Of Light and Darkness: The Vampire's Daughter

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Eighteen years later, the Regime’s hatred for the blood-sucking creatures continued to consume its four leaders. Vladislov thought of ways to make sure it would never happen again. He would sit up, sleepless night after sleepless night, devising ways to make life more difficult for the only thing he would never win against and every night, he came up with the same solution: rid the Earth of Vampires completely. Form a mass genocide, and the world would no longer have to fear the blood demons.

“Sir?” A young Elf that worked in the building as a page interrupted Vladislov’s reverie. “Excuse me, sir, but the Vampires from the Northern most Slovakian occult city have arrived, sir.”

Vladislov nodded and waved him away.

Kazimir soon took the boy’s place in the room as he walked over to his elder brother and put one hand on his pointed shoulder.

“Tomorrow is the day, Vlad,” he said warmly. “This is only the first of many Occult districts to be cleared. Soon, the entire world will not have to worry about these savages appearing by their bedsides anymore.”

Vladislov slowly got up from the leather armchair with a tired smile.

“Yes, Kazimir. Soon human children will forget every vampiric fairy tale ever told. It will be as though they’ve never existed, and we can all rest easier.”

“Can you believe one of them actually asked me what she was being tried for?” Kazimir laughed, lines forming around his dark, shining eyes. He looked almost identical to his brother, though a bit more youthful.

“How did you respond?” Vladislov only slightly shared in his brother’s amusement.

“I told her they were all guilty on the count of ruthless murder. How could we let creatures such as these exist after killing thousands of people, and endangering our secret?” Kazimir beamed. “The little demon looked at me like I had three eyes.” His laugh was thunderous again. “You should have seen the way she clawed at those bars, as though she were strong enough to rip through platinum.”

“Let us see how strong they are when they are forced to meet eyes with sunrise,” Vladislov seethed, and started out of the large room.

“Good day, brother.” Kazimir eyed him as Vladislov nodded and disappeared behind the door without another word.

Chapter Seven No Rest for the Wicked

Charlotte stretched as she woke. The curtains were drawn, letting the soft light in. It was seven o’clock. The sun had had its turn in the Eastern hemisphere and was now fading deep into the West. Twilight had come upon the small town, coloring the sky with swirling tufts of pink and gold.

Bolting up, she gasped and jumped out of bed. She fought to remember how she had gotten there, and peering down, why she wasn’t in her night clothes. She gazed around the room, not seeing Valek anywhere. How could she have fallen asleep? The last thing she remembered was the cold night, the spider, and…Evangeline.

The memory of the night came flooding back to her. The pain, the confusion, the ridiculous jealousy all burned within the tears forming in the corners of her eyes again. It couldn’t have been a dream, though she wished it were. It was the only way to explain the dull, familiar pain that reverberated in her chest — a telltale sign of a broken heart.

She quickly slipped on jeans and a sweater and made her way into the hall, seeing Valek’s bedroom door wide open. Charlotte stopped, listened. She didn’t hear Valek stirring in his office. It seemed too early for him to have gotten up already. What if something awful happened to him last night? There was no way he could be awake yet. She ran downstairs.

In the library, remnants of a dying fire glistered in a heap of black ashes. Charlotte lurched when she finally saw an emaciated Valek, sprawled out in his armchair like he had been there for over four hundred years.

She muffled a scream behind her arm. Something really had gone wrong. Why wasn’t he in his bedroom with the thick curtains drawn? Had he been there all day? Was he really hurt? She tore through her memory for an answer but didn’t remember what took place after their conversation in the churchyard.

Cautiously, she padded toward his corpse and suddenly stilled. His chest abruptly jumped. Her heart pounded as she watched him lunge forward, gasping for air. Valek clawed at his shirt, heaved as he bent in half. He coughed up something black and putrid as he struggled to inhale, the stuff oozing between his fingers as he tried to cover it. He grasped the side of the chair with his other hand. Charlotte watched, horrified, as his skeletal frame seemed to expand back into semi-living flesh. His eyes, like ink stains, scowled at her from under a wicked shroud of tousled, dark hair.

She inched forward but he halted her with an outstretched claw.

“Stop!” He choked out more of the bile spewing.

“Do not…come any closer.” He heaved again. “I need—” He hacked again.

Knees quaking, Charlotte balled her fists in her hair. She hadn’t hunted for him last night.

“I’m going. Don’t worry, Valek!” She bolted out of the house, not forgetting her whistle, still strung safely around her neck.

The night was as frosted as the one before had been. Wind blew Charlotte’s curls in her eyes, though she quickly clawed them out of her face as her shoes crunched in the gravel and leaves between the fixed stones in the path. She could feel her heart, damaged and throbbing inside her, as she pushed onward. No matter how hurt she was, it couldn’t stop her from hunting. No matter how badly he’d hurt her, it would never drive her to do the same to him. Quickly, she made her way into the town square, not wanting to run into anyone that might distract her. She passed Broucka General Store and saw the little, burlap guardian staring sadly at her through the spotless window, rag in hand. He waved meekly.

Charlotte frowned at Edwin, aware he knew more than she did about what happened last night. She watched Edwin shake his head and hobble back into deeper ends of the shop. So now he couldn’t even bear to look at her? She didn’t blame him. Her thoughts were awful. She cringed.

“Charlotte!” A sickeningly familiar musical voice rang out from behind her. Evangeline. She clenched her jaw tight.

The vile enchantress ran up to her from her usual place in the village tavern. “Can I talk to you?” Evangeline asked, breathlessly.

“No.” Charlotte scowled and kept walking, pushing her way through the crowding Elves and imps.

But Evangeline was determined and kept up effortlessly alongside Charlotte. “Please? I really want to talk to you!” the Witch begged.

“I don’t have time.”

“Listen! I want to say I am really sorry about what happened yesterday.” Evangeline was shoved backward by one large ogre. “I didn’t think it was like that between you two!”

Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks, whirling around to face the Witch, only barely breathing through clenched teeth. “Like what? ” Her hands wound in knots at her sides as her shoulders trembled. Do not get angry; do not make a scene.

“I don’t know.” Evangeline sheepishly tugged at a lock of hair. “When you saw us in the library, you reacted like you had found him committing adultery or something.”

Charlotte’s nostrils flared. She jabbed a finger at her. “I do not have to explain to you what it’s ‘like’ between Valek and I! That is really none of your business!” She turned on her booted heels and began storming through the square again.

“Then, it’s really none of your business if we see each other or not,” Evangeline called after her.

Charlotte closed her eyes tight, wishing fangs would magically appear in her mouth. She spun around. “For your information”—a few of the Occult patrons stopped, gawking wide-eyed at the two. It made Charlotte’s cheeks burn—“Valek is my business! He has been my business for almost eighteen years!”