Scarlet Rose

Chapter 9 - Under Attack

Since Shiro and Wayne absolutely wanted to take down both nearby nests, and it wasn't easy to fight each herd of turned vampires, they didn't manage to deal with it before dinner. By the time they killed all the vampires in the second nest, it was long past dinnertime. They piled all the bodies in preparation for incineration.

- You always fight really hard, but today you outdid yourself, Shiro.- Wayne turned to him.- I think it's the first time I've seen you fight as hard as you did today.- he added, looking at him meaningfully.

- What do you mean by that?- Shiro glared at him.

- I think you really want to come back home... Or rather to lady Katherine.- replied Wayne with a mischievous smile.

- Wayne, I think I told you before to stop talking nonsense.- Shiro replied, clearly annoyed.

- Say what you want, but when it comes to male and female matters, I am undoubtedly the expert of the two of us.- continued Wayne, not at all offended by his words.- If you want to hide your interest in lady O'Sullivan from me, control your facial expression better next time.- he added.

Excuse me?- Shiro turned to him with a little indignation while trying to control the embarrassment he felt because someone discovered his feelings, and on top of that, that someone was his cousin.

- Today, when we were saying goodbye to the ladies and Katherine spoke up, you looked at her in such a way that even a less experienced person than me would see it.- Wayne explained, his voice full of confidence.- Seriously, do not insist on your version, just tell the truth.- he pointed out.

- Okay, so be it.- Shiro sighed heavily, finally giving up.- Yes, I'm interested in Katherine, but not more than you are.- he pointed out with a hint of malice in his voice.- And honestly, what's so strange about that? This girl is not ugly, has a more predatory nature than other human women, and as you know, it attracts pure blooded vampires.- he added after a while.

- Of course, you're right.- agreed Wayne without hesitation and much more serious face expression.- And forgive me if I sounded malicious, I'm just worried about you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you... - he began to say, looking at him with sincere concern.

- I am well aware of the danger, and believe me, I have no intention of going more into it. You have nothing to worry about. I am not going to endanger myself or lady Katherine.- assured Shiro.

- I believe you, cousin. Good to hear that.- said Wayne, then took a deep breath.

- We better hurry up and set this pile on fire. I want to go home for supper, I'm already hungry.- Shiro urged him and they set the pile of bodies on fire.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Michael O'Sullivan was just sitting in his office, absorbed in work, when he heard a knock on the door. He sighed slightly, because really had a lot of work to do, but finally looked up from the papers to the door.

- Come in, please.- said lord O'Sullivan, loud enough for the person on the other side to hear him.

When the door opened, his son, Patrick, almost ran into the office, a neatly decorated envelope in his hands, and there was obvious excitement on his face.

- Patrick? What happened? What is the reason for your extraordinary joy?- Michael asked, looking at his son's face, then at the envelope in his hands, though he slowly guessed who the letter might have come from.

- We just received the mail and while browsing through it, I noticed that lord Liam Edwards from Cardiff, Katherine's fiancé, sent us a letter, so I decided to bring it to you right away, father.- Patrick replied excitedly, handing his father the envelope he had been holding so far.

Hearing these words and reading on the envelope who was addressing the letter, Michael did not wait long and immediately grabbed a letter opener, a small knife, lying nearby and quickly opened the envelope, while being careful so not to damage its contents. Then he took out a few pages from an envelope, and seeing that there was nothing else in the envelope, immediately began reading the letter quietly.

- Father, has lord Edwards sent us wedding invitations?- Patrick asked, with a hint of impatience in his voice, leaning slightly over his father's desk.- He should, after all, the preparations should definitely be nearing completion.- he added.

- No, he didn't send invitations.- Michael replied after a long pause as he put the letter on the desk, his face very serious, which made Patrick immediately serious as well.- Liam writes that Katherine didn't make it to his mansion in Cardiff, so he ordered a search of the area.- he began to speak, and it was evident that was having a hard time, which made Patrick even more concerned about the content of the letter.- Near a village located a day's journey from Cardiff, in a nearby forest, his men found traces of a carriage, decaying bodies of horses almost completely eaten by wild animals, and many traces of blood.- Michael sighed heavily, and Patrick listened in complete silence, only his face showed how terrified he was by what he heard.- In addition, in a meadow near the forest, they found traces of a pile of bodies that had been burned there. Among the ashes the remains of clothing were found, possibly belonging to our servants and Liam's coachman, whom he sent with the carriage to pick up Katherine from the port. They didn't find the carriage, neither Katherine's luggage, nor the remains of her dress in the ashes.- he added at the end.

