The Bathory Curse (34 page)

“I know my darling, I am so sorry.” Her heart broke
with each word.

“I have to go.” With that he was gone, leaving Nea,
wringing her hands, alone, wishing she could fix everything but
knowing she couldn’t.

Chapter 21

1909- Qiao Pingyao, China

“Is that another letter to your granddaughter?”

Nea glanced up at the woman talking to her. She was
a small beautiful Asian woman, with tightly wound black hair, deep
brown almond shaped eyes, and skin like honey.

“Yes, I am telling her all about my visit here in
China.” Nea smiled, dipping a quill into ink she drew several
Chinese symbols to show Ella the progress she was making in
learning to write and speak Chinese.

“You will be leaving soon I think.”

“Yes. In less than two years Daniela turns 18.”

“I wish you would tell me what is so important.”

“It would put you in danger.” Nea signed her name and
sealed the envelope, handing it to a young girl who bowed low and
darted off to see that it was mailed.

“I have enjoyed the last few years in your company,
Ah Kum, but it is time for me to be going.” Nea stood, she was much
taller than the other woman, but Ah Kum had a formidable presence
that made up for it.

“I, too, have enjoyed your company and showing you
the beautiful sights of our city. I am thankful that you came to
help when I asked.” They began walking, they were in a courtyard of
Ah Kum’s home, her girls spent their free time making it a lovely
retreat, full of lush flowers and plants.

Two years ago Bendis had come to Nea and Sabine
because a fellow Strega was in trouble and needed assistance. Qiao
Pingyao was a lovely and historic city surrounded by large walls,
with six gates, so that the city resembled a turtle. The people
there had been trapped by half a dozen Strigoi that had gone bad
and slaughtered two other Stregas in China. Ah Kum was the last,
the Strigoi thought to eliminate her and reign free in China.

“It was the least Sabine and I could do, besides, I
had never been to China. I only wish we could have saved your
sisters,” Nea said sadly.

“I know they fought well.” Ah Kum’s grief was all
over her face. She and the two other Stregas had been
concubines together. They had been caught trying to run away and
beaten to death. Bendis, or as Ah Kum called her, Sheng Mu, had
offered them revenge if they became Stregas.  Nea often felt
resentment that she had not gotten a similar deal.

“Now that it is just me, Sheng Mu will have to find
new Stregas. I hope she puts them into my sisters’ homes.” Ah Kum’s
eyes were tight with pain and concern. All three had opened secret
homes throughout China taking in runaway concubines and
prostitutes, helping women when they were not doing their Strega
duties.

“There is still one Strigoi left to find before we
can leave,” Nea said.

“Yes, he preys on the children here, I cannot help
but think he means to stay here permanently now that the others are
all dead. I cannot protect every child from this monster.” Ah Kum
looked worried.

“We will find and destroy him before Sabine and I
have to leave.” Nea glanced around hearing a giggle and saw Sabine
sitting rather closely with one of Ah Kum’s girls, their heads bent
together as Sabine opened a box of pastries.

“Sabine may not want to leave as soon as you do,” Ah
Kum laughed.

“Sabine could get into trouble in the middle of the
ocean.” Nea rolled her eyes, “I will miss wearing this clothing,
such a difference from Europe.” Women in the Qing Dynasty wore a
one piece a line dress called a qipao, it had a tight collar and
long sleeves. Nea wore one made of silk with pink cherry blossoms
on it that formed stylized bats for good luck.

“You shall take your wardrobe with you, a gift for
the help you have brought me,” Ah Kum smiled.

“That will make Sabine even happier, though the
hairstyles I could do without.” Both women laughed. Nea hated how
severely her hair had to be pulled back and some of the ornate
things she had to wear on top of her head in public.

“Zhufu, Zhufu!” A man’s voice rang out, Nea
startled, a slight blush on her face as a awkward young man came
running over to her. He was almost her height, tall compared to the
other men Nea had met the past few years. His hair was black and
cut close to his head covered by a black velvet hat with white
crystal pearls.

“Lok, calm down, what’s wrong?” Nea put out a
steadying hand.

“I have found the Strigoi, I know where he hides!”
Excitement flushed the young man’s face.

“Go get my whip and tell Sabine, quickly,” Nea told
him and he darted off.

