Authors: Romina Nicolaides
“No Countess, I remember everything you tell me to the letter,” she said as she sat up in the bed.
“Good! Then what on earth were you doing in there?” She asked grasping Kati’s youthful face. The maid was beginning to sweat in anxiety and she prayed it wasn't detectable.
“I decided that as you were away I would put my time to good use, mistress,” she said, trying to sound convincing. “I went in the back to clean on account of the fact that the other maids don’t know about the secret passages. I’ve noticed that they have been infested with rats and bats and other vermin so I thought it best for Your Excellence to start clearing some of their filth and droppings away. While I was doing that I saw a magpie come through one of the gaps in the door with a gold ring in its mouth so I struck it with my broom and it fell to the floor. Planning to return it, but having no access I wondered if I could go through the other bedrooms and enter via the balcony which was unlocked, as I discovered. I walked in, wiped the ring with my apron and returned it to the dresser. I got out as soon as I could, I promise.”
Her quick thinking made the story plausible but not without its flaws. The ceiling was far too high for a broom to reach a magpie and the back corridors were as filthy as ever, not to mention she hadn’t touched any of the jewelry, an omission which the Countess would have been able to detect if she only thought about it. However the story was just good enough. She looked into Kati’s eyes and then she looked away. She sat there for a long while staring into the void, her mind clearly somewhere else, while holding Kati’s face throughout.
“Your dedication to our cause is touching, well done,” she said dropping her previously menacing approach. “What you’ve been given is far more valuable than any gold you wish to take so I know you didn’t intend to steal anything. However for your presumption at going into my chambers without permission you will be starved of both food and blood for a week and tomorrow at noon you will receive thirty lashings. It’s a shame you’ll heal quickly and won’t suffer the horror of infection, so the anguish from the lashing will have to do.” And with that she got up and left Kati's room.
The poor girl’s heart was beating out of her chest. It felt like she’d gotten away with it, but of course she hadn’t. The Countess's mercurial disposition had ensured that both favor had been bestowed upon Kati, though she was unsure why, but also that her savage streak would be satisfied. Bad behavior never went unpunished at the Nádasdy household.
As it had been ordained, the following noon, while the sun was at its highest, Ficzkó, the Countess’s obedient boy servant, came to fetch her. She recognized him from the old man’s descriptions though she'd never seen him before. How did these people manage to stay so hidden? How big was this castle? She knew that the more cooperative she was the sooner this would be over so she went along with him. When she stepped outside in the sun everything went white. The glare was unbearable during this particularly sunny day and she felt her eyes close involuntarily and begin to water, her blood boil and flood her ears in a hum that like a massive wave cut everything else out altogether. The pressure to her head was intense and her vision was blurred as he expertly secured her wrists to the two trees in the middle of the cobbled courtyard. Grabbing at the back of her white linen shirt he swiftly tore it down the middle to reveal her small pale frame. Then, yanking on a chain system of rings and pulleys he hoisted her up to where he was unable to reach and stepped back.
The trees provided some shade which helped the frenzy in her head die down somewhat. Her relief was short lived, however, as the boy wheeled a massive mirror in front of her. She realized that this was in order to have her witness her own anguish but it also served to reflect sunlight directly on her during her ordeal. The reflection also gave her a glimpse of the Countess in her room looking at the spectacle through her amber balcony door. In the far end of the courtyard she also caught sight of a woman she’d never seen before. The whole affair seemed like a carefully planned choreography in a performance she was an unwilling participant for the sordid viewing pleasure of a deranged impostor and her familiars.
The thirty lashings might as well have been three hundred. Each strike delivered a burning sting of relentless pain followed by another and another each one worse than the last. Ficzkó took a lot of pleasure in his craft and carefully timed his delivery to allow for the full breadth of the sensation to complete before delivering the next strike. Her screams could be heard echoing round the eerily empty courtyard. In what felt like hours to Kati, the thirtieth time the whip licked her skin she felt an enormous wave of relief, but before she could exhale she heard the snapping sound once more and felt that all too familiar pain embrace her body one last time. “That one’s from me," he said relishing the thought that he had further tortured her with his performance after she thought it was all over. To him, that last one was more enjoyable than all the others put together because it was the only one his victims never expected and relaxed their bodies in anticipation of release.
When he was finally finished he approached the trees and she could smell the sweat that he’d built up during his bout of activity in the midday sun. He undid the elaborate system that held her up and released her wrists from their cuffs dropping her suddenly to the blood-stained ground. He then picked her up with his deceptively strong frame and took her into the basement where he locked her into one of the cages. In her haze she saw him give her a leery look. “Such a shame there’ll be nothing left of you but pieces by the end of the night, I could get many hours of pleasure from you if only the Countess wouldn’t have my head for it.”
He thinks she’s going to kill me,
were her last thoughts before
losing her senses
.
Several hours after the boy had left, and as Kati lay on the ground in a haze of pain and hunger, the woman who had been watching the whipping came into the room. She was old and heavily built. Her hair had greyed completely but it was thick and full and she kept it tidy by way of an incredibly long braid. It appeared as if it had never been cut. She had a smell about her like someone who spends all their time in the kitchen cooking, only instead of food she smelled earthy, and medicinal.
Because of the pain Kati was lying on her stomach but her wounds had already begun healing and the woman was trying to get a look at the rejuvenating skin.
