The Heart Impaled

Dimitru stirred a bit, and Frida could feel her fingers turning cold with the loss of blood. However Vlad was unfazed lost memories long forgotten.

*****

Frida left that following morning from her Den and left to find the demon. She traveled to were she had last met him. In the abandoned castle in the north. It would take her days, but he was her only hope.

Meanwhile back at the den Beodred followed his mothers orders, and lead the pack while she was away. More of them would come up missing after hunts. It was no longer safe to travel in twos. Beodred gathered up the pack it was time, they could no longer remain on Wolf's Fang.

Frida finally made it to the castle. It was nor more than ruins now. The demon had helped her before. Maybe he would do it again. But what now would be his price?

"Demon?" Frida called out her voice bouncing off the cold stone walls. "you know who I am, I have come to ask for your help, I offer anything that I have!" she called out while wandering. But still there was no answer. "Please" Frida asked bowing her large body down her voice cracked. "She will take him from my son...She could have him from me, but I will not raise another broken hearted pup, and she has killed my family" Frida said.

"I know" A hissing voice said as out of the shadows slithered a small black snake. Frida looked down at him. "Demon" she greeted. "I have seen it all, and my master knows all. And He will aid you, however at a price" it hissed. "whatever it takes" she said standing. The snake squinted and seemed pleased. "You must have him bitten by the fangs of a Vampire, my Masters spawns. And Vladimir's blood will be cleaned." the demon said. Frida froze "but" she stammered "he will return in three days...if he can hold out on feeding from any mortal" He hissed.

Frida nodded "is that the price?" she asked. The snake shook his head "no, the Witch has something my master desires. You will leave her to him, and you will be bound to this life until he should need you for this favor to be returned" He said. "bound? But I've only a few years before my curse is lifted? I will grow old an perish eventually" Frida said. The snake laughed "it will be extended your curse until my master calls upon you" hissed the demon. Frida clamped down her jaw and tears welled into her golden eyes. "fine" she said bowing low. The snake seemed to grow in size as it slithered to the wolf and clamped its now massive jaws onto her neck. Frida cried out in a painful howl.

And in the shadows of the castle something smiled.

It had been weeks since Frida left the den. Beodred and the pack now wandered as nomads but even still somehow They had lost more. Now down to 7 of them. "I am sorry mother" he thought as he and Frer stood on the cliffs gazing down at the village of the witch at the fortress that was nearly complete.

"but they must go" Beodred muttered. He signaled Frer, who singled Bardalf. With a howl feral mortal wolves gathered around them. And slowly the surrounded the village.

Frida returned to her den to find it empty. She was relieved that they had left. The creature upon her back however was not. "hurry, before the sun rises" he hissed. Frida nodded and left with him to the village. But as she neared the river. She found the water was red.

Panic rose as the sent was that of her pack. With a deep growl she took off running towards the village.

And came to a halt at what she saw. Bodies, large wolf bodies of thick sturdy spikes, and smaller mortal wolf bodies among them. 20 in all maybe more. Scattered about the village leading up to the unfinished fortress. Frida growled and darted for the castle. Sliding to a stop before a plank she backed up and screamed "Beodred!" she cried, letting the creature on her back dismount she took to mortal form and tried her best to reach for her son upon the spike. His eyes opened just a bit. "forgive me" He said faintly "Your demons have attacked my family and my land" a deep painfully familiar voice called out.

Frida turned, and looked at the glassy eyed Vladimir. She shook her head. "these are no demons, and this land the people on it are not your family!" She yelled. Clenching her clawed fists. "He would have called you father!" She yelled pointing up to Beodred. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. "its ok, you are not yourself....But I can help you. She turned to look at the hooded man behind her. "this is Feratu, he can help you, if you should be bitten, he can take from you the spell and-" Frida's words were cut short as a sharp pain lodged in her shoulder.

She grasped the arrow, to see arches on the fortress, Vladimir flinched slightly and for a moment, his eyes had returned to life. But it was only for a moment. More arrows began to fly "Kill the demons!" the arches cried out. Frida backed up and found herself before Feratu. Who was eerily calm. The screeching for bats slowly grew louder and louder, a what looked like a massive black cloud circled around the archers. They panicked and fought against the swarm of bats.

"Vladimir please!" Frida called holding out her hand. "it can be reversed in just three days" she called. "return for your son!" she called out.

There was then a amused chuckle as a figure in red came forth from the forest. "what son?" it asked, handing something wrapped in fur to Vladimir. Frida's hole body trembled. Vladimir unwrapped the the fur, and in his arms limp was Lucia.

Frida collapsed and screamed so loudly the bats faltered in their attack. Her eyes trailed from Lucia to Vladimir and then to Marvina. "He was just a child!" She yelled through her tears. "you say that as if it was I who" Marvina's words tailed off as she glanced at Vladimir coyly. "no" Frida whispered. Looking between them in horror "only by your hand!" Frida yelled, with deep growls and snarls Frida took to wolf form. And went to lung at Marvina. When just as swiftly, Vladimir pulled free his sword. Frida braced herself for impacted however. A black blur rushed by her. Feratu had Vladimir by the neck with his fangs a hand grasping the sword and throwing it to the ground.

