Two Beasts | Mikael

Chapter One

 Radu was a quiet sort, of mostly quiet habits. He had been alone for almost as long as he could remember. 

 Of course, he still had all the memories of his human life. Well, most of them, anyway. But as those events had taken place centuries before, they seemed to be centuries away, no matter how much Radu tried to cling to them. He remembered the life and the family he once had, and when it was all taken away from him.

 Such events, he felt, must damaged his mind somehow. He had become reclusive, retreating to a castle hidden by the mountains, and cutting himself off from all life. It was probably a bad idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

 Now he was the terror of the land, stealing victims from their beds in the dead of night. He loved it, and seemed to get some kind of thrill from it, although it horrified him that he felt such a way. But he had nothing to worry about, he thought. The villagers were probably all quaking in fear, and they were all too afraid to come hunt him down.

 That all changed one day.

~~~~~~

 Radu was sitting on the window ledge, looking out across the landscape with the old telescope. He didn't see anything very exciting going on. Villagers going about their usual business, the mountains standing high, and a strange foreign man walking down the mountain path towards his castle.

 That last one made Radu look again.

 It was indeed a man, walking straight towards his castle. Radu had never seen him before, and had no idea who he was, not in the least. He was dressed like a western gentleman; on Radu's very rare outings into the world, he'd seen how clothing changed over the centuries. He was actually a little shocked. No one had ever dared to come looking for him, and now here was this angry-looking western gentleman.

 Radu watched from his spot on the window ledge as the man rattled the gate, apparently trying to get it open. What on Earth was he doing? He was a strange sort of a burglar if he came this far into the mountains. Then the man stepped back, as if he were considering jumping or climbing over the gates.

 And then Radu had an idea. It was a clever trick, he thought, one that should rattle the man. He quickly got down from the window ledge to conceal himself, and, cupping his hands together, called down, "Who dares enter my territory?"

 He watched as the man froze for a moment, and then quickly whipped his head around, looking for the person whom had called to him.

 "Well?" Radu shouted. "Speak, man!"

 "I am Mikael," the man said, looking up at the castle. "Who are you?"

 "That does not matter. Why have you come into my territory, Mikael?"

 "I seek the monster who takes villagers from their beds at night. I expect it's you."

 "Do you?" Radu called. "Now, what would make you think that?"

 "I know the attacks of a vampire very well, and I can sense the presence of a vampire somewhere nearby. I can only assume it is whoever is in this castle."

 "Suppose you assume incorrectly."

 "Well, could I enter so I can find out?" Mikael asked.

 Now he wanted to come in. Thinking fast, Radu said, "Of course you may enter. But you may find you cannot leave."

 "Is that a threat?" Mikael asked. "If it is, you may find that you yourself will never see that light of day again."

 Radu chuckled softly to himself. Very feisty. "Well, sir, I suppose you could call it a challenge. You could leave now, and forget about me. Or...you could come inside and takes your chances with me."

 He watched as Mikael stared up at the castle, probably weighing his options.

 "I do not have time for games," he said. "I can simply come over the gate and kill you."

 "Oh, you think you can?" Radu asked. "This place is riddled with magic, you know. You could always find yourself under, oh, some sort of enchantment if you try to mess with it."

 He moved his hand and mouthed a spell, and the front gates slowly began to open.

 "Make your choice, Mikael," he called. "Don't worry about making the wrong choice. I won't think you're a coward if you choose to leave."

 Mikael stared at the now-open gate. "And...what makes you think I'm cowardly?"

 "Oh, I don't think you're a coward. I would think you to be a very intelligent person if you walked away."

 Mikael looked up at the window, as if sensing that that was where Radu was hiding. Then he marched through the gates and up to the castle itself.

 Radu smiled. He had not had a proper guest in quite some time.