The Bathory Curse (27 page)

They all started as a yell came from the upstairs,
Nea schooled herself to seem horrified and stay sitting as the men
all jumped up and ran out of the room.

“What the hell is this now?” Sabine asked, sitting
next to her friend, knowing that as a woman the men would not
appreciate her following them.

“Something from Costica, he is determined to have
them hunt down and kill Vlad. He is killing poor Lucy to do
so.”

“We could stop him.” Sabine huffed, crossing her
arms.

“It would be too suspicious, he’s planned too well.
If Lucy made an unnatural recovery he would just find another way
to kill her, maybe something more horrible, blame us, call us out
as witches, who knows. We can’t afford for these men to lose faith
in us. If Arthur disappears or dies they will still hunt Vlad,
thinking he killed him. We must play along until the timing is
right.” Nea whispered. Sabine nodded and was about to add her
normal sarcastic comment when the parlor door flew open and Jack
and Quincy helped an injured Arthur into the room, he had a hand
slapped over his neck.

“Quick, Sabine, my bag,” Jack demanded. Sabine got
up and grabbed his medical bag, as they sat Arthur down.

“What happened?” Nea asked, trying not to sound
bored with the theatrics.

“What happened, Miss Bathory is that Lucy attacked
Arthur, bit him in the neck before falling back on the bed, dead,”
Van Helsing glared at her.

“No, Lucy is dead!” Nea sank further into the couch,
covering her eyes. Sabine handed Jack his bag and then wrapped an
arm around Nea, both women were truly sorry for the loss of their
friend, but couldn’t care less about Arthur’s “injury.”

“This is proof then about what the good professor
was saying,” Quincy said sadly, “I saw vampire bats go after a
horse once, it wasn’t pretty.”

“She was smiling at me, told me she wanted one last
kiss before she died,” Arthur moaned as Jack bandaged his neck,
“Before I knew it she was on me, it was so painful...”

“It was only painful because she isn’t yet a
vampire, but had the cravings of one,” Van Helsing explained.

“I pushed her away and…she just fell back on the
bed, staring at me, lifeless,” Arthur continued. Nea couldn’t
believe she was hearing a tone in his voice, something like
sincerity.

“Common with vampire victims, we shall have to
destroy her,” Van Helsing stated.

“Destroy… Now see here gentlemen, I am more than
willing to go along with most of what you have said, even if it
sounds a bit silly. However, Lucy needs a proper burial and death
rites.” Nea had enough, she stood, so angry her hands were
shaking.

“Yes, I will fetch the priest now, Lucy’s family was
very Catholic, she will need to be buried right away.” Sabine
fetched her coat and gloves and left the house quickly before
another word could be said.

“We all loved her Nea, of course she is to be buried
like a Christian woman,” Quincy consoled as Jack fixed Arthur.

“I advise against it, we must go up there now, cut
off her head a drive a stake through her heart!” Van Helsing
exclaimed, everyone, even Arthur, looked at him in shock.

“Professor, as she is my fiancée, I agree with Miss
Bathory, Lucy needs to be buried,” Arthur said calmly. Nea didn’t
trust it, he must know that with the prior feedings from Vlad and
not having enough time to recover, Lucy was doomed to rise as a
revenant. Nea and Sabine had to get to her before the rest of them,
after she was properly put in the ground. There was a specific way
to kill a revenant and it wasn’t anything like killing a Strigoi or
a vampire.

“She may not rise at all, isn’t that what you said a
few nights ago?” Jack leaned back, voice hopeful.

“True, but it is unlikely.” Van Helsing seemed to
give in, slouching down on his chair like a pouting child.

“Let’s give it the benefit of the doubt, if she does
become a vampire we can take care of it then.” Quincy was a little
pale around the collar of his shirt. Nea got up and poured him a
snifter, he looked at her gratefully as she handed it to him.

Sabine came back within the hour and Lucy was given
death rites and her body was taken away to be suitably cared for in
preparation for burial. Nea and Sabine were able to duck out of
more discussions about evil vampires. Being female in Victorian
England had its pro and cons: the pro was that no one expected them
to handle Lucy’s death with anything less than a woman’s grief and
weak sensibilities.

