A bell tolled. It was time.
I pressed him against the wall, against my body. My eyebrows seemed to have disappeared completely for sweat kept getting into my eyes, stinging them.
"Do it now!" the hunter told me. "Now!"
"I... I can't..." I was trembling, and holding him was the only thing keeping me from falling down on the floor. "I can't do this!"
The hunter's already scared eyes searched mine. "This is your plan. This is our only chance. You have to do this. Do you get me? You have to do this!"
I nodded, but further movements seemed beyond me at the time. Dying for him was easier than what he was asking me to do. Time passed and still, I did nothing.
"Please," he added. "Be strong. Do this for me!" And he pulled my head towards his neck roughly. "Do it now before I lose my nerve!"
I was angry at myself. I simply have to do to him what I was born to do... but his smell filled me. Filled me, like in my dreams. My tears mingled with his sweat. I can feel the beating of his heart. I can feel the skin of his neck with my lips. I can feel his body tensing for what would come. I can hear his ragged breathing. Would it have been easier if I let him die in the first place? I saved his life and now I have to take it back.
A jingling sound, then the sound of footsteps hurrying towards us.
"Now!" he whispered hoarsely. “I trust you! I do!”
And with a cry, I punctured his veins with my fangs.
Involuntarily, he struggled, but I kept him trapped within me. His blood flowing in a warm current towards my mouth. I am slowly... slowly killing him. Killing my hunter. The only man I loved...
"Hey!" somebody from faraway shouted. "Get off him!"
But the voice seemed to dwindle into an indefinite buzz. It was unimportant. Everything else was unimportant. There was only me and the hunter. And death.
I loosed the grip I had on his arms, and he sagged a little. His heavy head was pressing against mine. My eyes were closed all the while, and I could hear no more struggled breathing. I can feel no more tension in him. The heartbeat I felt against my chest was... gone.
I fell on the floor, and he fell with me. I handled him like a newborn baby, cradling him in my arms. The first step is done. I should take the next. I should! But my hunter... Oh my poor poor helpless hunter...
Time seemed to speed up. The cell was unlocked. Rough hands were forcing me up. Trying to tie my hands. Pulling the hunter away. Are they taking him away from me?
"NO!"
I gave whoever was behind me the strongest blow I could deliver with my newly-replenished strength. Chaos followed. Shouts for help mixed with curses rang through the dungeon. In a flash, I transformed myself into a crow and the hunter into a hawk. Carrying his limp body with my talons, I flew high, escaping their attempts to capture us. My mind intent on only one thing - carry him to the witch.
---
Panting, I knocked on the witch's door, calling out her name. Normally, the witch was already outside to greet me. It took a few more minutes before she finally opened the door.
"You need to help me," I immediately blurted out once she opened the door. "I need to bring him back to life." I pointed to her the hunter's body, leaning on the nearest tree. "Please teach me the spell! I don't care if I die in return. Just please teach me!"
She held his hand up to silence me, and took her time covering her shoulders with her shawl. She wasn't able to look me in the eye. For a moment, I thought I detected something in there which I’ve never seen on her before. But whatever it was, it was gone in an instant.
"The spell," she calmly said. "Has limitations. You are a..." Suddenly, she changed her expression, her hand clutching something in her stomach. She closed her eyes as if she was in pain, and when she opened them again, her face was like a stone. Emotionless.
"Please," I said. Unstoppable tears leaking down my face. "Please don't take him away..." I've known the witch for a long time already and she never hesitated before. She gave help, or denied it at once. She doesn't dawdle. Something was wrong, I knew it.
"Please!" I cried, holding her hand. "I'll do anything in return! I need to see him alive! He doesn't deserve this. I should be the one dead! He didn't do anything... I was the vampire... I am the cursed one. He deserves to live and be happy. He deserves it all! I... I..."
She touched my lips with a finger, and caressed my face. Turning, she gave me one last look of pure sympathy and closed the door.
"No!" I pounded at her door. "Please help me. Bring him back. You're the only one who can! You don't understand. He's... He's everything to me!!"
I ran back to the hunter's body, sobbing. I held his already white hand, and mourned. He's dead, I thought. He's dead, and I was the one who killed him. Life is bitter, I thought. It isn't worth living for vampires like me. God brought me here in this world to experience pain. Then more pain. The hunter is gone. He is dead. Dead. Dead!
The cries of the ravens were my sole companions.
---
I buried him near the cliff. It was not a suitable place for graves. For one, the wind never stops there. The trees were scary-looking. The place looked wild. No flowers there, just tough-leaved thorny bushes.
I sat beside him, my hunter. Dead now. And talked to him. Talked to him about my life. About my struggles. I talked to him about things which makes me happy. Besides him, I amended. And I laughed at myself. He laughed, too. Shyly.
I laughed. I fell silent. I cried beside him. I can see him beside me, listening to me. We decided to stand nearer the cliff and look at the view below.
The distant mountains were blue. The sun covered by clouds. The wind brought us the smells of the forest. Wildness. Untamed love. I smiled at him, and he smiled back... It was beautiful.
A strong wind blew on the now quiet cliff, taking with it the Count's secrets. There are no more stories to tell about the Count. No more tales to tell about his struggles, because the Count, like the dreams he cannot have (including the hunter) is no more.
