The Lady Katherine
Chronicles 23
Lady Katherine and
The
By Sazzy
Posted March 2010
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Codes: uber J/7
Rating: NC-17
Setting: May 1193,
Thanks:
To
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fan fiction but uses characters
that bear a striking resemblance to those that are copyright of Paramount
Pictures. No infringement on their copyright is intended by the author in
any way, shape or form - this is just a bit of fun. This story includes an all female
relationship, so if you don’t like that then look away now. P.s. no claims on
historic accuracy are made!
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Anne slid down the
dew-laden river bank, her feet going from under her and depositing her
resoundingly on her backside. A quickly extended boot stopped her slithering
right on into the river itself. Fortunately no one was there to see her
embarrassing slip being as it was the middle of the night and the middle of
nowhere. Looking up to the moon that filtered through the clouds, she wondered
what she was doing there, rather than being safely tucked up back in bed with
Katherine. That prospect was certainly more appealing than her current damp
sitting place. She resolved to look around for another few minutes and then
give up her task as a wild goose chase.
The only reason she’d
decided to investigate the reports of strange goings on by the river was that
it was on the north of the estate and close to the boundary with Retford. The
attack on Eaton and then the peculiar discovery of excavations near the village
in the same region had been enough to make Anne suspicious when the rumours
surrounding the river found their way to
Normally Anne wouldn’t
give much credence to reports of a river running the colour of blood and
ghostly apparitions, putting such things down to the over-active or
superstitious imaginations of peasants. From her investigations so far, she’d
yet to be dissuaded from that notion. Most likely some villagers had come out
into the woods at night, been spooked by a fox or a badger, run home and made
up a wild tale to cover up their fear. Clambering back to her feet, she stared
out over the slowly flowing river. The white light of the moon rippled benignly
across its surface. If anything the woodland seemed calm and peaceful, but then
Anne always had felt at home out amongst nature, even at the dead of night.
The sound of a twig
snapping behind her drew her out of wistful remembrances. She spun round, eyes
peering into darkness of the trees that stretched on away from the river. No
doubt it was some woodland creature out for a late night hunt. Just to be sure,
Anne climbed back up the bank so she could get a better look. Moving through
the trees she let her mind drift, reaching out to touch nature, become one with
it. It was then she realised there was something wrong; there was nothing to
touch. The forest should be alive with nocturnal creatures but instead
everything was quiet, unnaturally so. Movement off to her side caught her eye
and her head swung that way. Yet there was nothing there either. How could
there be when she hadn’t sensed anything? Becoming more unnerved by the second,
she drew her sword from her scabbard.
“Is there someone
there?”
There was another
swishing movement from behind her and she whirled round on the spot. All that
met her swiftly searching eyes was the sight of the dark wood.
“I’m with the
Anne didn’t hear any
movement this time. Instead all she felt was a solid form crashing into her
side. She was knocked right off her feet, sent sprawling amongst the twigs and
dead leaves. In an instant she was back on her feet, sword at the ready. Before
her stood a young blond-haired woman, Anne having a hard time believing the
slight figure had been the one to down her. Yet something in the woman’s
intense stare indicated malice.
“Who are you?”
demanded Anne. “What are you doing out here at this time of night?”
The woman smiled
enigmatically. Not the reaction Anne had been expecting. Anne noticed the young
woman was only wearing a thin dress, hardly attire for wandering round the
woods on an unseasonably chilly May night. Her feet were also bare. Yet the
other woman didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest by either fact. She just
starred at Anne, her gaze unwavering. Anne felt something brush past her arm
and she turned once more, finding a second equally inappropriately dressed
young woman standing right next to her.
How did she get so
close? thought Anne in
consternation.
The red-haired woman
addressed her companion. “Now, now,
The reply came from
right by Anne’s ear. “No fair, Arabella, I saw her first!”
Again Anne was
unnerved by how close the one called
A voice from behind
Anne answered. “I think the more accurate question is - what are we?”
Anne spun round, but
she was too slow. A third woman caught her arm and wrenched it upwards, jarring
her sword from her hand. She followed up with a surprisingly powerful kick to
Anne’s stomach, sending her crashing to the ground on her back. Before Anne
could even think about getting up the other woman was on top of her, straddling
her chest and using her knees to pin Anne’s arms at her side. Anne tried to
twist free, but the woman was amazingly strong. Her hand shot down to grab
Anne’s jaw, holding it in a steely grip so Anne was forced to look up at her.
Unlike the other two she was older, somewhere in her forties. Her black hair
tumbled about pale cheeks. Anne thought she actually saw the woman lick her
lips in anticipation.
Then suddenly the
woman was knocked off her, the one called Elizabeth coming to stand over a
stunned Anne. “I said I saw her first; I want first go!”
Sensing the squabble
was her chance; Anne rolled over and started scrambling for her sword. She
hadn’t got far though when she felt hands on her back, grabbing at the material
of her blue tabard. She was thrown bodily backwards, crashing down on the
ground once again. As she lay there catching her breath, she had to wonder how
in the hell the women were so strong. Meanwhile the three of them were marching
towards her.
“How about we share?”
suggested the older woman at the centre of the trio, Elizabeth and Arabella
nodding their assent to the compromise.
“No! She is mine!”
The authoritative
voice commanding the other women rang through the forest causing them to freeze
where they were. Anne also froze. She recognised the voice. Yet her mind
couldn’t quite believe it until her eyes shifted to the side to see the speaker
stepping forward into the moonlight. The white glow reflected off a familiar
auburn head.
“Katherine?”
Anne’s unbelieving
question went unanswered. Katherine just stared back at her, a wild look in her
eyes that Anne had never seen before. Then suddenly Katherine was upon her.
Anne had barely seen her move. Katherine’s hands pinned her to the ground,
gripping hard about her wrists. As the other woman’s eyes bored into her Anne
searched them, looking for any sign of the woman she loved, but the normally
warm blue eyes were oddly soulless. Gazing up into them Anne felt something she
never thought she would in Katherine’s presence. She felt fear. Anne struggled
to move but she couldn’t break Katherine’s grip. This is wrong, this can’t
be happening. Anne wondered if she was dreaming, but it was too real, too
frighteningly real. Katherine’s lips curved into a seductive smile, revealing
two sharp canine teeth.
“Katherine, please …”
Anne’s entreaty went
unheeded as Katherine sized her up like something juicy on her plate, waiting
to be devoured. The other woman bent down, her lips brushing along Anne’s neck.
Normally Anne would find such a gesture erotic, but now it filled her with an
irrational dread. Again she struggled to free herself, but it was futile.
Somehow Katherine was much stronger than her. Anne heard Katherine inhaling
deeply, sniffing at her exposed skin.
“You smell good enough
to eat.”
Suddenly pain flared
in Anne’s neck. She screamed as her flesh was punctured. Katherine’s mouth
pressed harder, sucking, licking. Anne screamed again but no one was listening.
……..
The first rays of the
morning sun peaking in through the window stirred Anne from slumber. She
blinked a couple of times and stretched her limbs under the bedcovers, easing
the sleep from them. The body next to her gave a small grumble before shifting
and promptly falling back to sleep. Anne chuckled to herself, thinking it would
take a whole flock of cockerels to stir Katherine before she was good and ready
in the morning. Finding herself strangely thirsty, Anne eased herself out of
bed and crossed to the desk to pour a goblet of water.
She took it and moved
over to the window to see what that particular May day had in store for them. A
few clouds dotted the sky, but it wasn’t long before the sun re-appeared. As it
broke through the white cover Anne squinted, her eyes sore under the harsh
glare. It was so painful she had to move back into the shadows of the room. She
rubbed at her temple, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling. If anything she
would have thought she had a hangover. Only she hadn’t been drinking the night
before. Instead she had gone to investigate the ludicrous reports of a river
running red at night and then … Anne had to rub her head again. What did I
do then?
Before she could
ponder it more, she felt a pair of arms enveloping her from behind. Obviously
Katherine had decided she was good and ready for rising after all. The other
woman nuzzled up against Anne’s back, her lips coming up to kiss Anne’s neck.
Anne flinched, unsure why. Katherine noticed the reaction.
“Is everything all
right?”
Anne shook her head
and tried to dispel the disquiet she felt. For some reason she had the urge to
rub her hand across her neck.
“Anne?” prompted
Katherine, sounding more concerned this time.
Anne turned round and offered
a weak smile. “It’s nothing. I just feel a bit … out of it - probably still
half asleep!”
“I know what you
mean.” Katherine yawned and lazily stretched her arms up above her head. The
action pulled her nightshirt tightly across her breasts and Anne couldn’t help
staring, her uneasy feeling soon dissipating to be replaced by something else
entirely. As Katherine brought her arms back down she noticed the perusal.
“Feeling better now?”
Anne smiled. “Very
much so.”
Katherine moved
closer, just close enough to place her lips gently on Anne’s. “And now?”
“Very, very, warm.”
Katherine chuckled
before drawing back. “Well, you’re just going to have to cool off for now, the
ride should help.”
“The ride?” queried
Anne stupidly, her mind still elsewhere, somewhere in the region of Katherine’s
lips.
“The hunting party,”
Katherine reminded her.
“Right,” said Anne,
recalling it now. Obviously her brain was still a bit addled. Hopefully the
ride would not only cool her ardour but also clear her head.
….
The green land of the
Anne pulled up
sharply, looking anxiously around. Suddenly a horse came bounding by her with a
laughing Katherine atop it. “Having trouble keeping up?” she called as she
bounced past.
Obviously Katherine
had been deliberately hiding in the copse of trees just over the ridge. At
least the other woman seemed to be going slower now as she trotted along,
allowing Anne to draw level.
“I wish you wouldn’t
do that,” she remarked.
Katherine appeared
unrepentant. “Do what?”
Anne frowned, unsure
what had brought on this bout of reckless abandon. “Try to lose your escort
again,” she outlined. “I heard what happened on the way back from
Gainsborough.”
Katherine raised an
inquisitive eyebrow. “Someone been telling tales have they?”
Anne had been
uncertain enough not personally escorting Katherine on the short two-day trip,
but Lord Gainsborough was one of the most conservative and old-fashioned nobles
there were. It was a struggle just to get him to meet with Katherine as a
female head of an estate, but turning up with a woman guard would have killed
off any talks before they’d even started. Anne could have gone as a maid, but
the prospect of being pawed at by the misogynistic old nobleman was enough to
persuade her to trust her fellow guards to take care of Katherine in this case.
Unfortunately she’d later found out that on the way back Katherine had managed
to gallop off and lose them for a short time.
“It was all Delta’s
fault,” said Katherine now by means of explanation, “he wanted a proper run
out.”
“And I suppose it was
Delta’s fault this time too was it?”
Katherine just offered
a cheeky grin. “You worry too much. Nothing happened did it? They eventually
caught up again, as did you this time.”
Anne sighed. “I just
wish you’d take more care, especially after the fair.” She saw the remark hit
home, Katherine’s smile quickly disappearing. Was that why she was acting so
strangely? It wouldn’t be the first time the other woman had let a brush with
danger lead her to disregard her own safety as a consequence. “We never caught
that potential assassin,” Anne reminded her, “for all we know they could be
waiting to try again.” She didn’t want to scare the other woman, just make her
see sense.
“It’s been three weeks
now,” replied Katherine. “Surely if they were going to try again they would
have done? And anyway, who’s to say it was deliberate? It might have been an
archery accident.”
“I know that’s what we
spread around to deflect from the truth, but that doesn’t mean you’re meant to
believe it too!” Anne cried in exasperation. “I hardly think a mysterious
figure in black shooting at you and then running off was an accident.”
