Captive of the Crimson Countess, Chapter 1: Countess Battoria

Pain blasted through her skull. Blair opened her eyes to see a darkened room lit by a single guttering candle. Her breath hung in the freezing air of the room. Blair shivered. The room flickered and swam in the candlelight. She pulled herself up to a sitting position. She could smell wet stone and tasted copper as she took a breath. Blood. The air hung thick with blood.

The room's decorations looked lavish. Not a dungeon then. Blair sighed. Not that this comforted her. If the lady of the manor didn't kill Blair, her grandmother definitely would do so. That thought spurred another. Why wasn't she dead? Countess Battoria had every reason to kill Blair. She knew what the lady was, an immortal. And so Blair could bring down the lady as head of House Battoria. Why would an immortal risk keeping a witness alive? And why keep a witness like Blair alive in particular. She had training as a monster hunter. Even unarmed, Blair was dangerous to the lady. Most people in Karshvar knew the stories of the immortals. They knew of the monstrous beings- once human- who preyed upon their former kin. But what most people knew was folklore and myth. Their knowledge lay riddled with with errors and misinformation. Blair trained with her grandmother: Baroness Olivia Wander. Blair had to admit that she was still green as monster hunters went, but why take the chance?

Blair checked herself for her gear. To her astonishment, her gear remained. She she had her arms. Even her pistols and kilij saber sat at the side table. Why keep her alive? Why leave her gear? Why let her remain armed?

The door to the room opened. Countess Battoria entered the room. She wore an opulent red dress that wept pearls from top to bottom. Blair noted that she was gorgeous, the elder immortals always were. She was also taller than Blair, six feet tall at least. A slim young man in a dinner suit followed her into the room. He carried a heavy looking ledger book.

"This is our little hunter, then?" the countess said in Agarthan, turning to the young man. Blair was grateful she spoke the language.

"Yes, your excellency. We don't know her identity yet. Her accent is Yssian though."

"And she killed how many caravan guards?" the countess asked, walking in a slow circle around Blair.

"She killed eight of our guards." the young man answered.

"Seven," Blair corrected in Agarthan. "The caravan leader killed the eighth when she tried to surrender."

The countess smiled and clapped her hands. "So our little hunter can speak, and speak the local language even. Delightful. That will save time. Thank you for the correction, such honesty. I shall have the caravan leader rewarded for their admirable behavior."

"You kill your own troops when they surrender." Blair said, "so why am I alive?"

"My guards know better than to kill attractive young ladies, even ones as dangerous as you."

"So you have preferences do you?" Blair raised an eyebrow. "You want to have your way with me?"

"I am easily bored. I seek entertainment. Entertain me and you will survive. Bore me and I will bathe in your blood."

Blair rolled her eyes, "Is that serious?"

The young man nodded. "Her excellency requires the blood of twenty four ladies. She uses it for her monthly rejuvenation bath."

Blair's eyes widened, "How is the population of your county not falling like a wounded bird?"

The young man continued, "We have strict rules that local girls are only used as a last resort."

"And so, here I am." Blair gestured at herself with both hands.

The countess smiled, "Such a smart little thing."

"So I need to keep you entertained? How am I supposed to do that? Should I strip for you and get this over with right away?"

"There is no need to go to such lengths," the countess said. "At least not right away, there isn't. I am feeling generous, so I will tell you that I expect you will attempt to kill me. I did leave you all your tools after all."

"Wait, you want me to try to kill you?"

"Oh yes. And I expect that you will resist my advances as well. I could force myself upon you. But where is the fun in that? No, I plan to seduce you."

"You haven't even asked if I like women?" Blair pointed out.

"That hardly matters. I have been an immortal for hundreds of years. The aura I exude would allow a donkey to seduce you. In any case, it doesn't matter. You will not succeed in killing me. You will not succeed in resisting my charms. I only hope you can hold on long enough to be entertaining."

The countess paused and turned to put a hand on the shoulder of the young man, "This is Tristan. He manages my books and my needs as a woman."

Blair cringed, "I didn't need to know that."

"If you crave a bit of male companionship, he is yours to use as you like. He won't refuse you. Will you?"

She slapped him. He flinched and then nodded without looking at the Countess.

Blair grimaced, "That won't be necessary."

"And here you thought I wouldn't know if you preferred men or women. We have that sorted now, don't we?"

Blair felt her face heating up and she turned away.

The countess laughed, "Oh dear, I've embarrassed you. How cute. You will be entertaining. Now, have you got a name? Give a fake one if you like."

Blair considered giving a false name. Would it help? She doubted that very much.

