The Sacrifice (Legends Of Transylvania) (9 page)

Volod looked into Alexander’s eyes and started to laugh.

“Yeah, if this is your choice I will be prepared to allow you to serve me!”

But Alexander was not paying much attention to his words. He was devastated, and the only thing that made him feel better was the fact that he stole the box and that he won’t put her in danger anymore.

Back in Transylvania the memory of Ariana disturbed Alexander's mind day and night, and living as a vampire wasn't an easy thing.

Meanwhile,
Ariana couldn't get back to her normal life because of all that had happened, and she couldn't feel normal again. The love she felt for Alexander and the nights full of nightmares wouldn't let her live in peace. She regularly looked at the painting she had above her bed, but she had stopped painting because her mind and her heart were full of dark thoughts. The beautiful colored paintings she had on the walls were now just simple memories of what she once enjoyed in her life. When she tried to paint again she seemed to always guide the brush to the darkest colors, and the forms she put down on canvas made no sense. Nothing was logical in her life anymore. When she could not express her feelings in colors she got mad and threw the canvass violently to one side. Her aunt and her uncle couldn't recognize the sweet girl who once was full of life.

One evening when Alexander felt the need of blood hunting again, he went into the forest, and while he was walking he discovered a castle which he didn’t know about. The castle was old, the high built towers and the moss covering the walls gave it a peculiar look. He stood a while there when by chance he heard
Volod talking with his clan.

“Soon our clan will get bigger, for in a few days they will get out of their graves.”

Hearing those murmured words Alexander became curious and asked himself, “What graves? Who will get out?” On getting closer he overheard more details.

“We will train them as you trained us!”

But suddenly while he was listening to them a hand on his shoulder disturbed him, and a voice asked, “Are you spying on us Alexander?”

It was Victor, who was the “right hand man” of
Volod. Alexander was stunned and did not know what answer to give.

“Answer to me!” the vampire demanded. “Hey guys we have a surprise.
Volod come here and see what I have found.”

While the clan was approaching them Alexander shouted, ‘‘I’m not spying. I was just hungry and I was looking for some animals.”

“Some animals?” the leader scorned, “A vampire drinks human blood not animals Alexander! Prove to us you wasn't lying or spying on us.”

Volod became angry and ordered Alexander to kill a man who was just passing by innocently admiring the nature. “See that man over there. Go and attack him. Break his neck and drink his blood if you are really hungry, or we will do the same to you.”

Alexander was in a very difficult situation, but he had no choice but to reluctantly do as he was told. He sneaked closer and closer to the man and in one moment he attacked his neck with violence and killed him. A rush of guilt ran through his mind as he looked at the man lying motionless on the ground but in same time he felt he had to do it to save his own life.

“Are you convinced now that I wasn’t lying?” Alexander cried out with anger in his voice, trying to convince Volod that he wasn't listening to their plans.

“Yeah ...we are ...”

Volod's
unsure tone suggested that he was hiding something. The clan left at the same time as Alexander, but while the clan went off to do some hunting, Alexander decided to go back to try to find out what was going on. He got closer to the castle and entered the garden which was surrounded by many old traditional houses. When he opened the door he saw old walls and broken windows, with spiders and other kinds of insects running on the floor. While looking around the floor he noticed a trap door.

  “I wonder where this gate leads.” Alexander thought curiously. He decided to take a look behind it, and on opening the door he saw some long steps leading down into the shadows. He went down them cautiously, one by one, but he couldn't see anything, and he could do no more than fumble in the darkness. He decided that it was no use going any further without some kind of light, so he climbed back out of the trap door and left the garden but with the thought to come back again another evening.

While Ariana had her eyes stuck on the divine dark icon she got interrupted by her aunt.

“Ariana, we must have a talk. Tell me your worries, and please tell me what bothers you so much. George and I can hardly recognize you these days. You must talk to me dear. You know how much we love you, so you must feel free to tell us what is troubling you? Do you want us to move? Perhaps to another country where it is better for you. You need to go out more and meet new friends. You are young and…”

“I’m young and what?” Ariana interrupted in an angry tone, which shocked her aunt. “Didn’t you already make me move from my home city? I’m not going to let you ever again do that to me!! Do you hear me? Ever again!”

“But honey how can you accuse us of such things? I wanted the best for you, and to get you away from bad memories!!”

“What bad memories Aunt Clara?
My parent’s death?  My parents are not bad memories! Never tell me that again! You can’t control me anymore!”

As she saw that there is no way she can have a normal discussion with Ariana she left the room.

A few days later Alexander was spying to see if there is nobody around and decided to enter the suspicious houses again but this time with a light to see better. As he went down the stairs he lit up the place and saw a pile of earth which had been disturbed. He was surprised to see that there was a rose growing there, and the shock was even greater when he noticed that the color of the rose is black. He stepped back still looking at what looked like a grave and he was becoming sure that something strange was going on. He went into another house and discovered there was a carpet that covered the entire floor. He removed it to reveal another trap door and he opened it. Again he discovered a flight of steps and another dark tunnel. He kept walking and found the same thing as he had found before. Mysterious graves with roses on them.

