Hybrid Trilogy

Chapter 32 Challenge Returned

Mandrake & Cassandra arrived in Guildford & went to St Johns church on stoke road, Mandrake making himself as comfortable as he could in one of the many tombs in its attached cemetery, he sighed screwing up his face at its dusty interior (you would think as a Vampire I would have no issues with this) he thought then he turned to Cassandra "see to it that the boy is fed & then find them quickly, I have no desire to be in this disgusting environment any longer than needs be" he demanded "yes my lord, but surely the wet nurse will feed Drake my lord" at this he struck her a slap across the face sending her against one of the walls of the tomb with a crash "DON'T EVER QUESTION ME WITCH, JUST DO IT!!" He barked viciously "yes my lord, right away" she spluttered & left. Cassandra had for some reason unknown to her been able to move between the worlds of man & magic with little consequence, even when Drakon, Mandrake's father was killed by the Werewolf George she recalled the day & wished Mandrake didn't exist, not to say that she didn't love him, because in her own way she did (George leapt forward and up seizing Drakon by the neck and bit down as he Landed on his feet. The snap and plop could clearly be heard as a surprised looking Drakon's head rolled to the feet of Cassandra) but on that day Cassandra had started her journey that ended up with her becoming Mandrake's day light protector & he, Mandrake had proved even more demonic & sadistic than his father. She dreaded Drake's coming of age, he was however nothing like his father in temperament (thank the sisters who have gone) she thought & there was also the matter of his current rate of growth. It was well known that a Vampires turning could be instant or may take up to a week, but both Mandrake & his son were born Vampires although Mandrake's mother was a nom, so she really had no idea what fate awaited him. She de-materialised then re-materialized in front of castle Dnscaith (the fortress of shadows) on the isle of Skye, Drake waited, a boy of 4 years with beautiful piercing magenta eyes & long shoulder length jet black hair encasing his tinted skin a combination of his mother's & father's, but at present it lacked his father's milky patina. The Wet nurse a young highlander of about 20 quite plump but very timid, bowed as she saw Cassandra "my lady Cassandra" she said quietly in her broad Scottish accent, the girl had been put under a spell to ensure her loyalty & compliance. Drake ran and threw his arms around Cassandra's legs, as she came into view, she in turn put her hands on his head whilst looking coldly at the nurse "HAS HE EATEN" she said in a very flat, direct tone "eye mam, raw chicken" the nurse replied clasping her hands nervously in front of her and bowing her head "leave us" Cassandra backed dismissively "eye mam" the girl said curtsied & left. The power of control that both Mandrake & his father before him had exerted over Cassandra had over time affected her deeply, so much so that she now wielded that same control over the wet nurse, but she had also experienced a similar bullying during most of her childhood. Born with the mark, she was ostracised & picked upon by her piers & having also to lose her grandparents & father then witness the death of her mother, followed by the calling, she found herself alone for what seemed like an age even though she had only been alone for a mere day, all of which served to make her bitter & twisted, an ideal companion for Drakon & then Mandrake. Although Drake appeared to bring out her tender maternal nature, a side to her she thought had long since been quashed "& how is my little man today?" she asked softly, pulling back so she could study him. She knew what he was & what he would become, but she loved him none the less, as a mother should. Drake wouldn't attain any of his skills or powers until he came of age at 16 years, so was quite vulnerable, and as his mother needed to be at Mandrake's side, she had charged the spell bound wet nurse to care for him, and Mandrake had made it very clear that the nurse had to teach him but also had to ensure that Drake had no human blood in his diet as this would halt his growth and he would never attain his power. So, despite giving over the care of her son to the Scottish girl, she showed her little if any compassion, in fact it was safe to say that Drake was the only person she ever gave any affection or showed any emotion to.

She stayed for the briefest of times before summoning the girl "SEE TO IT THAT HE STUDIES BEFORE BED" she snapped tartly "eye mam" said the nurse as she curtsied "I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW" Cassandra added turning to Drake "don't forget your studies my son, & I'll see you tomorrow" she said tenderly to him "yes mummy" Drake replied as his mother disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

She re-materialized, emerging as she did from the black smoke in the town of Godalming and walked across the road with no regard for the traffic that seemed to drive right through her she arrived at the pepper pot in the centre of the town, now a museum dedicated to the town and its history. But it was originally built to house the conduit for Witches to travel from middle-wood the home of the chosen marked Witches, into the world of man before then seeking out their Vampire charges. It had been constructed there because the land held the greatest energies in all of England, for Witches to draw power from when they came into the world of man, there were sites of equivalent significance across the world.

Cassandra walked up to the door at one side of the building and despite the door being locked, it being night time, passed through as if it wasn't even there, she ascended the narrow stair way & entered the only room Windows all around 7 of its 8 walls letting in the light from street lamps outside, it had a collection of display boards with photos of Godalming past & present along with some historical facts about the town. In the corner of the oddly shaped room against the only wall without a window was a full-length dress mirror that glowed a very subtle purple, it grew in intensity as a new Witch came through across its threshold, not that the few late night wanderers in the street would've known because from outside no light was visible.

The new Witch took one look at the arrogant looking Cassandra & shrunk away in fear recognising at once the power exuding from her, she was also very young, only 17 dressed in a black floor length skirt & a dirty white frilly blouse with flowing mousey brown curls timidly she curtsied to Cassandra, dressed all in much more modern black, trousers & a polo neck sweater with her long straight black hair, her cloudy green eyes offering the only colour to her overall look, she still looked in her early twenties even though she in fact had been mostly in the world of man since 814 AD coming through in the same place, before the pepper pot had even been considered much less built, where she had first taken up with Drakon. Now she was infamous and feared by most Witches, the young Witch scampered off slyly looking at Cassandra lest she should attack, Cassandra meanwhile stepped through the portal. The girl walked through the locked door in to the cold night looked around appearing confused, & then disappeared in a puff of grey smoke. Almost the instant she had left Cassandra reappeared in the museum's only room wearing a full length black leather coat. It had been Drakon who had told her of the significance of the plot, given that all Witches who came into the world of man via these portals forgot about their locations the instant they came through, Drakon had had the pepper pot constructed in the year 1814 allowing Witches the opportunity to acclimatise before seeking out their Vampire masters. Cassandra had discovered that following Drakon's death she could travel between dimensions, useful when you were angry at all of your kin & longed for vengeance, a portal only you knew about, was a great way to get in & out of countries around the world without being seen. Cassandra made her way out of the pepper pot looked up at the night sky and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.

Mandrake slapped Cassandra across the face a stinging blow that sent her careering into one of the tombs walls sending up clouds of dust & debris "I TOLD YOU TO FIND THEM!" he shouted venomously at her "yes my lord" Cassandra replied as she wiped away a trickle of blood from her lip. Mandrake raised an eyebrow & bared his fangs "I suggest that, if you don't wish for Drake to be without a mother, then you find them!" He hissed in a low menacing tone striking her again sending her to the floor & causing her nose to burst forth a stream of fresh blood "yes my lord as you command" she spluttered