Chapter 10: The Castle of Red

Danek looked over himself. His coat still had the basic scabbard for him to put away the new sword that he received. He touched his wrists to feel the thickness of his clothing on a cold night, but he was reminded of something that he was missing.

“Wish I didn’t lose my crossbow launcher,” he commented.

“We won’t need it,” Lilith replied.

“I still think this is a trap.”

“Why would you think so?”

“Think about it. The Countess was hoping to get us, but she instead destroyed our home. I’m beginning to wonder if she somehow knows who you are.”

“What basis of belief do you have on that?”

She had a good point with her question, and it was something that Danek had no answer to. He frowned as he thought about it.

“I don’t know,” Danek explained. “The fact is that she didn’t bother to do what she just did. It’s possible that one of her cohorts ordered it instead of her, but...”

“And how many people have gone missing or showed up dead at her doorstep? You, yourself, already told me countless times. She blamed me in the past had you show up here.”

“I’m just saying that something doesn’t make sense. What were her motivations for doing this? These weren’t the actions of bandits or thieves. Somebody targeted you, targeted us. Somebody ... that knows you.”

Lilith seemed to think about it for a few seconds as she flexed her hand, admiring the chain whips that she wore. For a brief moment, Danek could see that she was reminiscing about her past. For the man, he had to consider that everything that happened just now had to deal with the past.

“The Countess...,” Danek said. “There has to be a connection somewhere ... that’s where the missing link comes in ... why she targeted you.”

“Why wait till now?” Lilith asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not going to stand here and ponder about our enemies!” The woman showed a hint of anger in her face. “She wants a fight, and she will get it!”

Lilith walked around the destroyed interior of the home. She saw a hint of a flickering red light under some rubble. It didn’t take long before she reached through it and pulled out the red crystal. She looked at it as she considered everything.

“In the end,” Lilith commented. “I’m on a road with no turns. I will never have my peace. My enemies will always hunt me down, for I have made too many, Danek. So, I decide to hunt them ... eviscerate them as I’ve done in the past.”

“Just make sure not to target the innocent.”

“If she is guilty...”

“Then she will be arrested,” Danek interrupted her. “If she dies, others will hunt you down ... hunt ‘us’ down.”

“We might not have a choice, husband. Besides, I wouldn’t hesitate either.” She sneered a little bit and held her clawed fingers outward.

“She does have a lot of soldiers.”

“Many, who will be asleep.”

There was no hope in convincing her not to do this, but even Danek had to admit that something had to be done. Inaction would lead to nothing, and Lilith wouldn’t stand for it either. He looked over at his dead horse. It only reminded him to do something about it. He gave a cold stare to Lilith and nodded his head.

“I’m ready to launch my investigation,” Danek said.

Lilith walked up to him and put her hands on his chin. “I see that a part of me has worn off on you. Good...”

“I just hope that we’re wrong, though. Something tells me we won’t like what we’re going to see.”

The winged woman looked at the red crystal. Again, there was hesitation on her face.

“This crystal,” she explained. “It was everything to me. With it, they couldn’t see me. Today...” She crushed her hand, smashing the crystal to bits. “Today, they will know where I am.”

The energy of the crystal evaporated into stardust. Danek knew that with the crystal destroyed, the others might find her.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“There’s no hope in hiding from them. If it is as you think it is, then our activity will bring them to us. If the Countess or some group was responsible for this, then maybe they will track us ... so we can properly dispatch them.”

Danek nodded. “Would this ... Coalition help us?”

“I don’t know...”

“Fine...,” he nodded. “Are you ready?”

“Are ‘you’ ready?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Danek noted that the darkness was at its peak. The full moon was present. There was nothing left of the home to do anything about.

“All right,” she explained. “We are going to teleport our way to the manor as close as possible.”

“Teleport?”

“Yes ... oh, that’s right, we haven’t done that yet. It’s risky, but the quickest way to get there. I believe I know enough of the area.”

She looked behind her checking her bat-like wings. She opened and closed them testing out her muscles.