- It means Katherine is alive, right? Maybe she got lost in the forest, or reached some nearby village? We absolutely must go there, look for her...- Patrick began to blur his words in panic.

- Patrick! Control yourself.- father addressed him sternly.- This is not the end of what was in the letter.- he pointed out, and Patrick clenched his fists, but calmed down.- Liam kept looking into it and found out that turned vampire's nests started to form in the woods around Cardiff.- Michael informed him, his eyes never leaving his son.

- What? Since when? How did it happened? - Patrick attacked him with questions.- But the scouts were sent there, they checked everything and a month ago the forests around Cardiff were completely clean, after all, that's why we decided to send Katherine over there now.- he added, shocked.

- Yes, so far the forests have been clean. But as Liam found out, a few days before Katherine left London, groups of wild turned vampires started wandering towards Cardiff, making nests in nearby forests. His scouts did not deliver this news to him in time, because it turned out that they were attacked by these savages and killed.- Michael explained.- It seems that the carriage in which Katherine traveled was attacked by one of the herds. However, like Liam, I am also puzzled by the ashes found in the meadow nearby... Turned vampires do not burn the attacked people but transform them to increase their numbers. It means that there was someone else there.- he remarked.

- Probably one of the hunters.- Patrick suggested.

- I thought so at first, but Liam mentioned in the letter that he asked all the wampire hunters in the area if they were going hunting in the woods, but they, just like Liam, had no idea that nests were starting to form around Cardiff.- Michael replied.- So if it's not some lone hunter, it must have been pure-blood vampires.- he added after a moment.

- The only undamaged pure-blood vampire estate near Cardiff, or our kingdom in general, is the Williams clan mansion.- Patrick said, frowning as if he was thinking hard about something.- From what I can remember, one of the twins lives here... I believe his name was Wayne Williams. And his cousin, count Shiro Akira from Japan. I remember him better because he is known to persuade that sorceress to help pure-blood vampires in the fight against turned vampires.- he continued.

- Count Shiro Akira was also the main negotiator while I and the other hunters signed a pact with pure-blooded vampires.- added Michael.- After reaching Liam's mansion, we will check the forests around Cardiff with other hunters in the area and later we'll have to visit the Williams clan residence, for if count Williams and count Akira were in the woods at the time of the attack and it's them who burned down the turned servants, they might know what happened to our Katherine. Anyway, we have to go to Cardiff today.- he got up from his chair, walked to the door, opened it and called one of the butlers.- Stephen, have the horses ready, then tell the maids to pack me and Patrick. But only the most important things. As for you, bring our bags, the ones with equipment.- added lord O'Sullivan, looking at the servant significantly. Stephen was the only servant who knew that Michael and Patrick O'Sullivan, besides being lords, aristocrats and landowners, were hunting turned vampires after dark.

- Of course, lord O'Sullivan. I'll get to it immediately.- replied the butler, bowed, and started walking down the hall to prepare everything for his masters.

Then Michael returned to the office, shutting the door and standing by his son, who was just putting the letter back on the desk because wanted to read it and see for himself what it was about. His expression showed that he was convinced.

- Patrick, I want to ask you something else.- Michael turned to him with a serious face.

- Yes, I'm listening, father.- Patrick replied, focusing his gaze on lord O'Sullivan.

- Remember what I told you about what happened to your mother, don't you?- Michael asked, and Patrick just nodded.- We don't know what happened to Katherine, but if she fell into the hands of a turned, I doubt she's alive and well. That's why you must promise me, Patrick, that if Katherine turns out to be one of those wild beasts, and something bad will happen to me, you will kill her without hesitation.- he addressed him pleading, but also firmly.

- But father... How could I....- Patrick began to say, clearly horrified at his father's request. Until now, Patrick could not quite accept the fact that his father had to kill their mother, even though tried to understand the reasons, which were completely logical and there was no other way to save mother. But at the thought that he would have to do the same to Katherine, his beloved sister, opposition was born in his heart.

- Patrick, listen to me carefully.- Michael placed both hands on his son's shoulders.- I know that she is your sister and you love her very much, but believe me... Katherine is very dear to me as well, no less than your mother was. But if she has transformed, and worse, has lost her humanity and would want to hurt us, there will be no other choice.- he emphasized once again in a firm tone.- By letting Katherine live in this way, you will not only condemn her to a life of suffering, but also her soul to eternal damnation. The only salvation for a turned vampire is death. Do you understand?- he added.

- I understand, father.- Patrick replied shortly, and the objection on his face almost faded away, but it was replaced by an expression of immense suffering.