I pressed him against the wall, against my body. My eyebrows seemed to have disappeared completely for sweat kept getting into my eyes, stinging them.
"Do it now!" the hunter told me. "Now!"
"I... I can't..." I was trembling, and holding him was the only thing keeping me from falling down on the floor. "I can't do this!"
The hunter's already scared eyes searched mine. "This is your plan. This is our only chance. You have to do this. Do you get me? You have to do this!"
I nodded, but further movements seemed beyond me at the time. Dying for him was easier than what he was asking me to do. Time passed and still, I did nothing.
"Please," he added. "Be strong. Do this for me!" And he pulled my head towards his neck roughly. "Do it now before I lose my nerve!"
I was angry at myself. I simply have to do to him what I was born to do... but his smell filled me. Filled me, like in my dreams. My tears mingled with his sweat. I can feel the beating of his heart. I can feel the skin of his neck with my lips. I can feel his body tensing for what would come. I can hear his ragged breathing. Would it have been easier if I let him die in the first place? I saved his life and now I have to take it back.
A jingling sound, then the sound of footsteps hurrying towards us.
"Now!" he whispered hoarsely. “I trust you! I do!”
And with a cry, I punctured his veins with my fangs.
Involuntarily, he struggled, but I kept him trapped within me. His blood flowing in a warm current towards my mouth. I am slowly... slowly killing him. Killing my hunter. The only man I loved...
"Hey!" somebody from faraway shouted. "Get off him!"
But the voice seemed to dwindle into an indefinite buzz. It was unimportant. Everything else was unimportant. There was only me and the hunter. And death.
I loosed the grip I had on his arms, and he sagged a little. His heavy head was pressing against mine. My eyes were closed all the while, and I could hear no more struggled breathing. I can feel no more tension in him. The heartbeat I felt against my chest was... gone.
I fell on the floor, and he fell with me. I handled him like a newborn baby, cradling him in my arms. The first step is done. I should take the next. I should! But my hunter... Oh my poor poor helpless hunter...
Time seemed to speed up. The cell was unlocked. Rough hands were forcing me up. Trying to tie my hands. Pulling the hunter away. Are they taking him away from me?
"NO!"
I gave whoever was behind me the strongest blow I could deliver with my newly-replenished strength. Chaos followed. Shouts for help mixed with curses rang through the dungeon. In a flash, I transformed myself into a crow and the hunter into a hawk. Carrying his limp body with my talons, I flew high, escaping their attempts to capture us. My mind intent on only one thing - carry him to the witch.
---
Panting, I knocked on the witch's door, calling out her name. Normally, the witch was already outside to greet me. It took a few more minutes before she finally opened the door.
"You need to help me," I immediately blurted out once she opened the door. "I need to bring him back to life." I pointed to her the hunter's body, leaning on the nearest tree. "Please teach me the spell! I don't care if I die in return. Just please teach me!"
She held his hand up to silence me, and took her time covering her shoulders with her shawl. She wasn't able to look me in the eye. For a moment, I thought I detected something in there which I’ve never seen on her before. But whatever it was, it was gone in an instant.
"The spell," she calmly said. "Has limitations. You are a..." Suddenly, she changed her expression, her hand clutching something in her stomach. She closed her eyes as if she was in pain, and when she opened them again, her face was like a stone. Emotionless.
"Please," I said. Unstoppable tears leaking down my face. "Please don't take him away..." I've known the witch for a long time already and she never hesitated before. She gave help, or denied it at once. She doesn't dawdle. Something was wrong, I knew it.
"Please!" I cried, holding her hand. "I'll do anything in return! I need to see him alive! He doesn't deserve this. I should be the one dead! He didn't do anything... I was the vampire... I am the cursed one. He deserves to live and be happy. He deserves it all! I... I..."
She touched my lips with a finger, and caressed my face. Turning, she gave me one last look of pure sympathy and closed the door.
"No!" I pounded at her door. "Please help me. Bring him back. You're the only one who can! You don't understand. He's... He's everything to me!!"
I ran back to the hunter's body, sobbing. I held his already white hand, and mourned. He's dead, I thought. He's dead, and I was the one who killed him. Life is bitter, I thought. It isn't worth living for vampires like me. God brought me here in this world to experience pain. Then more pain. The hunter is gone. He is dead. Dead. Dead!
The cries of the ravens were my sole companions.
---
I buried him near the cliff. It was not a suitable place for graves. For one, the wind never stops there. The trees were scary-looking. The place looked wild. No flowers there, just tough-leaved thorny bushes.
I sat beside him, my hunter. Dead now. And talked to him. Talked to him about my life. About my struggles. I talked to him about things which makes me happy. Besides him, I amended. And I laughed at myself. He laughed, too. Shyly.
I laughed. I fell silent. I cried beside him. I can see him beside me, listening to me. We decided to stand nearer the cliff and look at the view below.
The distant mountains were blue. The sun covered by clouds. The wind brought us the smells of the forest. Wildness. Untamed love. I smiled at him, and he smiled back... It was beautiful.
A strong wind blew on the now quiet cliff, taking with it the Count's secrets. There are no more stories to tell about the Count. No more tales to tell about his struggles, because the Count, like the dreams he cannot have (including the hunter) is no more.
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