The Fall

I had been told that the terrible Nightshade vampire brood had been completely destroyed.

I was told a lie.

*-*-*

If I remember correctly, it all started there, at the base of the mountain. Winter had set in a few weeks ago and the woods we used to play in were blanketed in thick snow. By the gods it was cold, colder than any Winter we had gone through before.

I lived in a village at the base of the mountain called Grimoire, alongside my sister and grandfather, together we were the Hawthornes. Unfortunately, my sister Myra caught a terrible sickness called Frostheart, a sickness that proved fatal without the right elixir. The recipe was not a difficult one to follow, however one of the ingredients would prove to be a thorn in our side.

“It grows in ponds, and has a crystalline shine to it, almost like glass. We used to see them grow all over the village, but they disappeared during the dark days. Aster, the chances of finding it are next to none, but they originated from the mountain. If we are going to find one, it will be up there… it has to be.” My grandfather had explained this to me.

It was known as the Glass Lotus. Last time a Lotus was seen was over a century ago, when vampires came down from the mountain and mercilessly slaughtered the innocent. Course, those days ended… the famous Nightshade brood were all defeated by a band of warriors from Grimoire and the capital. Out of the near hundred brave soldiers that scaled the mountain, ninety were ruthlessly murdered, my mother and father being a part of that number.

*-*-*

The sun began to set during my second break, and the peak wasn’t far. It’d taken a long while getting just this far, yet there was still no Lotus. Still, there was a chance I could find one at the precipice, even if doubt was slowly creeping in. I’d noticed a few towers in the distance a few hours back, It was only as I lifted my head from its “help I need oxygen” position that I realised exactly what they were. The place that housed the dead, a place I always imagined being stained red from the bloodshed… The Nightshade estate. Well, what was left of it.

Grey and eerie, it didn’t exactly lack for size, the tallest tower seemed to piece the sky. It swayed in the wind, threatening to collapse onto the tree line below it. Still, seeing it like this, thinking about what went on here to make a building like this such a mess… “So this is where you were…” I couldn’t picture it, I didn’t want to. “That day was hell. Myra was too young to know what was going on. Mother was so torn up, the old man wouldn’t let us see her. All they found of Father were bits and pieces, a severed arm, with his wife’s wedding ring in the palm. This place is where it happened.” I could feel the sting of fresh tears welling.

Though the thought of it frightened me, there was an allure to it, like it was calling for me. It only took me a few minutes to scale the wall, all the while worrying it would crumble beneath me. The sigh of relief was only temporary, this place may be devoid of demonic beings but, dangerous wildlife were attracted to abandoned buildings like a moth to the flame, and meeting my end via a stray bear wouldn’t have been funny.

There were still parts that seemed intact, the staircases leading up to an uncountable number of floors were still standing. Going further up, I could just feel the tension. I wasn’t a superstitious person, but the hairs on my arms stood straight and I started to feel my heart skip a beat, my breathing started to hurt.

Seems my instincts were on point, as the floorboards by the front entrance creaked. There was no way it was anything other than a boar or something… yet I panicked, rushing into a nearby room and keeping my eyes glued to the door as I backed up. Up until I found out how wrong I was when trusting this place’s structural integrity.

One snap and the floor beneath me disappeared. I’d dropped into the courtyard, worse still was when I saw a clearly frightened elk run out the front entrance and down the way I came, a curse was placed on that elk that day.

When I’d stopped feeling sorry for myself I decided to look around this garden of stones. Like the rest of the estate it was overgrown and broken. There were farm plots that had been flattened by the wooden roofing that had once covered it, the pond was slickened and a sickly colour of green. A destroyed sundial sat as its centrepiece, but there were parts broken off, and the dial itself was rusted away at the top and covered in snow, making it pretty much useless.

Past all this, was another small pond, this one with stone statues around it and unlike the others, this was clear blue, as if the waters were brand new. It was what sat atop these waters that took my attention. Crystalline in appearance, small and precious. Not like anything I’d ever seen before. The flower I sought was laid upon the filthy waters of Castle Nightshade, I’d found the Glass Lotus of legend.

*-*-*

I’d gone limp for a good half an hour, sat in the snow as tears fell down my cheeks. When I’d heard about the cure, I’d pretty much given up, only pushing forward so I could come to terms with it. Yet, here it was, the key to bringing back Myra.

By the time I had regained control of my legs and plucked it from the pond, dusk had turned to darkness. Myra needed the medicine, but it would have to wait until morning, I wasn’t risking a trip down in the dark. Luckily I had brought enough gear to build a camp, though the creepy castle was still looming over me, I didn’t have the nerve to stay near it so further up I went.

*-*-*

I was not alone at the peak.

Pale skin that shined in the moonlight, silver hair dancing in the breeze, twisting and sparkling like a silken dress. As she turned I caught a glimpse of her eyes, the deepest shade of scarlet, warming me up as if she held the sun in her gaze. She stood at the peak of the mountain staring at the world below, holding a lonely, wanting sorrow.

“What’s a girl like that doing out here so late?” I thought

“Grimoire is the closest village but I’d remember her if I’d seen her before. Maybe another village? But why? She looks about Myra’s age, I can’t imagine her parents would let her come up the mountain alone, but, I didn’t see anyone else when I was climbing… why would she be here?” The question loomed in the back of my mind. Regardless of that, I was entranced by her. Blood ran to my head and I lost the ability to speak, all I could do was slowly take a step towards her, only to stand on and snap a branch, and startle her.

Instinctively I raised my hand, but her vacant gaze had transformed into fear. She began backing away despite my caution. “I’m not going to hurt you” I called, tripping over my forced words as I tried to reassure her. But instead she carried on backing away, deadly focussed on me, so focussed she forgot how close she was to the edge. I watched as her foot slipped, sending her crashing down hard against the rock face.

Just before she disappeared from view she managed to grasp the edge with one hand, letting out a gasp as the air escaped her lungs. I was rushing over before my brain had time to process. It didn’t help that the rocks she could reach would crumble, or come loose when she tried to reach out with her hanging arm or leg. She frantically tried to get a foothold but it just made her even more unstable. She screamed out. Her grip faltered and her fingertips began to tire and bleed all until they gave up completely.

As she slipped from the rock face I had somehow made it to her, sliding for the catch and anchoring myself on an uplifted tree root. Panic set in as I looked over the edge with veins popping out, leaving my head blood red. I couldn’t see the bottom… The root was starting to give way, breaking apart and snapping. “I’ll get you out of this! Just trust me!” I cried out, yet no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get her close enough.

Once more I pulled, this time putting absolutely everything into it… unfortunately…

The root finally snapped.

I don’t remember much about the fall. Just the darkness approaching, her blood red eyes… and the feeling of teeth piercing my neck.