— Emily Wisteria, “Emily’s Personal Journal.”
Only a few minutes had passed, and Mina could hardly stand it.
She had been listening for the creak of the stagecoach door, signaling Emily’s return. The fact that she was taking so long had Mina wondering if she couldn’t find Karaline.
Then, finally, there it was. She let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. This whole time, he had been keeping an eye on Marcellus, striking him violently each time it looked like his body was mending. It was a bit satisfying to watch, actually. Every time it looked like he was regaining his strength, the knight would crush his spine beneath his boot, and with the silver from his armor, it only weakened Marcellus and slowed his rapid healing.
A few seconds later, three sets of footsteps sounded from over the hill.
Mina didn’t let relief show, but the weight pressing against her ribs loosened.
Karaline came over the crest of the hill. She had a sheathed sword in hand, the bronze fingers of her newly built prosthetic hand gripping it tightly. Emily and Violet followed close behind.
“Henrik!” Karaline shouted. “Calm down, ya bastard! They’re tellin’ the truth!”
The knight’s head snapped toward them. “Karaline?”
“Yeah, it’s me, ya fuckin’ moron!”
Mina narrowed her eyes at the knight. “Wait, you’re Henrik?”
The knight glanced back at her, and Mina could feel the weight of his stare beneath the helmet. “I would not have willingly given my name to a bloodsucker.”
Karaline scoffed. “Aye, well, ya can trust this bloodsucker. I’ve known her for years. The only things in danger when she’s around are bacon and monsters.”
Mina shot her a glare.
Karaline smirked. “What? It’s true.”
Violet stepped forward and began signing. ‘There is no need to hide beneath your helm. You are among friends.’
Henrik hesitated, looking from Karaline to Violet, then finally to Emily, who came to stand beside Mina. Slowly, his shoulders slumped, and with a quiet, weary exhale, he reached up and removed his helmet.
Mina had expected a man younger than Henrik looked, but time and battle had left their mark on him. He was somewhere in his late fifties. A faded scar ran along his cheekbone and gave way to an ugly, ominous grimace. Another bisected his bald scalp, awkwardly cutting his shaved stubble
“It is… good to see you both,” he said calmly, as if he hadn’t just butchered a gang of vampires.
“Aye, well, nice to see ye too, but set the greetin’s aside. I gotta make sure ye ain’t gonna cut down my friend here.”
Henrik looked back at Mina, narrowing his eyes as he studied her. “So… what she says of Jonathan is true?”
Karaline shrugged. “What did ya tell him?” she asked Mina.
“The truth.”
“Then yeah,” Karaline sighed. “It’s true. Unfortunately.” She paused, and her voice lowered. “I should’ve written ye a letter. Let ya know what happened. It was… years ago.”
Henrik’s brow furrowed. “May I ask how my friend came to die?”
Mina stepped forward sharply. “No.”
Karaline turned and shot her a look. “Mina, shut it. I’ll do the talkin’.” She then turned back to Henrik. “Jonathan died five years ago. Him and their kid.”
Henrik’s expression remained firm, but something in his posture shifted. Looking into his eyes, Mina could almost see the mess of emotions swirling around. “So… it is true that Jonathan married a vampire?”
Karaline scowled. “That’s not what ye should be focusin’ on.”
“I know,” Henrik said with a nod. “And you are right.” His eyes found Mina once more, lingering as if seeing her for the first time. “It simply strikes me as… unexpected. That he, of all men, would have chosen you.”
Mina’s chest tightened. “You know nothing of him,” she growled.
“You forget who Jonathan was,” Karaline interjected. “But that’s beside the point. Even though ye didn’t know what Mina was when ye invited her, ye did invite her. And despite the fangs, she’s not a threat to ye or anyone in Serenity Gardens.”
Henrik was silent.
“She’s a monster hunter. A damn fine one at that. Risks her life helpin’ others who’d otherwise cut her down.”
“And you put out a contract,” Emily added. “You asked for help, and since we were already on our way here, we figured, why not. We’re monster hunters, after all.”
“Aye,” Karaline nodded. “And this lass here? Mina’s trainin’ her to hunt purebloods. Not just them, but the Queen of Vampires herself. She’s doin’ a damn good job at it, too. If ye saw what the wee lass could do, ye’d be impressed.”
