Part Two: Gathered into a Short Story

There was a flash of flame and Eric found himself in front of a small crowd of people. “What is this place?” Eric asked.

 “It is the Valley of the Vampire.” said a woman “You have been brought here like a goat, or a sheep. You are breeding stock. She will tell you who to breed with, and when, and if you do not produce you will be slaughtered.”

“Is there no way out of this place?” he asked.

“We do not know. It has been many years since anyone has left and lived to tell about it. We know there is a village several days journey to north of here, but the days are short and the nights are long. She hunts us down and slays anyone who dares leave.” The woman turned Eric towards the dim light of the lantern. “I am Nee. I am what passes as a Village leader. If there is trouble, I decide of we punish the wrong doer or if She does. I am the one she comes to when she wants to feed.”

“You decide who lives and who dies?” Eric was shocked.

“No. She tells me when She is ready and I tell the others.” Nee replied. “There is a counsel. Each family has a representative. We must choose among those who are both young and healthy. Throughout the year, She feeds once a month, usually when the moon is black, but sometimes more, sometimes less.”

“How does the counsel choose?” Eric asked.

 “You have nothing to fear, stranger.” Another woman spoke up. “When she brings new ones we are not allowed to choose them until they prove themselves unworthy for breeding.”

“Peace, Temiyc!” Nee spoke sharply to the woman. “Forgive her, Eric, but her oldest son was taken not a month ago.

“Peace?” Temiyc snarled the word. “Peace? We trade our young to this bitch and live like sheep in a pen! Peace? When we live each day wondering if this month it will be a son slaughtered or a daughter bred to a stranger like a goat? The Vampire Witch holds us by our throats and we piss on ourselves rather than fight! Peace? Even now, with Her belly full of my own blood you speak to me of peace?” Temiyc spat on the ground at Nee’s feet. “Peace! Let it be your son next and speak of peace!”

“We’ve all lost to Her, and you well know this!” Nee hissed at her. “What will you have me do? Now you want a war? Now, now that your son is gone you want the rest of us to die? Where was your rage when it was your brother’s son? Where was your rage when it was someone else’s daughter to be breed? You’ve lost no more than any of us, and no more than I!” Nee advanced on Temiyc. “Peace! Peace I say or your words will come back to you at counsel!”

“How many sons have you lost, Temiyc?” Eric asked quietly. “ I have a right to know what I’m getting into.”

“I’ve lost…” Temiyc began but Nee silenced her.

“Enough!” Nee said. “There is much that will be reveled to you in time. We must cleanse you, and purge you, so that She will be pleased. Tomorrow night She will arrive and choose your bride. If you are not ready it will be my body she feasts upon on your wedding night!”

They took him to a small house where a wizened old woman with a scar running across her face made him drink a clear yellow liquid. Eric began to retch immediately. His body was racked with spasms and he threw up, soiled himself, and convulsed. “The bad is leaving your body so the good can enter, dearie!” the old woman told him.” I am Penni, I am the Village witch, not the one who sleep above us, but come.” Eric. could not speak. He passed out and dreamed of a swirling black mist that came down from the mountain swallowed his world whole. When Eric awoke he was lying on a straw bed. Someone had dressed him in black pants and a black shirt. He felt dizzy and lightheaded. He tried to stand and almost fell, and staggered to the doorway. The old woman stood just outside, waiting for him. “Come, come, you are getting married! My time has long since passed or I would wish that it was me! There are several young girls of breeding age who are going to be present tonight. Perhaps she will allow you to pick the one you want, she does that betimes. But we must hurry!”

Penni led Eric by the arm to the center of the village, where a large fire was burning. Eric looked at the people of the village and most seemed angry, but subdued. To one side of the fire, all standing together were the young women of the village. Some looked at him with curiosity and others with revulsion. A few were openly crying. One woman was near hysteria. She cried in long braying sobs.

“Does she think me that bad?” Eric asked the Penni.

“She is married, just so, recently.” Penni said. “Rose has been in love with William all her life, and he his, both have managed to avoid both murder and marriage from her. But Rose is not with child, and has no little ones so she must come here like the others.”

“Even if she is married to another!” Eric couldn’t believe this.

“Even so.” Penni answered.

The fire leapt up high and Kate stepped out of the flames. The villagers knelt and the old woman pulled Eric down to his knees.

“Is everyone here, Nee?” Kate asked.

“Yes, Lady.” Nee said, not looking up at her. “ It is as you wanted.” Kate looked around the crowd as if counting. She made her way around the kneeling villagers, looking at one here, or another there, inspecting her flock. Eric realized her was the only one watching her. No one else dared look up even for a second. Even the children were terrified of her.

“Yes, Eric, I rule here with an iron fist, though no more than it would be without me.” Kate said loudly enough to be heard throughout the crowd. “Without me there would be disease and crime and death and suffering. With me here to guide these people they know only occasional death, and no more suffering then they bring on their on.”

 Kate stopped beside Rose and knelt down, stroking the woman’s hair. “Don’t bring onto your own more than they owe me, child.” Kate stood to walk away but Rose leapt up behind her and with a scream plunged a knife into Kate’s back. Eric saw the point of the knife appear through Kate’s dress in front. A gasp ran through the crowd. A woman screamed and several of the villagers panicked and ran.

 “STOP!” Kate commanded and they stopped. The blade was buried in her back, to the hilt and the point still shone like a red star in the front of her dress. Rose stood in front of Kate and panted with fear. Kate reached over her shoulder and tugged the blade out of her own back.

“Eric will have you tonight, and I will have your husband, Rose.” Kate said softly.

“Kill me, bitch.” Rose rasped. “I’ll not bear any bastards for you. I’ll fling myself off the top of that mountain. Kill me, kill my family, kill everyone here but I’ll not breed for you.”

“I will.” A very young woman stepped forward. “Take me. Leave my sister, and her husband alive, and I will go with him.”

“Mary! No!” Rose tried to push her back.

“Very well.” Kate replied. “It is much better to have a willing breeder. You will both come with me! But don’t think that such insolence will go unpunished!”

Kate rose into the air then swept down and grabbed both Mary and Eric. In a flash of fire, they all disappeared into the night.

So? How ought I to end this?

Any idea on how the rest of the story ought to go?