Lyra limped behind Vlad like a beaten dog. Her hands constantly rubbed at her rump where he'd lashed her with the stick for what seemed like days in her head.
The pain had been intense.
At the end of it, laying in the mud exhausted and weeping, she'd expected him to kill her.
Instead, he'd squatted down beside her and lifted her hand in front of her face.
"Condense shadow."
"What?"
"Do you want another beating, witch?" He swatted her head. "Condense shadow!"
She shuddered, pulling shadows into her fingertips as he'd asked.
Then, slowly began to condense it into a ball.
It was the first trick all Brides were taught.
And it was humiliating when he clicked his tongue at her effort. "Tch. Not good enough."
"What?" She flinched from his glare. "I'm the best at this!"
"If this is your best, you should hide your head in shame." He glanced over at Mina. "Did you see the trick?"
"Sort of."
He held a finger up. "You have one hour."
"What?"
"One hour to do it. Or you'll walk like she will."
Mina gulped, then threw herself on the ground and started concentrating on her fingers.
Turning back to Lyra, he lifted her hand again. Held it there in front of her nose.
"I want you to double your effort. I want the ball to condense this big," he said, holding thumb and forefinger apart. It would mean twice as large as what she can manage. "If you can't do this in an hour, I will beat you again."
Behind them, Callie stifled a giggle.
But then gasped as Vlad's cold gaze turned to her. "I didn't except you. You will do the same."
"But I couldn't possibly do that!"
Vlad sighed. "Then you will be very sore."
Lyra shook her head, remembering the next beating they'd received. The human girl, Mina, had managed to summon a small speck of shadow and had been ecstatic to do so.
But neither Lyra nor Callie succeeded.
And now they both walked crookedly behind him.
Like dogs.
The humiliation was almost too much. Her dress was getting filthy as it trailed behind her on the ground. Brides weren't meant to be walking, but he was forcing them to do so.
The other mortal woman, Lucy, seemed too energetic.
She was almost skipping along beside Vlad, her hand held up in front of her face as she tried to summon even a simple shadow. So far, she wasn't succeeding. But Lyra could tell she was close to grasping the method.
It was frustrating.
Two mortal women were being given the power of Brides.
And instead of failing, they were showing some gift for the secret techniques.
Especially the blonde one. She was shockingly gifted.
That speck of black had grown as she walked like a zombie on his other arm. The woman's concentration was admirable.
It was like she wanted nothing more than to grow the shadowy sphere until it was as big as the sun.
Lyra shuddered.
Then there was the other male. The sneaky one.
Vlad had directed him to constantly run ahead and then circle back. In the beginning, the little fledgling was slow. Too slow for Vlad, who cracked his stick across the fledgling's back.
But then something happened.
The little one discovered Shadow Merge.
Just discovered it!
Suddenly he was flitting through the shadows like someone born to it. The Brides could all do this trick, but this one was learning it at a horrifying rate.
And still Vlad wasn't impressed!
"You are too loud," he scolded the fledgling. "Muffle your steps!"
This was ridiculous! Lyra hadn't been able to hear him at all.
For an hour or more they followed a winding track through the mountains. They'd rested in a cave during the day to keep out of the light. Lyra had hoped to get away from this monster as soon as the sun set, but when she opened her eyes from Torpor she found him sitting in front of the cave's mouth, cross-legged and his hands clasped in front of his belly.
What was he doing?
He was cycling his blood energy, but in a way she couldn't decipher.
It wasn't the Crimson Wave technique. She was sure of it. It was very strange.
The worst thing was he hadn't even demanded to know where the Tower of the Brides was. He'd just followed the secret track like he'd known it would be there.
Dragging the three defeated Brides along with him.
Callie slumped, not able to endure the humiliation.
Only Helena seemed unconcerned.
Helena seemed fine after Torpor. The wound on her head was now a simple bruise. Still, she flinched when she saw Lucy stowing the pot and absently touched her forehead.
Who were these people to bring fear to the Brides?
"In the dungeons of the Tower, there's the Well of Shadows," Vlad said. It took a moment for Lyra to understand he was talking to her. "Is it still there? Is it still alive?"
"What?" She gulped. How could he know this? "This… I can't…"
"Tch. Is it there?"
"You're a bully!" Callie shouted suddenly. "You already beat us up, and now you want to take our secrets? Lyra, don't tell him anything!"
