The Bride of the Immortal (22 page)

A cold waft of air greeted him as he opened the door to the small balcony. Before stepping outside he grabbed a cigarette from the box on the small table and picked up the lighter that was lying on the nightstand. He wallowed in many vices but smoking usually wasn’t one of them.

It was cold out here, just what he needed. Vivian lit the cigarette and took a pull, feeling the pleasure of deliberately shortening one’s life. Oh he knew it well, the small cowardly joy. Lost in thought he put down the lighter on the railing and gave it a little push. It quickly dwindled and soon it was out of sight, resting somewhere on the ground down there. If it had been him he wouldn’t be lying there now. He would still be on his way straight to Hades. Vivian took another pull of his cigarette and turned around, shivering. It would be easy though, wouldn’t it? Repose was just a little jump away. Vivian shook his head. He wasn’t allowed to do it. He was condemned to live. At least Mairin promised to give variety to their daily routine. His brother had never been like this before. Usually he was aloof and frigid around others. Vivian smiled.
Cherchez la femme.

“Won’t you come back to bed?” Cathy beckoned.

“Ah... what the heck…” he mumbled, put out the cigarette and went inside.

So the woman he had refused had found a playmate after all. It was ironic how some seemed to put so much effort into doing it, whereas others fought for their right not to. Adrijan noticed that he was repeatedly shaking his head. If he hadn’t known Vivian the way he did, he would’ve lost all respect for him a long time ago. Of course there was more than one reason for a man to share his bed with a woman but he could guess wherein the root of his brother’s insatiability lay. At least all of the servants had to undergo a thorough health check before coming to
Mondstein
castle. And who was he to tell its master whom to share his bed with?

By the time Adrijan reached his rooms he had calmed down and felt overcome by an undeniable weariness. Unlike Vivian’s, his quarters only comprised a small bathroom and a Spartan study that also contained his bed. He had felt no need for luxury nor had he been willing to grant himself more than this. Vivian on the other hand wouldn’t deny him anything. He had always tried to spoil him and Adrijan had done his best not to yield to temptation and to reject the countless gifts. There had only been a few exceptions, like his own bathroom, the delicious food and
Nebel
of course, who was less part of his possessions than he was a friend.

Adrijan took off his clothes and neatly put them on the chair before he closed the blinds and slipped under the thin blanket. Vivian had tried to hide the first class materials by using a simple design for the bed. Why had his half-brother never forsaken him? Fatigue swashed over Adrijan like heaving waves over a defenceless fishing boat in the stormy sea. His limbs and eyelids felt leaden yet the fear of what would follow let him struggle. Mairin wasn’t the only person with nightmares but in contrast to her dreams, his usually were a patchwork of his worst memories. Adrijan felt an intense craving for rest, a rest that wouldn’t come. For so long he had kept death at bay and now it seemed that even its brother sleep didn't dare to approach him, not even on invitation. Constantly haunted by his past and the evil he had observed, endured, there had never been much repose for him. Adrijan closed his eyes and tried to control his breath. In. Out. In. Out. He focused on the flow of air and the slow rising and falling of his chest that was accompanied by his rhythmic heartbeat. Had Mairin already fallen asleep? Was he allowed to think of her or would he by doing so drag her into an abyss that was only meant for him? Adrijan turned around and moved his back closer to the wall. If he asked Vivian for her, would he grant him his wish? No, it was wrong. Mairin didn’t belong to him, never would, and nobody had the right to give her to him like an object. The mere thought of wanting her was absurd. He had seen what cruelty this kind of longing had awoken in men and he decided to suppress it at all cost.

When Adrijan fell asleep the shadows of his past paid him another visit, filling his dreams with desperate screams and the stench of blood and burnt flesh.

The library was at least twice the size of her bedroom and also exceeded it in height by at least two-and-a-half metres. Tall wooden bookcases with fine ornaments covered the walls but they weren’t nearly enough to hold all the knowledge that had been gathered in
Mondstein
castle so that another floor of shelves had been erected on top of the ones surrounding her. It was supported by richly ornamented corbels and accessible by a fragile looking golden staircase in each corner. Six sturdy wooden writing tables stood in the centre of the room, arranged like the six black pips on a die. For everyone who was neither in the need for a desktop nor in the mood to read in a leather chair, more comfortable seating furniture in the shape of a semicircle had been placed at both ends of the library. Mairin walked to the one closest to the entrance and sat down carefully, as if her weight were sufficient to break it. The couch was more comfortable than her old bed in Sunflower Garden, yet she disliked the coolness of the leather and how difficult it was to get up again.

“
I definitely wouldn’t put one of these into my castle,”
she thought.

Mairin grinned. Living the life of a princess for little more than a day and she had already become megalomaniac.

The next few steps took her closer to the desks which bore artful intarsia within the table tops. In amazement she let her fingers slide over the smooth surface, following the various shapes and abruptly stopped when she heard a silent giggling that reminded her, that she wasn’t alone. Hilda had discretely followed, keeping her distance, but not without showing her amusement about her mistress’ child-like curiosity.

“Don’t you think it’s beautiful, Miss?” she remarked proudly, as if she were the true mistress of the castle.