Henrik stared at Emily, then back at Mina. “A monster that hunts monsters. A traitor to her own kind.”
“She has her reasons,” Karaline explained. “The same bastards that took Kasia from you took Jonathan from her.”
“He took Luna,” Mina said with a low growl. Even at just the mere mention of that memory, her heart started racing. Her nails dug into her palms. She needed to calm down. So, she withdrew a cigarette from her inner coat pocket and lit it with the snap of her fingers. Mina took a long drag and let out a shaky breath. When she had collected herself, she turned back to Henrik. “Queen Lockhart took my husband. And that bastard helped,” she gestured toward Marcellus.
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The half-blood had gone quiet since Karaline arrived, observing everything as he regained his strength. When Mina drew attention back to him, though, it only reminded Henrik of his presence, and with a powerful stomp, he crushed his spine underfoot. Marcellus howled and grunted, clawing at the dirt. “You fucker!” he growled.
“Believe me when I say she’s an ally,” Karaline said.
Henrik slowly took his foot off the vampire’s back and exhaled slowly. “So my friend is truly dead.” He paused. “Forgive my continued reluctance, but I find it difficult to accept.”
Mina sighed, crossing her arms. “Then what do you need from me to prove it?”
Henrik said nothing. Then, without a word, he flicked his wrist, and the stone restraints around Marcellus crumbled. Before Marcellus could react, Henrik’s boot came down hard, shattering his shinbone with a sickening crunch.
“FUCK!” Marcellus screamed, crumpling as bone tore through his skin. Blood pooled beneath him.
Henrik grabbed him by the throat and dragged him toward Mina.
The vampire’s claws scraped at Henrik’s plate mail. His choked gasps came in ragged wheezes.
Henrik did not spare him a glance. “You may trust her, Karaline, but I still have my reservations. Words mean little. Deeds mean everything.” He threw Marcellus to the ground. “These men,” he continued, “were innocent. Ambushed. Cut down like wheat in a field. And though you have spoken well, Mina, my trust cannot be won by words alone.” He stepped back, leveling his gaze at her. “If what Karaline claims is true… if you are no vampire like this beast before me… then prove it. Kill him.”
Mina took the cigarette from her mouth and glared down at the vampire. For years, she had dreamed of seeing a man like this on his knees. She had envisioned it a thousand times, not Marcellus, necessarily, but someone, someone who had wronged her, someone who had taken everything from her and was now left begging.
“What is your choice?” Henrik asked.
Mina took another slow drag of her cigarette, exhaling a curl of smoke. “With pleasure.” Without hesitation, she reached for the sword on Emily’s back. The moment her fingers found the hilt, the sheath snapped open, and Mina pulled the weapon free, causing the girl to stumble slightly.
Her heart was like an overworked engine, but her breathing remained calm. This moment had played out in her mind a thousand times. Maybe more. The memories were branded into her mind like red-hot iron. He was there that night. He helped hold them down. He laughed. He had his way. And now, here he was. Helpless. A whimpering, broken creature at her feet. She would have liked the pleasure of taking him down herself, but this would do just fine.
Mina could feel the rage inside her, rising like a tide. She had always been good at suppressing it. Keeping it locked in a cage. That feral, vampiric rage that clawed at the edges of her mind. To rip and tear until it was done. Make him suffer. But she couldn’t. Not in the company of the only people she had left. She could never let them see her like that.
Mina crouched beside Marcellus, her fingers threading through his blood-matted hair. She gripped hard and yanked. Marcellus choked as his head snapped back, his throat exposed, the tendons in his neck straining. The scalp tore beneath Mina’s grip, and a thick trickle of blood seeped onto her hand.
She leaned in. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to me.”
Marcellus’s breath hitched.
“You already know what I’m going to ask,” Mina continued, holding the silver sword up to his neck. “So make this easy for yourself.”
“I—I can take you to him,” Marcellus stammered, his silver eyes darting wildly. “J-Just kill the knight. Please.”
Mina said nothing, tilting her head slightly.
Marcellus swallowed. “You promise?” he whimpered. “You’ll save me?”
Slowly, she glanced back at Henrik. The knight was watching her carefully. She then turned back to Marcellus. “I promise,” she said.