Danek was surprised to hear everything from her just now. His adrenaline started to kick in, knowing he was going to participate in some sort of sorcery.

He took a deep breath. “Let’s do this then before I change my mind.”

“Then embrace me,” she said.

Danek didn’t know what was going to happen, but he followed what she asked. Upon doing so, Lilith hugged the man. Her bat-like wings wrapped around him, almost like a giant blanket. However, something was happening. Some sort of dark energy was rippling around him. He didn’t know what she was doing, but he would know soon. For a moment, Danek almost felt like he was in two places at once.

Suddenly they appeared in a new location. The full moon lit the area only partially as they materialized. She looked up at Danek as they released one another. The castle walls surrounded them, along with several buildings. Only the torch lights helped provide any form of illumination besides the full moon.

Danek took a deep breath admiring the scene and the sudden ability to be from one point to another in an instant.

“Hmmm ... all right,” he whispered. Lilith looked at her bare feet. At night, her eyes could see everything like it was day.

“We’re inside the castle walls?” Danek asked.

“Not far from inside,” she said.

“Teleportation...,” the man shook his head. “Incredible.”

“Only to places I’ve been. We dare not teleport inside, especially if I don’t know what it looks like from within.”

“All right, I recognize this spot, Lilith,” he whispered to her. “This is near the stables where the horses are at. That should...”

There was a ruckus from the stables as a horse neighed. The animal sensed Lilith’s arrival and started to panic. This, in turn, caused one of the guards from the castle walls to peer down at the stables.

“Damn...” he whispered. “Lilith, I see the entrance of the main building. I went through those halls. It leads to a corridor with several rooms. We might need to teleport inside.”

She looked at the entrance from a distance as the guard’s eyes were focused on the stables. The watchers’ field of vision could easily see any trespassers that walked the area if they left the dark area where they were hiding.

“Be warned,” she whispered. “This is almost a blind teleport jump. It’s dangerous.”

“Don’t worry, that recess in front of us leads straight forward. We will be fine.”

“Ok.”

She focused as Danek hugged her again. She wrapped her wings around him, but the feeling was less intense than it usually was. This time, there was less effort involved before they released each other. They instantly rematerialized in the corridor, well clear of the guard’s vision.

Danek and Lilith looked at the surrounding area before gazing into the corridor in front of them. The rushlight candles on the walls made it just seeable enough to walk through the darkness. There was nobody around them. He turned around to look forward again.

Lilith used her eyesight well as she scanned the corridor in front of them. It was the same corridor that Danek walked through that led to one of the guest rooms.

Danek decided that it was best to unsheathe his sword and have it ready. It was all quiet, though, as he gave the go-ahead to move.

“Lilith,” he whispered. “I need your eyes on this. I can see but just barely. The area is especially dark at night.”

“Don’t worry; I can see anyone coming from the other end of the corridor. There are at least twelve different rooms as it eventually leads up to the inner section of the castle. We are in the clear.”

“Good ... let’s go,” he said as they walked forward.

Lilith’s gaze was like a hawk focusing on the corridors for any sign of movement. Danek struggled but maintained a forward pace. His boots made the light sounds of echoing footsteps on the hard stone.

They walked past the guest room, partially attracting Danek’s attention.

“I’m hearing something ahead,” she said. Her eyes looked forward at one of the far distant rooms. “It’s coming from over there.”

Danek heard nothing but knew her hearing had to be better than his.

“What is it that you hear?” he asked her.

“Screaming ... like a scream of someone being...” she closed her eyes as she focused. “Like someone being cut up.”

“What?” he asked.

Danek looked at Lilith with some surprise. He focused forward to see nothing.

“Strange,” he remarked to her. “I swore that I heard something here when I was here months ago. I hadn’t even thought about it till now.”

“Screaming has stopped,” she commented.

They continued their walk as they reached a set of paintings and portraits mounted on the wall. The darkness almost obscured it from Danek’s vision as he walked past it. The pictures caught Lilith’s eyes as she grabbed him to ensure they didn’t get separated.

