your actions reveal your cowardice.” Then she turned to face the front of the line, ignoring the scowl Agnes sent her way.

“It is decided,” Lady Anastasia’s voice rang out. “The day has been long, the weariness in your hearts may weigh heavily on you now. Though the town of Easton Burrough and its parasites are no longer, your children remain. Please know that they will be treated with the utmost care. For those of you who have chosen to transition into a new life here at my Manor, I hope you come to understand what it stands for. For those who have chosen death, I hope that my words bring you peace before your passing.”

“Monstrous bitch!” one woman shouted.

“I hope you rot in hell!” yelled Agnes.

Lady Anastasia turned to Ophelia, and they whispered amongst themselves before Ophelia stepped forward, leather bound book in hand she began assigning the townsfolk their rooms.

The group who had chosen death were quickly becoming unruly. Though they dared not direct their aggression at Lady Anastasia, instead directing it at those who had chosen to join the Manor. Agnes shouted a few obscenities at Missus Eade before reaching for her hair. Though Missus Eade was older in age, the speed at which she gripped her attackers’ arm was swift and decisive. Missus Eade did not face Agnes as she threw her hand away. Agnes raised her hand again at Missus Eade, only this time Lady Anastasia intercepted the attack. The room fell silent. Agnes glared at Lady Anastasia then attempted to rip her hand away. Lady Anastasia grip was solid, leaving Agnes looking like a petulant child trying to escape discipline from a parent.

“Ophelia, I will be tending to this one myself,” Lady Anastasia said with cold authority.

Ophelia nodded and scribbled a note in her journal. With Agnes in her grip, Lady Anastasia moved to the door closest to the exit. Agnes hollered and tugged at her grip. Tripping over herself and nearly falling to the ground.

With one hand around the woman’s arm, Lady Anastasia raised her free hand and began a low chant. The once solid oak door transformed into that familiar iridescent mist.

“What are you doing to me! You monster, release me!” Agnes shouted.

As Lady Anastasia finished her chant, she glanced at Alden and gestured for him to follow then disappeared beyond the doorway with Agnes in tow. Alden swallowed hard then glanced to Ophelia who was giving him an incredulous look.

“You best hurry along before she decides you are a problem to be dealt with as well,” Ophelia warned before turning her attention back to the townsfolk before her.

Alden inhaled deeply, then followed Lady Anastasia. As he stepped through the misty doorway, he found an entirely new hall. What was once a small room was now a sprawling corridor. It was dim and the scent of human blood was heavy in the air. Iron bars lined the walls and the faint sound of heavy breathing echoed quietly against the stone.

The quietness was shattered by the screams of Agnes. Alden followed the shrieks to the end of the hall beyond a solid iron door. As he entered the dark room, Lady Anastasia was standing beside the door, staring down at Agnes who was shrieking incoherently in the corner. Lady Anastasia looked to Alden, her eyes full of disdain she spoke impatiently, “The door please.”

Alden shut the door as Lady Anastasia approached the woman.

Her shrieking intensified, “Damn you to hell! You devil!”

“Cease your charade,” Lady Anastasia’s voice commanded and Agnes’ mouth snapped shut, silencing her.

“Now tell me your surname,” Lady Anastasia continued.

“Brown,” she answered obediently.

Then Lady Anastasia raised her hands and spoke in a melodic voice, “Deceit is all you speak, rot within the soul found deep, to end the corruption from within, may you speak with only honest whim.”

Shimmering mist seeped from Lady Anastasias fingertips and slithered their way towards Agnes. She scampered back but the mist wrapped around her, binding her arms to the ceiling and her ankles to the ground, forcing her into a wide stance pose. She struggled against her restraints then squeaked in pain. The scent of fresh blood flooded Alden’s senses before he caught sight of the blood trickling down Agnes’ arm.

Lady Anastasia finished her incantation and the mist turned to ichorous tendrils. They slithered down and lapped up the droplets of blood flowing down Agnes’ arms.

“Now tell me, why is it you have chosen death Agnes Brown?”

Agnes shot Lady Anastasia a hateful glare, “I would rather die a thousand deaths than live alongside a devil like you.”

Lady Anastasia laughed, “So you would choose your own piety over your children? Leave them to the hands of a supposed devil?”

“I care not what happens to those ungrateful hellions!” Agnes’ eyes grew wide, her own words surprising even herself.

Lady Anastasia gave a sinister smirk, “That withered heart of yours has revealed itself. Curious it is, that you defended them so, back at the church. If you care not what happens to your children, why put on a spectacle?”

Agnes scoffed, “I revel in any opportunity to tarnish my wretched husband’s reputation. I believed your auction a perfect opportunity to rid myself of those little brats. My husband was a prideful dolt, too ashamed to let the town see that it was his wife that gambled away his coin. I knew he cared more for his reputation than his children. I ran his coffers dry, and your auction would have allowed me to walk away a grieving mother, betrayed by her heartless husband.

