Blizzard Page 24

  “Neva.” Thedryk appeared at my side, soundless stealth shocking me from my reverie. “Go stay with the women; keep them safe. In case we missed any other…creatures.”

  I nodded, understanding he was trying to give me some reprieve. The smell of human flesh burning was a sickening thing, grossly sweet and putrid, but the creature’s bodies upon the fire created the smell of sulfur and delayed decay. The smoke from their corpses was like acid to the senses, disintegrating the nerves but never fully eroding them.

  A field had been cleared for the burning, and that plot of dirt would never yield any growth in the villagers’ lifetimes. No crops, no grass, not even weeds, not for centuries to come. It was near dawn by the time the men finished, all looking at Thedryk with an air of uncertainty and caution. Though he had saved the village and its remaining tenants, it became clear they recognized he was no ordinary man, if man at all. As they filed in through the church’s double doors, I departed from my singled-out spot. Apparently, the women had the same notion, recognizing us not as foe, but not entirely friend, either.

  It didn’t bother me that the women had made no advances to speak to me, to thank me. Once, I had been in their shoes. Afraid, believing everything I had been told by the leaders of the churches and my elders, but my, how times had changed.

  Once everyone had reunited with their remaining loved ones and friends, Thedryk addressed the remaining villagers as a whole. “I have a man who will arrive in three days’ time. His name is Jeren. He will bring with him help and transportation, as well as provisions, to bring you to my lands. If you so wish it, you will be welcome and cared for as though you were always my tenants.”

  Another shuffling of movement and uncertain words rose and fell within the room, writhing with the discontent and uncertainty. Only the blonde-haired woman rose and shouted above them all, catching Thedryk and me as we began to depart once more. “Thank you, sir. What is your name?”

  “Thedryk. Thedryk Melden.”

  A hush rushed over the people.

  “Will we see you again, Lord Melden?” The woman looked and sounded worn, but she still managed to exude a certain youth.

  “Let us all hope so.”

  “And if we don’t want to go?” A middle-aged man, hair thinning and body frail, leaned upon a pair of crutches as he watched timidly, waiting for Thedryk’s reply.

  “Then by all means, remain here, though I cannot guarantee the safety of those who remain.” Thedryk turned and left, ignoring the increasing volume of voices that carried out into the lightening sky. Dawn would arrive sooner than we could secure ourselves proper shelter.

  “Where are you going?” I chased after him, some fear of my own creeping in. I didn’t feel like becoming a pillar of ash for these kind villagers to point and exclaim, “See there! I knew it! Vampires! DEMONS!”

  “I know of a place nearby, where no one here dare goes near.”

  NEARBY, AS IT turned out, meant a quick jaunt on foot east of the village, farther away from where I believed Helsing and his group had headed. Before me stood a mansion. Most likely the locals considered this a castle, but I had seen castles in their palatial state, and while this was nothing to look down upon, it did not reach the grandness in size and appearance. The stately, grey stone exterior was mildewed and aged, uncared for, with windowed eyes watching our approach. Vines clung to the sides, corners, every conceivable crevice that gave the overgrowth claim to the vacant home. A stone wall had been erected around its borders, reaching only waist high, only peaking above Thedryk’s stature where the iron gates had once stood in their regal manner. As the bitter chill in the wind cut through our clothes, the twisted gates cried out against the strong winter blast.

  “They fear this place haunted?” I ventured, myself curious about the prospect of ghosts being a reality in this newly unfolding world.

  “Cursed.”

  The dry response caught me off guard.

  “Reegan ensured their fear.”

  Crossing the front courtyard revealed there had once been a garden in the front with an outlining of stones that remained. Whether roses or vegetables was indiscernible, but painful memories were clear on Thedryk’s face and in his voice as he continued. “After he killed my parents and left us to our weakness and fear, he came here to these lands my family had protected and let them know who was in rule. He had taken my family’s crest and essentially disintegrated our claim. My family used to visit here every spring. They still have a statue of my father along the backside of that sad little village, Lamatus.”