“What?” he asked her as her vision was focused on the paintings. Her eyes could see all as she studied the portrait. Each one consisted of a certain individual. Most of the individuals she ignored, but one caught her eye as she focused on it.

“Not possible ... how?” she remarked.

“Who is this person?” he asked as he looked at the portrait closely.

“This man, it is close to the likeness of Stephen Báthory of Ecsed. He was a known associate of Vlad Dracula long ago. He was even made supreme commander of the army forces at one point. I knew him, personally.”

“Was he a vampire?”

She shook her head. “No, but he did know that Dracula was a vampire, though. He still offered his support, surprisingly. He was known to be exceptionally cruel in his acts. Interesting...”

“It would make sense,” Danek remarked. “The Countess, Elizabeth Báthory, could be a distant relative to this man.”

She put her hand to her chin. “Am I facing one of your distant kin, Stephen? What is the correlation, though? What correlation would this be with Dracula’s demise?” She turned back to the corridor. “Ghosts ... fighting ghosts of the past, my love.”

“It is all right. We will get to the bottom of this. We wi...”

Their talking was interrupted by a loud scream in the distance. Danek focused ahead.

“Different scream as before,” she remarked. “It’s a female voice around the age of eighteen to twenty.”

“Come on, let’s go to it now,” Danek replied as he ran forward to the sound. Lilith’s eyes revealed the way as she focused on the area ahead. Her hearing tracked it to one of the open rooms near the end that led to its own corridor.

“Second room on the left that leads out,” she commented as they ran to the sound of the scream.

Danek’s boots slammed on the stone as he ran at full speed, echoing through the halls. He reached the open door that she pointed out. Her feet slapped the stone as she ran.

The man peered down the open door and could see that it was another tunnel that led to a set of spiral stairs that went downward. Lilith got in front of him.

Suddenly, they both began to hear music that came from beneath the stairs below. It was the same sound Danek heard before. It was the melody of the harpsichord playing. It was both harmonious and ominous in the castle.

“I want you behind me, husband. I can see better than you. If you fall or trip, you will just land on me.”

“Alright,” he commented as she stepped to the stairs and started to walk down the long spiral case. There was one candlelight on the stairs that barely lit the area as they traversed downward.

“I smell blood,” she whispered to him. “Fresh ... just spilled.”

Danek, of course, smelled nothing as they reached halfway down the stairs. His sword at the ready, he knew danger was getting closer.

They reached the bottom of the spiral case. It led to a new corridor with two sets of rooms. One was a wooden door of simple construction, and the other was a padded lock door with a heavy wooden frame to block it.

Besides the fork of the corridor, there were only a couple of candles mounted on the walls that lit the area to both doors.

“Which room do you smell the blood coming from?” he asked her quietly.

“Both...” She sniffed the air. “It is focused more on the right padded lock door.”

As they reached the entrance, Lilith’s foot touched something wet, and her nose went straight down to her feet. She stepped back as she looked at her foot. It was covered in red, and they could see a blood trail that lined both doors. She wiped her finger over it and licked it.

“Blood all right,” she commented. “Looks like something is going on down here.”

“We need to pick a door,” Danek replied. “Check to see if the door will open.”

Lilith took her hand and rotated the door handle. But the door was locked.

“I can fix this,” she remarked.

Danek did not bother to stop her. They needed answers now. He nodded to her to do it.

Lilith stepped back as she raised her arm and balled her fist. She pulled her arm back and threw a heavy fist at the door. The door smashed open, almost breaking it from its hinges as the room was unveiled to them.

The music of the harpsichord came to a stop from the other door. They looked through the entrance to reveal a horror to Danek. The blood trail went to a body that was laid on a table. The room was filled with cutting instruments, from knives to small pipes used to harvest something from its remains. Bottles and pails all used were parked by the table and in storage racks. On the table was the corpse of a dead woman.

“What in God’s name?” He remarked as he looked at the remains.

Lilith was unaffected by what she saw. Instead, she walked up to the corpse and began to look at it. She took note of everything she saw.