Katherine shrugged
dismissively. “Either way I can’t live my life in fear, cooped up in the house
just in case.”
That idea didn’t sound
too bad to Anne, at least until they tracked down the would-be assassin. Her
silence prompted Katherine to bring her horse to a complete standstill before
fixing the young woman with a penetrating stare.
“Can I?”
Anne stopped too and
held up her hands. “All right, no, we can’t keep you under constant guard at
the house,” she allowed grudgingly.
“And you can’t follow
me around every single second of the day either,” Katherine added. “I love you,
Anne, but everyone needs some space.”
Anne grumbled under
her breath to herself. She knew Katherine had a point, but that didn’t mean she
had to like it. Even after all this time her own insecurities regarding losing
those she loved coloured her thoughts and actions sometimes. Though she was now
a grown woman, the feelings of the eleven-year-old who’d seen her parents
murdered before her eyes were always going to be part of her. She supposed the
fear would never completely disappear; she just had to learn to handle and
control it as best she could.
Katherine could see
Anne’s contemplations, her voice softening as she continued. “You’ll just have
to find out who was responsible and allay your fears that way.”
“My money’s on Lord
Edgar organising it.”
“Mine too,” agreed
Katherine, “probably trying to make good on his threats from
“I wonder what he’s
after,” mused Anne out loud.
“Maybe he just doesn’t
like me?” suggested Katherine. “Though quite what I’ve done to him, I don’t
know. I’d never even met the man before
“Possibly,” allowed
Anne, “or maybe he just wants to extend his holdings into
“Talking of which, did
you find anything of interest by the river last night?”
Anne felt an odd
prickling between her shoulder blades that curled up and round her neck at the
mention of it. More troublesome was that she still couldn’t recall the exact
events of the previous evening.
“Anne?” pressed
Katherine when no answer was forthcoming. “Did something happen?”
Seeing the anxiety she
was engendering in the other woman, Anne quickly composed herself. “No, it was
a dead end.”
Seemingly satisfied
with the answer, Katherine gave a nod. “In a way I’m glad – I’m not the only
one who shouldn’t be running around on their own courting danger!”
“I did live in the
forest with a bunch of outlaws for fifteen years,” pointed out Anne.
“And I lived in a
manor house with the likes of Kirby for company,” shot back Katherine. “I’m not
sure which was most dangerous.”
Anne laughed, relieved
to ease some tension from her body.
“And if we dawdle here
any longer,” added Katherine, “Archer and the others are going to get all the
best game!”
Anne gripped her reins
ready for the chase. “Just try not to lose me this time.”
Katherine rolled her
eyes, but didn’t admonish the protective words further. “You better keep up
then,” she said before urging Delta into a gallop.
…..
The meeting point for
the start of the hunt was close to Ollerton. The western village was the
nearest settlement on the estate to
That party was already
waiting for them as Katherine and Anne drew up. The group of knights consisted
of the six vassals of the estate, each man responsible for one of the main
villages and its lands and reporting directly to Katherine. Organising a hunt
for them all was a good informal way for Katherine to keep up with the business
of the estate without it appearing that she was too obviously checking up on
her vassals. Instead they could share banter over the hunt and a welcome goblet
of ale back at the manor house later.
Katherine greeted each
man in turn with a smile and some kind words, putting them immediately at ease
as was her way. Anne simply nodded her greetings. She had met each of them
before and though those meetings had always been civil, she suspected at least
some of them harboured misgivings surrounding her background. Once an outlaw,
always an outlaw was a common belief. In an odd way she was glad if they were
suspicious, at least it showed they took Katherine’s safety and welfare
seriously. Most of the knights had been at the fair three weeks ago and
witnessed her victory for
That person was
pulling at her reins now, eager to get going. “Are we all set?” asked
Katherine.
…..
Katherine trotted to
the front of the group and led them off at an easy pace. Philip Archer, the
Ollerton knight, drew alongside her seeking an audience.
“Philip,” acknowledged
Katherine. “How are things round the village?”
“Actually I have some
troubling news to report, Milady.”
Katherine had
suspected as much as soon as he’d approached. She noticed Anne was moving her
horse closer having obviously been eavesdropping. Raised eyebrows from
Katherine indicated Archer should continue.
“We’ve been getting a
marked increase in outlaw activity to the south-west of the Ollerton ward,”
stated the knight. “A number of villages have been hit already this month.”
“That is troubling
indeed,” agreed Katherine. “First to the north and now to the west - it seems
“I can’t comment on
the situation in the north,” replied Archer, “but I think we all know who’s
responsible for the problems to the west –
Katherine didn’t get
the chance to answer as Anne leapt into the conversation. “Do you have any
actual evidence of it being
Archer didn’t look
best pleased at being interrupted by the young woman. He slowly turned to her,
his voice carrying an edge of disdain as he spoke. “No, but it doesn’t take
much deduction given the nearness of my land to Sherwood.”
“You mean the nearness
of her ladyship’s land,” corrected Anne.
Archer glared at her
for the pedantic comment. “The point is,” he said, switching his attention back
to Katherine as if Anne wasn’t worth talking to any more, “we should track
these outlaws down and stop them pillaging the
Again Katherine didn’t
get the chance to reply. “Even if it is outlaws,” continued Anne, “there is
more than one group of those within the
Archer was fast
becoming annoyed. “You almost sound like you don’t want us to do anything; not
trying to protect someone are you?”
Now it was Anne’s turn
to look aggrieved. “Are you questioning my allegiances?”
Archer gave a sly
grin, glad to have hit a sore point. “Not at all, we all already know where
your original ones lie.”
Katherine saw Anne’s
fists tightening about her reins and deemed it a good time to jump back into
the conversation.
“Thank you for drawing
this to my attention, Philip,” she said diplomatically. “I think you’ll agree
it would be wise to gain more information before we take action. I’ll get
Tobias and Anne to meet with you to ascertain the best way forwards.”
“I don’t think we need
her input,” grumbled Archer.
“On the contrary, I
think Anne’s background could provide us with a useful insight, wouldn’t you
agree?”
Archer paused, caught
between wanting to pursue his dislike of Anne and contradicting the lady of the
manor. “I suppose it would be prudent,” he allowed.
Katherine could feel
Anne’s smug look without even needing to look at the young woman. “Good, now
let’s hunt!”
…..
Some twenty minutes
later the party was trotting slowly over Laxton Chase. Leading them was
Archer’s best tracking dog, its nose pressed close to the ground as it sought
out the scent of their quarry. Anne herself sniffed at the breeze, seeing if
she could sense something before the dog. Somewhere at the back of her mind she
felt a faint stirring of thoughts not her own. Up ahead the dog stopped, alert,
ears perked up. Then it was off and running; the chase was on. The horses
pounded after the dog, crashing through the ferns. Archer took the lead in
pursuit of his animal while Anne was content to keep pace with Katherine in the
middle of the pack. Looking over at the other woman, Anne saw she was scanning
the green landscape flashing by. Suddenly Katherine pulled up. It took a moment
for Anne to yank on her reins to do likewise. By then Katherine was already
galloping off at a tangent to their original path while the rest of the party
continued on after the dog. Anne turned her horse and set off after Katherine.
After urging some
extra speed from her mount she managed to draw level. “What are you doing?” she
cried over the sound of the buffeting wind. “The dog went the other way!”
Anne could just see
Katherine’s grin through the whipping auburn strands of her hair. “But we can
beat them to the deer this way.”
Anne was doubtful, but
willing to let the pursuit prove Katherine wrong rather than try and argue her
point. She didn’t have to wait long for the other woman to slow Delta before
bringing him to a complete standstill. Katherine’s eyes swept the landscape,
eventually coming to rest on Anne. Katherine held up a hand. “Don’t even say
it!”
Anne looked innocently
back at her, deciding there really was no need to, at least on the subject of
their lost quarry. “You know you don’t have to prove anything,” she said
instead.
The curious look on Katherine’s
face indicated she didn’t quite get the meaning of the words.
“The reckless abandon,
the eagerness to win,” outlined Anne, “you don’t have to prove you’re still
young, that you can still keep up now …”
Katherine’s eyes
pinned her in place as Anne considered the wisdom of completing her sentence.
In the end Katherine finished it for her. “Now I’m forty?”
Backtracking seemed a
good option at this point. “Which of course is really no different to the
thirty-nine you were a couple of weeks ago,” added Anne hastily. Katherine
continued to glare at her. “If it’s any consolation, I’ll catch you up sooner
or later,” she tried, thinking of the curse she was under.
Katherine frowned at
the reminder and Anne decided it was probably best to try and change the
subject. “If we head east we should pick up the trail of the others again.”
A muttered assent was
all she received as Katherine turned her horse in the direction indicated. Once
facing that way, the dark look on the other woman’s face quickly lifted, a
broad grin returning. “I knew it!” she cried triumphantly.
Anne followed her
gaze, seeing the deer standing about fifty feet away from them. It had spotted
them too. It stood for a moment, studying them with dark brown eyes. Anne could
feel its quick heartbeat, hear its rapid breaths. Suddenly it darted to the
side, bounding off through the undergrowth once more.
“See, there’s still
some sense in the old brain yet!” cried Katherine before spurring her horse
after the deer.
The animal led them a
merry dance over the land, but sooner or later Anne knew it would tire as long
as they kept on its tail. That was the skill of the ‘chase’ part of the hunt.
Once it could run no longer there would come the ‘baying’, when it would stop
and turn to confront its pursuers. That time was fast approaching as Katherine
urged Delta on to keep up with the jigging deer.
Finally it came to a
halt, antlers swinging to face them. Katherine pulled Delta up at some distance
from their quarry and drew her bow from her saddle. The deer went to make one
last darting run, but it couldn’t beat the arrow. Katherine’s shot downed it
where it stood.
They trotted over to
where it lay and hopped down. Anne’s mind connected with the last feelings of
the dying animal. She could sense its life ebbing away with the blood spilling
out over the grass.
So much blood. Hot, gushing blood. Tempting,
tantalising blood.
“Anne?”
Anne started as the
sound of her name registered over the pounding in her ears. She realised she
was now kneeling on the ground, her hand sliding through the bloody entrails.
She quickly withdrew it and tried to wipe it on the grass.
If Katherine found her
behaviour odd, she didn’t make much of it, a light-hearted comment next past
her lips. “I guess we’d better get the deer back and roasted for dinner before
you eat it raw!”
Anne laughed
half-heartedly as she stood up. The scary thing was that was exactly what she
had been about to do. Why she didn’t know. A sudden heat had just engulfed her
along with an irresistible urge to feast on the animal. Fortunately that desire
had subsided, though the recollection of it haunted her thoughts on the way
back to the manor house.
…..
Once back at Markham
Manor, Katherine and the other knights headed into the house with their bounty
while Anne took the opportunity of stabling the horses to get some time on her
own. Leading Delta into his stall, she gave him a reassuring pat. She let her
fingers linger on his neck. The pulse of his heart pounded strong in the
arteries throbbing under her fingers. The beat of the blood echoed in her mind.
Blood, thick, gushing blood.
Anne quickly whipped
her hand away, staring at it as if it would yield a reason for the odd
sensation. It was nothing like her normal connection with nature. Whereas that
was a mutual connection, what she’d been feeling had been swamping her, taking
over.
She rested her head on
the cool timbers of the stable interior and closed her eyes for a minute.
However, this did little to help. If anything the pounding behind her eyes
intensified. Her head felt fat, confused. At the same time heat was building in
her chest and out through her body, burning her up. She was suddenly aware of
all the horses in the stable, a dozen thumping heartbeats calling to her. She
took a deep, shuddering breath, fighting for control. There was a swish in the
straw behind her, the sound helping to focus her thoughts. Anne whirled round
to see one of the other guards, the antagonistic Benedict. Behind him lurked
the young squire John.
