Authors: Romina Nicolaides
With that in mind Katalina went outside to greet the arriving Countess before she was called. The carriage came to a stop and the Countess didn’t wait for the coachman to open the door for her but simply let herself out. She was a vision in a gown of salmon pink which would have been simple had it not been for the elaborate gold embroidery that covered every inch of its surface from the stomacher to the exaggerated puffed sleeves and all the way down the skirt including the hem. The entire dress was covered in glittering gold thread, down to the edge of the exaggerated ruff that she was wearing, the largest one that Katalina had ever seen her in.
“Isn’t this quite the homecoming?” Said the Countess raising her brow.
“Welcome Your Grace, you have been missed.”
“Is that right?” She asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Kati nodded and then lowered her head obediently.
“What’s got into you, little vermin? You are very agreeable today.”
“I’m just glad to see you back safely, Your Grace.”
“Of course you are,” confirmed the Countess with the same tone of voice. “Tell me Katalina, have you done everything that was expected of you while I was away?"
“Yes Your Grace, exactly as you requested,” confirmed the girl, realizing that the Countess didn’t want to mention the journals within earshot of the coachman.
“Why don’t we go have a look?”
“Of course Your Grace.”
Inside the binding room, the space no longer resembled a messy work room but a small, well-stocked library. On the bookshelves near the door stood several rows of the Countess’s journals all perfectly bound in the exquisite Viennese leather. Some were thin and tall, others were short and thick depending on the type of paper they were made of, but they looked like they’d been finished by a seasoned binder. Their only flaw was the lack of any distinguishing marks on the spines.
The Countess stood silently and looked at them for a moment. Kati thought she looked satisfied for the first time since she had come to work for her. As opposed to the past where she’d felt lost and disoriented in her work, for the first time since being there, she felt like she could be of use to this fearsome woman. She felt a certain allure in belonging to someone important, though she didn’t understand why. She was itching to ask if everything was to her liking after the frantic work she’d done to finish on time but didn’t.
“These are all of them?” Asked the Countess.
“Yes Your Grace,” answered Katalina.
Surely she knows how many journals she wrote?
“And they’re in the proper order?”
“Yes Your Grace, I made sure to do them in order and not mix any of them up.”
“Very good, little vermin, very good!”
Katalina couldn’t help but grin. She was standing a few paces behind the Countess and couldn’t be seen.
“Maybe if you taught me what to write, I could even put some titles on the spines, Your Grace.”
The Countess turned around and gave her a sharp look. Kati immediately lowered her eyes in shame and felt herself blush.
“That will not be necessary.”
“I apologize for speaking out of turn, Your Grace.”
“Indeed,” said the Countess allowing her gaze to trace over the rest of the room, which was impeccably tidy. All the tools Kati had used had been cleaned and put away in their respective cases, the work area had been cleared of any debris. The only reminder that the room had recently been used was the repugnant smell of animal glue which was particularly hard to shift.
Katalina followed her gaze around the room and noticed the thesaurus she’d borrowed from the Library under the table on top of one of the tool cases. She’d forgotten to take it back. Terrified, she held her breath and hoped the Countess wouldn't notice.
“You’ve done very well, Katalina. I am impressed.”
She’s impressed, by me!
Her eyes were wide open and she was grinning again.
She won’t be for long if she sees the book though.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“You may return to your bedroom to rest now.”
“You won’t be needing me anymore this evening?” She asked feeling a little dejected. She wanted to receive more praise, but was keen that they both exit the room as soon as possible.
“No, that will be all. I have work to do.”
“Yes Your Grace,” she said stepping back allowing the Countess to leave before closing up the binding room and going to her bedroom.
Once in her bedroom she changed for bed and picked up Virgil’s
Aeneid
to read, having also clandestinely taken it from the Library. Oriana had talked to her about the merits of the classics and she was keen to read it. Though she was tired, she would have to wait a bit for the Countess to retire to her chambers so that she could sneak up and take the thesaurus out at the earliest opportunity.
When she was certain that enough time had passed she pulled her shawl over her shoulders and went up the stairs as quietly as she could. The beeswax candles were half way depleted so she realized it must have been quite late. She was about to put her key in the keyhole when she heard a spine chilling scream. It was just like the night she fell asleep in the binding room, but this time she was wide awake, there was no mistaking this for a dream. She'd definitely heard it this time. It seemed to echo from within the belly of the castle quite a distance from where she was but it was clearly the scream of a girl in anguish.
Running back down towards the stairs she descended to the ground level when she heard it again. It was coming from even lower down so with some hesitation she followed the descending stairs to the unknown basement.
At the end of the stairs she was greeted by a large hall. The door, though large and impenetrable when closed, was wide open. In the center of the place stood the Countess who, in contrast to her composed and neat appearance from earlier in the day, now wore a long white chemise dress and her hair fell unbraided down her back secured loosely mid length by some plain string. She was standing in front of a young girl who was suspended from the ceiling, her body punctured and cut in several places, her abdomen partially cut open and her blood spilling over the Countess’s white chemise, her arms and her face. Erzsébet’s eyes were a glowing green.
Seeing Kati the Countess hissed revealing two sharpened fangs in a blood stained mouth. In the space of a single breath Erzsébet lunged at Kati who had frozen to the spot. Before she knew what had hit her, she felt the Countess’s warm mouth on her neck and then the sharpness of the fangs as they sank into her soft skin severing the veins beneath its delicate surface. Her vision went black and she fell to the ground.