They went back to their cottage and began arranging
what they would need to take care of Lucy when she eventually rose
as a revenant. There was a ritual to observe and it had to be done
within one month of Lucy being put in the ground.

“There was an urgent message from home,” Marina said
as they walked in the door, she took their shawls and bags.

“An emergency?” Nea asked, alarmed.

“It just said you were needed back home at once.”
Marina shrugged and went back into the kitchen.

“Well, you do need to feed, as do I,” Sabine stated,
“I am supposed to meet one of my friends for the weekend, I shall
feed at the same time. I doubt anyone will notice if we are gone
for a few days.”

“Costica will; he might even follow you.” Renata
came out of the front parlor, holding a bone white tea cup; she
looked at both women disapprovingly.

“We can’t do much about that. Sabine is right, I
feel the lack of energy and magic. I need to feed,” Nea told
her.

“It might disrupt things. So far he is content in
this charade. If you leave he may fear you not coming back and
escalate,” Renata advised.

“Then I shall send a telegram to Jack informing him
of a small family emergency that shall take us into London after
the funeral, for the week, promising to be back as soon as
possible.” Sabine walked over to the liquor cabinet, poured herself
some brandy and swirled it in the glass, she did so love her
spirits.

“You think that will keep him from acting out?” Nea
asked.

“It might. I will keep an eye on him, but come home
quickly.” Renata seemed agitated.

“Is anything else wrong?”

“He is quite different from others that I have
hunted. He is the most unpredictable stalker, or killer I have come
across. I never would have foreseen him killing and taking over a
mortal’s life.”

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted that,
even Hecate was blind to his actions,” Sabine consoled.

“Would you feel better if you went home and gathered
modern day advice from your peers?” Nea realized that maybe Renata
needed a vacation.

“Yes, not long, a few days, but I would like to
consult a few of my friends and see if anything has changed in how
this type of person is profiled. I haven’t been home in ten years,
there might be new information. I have a horrible feeling about
this.” Renata was nervous, more nervous than Nea had ever seen her
before, Costica’s actions really were getting to her.

“Alright. I shall ask Bendis to send you the moment
I get back from London,” Nea agreed.

“But don’t fret all week while we are gone, you have
done wonders for keeping this household out of trouble,” Nea
warned, smiling at the other woman as she and Sabine crossed into
the parlor to discuss their own trips.

The funeral for Lucy was held two days later, it was
a solemn, quiet graveside ceremony. Lucy was lowered into the
ground and Nea found it depressing because the girl had been so
young and in the prime of her youth. She stood, solemnly, in her
black dress and matching veil, trying to mourn when Costica sidled
up next to her.

“Jack told me about Sabine’s telegram,” he
whispered, head bowed. Nea’s eyes flitted up for a moment to make
sure they portrayed the epitome of grief-stricken while they had
their nasty little conversation. She reached over and placed a hand
on his arm, patting gently and made a few cooing noises. Quincy,
who was standing across from her, gave her a tight smile and
nodded.

“Get away from me,” she hissed, dropping her
hand.

“Are you running from me? Perhaps fleeing the
situation?” He grabbed her hand, stroking her fingers through her
black lace gloves, ignoring the rather feral growl Sabine was
making on Nea’s other side.

“Would it make you leave these people alone if I
did?” Nea asked, jerking her hand back as the priest finished. She
tossed the rose she was holding on top of the dark wooden casket
that held Lucy’s body.

“Perhaps at first. Now it may make me angry enough
to hurt my new friends.”

“That’s what I thought. I am needed in London and
shall be back within the week.” Nea turned and linked an arm
through Sabine’s as the first thud of dirt hitting the coffin
reverberated through the cemetery. The wind off the sea was salty
and cold, fitting for such a dreary and miserable day.

“You had better be.” Costica stomped off to shake
hands with the priest, thanking him for services. Nea was amazed at
how well he affected his voice to sound thick and sorrowful.

“It’s good of you to console Arthur; he is much
changed now that Lucy is dead.” Jack came over to speak with both
of them as they walked out of the cemetery, towards the main road
and back home.

