Daughter of Death -Chapter 23 (Patreon)

  Author Note: This chapter gets pretty graphic. Read at your own discretion. -Britt

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Blood. Edeline did not ever remember seeing so much blood in her lifetime. She was certain this was how battlefields must look.

And this certainly was one; she against Reina and Reina against her step-mother and Errol.

God, but there was so, so much blood. May The Lord have some mercy.

After Reina had fallen unconscious, The Dowager Queen and Errol had to drag her limp body to Edeline’s cart. No easy feat for a noblewoman unused to physical labour and a small dwarf used to less cargo. This delay is probably what, Edeline would consider later, had cost too much.

Edeline had Errol help her tie Reina up in the house with the cords she had left by the door. They had been specially dipped in silver –a hopeful deterrent from the demon escaping the bonds. It had given Errol especially reassurance that he’d be safe in case The Princess woke whilst they had been dragging her out to the cart.

Following this, the two got into the cart and drove deep out into the forest. Errol showed Edeline an easy way towards the stream that ran through most of the forest. Then, they got out and a nervous Errol assisted Edeline in getting Reina off the back of the cart and towards the water.

“W-what now Your Majesty?” he stammered.

“Now we go after The Demon’s heart. Let’s get her in the water so that the water washes all clean. We don’t want to attract any animals whilst we are in the process of ending her unholy life.”

Errol did as he was told and then The Queen drew a knife which paused his breath. As he watched her approach Reina, he couldn’t look. He felt ill. Errol began to pray for safety and forgiveness for both he and Edeline for this deed.

He recalled some minutes later as he then stood over Princess Reina that he was roused from his reverence by a shriek. With his heart pounding in his ears he had turned to see Edeline standing over Princess Reina, knife in hand. The Queen had cut Reina’s laces on her bodice and exposed the girl’s chest. Rena’s arms were now above her head in the water and Errol easily saw that the water had already been discoloured with blood. But what had terrified him most was that Reina had been awake, watching Edeline with a silent scream on her lips.

Errol had waited until The Queen’s back was turned to then approach The Princess. He was having second thoughts.

“Errol?” she muttered, eyes fluttering as she looked up at him. “H-help.” She was bleeding from her chest and looked terrified and weak.

The dwarf was frozen in indecision and fear. He glanced at Edeline then at Reina. Could he betray the plan?

When she had pulled out a knife and Errol had turned away, Edeline pulled her step-daughter’s arms above her head and dropped them in the flowing stream. Edeline muttered some Latin prayers under her breath as she cut a cross into each arm and watched as Reina’s red blood ebbed from the wounds into the water.

“Herr Klein could you please bring me the box for the heart?” The dwarf had looked up from his own prayers and nodded then went to the cart. Edeline meanwhile cut open Reina’s bodice so that she could get this demon child’s heart.

“Your Majesty—” Errol interrupted Edeline’s thoughts just as she had exposed the girl’s breasts after tearing her undergarment exposing the space where she’d plunge her knife, “I cannot find the box.”

After a brief exchange of words Edeline decided to look for the silver-lined box herself. She called Errol over to her then moved back towards the cart to look for the box praying it had not fallen off accidentally during travel.

Errol stared at Reina tied up like an animal with her laces cut and clothing torn open and he thought of all the evil he suspected (and some confirmed) that she had done in Brickwall Cottage and he felt assured he was doing the right thing by ending her life. It scared him that it should be done in such a violent manner with tying her up but he knew this was what needed to be done. That pale, unmarked chest now exposed to the cool air around them would soon be sliced open and the heart of this creature would be removed and they would be safe. They’d be safe.

Edeline returned to his side and shook her head. “The box is gone; I shall have to...find another way to destroy this heart.”

“Wrap it in my silver chain,” he offered, pulling his silver crucifix from under his clothing.

“Yes perhaps that will have to do.”

The dwarf pulling off his necklace stepped forward and pressed the silver down between Reina’s breasts where he suspected her heart would be. When he pulled it away he saw that although the skin was slightly red it hadn’t done much damage.

“She is not fully-fledged yet to my understanding. Lucifer and the demons of hell hath not yet granted her full powers,” Edeline explained to him.

Errol mumbled an apology but The Dowager dismissed it.