“Praying will do you
little good,” commented the guard in reference to her previously bowed stance
against the stall, “you are well and truly damned.”
“Since I don’t believe
in God, I’ll take my chances,” she replied.
Benedict’s lip curled
in disgust. “Ah yes, I forgot you were a heathen”
“Watch out she doesn’t
put a pagan spell on you, sir!” chipped in John.
Benedict looked over
his shoulder and laughed. “She doesn’t scare me.”
As he turned back,
Anne was quickly up in his face. “Are you sure?” Heat coursed through her.
Benedict’s vein pulsed invitingly at his neck. All it would take was one more
step. Blood. Pumping, scarlet blood.
“Are you even
listening to me?”
Anne forced herself to
take a step back and focused on Benedict’s face. She hadn’t heard a word he’d
said, not that she would have missed anything interesting.
“Did you want
something in particular?” she asked him.
“No, it seems you have
the servants’ duties well in hand. Carry on!”
Benedict and John
snickered to themselves as they left the stables. Anne just shook her head.
Sooner or later Benedict would get bored of taunting her. Until then she could
cope with a few puerile barbs. Moving along to the next stall, she pushed open
the gate and was immediately drenched with a shower of water from above. The
bucket that had been balanced precariously above her now rolled around at her
feet. Outside she could hear laughter. She supposed she should be grateful it
was just water and nothing worse.
“And you still
maintain this is where you belong?”
Anne wiped the
remaining droplets from her face, moving some lank strands of blond hair out of
the way before she turned to the latest person in the stables. The French
accent had already given away their identity.
“What do you want,
Axia?”
“Would it be too cliched
to say ‘to take you away from all of this’?”
“That presumes I need
rescuing, whereas I am quite happy here.”
Axia looked the soggy
Anne up and down. “Really? I don’t know why you persist in pretending to be one
of them.”
“I’m not one of
anything; I’m just me.”
“Spoken like a true
individual. Though we both know your thoughts and actions aren’t always driven
by your own desires.”
Anne sighed. “You know
you might have a much easier time getting me to go along with this crazy pagan
collective of yours if you accepted the place Katherine plays in my life.”
Axia merely muttered
something to herself. Anne guessed it was too much to ask. For some reason Axia
couldn’t stand Katherine and Anne was well aware the feeling was mutual.
Perhaps it was fortunate that due to the covenant she was under she was unable
to tell Katherine about the other woman’s presence.
“This covenant I
agreed to,” Anne began, as something occurred to her, “it doesn’t have any
side-effects does it?”
“Such as?”
Such as a bizarre fascination
with blood? “Never mind,” said
Anne, realising the ridiculousness of it. More likely she was just coming down
with something. “What was it you wanted?”
“The time for our
first meeting has come.”
“In case you hadn’t
noticed we’ve already met, unless by some small miracle this is all a hideous
dream and I’m going to wake up in a minute and discover you’re still back in
Axia ignored Anne’s
flippant remarks. “Our first proper meeting to develop our abilities in
preparation for the coming battle,” she outlined.
“The battle in which
we don’t know who our opponent is, or when and where it will be?”
“Yes,” answered Axia,
still not rising to Anne’s baiting tone.
“You must know
something, else why would we be meeting here and now?”
“Really, I know little
more than you.”
Anne waited, sensing
there was more. For a moment she didn’t think Axia was going to
elaborate, but eventually the other woman caved in.
“There is an ancient
pagan text that has been handed down through the generations and currently
resides with my clan in
“That explains the
when,” noted Anne, “but not the where or why I have to be involved.”
“As I demonstrated to
you already, I have an ability to look into the future, though it is not
precise and gets less so the further into the future I try to see. When we knew
the time was approaching I reached out as far as I could which was enough to
give me a vision of Nottinghamshire.”
“So as we get closer
to the time, you’ll be able to see more?” pressed Anne. “Such as who or what it
is we need to fight?”
“I hope so.”
“Great!” said Anne
sarcastically. “We’ll have no worries then - we’ll win no problem as long as
you ‘hope so’”
Axia sighed, clearly
frustrated by the other woman’s continued obstinate attitude. Anne decided to
relent, supposing it would just be easier to go along with Axia and her visions
for now – they had been right in regards to Katherine’s near death after all.
Not to mention that if there really was a threat to Markham then Anne wanted to
be ready for it, even if that meant siding with Axia and her pagan friends for
the time being.
“Where shall we meet
then?” asked Anne. “We can hardly keep sneaking around
“Do you know the old
woodsman’s hut, near the convergence of the Clipstone and Budby streams?”
“Of course, I did grow
up in the forest. I can’t come for the next three days at least, though, we’re
going away to
“Fine, come there in
four days time and we will start our journey together.”
Anne was glad Axia
conceded the delay without argument this time. Perhaps she was starting to
realise that Anne’s devotion to Katherine and her newfound duty couldn’t be
swayed.
…..
Fortunately no one had
missed Anne by the time she returned to the great hall, so she didn’t need to
lie about her whereabouts, or more precisely who she’d been speaking to. Axia’s
covenant prevented Anne from discussing the other woman or her mission with
anyone outside it. Anne knew that would become more and more troublesome as
time went on. She’d lied plenty of times when she’d been an outlaw, but the
prospect of having to do so knowingly to Katherine caused an unpleasant
sensation in her stomach. She only hoped Katherine would understand why she had
agreed to it in the first place; that she was just thinking of Katherine and
all the people of
Inside the great hall
Katherine was busy entertaining the knights, with the drink already freely
flowing along with the raucous boasts of hunting prowess. Unusually Katherine
left before the conclusion of the meal, leaving Anne to fulfil the diplomatic
role and make polite conversation with the other knights. It was not something
she found easy. She was more than grateful when the last of them had retired
for the night and she was free to ascend to Katherine’s chambers.
Entering the room, she
found it was nearly dark, a single flickering candle on the desk the only
illumination. Anne wondered for a moment if Katherine was already asleep.
Perhaps the hunt had tired her out more than she had let on. Then a seductive
voice broke the silence.
“I was wondering when
you’d get here.”
Katherine stepped out
from the shadows near the bed. Anne could only stare, her pulse quickening at
the sight before her. Katherine had changed out of her hunting gear into
something a lot less practical and a whole lot more revealing. Anne had never
seen the dress before, what there was of it. The material was incredibly thin,
the red lines of the dress flowing over the curves of Katherine’s body. There
was a large slit up one side of the skirt, allowing it to fall away and reveal
the pale flesh of Katherine’s thigh beneath while more tantalising flesh was
revealed by the low neckline.
Katherine seemed to
glide over the floor towards her, her bare feet making no sound on the
floorboards. Anne was frozen to the spot, mesmerised. The other woman circled
her, coming to a stop at Anne’s side. She couldn’t have been any closer without
actually touching. Anne could feel the other woman’s breath by her ear as she
spoke.
“Were you deliberately
keeping me waiting?” purred Katherine.
“Uh…no,” managed Anne.
Her throat was dry and the pounding in her head seemed to have returned.
“Good, because I might
have to punish you if you had been.” The wickedly saucy remark was accompanied
by a light brush of Katherine’s fingers between Anne’s legs. Anne gasped at the
bold contact.
Somewhere at the back
of her mind, Anne knew something wasn’t quite right. Katherine didn’t behave
like this, neglecting her duties to sneak away for illicit encounters. Yet Anne
was having trouble focussing those thoughts. Katherine’s body pressed hotly
against her. The drum beat of the blood in her veins grew stronger.
Anne felt Katherine’s
lips on her neck, a gentle caress. “Mmm, you smell good enough to eat.”
Anne froze for a
second, the sense of déjà vu pronounced. She wheeled round, her hands shooting
up to grab Katherine about the shoulders so she could peel the other woman off
her.
“This isn’t right,”
she said, shaking her head and attempting to bring some sense to her thoughts.
It was so hard though when her body just wanted to succumb to the fire building
inside her. Underneath her fingers she could feel the warmth of Katherine’s
body through the sheer material. All she wanted to do was rip the barrier away
so she could glory in the feel of their naked flesh writhing together.
“Of course it’s
right,” said Katherine, blithely ignoring the other woman’s concerns. She
easily shook off Anne’s hands and slipped closer once more. “Don’t resist, you
know you want to.”
“No…I…”
Anne’s objections died
on her lips as Katherine’s own captured them in a full-blooded kiss. Anne could
feel the pulse of the other woman’s heart through the material of her dress,
driving the blood through her body. Blood.
Hot, tempting blood. The fire in Anne flared into a raging inferno. She
pulled Katherine to her, crushing their lips together. Her hands roamed up
Katherine’s back to her neck and into her hair. Yanking Katherine’s head back
she exposed the other woman’s neck. Anne took one savouring look and then
plunge her head downwards, biting into the yielding flesh. The nectar of blood
trickled down her throat.
…..
Katherine stirred from
sleep, blinking a few times as the light of morning hit her eyes. She hauled
herself up, running a hand through her hair and rubbing at her head to ease the
confusion of slumber from her brain. Only her mind didn’t seem to want to clear
that morning. She tried to recall the events of the night before. She
remembered being in the great hall with the knights, laughing and joking about
the hunt among other things. Then at some point she had left. Why had that
been? She wouldn’t normally be so rude as to leave her guests. And after
that? She rubbed at her temple again. Brief flashes came to her. A red
dress. Burning desire. Ripping clothes. Hot, sweaty bodies.
The thoughts were
disjointed and try as she might she couldn’t bring them into focus. Katherine
shook her head. She’d heard of mind-blowing passion, but this was ridiculous.
Casting a glance to her side, she saw Anne was still asleep. That was unusual
too. Normally the other woman was awake first, or if not her highly-tuned
senses would wake her as soon as Katherine stirred. Even with a slight prod
now, she slept on, her blond hair splayed out across sheets and naked
shoulders.
Katherine slipping out
of the bed still failed to garner any sign of life from Anne, and the older
woman moved towards the window. The floorboards were warm where the sun had
caught them already. As she neared the window the rays tracked up her body,
filtering up to her face and eyes. Katherine winced and scrunched her eyes shut
as a sharp pain seared at her temple. She stepped back and flopped into the
chair at the table.
This wasn’t the first
time she’d experienced a disconcerting feeling first thing in the morning
recently. Only the day before she’d woken with what must have been her dreams
still fresh in her mind. The impressions were so vivid, for a moment she’d been
confused, almost feeling like they really had happened. She could still smell
the forest; see the moonlight rippling across the river. No doubt thoughts of
Anne exploring somewhere similar had wormed their way into her subconscious,
but the effect was still unnerving. Then there was how she’d felt during the
hunt the day before, almost out of control with her desire to track down the
stag.
Whatever she was
feeling she needed to shake it off. She had a meeting with Lord Andrew and Lord
Alfred of
…..
It wasn’t long into
the negotiations that Katherine realised persuading Lord Alfred to join them
was going to be no mean feat. The noble had a reputation for conservatism and
playing it safe and she was amazed Lord Andrew had convinced him to meet them
in the first place. Then again, Andrew did seem to have a knack for getting
people to agree to things. Katherine still wasn’t sure this was the best way
forwards herself, but was willing to go along with it if it meant strengthening
“So tell me,” said
Lord Alfred, “why exactly should I risk the Sheriff’s ire by joining this
alliance of yours?”
He stared at
Katherine, waiting for an answer. At least he was addressing her now,
recognising her position and place in the talks. When they’d first arrived he’d
spent most of his time talking to Andrew and acting as if she was just there to
look pretty at his side. It soon became apparent she was more than capable of
speaking for herself, though.
