Blood Lust

Chapter One - The Search

Gliding his way silently through the trees, the cloaked figure, surrounded by shadows, followed the stench of the old witch’s musk until he reached her door hidden deep within the abandoned forest.

Stepping up onto the front step, the masked man raised his hand and knocked loudly once upon the solid wooden door, watching as it swung open of its own accord.

‘Come in Viktor’ came the voice of the old crone who rose slowly from her seat reaching out her gnarled wrinkled hand to greet him as he stepped over the threshold, the Vampire unflinching as it swung shut behind him with a resounding bang.

Throwing back his hood, Viktor ignored the witch’s hand, his pale face was thrown into sharp relief as he sneered down at the stooped old woman.

‘What brings the King of the Vampires to the door of a lonely old woman like myself?’ the old lady asked, wringing her hands together as she glared at the hollow skinned male in front of her.

‘Don’t give me your spiel Agnes’ Viktor growled impatiently, ‘you know why I am here. My son is nearing his two hundredth birthday and is to take over from me soon but he has yet to find his match, he needs a female beside him and she needs to be strong, powerful and above all not a vampire, she needs blood running through her veins so that she can produce my son’s heir. Use your powers to find her so that I can go and retrieve her for him.’

Agnes raised an eyebrow in mock surprise, ‘you think a poor woman such as myself has the power to find people within this realm that meets your very specific criteria?’ she asked quietly.

Sweeping forward, Viktor grabbed the old woman by the throat, his long finger nails piercing her skin as he held her above the floor, his red eyes glittering angrily as she clawed at his grasp trying desperately to prise him from her.

‘OK, OK, I can help’ she gasped through the hold, drawing in rasping breaths as he released her and dropped her unconcernedly to the ground.

Staggering to her feet, Agnes walked over to the large cauldron that sat over the open flames in the fire place, the contents shimmering in the light that shone from the lanterns lighting the room.

Grabbing a few items from her heavily laden shelves, she chucked them into the large pewter container, watching the water bubble furiously as she slowly stirred the contents, muttering indecipherable words as she studied the steam.

Time passed as Agnes added more and more ingredients, muttering her spells as the water turned from clear to blue to orange and finally to red, the vapour dancing upwards as if moving to its own tune.

‘Hurry up crone’ Viktor growled irritated as he paced back and forth behind her.

‘This is a complicated spell Viktor, you need to have some patience and allow me to concentrate. You have demanded a specific mortal not just any one that could produce an heir, let me do my job’ Agnes snapped back.

Tapping his foot, Viktor waited silently as the witch poured over the cauldron’s contents, staring deep into the waters as it swirled within its confines. Finally straightening up, Agnes turned to the Vampire and nodded, ‘there is a person that suits your requirements, They are strong, They come from powerful stock and though they are of the supernatural world, they are not a Vampire, they can have a family with your son.’

‘Who is it?’ Viktor demanded, taking a step toward the old woman, his stance threatening as he glowered down at her.

‘This person will not be easy to retrieve Viktor, they are heavily guarded by others not to mention their strength that makes them difficult to capture. You will require a solid plan to obtain them’ Agnes replied quickly, her eyes darting around her for an escape route as the Vampire moved closer to her.

‘Who is it’ Viktor asked again icily, his eyes a bright flame of dangerous fury.

‘They are the child of the Alpha of Oak ridge pack’ Agnes said.

‘Oak ridge?’ Viktor mused for a moment, his eyes darkening, ‘the f*****g werewolves? You tell me that my son needs to pair up with a dog?’ Viktor growled furiously.

Holding her hands up to protect herself, Agnes desperately tried to calm the powerful figure before her, ‘your majesty, the spell doesn’t lie, this is the best choice for what your son desires. With their blood line it means that they will produce offspring that will be strong both from your lineage and their own. They and your son will produce an heir that is so powerful, they could be the most dangerous and feared supernatural creature ever created.’

Stopping his advance, Viktor considered her words, ‘fine, how do I get to her? Oak Ridge is protected by the shield, even my kind cannot pass without permission.’

Agnes walked over to the wall, pulling back a canvas that hung from a nail that had been hammered into the brickwork. Underneath a small metal door had been fixed securely into a wooden frame, an old brass lock visible near to the edge. Pulling a gold chain that hung around her neck out of the collar of her shirt, she carefully slid the key that was looped through it into the housing, unlocking it with a sharp click before pulling the door toward her to reveal a small stoppered bottle that swirled with a crimson red liquid that was contained within it.

Lifting the vial tentatively from its hiding place, Agnes turned back to the vampire, holding it up to the light so he could see the contents. ‘This will allow you to pass through the barrier’ she said with a smile, pulling it back toward her, out of Viktor’s reach as he stepped forward to take ownership of the vial.

‘This cost me a great deal to obtain Viktor, and I will not let it go cheaply, not even to the King of the Vampires’ she said sternly.

‘What is it?’ he asked warily.

‘This is the blood of a genuine white wolf Viktor, it will give you the power to pass through the barrier’ Agnes replied simply.

‘What do you want for it witch?’ Viktor snarled, not wishing to play her games any more.

‘Oh my price is very high Viktor, and I am not talking money or jewels, what I want only you can give me’ Agnes replied with a smirk, ‘I want your venom.’

Growling angrily, Viktor started toward her menacingly, his venom was more potent than any other Vampire, he did not use it to bargain with.

‘Step back Viktor’ Agnes warned, glaring into the red eyes in front of her, ‘one more step and I will smash this vial and I can guarantee that you will never get another chance to obtain it meaning that your son’s match will be out of your grasp forever.’

Halting, Viktor snarled angrily, fighting internally with himself before holding out his hand defeated, indicating to one of the empty vials that lined a small shelf behind her. Grabbing one, Agnes held it out to him and watched satisfied as he held it to his mouth, forcing his fangs to elongate before he pushed down on the glass neck, forcing small droplets of his venom to form at the point of his tooth before falling into the empty bottle.

Once the tiny vial was full, he handed it back, glowering as Agnes placed a stopper carefully into the neck and hid it about her person. Holding out the blood, she smiled as he took it from her, ‘remember, you only need one drop to pass through the barrier, each time you wish to pass, you place one drop onto your tongue and swallow. The effects should last about an hour and you can take others over with you. Do not waste it Viktor, I do not have another bottle.’ she warned as he turned around and pulled the door open, stepping out into the darkness and strode out of her protective spell that surrounded her home.

Once within the shadows of the trees, Viktor transformed into his bat and took off into the night sky, heading back toward his castle to prepare his men to take his son’s bride from her home.

Back in the cabin, Agnes watched through a gap in the curtains hanging in front of her window as Viktor left her grounds, a small smile creeping across her face as he transformed just outside of her boundary. ‘Enjoy the ride Viktor, not everything is as it seems’ she muttered to herself as she pulled the curtains across, blocking the flickering lamp light from the outside world.