“Cut sand lashes on the wrist. Blood is still dripping from the corpse.” She took a sniff at the wrist. “Her blood is practically drained dry. She was in complete panic as she was drained of blood. By what I smell ... she is a virgin, young, about her twenties around there.”

Danek came up to the body. The dead woman’s eyes were still open as the man used his fingers to close the eyes. He had his sword ready in case any soldiers came in to fight them.

He shook his head. “The vanishing women ... the screams ... they’re murdering women. Why?”

She was still looking at the dead body, remarking on everything that she saw. The clothing of the woman was pure white but had red blood that marked the dress.

“Is this the work of a vampire?” Danek asked.

“Not what I would call it. This body has no puncture marks. The wrists were slashed. Typical vampires would always go for the throat and arms to sink our fangs into. Slashing an arm like this can result in the loss of blood too quickly and get it everywhere, which is why we see the trail.

“And from what I can tell,” Danek added. There is no sign of disease from her that would require bloodletting either.

“We might still be looking at a vampire, though.”

“So, would this attacker be a vampire or a human?”

“I don’t know. We need more information, but we might be looking at a form of dark witchcraft or possibly sorcery. Blood would be required for it to work, but again I need to see what is going on in the other door.”

“Right. Let’s do it. Let’s bust down the door.”

Lilith turned around and walked up to the other door. She balled up her fist as Danek got right behind her with his sword ready. Danek’s adrenaline began to surge at the crime scene that had unfolded. He knew that this had been going on for a long time.

She pulled her arm back and smashed into the door. The door buckled as the heavy padlock held it closed. She then stepped back, lifted up her foot, and kicked the door hard. The lock snapped on the metal clasp holding the door closed. Broken, it fell to the stone below with a hard thud.

The door slowly opened as light flooded from the entrance. The inside of the chamber was well-lit, with several candles and lanterns placed throughout the interior. It was quite spacious, with a large square-shaped table in the center. The furniture was draped with a red-clothed tablecloth that sat over a red carpet. All along the walls of the room were various paintings, including a coat of arms. The area was so large that four pillars helped hold up the stone ceiling above them. The trail of blood followed from the door to the carpet, where it led to another door beyond it. There was what looked like a small overhead balcony where they could see a curtain. The height of the floor to the ceiling was relatively high enough that it would require a ladder to reach. The room was primarily red and white in color, similar to the coat of arms of the Báthory family. A vase filled with red roses and blue-violet flowers sat on the center table, along with a set of chairs parked around it. On the side wall was the harpsichord with a small chair parked next to it. Whoever was playing this instrument left in a hurry after the doors were broken into.

WHAM...

As they stepped inside the room, the door behind them slammed shut with incredible force. Danek was startled as Lilith had a look of anger and intensity. When Danek looked around, he could see a series of red crystals that jutted from the walls.

“Lilith...,” Danek commented. “She has the same type of crystals that you had.”

“Rare magic this is,” she responded. “It is strong in this room. With this being so underground as it is, I am sure even the Coalition of Deities would have had a hard time picking it up. Be on your guard, husband. We’re in danger.”

Danek knew that somewhere was a powerful sorcerer in the vicinity. It was so strong that Lilith was picking up the individual.

“I can smell this individual...” Lilith said. “It is a she ... I smell a lot of blood coming from that door and balcony. It is so strong it is...”

Lilith was unable to continue as they heard a female voice come from the balcony. It was directed to both of them.

“Well ... well ... well ... what do we have here? Looks like a man and a woman have come to see me. It is quite late for your arrival, isn’t it?”

“Countess, is that you?” Danek asked.

“But of course, young lad,” the coarse, feminine voice responded. “Why are you here with that woman? Have you come to offer her for me?”

There was a questioning look on the man’s face as he looked up at the balcony. He could see a woman dressed in a regal red dress. She was around her fifties, being quite old for the time period.

“Are you responsible for the vanishings?” he asked her. “Are you responsible for the death of that woman we found in the other room?”

“No...” Countess Báthory responded. There was hesitation in her voice as she knew she was in trouble.

Lilith was unfazed as she looked at the Countess. Her gaze held nothing but anger at her.

