In perhaps a sick twisted sort of way, Olga did get her wish.
Olga had offered to stay late that evening at the Tavern. Preparing for the Racovanian Festival was a tall order, and Helga could use (and handsomely paid for) all the help she could get. A little toiling in the kitchen with Somaria was well worth the extra gold that she would earn for what little she managed to help the seasoned chef in the kitchen. The bar was alive with mirth and pleasure. The bard was singing, the other barmaids were tapping drinks and serving plates. Helga was roaring with laughter, not-so-subtly flirting with Thorne the Elder as he made his own clumsy advances. Olga could have almost sworn that this was the slight, subtle difference that she had been looking for in life...
And then everything just stopped.
Everyone in Racovania knew the tell-tale sound of the carraige's black wheels as they clamored down the road that lead further north. Up there was Vampire Country, owned almost exclusively by the Stranken Clan. Those blood-suckers offered protection and supplies for the townsfolk... but at a terrible price.
One that no one in the town had gone untouched by.
There was a whole lot of them. The Stranken family was represented by several castles dotting the landscape of Racovania, up into the Peaks even. Every so often, at least once a year, one of them would descend upon the town looking for payment for their services. They were a necessary evil, tolerated by the town. But if any one family could kill such a warm, pleasant night, it was the Stranken Clan of Vampires.
Outside, the dull gray of the twilight had grown to an unhealthy sort of reddish glow. The soot and clouds above may as well have been made of lead, blocking any and all sunlight that dared to peek beyond the smoky veil into the town. A black carriage, manned by a foursome of fearsome black steeds (each one as dark as coal) and no driver rolled down the mountainside and into the main road that ran through the town.
Everyone, not just the patrons of the bar, shuffled outside. It was a fate far worse than death for those who dared ignore the call of the Strankens. No one had dared try it since Olga had been alive. Her father had always told her to report dutifuly, keep her head down, and try to look as unappetizing as possible.
As the carriage stopped, a small crowd of begrudgingly diligent townsfolk crowded around it. Before long, literally everyone was circled around it. The entire town's population was at the beck and call for these Vampires whenever they rolled through. Sometimes, though not often, they were simply passing through. Olga could only hope that now was one of those times.
"Olga—"
"Nilheia's mane!" the busty barmaid jumped, covering her mouth, for fear of upsetting the ominous carriage's occupant
It was only Tora, thankfully. Her older sister had managed to find her in the crowd and had made her way over to the congregation of taverners who had gathered in a particular area. With her strong arms, Tora pulled her sister in close for a warm embrace.
Nobody knew what those fanged freaks did with the women that they abducted. No one (literally, no one) had ever seen nor heard from the abductees once they had been spirited away in one of those black carriages. Rumors had emerged of course, albeit in hushed whispers, that they were eaten whole. Or sacrificed to Damus in unholy rituals. Olga shuddered at the thought of what those awful creatures must do to their victims—wasn't it enough that they sucked blood? How much worse could vampires get?
"Quiet girl, quiet." Tora said, breaking away, "They'lll... they might hear you..."
As if on cue, the carriage door opened with a sharp whine. The black hinges creaked as the wooden door opened to reveal one of the more "well-known" Stranken Vampires. Lady Cameena was the one located most closely to Racovania, and the one with which most of the public dealings with the town were done. She was feared none-the-less, but she was easily the most well-known among the common folk. Olga had heard stories of an even more terribly beautiful creature named Eviana, but had not seen such a woman for herself. Legend had it she was the Mother of all vampires—all of them, even Cameena, were descended from her.
One long gray leg extended from inside the coach and planted itself firmly in the dirt. Thick, ripe hips emerged as the rubenesque Lady of the Night descended fully into the town, her long black hair flowing in the soft breeze that carried throughout the silent town.
Tora squeezed Olga's hand, like when they were children.
"Good evening to you all." Cameena said, her voice hauntingly low and beautiful, "I hope you are all having a pleasant evening."
No one dared answer.
"I have come to the decision that I require another tribute. As my clan has already collected, I understand that this may come as... a sort of shock." The woman bit her ebony-black bottom lip, "But whomsoever's family I rob of one of their delicious daughters will be handsomely rewarded. I am not a cruel mistress, nor is my lady Eviana, but our needs are... growing."
Gentle sobbing filled the town from one corner, lower lips quivered everywhere as the earlier mirth was hollowed and filled with a sense of great loss. The poor girl hadn't even been chosen, and the town was mourning her.
"In order to provide for you so that you may live out your pitiful..." Cameena looked around distastefully, "Existence. My clan must be well nourished and paid for our services—those who would replace us would do much more than take one of your daughters."
"Now girls..." she said, checking her nails, "Step forward then, would you? So that I might pick the prettiest among you."
On cue, as commanded, each of the eligible daughters of the village stepped forward. There was Anna, the neighbor girl. She was a bit younger than Olga. The merchants' daughters, Alisha and Mina. Claris, and Greta. And finally, Olga and Tora stepped forward with heavy hearts. While their father was no longer alive, they would forever remain "eligible" in the eyes of the Stranken Clan—'til they bore children themselves, it seemed.
"Well well well..." Cameena lined them all up, looking each girl up and down, "Such a small selection... what happened to the redheaded girl from a few years back?"
"S...She married." the girl's father answered quietly, "I-Into a nice family in town."
"Pooh." Cameena curled her nose, "Wasn't there a, uh... oh... the Priest's Daughter, what happened to her?"
"L-Lady Elvira claimed her last year." someone else said, "The father... he took his life."
"Well that's depressing." Cameena rolled her eyes, "There was a whole slew of girls from that round-faced family with the pig farm. What happened to them?"
"The Pox." coughed yet another villager, "That was quite a few years ago."
"Ugh." Cameena put her hands on her hips, "So you're all that's left then? This village is turning into a real sausage fest..."
Thankfully, children were off limits. Once a girl had her first blood, she had from then until her first birth to be claimed by their winged sentinels. Suffice it to say, marriages were a frequency in Racovania. Baby showers too. Children were something celebrated and cherished, as they represented freedom from the agreement that the Stranken Clan held them all to, in one way or the other.
Unfortunately, Olga gulped as Cameena walked the line of eligible girls, she was far from ineligible.
The crop of seven—all sisters in a strange sort of way, bound together by this horrible agreement—were examined. Up and down, from their heads to their toes. Cameena even extended a greying arm, gave a couple of girls a good squeeze. Tilting their heads, examining their necks. She made a poigniant stop, her breasts bouncing ever so slightly, and made her announcement...
"You." Cameena extended one taloned finger, pointing squarely at...
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author