Bathory's Secret: When All The Time In The World Is Not Enough (Affliction Vampires Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

them, you will be very sorry indeed. Do I make myself clear?”
     
    “Yes mistress, I will be very careful.” She wanted to ask what was in them, but it was obvious she wouldn’t get an answer. Looking at them she realized that if they were bound all these papers would form several books. What secret was so important that only an illiterate fourteen year old child could be trusted to work on them?
     
    “Very good, you will begin right away, because you will have more work in the coming days and I will require that these are all done as soon as possible.”
     
    “I’ll do whatever you say, Countess.”
     
    “Very good. Tomorrow evening I will be leaving for a few days and I will return with my students. Do your work until then and if I am pleased you will receive more duties and maybe even a little more money to send to your mother.”
     
    The mention of money overjoyed Kati who missed her mother terribly and thought of her constantly. She was pleased by the idea that she was now able to help her with the money she was making, though she didn’t know when she would get any.
     
    “Oh and one more thing,” said the Countess before making her way out of the room. “You will be needing these to get in and out of this part of the castle as well as this room." She bent down to Kati’s height to hand over the two keys she had used to get into the room. “Do not lose them, Katalina, or there will be hell to pay. These keys are just as important as these books. Remember that you are being trusted with a lot at this moment, and I expect you will prove yourself. Disappoint me, and both you and your mother will spend the rest of your lives in utter misery!”
     
    “I will not let them out of my sight I promise!” And with that she stuffed them into her dress pocket, keeping her hand in there for a few moments, too afraid to let them go.
     
    ***
     
    As promised, the following evening the Countess departed from Csejthe leaving Kati to her new duties. Approaching the table of equipment, Kati felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work to be completed. She had indeed learned the binding process from her mother who had learned it from Uncle Alex, but it was far from a common occurrence. She wasn’t even sure if she remembered how to do it. She wondered what to do next. She could start and hope it all went well or she could go see her mother who could remind her of the process. Though she was hesitant to leave, she thought that attempting to bind the Countess’s precious notes and getting it wrong would be a lot worse than leaving the castle for the day without permission. She decided she was going to go at the crack of dawn when she had the least chance of being seen.
     
    At dawn she was already up and heading down the long stone walk that led away from the castle. To her good fortune the gate had not been sealed so she slipped out unobserved. In the days she had been here she had yet to come face to face with anyone so she doubted if anyone was around to watch her go anyway. Safely out of range of any prying eyes she reached the lower gardens and headed in the direction of her mother's house. Getting there was quite easy, all she had to do was cut through the Nádasdy forest grounds, go past the village and then journey a few more miles out to her house.
     
    As she was making her way through the woods she noticed an area where the trees had grown differently. Instead of the random way in which trees of different species grew in the little forest, this section was more artificial. Instead of the usual spruce, chestnut and oak tree selection, this wall of trees consisted only of thickly arranged pines and when she approached it the line practically formed a corridor which led towards a small orchard with a little hut inside. The chimney was smoking and the curtains were open and though curious she was too apprehensive about getting too close. Then she noticed an old man kneeling on the ground tending to some