“Because the financial
benefits would be considerable,” she replied. Most nobles were concerned with
money, land or power and Katherine had discovered long ago that appealing to
their interest in one of those was usually the best way to get their attention.
The fact that it would also be beneficial to the people or help protect them
might have been important to her, but most other nobles would rank that as a
minor side benefit. “If we cut out
“So if we form this
independent alliance we won’t have to pay taxes to the Sheriff?”
“That’s right.”
Katherine could see he was intrigued and just let him mull it over some more.
“And you think the
king would allow this?” queried the other noble.
It was time for
Katherine’s trump card. “Well, I do have the King’s ear after all,” she said
with a knowing smile. Of course she hadn’t mentioned anything about the
alliance to King Richard, he was away fighting somewhere abroad again, but
Alfred didn’t need to know that right now.
The potential for
royal approval seemed to have interested Alfred who was stroking his bearded
chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sure; the Sheriff’s taxes aren’t that bad.”
“They’re
extortionate,” said Katherine, “especially to the commoners themselves.”
“And why should I care
about them? They should be grateful to be allowed to work my land. Anything I
deem fit to charge them in tax is fair as far as I’m concerned.”
“How much do you charge them?” asked Katherine.
“Fifty percent.”
“But the Sheriff only
requires thirty.”
Lord Alfred looked at
her like she was mad. “Yes, but I need my cut too. No wonder you’re having
trouble with your finances if this is how you operate.”
“My finances are
perfectly fine,” stated Katherine, “I just don’t feel the need to exploit the
people on my land.”
“It’s not
exploitation; it’s sensible management. Obviously you’ve let your emotions and
attachment to these people cloud your judgement, but then what could you expect
from a woman.”
Katherine bit her
tongue. Now was not the time to allow her pride to get in the way of
negotiations. Instead she pushed her seat back and rose slowly from the table.
The two men hastily followed suit to avoid any breach of etiquette.
“I think a break is in
order, don’t you?” she informed them, not waiting for an answer as she swept
from the room.
…..
The rest of the
afternoon didn’t yield much progress and Katherine would have happily given up
hope of persuading Lord Alfred over to their side. However, Andrew had
convinced her to stay for dinner that evening at least. Perhaps he was hoping
that some drink might loosen Alfred’s intransigence. So far there was no sign
of that. They’d already had the first course and a number of goblets of wine
and Alfred was being as obnoxious as ever. Even if he did say yes now,
Katherine wasn’t sure she wanted to be allied with someone with such opposite
opinions and morals to her own. Unfortunately she couldn’t afford to be so picky.
Thankfully Andrew seemed to be taking up the mantel of speaking to the other
noble, with Katherine only contributing when she could be sure she wouldn’t say
something offensive.
As she took another
sip of her wine, Katherine had to wipe her forehead. It seemed incredibly hot
in the hall and a dull pounding headache was starting to form at her brow. A
small fire burned in the hearth at one end of the hall but its presence wasn’t
enough to explain her discomfort. She wondered at what point she could politely
excuse herself and go to bed. Since Lord Alfred wanted any discussions to be in
private Anne had been excused any guarding duties and Katherine envied her
freedom.
A procession of
servants coming in from the rear of the hall indicated that the main course was
on the way. A huge roast pig was placed in the middle of the table and
Katherine felt a fresh wave of heat course through her. Her head was positively
throbbing now. She had the strangest urge to leap forward and rend the animal
limb from limb, stuffing the hot succulent flesh into her mouth with her
fingers, smothering herself in its fatty juices. She clasped her hands tight in
her lap to fight it.
“Go on, tuck in,”
invited Lord Alfred from his seat beside her, mistaking her reticence for something
else.
Katherine managed a
smile. “Thank you.” She dug her knife into the meat and sliced off a piece for
her plate. The stench of death wafted up her nostrils. It was intoxicating. It
was all she could do to pick the food up with some modicum of restraint and put
it in her mouth. While she savoured the meat, Andrew and Alfred resumed their
discussions.
“I do admire your
boldness, putting yourself in competition with the Sheriff,” noted Alfred.
Katherine barely heard
his words. Her heart thudded against her chest. The incessant pounding of the
blood in her veins nearly drowning out everything else.
“Though from what I
gather it’s not the Sheriff you need to be worried about,” continued Alfred.
Katherine tried to
focus on him, but her eyes were drawn to the pulsating vein in his neck,
pushing tight against his flushed skin. Blood. Hot, tempting blood.
“I hear Lord Edgar has
designs on
The sound of the
lord’s name only stoked the fire burning in Katherine further, mingling a good
dose of anger into its midst. She hadn’t forgotten how he’d threatened her in
“He certainly seems to
have made his mark in Retford and I guess
And maybe you
should shut your big fat mouth.
Katherine just about held back from uttering the words out loud, though it was
getting harder and harder to restrain herself.
“I’m sure it will only
be a matter of time before Retford and Markham are one anyway.”
Katherine balled her
fists in her lap, silently seething. It would be so easy to silence him. Just
one quick bite could tear his throat right out.
“Especially if these
‘outlaw attacks’ continue to weaken your estate.”
Before she knew what
she was doing, Katherine had leapt up, grabbed Alfred by his collar and was
pushing him back into his chair.
“What have you heard
about those?” she demanded ferociously.
Alfred was dumbstruck.
Katherine could smell his fear. The vein strained harder against the skin of his
neck, tempting her to release it.
“Not much,” he
stammered, “just rumours your outlaw activity might not be outlaws, or at least
not ones who aren’t paid for.”
“Katherine, why don’t
you let Alfred go?”
Something in Andrew’s
calming tones penetrated the fire raging in her. She managed to release her
grip, taking a couple of uncertain steps back. The heat in the room was
stifling now, burning her up.
“I … have to go
outside,” she managed between heaving breaths.
“Katherine, are you
all right?”
Even speaking was
becoming difficult, her chest tight where her heart pounded against it. “Too …
much … to drink.”
Katherine practically
ran from the room and out into the courtyard of the manor house. The cool night
air did little to relieve the burning need that suddenly filled her. She was
hungry, but not for food. The night called to her, a thousand distant
heartbeats in the countryside. She had to feed the craving, had to satisfy it.
Not really knowing where she was going she dashed from the manor grounds and
out into the woods and fields beyond. She moved swiftly, searching, seeking.
The flickering lights of a small village filtered through the trees. She
stopped just within the tree line and crouched down out of sight. Closing her
eyes, she let the scents of the village wash over her, a myriad of tempting
smells - pigs, goats, chicken, people. So much life, just waiting to be taken.
She licked her lips,
her tongue catching on two sharp points in her mouth. Tensing her muscles, she
prepared to pounce. Yet suddenly there was another scent, approaching fast from
behind her. It was strong, powerful. Katherine turned just as a body crashed
into her. She was driven onto her back, the other person looming over her. The
moonlight caught blond hair. Anne smiled, revealing her own pronounced canines.
“You weren’t going to
eat without me, were you?”
The blood rushing
through Katherine’s body reached a thumping crescendo. Any thought of the
village was gone now, her desire for the other woman overwhelming her. She pushed
up, forcing Anne over so she could take a dominant position.
“I wouldn’t dream of
it.”
As her teeth sunk into
the inviting flesh at Anne’s neck, any last conscious thought was lost to her.
……
Katherine descended
the stairs from her chamber at
“Bad night’s sleep?”
he asked.
Katherine gave a
rueful laugh. “Thanks for not saying what you were thinking – that I look
terrible!”
“Well…” started Andrew
before Katherine stopped him with a playful punch on the arm. He rubbed it in
mock hurt. “Seriously, though, are you all right? You left rather suddenly last
night.”
Katherine would have
answered but her attention was elsewhere. At the other end of the corridor Anne
had come in the door. She stopped, her blue eyes locking with Katherine’s. An
odd mixture of sensations washed over Katherine accompanied with flashes of the
woods at night, rolling on the ground, heat filling her. Andrew couldn’t fail
to notice her distraction and he glanced over his shoulder to seek the source
of it. Anne seemed to start, realising for the first time he was there too. The
mesmerising connection with Katherine broken, the other woman started up the
corridor towards them. Katherine found it hard to look at her, fearing she
would be lost again and also scared what that could mean.
“Good morning,
Milady,” said Anne formally, showing more composure than Katherine felt at that
moment. “Milord,” she added as an afterthought to Andrew.
“Good morning, Anne,”
replied Katherine, amazed she could speak evenly when her heart was racing so.
“I trust you slept well?”
Anne paused tellingly
before answering. “Adequately so,” she said, swiftly moving on. “Do you wish to
leave today as planned?”
“Yes,” said Katherine,
before glancing to Andrew, “unless you think there’s any point in further
discussion?”
“Not at this stage,”
he replied. “I think we’ve given Alfred something to think about, if we push
him too hard he’s liable to become more resistant.”
Katherine nodded in
agreement before addressing Anne again. “Prepare the horses and we’ll leave in
an hour or so.”
……
The first part of the
ride back was carried out in near silence, Katherine still feeling an
overwhelming tiredness in her bones. It didn’t help that the sun was out, the
brightness of it hurting her eyes. Anne seemed equally happy not to talk, only
breaking the quiet when they stopped to give the horses some water at a
roadside stream.
“You look a little
tired,” she remarked. “Did the dinner and talks with Lord Alfred go on late?”
Katherine sensed a
slight loading to the question, almost as if Anne already knew the answer. “No,
I left early in the end,” she replied. At least she remembered that, even if
what happened afterwards was somewhat hazy.
“Oh? Did things not go
well?”
“They could have gone
better,” she said, having some recollection of practically threatening Lord
Alfred. “But all is not lost, especially not with Lord Andrew’s persuasive
powers on our side.” Katherine couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but the
conversation seemed forced, like they were both skirting round something
neither wished to mention. She knelt down by the stream and scooped up some of
the water before easing a cooling hand across the back of her neck.
“Do you wonder if Lord
Andrew has an ulterior motive in his plans?” asked a still standing Anne.
“Such as?”
“Such as seeking one
alliance in particular, with
Katherine laughed,
trying to ease some of the tension from her body. At least she felt a bit safer
on this topic. She stood back up. “I don’t think so – he’s practically young
enough to be my son!”
“You do like them
younger,” pointed out Anne.
“That is true,”
conceded Katherine with a wink. “But no, I don’t think Andrew has designs on me
in that regard. I like him, but not in that way and I’m pretty sure the
feeling’s mutual.”
“He is very friendly,”
pressed Anne, “almost overly so.”
“He’s like that with
everyone, though. You just think every unmarried nobleman I meet is after me!”
“Because generally
they are!”
“Am I really such a
prize catch?”
“I think you know that
you are,” said Anne. “Not only are you beautiful, intelligent and have a
hundred other virtues that I could elaborate at length on, but you come with a
prosperous manor as a nice little wedding present too.”
“And I think you might
be somewhat biased,” replied Katherine, “though I wouldn’t mind hearing about
those other virtues.”
She gave Anne a gentle
nudge on the arm, the other woman unable to stop the half-smile creeping onto
her face. Katherine smiled in return before continuing.
“But seriously I just
don’t get that kind of feeling from Andrew at all, there’s really no need to be
jealous.”
“Who said I was
jealous?” said Anne. “I’m just being conscious of your welfare as part of my
role as your personal guard.”
“Ah, of course, and
giving Andrew a look that could kill in the corridor, that was all part of
being conscious of my welfare too?”
“Indeed.”
Katherine chuckled,
glad to be feeling a bit more like herself. The rest of the ride home was much
more pleasant and by the time they reached
“I need to go and talk
to the friar about something,” she noted, “but after that why don’t we have a
quiet dinner, in my chambers?”
