Burial

O’Connell unlocked the cell and one of his men grabbed the fierce red haired girl. She was stunning that was for sure, long red wavy locks, her eyes a bright green, she was glaring, her knuckles were bloodied, she obviously didn’t come here with out a fight. Her muscles were toned, she probably worked hard in the village the Brigade had destroyed.
She screamed, squirmed, slapped, punched, wriggled, thrashed and even bit the vampire that grabbed her. The girl was dragged up the stairs by her wrist, she tripped but the vampire kept going she kept struggling to get back to her feet, her ankles getting bloodied.
Once inside the room Viktor wished for privacy. The Blood Brigade left after a few perverse suggestions. I turned to the wall, I tried to mentally block out the sounds of his fist hitting her. While he practiced a light touch to me… he seen how far he could push the human limits when with ‘treats.’ I looked over my shoulder as the young woman kicked the side of his cheek and dashed for the door beside me. I typically wasn’t around when he was with his ‘treats’ he did most of this with Garrett. I swallowed as he grabbed her hair she screamed out, my eyes grew wide. Viktor, my prince, the one I was to save. So monstrous.
Viktor caught me staring at them grappling on the floor, “want some of the action Evan?” He asked with a smile holding her neck in place.
“You’re going to strangle her like that,” I said slightly panicked as she clawed for her life, his skin didn’t mark, her nails ripped off with the force.
“Oh,” he let her loose, of course I should have just said nothing, she would have died. Would have been a nicer way to die. He picked her up by her hair and threw her onto his bed. I shouldn’t have said anything. Viktor was now bored with the fighting and wanted to move on to what he called, ‘more pleasurable activities.’
I heard her screams, his murmurs, the bed groaning from activity, his sadistic laughter, her final breath.
There was a knock on the door I opened it slightly. Garrett. “Kid you alright?” He asked me, I hadn’t noticed that my eyes had misted up.
“Yeah, its just the dust in this room, needs to be cleaned, human reaction.” I said covering myself.
“Yeah,” Garrett said, “allergies right, some humans in the village were speaking of pollen allergies… dust.”
“Weird I know.”
“You missed the fun Garrett!” Viktor said as he crouched, balanced perfectly on the wood beam at the end of his bed, the woman dead behind him. “You should have seen her fight! Exhilarating.”
I felt anger toward Viktor. As children we were very close, he was more human back then. Now he was a mere week from his twentieth birthday. He would be a full vampire, full powers of the Night Children. The more vampiric he got. The less I liked him. Times like this. How human lives mean little to nothing to him.
“I’ll get a maid,” I said pointing to the blood coated sheets, her body was sprawled at a awkward angle, cuts all over her, bite marks, bruises. My voice- which I had to focus to make it sound as masculine as possible- went a bit too high, a bit feminine, “I’ll get someone to dispose of her.”
“Nah!” Garrett said, “your duty is done go home, you have human things to do right? Besides Lady Marianne will be looking forward to seeing you and Sir John come home. I’ll call someone in.”
“Nonsense Garrett,” I argued back my focus back on my voice, “I’ll do it on my way out.” I wrapped a blanket around the girls body, looking into her horrified eyes, I closed them and covered her head before lifting her over my shoulder. “Seriously, no problem.”
“Good,” Viktor said, “hate smelling dead bodies in my room.”
“Have a good night my liege” I said leaving, hoping the word annoyed him a little.
I sent a maid up as I walked down the stairs the dead body in arms. Out the back door of the castle I grabbed a shovel and lantern with one arm. I was strong, my body trained, conditioned to lift a lot. She was light and yet she weighed on my conscience. Mostly there were mass graves for them. I walked outside of the walls through a small door, near impossible to see I kept walking through the forest, it took me nearly ten minutes to hit the meadow that Viktor and I played in as children.
I laid her down gently, I shoved the shovel deep into the ground, it took hours the night falling, I lit the lantern and continued. Once deep enough I took one last peek at the woman’s face. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my voice pure, feminine, still rough from disguising it so often. I could have intervened. It wouldn’t have done anything, but still. Guilt weighted on me. The burial helped a bit, made me feel slightly better that she wouldn’t end up in a mass grave like so many others. I lowered her in using the bed sheet, I cried a bit as I started putting the dirt on top of her. It took hours. When I finally finished I used grass and twigs to make a small cross that I stuck in the dirt at her head and picked a few wild flowers to lay on top. “May you rest in peace.”
I picked up my lantern and headed home wiping away sweat and tears. I quietly opened the door to my home, my mother and father were sitting at the kitchen table, “oh Evanangelique!” She hurried to me and embraced me.