“He is like a puppy, ever wanting your attention.”
Ah Kum was amused. Lok was the son of one of her girls who had
passed away. She employed him and had sent him to school; he was
18, but his mind was that of a child’s most of the time.

“He is too young and innocent.”

“Lok will be broken hearted if you don’t take him
with you when you leave. He calls you mistress, he thinks you are
his path, what he is supposed to do with his life, serve you.”

“I hate that.”

“Do no fight fate, Nea, we all have it. For Lok, it
is being loyal to one person his whole life. At first it was his
mother and for a time, me, now he has chosen you.”

“I don’t want a servant nor a slave; for him to base
his whole life around me. Even Marina and Ruxandra don’t do that,”
Nea argued.

“Things are different here.” Ah Kum went to get her
weapon of choice.

“Lok told me! Let’s hunt and then get out of here
and back home!” Sabine bounded up to Nea, she looked too happy for
their current task.

“In a second. We will get him this time Sabine.” Nea
glanced around and saw Lok coming with Sabine’s sword and her whip,
“though I thought you were happy here.”

“Oh, Jia is a great girl, but a distraction, nothing
more…think I will give her a nice present before I leave…” Sabine
trailed off as Lok came up to them holding out their weapons.

“He is past the East Gate, I will show you!” Lok
exclaimed.

“Go wait for us, we’ll be right there,” Nea
requested, Lok nodded and ran off.

“You really should change Lok and get it over with,
he’s been following you around for over a year now.”

“And have him become another Costica, no way….I only
change girls now you know that,” Nea sighed.

“He’s not got the magic or mental capability to do
what Costica did, he is faithful and handy.” Sabine admired Lok’s
way with wood work, weapons and machinery.

“I’ll think about it.” Nea said, begrudgingly.

“Are we ready?” Ah Kum came back with her Gong, an
ancient Chinese bow she favored as her weapon of choice.

They ran off into the twilight and met up with Lok
by the gate. Because of the recent horror everyone was already
tucked into their houses and double the guards were out
patrolling.

“I don’t like to see my city like we are in a
battle,” Ah Kum growled.

“After tonight you won’t have to worry about it.”
Sabine gripped her sword and they followed Lok into the trees
towards the mountains that surrounded Qiao Pingyao.

“How did you find him?” Ah Kum asked, quietly.

“I asked the Penghou.” Lok said simply, like it was
no big deal he had asked a dog shaped tree spirit.

“Lok, you didn’t.” Ah Kum sounded disappointed.

“Had to, we needed to know and I knew the Penghou
would answer my summons,” Lok shrugged.

“Am I missing something?” Nea whispered her question
as they passed into some dense foliage and Lok began leading them
up a narrow path.

“Four years ago Lok traded money I had given him for
the grocery shopping for the life of a tree in the woods. A man was
going to chop it down and instead Lok bought it. I was angry with
him, but then he told me a Penghou appeared and offered him a boon
for saving his home,” Ah Kum explained.

“I had hoped he would use it to find a wife, but
apparently he chose a different path,” she said the rest under her
breath so Lok wouldn’t hear.

As they came up to a cliff they saw a cave, it was
dark but Nea could smell fresh blood and death as they neared.

“The Penghou says it is inside, that it doesn’t come
out until the moon is high.” Lok grinned in the dark.

“Stay here Lok and hide; you did such a good job!”
 Sabine patted the boy’s head and the three women disappeared
inside the cave.

“Screw surprise. I’ll block the exit and you two go
forth and kill,” Sabine wiggled her eyes brows and took up
stance.

Ah Kum and Nea went deeper into the cave, their
preternatural eyesight giving them an upper hand, they found a
doused fire and a sleeping roll, as well as what looked like
several birds and rabbits, raw and gnawed on.

“Feral Strigoi are the worse,” Nea complained. She
had half a second to respond as suddenly something leapt at her
from the dark, a crazed watery looking Strigoi with flashing teeth
and rank stench.

“I will kill you!” it screeched, nails digging into
the skin in Nea’s neck. It howled and sprung off her, Nea eyes
found Ah Kum’s, she was holding her bow, having wounded the
Strigoi.

“I doubt that you shall succeed,” Ah Kum
taunted.

“I helped kill your sisters,” it hissed from farther
back in the dank cave. Nea could see its eyes, red and murderous
tracking them.

