Chapter VII: Turning Tables and Burning Bulls
Anna ached from head to toe. She was forced into the full splits in mid-air, for goodness' sake. Her body may have been augmented with years of magical training, but she was still human, and it was not humanly possible to endure such a position for the time she had without feeling as thrashed as a stubborn mule. But these aches no longer bothered the sorceress, for she could now dismiss them with a word. So she did, flexing her bound limbs as new energy returned to them.
She didn't cut herself loose just yet, however. Instead she stayed just as she was, biding her time until that sorry vampire lord returned to meet his doom. She wanted to see his face when he realised his reign of despair was over.
She didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later she was joined by a small party: Count Griscard looking smug as his brute Ripper dragged in Anna's informant-turned-accomplice Fira. The vampiress didn't look too concerned, though, making Anna wonder if the Count had spent so long in the company of helpless mortal women that he underestimated the considerable strength of his kind.
Addressing Fira, he said, "You see, slave, no one escapes my wrath."
"Burn her," he commanded the sorceress, his eyes fierce with suppressed hatred.
Anna acquiesced, vocalising the ancient word for flames, but instead of directing the inferno at Fira, she engulfed Ripper's arms in fire. He released the vampiress with a yelp of pain, diving to the ground to pat out his scorching forearms. Fira pounced at the stunned Griscard as Anna uttered another spell to free herself, landing in a shaky crouch.
The sorceress burned with rage as she regarded her sadistic captor. She yelled at him in the ancient tongue, not really caring what destruction her spells wrought as long as he suffered the weight of his cruelty. Bricks came flying out of the cell walls, Fira ducking just in time as they rocketed into their target. Cracks appeared in the floor and ceiling while deep rumbles echoed through the earth. Ripper looked terrified, Fira was smug, and even Griscard's eyes widened in fear.
Soon a swirling storm of bricks and mortar filled the dungeon, suffused with occasional flashes of fire and ice, all of which were drawn to the Count like a magnet. It was becoming hazardous for all in range, so Fira grabbed the enraged sorceress and hurried to the corridor, keeping low to avoid stray debris.
Anna turned on her when they were clear of the storm, hissing, "Why did you drag me away? He needs to pay for what he's done!"
"You hear that?" snapped Fira, pausing to let the distant rumbling invade their argument. "You've started something big. This place is going to come down soon, and then we'll all pay. Is that what you want?" She breathed deeply and calmed down somewhat before continuing. "Believe me, Annabeth, I wish to see Griscard suffer as much as you do, but he's not worth your life."
Anna glared at her in silence for a moment before conceding. She appreciated Fira's concern—a cave-in probably wouldn't hurt the vampiress one bit, just make her somewhat dusty and rather annoyed when she eventually crawled free. But that meant Griscard would survive too. There was no longer time for a drawn-out scheme of revenge—she had to act fast if she wanted him to suffer at all.
Fira grabbed her arm as she turned to re-enter the perilous dungeon cell.
"Allow me."
The sorceress had half a mind to argue with her, but something about the glint of fury in Fira's bright green eyes held her back. A moment later Fira was rushing out of the cell with an angrily-struggling Griscard in her arms. She shouted for Anna's help, and the sorceress cast a spell of restraint upon him. For most beings this would result in full immobilisation, but for Griscard it would probably just feel like he was moving through treacle.
"You... escaped... the blood-bond," groaned Griscard, finally catching on. He turned slowly to look up at Fira, understanding dawning on his face. "Because there's... no more... blood left in her... Clever girl..."
"But tell me... Fira... How do you... feel?" Fira's eyes narrowed and her grip around his arms tightened. Then Anna understood. The vampiress had sucked all his blood out of her—which meant Griscard's blood was now in Fira. But surely it took more than a swig of second-hand blood to enthrall another vampire?
"Maybe... you feel like... draining that witch... for me?"
Fira looked at Anna, confused. Then her vampiric side emerged, her green eyes glowing red as small needle-sharp fangs grew in her mouth. Her eyes were apologetic now as Griscard slipped out of her grip and she took a step towards the sorceress.
"Fira..." Anna said cautiously, backing away. "You can fight this. I did. Don't let him control you!"
The vampiress shook her head in resistance but continued to advance on Anna.
"Look! He's going to escape if you don't stop him!"
Indeed, Griscard was scrambling away, apparently content to leave the two females to fight it out. Fira let out a groan of torment which grew into an animalistic roar of anger. Both Anna and Griscard flinched with fear, but it was the vampire who had Fira's attention now. She grabbed him by the neck and plunged her fangs into it, her rage subsiding as she sucked away his ancient and powerful blood.
Anna didn't know if this was a good idea—if it was his blood commanding control over her, it would seem that more of it would only worsen that situation—but nothing about vampires made sense to her, so she hoped this was another case where logic flew out the window.
It was. Fira withdrew a moment later, perfectly composed. With a reassuring smile to Anna, she grabbed Griscard once more and rushed down the corridor as cracks appeared in the stone above. She took corners at lightning speed, challenging Anna's ability to keep up. But she clearly knew her way, for they soon burst into a familiar bedchamber.
Anna let out of sigh of revelation—she intended to lock the Count in his own wardrobe! There was surely no better punishment for all the crimes he'd committed. She remembered his words from what seemed like an age ago, as Anna herself had been trussed up on this very bed. There is no power on Earth that could open this door from within. She didn't doubt for a moment that the vampire spoke true—he was too proud to settle for anything less than the most inescapable of prisons for his immortal captives.
So that was where he was headed. Anna summoned the large gold key from his pocket and hefted open the bulky door for Fira to throw him inside. The enthralled girls were still bound there, but not all of them, Anna realised. There were only twelve remaining—the girl whom Griscard had rewarded was missing. Sara, her name had been. Fira seemed to notice this too, though Anna knew not how—she hadn't seen all of the captives that were here before. Nonetheless, Anna cut down the girls that were there, leaving them bound as she levitated their inverted forms out of the musty room. She didn't need another repeat of her last foiled rescue attempt.
"This won't hold me forever," croaked Griscard, but his fearful eyes spoke otherwise. If he was going to beg, now would be the time. "Don't you think... you're overreacting?"
"Overreacting!" exclaimed Fira, gesturing to her constrictive outfit. "You confined me to a corset for eternity! Without its support my waist is racked with constant pain. Not to mention the daily torture you put us through for years! How many others have you inflicted far worse horrors upon?"
"More than you will ever know," he retorted, a demented smirk on his face.