  Stairs led to the wide, single wooden door that had faded beyond recognition of any color it had once held. Thedryk turned the brass doorknob; another screeching of metal-on-metal cried out as an alarm that intruders had arrived.

  Then it became clear, the villagers’ silence at his name and sudden fear. “I am surprised they would still recognize your name, at least your family name. That was so very long ago…” The sun’s light began its attempt to warm the frozen ground behind us as we slipped inside, into the darkness of the entryway. I was startled by the lack of light. I expected some beams of light to break through the nearby windows. If this place had been left so long, certainly it had been cleared out by the desperate; if not, the interior decorations and furniture had rotted from centuries of neglect. Yet nothing indicated rot and decay, only a slight musky scent, as though a room left closed one too many days, not hundreds upon hundreds of years.

  A sudden burst of light caused me to jolt back before recognizing the source as that of a lamp being lit.

  Thedryk, unsmiling, turned to find my surprised expression. “I haven’t been here in years, but I have returned on occasion and kept up the interior at the very least. It’s preferable they believe it’s haunted or cursed, while I use this as another shelter when I need it.”

  “A summer home?” My right eyebrow quirked up in a high arc, small smile to match.

  Thedryk gave a snort of laughter. “Something like that.” Thedryk headed deeper within, taking a moment to light candles and lamps along the way. “I decided against electricity here; it would raise too many questions if anyone got brave enough to enter.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to…drink here, would you?”

  “I packed more than one canteen for our trek.” Thedryk stopped and guided me behind himself, angling his body as he opened a door to our right at the end of the hallway. He was watching for any signs of sunlight I realized.

  A large bed waited within. The curtains had remained drawn, no signs of illumination beyond the lamp Thedryk carried. The room held a bed, a dresser angled within the far corner, a massive mirror above the fireplace reflecting the bed, one nightstand to each side, and a fine layer of dust settled comfortably across every surface. Specks ruffled up by our entrance danced in the yellow light, appearing to glitter and shiver as they sifted back down to new territories.

  “Our quarters for the night?”

  “I hope this is acceptable. I’m afraid it’s all I have available. Safely,” he added, “that is.”

  “There are no qualms from me.” Pressing my lips together, I recognized my exhaustion, my desire for a warm bath as I could still smell the stench of burnt bodies on clothes. My skin felt grimy, but I doubted there were any other modern luxuries that had been afforded at the sanctuary or even the cabin.

  “Here.” Thedryk set the lamp upon the dresser, releasing his bag and spear at the foot of the bed. “I can at least make the bed more presentable. You may want to cover your mouth.” His warning gave me just enough time to cover my mouth as he shook the blankets, heavy and lined with wool, shaking free the signs of abandonment. “There!” He finished by lifting the pillows up and away, dusting those off as well. The dust looked like snow to me in that moment.

  “Quite the service you have provided.” I smiled wryly at Thedryk and finally received a full-fledged grin revealing his perfectly white teeth.

  “I am known for my hospitality,”
Thedryk quipped as he made his way back to the end of the bed, taking up his satchel. “Now if you would, turn away a moment?”

  “Come again?”

  “I am going to change, and no spectators are allowed I’m afraid.”

  “Oh! Yes!” Laughter bubbled up with my words as I turned away. “Is there no other room to be used for changing? It seemed quite well secured to keep light out throughout the areas we passed through.”

  “You could.” Thedryk was suddenly behind me, warmth from his body and breath tickling the back of my neck and freezing me in place. “But then I wouldn’t get to enjoy watching your embarrassed squirming just now.”

  Those words forced me to straighten, a flushing and burning in my skin rushing over my body. “Thedryk.” I blinked rapidly, briefly, speaking through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe you.” Nearly ripping the door from its hinges, I passed through the doorway, but Thedryk caught my wrist and pulled me back into the room.