After the stress of
having to deal with Lord Alfred and the odd feelings that had been plaguing her
it would be nice to get back to something normal such as dinner with the woman
she loved. And who knew what that might lead to. Her mind was already flicking
through a few options involving a rapid loss of clothes as Anne answered.
“Sounds like a good
idea to me,” she agreed. Katherine had to quickly remind herself that Anne was
referring to dinner and not Katherine’s other lustful thoughts while the other
woman continued. “Would you like me to go and inform the kitchen?”
“I’m not sure how long
I’ll be,” said Katherine, quelling her rising libido for now, “so I’ll speak to
them on the way back in.”
She also thought it
might look less suspicious that way. Though she didn’t think anyone suspected anything about their relationship,
Anne ordering herself dinner to be delivered to the lady’s chambers was just a little too obvious.
Mindful of the need for at least some discretion Katherine quickly surveyed the
surroundings before she leant forward and gave Anne a brief kiss. She kept it
short to avoid her thoughts from moments ago rising up and banishing any of the
friar or dinner. “I’ll see you later.”
……..
The walk up to the
church was a short one, but that was enough for Katherine to get waylaid by
more than one of the
“Good afternoon,
Milady,” greeted the young woman. “How was your trip to
“Not quite as we might
have hoped,” confessed Katherine. With anyone else round the manor save perhaps
Tobias she might not have been so candid, but she had long passed the stage of
keeping anything from Beatrice.
“I’ve heard from other
servants that Lord Alfred isn’t the most agreeable of masters,” remarked
Beatrice. “Then again, few are, present company excepted.”
“He’s by no means the
worst I’ve come across, though,” said Katherine. “We still have hopes of
persuading him to join us.”
“If not it will be a
very cosy alliance with just you and Lord Andrew.”
Katherine frowned at
the hint of suggestion in the remark. “Not you as well.”
“Anne been given you a
hard time about him has she?” guessed Beatrice.
“With no reason,”
insisted Katherine before deciding a switch in topic was in order. “Have you
been in seeing the friar about the wedding?”
“Yes, I can’t believe
it’s only just over a couple of weeks away,” said Beatrice. “There’s still so
much to organise!”
“You will let me know
if you need any help, won’t you?”
“I’m sure you have better things to be doing
with your time than arranging the marriage of your maid and one of your
guards.”
Katherine took a
moment to fix her gaze sincerely on Beatrice. “You know I think of you as far
more than just my maid.”
“And Thomas?” prompted
Beatrice. “I know you say you’ve forgiven him for what happened last year, but
have you really in your heart?”
A slight pause was
enough to give the answer away, but then Katherine wouldn’t have attempted to
deceive the other woman anyway. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little
wary of trusting him,” she explained, “but ever since the unfortunate events of
last year his conduct has been exemplary. At the end of the day I just want you
to be happy and I can see that together both of you are.”
To reinforce the
sentiment of her words she reached out to stroke a hand down Beatrice’s arm,
offering a reassuring squeeze on the way.
“Anyway,” added Katherine,
“I know I can rely on you to keep him on the straight and narrow. I’m sure any
thought of upsetting you and having to deal with the consequences is far more
of a scary prospect than having to handle my displeasure.”
“Indeed, he was lucky
to keep all his body parts last time - I don’t think there’ll be any repeat!”
Katherine laughed
before bidding goodbye to the young woman and continuing on into the church
herself. The chill in her bones returned with a vengeance as she passed over
the threshold. It was so unpleasant she almost turned on her heel and went back
out, but thought that would be ridiculous. Instead she forged on up the aisle,
though with each step a sick sensation built in her stomach. When she got to
the altar she automatically glanced to the cross on it. A sharp pain flared
instantly at her temple. Her gasp echoed round the church as she stepped back.
“Katherine, are you
all right?”
The friar had come out
from the small room at the back of the church in time to see her bizarre reaction
to the cross.
“Yes, I’m fine,” lied
Katherine.
The friar didn’t look
convinced, especially given that Katherine appeared to be swaying slightly on
her feet. She swallowed hard, tasting bile at the back of her throat. “I just
need to confirm the service for this weekend,” she said, wanting to conduct her
business as soon as possible and get out of there.
“Of course,” said the
friar. Though he made no more of it, Katherine could see him glancing
uncertainly at her as they moved towards the pulpit where the thick bible sat.
Another large cross hung behind it, Katherine’s eyes drawn to it despite
herself.
The friar continued. “I
was thinking of reading from Psalm 40, it refers to… Katherine?”
Katherine started. She
hadn’t been listening at all; she’d been too busy just concentrating on
breathing and not throwing up. Sweat beaded on her forehead while her skin was
cold and clammy.
“Are you sure you’re
all right?” asked the friar.
“You know, I do feel a
little off colour,” said Katherine, deciding that honesty might get her an exit
sooner. “I’m just going to go back to the manor and have a lie down.” She was
already starting to back away when his next comment came.
“Do you want me to
take a look at you?”
“No, there’s really no
need,” she attempted with a dismissive wave of the hand.
Suddenly something
splashed across the back of that hand. Katherine cried out as it burnt her skin
and quickly cradled it to her.
Her eyes shot back to
the friar. “What the hell was that?” she demanded.
“Just water,” replied
the friar with a look of grave concern on his face, “holy water from the font.”
Katherine frowned and
looked down at her hand. There was a nasty red scald on the back of it. “How
can just water do that?” she asked angrily, showing him. “I think I’m not the
only one who isn’t feeling well! Maybe you should go and lie down too, rest
your head and get some sense back into it! Just water indeed!”
She stomped off down
the aisle, barely able to breathe now, desperate to just get out. She managed
to make it through the door and out into the welcome fresh air before the friar
caught her up.
“Katherine, wait, you
can’t just ignore this!”
She took a few
fortifying deep breaths before she turned back towards him. “What, you acting
like a crazy man? I would have thought you would want me to.”
He ignored her
comment, instead posing his own question. “Have you experienced anything else
odd recently – strange night time desires, lapses in memory?”
The accuracy of his
remarks caused her to pause before she gave a standard answer of denial.
Obviously something was wrong with her and though normally she would tough it
out, this malady was unusual enough to make her think she needed help. “Maybe,”
she allowed.
“I see.”
The breath he sucked
in was enough to let Katherine know it wasn’t good news.
“What is it? What’s
wrong with me?” she demanded.
The friar knew her
well enough not to prevaricate. “I think you’ve been infected by a vampire.”
“A what?”
“A vampire,” he
repeated though the name still meant nothing to her. “I thought perhaps they
were a myth, but then I’ve seen enough mystical and unexplainable things by now
not to make assumptions.”
“So what is one of
these vampires?”
“Outwardly they appear
human, like you or me, but supposedly they’re already dead and gain their
sustenance not from food but from drinking human blood. That’s how they infect
their victims, by biting them. In extreme cases they can convert someone into a
full vampire too by killing them and feeding them their own blood to revive
them.”
Katherine recoiled at
the grim description. “And you think one of these creatures has bitten me?”
“Quite possibly. When
someone is bitten, but not killed, they develop some of the characteristics of
the vampire too, such as an aversion to sunlight and anything related to the
church – in particular crosses and holy water.” He let the last point hang a
moment just to make sure she got what he was hinting at. “They also become
infected by the vampire’s blood lust. Once the sun goes down they will feel the
uncontrollable urge to drink blood too, though they rarely remember this.”
“But I don’t remember
being bitten either,” pointed out Katherine.
“As I said a
side-effect is the selective loss of memory. There are also some other
side-effects I’ve read about, to do with … um … increased sexual desires.”
Katherine shook her
head, unwilling to accept it and certainly not about to discuss her sexual
habits with the friar. “This is preposterous! It’s some sort of ghost story to
scare children!”
The friar grabbed her
hand and turned it over to show her the back of it. “And is that preposterous
too? It really was just water I threw on you.”
Katherine sighed. It
all sounded so unlikely, but then so did spirit planes, dragons and witches and
she’d encountered all of those in the last couple of years. “Say I do believe
you, is there something I can do to cure the infection?”
“You have to destroy
the source of it. You have to find the leader of the vampire coven that bit you
and kill it.”
“Didn’t you just say a
vampire was already dead?”
“Yes, but they can be
destroyed by staking them through the heart and cutting their head off.”
“Oh, easy then,” said
Katherine sarcastically.
“Not to mention they
possess superhuman strength and speed,” added the friar.
“You’re not really
encouraging me here,” pointed out Katherine. “And if I don’t do this, what
happens to me then?”
“Then eventually the
infection will consume you, you’ll become a monster intent on only one thing –
blood.”
“Then I better find
this vampire,” Katherine said grimly.
“In order to do that
we need to work out how and where it happened,” noted the friar. “Have you been
out alone anywhere recently?”
“No, I don’t think
so,” replied Katherine. “Anne accompanies me most places if I leave the manor.”
She thought about it some more. “There was the trip to Gainsborough. I might
have given my guards the slip for a bit, but I don’t remember anything untoward
happening. They just caught me up in the end.”
“Are you sure?”
pressed the friar. “You can remember exactly what happened while you were on
your own?”
“Yes, I just galloped
Delta on, past the river at Torksey and then … “
“Katherine?”
She rubbed her head
for a moment, but it didn’t make her jumbled thoughts any clearer. “I can’t
remember,” she admitted. “The next thing I recall is the guards catching me
up.”
“And did these strange
feelings and lapses in memory start after that?”
“Now you mention it,
yes, that was when it started. It must have happened somewhere near the
river at Torksey” Katherine paused as mentioning the river again brought
something else to mind. “Oh my God …”
“What is it?”
Katherine fixed a
worried stare on him. “Anne went out there too.”
“Have you noticed any
odd behaviour from her recently?”
“No, I …” But even as
she tried to deny it she was met by a sudden flashing image of Anne, blue eyes
bright in the dark, sharp white teeth shining in the moonlight. “I have to go
warn her!”
“Katherine, wait!”
The friar’s words came
too late to stop her, though. Katherine was already off and running back
towards the house as the sun started to set over the hills.
……..
Katherine flew in the
front door to the manor house, garnering some bemused looks from those
preparing for dinner in the hall. Not waiting for any questions, she ran up the
steps to her quarters two at a time. Outside she could see the sun was nearly
below the horizon. She didn’t have much time. She barged straight in through
the door which whacked into the wall and rebounded shut again. The loud thump
caused the already present Anne to whirl round in surprise.
“Katherine, what is
it, what’s wrong?” she asked, immediately sensing the other woman’s urgency.
Katherine was
breathing hard and she had to take in a huge gulp of air before she could
speak. “Have you experienced anything strange recently,” she panted, “not been
feeling quite yourself?”
Anne looked confused.
“No, I’m fine.”
Katherine grabbed her
about the arms, desperate for the other woman to understand the seriousness of
the situation. “Anne, this is important, you don’t need to be stoic, just tell
me the truth.”
Anne sighed, not
liking admitting weakness. “Yes, I have been feeling a little off colour,
especially in the mornings. It’s almost like I haven’t slept at all. It’s
probably just the phase of the moon or something.”
Katherine let go, her
worst fears confirmed. “I think it’s the ‘or something’”
“What’s going on?”
asked a perplexed Anne. “What’s all this about?”
Katherine glanced
anxiously to the window. “We don’t have much time, so I’m going to have to explain
it quickly and it’s going to sound pretty insane. I think you’ve been bitten by
a vampire.”
“A vampire? Aren’t
they some mythical creature that drinks human blood?”