"No!" Marvina cried out, holding out her palm she said in incantation and a ball of bright light came from her palm and she flung it towards Feratu, as it hit him his clothing and skin burned and he hissed. "He is mine, be it in this life!" Marvina flung another ball of light. Larger this time it hit Feratu in the face, he cried out and grasped his nearly melting flesh. "Or the next!" She called out going to Vladimir she stood before him as he slowly sank to his knees. The Potions effects had already started to fade. Frida seeing her chance, made to advance upon Marvina however, the Archers fired again. Frida was pierced several times. And the Sun started to rise.

"Look at Love... how it tangles with the one fallen in love look at spirit how it fuses with earth giving it new life" Marvina spoke lowly while holding her palm out over Vladimir.

"the known and the unknown see how unknown merges into the known why think separately of this life and the next when one is born from the last look at your heart and tongue one feels but deaf and dumb the other speaks in words and signs look at water and fire earth and wind enemies and friends all at once the wolf and the lamb the lion and the deer far away yet together look at the unity of this spring and winter manifested in the equinox you too must mingle my friends since the earth and the sky are mingled just for you and me be like sugarcane sweet yet silent don't get mixed up with bitter words my beloved grows right out of my own heart how much more union can there be" She went on. Frida struggled to lift her body up from the ground, "of this life and the next" Marvina said as a bright pale light surrounded the two of them. And with that, Vladimir fell limp as the light faded.

Frida finding strength ran to him. And shook him, but his eyes had no life in it. "Dead?" She gasped dropping him, she watched him as he lay next to Lucia's body. Her eyes trailed to Marvina who held out her arms. "now do what it is you will!" Marvina called. Frida looked up to the corpses of her pack suspended in the air, and to her son Beodred. Closing her eyes, a deep growl came from her throat and she lunged for Marvina. The two were instantly engulf in a dark miasma. "she is mine" a voice called out, and they were lost in the blackness.

When Frida awoke. Marvina lay limp on the ground. The sky had been covered in the miasma and a tall beautiful figure stood before Frida, the snake demon on his shoulder and Feratu hold his face behind him.

"who are you? What have you done?" She asked. "you a favor" he said with a smooth and yet deceitful tone. "Her curse has been made and cannot be undone, he has perished and so has she, but they are now doomed to return in the life here after this." the man said.

Frida was confused. " you will live on until I should so need you, but do not fear, you will meet them again, and things will have a chance to be set right. And that is when I will need you" He said. Frida shook her head "I do not understand" She said. "but you will" The man whispered and slowly turned his back to her. "wait!" she called out but he seemed to be vanishing before her. "wait!"

*********

Dimitru awoke and ripped Vlad from Frida yet again, this time he used his large wolf body to pin him to the ground. "PRINCE!" He yelled. But stopped as he saw the tears coming down Vlad's face. "Ingeras?" Vlad gasped pushing Dimitru from him he sat up and looked at Frida who was leaning back against the three holding her neck. Pale from blood lose. "he is Lucia" Vlad said.

Frida smiled bitterly. "that man, the Demons master, he brought you all back to me, or almost all. But you are still under the curse, it revived in you through your death. Merina...Marvina. She is doomed to never remember her wrongs, and I am damned to never forget. You, with you it was a gamble. The demons master wants Merina for reason unknown to me. But his Demon servant the snake.... Was turned by Feratu, the masters son. And now he too wants his revenge and he will use you for it if he can" Frida said. "There is still much I do not understand" she admitted. As she got to her feet. Her bite wounds healing.

"but I understand some things. That I will gin you back, I will save you from her. That Ingeras is my son, and that I will help you save him." Frida said. "I also know that this is far from over for me, I need you to live, and I need you to raise Ingeras, to watch over him because when the demons master needs me. I feel I will not be returning" She said.

Vladimir looked at Frida and dropped to his knee looking down at his hands. " your past life is what drives you now to protect him, as you could not then" Frida said.

" I am sorry" He said "I remember...going to the village and Marvina inviting me in, I remember drinking wine but...after that" He said looking bewildered "its gone" Frida nodded "because that was no wine" she said darkly. Walking past him she looked up the path and bit her lip trying to stop herself from crying over things she could not change. Vlad stood up, and ran to her. He threw his arms around her and embraced her back. Frida grasped his hand and drew in a deep breath. "what am I to do? If Merina remembers nothing it is possible she is not the same as she once was. And yet..." He said.

"then again is this my own reasoning or whats left of the spell" He questioned.

"look I don't know whats going on but there is no time for this. Mehmed's army will come soon, and we are losing nightfall" Dimitru said. Frida nodded and shook Vlad from her "he is right, as of now Ingeras is my only concern, we have to return and prepare" Frida said turning to face Vlad. "after all by dawn...your curse will fade and so to all your power along with it" she said before turning and heading up the road, taking to wolf form.