  “Forgive me.” He shut the door more gently than I had opened it. “I should not have teased you.”

  In his retrieval of me, he had spun me back around so I stood facing him. He had already changed his clothes but not yet finished tying the front of his nightshirt closed. The blisters from hours before had dissipated into faded scars, scars I knew would not exist within just a few hours. “It is not safe to enter other rooms. I have applied minimal effort to other rooms within these walls for security, so depending on the room you enter, you may become the newest layer of dust to grace the furniture.” He was still holding onto my wrist, but I could only focus on the closeness of his body to mine, my heart and pulse racing.

  “Don’t do it again, please.” I carefully pulled my wrist away from his hand, feeling his eyes burning into the top of my head which I kept lowered.

  “Why are you—”

  “Move away, turn around.”

  He knew, of course he knew I was off in that moment. He had stood holding my wrist, feeling my pulse long enough, and my heart had been pounding so heavily I was surprised it hadn’t pressed out from my own ribcage to his in its beats.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I would like to change, so please.”

  “Ah, of course.” Thedryk took in a deep breath, a delayed breath he had been holding.

  “Is there wood for a fire?” I had already peeled away the black garb, happily free of its grasp while I inspected my own fading scars. There was no more pain, and soon any signs of the damage would be gone as a distant memory.

  “Uhm.” Thedryk stalled a moment. “No, but it would not be wise to light a fire here, now.”

  “Oh, I guess not.” Remembering the villagers, the ungrateful villagers caused a new sensation towards humans. Even my old self, would I have reacted any differently if I had been in their situation? Still, the sensation of a mixture of betrayal and ire settled itself carefully around the center of my heart.

  “Fear not, we will not freeze to death here. The blanket on this bed is made from the wool of rams within mountains further north of here. We will have plenty of warmth from that alone…” Thedryk trailed off.

  I turned to see what had so distracted him to find him staring back at me only half dressed, having just pulled on a pair of pants and still shirtless. My hair had fallen loose, long strands covering most of my back, but Thedryk’s gaze lingered too long for my comfort before he whipped his head back around.

  “Sorry.” His apology was quick, his excuse even quicker. “I assumed you were dressed. I shouldn’t have.”

  “You can turn back around,” I stated calmly, though I felt anything but. My stomach was in a confused state of knots and fluttering. “Let’s just get some rest. This journey has started off in most unexpected ways.”

  Climbing onto our respective sides, we faced the walls, away from one another. Sleep was more elusive than ever as I lay there, certain I could feel his heartbeat and mine through the bed.

  “We can wash up after sunset, clean our clothes. I should still be able to pump some water.” Clearly Thedryk couldn’t find the ability to sleep either.

  “Thank you, Thedryk.” I had caught him unaware, unsuspecting of any such thanks after he had spied on me half dressed.

  “What for?” His voice trailed off, skeptical.

  “You planned everything so well, things I had not considered in my urgency to leave. If not for you, I honestly do not know what I would have, or could have, done to help anyone. Not even myself.” He deserved my honesty. I knew in that moment it was something he needed but not why, just something gnawing at the edges of my mind.

  “You don’t need to thank me. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

  I rolled over from my side, propping myself up on one elbow. “It may be what you are supposed to do, but that does not mean you had to do it.” An edge of reproach crept in, though it was not my intention. His constant response just irked me, as though I were the daily chore.

  Thedryk turned partially over, examining my face in the dimmed lighting. “That’s not how I meant it.” He finished his turn, propping himself on his elbow in mirror to me. “When I say I’m supposed to do it, I mean to not do it would be impossible. Every part of me, every fiber of my being knows you are who I am meant to be with, to protect in any way possible.”

  For his candor, I had nothing, only my gradual return to lying down on my back as I considered his confession.

