Chapter 296: A plan
The chatter emanating from the balcony stood as the only sound filling the otherwise quiet manor.
There was no sign of Ada, Astrid or Arumina along her way towards the kitchens at all.
The reason for that was simple; there was nobody in the kitchens.
Arabella stood there for a moment, considering the situation at hand. There were neat trays of food ready to be served still untouched on the counters but no one to take them.
"Ada?" she called.
The eerie silence that answered sent shivers down her spine.
She stepped inside very carefully, circling around the stoves and then back to the door.
Nothing...
The hallways felt colder after that, wider, emptier.
"Astrid?" another attempt.
To no avail, of course. And so, every step of the way, one of her hands glided along the walls while the other hand rested around her mother’s pendant for comfort.
It was almost as though air had become scarce for her lungs, not enough to supply her brain with the necessary amount of oxygen to keep a good head on her shoulders.
Had they taken another route in order to reach the balcony? Lord knew the manor was big enough to have multiple ways for one destination, but why? Why avoid the shortest to go through a longer one? It simply made no sense.
There was that itching at the back of her mind that warranted all of the tension that coursed her muscles.
At every corner Arabella turned, she held her breath in anticipation, but every turn yielded no result.
Well, that was until the sixth corner where the twisted features of Astrid greeted her on the other side. The maid practically collapsed into Arabella’s arms.
"Astrid? What happened?"
It was then she noticed the red stains on the shivering woman.
"You are bleeding!" she squeaked.
"Not...," the maid tried to speak, but barely managed, "Not my blood!" she gritted through her frozen jaws.
"Alright! Alright," Arabella knelt down to meet Astrid’s crazed gaze, "Breathe. Just breathe," she cupped her cheeks.
Arabella had only met Astrid a few times, but it remained odd to see her so out of her element. So, rattled, she couldn’t even align her words correctly.
Staring into Arabella’s eyes seemed to earn her a sliver of courage. One that was enough to untwine her vocal cords.
"We did not find Madame Arumina in the kitchens, so we searched the entire ground floor for her," she inhaled, "And then there was that awful sound that came from the music room...,"
When Astrid trailed off and took too long to pick up the thread, Arabella gave her a verbal nudge, "What sort of sound?"
"The haunting kind," a sob escaped the maid, "When we... When we finally saw what was happening... I just...," the crying and shivering turned overwhelming.
"What did you see, Astrid? You can tell me," Arabella did her best to keep her tone even and on the lower side.
"It was Miss Katherine!" Astrid wailed, "Miss Katherine had her fangs deep into her neck!"
"What?" Arabella pulled away, eyes wide and unblinking, "No. That’s... Impossible! It can’t be! Katherine is sick! She is bedridden!" she shook her head while maintaining eye contact with Astrid.
"I know I am not mistaken! It was her! Believe me!" Astrid grabbed at Arabella’s hand as though it’d give her words more credibility.
"What about Ada? Where is Ada?"
"She told me to run upstairs and warn everyone while she kept Katherine busy in order to distract her from draining Madame Arumina,"
"Oh... Lord...," Arabella clasped a hand over her mouth, slowly pushing herself back into a standing position.
"We must warn everyone!"
Astrid’s voice was sent to the background as every other thought raced across Arabella’s mind.
Everything turned so loud yet so quiet, grinding against her eardrums for a response she couldn’t afford.
What to do? That was the big question!
Sifting through the many voices screeching in her head, a plan sort of formed.
Arabella looked down at the shaken figure of Astrid and declared, "Astrid, I will need you to run up and inform the guards of what has happened, but tell all the maids, butlers as well as everyone who isn’t equipped to deal with a rogue vampire to make their way downstairs and wait for me by the entrance trophy room,"
"Wh... What will you do?" Astrid Breathed.
"I will fetch Ada and Arumina," her demeanor was shut, voice almost scaringly steady, "In the music room is where you said they were?"
"That is where I left them, yes," Astrid nodded.
"Good! Then go now! Do as I told you! And send the guards to the music room! I want them to take Arumina and Ada down to the trophy room as well while I keep Katherine distracted, that is very important,"
"But what about you?"
"Do not worry about me, Astrid. Everyone involved in this is someone I care for. I will be fine," she paused before kneeling down again, "Do you understand me, Astrid? Do you hear me?"
Astrid did not need to be told a third time, "Yes! Understood! The maid clawed at the wall to support her weight and ran as fast as her muscles allowed it.
Arabella on the other hand, moved in the direction of the music room but made sure to stay as far away from the underground levels’ door.
Her destination was clear in mind, the ballroom. Upon arriving, the young woman took a deep breath, counting the tools needed in order for her plan to be successful.
Her blood, the dagger that Silas had gifted her as well as his blood.
The only thing that stood against her was time, knowing full well that as a vampire, it’d take Katherine mere seconds to travel the entire manor from one side to the other.
She popped the vial with Silas’ blood open and ready, then, silver dagger in hand, Arabella lifted it high above her palm right before plunging it down on her limb without a hint of hesitation.