“Darvulia what are you doing in here?”
The woman was startled by the sound of another voice approaching the cage. This one was younger than Darvulia and her hair was equally long and braided but bright red in color.
“Quiet or you’ll wake her,” she replied in a hoarse voice.
“You’re not supposed to be in here while they’re still alive, you know that.”
“Look at her back Jo, it’s healed, like the mistress heals.”
The other one stood staring at Darvulia refusing to look at Kati.
“If the pact with the Devil gives her special powers then why does this child exhibit the same abilities? I’m her right hand, she wouldn’t be able to function if it weren't for me. She said she loved me like a parent or a lover even, so why does she favor this child more than me?”
Kati was surprised at this revelation. So this was how Erzsébet was keeping these people motivated? She remembered reading about introducing the witch to her powers in the journal, but hadn’t thought much more of it. It was easy for her to make them believe demonic forces were at play here; she had heard the indoctrination in the Keep long enough and now it was serving her purposes. She’d found a way to manipulate them by promising them longevity and powers, but she had been thriftier with them than with the girls like Kati. She only Afflicted young and impressionable servants who could be easily frightened into submission. Biting the witches would give them too much power.
“Your job is to awaken her boy and not to question her decisions, Darvulia. What she does with her victims in here is not for us to know right now. She is a generous mistress and the time will come when she will give us the ability to defeat death. But we have to keep our end of the bargain and continue with our potion work.”
“When is the time? Look at me Jo, I am old, I don’t have much time left!” Darvulia said in desperation.
“Would you rather she kill you like the maids you dispose of every day? Because she can and she will if she finds out you were in here against her orders!”
Katalina wanted to hear more of their conversation but her body was willing her to sleep.
She woke up after several hours or maybe even days of slumber. Her hunger was indescribable and she didn’t know how long she still had to be in the cage for. The floor stank and there were fresh blood stains on the walls, which seemed to absorb it into themselves and glisten. She touched her back and felt the dried blood from her own wounds. The gaping sores from the lashing had completely healed but she still felt tender, probably from the starvation. Then she remembered the boy’s last words to her and the conversation between the witches. These three people were Erzsébet’s trusted companions? They didn't seem fitting somehow, they lacked finesse.
Stuck in her cage she felt helpless and angry. She despised the Countess and everything and everyone around her. For one more time she wished that she’d never been brought here and that the Countess would make good on her threats and actually kill her. She hid her face in her curved elbow and began to cry in long sobs that echoed throughout the damp dungeon.
It would be another three days before the Countess came to release her. She had a look of absolute victory and self-satisfaction. The contrast between the two was enormous. The Countess in one of her finest dresses, her hair combed and teased to perfection in what had probably taken hours to complete and Kati distressed and emaciated hanging onto life by a thread. As a further blow to her self-worth, the Countess threw a mangy cat at her feet whose neck had been broken, and left it there for her to feed from. She hated the taste of dead animal blood but she took to it greedily.
“Be ready in an hour, the new girls will be arriving soon.” Were the only words the Countess barked at her before releasing her and leaving.
Out of the cage she went looking for a tub in which to submerge herself and wash off the grime and stench of the basement which clung to her skin. The water was barely warm and soon took on a greyish tint but the relief it offered her was felt in her soul.
Twenty-one
Clean and dressed she emptied the dirty water down the used water shoot and returned the tub to the storeroom near the Countess’s room where she’d found it. Being so close to the bedroom made her skin crawl.
At sunset she arrived at the courtyard to face a large unfamiliar carriage unloading ten or twelve well-dressed young women and Kati was pleased but also terrified to see Oriana amongst them. She’d also seen Kati, but knew better than to reveal her joy. They all lined up neatly on the paved yard expecting instructions. They were happy and giggly and it was obvious that some of them had never left home before. They ranged from ten to seventeen in age and were all highly excitable.
“Good evening girls. As most of you know by now I am Countess Erzsébet Báthory and this is my home, Csejthe Castle. This will also be your home for the next few weeks as you learn how to transform yourselves from girls to ladies with a proper education, manners and etiquette with the prospect of finding yourselves a good husband. Some of you have already experienced our hospitality and know your way around, but those that don’t please follow Katalina over here who will take you to your lodgings.” Turning to the girl, she said, “Kati take them to the barn and see that they all get a bed, some linens, wash basins and that they get settled in well. Make sure that they have enough wood for the evening and when they’re done lock the door and bring the key back to me. In the morning you will release them, take them to breakfast in the Dining room and after twenty minutes bring them to the Library."
Kati was surprised at this change of routine but stayed silent. She was under no illusion why these girls had been brought here and it made her sick to her stomach. She wanted to warn them, but knew better.
“Yes mistress,” she said obediently.
She did as she was told and escorted them to the barn where all the beds had been made as per Báthory’s instructions. The younger girls all reclaimed their old beds and the rest found the place most suitable to them, giggling and chatting amongst themselves while servants brought their luggage. They happily began unpacking their trunks and placing their beautiful dresses on the beds, and in the chests of drawers, trying them out against each other and generally being young carefree girls of means.
“Is this where we’ll be staying?” The eldest one, a beautiful tall girl with black elaborately braided hair and naturally lined eyes looked clearly unimpressed. She was visibly well off judging by the quality of her clothes and luggage.
“Yes ma’am.”
“But it’s so stark.”