Cavaliere del Giardino Overture

Dracula (Chapter 17)

Two Years Ago. Approximately one week after Another Garden

The mood suddenly shifted to a darker one, drawing out such powerful tastes of malicious intent that He was left bitter and dry of all emotions. "You know nothing of death so speak not child," a deep voice rumbled out from the far end of the table. "If you must blame do so to life who is cruel and vile-"

"Cruel? Vile? How can you be so blind?" Another voice cried out, his voice failing as he struggled to accept what I am being told. "Death is and always has been-"

"Pure", He answered him. "Deep, long-lasting and unperturbed by the many ripples in the river of time. Like white" he says, his fingers absentmindedly stroking a wing that radiates a blinding dazzle.

The other scoffed at this. "Do you mean to say that death is light as you associate it with a shade that represents so?"

"Completion is what I meant, dear. And to answer your question- no, not at all. There is none blacker than death himself although that does not necessarily mean that he is in itself a true reincarnation of evil." Giving him a hint of a smile he finishes, "After all you must pass through the darkness to be able to appreciate the light more."

"Why are we referring to master as Death?" Another voice rang out as they sat around the table, bits of cheese and other bugs laid on the table. Blood dripped from the table to the ground. "Is that what she is to you?"

"I see you've never heard of her," Another bug, Hyde said. He was a mosquito, shorter and with pale skin, his eyes blue, his fangs small. "The bug contained behind us," He motioned to the amber with a taller mosquito in it, her eyes focused on the bugs before her, her lips stained red, the blood-caked from her lips to her nose. "Is Dracula, the angel of death as they called her, She is on trial to be set free,"

"What did she do so bad?"

"The angel of death comes for the wicked, for those who hurt others with cold indifference. She comes with fingers of knives to slice out the eyes that watched the horror and pain with such callous minds. And when she stands before the greedy, the false and a mortal who crave power, blades ready, tell them not for ask for pity, because to her, when she faces those who are so very evil, mercy means death. All she gives is a one-way ticket to face a God."

"Sounds like she's a good bug to me,"

"Tell me something," Hyde leaned in smiling. "You ever eat another bug?"

"We all have,"

"Exactly," He leaned back and stood her eyes tracking him as he touched the amber. "Asian Tiger Mosquito," He said. "You know about them?"

"No..."

"Female mosquitoes seek blood to help their eggs develop. Unlike many other Illinois mosquitoes, the Asian tiger feeds during daylight hours, not at night." Hyde snickered at the fear he saw in the other bugs eyes.

"She goes out during the d-"

"Exactly why she must be contained, an Angel of death leaving, she'd try killing and eating and breeding," He shuddered. "More angels....disgust me,"

A crack was heard as Hyde turned. The claw of the angel was out. An ear-splitting noise rang out through the council room as the amber fell around the mosquito in front of them.

Her eyes, like the indigo ocean, were pools of iridescent blue, sculpted upon her creamy face like dazzling jewels. Strands of molten tar tumbled out of her scalp, cascading down her back like a waterfall. Cherry lips, crystal white teeth: she truly was a beautiful sight to behold, Scars reaching from the bottom of the left cheekbone, running towards her upper lip and ending on her left cheek and leaves a grievous memory of lands long forgotten.

"What was that my dear, Hyde, about Angels?" She could never whisper because her voice always had a million reasons to shout. Before he could speak there was a fountain of blood. She shoved her claws into the other picking him up and biting his neck draining the blood from him in a matter of seconds. She threw the corpse next to the pile. She licked her lips and smiled. "Another useless vampire, I hope none of you are that useless as him," She stepped on the corpse a sudden crunch filled the room as she grinned. "For now, I want someone to take me to my castle."

"Y-yes ma'am," that little bug nodded. "Of course, I'll lead," He said rushing outside. Dracula following with a grin.

Caro was eating, Willy was writing, Pilo and Samantha were passed out on the floor, a cover tossed on them.

The queen sat with her ghost.

Tarot sat with snails around him. "Our family tradition is taking the names of monsters and sending them straight to hell. We walk in, all smiles, and leave with evil in chains. We are experts at extraction. We take hold of the beast by the jaw and remove his tongue. After that, it's easy to subdue and defeat the scaled ones. Then we go for ice-cream and jump on trampolines. Who said defeating evil wasn't going to be fun?" He laughed before looking at the sky.

"I do hope my castle is in its right spot,"