“Countess!” Danek called to her. “György Thurzó has sent me to investigate the disappearances of women in this region. You are committing murder on these women. I demand to know why!”

“Murder? Young investigator, they died of cholera.”

“Bullshit! I see the blood trail,” he reacted. “I found the corpse of the young woman in the other room, and I heard screaming. Then there are false allegations toward young Lady Chava here. Evidence kept pointing to her as a culprit that you or your aids did. Don’t try to deny this!”

Her head turned to look at Lilith. She put her hand to her mouth as she tried to find a way to argue out of it, but instead, she focused her attention on Lilith again.

“Lady Chava ... how good to see you,” the Countess said as she lifted her hands in the air. “Or ... should I say ... Lilith, the first vampire of the world.”

Lilith gritted her teeth as she stepped forward. She finally decided to speak up.

“Countess Báthory, finally good to see you too,” Lilith told her. “Your abilities are excellent, but let me ask you something. How does an old woman like you have magical powers?”

Danek looked at Lilith with shock and realization that the Countess herself was the source of magic that she picked up. The door slamming shut was her doing. For the Countess, she decided to go ahead and tell the truth. There was no evading it now.

“Young lad ... Lilith,” the Countess explained. “I have discovered the secret of youth. The power of living an eternal life. All it takes is some blood from the virgins that come to me.”

“Wha?...” Danek said with surprise. “You confess to killing women and stealing their blood so you can live longer?! What in God’s name?”

“What is your name, young investigator?”

“Danek Johan, Countess.”

“Yes, Danek, eternal youth has its price. The price of red makes it all worthwhile. I don’t want to die now, would I? Sometimes sacrifices had to be made if I can keep living.”

“Does framing me serve as a part of that price as well?” Lilith asked her.

“My servants might be to blame on that one. I don’t ever remember pointing to you directly as at fault. You have my sincere apologies.”

“Apologies!” she screamed at her. “Do you know how many times I have tried to live peacefully and had someone hound at my door trying to find answers!? Even you have the responsibility in how you treat your subjects and what actions they are allowed to commit.”

“And the fact that you attacked our home,” Danek added as he pointed his sword at her. “I found an arrow bolt from your soldiers. You tried to murder us!”

“An unfortunate event. As my powers grew day by day, I was finally able to pierce the fold and feel your presence, Lilith. I knew a great power was nearby. Not only just a power but a vampire ... thee vampire of legend.”

Danek kept his sword at the ready as Lilith held her hands outward.

“Blood magic,” Lilith remarked. “Let me ask you something, Countess. What do you know of your family?”

“My family?” the Countess questioned. “Why do you want to know?”

“I saw a portrait of Stephen Báthory in this castle,” Danek said. “Are you related to him?”

There was a smile on her face as Danek listened carefully.

“Why yes,” the countess answered. “He is a distant relative. My grandparents tell me stories passed down to them of Stephen, that served alongside Dracula. Vlad was a drinker of blood. Such abilities ... such powers ... I almost didn’t believe it. But I began to unlock the truth. It was there that I learned the secret of living a long life was to bathe in the blood of young, pure women. It was there that I also learned of something else. Something miraculous.”

“You don’t deny it!” Danek said with anger. “You murdered innocent people, lied to the Holy Roman Emperor. You’ve committed sins against God and his children.”

“Oh, but he won’t hold me accountable. I’ve unlocked abilities that could grant him eternal life ... eternal youth.” She ran her hands across her face almost in a seem of pride.

Danek had to get ready. There was clear intent, even if her motives had fallen into outright insanity. Any gut instinct he had about her had fallen into full fruition. He had to act on this. Justice had to be served.

“In the name of György Thurzó,” Danek declared. “I place you under arrest for the murder of over fifty women. You will surrender peacefully ... your assets seized.”

Lilith sneered. “Better dead ... for trying to destroy my property.”

The countess seemed to chuckle at such words. “György Thurzó will release me ... My husband’s oath lives on. He will not touch me, and your arrest will fall short. It is you that will face the hangman’s noose for such insolence.”