“Let me do it,” he asked, “Let me cut into her; help you get the heart.”

The girl’s step-mother agreed. She handed the dagger to Errol who then stood over his quarry. He cried out a prayer and as he was about to plunge the blade into Reina’s chest her eyes fluttered open. The dwarf hesitated for only a second. Only a fatal second.

Reina’s eyes locked on Edeline, still disguised, and the young woman registered in that brief second or two the cold of the stream and pain she felt in her arms which scared her and she cried out, “Stop! Stay back!”

Edeline had no choice but to obey this.

Errol steeled his nerves and plunged his weapon downward. Luck or fate was on Reina’s side for although the blade cut her it glanced off one of her ribs and did not plunge inside of her. She screamed and tried to defend herself which knocked a surprised Errol over and the knife flew from his hand into the water. Reina realized quickly in that second that she had been tied up.

This was an attempt on her life. Another attempt on her life...

“Errol!”

The dwarf got to his feet and stared at her in terror but Reina had only needed a second of his attention.

“You don’t want to kill me. The woman with you it’s her doing; her fault.”

The dwarf was frozen in indecision and fear. He glanced at Edeline then at Reina. Could he betray the plan? He was having second thoughts.

Edeline was a few paces back from the water’s edge and she suddenly gazed at the other two in confusion. Why was she back here?

“Herr Klein! Errol-!”

But Reina had spoken first, softly but effectively, “You’re not helping her. Can’t you see I’m scared? You saw her over me didn’t you? Trying to hurt me?”

Errol did recall praying for Reina and then hearing the girl cry out as Edeline stood over her about to murder her.

“Errol?” she muttered, eyes fluttering as she looked up at him. “H-help.” She was bleeding from her chest and looked terrified and weak.

“Herr Errol what are you doing?” Edeline called out as the dwarf went splashing through the water head looking down by his feet.

“The knife! I need the knife!”

Edeline felt relief and then decided she ought to get closer. But something inside her made her feel too apprehensive to get much closer. Why? She tried to will herself forward; she must help kill this demon child before she tried to bewitch them and escape!

Errol held the dagger above him triumphantly mere seconds later. Edeline watched in confusion and horror however when the man began trying it on Reina’s ropes!

“No!” she screamed. “Herr Errol! Kill her! Kill the demon!”

“I can’t!” he cried back.

“She murdered your friends! Don’t forget the horrors she’s done!” Edeline tried as she simultaneously tried to get closer to them but failed once more.

Errol paused and stepped back from Reina.

The girl took these moments of indecision from her housemate to finally see she was bleeding from her arms and now chest and the water was carrying it away; making her bleed out faster than she should. She had to get out of this water. Reina struggled onto her stomach and tried to worm her way onto the mud at the edge of the stream in Edeline’s direction. She managed it just as Errol under the direction and renewed motivation from The Dowager strode forward intent on killing her again.

“Don’t look at her! She’ll bewitch you!”

Reina rolled onto her back in attempts to counter this: “No, Errol look at me! Look at me!” she screeched desperately.

He managed to avoid her eyes and tried to stab the girl. He got her shoulder and she screamed so loudly that several birds in trees nearby took flight. As she thrashed around in pain Errol again lost his footing and fell onto his back all the while Queen Edeline watched with desperate fear for the outcome of this.

Reina managed to grit her teeth and pull out the dagger from her shoulder then in vicious revenge rolled on top of Errol; pinning him.

Unable to do anything but watch, Reina’s step-mother screamed as her step-daughter slashed Errol with the dagger and in the action the blade fell beside them both from Reina’s limp hold. When she picked it up again the vampir had a better grip and she plunged it into Errol’s chest –piercing his heart.

Edeline couldn’t recall if Errol had even cried out. She was frozen now in shock, feeling faint as she watched the dwarf cough up blood once Reina rolled off of him.

The Queen collapsed to her knees, covering her mouth in grief as her vision flooded with tears.

Reina lay panting beside her dying companion and tried to process what all had just happened as she too continued to bleed out onto the forest floor.

Blood. Edeline did not ever remember seeing so much blood in her lifetime. She was certain this was how battlefields must look: dying bodies and all. God, but there was so, so much blood. May The Lord have some mercy. Kyrie eleison. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.