He became a little frightened as he rushed along the tunnels and found doors behind which were rooms containing graves with roses on them. “Oh my God,” he gasped, “so this is what Volod was talking about when he said that the new clan is resting in these graves!”

   9. The sacrifice

The Carpathian Mountains are surrounded by beautiful lakes and rivers where Alexander often used to go fishing with his father as a child. Remembering those wonderful moments he decided to go for a walk around the water, but during the night to avoid the strong sunlight that bothered his eyes.

“So beautiful,” he whispered to himself while admiring the sunset that reflected in the water, “And I'm so pale.” He continued, looking at his own face as a reflection in the water.

Looking more closely at the reflection, he saw the image of an elderly man with a strange look. It frightened him at first because he did not even hear anyone coming. It was as if he had appeared from nowhere. Turning his head he saw a man smiling back at him in a friendly way, and he said:

“Good evening, kid. I did not want to scare you. I was just passing by.”

“Good evening!” Alexander replied. “You did not scare me. Believe me nothing can scare me. I may seem young and without a lot of experience but I have seen a lot of things in my life. Some pleasant and some not so pleasant.”

“Oh young boy!
You don't need to tell me, for I see it in your grieved eyes and on your white and cold skin.”

Hearing those
things Alexander believed that the man might know him and maybe he knows Volod also, becoming increasingly suspicious he asked:

“I'm sorry to ask you but do you know me?”

“Oh you make me smile, you're 23 years old and I am much older, it is not possible to know each other is it?” said Benjamin.

“But how do you know my age and by the way, what's your name?” He asked.

“My name is not important and your age I see it in the water reflection.''

“So you're a water man?” asked Alexander smiling.

“No kid, I'm a man of nature, I lived all over the mountains, I know many things which you have no idea about... Or you have?”

“I think I have ...” he replied.

“Do not be ashamed Alexander, you did what you had to do and you will do whatever you need to do! Go back and learn more about the secret place that you found, it's possible to discover much more and remember one thing - it takes the sacrifice of an entire, composed by good and bad, only the one can save the world and destroy the evil shall be the hero!”

When Alexander turned his head to look upon the man again, he was gone as if he never been there. A little scared and confused he planned to find a way to destroy
Volod and his clan even if he would have to give his life for it. To die for Ariana and to save the world from demons would be the best thing he could do but how will he be able to fight against so many vampires was still an enigma so he decided to do as the old man said and try to find out more.

Knowing already what was in the strange houses, he entered the castle to look in places which he didn't check before. The castle had several scary corners, and many rooms with closed doors. Arriving down stairs in a dark tunnel he lit a candle and continued to walk. On the right and left wall he saw
armor, weapons and many sinister paintings full of spiders. One of the paintings contained images of people impaled which reminded him of Vlad the Impaler and his habit of killing people. Going forward, he found a locked wooden box and obviously no trace of key but with a hammer he broke it. The mysterious box contained old papers, manuscripts, a map of the castle and various images whose content was barely noticeable. As he did not find anything that could answer his questions he moved on. The tunnel became more and more dark and the moist air was making the candle go out whenever he tried to light it up so he gave up to switch it on and continued to walk without seeing anything. With his hands he was touching the walls in case he finds any door. Still walking and touching the walls at some point he felt with his fingertips how the bricks begin to move at every touch. With power he removed every brick until the wall remained completely empty. Walking his hand lightly on the wall he felt a mysterious inscription of huge letters and drawings. Alexander tried then to light the candle again, but in vain, the humidity did not allow any firing so he tried to guess inscription with fingertips. At some point noticed the drawing of a rose and under it a few small round holes which he believed it indicates drops. Under splash was a tomb inscription and above it, a cross. On the cross he could read few letters.”

“Then the two forces be united in one body .That body shall shed his blood for clearing storms and destroy the devil earth as well as every curse.”

“God, are the same words the old man said to me -sacrifice-I wonder what connection there is between him and this inscription.”

Then he continued to read.

“Each drop of blood in each grain of soil will dry the seeds. Only one will give up his soul and with ground from his grave will melt the evil grave.“

Alexander was puzzled.

“So that's why Volod wanted to get rid of me, now I understand why he was so angry that I tore the rose imbued with cursed blood. I'm the only one who can destroy them, I'm half human and half vampire, a handful of two forces born from their curse. Blood from my blood will destroy the roses and ground from my grave will melt their graves. And all vampires will disappear and the curses will be broken. Ariana and Zinon and everyone else will return to normal. I have to let her know. She has to know!!”

Alexander rushed back to the surface and with trembling legs ran to the forest with only one thing in mind-how will he tell
Ariana that he will sacrifice himself for her sake and the world's. Arrived home he eventually goes to the phone.

As she was admiring the precious photo above her bed,
Ariana's phone started ringing. She answered and heard a deep and calm voice.”

“Hi
Ariana, I am Alexander” her hands began to tremble.

“Alexander ...it's been so long, how have you been? How are you? Will you come back to me?” Her eyes began to shine hearing his breath through the phone.

“No Ariana, I cannot return but I want to tell you something. No matter what I do I want you to know that I will love you beyond death and you will return to normal soon.“

“What are you trying to tell me and what death are you talking about?? Alexander what are you going to do?” She asked scared.