Chapter 14:

Rusalka

Vampire Lanterns


Petrona managed to wake Yan up. "Shhh!" She was covering her lips with one finger. "Your Highness, do you trust me?" Demyan nodded. She took her scarf and covered his eyes and ears with it. "You can't see nor hear for the moment. If they catch you, you will die. We need to get away from here, right now!"
Petrona helped Demyan to his feet, took him by his hand and dragged him along the shore of the lake. They were walking away from the singing, which caught up already with the men, which they fought before. They must been awoken by that time and Petrona heard splashing sounds of water.
The Rusalkas probably dragged them inside and were drowning the men. Demyan on the other hand focused on holding Petrona's hand and that made him blush under the blindfold. At this dangerous situation, he instead felt happiness.
The water on the lake began more and more rippling. The Rusalkas were approaching them, as well. Petrona made a decision to hide with Yan in between the tall reeds. She told Yan to hold his ears and try hard not to give in, if something will happen.
The gentle beautiful singing was upon them. "We know you are there!" Petrona decided to go out and play their game. In front of her stood the queen Dana and two other Rusalkas in long white dresses. Petrona didn't lose her composure.
"Oh, good! I was afraid, you were those men. Did you get rid of them? I must thank you... They actually tried to kill me and during our fight, we fell down. I ran away from them, because I thought, they would finish me, as soon, as they wake up..."
Dana cut her off and stepped closer towards Petrona. "Don't lie to us. I can smell a man on you... Where do you hide him?" Her eyes were glowing turquoise blue. Dana looked behind Petrona. Petrona didn't even flinch. "I think, you smell those bastards..."
She giggled. "No, I smell someone, who is attracted to you and is nearby." Petrona was speechless for a second, but... "Maybe one of them was..." Dana nodded toward one of her girls. She spread out her hair and caught Petrona, like with a rope. Petrona fell to the ground and the other wrapped her hair around her wrists and ankles and stretched her over a nearby tree.
Dana stepped inside the reeds. She saw Demyan sitting with a blindfold holding his ears. She began to sing and gently stroked his cheek. He thought it was Petrona for a second, but he froze, she never would touch him like that.
Dana ripped the blindfold from his eyes and put his hands down. She was amazed, by how stunningly handsome he was. The song entangled his mind, even when he tried his best to withstand it. As she lifted his chin up towards herself with her finger, he just followed her gaze. She made him stand up and walk with her.
Petrona tried to stop it. "Wake up! Your HIGHNESS!" Dana paused. "A royal?" She looked him up and down and noticed the earring. She was more, than pleased. "Well, I think you are too valuable to be just drowned. How about, I made you my king instead?" Dana smirked Petrona's way. She began to hug Demyan and wrap her greenish-blond hair around his body.
Petrona kept screaming at Yan to snap him out of it. One of the Rusalkas hit her across the face and Petrona spat out a little blood. That familiar iron smell... Demyan regained some sense and saw, what was happening right in front of him. He felt how the Rusalka queen was wrapped around him rubbing her face against his chest.
He pushed her away and she fell to the ground. She couldn't believe, that he escaped her power. Demyan tried to help Petrona, but failed as Dana did sing again, now louder and stronger.
His mind couldn't hold away from her magic and became a mindless slave once again. Petrona could just watch, as Dana was holding his hands, caressing his cheek with her hair and leading him slowly into the lake. "NO! PRINCE YAN!!!" Dana began to take him deeper, until they disappeared together under it. Only some ripples marked their whereabouts.

What should Petrona do? She tried to wiggle out of that hairy situation, without being detected. She slowly loosened the tight wrapping, but still held herself up, so they wouldn't notice it until it would be too late for them.
She still had one ace in her sleeve; a small hidden dagger. She was ready do jump straight into action. Both Rusalkas didn't pay attention to her, they were singing towards the water. They were participating in the ritual to change Demyan into their king. They both were swaying with the wind murmeling a silent song and gesticulating with their arms in sync.
Petrona took a deep breath and jumped down. They both noticed right away. The blue-eyed one, tried to catch her back with her hair; Petrona dodged and hit her into her stomach with her small fist. The Rusalka bent over in pain and the other green-eyed grabbed Petrona by her shoulders and began wrapping her hair again around Petrona's waist.
This time, Petrona didn't hesistate, took out the dagger and grabbed the hair of the Rusalka at her skull and cut it off in one swing. The Rusalka disintegrated into foam and the other screamed out of pain soon after.
They all must be linked to each other, because the whole area screamed out of pain. She then escaped. Petrona fell to her knees on the shore looking down into the dark water, which began to foam...

Dana was holding tight to Demyan's hands and pulling him deeper into her realm. The water around them was spinning and slowly began to shine. Demyan was wrapped and held down at the lake bottom by slender and long algae.
The songs, which at first were muffled by the water, were getting much louder and more audible. One kiss from Dana and he would change into a waterman. Dana was already coming closer towards his lips. She laid her hands on his broad chest.
As they almost touched lips, she screamed out of pain. Sending bubbles of air out of her mouth to the surface. Demyan regained his senses, his eyes glowing in gray, he changed into a vampire. Raven hair floating around him.
He took the chance, bit the side of Dana's neck and ripped it. Purple-like blood came out and Dana began to change into foam as well. The water became murky and he wasn't sure, where was up and down. He was about to drown, because of it. Thrashing around with his arms someone got hold of his hand and began to pull him up...

Petrona jumped straight into the foaming mess even, when she couldn't see anything. She reached the spot, grabbed an arm and pulled. Demyan felt, how his eyes burned into a different color and his hair; with the sway of the water became brown again. They both ended up coughing water out at the shore. Demyan changed back into his human form without Petrona noticing him being a vampire.