Killing him off after his betrayal would have been simple. A little arsenic in his ale and he’d have died a useless drunkard, taking our debts to the grave along with him. Then you revealed your devilish wager. I considered your offer, but I refuse to go from one prison to another. I’d rather die than be controlled by the likes of you.”

“It seems I am mistaken; there is no heart in that chest of yours. Only rot remains,” Lady Anastasia walked around Agnes as she spoke, circling her like prey. “Tell me, have you ever cared for your children?”

Agnes rolled her eyes, “Those wretched brats destroyed my body. Four pregnancies I ended before them, but those two little bastards wouldn’t die. Then I had to do what I was expected. I became a wife and a mother, and it was nothing but misery.”

“Did you ever attempt to end your children’s life after their birth?” Alden cut in.

Agnes let out a hateful laugh, “Of course I did. As far as I was concerned, I had done my duty as a wife. I waited until I was no longer of child rearing age so my husband could not seed me again. Then I told the little animals to jump into the river after their favorite cat. I tied it out on a low hanging branch. I had already killed it of course, but they were too dimwitted to notice. I hoped the swiftness of the river would take them. But to my dismay they both were natural born swimmers.”

“Why become a mother and wife at all?” Alden asked. He understood what this was, it wasn’t merely a conversation, it was a trial. Agnes’ answers would determine her fate and the severity of her punishment.

Agnes let out an annoyed guffaw, “I am no fool. Unmarried women have little opportunity at wealth. My husband deceived me. Promising me a life of riches, convincing me his business would provide. He failed to mention that I would become his new seamstress. Working day in and day out, suckling brats on one teat and a pathetic husband on the other.”

“Which of you laid your hands on those boys of yours?” Lady Anastasia asked pointedly.

She laughed again, “You should have seen their distraught faces. ‘Mama what did I do wrong?’, ‘Mama why are you hurting me?’ Mama, mama, mama!” She ended in a shout. “They deserved to know my suffering for they were the cause of it. Why should they have the luxury of happiness when I did not?”

“What is your decision, Alden Cain?” Lady Anastasia asked.

Alden’s head snapped from Agnes to Lady Anastasia, “Decision? Is she not marked for death?”

Lady Anastasia raised a brow, “There are other options…” she said as she circled Agnes again, then ran a sharp nail down the length of her arm, slicing open the skin allowing the blood beneath to flow out freely.

Agnes screeched, “Kill me already you witch! Free me of these binds and send me from this godforsaken world. I will not be your food!”

Lady Anastasia laughed as she caressed Agnes’ cheek, running her nails across the line of her jaw, leaving a trail of blood behind, then she slapped her across the cheek. “Speak when spoken to wench.”

Agnes stared daggers at Lady Anastasia, her eyes saying what her mouth was forbade from speaking.

Then Lady Anastasia turned back to Alden, “Is she deserving of the mercy of death?”

Alden paused, considering her words, “Her story is not unfamiliar. Many women wish the freedom to choose their own fates. Not all wish to become mothers and wives. However…” he met Agnes’ eyes as he spoke his next words, “She is no victim of her age, her cruelty towards other living beings is no symptom of her mores but a symptom of the wickedness within her heart.”

Lady Anastasia nodded, “It is decided then,” she reached for one of Agnes’ arms, pulling it free from the tendril bindings.

Agnes tried to pull her arm from Lady Anastasia’s grip, but the more she pulled, the deeper Lady Anastasias nails dug into her arm. Then Lady Anastasia held Agnes’ arm out to Alden. An invitation he never knew he craved. The scent of fresh blood had awoken the hunger within him.

“Feed upon her freely Alden Cain. Be careful not to drain her dry.”

Alden’s feet moved before his mind. Agnes’ arm was now within his grip. He looked to Lady Anastasia, mouth watering in desire. She ran a hand through his hair, pushing his curls from his face and gave him a nod. Signaling that he was free to feed. Gripping her forearm in both of his hands, Alden dug his teeth into the meat of Agnes’ arm. The warmth of her blood coated his mouth. Unlike the trader, her blood was decadently rich. The sweetness of rot was no where to be found. As he fed upon her essence, his mind slipped away, losing himself to the compulsion to feed.

“Enough,” Lady Anastasia commanded.

Without warning, Alden ripped his teeth from Agnes’ flesh. His awareness returning as her breathless shrieks filled his ears. He released her arm, stepping away in a panic. Agnes, now looking like the meek pale woman she pretended to be struggled against her restraints. Lady Anastasia stepped forward and ran her tongue up Agnes’ forearm, sealing the wound Alden left behind.

Furrowing his brow he asked, “She shrieks as if it causes her pain?”

Lady Anastasia waved her hand, releasing Agnes from her bindings. Her body dropped against the stone floor with an unforgiving thud.

“Did you believe all vampyr bites are as pleasurable as mine?” She asked as she approached him.

Then, running her fingers across his cheek and ending at his lips, she wiped away the remnants of Agnes’ blood. Glancing at her bloodied finger, she brought it to her own lips and savored the blood for herself.

She gave Alden a sultry smirk then stepped past him, “You’ve still much to learn, Mister Cain.”

-K.M.