“That’s right,” said
Katherine, “only not so mythical it seems. If one of them bites you, you become
infected with vampiric tendencies too, have the irresistible urge to drink
blood at night.
“That’s crazy!”
exclaimed Anne as she backed away shaking her head. “I don’t want to drink
anyone’s blood …”
Katherine needed to
make her point. “I’ve been bitten too,” she stated starkly.
Anne stared at her,
starting to comprehend the enormity of the situation. “What can we do, is there
a cure?”
“We need to find the
leader of the vampire coven that bit us and kill it. I think it’s been prowling
the river at Torksey. So we need to go there and track it down.”
She looked to the
window again. The sun had finally disappeared behind the hills, dusk setting
in. When she turned back to Anne the young woman was much closer, her chest
practically touching Katherine’s. Her hand reached out to slowly stroke down
Katherine’s arm. “Are you sure you want to do that now?”
Katherine’s first
instinct was to say no, but she fought the pull of her desires. She took a step
back. “It’s the vampire blood lust, you have to resist.”
“But why?” Anne
stepped towards her again. Katherine had nowhere to go. She was pushed up
against the wall by Anne’s body. Katherine closed her eyes, desperately trying
to curb the pulsating throb in her veins.
“We … have to go … the
river …”
Anne’s leg slipped
between her thighs. Katherine gasped, fast losing control. She had to hold on.
She could feel the heat of Anne’s body against her, her own blood starting to
burn with an unnatural desire in response. She summoned all her willpower and
shoved Anne off her. She managed a couple of steps before Anne caught her arm
again. The young woman pulled Katherine back against her, immediately dipping
her head to Katherine’s neck. Yet she didn’t bite as Katherine was expecting,
instead flicking a teasing tongue along her skin. The barest graze of teeth
against her flesh caused a fresh surge of heat to flare in Katherine. The
pounding was back in her head, the hunger on her lips.
“Oh … God …”
“Hardly,” whispered
Anne.
The relentless
pulsating was maddening. Katherine had to sate it. “Just do it!”
Anne didn’t need to be
asked twice. She bit down hard, Katherine moaning her pleasure as the teeth
sunk in.
…….
A bird chirped the
morning chorus enthusiastically outside Katherine’s window, the sound
eventually penetrating her sleeping mind enough to wake her. As she stirred she
noted the tuneful song was backed by the rhythmic beat of rain on the grass of
the courtyard outside. It didn’t sound like an inviting day and she just lay
there for a moment, content to stay under the covers and next to the warm body
beside her. Instinctively she nestled
closer to Anne while her thoughts drifted somewhere in between sleep and
waking. As they veered towards the latter, the friar’s words from the day
before came back to her. Vampire.
Katherine shot up in
bed, the action jolting Anne rudely awake. The other woman gave an indignant
grunt as her sleepy blue eyes focussed on the upright Katherine.
“What’s the rush?”
asked Anne, her voice husky from sleep.
Katherine herself was
now fully awake. “Do you remember what happened last night?”
Anne ran a lazy hand
through her hair. “That good was it?” she asked with a smirk.
“Anne, I’m being
serious,” castigated Katherine. “Do you remember our conversation when I came
back from the church?”
“No, I …” Her eyes
widened as the conversation obviously came back to her. “Oh, gods, yes!” She
sat up too, her anxiety now written across her face. “We succumbed again didn’t
we?”
Katherine sighed. “It
seems so.”
A harsh rapping on the
door precluded further comment. “Milady? Are you awake?” came the call from
outside. “There’s been trouble in the village overnight.”
Anne was already out
of the bed and pulling on her clothes as Katherine answered. “Just give me a
moment!”
Katherine hastily
pulled on her own clothes and checked that Anne was fully presentable before
she opened the door. Hopefully whoever it was would assume the young woman had
simply arrived early to report something or carry out her duties. Another of
her guards stood on the threshold, bouncing in agitation on his feet.
“Calm down, Peter,”
Katherine instructed him gently, “and tell me what’s happened.”
“I think it’s best if
you come see.”
Anne was at her
shoulder without needing to be asked as they left the room and followed the
anxious man down the steps. As they exited the building, Katherine quickly
pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to protect her from the driving
rain. They trudged the short distance out the gate and into the village that
sat just outside the walls of the manor house. No one spoke over the constant
beat of the rain.
A small gathering of
people outside one of the houses indicated their destination. The guard ahead
of them cleared the way, allowing Katherine through. Even before they entered
the small abode Katherine could smell the scent of death in the air. Normally
such a thing would cause her to recoil, but that day she felt strangely drawn
on by it. She ducked inside the door, immediately seeing the prone form on the
floor. The man was deathly white, a faint trickle of dried blood visible on his
neck close to two puncture wounds.
“I came in this
morning and found him like this,” said one of the neighbours who was craning
his head in the door. Anne and the other guard had managed to squeeze their way
inside with Katherine, both of them looking down at the grim scene while rain
drops plopped from their clothes.
Katherine knelt down
by the dead man and reached out to inspect the wounds. As her fingers touched
his cold skin she felt a sudden rush of warmth through her body.
“Could it have been
some sort of wild animal?” she asked.
“I’ve never seen an
animal do something like this, Milady,” replied the neighbour. “It’s far too
ordered, too precise.”
“Then what?” she
asked, already fearing the answer.
“If I didn’t know
better I would say a person did this.”
Katherine’s felt the
blood draining from her face. I couldn’t
have, could I? She glanced round to Anne, her own concerns written all over
the other woman’s face too. Katherine straightened up and addressed those
assembled.
“Obviously this is
cause for grave concern and I can assure you we will make every effort to
determine how this happened. Until we find out what did this, I will increase
patrols round the village at night. I want you all to know that I take your
safety very seriously.”
There were a few
murmurs and whispers amongst the throng, but mostly they seemed satisfied with
her proclamation. Katherine gave Peter instructions for dealing with the body
before she stepped back outside. She left her hood down and turned her face up
to the sky, welcoming the cooling effect of the rain across her flushed skin.
She felt a presence by her side, not needing to look to know who it was.
“Do you think one of
us did that?” whispered Anne.
“I honestly don’t
know,” answered Katherine. “I hope not. I don’t recall leaving my room last
night, but then I don’t recall much after we started…”
She trailed off as
some vague recollections flashed through her mind along with a building desire.
She clamped down on it, at least able to do so while it was daylight for now.
“I can’t imagine being
particularly tempted to leave my bed and seek further sustenance afterwards,”
she said, “but who knows. Either way it demonstrates that we need to do something
about this and fast.”
…….
Not wishing a repeat
of her visit to the church from the day before, Katherine this time sent one of
her guards to bring the friar to the manor house. Katherine waited anxiously by
the fire in her room, drying herself after the soggy trip into the village
earlier. Meanwhile Anne stood gazing out the window, lost in thought as she
watched the incessant rain. Fortunately the friar came quickly, no doubt
guessing the reason for the urgent summons. As he stepped inside the room he
was still brushing the remnants of the inclement weather from his simple brown
robes.
“Good morning,
Milady,” he greeted, nodding to the young woman by the window too. “Anne.”
“Good morning,
Edward,” said Katherine. “I’m sure you know why I’ve asked you here.”
“Something to do with
our conversation yesterday evening and the unfortunate events in the village
last night?”
“You heard about that
then?”
He nodded. “It’s a
small village and bad news travels fast.”
Katherine gestured him
to come and sit by the fire with her. “Yesterday you mentioned a way to cure us
of this infection?”
Having taken his seat,
the friar glanced back round at Anne. “You are affected too then?”
“Unfortunately so,”
she replied as she moved closer to join the conversation.
The friar drew in a
pained breath as he turned back to address Katherine. “As I mentioned yesterday
you need to find the leader of the vampire coven, stake it and cut off its
head. The big problem apart from all that is being a full vampire they will only
come out at night and as we know that’s when you have trouble retaining control
of your faculties. You could send someone else to complete the task?”
“No, I won’t risk
anyone else,” stated Katherine. “There must be some way to retain our senses,
some sort of protection from the effects of the blood lust, even if only
temporary.”
“After you left
yesterday I did some more research,” he replied, “and there might be something
to help.” He delved inside the bag he’d brought with him and pulled out a small
cross on a chain. Katherine flinched as a dull pain started throbbing at her
temple.
“How exactly is that
going to help, apart from giving me a headache?”
“Well, that’s kind of
the point. The mild pain should be enough to keep you aware of your actions.” He
offered the cross to her, Katherine reluctantly taking it.
She had to swallow
down the sickness that was starting again. “I wouldn’t exactly call it mild
pain,” she noted, “but I guess if it’s the only way I’ll have to put up with
it.”
The friar swivelled
round to Anne with a second cross in his hand. “I have one for you too.”
Anne took it,
Katherine surprised to see that she didn’t wince in the slightest.
“Don’t you feel
anything from it?” asked Katherine.
“No, should I?”
The friar slapped his
forehead in realisation. “Of course, Anne isn’t a Christian, it won’t work for
her.”
Anne looked to him.
“Then how do I keep my thoughts?”
“You can’t,” he
stated.
Katherine pursed her
lips, not liking what she was about to say. “Then I guess I go alone.”
“Katherine, you
can’t!” cried Anne. “I’ll find a way to resist.”
Katherine got to her
feet so she could look Anne in the eye. “We both know you won’t be able to
without this protection,” she said gently, but firmly.
“I could try!”
insisted Anne.
“And if it doesn’t
work?” questioned Katherine. “You could be more of a hindrance than a help. Who
knows you might side with this head vampire against me.”
“I wouldn’t!”
Katherine reached out
to the other woman, trying to calm her obvious agitation with a soothing touch.
“Anne, I know you want to protect me, but this time you’re going to have to
trust me to handle this.”
Anne wasn’t about to
be placated, though. “You can’t go on your own! Tell her friar!”
The bald-headed man
held up his hands, not particularly wanting to get caught in the middle.
“Actually she’s probably better equipped than anyone. The bite of a vampire has
some beneficial effects – increased strength and heightened senses to name a
couple.”
Giving up on help from
him, Anne swung her eyes back to Katherine, the fear and panic obvious in them.
“At least take someone else with you even if I can’t go, someone who’s not
infected like Tobias.”
“And risk them getting
infected to? No, as I said before I won’t do that. This is my responsibility.”
“Forget
responsibility, this is your life we’re talking about!”
The other woman’s
anxiety was palpable, her insecurities over loss bubbling close to the surface.
Normally Anne’s composure was steadfast, the fact that she was losing it
testament to her degree of fear. Katherine stepped closer so she could place
both hands on the other woman’s arms, trying to impart some of her own
fortitude.
“If the roles were
reversed, you’d do this for me.”
“Of course, but that’s
besides the point.” Anne leant in closer, obviously not wanting the friar to
hear her next words. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” she whispered.
“Believe me, I don’t
want to get hurt either.”
…..
The rest of the day
was spent nervously waiting for night time to come. Katherine tried to distract
herself with other tasks and duties with limited success. Her own apprehension
was reflected in Anne, who insisted on following her everywhere. Eventually
Katherine gave up on getting anything useful done and returned to her room in
the early afternoon. She would need to leave soon for the ride to the river
anyway. Along with the cross for protection, the friar had also given Katherine
a number of other items she might find useful, including a vial of holy water
and some wooden stakes. As she checked them over for the last time she felt
Anne hovering by her side.
“I want you to take
this too,” she said, offering up a sword.
Katherine recognised
it as the one Anne had won in the contest at the Spring Fair a few weeks
previously.
“You’ll need a sharp
sword,” outlined Anne, “and this is the best one I have.”
“Better than the lucky
sword?” asked Katherine, trying to inject some levity into proceedings to ease
the tension.