"You are mistaken, witch," Vlad said. He sounded calm, but his eyes boiled with anger. Why was he so angry? "The Well of Shadows is not a thing for the Brides. It is a thing for the Court! Tell me now. Is it still alive?"
"Yes, it's still there. And still alive," Helena answered for them. Then shrugged as the other Brides gawked at her. "What are you thinking? He's from the Court. He's not wrong."
Callie struggled with her answer. "But he bullied us!"
"We lost." Helena sighed. "The countess will understand."
Callie blinked.
Then her expression grew crafty. She prodded his arm with a long finger. "That's right. Do you hear that, you awful bully? The countess will take care of you! And I hope she lets me give you some of what you gave me! Then your bottom will hurt for days, too!"
"Only days?" Vlad shook his head, pursing his lips in thought. "I did not beat you enough if you will only hurt for days."
"What?" She took a step away from him, covering her bottom with both hands. "You wouldn't dare!"
He held up the stick. "You witches are testing my patience enough," he said with a cold glint in his eyes. "You stepped away from the Court. I cannot forgive this insolence. I am not afraid of your useless countess. She should be afraid of me! I will drag her out of the tower and back to the Court so she can bow fifty times and swear her loyalty forever. Then I will punish her."
"You're crazy," Callie breathed, shaking her head in denial of everything she heard. "You don't know how strong she is! You might be able to bully us, but she will absolutely bully you!"
"We shall see, silly girl."
"I'm not a silly girl!"
Callie's shriek echoed across the mountains, but Vlad's only reply was a smirk. His point had been made.
Not far away, a tower of black stone rose majestically out of the side of a steep mountain. From the highest room, the countess peered out across the wide expanse.
The Carpathian Mountains in the distance were clear, bathed in moonlight.
And on the wide plain, Romania lay settled for the night.
She imagined she could see the castle in which Radu had made his lair.
Twisting her mouth into a grimace, she sighed.
His messenger, Veld, had just left only a day before. A rancid little man with rancid little habits. She hoped never to see him again.
But she knew this was a vain hope. Radu would never give up.
What would she do if he came here in person?
Who could stop him?
Was Radu's letter right? Had time changed so much that she should consider aligning the Brides with his court? His True Dragon Court?
Ah, the very sound of it made her sneer.
Such arrogance!
Suddenly, her gaze whipped to the pass which was the only access to the tower. Someone was coming. She could feel them.
"Meri!"
The door opened with an efficient hush. "Yes, My Lady?"
"We're about to have some unwanted visitors. Go and fetch her for me."
"Truly, Mistress?" Meri gulped.
"Go!"
Trotting as fast as she could, Meri shook her head. The countess hadn't called for her in years! What could possibly be so important?
The journey into the basement wasn't arduous, but the little Bride found herself panting by the time she reached the massive doors which marked the rooms of her.
Two Brides stood firmly on either side.
Each in robes with hoods drawn up to hide their faces.
"Meri?" One asked in a cool tone. "It has been a while."
"Yes," Meri replied. "But the countess sent me."
"Hmm. Very well."
Slowly, the robed Bride unlocked the door and hesitated before opening it. "Are you sure?"
Meri trembled, her fear rising. "It is her will."
"Good luck. She's been a bit waspish of late."
"More than usual," the other murmured.
Entering the massive vaulted room, Meri gulped hard as the doors were shut and locked behind her.
"What have we here?" A silky voice cut through the silence like a gentle knife. "Is it a pet? Are you a pet sent to play with me?"
"N-n-no… I'm… M-Meri…"
"Aah, yes. I remember," the voice sighed heavily. "What do you want?"
"The countess has requested-"
"Requested?"
"Requested."
"Hmm."
"That you join her."
"Why?" The sound of splashing liquid made Meri flinch. "Why should I come to her?"
"She said we have guests. Uninvited. Unwanted."
"Oh?" The silky voice purred with delight. "I do so love… guests. Tell my sister I will come to her shortly."
Meri fled.
Behind her, the Bride laughed mockingly as she leaned back in the wide expansive pool of blood she had been bathing in.
"Run, little rabbit! Run!"
***
I've currently entered this story into the November contest for WebNovel. If you're enjoying this story, the best gift you can give me right now is to add it to your library collection.
I keep asking for comments, too, but only get spam. I would really love to hear your thoughts and feedback even if they're negative. As a writer, it's how we grow our story. So, don't be shy!