“Why did you destroy my home?” Lilith demanded.

“Why ... to bring you here, of course,” the countess answered.

Lilith flexed her hands. “You wanted me here ... you wanted me to hunt you down?”

She held up her hand as a ball of fire developed from her hand. Danek’s eyes widened when he saw it. It was actual sorcery. The deep intense flames were extinguished when she closed up her hand and lowered it to her side again.

“Blood magic...” Lilith confirmed. She turned her head to look at Danek. “A rare ability that few humans have. By drinking or bathing in the blood of individuals, you can be able to cast magic. She is telling the truth that it can prolong her life. It would take at least three human sacrifices a month to achieve this, and that is if you are lucky to do so. You are more likely to get magic from this practice, but you would only be able to live so much longer. It would only add about ... three or four months added to your lifespan with the cost of hundreds of lives in return. It is not a practical way to live longer. But...” She turned to look at the countess. “Why me?”

The countess sighed. “Lady Lilith is correct.” She swiped her hair. “Each sacrifice is like draining a well. Eventually, it becomes dry. I need more ... something better to ensure my youth ... like a vampire.”

“You wish to bathe in my blood!?” Lilith snapped at her. She roared, making a screeching sound that filled the room. “You drew me here to kill me!”

It made sense to Danek. He realized that they were in mortal danger. This countess was insane, thirsty for power and longevity, that lives didn’t matter. However, even then, she had some plan installed to draw Lilith to her.

There were a few weaknesses in her plan, however, that Danek clearly noted. It was possible that the countess severely underestimated Lilith. Perhaps she was so insane that logic no longer made sense. There were other factors, too, that made him press forward with his demands.

“Surrender,” he said to her.

The countess gave a cold stare to both of them. Her gaze was unrelenting as Danek and Lilith watched her.

Finally, after what seemed like several seconds of silence, there was a laugh from the countess as she put her hands on the railing. She almost bawled, as it echoed through the large chamber.

“You fools!” the countess replied. “Do you know what you are dealing with? I think ... I think I will have many to drain tonight.”

The countess then took one of her hands and held it up as she looked at it. A small ball of flame began to envelop her open palm. It burned with a bright yellow intensity. Danek was still amazed at what he saw. This woman was conjuring fire in her very hand.

“Let me ask you this, you pathetic human hag!” Lilith yelled. “Do you know what you’re dealing with?”

Danek looked back at the countess. His sword was still ready. He did not comment.

Lilith began to flick her arms and unwind the chain whip from her as the grappling hook touched the stone floor. Danek went and put a distance with Lilith to give her plenty of room to swing it. He knew that she was going to be using it soon.

She grasped the chain and began to twirl it. The metal grappling hook spun in a vertical motion. The metal prongs smacked the stone floor below, creating a loud metal clink sound each time it made a full rotation. Sparks flew as the prongs hit the stone. Even Danek understood the terror that Lilith was.

The blood countess threw her hand forward, throwing a ball of flame toward Lilith. The streaming ball of fire nearly impacted her when Lilith swung the spinning chain in front of her. The grabbling hook hit the fireball dissipating it into nothing. She kept spinning it. Báthory lifted her other hand, summoning a fireball in each hand. She then threw another one aimed at Danek.

Seeing the flying ball of fire, the man ducked out of the way just in time to see the flames splash onto the stone floor below. He got up, getting ready for the next attack. She then tossed her other fireball at Lilith again. The ball of fire was once again broken and dissipated as it hit the spinning chain and grappling hook.

The blood countess lifted her hands high into the air as red light appeared from her hands.

“Animate Dead!” she yelled as she cast her next spell. The red light faded from her hands as she looked at the two below her.

“Get ready,” Lilith told Danek. “She is casting a powerful summoning spell.”

Danek looked forward when four glowing red vortexes appeared in front of them. He watched as they closed, revealing an animated skeleton that walked from each one. Their bones clanked as their deathless hollow eyes looked at both Lilith and Danek. He stood in shock at first at the sight of walking corpses created out of thin air, but he readied his sword.