Anne didn’t seem to be
in the mood for jollity though. “Why don’t you try out the balance?” she
suggested seriously.
Wanting to do what she
could to allay Anne’s fears, Katherine took the weapon and drew it from its
scabbard. She still wasn’t entirely comfortable handling swords, but had gotten
a lot better at it over the last two years or so. She wasn’t sure if she should
be troubled by that fact or not. With her limited experience, she had to
acknowledge that this sword seemed a particularly fine example. She wafted it
out in front of her a couple of times, amazed at how light it seemed. As she
slid it back into its holder, she read the Latin inscription at the base of the
blade.
“Fortune favours the
brave,” she translated. “Let’s hope so!”
“You know I’m still
not happy about you going on your own,” said Anne, unable to contain her troubling
thoughts any longer.
Katherine sighed and
put the sword down on the table before turning to the other woman. She gazed up
into the worried blue eyes.
“I know, darling, but
you understand why I have to do this?” said Katherine. “It might not have been
us that attacked that person last night, but it’s only a matter of time. I
can’t be a danger to my own people.”
Anne grumbled to
herself for a moment before voicing something aloud. “Talking of being a
danger, what about me while you’re off at the river?”
Katherine gave her a
quizzical look, not quite getting what she meant.
Anne elaborated. “From
my hazy recollections and what the friar’s said I think the only reason I
haven’t killed anyone yet is that my … lust has been directed elsewhere.” She
stared at Katherine as if it wasn’t plainly obvious where she meant. “If you’re
not here, who knows what I might do.”
“But we’ve already
agreed you can’t come with me,” said Katherine.
“I know and that
wasn’t what I was suggesting. But I do think you should secure me before you
leave, so I can’t hurt anyone once the sun goes down.”
“Secure you?”
“Tie me up,” clarified
Anne.
Katherine just stared
at her aghast. “You want me to tie you up, here in my quarters.”
“Unless you have
somewhere else better in mind?”
“Well, no, I can’t say
as it had crossed my mind at all.”
“Just think,” said
Anne, “if you don’t make it back, it will certainly give the maids something to
talk about when they find me in the morning.”
Katherine could only
stare in shock again at the comment as Anne raised her eyebrows. “It was a
joke,” she stated. “You yourself have encouraged me to use my sense of humour.”
“You didn’t seem
particularly receptive to my attempts a minute ago,” pointed out Katherine.
“No, but it’s either
try to make light of it or go out of my mind with worry.”
Katherine thought
Anne’s sense of humour could do with some work, but wasn’t about to deny the
other woman any comfort she could find. Having agreed to the plan, Anne
disappeared downstairs and returned some minutes later with rope and chains.
Katherine didn’t even want to know what excuse the young woman had used to
obtain them. Anne secured the chains round the column of the fireplace and then
her only ankles before sitting in the chair close to it.
“You’ll need to tie me
with the rope,” she said to Katherine, offering it up.
Somewhat reluctantly
Katherine took it and started winding it round Anne’s torso and the frame of
the chair.
“Make sure you do it
nice and tight,” Anne instructed.
Katherine tugged harder
on the rope, eliciting a grunt of discomfort from Anne. “That’s not too tight
is it?” queried Katherine.
“No, it’s good,”
replied a slightly breathless Anne.
With more care,
Katherine continued her task. Anne continued to chatter as she did, displaying
her nerves.
“At another time and
in other circumstances this could be kind of erotic,” she noted.
Katherine paused in
front of the seated woman. “So now it’s wildly inappropriate suggestive
comments rather than dodgy jokes?”
Anne tried to shrug,
but found it rather difficult with her shoulders pinned to the chair. “We have
to find some sort of bright side to all this!”
“I suppose you’re
right,” allowed Katherine, “on both counts.”
Anne raised her
eyebrows in question.
“The bright side,”
explained Katherine, pausing before adding, “and the erotic nature of
restraint.”
Anne smiled despite
everything. “So maybe we could try it another time, when our lives aren’t in
immediate danger?”
Katherine allowed a
smile to cross her face too. “See now I have a really good reason for making
sure I come back in one piece.”
She finished up with a
few sturdy knots before stepping back to view her handiwork. It wasn’t a
pleasant sight, only bringing home to her what she was about to attempt on her
own. Any lightening of the mood from the previous discussion was quickly gone
again now. She found herself unable to move, reluctant to leave Anne there. The
young woman’s eyes met her own, betraying her own doubts with the sorrowful
look in them.
Anne took a heaving breath,
the ropes creaking across her chest. “You better get going,” she said, trying
to inject some strength into her tone though the waver in it was noticeable,
“before it gets dark and before I start crying.”
“Oh, Anne.” Katherine
stepped forward and hugged her as best she could, pulling the other woman’s
head to her so their cheeks touched. She could feel the dampness where they
did.
“Damn, too late,”
whispered Anne.
Katherine pulled back
and eased her thumb across Anne’s cheek to wipe away the tears. “I can do this;
I’ve had instruction from the best after all.” She gave a reassuring smile.
That seemed insufficient though and she leant back in, pressing her lips softly
to Anne’s before drawing back again. “I love you, I’ll be back.”
Not wanting or able to
extend the farewell for fear of losing her courage, Katherine quickly gathered
up her things and left the room.
…….
By the time Katherine
reached Torksey it was early in the evening with the sun having just set and
the light fast starting to fade. Fortunately the rain of earlier had stopped
and it was now clear up above, though that also meant it was cooler than it
might have been. As Katherine hopped down from Delta’s back she gave a slight
shiver, partly due to the temperature and partly due to the creeping
apprehension prickling up her spine. She secured Delta just off the road and
started off through the trees in the direction of the river.
The surroundings
seemed eerily quiet, only the sounds of her own boots squelching through the
mud and leaves underfoot breaking it. A skittering noise caused Katherine to
freeze where she was. She tightened her grip on the hilt of Anne’s sword at her
side and peered into the growing gloom of the woods. Suddenly a lone deer came
bounding out of the trees as if fleeing from something. It dashed straight past
her without stopping. Katherine watched it go, having a sudden urge to chase
after it. She could feel its strong heartbeat, calling to her. At the same time
she felt an odd stirring in her mouth, realising in some shock that her two
canine teeth were growing. Under her top came a burning sensation where the
friar’s small cross sat.
She closed her eyes
and struggled to focus her thoughts – forget the desire … think of the task
… find the vampire … kill it. When she opened her eyes again she found the
blood lust had subsided, though her sharp teeth still poked at her lip.
Everything else around her seemed to suddenly be different too. It was like she
could see the woods on a whole other sensual level that she hadn’t been able to
before. The sounds and smells were magnified tenfold, her skin almost humming
with sensitivity as a slight breeze rippled across the back of her hand. She
wondered if this was anything like how nature felt to Anne when using her
special pagan abilities.
It was completely dark
now, but that didn’t hinder Katherine. She found that her vision was enhanced
too, allowing her to easily pick out a path the rest of the way to the river.
As she watched the gently rolling waters more sounds filtered to her - a
slurping, sucking noise coming from close by in the trees. Katherine let her
ears lead her to the source, finding a red-haired woman hunched over an animal
on the ground. She had her back to Katherine, but must have sensed something as
she swung round on her knees to face the noble lady. Katherine could now see
the animal was a deer whose innards were ripped out, a good deal of the blood
from inside the creature dripping down the face of the young woman. Katherine’s
first emotions on seeing the sight were horror and revulsion and she supposed
she should be grateful for that. Though unpleasant, it was certainly better
than the quickly following on urge to join the other woman. To her surprise the
young woman smiled at her. It revealed her pointed canines, shining white in
the moonlight.
“Would you like some?”
A bloody heart was offered up for Katherine’s delectation.
Katherine suppressed
her gag reflex. “No thanks, I’ve already eaten.”
The young woman
laughed. Katherine had been prepared for a fight, but it seemed the woman saw
her as some sort of ally, a fellow blood-sucking monster. Katherine kept her
hand close to the hilt of her sword just in case. The other woman rose up and
half-heartedly wiped her face though several bloody streaks remained. As she
moved closer Katherine caught the smell of it in the air, taunting her senses.
“I hope you didn’t eat
too much, Gwen has a special treat for us.”
Katherine assumed Gwen
was the one she was seeking. “And where is she?”
“In the usual place.”
From the answer
Katherine had to assume she herself had been there before. Unfortunately she
couldn’t remember it. Her only option was to play along. “Shall we go
together?” suggested Katherine.
As they made their way
on a parallel course with the river Katherine focussed on the task ahead,
keeping a tight hold on both her sword and the bag slung over her shoulders
with the wooden stakes in. Concentrating on those also helped keep her mind off
the building hunger inside her. Several times she had to take deep shuddering
breaths to try and calm herself. Fortunately the young woman walking at her
side didn’t detect Katherine’s unease and continued to chat as if they were two
friends out for an afternoon stroll.
“On your own this time
then?” she asked amiably.
“Yes,” replied
Katherine, thinking it best to keep her answers short to avoid revealing her
lack of knowledge.
“I thought you might
have brought that tasty blond back with you again.”
Katherine felt her
pulse quicken further at the mention of Anne, having to fight a powerful urge
to run back to the manor house right there and then to feast on her. While
Katherine struggled to contain her instincts, the young woman continued.
“I wouldn’t have
minded a little bite this time.”
“She is mine!”
Katherine’s outburst came before she could stop herself. At the same time she
automatically bared her sharp teeth in a show of dominance.
The other woman took a
couple of steps back at the warning sign. “That’s what you said last time, but
it’s fun to share you know.”
Katherine just glared
back at her, unable to think of anything rational to say when her vampiric
instincts were threatening to overwhelm her. She tried to push thoughts of Anne
away, especially ones where the young woman was writhing hot and naked beneath
her as Katherine sucked on her neck.
“Fine,” said the other
woman, looking away from the piercing gaze, “no sharing, but don’t expect me to
reciprocate either in that case.”
Katherine thought she
could live with that considering what the woman had been trying to share with
her before. Not to mention she would rather rip the woman’s throat out with her
teeth than let her anywhere near Anne. A slight burning at her chest reminded
her such thoughts were not Christian. Katherine placed her hand over breast,
able to feel the impression of the cross beneath her clothes. It infused her
with strength and courage for what lay ahead.
After a short walk
they came to a glade by the river bank, Katherine immediately able to see what
lay there thanks to her enhanced vision. A young woman not much more than
twenty lay on a downed tree trunk with a flattened side looking for all intents
and purposes like a sacrifice on an altar. She didn’t appear to have any
injuries yet and Katherine prayed she was simply asleep or unconscious and
nothing worse. Katherine forced herself to stand where she was until she knew
she had subdued the urge to rush over and sink her teeth into the neck
invitingly exposed where the young woman’s dress had slipped off her shoulder.
Hovering close by the
tree was another woman she assumed was Gwen. She looked a couple of year’s
older than Katherine, but then the friar had mentioned true vampires lived for
many years so who knew what her real age was. A pair of dark eyes swung to the
new arrivals.
“Katherine, Arabella,”
greeted Gwen, disconcerting Katherine with the fact she knew her name, “you’re
just in time. As are you Elizabeth.”
Katherine glanced over
her shoulder, seeing they’d been joined by another woman. Were all vampires
women? Or did Gwen only seek out other women to join her coven? Looking back to
the leader, Katherine could see the predatory gleam in her eye as she viewed
the body before her. Katherine’s grip on her sword tightened again, though she
knew she needed to get closer to make her move. She suspected she would only
get one shot. If she failed to act decisively and quickly the other women would
gang up against her and she didn’t fancy her chances against three vampires.
“Who wants first
blood?” asked Gwen.