“I told you she was fine,” my father said gruffly, of course he knew I was, the prince and Garrett would say I left for the day. Though it was a little unusual for me not to come right home.
“Where have you been. You are filthy.”
“A little work, nothing major.” I said my face softening for my mother, “go, get some rest.” I kissed her cheek, “I love you.”
Her face eased from worry, “I love you too.” She and my father headed to bed.
I went to the stream and collected water, brought it home and had a sponge back trying to get all the dirt from the burial off was difficult. I walked into my room and undressed, I put on a top just in case someone came in that wasn’t suppose to and got into bed.
My dreams were haunted by the dead woman, scratches, blood, bruises, the screams, oh the screams. I awoke damp with sweat, panting. The twilight was fading. I had missed training. I rubbed my temples trying to erase the previous night with no avail. I could have cried, but I forced myself to get dressed and pull on my boots and head out for another day.
I got to the front gates, one of the guards spoke to me, “Prince Viktor is in a meeting with his father in the ballroom, that is where you are to resume your duties.”
I nodded to him and they let me through the doors, I knew where the ballroom was. It was going to be used soon. With Viktor’s birthday on approach there was much planning going on. Apparently today they were getting Viktor’s view on what they had done so far.
I pushed open the door and stood beside Garrett, occasionally he stayed the day with Viktor and I, for something to do. He was muscular, stood over me by at least a foot. “Ah Sir Evan, wonderful,” Vincent said, my father standing next to him. “With Viktor’s birthday approaching you’re duties are being bumped, until his birthday, I wish that you and Garrett stay with him at all times. Of course you can have a few minutes when you need to be human, and such, but I fear the Moon Children may attack during this time. A rising prince is a target much too tempting.” I nodded, so that was why Garrett was staying today.
I took a look around the ballroom, the colours were rich, deep, they worked wonders. Tables, dancing room, it did look nice.
Viktor seemed rather enthused about his upcoming party. He smiled at me, fangs glinting in the firelight. My stomach was knotted. He smiled so happily, like he didn’t kill a human the previous night. The thought triggered my memories so vividly I turned my head from his coal black eyes.
More questions from the decorators, more answers and debates between Vincent and Viktor. They rationalized and came to conclusions of goblets, colour schemes, and a few quests that were on the questionable list. The meeting of the minds ended and Viktor leaded Garrett and I to one of the training rooms.
He picked up a sword and threw a helmet to me, “lets practice,” he said. Garrett sat down looking mildly bored.
I tossed the metal mask back, “I don’t feel like it my liege.”
He tossed it back to me, “it’s a order then.”
I grumbled and put the mask on. He didn’t bother with one because I wasn’t fast enough to hit him, his skin healed fast, so he figured it safe enough. Besides I was there to protect him, not injure him.
We both got into stance, Garrett looked on, our referee of sorts, we put our sword tips against each other, “go,” Garrett said dully as he watched.
I blocked as Viktor came at me sparks flew as I slashed my blade against his. Viktor laughed as if it were all good fun. Quite personally I was a little pissed off at him. Viktor trusted the weapon toward my stomach- which I wasn’t wearing armour just the mask- I dodged effortlessly, he was fast though and slashed, I ducked, took three steps away and blocked his newest attack. He forced down and my human strength was no match, his sword dug into the top of my left shoulder, I howled.
“Shit, sorry, sorry,” Viktor said taking the sword out and putting his hand out of my mouth, Garrett was holding the seat he was in I saw his fangs; he looked wild. I stopped screaming, he removed his hand and stepped away from me. “Is it bad?”
Garrett snarled and snapped at me, I drew my sword up with my right hand and pointed the tip toward Garrett in warning. I took a second to look at it, “no, not bad, just a scrape really, just surprised me.”
Viktor threw me some alcohol and gauze and I bandaged myself up. The alcohol made Garrett stop snapping, the beast was back under control, he looked a bit embarrassed and apologized quickly. I waved it off.
We headed into Viktor’s room. I yawned loudly unable to contain it. I was exhausted. “Up late last night?” Viktor asked catching me.
“Didn’t sleep well that’s all.”
“Sleep here then,” he said, “you get cranky when you’re tired,”
“I…” I started to defend myself, but knew it as the truth, my parents thought that too.
“Yeah,” Garrett said, “we will wake you up if anything interesting happens.” He said shoving me, not as practiced as Viktor at the light touch I was sure I’d have a bruise on my collar bone. I curled up on my sleep and fell asleep to the hum of the two Night Children talking swiftly.