  “We should rest now. Tomorrow brings new perils.” As Thedryk turned himself back to his designated wall, the light from the lamp dimmed further as I heard the metallic wheel turning, trimming the wick, and then the light disappeared completely, leaving us both to our thoughts and impending dreams.

  Fair hair, eyes so deep a red they border on black and brown, cruel smile and brilliant white teeth. Four long sharp incisors, top and bottom, luminescent skin. Familiar, similar, different, dangerous. Her sword cuts through the air with precision and depth. She is winning, I will die, everyone will die.

  “Come, Neva, are we not—”

  I woke, screaming, Thedryk shaking me. “Nevaaa!” Finally, all the oxygen was expelled from my lungs. Her next words were lost, but her features were firmly implanted in my memory as a brand. Drawing in a large breath of air, I dislodged myself from Thedryk’s grasp and dug into my bag. Nearly halfway through my contents, I found the items I sought, my journal and pen, the writing instrument Eliza had given me to help expedite the recording of my dreams.

  “Neva?” Thedryk’s voice was distant in that moment as I wrote out the details I remembered, before they evaporated once more. “Neva…”

  “Wait!” It was a plea and command, a desperate expression from a foreign voice. As I finished writing the details, I found the recollection did not fade away. I could still clearly see her face, her form, and figure, the shining details of her black clothes, those just as unusual as she. “Thedryk…I can remember her. I can see her!”

  “What, truly?” His astonishment was as genuine as my own. “Tell me!”

  Instead, I handed him the book, offering it for his reading pleasure. As I watched, Thedryk went pale, and I realized he had lit the lamp at some point. How long had I been screaming like that? My throat felt on fire, raw with my voice still sounding raspy.

  “Get dressed. We have to find Helsing immediately.” Thedryk’s urgency panicked me.

  “Why, what’s wrong?”

  “I…I can’t say for certain, but I think I almost recall a woman such as this. Though…” Thedryk was struggling as he dropped my journal back into my bag and immediately began changing. All modesty was apparently no longer a consideration as he grabbed his own satchel from the floor and tore off his nightclothes, switching to a clean set of the black garb.

  “You mean you may know this woman?” I followed suit, though I turned my back as I changed, and pulled out a freshly rolled set of spare clothes for myself. “If you know her, then it would stand to reason Eliza may know her…and the others?” The movement behind me
slowed, briefly, before resuming the previous harried pace.

  “I cannot say. It’s like…something is missing. A lot of somethings, truthfully, but I know it’s brought something else back. I just know we need to hurry and reach Helsing, now.” His voice held control, but that underlying panic was clear, and that made me afraid. It made me desperate.

  We took just enough time to wash out the previous day’s clothes. Luckily, we were still able to secure some water from a lake beyond what my eyes had seen the morning prior. Much had been frozen, but that did not stop Thedryk from breaking through the surface and collecting what waited beneath. This time he ignored the danger of a fire. I watched with curious eyes as Thedryk went about building the fire from the furniture pieces he broke down, applying an oil I did not recognize, to feed the blaze mounting within the hearth that allowed us the luxury of hot water and some warmth.

  “Are we not in a hurry?” Impatience was now my temperament.

  “We are, but we smell heavily of burnt bodies, and burnt others, and I’d rather not attract the wrong attention because of it.” He pulled out a bar of soap and two cloths. “Besides, it’s merely a quick scrub down and washing of hair.”

  So we washed our clothes and what we could of our bodies and hair, which made them marginally better. With the fire retaining its strength, we were able to dry our clothes just enough to be repacked and my hair to become only slightly damp. Setting out into the night revealed the land still frozen, glistening beneath a crescent moon. In the beauty of our enhanced vision, everything seemed to come to life in the moonlight, no matter how scarce, and when there was no moon, the stars made up for its temporary vacancy.

  “Where are we going?” I had begun following without question, but became wary when I recognized the village coming closer rather than being bypassed.

  “We need to requisition horses. I heard at least four when we here.”