Ardith - A Vampire Story (editing)

Chapter 32 Love Sacrifices

Chapter 32     Love Sacrifices

I

Edmund fell on his knees to hit the floor. His moistened eyes were fixated on Ardith’s face, who watched him plummeting on the floor. Edmund’s hand still held the dagger that pierced his abdomen. Blood gushed out the herald’s wound painting dangerously in carmine the green silky fabric of his tunic. All the present in the alcove stared in awe, intrigued because of the stupidity of self stabbing a dagger.

Ardith screamed with great angst. “Noooooo! Edmund, but what have you done?”Ardith managed to release herself from the soldier’s tense grip – not that tight for they were staring at Edmund and lowered their guard- and hurried to hug Edmund her agonizing love. She placed her hands on the bleeding wound and cried a sea of tears. Ardith trembled in sorrow and despair as she contemplated the hands dripping of her open hands.

The soldiers suddenly woke up from their absentminded state and ran after Ardith to ensnare her back, but inquisitor Gui signaled them to retreat. He needed to see with his own eyes the moment when Ardith couldn’t control herself and transformed into a vampyr sucking to death the poor’s man blood. That was the proof he needed to take the young duchess with him to behead and dismember her. He would enjoy for sure burning her limbs on a pyre. But before he would interrogate her to know more about the fascinating mystery these demonic creatures of the night hid in their soulless bodies.

Bernardo Gui awaited alert and he ordered his legionaires to stand on guard ready to respond.

Meanwhile, Ardith remained on the floor shivering crying. Her eyes were red and she gave painful gasps.  The young duchess placed Edmund’s head over her lap and speaking in a whisper told him, “Don’t talk and take a deep breath. I am going to take out the dagger.”

Edmund gave Ardith a throbbing look while a thin smile drew in his lips. A second after the poor man screamed in shrieked in soreness while the dagger slid slowly out of his tore skin. Once out, Ardith hurled the knife away under the perplex stare of the inquisitors who couldn’t give credit to what their eyes were witnessing. The woman, who had been bitten by a vampire remained immutable in front of Edmund’s profuse bleeding.

The feeble Ardith managed to rip her skirt and pressed Edmund’s wound with the cloth that immediately stained in red. The man protested for the pressure made on his injure to stop the bleeding.

“Why did you do this, Edmund? Why?” A crying Ardith inquired.

“It was the only way to prove you were not a demon. I knew you would never attack me as a newborn vampire should do… you are not like them… you are not one of them.”Edmund spoke in a labored whisper and he clung to life and to Ardith’s love.

The clergymen were astounded. Gui advanced to stand next to Ardith and Edmund holding tight his crucifix in one hand and the Holy Water bottle in the other. “I can’t believe this! I had never witnessed something like this before. This woman has been bitten by a demon and she’s clean! There’s no evil in her. This is a miracle!”

“And what is to be done now, Monsignor? Would she become a vampire later on?” Bishop Fredrick asked.

“No. I don’t think this possible. It has been a long time after she was first bitten. The normal reaction in a newborn vampire is to attack by the first drop blood. This has not happened and that means she’s unharmed.” Gui responded with some resignation in his voice. Deep inside of him, the inquisitor wished to take Ardith with him as a living proof, a precious token that would have confirmed that these creatures were real. A trophy for the church at the end that was equal as a golden medal for his sagacity. He had been after Leila von Dorcha for decades. The damned vampire had escaped time after time and finally, when he was about to trap her, this Edmund took the glory off his hands by killing her first. Then, the young duchess, after been marked, didn’t turn into one of them. It was very disappointing for Gui, who looked crestfallen. Yet, he had to give the order to his men. “Soldiers, release this people! We have nothing else to do here. The he spoke to the duke of Harzburg with severity in his tone. “Lord Aelderic, you know it is against our faith, but I should advice you to run to message your medic, Baron Ascili… don’t look at me that way. We’ve always known that he had come regularly to Harzburg to practice his medicine. I guess God works by mysterious ways and only Him knows his domain… And if Jesus Christ chose Lucas, who was a medic, to be an apostle… Well, what are you waiting for? Go! The legionnaires will escort you, while we all pray for the life of this man… the King’s herald.”