Count Arathudria
Drahkuhl searched beneath the earth for the ancient artefacts tied to his former lifetime as a mortal man. These artefacts were placed in vaults within a maze of underground catacombs, in a gigantic mausoleum on the Island formerly known as Horse Hill. He had wandered the maze for hours before finding this first vault, and it took some time, and a portion of his stored magic, to discover a way to open the vault.
When the puzzle was solved, a series of runes glowed within the stone wall of the vault, until a doorway slid open, to reveal a metalworks contraption that was round brass encasing glass. The face of the thing had three wands on a surface marked by measurements. It was a timepiece. That was what they had called them during his Age. This particular piece brought back flashes of memory for Drahkuhl of the days he was known as Count Arathudria.
Flicker!
‘I had it made for you, my love,’ his darling Annabetha stated, her voice filled with youthful passion. ‘They are making all manner of machinery in the New City. This one tells time. You wind it from the lever on the back.’
Flash!
Drahkuhl’s clawed fingers clutched the lever to turn it gently, winding back the springs, wheels, and cogs, to bring the contraption to life once again. He turned it over and watched as if magic were working within the device, as the thinnest of the three wands began to tick in time with the passing seconds. A clockface. That was its name. The round white surface appeared to be polished ivory. Suddenly the device began to make an alarming sound, as the clock vibrated terribly, and he lost his grip as it fell with a clang. The thing was still making that awful racket when he picked it up again. He stared at the face again as more memories returned.
Flare!
‘I hope we are able to bring our first child into the world this spring,’ Annabetha said with a sheepish grin. ‘I wish to give you three sons, but I would so love to have a daughter also.’
Arathudria brushed a hand through her silken locks, his hand cupping his wife’s cheek as tears fell from their eyes. They had been trying to conceive for years now. It seemed something was imperfect in either one of them. Something missing.
Crackle!
Drahkuhl was stunned again when the clock began to play a mechanical melody that brought more memories flooding back.
Fizz! Flicker! Flash! Flare!
It was the tune that had been playing at the soirée where he had first met the bedazzling Annabetha. They danced to that song, and Annabetha had instructed the clockmaker to ensure this device played that song to wake Arathudria every morning.
‘I love it, my darling,’ Arathudria said with delight.
‘Now you can take our song with you, wherever the road may lead,’ she said with a gaze like dark lava.
Flicker!
This was one of the first of the relics he had found that would eventually free him of this island. With each new artefact, he would recover a piece of his memory of his mortal life. From the moment he awoke, these memories had stirred emotion. He was conflicted in his aims, on the one hand to rule and feast on the blood of mankind. The evil curse upon his soul and flesh made the thirst for blood never-ending. On the other hand, he was recalling what it felt like to be human. The outcome of this struggle would decide the fate of the world, as he would either seek redemption as a hero reborn, or he would wreak his vengeance in an endless bloodbath of carnage.
Flash!
Annabetha placed her hand over Arathudria’s, as he felt for the babies kicking in her belly. ‘Twins!’ she said with a look of wonder. ‘The gods have truly blessed us it seems.’ It was the last time that he saw her alive.
Rumble!
A lightning-bolt twisted through the clouded skies above. Drahkuhl’s roar was a thunder to wake the heavens!