Bathory's Secret: When All The Time In The World Is Not Enough (Affliction Vampires Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Romina Nicolaides
seedlings with his back towards her and tentatively she approached.
“Who’s there?” Asked the old man turning his head a little in her direction but not showing his face. She could see his rich white beard but not much else.
Kati stopped where she stood, alarmed by his hostile tone, wondering whether she should cut her losses and make a run for it before he saw her face.
“Speak up!” Insisted the man.
Taking a few hesitant steps closer, she spoke, “I’m Katalina, I work at the castle, but I’m not supposed to be here." She grabbed on the outside of her skirt pocket ensuring that the keys were still there, an act she would frequently repeat in times of anxiety.
“Then you’d better not be here,” said the man, carefully pushing the fresh dirt around his sprouting plants.
“If you speak with anyone from the castle, please don’t tell them you saw me, alright?”
“Oh, don’t worry child, I won’t see anyone,” he said turning around causing Kati to inadvertently gasp.
His face was terribly scarred where his eyes had once been. In their place, misshaped skin had formed permanent lids with marks that led all the way down to his cheeks as if some crazed animal had mauled at him. Supporting himself up against the tree he was near, he brushed the dirt away from his knees and hands before fumbling around in the air to locate his walking stick which he had planted into the soft soil.
“Don’t be alarmed, I won’t hurt you, I’m perfectly harmless as you can see,” he said, making her feel ashamed of thinking that this fragile old man could be dangerous.
“What happened to you?” Asked Kati, following him but stopping at the door as he went inside.
“Nothing that should concern a little girl,” said the old man putting his cane against the wall and washing his hands at a bucket near the door after locating it with his foot.
“Were you born like that? I’ve seen other people with deformities. I’m not afraid. One of my mother’s neighbors has a little girl with bowed legs who can’t walk so sometimes I sit with her and we make up stories like I used to do with my Uncle Alex.”
Ignoring her, the old man dried his hands on a tired and dirty looking cloth.
“Did you say you worked at the castle?”
“Yes.”
“And won’t your mistress be looking for you?”
“Oh she’s away today.”
“Did she tell you you could leave?”
“No, but…”
“Then I suggest you get back immediately,” he said with a stern tone.
“But there is something I need to do first.”
“You do that then and get back quickly.”
“She won’t know that I left, nobody saw me. In fact I wonder if there are any other people up there except us. I haven’t seen anybody since I've been here.”
“There’s people there. Unlike you though, they have the good sense to do as they’re told. The Countess likes her privacy, you better remember that. And so do I for that matter."
“Fine, then I’ll go,” she said knitting her brow.
“You’ll be wise to do so. Servants must do as they’re told. It’s our duty.”
“Are you her servant too?”
“Since the day I was born.”
“So you’ll be here if I come back?”
“Where would I go?”
“I’ll come back another time then,” said Kati and the old man sighed.
***
Kati’s mother was returning from the stream where she had gone to wash some clothes. The basket was heavy and the strain was reminding her that her joints were not what they once used to be. Her body always seemed to hurt lately and many simple tasks felt very difficult to her. She hoped it was the changing seasons and that soon she would feel her old self again.
She thought of Kati who was on her way to becoming more independent and perhaps mature a little now she had gone to work at the castle. She had always doted on the girl, her only child to
“Who’s there?” Asked the old man turning his head a little in her direction but not showing his face. She could see his rich white beard but not much else.
Kati stopped where she stood, alarmed by his hostile tone, wondering whether she should cut her losses and make a run for it before he saw her face.
“Speak up!” Insisted the man.
Taking a few hesitant steps closer, she spoke, “I’m Katalina, I work at the castle, but I’m not supposed to be here." She grabbed on the outside of her skirt pocket ensuring that the keys were still there, an act she would frequently repeat in times of anxiety.
“Then you’d better not be here,” said the man, carefully pushing the fresh dirt around his sprouting plants.
“If you speak with anyone from the castle, please don’t tell them you saw me, alright?”
“Oh, don’t worry child, I won’t see anyone,” he said turning around causing Kati to inadvertently gasp.
His face was terribly scarred where his eyes had once been. In their place, misshaped skin had formed permanent lids with marks that led all the way down to his cheeks as if some crazed animal had mauled at him. Supporting himself up against the tree he was near, he brushed the dirt away from his knees and hands before fumbling around in the air to locate his walking stick which he had planted into the soft soil.
“Don’t be alarmed, I won’t hurt you, I’m perfectly harmless as you can see,” he said, making her feel ashamed of thinking that this fragile old man could be dangerous.
“What happened to you?” Asked Kati, following him but stopping at the door as he went inside.
“Nothing that should concern a little girl,” said the old man putting his cane against the wall and washing his hands at a bucket near the door after locating it with his foot.
“Were you born like that? I’ve seen other people with deformities. I’m not afraid. One of my mother’s neighbors has a little girl with bowed legs who can’t walk so sometimes I sit with her and we make up stories like I used to do with my Uncle Alex.”
Ignoring her, the old man dried his hands on a tired and dirty looking cloth.
“Did you say you worked at the castle?”
“Yes.”
“And won’t your mistress be looking for you?”
“Oh she’s away today.”
“Did she tell you you could leave?”
“No, but…”
“Then I suggest you get back immediately,” he said with a stern tone.
“But there is something I need to do first.”
“You do that then and get back quickly.”
“She won’t know that I left, nobody saw me. In fact I wonder if there are any other people up there except us. I haven’t seen anybody since I've been here.”
“There’s people there. Unlike you though, they have the good sense to do as they’re told. The Countess likes her privacy, you better remember that. And so do I for that matter."
“Fine, then I’ll go,” she said knitting her brow.
“You’ll be wise to do so. Servants must do as they’re told. It’s our duty.”
“Are you her servant too?”
“Since the day I was born.”
“So you’ll be here if I come back?”
“Where would I go?”
“I’ll come back another time then,” said Kati and the old man sighed.
***
Kati’s mother was returning from the stream where she had gone to wash some clothes. The basket was heavy and the strain was reminding her that her joints were not what they once used to be. Her body always seemed to hurt lately and many simple tasks felt very difficult to her. She hoped it was the changing seasons and that soon she would feel her old self again.
She thought of Kati who was on her way to becoming more independent and perhaps mature a little now she had gone to work at the castle. She had always doted on the girl, her only child to
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