Mairin simply nodded and proceeded further into the vast room, feeling a little overwhelmed. As impressive as the library was, she had hoped for a small, comfortable hiding place, a sheltered corner where she could read in peace. Even so she knew that in consideration of the library’s grandeur it was ridiculous to have such complaints and decided to be content with one of the chairs next to her.

“Oh, won’t you take a look at the adjacent room, Miss?”

Mairin stopped in the middle of sitting down.

“Another room?”

Hilda nodded energetically and led the way to the small door Mairin had missed. She had to crouch down to walk through the entrance without bumping her head and after descending a few steps she found herself in a room that exceeded all her hopes.

“It’s master Vivian’s reading area,” Hilda explained.

The homely room was minuscule compared to the huge library. On the wall opposite to her dwindled a fire in a small fireplace. There were no book shelves at all, only two simple side tables just in reach of two big basket chairs, each of them with an equally sized cushion. Hilda had turned to some sort of controlling panel and soon the room was lit by daylight. Mairin frowned. There weren’t any windows, only tapestries. How was it possible? And where did the fresh air come from?

“I’ll go fetch the books Father Adrijan asked me to get for you,” the maid announced and rushed out of the room, leaving her behind with a dozen unanswered questions on the tip of her tongue.

Mairin accepted it with a shrug and made herself comfortable in one of the chairs. She was far too tired to remain standing until Hilda’s return. The disappointment that Adrijan hadn’t come to take her to the library just added to her lack of motivation to try anyway. What had happened to him? Had he gone back to sleep after giving Hilda instructions? Mairin hadn’t been able to get a lot out of the maid when she had picked her up in her room.

A sigh escaped her lips as she leant back and vanished further into the over-sized cushion. The chair was even big enough for her to lie in if she drew her legs closer to her body. How nice it would be if Adrijan were here with her now, perhaps resting in the seat next to hers. There were still so many things she wanted to ask him but above everything she had been looking forward to being able to spend more time with him. The thought that she might not see him again at all made her feel queasy.

After last night he had probably realised that she had been a bad choice as a bride and regretted saving her. Or did he avoid her because he had noticed her feelings for him? Mairin turned around to see if Hilda was coming back. There was no sight of her and she was again left to her thoughts. Just why hadn’t Adrijan come? The nescience was driving her insane. If one knew the reasons, one could work on accepting them. Regardless of how bad it was, it was always preferable to know rather than to be left in the dark. Mairin grumbled loudly and pressed her face into the cushion. Her inability to change the situation made her want to pull her hair out.

“Are you alright, Miss?”

Mairin blushed and hastily slipped into a proper position as if Hilda were the guest and she the maid.

“Certainly, Hilda. Won’t you put down the books?” Mairin felt silly attempting to act as if she hadn’t been caught.

Hilda smiled knowingly and gave her the first of the tower of volumes that was dangerously swaying in her hands.

"Father Adrijan picked a variety of vampire books for you, Miss. You should choose one of them.”

“Von denen Vampiren,” Mairin read and turned a few pages. There were six-hundred-and-nine of them. “In German?”

“Father Adrijan suggested it. He said it’s a must read if you’re interested in…
blood suckers
of all kind. It contains several texts written by famous authors.”

Mairin shivered and sceptically glanced at the book once more before putting it on the side table next to her. She didn’t want to ignore Adrijan’s suggestion but at the moment she was simply too tired to deal with the language.

Hilda didn’t comment on her reaction and clumsily handed her another book that seemed to hold about the same amount of pages. The promising cover showed the revealed neck of a young woman – the victim of a gruesome blood sucker, Mairin assumed.

“To be honest, Miss, I was surprised to find this in the library. Father Adrijan suggested I gave it to you if you looked scared again.” The moment the words had left her mouth Hilda put her hand over it. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that, Miss!”

Mairin frowned and put the book next to the other with a hint of disappointment. Maybe she would read it another time when it was less vital to gain authentic information.

“What else did he ask you to give to me?”

Hilda handed her another book. “Oh, please don’t tell Father Adrijan I blabbed, Miss!”

Mairin shook her head. “Of course not, Hilda.”

If she was going to see him again, she wouldn’t waste any time speaking ill of her maid.

The book with the yellow cover was upside down and Mairin curiously turned it around. It looked a lot older than the other two and the title
Dracula
was written on it in big red letters.

“You might want to be careful with it, Miss.” Hilda said awkwardly. “It’s a first edition copy from 1897.”

Mairin didn’t know what to make of that date, since it technically meant that she was older than the book.

"Is this one not to your liking either, Miss? Father Adrijan gave me a list of seventeen books. I have two more with me and can get the next few at once, Miss!"

Hilda had misinterpreted her confusion about the publishing date, put down the remaining books and already wanted to leave to fulfil her task, but Mairin held her back.

"Thank you, Hilda, but that won't be necessary. I'll just start with this one."

Mairin slightly raised the yellow book to present her choice to the maid and nodded appreciatively.

"Oh, an excellent choice, Miss! Do you require anything else, Miss?"

Mairin shook her head.

"If you need any assistance don't hesitate to push the blue button on this panel over there, Miss! Then I'll come right away!"