Instead of more words, Michael embraced his son tightly and hugged, patting him slightly on the back.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Shiro and Wayne returned to the mansion for supper, Katherine greeted them politely, but spent the entire meal focused on eating, not speaking much and avoiding looking at both counts. What she wanted most was to avoid looking at Shiro, but she knew well that if wanted to look at Wayne, her eyes might inadvertently wander to his cousin. Margareth chattered incessantly, inquiring about the details of their expedition, so Katherine found out anyway that Wayne and Shiro had managed to get rid of both nests. She was, of course, overjoyed when saw both counts in the door, safe and sound. Of course their clothes and hairstyles were disheveled, stained with blood, but they weren't seriously hurt, otherwise the wounds might have been still visible. Margareth explained to Katherine that the wounds of pure-blooded vampires healed quickly, and the smaller they were, the faster it happened. Therefore, when Shiro and Wayne went to their rooms to wash and change clothes, Margareth remarked that if the both suffered any wounds, they had to be minor, and certainly harmless.

After supper, Katherine went to her room, reading books again. She didn't want to hang around the house unnecessarily, and it was too dark and too cold to sit in the garden. Katherine at all costs wanted to avoid meeting with Shiro, although she suspected that he would probably stuck with his cousin in the office, or stay in his room. Within a little over a week of being in this mansion, Katherine noticed that each of the counts, especially Shiro, rarely left the office or their rooms, except of course when they went on their expeditions to get rid of the wild turned vampires. Still, she preferred to be safe than sorry. Katherine didn't want the wall she was slowly building around her heart to be torn down by some random, unnecessary interaction.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After Wayne left the office, going to his room, Shiro stayed there until midnight, flipping through the pages of more books and old documents. With his eyes, he searched desperately for any clues that might lead him to a way to free humans from the effects of administering blood to a pure-blooded vampire, after them being bitten by a turned. The legend of this was as old as the world and Shiro had heard it for a long time among his kin, but never came across any credible source, let alone the exact information about what needed to be done to get rid of the 'blood curse' with which he first bound Margareth to his mansion, and now lady O'Sullivan.

At times Shiro was beginning to regret that had given his blood to any of them. He should have just killed them, that would have done them the greatest favor. Because, so what if they lived and did not turn into these wild vampires, if they could not return to their lives normally and had to stay in this huge mansion full of vampires? He especially regretted it now, because the presence of Lady Katherine had thrown him off balance. Shiro could not recognize himself - how could he so easily become attracted to a human woman? None of the pure-blooded vampire maids he had met several times had been able to influence him like lady Katherine O'Sullivan did and, in addition, after only a week of being in his mansion. Was fate really determined to test his willpower by sending this woman to him? If so, Shiro could not succumb to it. He had to find enough strength in himself somehow, it was just infatuation after all, right? Shiro was a pure-blood vampire, an old one, from a mighty bloodline, capable of emerging unscathed from fierce battles with hordes of wild, turned vampires, so could not be defeated by some meaningless human feeling.

- First of all, I need to stop thinking about it.- Shiro said to himself, focusing his gaze back on the text he was studying.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two days later Shiro woke up early in the morning, not quite remembering when he went to his room. Something disturbed him, so he strained all his senses, and when sensed the horde of turned vampires coming from the southern part of the forest, dressed in a hurry and went to Wayne's room, who, however, also turned out to be awake and dressed.

- Did you feel it?- Shiro asked to be sure, slightly surprised.

- Fortunately I did this time. As you can see, I took your previous words very seriously.- replied Wayne with a smile, and they both flew out of the room.

On the way, they awakened the servants, gave them their blood, a little more than usual, and ordered Marie to wake Margareth and lady Katherine, ordering them to sit in the room together, not leaving under any circumstances.

- Marie, what's happening, in God's name?- Margareth asked while entering Katherine's room, after getting dressed in a hurry.

- Count Akira probably won't be pleased that I told you about it, but I think you two should know, just in case. From the south there is a horde of turned coming our way.- Marie replied, quickly helping Katherine dress up.

- What?- asked Katherine, a bit sleepy and confused so far, waking up immediately to the news.

- Count Akira said you should not leave this room.- Marie said and walked to the door.

- Don't go, please...- Katherine grabbed her hand, terrified, because through the window, from a distance, the wild sounds of turned vampires could already be heard, indicating that there really must have been a lot of them, certainly more than on the forest road when the Katherine's carriage was attacked.

- Forgive me, my lady...- Marie looked at her with a pained gaze, smoothly releasing her hand from her grip.- But I have to help the others. Everything will be okay.- she added, then left the room.

Katherine sobbed and was about to follow her out, but Margareth hugged her tightly, holding in one place.