"My name is Lady Blair Valentina Wander, granddaughter to Baroness Olivia Wander."

"Your grandmother is Lady Battle Ax? Well, no wonder you killed seven of my guards. Oh, I'm so excited. You might even wound me!"

Blair noted that the Countess did not say that she had captured Blair’s sister earlier. The Countess might not have Blair’s sister. Or if the countess did have Ash, then the countess might not know who she had captured. Assuming Ash was even alive at this point.

"Wouldn't it be better to ransom me back to House Wander?" Blair said, easing the words out.

"We have no need for ransom money. I have no need for ransom money. What I need is simple. I need the blood of young women every month. Female companionship every night. And relief from boredom all the time. Provide any one of those and you will survive."

She paused, and then laughed.

"Well, you are unlikely to survive if you provide your blood for the bath. But otherwise-"

"I understand the arrangement," Blair said, "What if I try to escape?"

The countess clapped again, "That will also be entertaining. You are encouraged to try. Now then, this is your room. The castle will be open to you, even to the inner courtyard. Tristan will introduce you to Nadia and then you will meet the other girls."

“If you need anything, ask me,” Tristan said. “I will get it if I can, or inform you if I cannot. Now, Nadia? Please introduce Blair to the rest of the young ladies."

Blair looked back at the door as a stunning young woman in her early twenties stepped into view. She had pale skin and dark brown- nearly black- hair. The hair coiled down her head and curled around her shoulders. Big brown eyes stared at Blair, and generous lashes fluttered. She wore eye shadow in a subtle smokey look, and crimson lipstick in a cupid’s bow.

"At least the view is spectacular," Blair whispered.

= = =

Blair walked the halls of Castle Crimson beside Nadia.

“I am Princess Nadia Friggasdottir,” her new guide said. “May I call you Blair?”

Blair nodded. “Princess? You sound Thulean.”

“I am Thulean. My mother is second Queen Frigga, wife of King Vainamoinen of Thule.”

“Ys and Thule don’t have the best of relations. We aren’t going to be enemies are we?”

Nadia shook her head, “We are all equal in our chains here.”

“That’s good. May I call you Nadia then?”

Nadia nodded. “Of course. Until we are free of this place, our titles are useless.”

“Do you think you will be free of this place?” Blair asked.

“We all will. It is only a question of how. Most of us will be freed by the release of death as our blood is poured into a gilded bathtub.”

“Oh,” Blair said. “That kind of free.”

Nadia looked at Blair and raised a delicate eyebrow, “Do you think you’ll actually escape?”

“I plan to try.”

Nadia raised both eyebrows. “What do you have in mind? Do you think you can slay the countess?”

“My grandmother would berate me if I didn’t try.” Blair answered.

Nadia shook her head, her dark brown hair flowing around her face as she did.

“I assume you think that’s foolish?” Blair asked.

“Let’s say that most girls try to survive by pleasing the countess not by fighting her. At least the ones who stay alive do. That’s what you should do. It would be a shame to lose you so soon.”

Blair shook her head. Was that a flirt? Was Nadia flirting with her? Blair couldn’t tell. She also couldn’t tell how much she could trust the princess. Should she mention her sister? If Ash was alive, Nadia might know. But there was no guarantee that Ash had not given a fake name. And if she had, then the Countess couldn’t use their kinship against them.

Blair wondered if she shouldn’t have given a false name. Pride had gotten the better of her there. Hiding her identity could have given her an advantage. But Blair had hoped to prompt information about Ash. And their lack of any recognition meant that if Ash was here, they didn’t know who she was. Regardless, Blair’s mission was to find her sister. All trails had led Blair to Castle Crimson. If Ash was not here, she had passed through here. Or she had died here. Whatever her fate, Blair intended to discover it. She would bring home her sister, or her sister’s remains.

“Are you alright?” Nadia asked. “This can be overwhelming at first, I know.”

Blair shook her head, “I’m okay.”

Then a thought occurred to her.

“Nadia? Is it true what the countess said about her aura making us vulnerable to seduction?”

Nadia nodded, “Her aura lowers inhibitions. You would do things in her presence that you would otherwise only think to yourself. Resisting the charms of the countess is near impossible. All the girls here have succumbed to her at some point.”

Blair shook her head, “You mean that you’ve- succumbed?”

Nadia turned away, “We all succumb. We’re only mortals after all. She has centuries of power on her side.”

Nadia paused and Blair thought she saw the princess shudder. “You might even enjoy it. Many of us girls do. She is very skilled at what she does.”

“And regret it after,” Blair said.

“We’ve all done things we regret,” Nadia answered, not turning back.