Katherine baulked. How
far was she going to have to play along in order to make her move? Both
Arabella and Elizabeth seemed eager to take up the offer, jostling to be the
first to the downed woman. Katherine moved closer too in order to avoid
suspicion and to get closer to Gwen. As Arabella bared her teeth ready to
strike Katherine wasn’t sure she could just stand by and watch. Yet if she
didn’t do what she had come to there could be many more victims. She just had
to pray the others were only intending to drink from their young prey and not
kill her. The vampire’s teeth sunk into the young woman’s neck, blood
blossoming immediately. Katherine wondered what it tasted like. Her mouth was
suddenly dry, heat building inside her. Once Arabella had finished,
Eventually
Katherine stared down
at the woman’s neck, the fresh blood marring the pale skin. She was torn
between repulsion and a thirst for that very blood.
“Are you waiting for
something?” asked Gwen.
The older vampire
stood near the head of the young woman. Katherine’s best chance of getting
close in a non-threatening way was to do what they were asking. She stepped
forwards, the thump of her heart increasing. The eyes of the others were all
upon her, she had to make it look good. She took one last fortifying breath and
bent down. The scent of the fresh blood was intoxicating, just crying out to be
drunk. Katherine resisted. Instead she brought her hands up to the woman’s neck
as she leant in close, making it look like she was revelling in swirling them
in the blood when in fact she was using them to cover up the fact none of it
was actually going in her mouth. She smeared some it round her face for good
measure, trying to block out the arousing aromas from the hot liquid. When she
thought she’d put on a good enough show she straightened back up, unable to
stop her rebellious tongue from snaking out onto her lips and licking off the
bloody remnants. The immediate sensual explosion was overwhelming. She craved
more. All she had to do was bend back down, sink her teeth in. She closed her
eyes, pretending to be savouring the taste of the blood while she fought the
primal urges. The cross burnt hotly against her skin reminding her of her duty.
Seemingly satisfied,
Gwen moved to take her turn. This was Katherine’s chance. The other vampire
would have to take her eyes of Katherine as she bent to drink. Katherine’s
fingers wound round the hilt of her sword, starting to ease it slowly and
silently from its scabbard. The woman’s black hair flopped over her shoulders
as she leant forwards, the back of her neck invitingly placed. Katherine
whipped the sword the rest of the way out and swung in one quick motion. The
blade clattered into the tree trunk as Gwen darted backwards. Katherine quickly
wrenched it free, but Gwen was already out of reach and laughing, mocking the
noble woman.
“Did you think I
couldn’t smell the disgusting stench of the church on you?”
Around her Katherine
could sense the other two vampires moving to flank her. She kept her sword up
pointing at Gwen.
“It seems Katherine
doesn’t want to be one of us,” Gwen said. “Obviously we haven’t done enough to
convince her of the pleasures of this life.”
A hot brush of breath
whispered past Katherine’s ear. She whirled round, swishing the sword to make
Arabella back off. The young woman grinned.
“Why resist,
Katherine?”
The voice was
seductive, tempting. Another one came from close behind her, Elizabeth this
time.
“Just give in to it.”
Katherine spun round
and in one quick motion stabbed the sword into
“I bet your blood will
taste especially sweet,” said Arabella with a sharp-toothed smile.
Katherine struggled to
free one of her arms. Arabella was bending down to bite her. Her teeth were
mere inches from Katherine’s neck. Finally Katherine’s arm popped free. She
swung, cracking her fist into the side of Arabella’s head. The other woman
howled in pain and rolled away. Katherine leapt up, swinging the bag round from
her back and delving inside it. Her fingers closed over one of the vials of
holy water. Undeterred Arabella was coming for her again. Katherine uncorked
the vial and flung the contents at the other woman. An unearthly scream rang
round the glade as it splashed across Arabella’s face. Katherine could hear the
faint hiss of the water searing into flesh.
However, Arabella was
still coming, Katherine too surprised to defend herself as the other woman
smacked into her and sent the pair of them tumbling backwards into the river.
Katherine staggered to her feet in the thigh-deep water with her soaked clothes
tugging heavily at her body. She was barely up when Arabella hit her again and
she splashed back down into the water. Arabella swiftly followed up, grabbing
at Katherine’s top to push her under the surface. Katherine thrashed around,
trying to find some purchase on the other woman. Her boots slithered through
the muddy bed of the river, finally banging into rock. She jammed her foot
against it and thrust upwards. As her head broke through the surface it cracked
straight into Arabella’s chin. The other woman was catapulted backwards into
the main flow of the river, the current carrying her away.
Katherine trudged to
the bank and clambered out onto the grass on her hands and knees, but any
respite was short-lived. Gwen was waiting for her. The other woman reached
down, grabbed Katherine’s top and proceeded to fling her right back across the
glade where her back whacked into the prone tree trunk. Katherine slumped
against it, trying to catch her breath. Even with the vampiric blood coursing
through her veins she wasn’t sure how much more punishment her body could take.
“You really should
have just yielded to the gift I gave you,” said Gwen as she stalked towards
her. “Now I’m going to have to kill you.”
She yanked Katherine
to her feet and shoved her back against the tree. As the deadly points of
Gwen’s teeth flashed in the moonlight, Katherine summoned the last of her
reserves and the killer instinct that was already straining to be unleashed.
Grabbing the other woman’s arm, she managed to roll Gwen round while her other
hand shot to her bag. With Gwen now up against the tree, Katherine drew out one
of the stakes and plunged it straight into her heart. The force of the blow was
such that it went right through the other woman’s body, pinning her in place.
Gwen could only look down in shock as Katherine staggered wearily back. Yet
there was still one more thing to do. Luckily the sword lay close by. Katherine
picked it up and prepared to deal the final blow. The blade was up when
suddenly someone barrelled into her, knocking her flat on her back on the
ground, the sword bouncing from her grasp once more. The other person had also
tumbled over, landing on top of Katherine. Their hands grabbed at her wrists
and pinned her in place. Katherine looked up into familiar blue eyes.
“Anne? How did you…?”
“Why did you leave
me?” Anne swiftly interrupted. “I need you!”
To show what she meant
she immediately bent her head to Katherine’s neck, her sharp teeth grazing
tantalisingly across Katherine’s flesh.
“Oh…god…Anne,” said
Katherine raggedly, “we have to fight it.”
Though her words were
brave, Katherine could feel her body betraying her. As Anne’s tongue flicked
out across her skin she arched up into the other woman, grinding her hips
downwards so she could rub herself against Anne’s thigh. Heat flooded her,
blotting out rational thought. Her heart pounded, thudding in time with the
blood she could sense pumping in Anne’s veins. The tip of Anne’s sharp teeth
pricked at her skin. The cross at her chest flared white hot.
“No!”
Katherine shoved Anne
from her and darted for the sword on the ground. She had to do it now, before
she was consumed by the lust. Even with the friar’s defence she knew if Anne
touched her again she would be lost. Snatching up the weapon, she ran towards
Gwen. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Anne was already up and after
her, intent on stopping her. Katherine had to focus on her target, just do what
had to be done. Still running at full pelt, she raised the keen blade up above
her head. Gwen’s eyes swung to her from her position pinned to the tree. The
confidence in the vampire’s gaze was gone to be replaced for the first time with
fear. Katherine didn’t falter. The woman was a monster, not even alive. She
brought the sword down in a vicious arc, watching it slice clean through the
vampire’s neck before it embedded itself in the wood. The vampire’s body
exploded in a shower of dust, Katherine losing her grip on the stuck sword and
falling back on her bottom. She sensed a presence at her side and warily looked
up, hoping that it had worked but scared it hadn’t. Next to her stood Anne,
confusion knotting her brow.
“Katherine? What am I
doing in the woods and why are you wet?”
Katherine’s relief
rushed out in a loud laugh which only confused Anne further. Katherine got to
her feet, realising her own blood lust had disappeared now. Without the driving
power of it she also felt incredibly tired. Anne must have sensed as much,
extending a helping hand as she swayed upright.
Katherine gave her a
reassuring smile. “What was the last thing you remember?” she asked.
“I believe I was tied
to a chair in your bedroom,” said Anne as if she didn’t quite believe it.
“Then I’m guessing you
somehow got free once the blood lust overtook you.”
“And came seeking you
out?”
Katherine shrugged. “I
guess I’m just irresistible.”
“I was under the
influence of a vampire,” pointed out Anne, “and not in control of my actions.”
She saw Katherine frowning and smiled. “But I can’t dispute the accuracy of
your statement,” she quickly added.
The sound of movement
from across the clearing reminded them they were not alone. Glancing over,
Katherine could see that
“How did I get here?
What’s going on?”
“That could take some
explaining,” said Katherine slowly.
A light of recognition
sparked in
“Yes I am,” confirmed
Katherine, “so you can trust me when I say there’s nothing to worry about any
more; you’re going to be fine now.” Katherine crossed to the other woman and
placed a comforting hand on her arm. “How about I tell you all about it on the way
back to the manor house where you’ll be my guest? I think we could all do with
some sleep at last!”
……
Epilogue
It was well into the
afternoon the following day when Anne made her way through the woods to the
cottage near the convergence of the Clipstone and Budby streams. She had spent
the whole morning sleeping, making up for the previous nights when the blood
lust had disturbed her slumber. In the end she’d left Katherine still in bed to
make her appointment. The other woman had stirred when she’d tried to sneak out
and Anne had been forced to make some excuse about guarding duties to cover up
where she was going. She hated lying, but she had no choice.
As she neared the
cottage the door opened and Axia stepped forth, a smile immediately appearing
on her face when she saw who it was. “You came then.”
“I told you I would
and I keep my word,” stated Anne. As far as she was concerned this was all just
a means to an end – defeating whatever threat was on the way to
There was a flash of
movement behind Axia from inside the cottage and Anne’s hand immediately went
to her sword. She had it drawn before Axia managed to speak.
“Wait, it’s only one
of the others!” She motioned behind her and a young man stepped outside so Anne
could see him. He was only about twenty years of age, fair-haired, short and
stocky. He simply smiled and nodded in Anne’s direction.
Anne ignored the
friendly gesture and glared at Axia, not liking the sense the other woman was still
keeping things from her. “I didn’t realise there would be anyone else here.”
“The task ahead is
serious,” she said, “we need all of the nine to accomplish it.”
“The nine?”
“The nine chosen ones
who have special abilities,” explained Axia. “You are the seventh. Johannes
here is the third; he’s come all the way from
“I’m the Seventh of
Nine?” repeated Anne. Something about the statement stirred a faint memory but
she couldn’t place it. Dismissing it for now she focussed back on Axia. “So we
can expect another six of us to turn up? When are they arriving?”
A faint smile lifted
Axia’s lips as Anne spoke.
“What?” asked Anne,
unsure what had caused it.
“You referred to
‘us’,” Axia replied.
“It was a slip of the
tongue.”
“Of course,” said
Axia, though the smile still played across her face. “The others should be
arriving within the next few days, some of them have far to come. Why don’t you
come inside and I can tell you more about them?”
Anne hesitated. Each
time she spoke to Axia she seemed to get sucked just that little further into
her world and had more things she needed to keep secret from her other world,
from Katherine.
“There’s nothing to be
scared of in there,” Axia said, “just some food and drink including my
speciality – honey coated buns.”
“I’m not scared,”
corrected Anne, “just wary.”
“Everyone is the first
time they try my buns,” joked Axia. She gestured to the door again. “But I
promise you’ll like them.”
Anne sensed Axia
wasn’t really talking about bread products at all. Sighing to herself, she
stepped on into the cottage.
THE END
………….
COMING SOON – Lady Katherine
and The Belligerent Bride