***
The twelve o’clock bell roused Kati from her slumber. She opened her eyes but the light from outside smarted. She didn’t remember going to bed and she felt tired and weak. Her body ached and shivered and she was feverish and sweating. Having difficulty keeping her eyes open, she fell asleep again.
When she woke the sun was very bright. She felt like she’d slept for days but had no way of telling. Her earlier infirmity was gone and she felt rested and energetic and her skin felt cooler than it had ever been. A bit like coming out of the lake after an afternoon swim. Sitting up on the bed she felt a pressure on her neck and picking up the small handheld mirror beside her bed she looked at herself and saw two silver dots on her skin which resembled healed cuts surrounded by a little bit of yellow bruising. Looking at her face she saw that her previously grey eyes had taken a crystal hue and her skin glistened with pale luminosity. Her mouth felt slightly wetter than normal and her canines gave her the impression that they had become sharper while her jaws had a slight pronouncement. Her vision was also enhanced, as though she could see better in the dark. Her entire body felt different, almost…new.
Then the memories from the night before came to her and she gasped dropping the mirror on the floor causing it to shatter. She pictured the poor girl hanging from her arms, the blood and the tormented expression on her savaged face, and finally she remembered the Countess coming towards her before she passed out.
Convinced that she’d died, she thanked God for taking her and got out of bed in order to walk outside preparing to meet all the other souls she was told would be there to receive her when the time came. She visualized her uncle, her grandmother who used to live with them up to five years previously and who would sit on the front porch most days mending clothes, struggling through her failing eyesight. Kati remembered how she would call her over to thread the needle for her and together they would sit while Granny showed her how to do elaborate embroidery stitches on the tired fabric, trying to fix the tears and refresh the cloth so that they could still get some use out of it. Then she thought of her father and hoped he wouldn’t be there. She didn’t want to be stuck with him for all eternity, but then again he would probably have gone to hell for all his slothful behavior.
What if I’m going to hell too?
She wondered, thinking of all the times she’d been told she’d sinned. With immense trepidation she made for the door handle, prepared for anything except for what she really saw there. On opening the door she was greeted by the Countess, the sight of whom was too much for her and she promptly fainted.
When she came to, Erzsébet Báthory was on the ground in her favorite white silk dress with pearls and rubies densely embroidered in its rich skirts. Her dark hair was pulled up in an elaborate do and was also decorated with rubies and pearls. Her stomacher was firm and tight and was pushing her ample breasts up in a fleshy cascade. She was clutching the poor girl in her arms and rocking her backwards and forwards as one would do to soothe a crying child and patiently waiting for her to wake up, again. When Kati opened her eyes the Countess looked in them and exclaimed, “Ah, the Affliction has almost completed its work. Excellent!”
“The Affliction?” Kati asked, but deep down she knew that whatever kind of beast the Countess was, she had also probably become. Visions from the journals raced to her mind.
“Yes my dear child, the Affliction, the reason both you and I are still alive! Now back to bed with you, there is a lot you have to learn, and not a lot of time to learn it in, so go back and gather your strength; you’re going to need it!" Seeing the look of terror in her eyes Erzsébet continued, “Don’t be alarmed, no more harm shall come to you, you’ve been sent to me from the Eternal Mother. You are my Angel and you will help me find my answers.” And with that she helped her back into bed. “I’ll send for some food for you and be back very shortly.” She pulled the covers over the terrified girl, leaned over, kissed her head and shuffled off in her beautiful noisy dress tightly gripping her skirts with her gaunt hands.
Kati sat there in shock hoping over and over that she was dead.
Maybe I’m not a beast, maybe I’m dead. Please God let me be dead!
She kept repeating these thoughts in her head and started to cry in her hands.
Shortly afterwards a maid with a black eye came into the room with two enormous steaks of blood red venison cooked in wine with a side of chicken livers. Grabbing her by the wrist Kati stared into the girl’s eyes as she struggled to break the grip.
“Do you see me? Why do you feed me if I’m dead?”
“The Countess told me to bring you the fortified meal. It’s what I’ve given the other girls too. You’re not feeling yourself right now but you’ll be alright, please can I go now?”
“What’s your name?”
Where’s Miloš?
“Bianca, I’m not allowed to talk to you, can I go?” She said in one breath.
“Go,” answered Kati releasing the terrified girl. After she left the room Kati sat on the bed underneath the covers and refused to move for several minutes. She stared at the steaming plates of meat half expecting it to turn into maggots before her very eyes.
The other girls.
Jumbled thoughts were swimming around Kati’s head and nothing made sense.
What other girls? The one she killed last night?
Time passed and nothing happened, the delicious smelling food continued to stay there, no doubt getting colder, but she just stared at it. Finally she gave in, accepting how famished she was and greedily began to eat. The soft juicy meat, which had thankfully not transformed into maggots, was barely seared on either side and it still bled when she cut into it. Its fleshy smell made her drool.
This must be what really good red meat smells like
, she thought to herself slowly accepting that it was real. The side of chicken livers in the clay bowl were swimming in a rich wine and black peppercorn sauce and it was delightful. As soon as she was done eating, she realized she was awfully hungry still, even when all the plates had been picked clean.