Marcellus’s breath caught in his throat. His whole body stiffened. Then, desperation overtook him. He forced his head against her grip, staring at her wide-eyed. “You swear it?”
Mina’s grip tightened, and she wrenched his head back once more. “Where?”
“A-Alright! Alright!” Marcellus stammered. “Saint Black Hospital and Asylum in Outer Peccatum! It’s—it’s an asylum on the riverbank! A front! There’s a nest there—vampires, succubi, Draven! Please, I’ll take you right to him! Just—just save me!”
Mina held his gaze, staring daggers into the pathetic, bleeding bastard before her, and something deep inside boiled over. That bubbling, seething rage, the one she had buried for so long, came roaring back to the surface. Then, she released him and stepped back.
Marcellus gasped, trembling, his body slumping in relief. A small, bloody grin curled across his lips. “Thank you,” he sputtered.
Henrik raised an eyebrow, but just as his fist began closing, Mina violently yanked Marcellus by his hair and dragged him toward an opening in the canopy.
“W-Wait…” his voice cracked. “You said—”
“You never were the brightest.” She threw him into the sunlight, and watched as he writhed. His scream was an ungodly sound that almost sickened her. Almost. Seeing his flesh bubble and melt away brought enough satisfaction to alleviate any pity she felt.
When the air fell silent, Henrik marched up behind her. “I must say, I expected you to swing at me and save your comrade.”
“I would never call someone like him a comrade,” she said flatly. Then, she gestured to Emily. “He came for her.”
Henrik raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the witch. “And what, pray tell, makes her so special?”
Emily perked up, puffing out her chest. “I’m the only one who can stand against Queen Lockhart!”
Henrik’s expression didn’t change. If anything, his amusement was barely concealed beneath his stern gaze. “Is that so? Pray, explain how a frail young witch such as yourself intends to stand against the mother of all wicked things?”
Emily opened her mouth, then hesitated. “Eh—um—well… I have a plan.”
Henrik let out a small, almost imperceptible chuckle. “A plan, you say?”
Karaline smacked her good hand against Emily’s shoulder. “Aye, and she’s smarter than she looks,” she said with a smirk. Then, turning back to Henrik, she added, “I can catch ye up later, but for now, can Mina get into the damn town?”
Henrik sighed, running his hand over his face. “In any other circumstance, she would either be slain or turned away. But I trusted Jonathan in life. And in death, I shall honor him still. Even if I do not fully trust you, Mina… you are granted entry into Serenity Gardens. Temporarily, and under strict supervision.”
Mina held his gaze, then gave a single, slow nod. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“And I mean strict supervision. If you so much as show any sign of causing anyone here any harm, it’ll be your head mounted on my wall.”
Karaline clapped her hands together with a metallic clang. “Fantastic! Now that we ain’t tryin’ to gut each other, I say we head into town!” She grinned. “I don’t know about ye lot, but I’m dyin’ for a drink.”
Emily arched an eyebrow. “Weren’t you drinking before coming here?”
Karaline blinked. “Hm?”
Mina tilted her head at them both.
Emily crossed her arms. “I found her at the bar. That’s why I was took so long.”
Mina rolled her eyes.
“Ya lil’ rat,” Karaline said with a chuckle.
Henrik smirked. “I have kept the good bottles reserved for you, Karaline. However, before we depart, there is another matter I wish to discuss."
Mina glanced at him warily. “What?”
“If you are truly here to help, then I would have you focus your efforts elsewhere. The vampires are a threat, yes, but they are not the threat I posted about.”
“I didn’t think they were.”
“Something else haunts our streets at night. It strikes when its victims are asleep. It guts them like a butcher and leaves them for dead. It evades my knights like a shadow shifting through shade. And if it is not stopped…” He paused. “We will lose another child tonight.”
Mina narrowed her eyes. “…Child?”
Henrik nodded. “They were all children.”
Invisible to all, Lucette watched from a distance. Her gaze lingered on Marcellus’ skeletal remains. ‘Guess he couldn’t handle it after all.’ Mina and Emily helped clear the road, and when they were done, to Lucette’s surprise, they hugged briefly. Something inside her stung, and the longer she watched it, the more something inside took hold of her. ‘Damn…’
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