“Fight like the man you once were.” Nea demanded.
“Behind you!” She shouted at Ah Kum, Ah Kum didn’t have time to
turn, the thing was on her, it bit into her shoulder, gnawing at
the wound.  Ah Kum tried to shake it off but she couldn’t. Nea
flicked her wrist and her whip snaked out and wrapped around the
thing’s neck, strangling it, she snapped back, dragging it off of
Ah Kum.

The Strigoi fought the leather around his throat, he
tore at it with his dirty broken nails, but to no avail. Ah Kum
straddled his hips, pinning him to the ground.

“Sabine!” Nea called out, her friend came
running.

“Goodie, the best part.” She unsheathed her sword
and raised it above her head right as Ah Kum nocked her bow and
pulled her arm back. Nea struggled to contain the Strigoi, holding
tight to the handle of her whip she wrapped it around her arm a few
times to help steady herself.

“Hurry, he’s strong.” The words had barely left
Nea’s lips when Sabine swung her sword and Ah Kum let her arrow
fly. The things’ head went rolling, the tension on her whip
lessened and the arrow pierced the heart. It was dead.

“Now we burn it.” Ah Kum stood up.

“Damn thing stinks up the place, doesn’t it?” Sabine
wrinkled her nose. They dragged the corpse and head outside, all
pleased that Lok had already created a pyre.

“Congratulations on a good hunt my friends.” Ah Kum
bowed to them after they had put the Strigoi into the flames.

“We will come back and see you soon,” Sabine
grinned, holding out her hands towards the fire, in a mock search
for warmth.

As they watched the burning body, Lok came up to
Nea, “I want to come to Europe with you.”

“I know.” Nea prepared to turn him down.

“As a Strigoi” Lok said, surprising her.

“I don’t let my normal Strigoi stay with me Lok, I
let them be who they were meant to be, go where they want to
go.”

“I know.”

Nea turned to him, even more surprised, “you
do?”

“I want to serve you, forever…but I know I’m….not
right….being a Strigoi will make me…right.” He was focusing very
hard on his words.

“Yes, it will,” Nea smiled.

“Then I can go do whatever I want and still serve
you!” He beamed like a small child.

“Okay Lok, you can come home with me,” Nea agreed
and she put an arm around his waist as they finished watching the
pyre burn out.

Chapter 22

1909

English Countryside of Erewash near the City of
Derby

Nea watched from the sparse woods a few yards away
from the large stone manor house as her granddaughter studied at
one of the windows. It was dark and Stasi had already gone to bed.
 Ella was 16 now and had turned into a beautiful young lady.
Nea felt a pang in her heart that she wasn’t able to go up to the
house, knock, and be allowed inside.  She wrote to her
granddaughter, but she never heard back, could it be that, like her
mother, Ella blamed her for the separation?

Nea felt she deserved such blame. Had she listened
to Mihail and Stasi’s concerns and not been eager to show off to
her mother, they would all still be together. Mihail was still
staying with his father and she had rarely seen him, both her
beloved children were angry with her and she couldn’t stand it. She
knew things would only be right when the curse was broken and they
could all be a family again.

She and Sabine had been together off and on the past
six years, as they had in the beginning, Ruxandra had gone back to
her own home and Renata was busy creating her own life as well.
 She had tried to keep busy, doing her part as a Strega and
counter balancing the dark with the light. Aside from her time in
China, she stormed British Parliament with English Suffragettes,
was in Baltimore with Marina tending the wounded when a fire
destroyed more than 1,500 buildings, and went and saw the first
horror movie ever made, “Jekyll and Hyde”.

Nea created two more Strigoi, and spent a year in
their combined company teaching them everything they needed to know
about surviving and was currently teaching a third. Sabine felt it
silly to spend that much time with them, but after having to hunt
down and destroy Alin and Afrina she felt it necessary.

In 1907, she discovered that while the twins had
been in Russia feeding off the hopelessness of the poor, they had
begun to enjoy more than just eating the emotion. Strigoi were
supposed to be the dark presence, the devil on the shoulder, adding
darkness where they went and feasting off the negative emotions
helping the balance. They were NOT supposed to engage with humans.
Alin and Afrina had begun benefiting monetarily from people who
were poor and starving.