“It is the least we can do,” Sabine murmured, Nea
nudged her as she saw through Sabine’s veil her eyes roll back.

“We will be sorry to miss you the next week, be safe
in London; you must come to dinner at the Sanatorium once you are
back in Whitby.” Jack was fussing with a handkerchief and dabbed
his own eyes.

“Of course, but could you do us a favor?”
Nea smiled up at the young man, catching him off
guard, he stumbled for a moment, cleared his throat and
smiled.

“Yes, anything.” He shook himself. Nea had used a
hint of glamour magic to make him agreeable. She was very low in
her magic levels and had worried it wouldn’t work.

“Don’t let the professor do anything to Lucy’s body
until we get back, it wouldn’t be right,” Nea pleaded, adding tears
for a greater more sympathetic effect.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that, Abraham
says it will take at least a week or more for her to rise from the
grave. You ladies shouldn’t concern yourself with such gruesome
matters.”

“With Mina gone we are Lucy’s only friends, we feel
responsible, just promise us,” Sabine batted her eyes, Nea thought
it might be overkill but Jack fell for it, blushing like a school
boy.

“My word ladies. I won’t let Abraham near Lucy’s
corpse until after you return.”

“Thank you Jack, we have to go, our carriage leaves
within the hour.” Nea leaned up and brushed a kiss against the
young man’s cheek and she and Sabine walked away.

“I hate dirt and mud, next time we go on vacation we
hit the beach.” Sabine muttered as they crossed the boundaries of
the cemetery.

“I agree and not an English beach, a tropical one.”
Nea laughed. She couldn’t bear to glance back as the grave diggers
filled in Lucy’s grave.

Once home, Sabine left in seconds while Nea loaded
into the coach, it would be too suspicious if they both disappeared
and a coach was never seen going to or from the cottage. She hated
mortal transport, but thankfully Whitby wasn’t too far from
London.

The trip was long and tiresome; bumping around a
carriage caused foul tempers and a sore bottom. When she arrived
home she wished she didn’t have to go back to Whitby, in fact she
just wanted to sleep and not think about anything for a month or
more.

“Bunica!” Ruxandra exclaimed, helping her down from
the coach, Nea embraced her beloved granddaughter.

“How is everything? I got the telegram, but it only
said to come home as soon as possible, not that there was an
emergency.” Nea took off her shawl and gloves, handing them to
Ruxandra.

“It’s actually good news! But we felt you should be
told in person!” Ruxandra was practically beaming as she put away
Nea’s things. The house looked wonderful under Ruxandra’s
attention, airy and light, there was the smell of baking bread and
roast in the air and Nea wished again that she didn’t have to go
back.

Ruxandra led Nea into the library where Stasi and
Mihail were waiting for her, Stasi was practically glowing while
Mihail looked a bit sheepish and unsure.

“Mother.” Mihail embraced her; she had been sending
him letters so he knew all the Whitby gossip. Mihail had wanted her
to come home permanently a month before.

“I am so happy to see you both well,” Nea whispered,
holding her son, with the briefest touch of her hand against his
cheek she fed quickly, noting that he had mostly been eating other
people’s anxiety and panic while she was gone, which was unlike her
son on many levels.

“We are concerned you won’t be thrilled with our
news,” Mihail sighed, feeling better as the excess emotion leaked
off him, fueling his mother’s magic. Nea frowned and them went over
and kissed Stasi’s cheek.

“If you deem it as good news than so shall I.” She
savored Stasi’s feeding, her daughter was full of happiness and
pride, Nea had noticed over the years that most Strigoi tended to
feed off emotions they felt the most comfortable with or had the
most experience in dealing with. It could be trying, carrying
around more emotion than what you produced yourself.

“You both have revived me greatly; I didn’t realize
how low my own power base was until a few days ago,” Nea breathed a
bit easier. Smiling at her daughter, she put an arm around her
shoulders and turned towards Mihail, “now what is this good
news?”

“First off, you should know that Mihail and I have
been in a relationship for several centuries,” Stasi began and
stopped, horrified at her mother’s sudden burst of laughter.

“I told you,” Ruxandra said, arms crossed, leaning
against the door frame, watching everything, as usual.