The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (9 page)

With a flash of a smile, Adem answered,
“It would be my greatest of pleasures.”

And as simple as that, I released my
future to the fates.

Chapter 6

Letter from Adem to Astir
continued...

I had questioned Magda
about the Countess' family hoping to lay the seed that would
flourish into a possible gateway to the castle, but I was surprised
at how quickly that seed grew. When the Countess approached me
about escorting Magda to the castle to retrieve the rosary of Lady
Antoinetta, I immediately agreed. That very hour, we made our
plans. The Countess was certain if we arrived at the castle at noon
the sisters and her husband would be deeply asleep and therefore
would not interfere in the retrieval of the rosary. She stressed
that she did not want her husband to be privy to her plans for her
family since it was by his hand they had died. I vowed that we
would do our very best to not disturb resting the place of the
vampires.

It was just this morning
when Magda and I departed for the castle...

The sun was high in the sky when I
strode from the Golden Krone hotel with Magda hurrying behind me.
She had spent the morning in the small chapel down the road praying
while I prepared my weapons for any chance encounter with the
Brides of Vlad Dracula or Dracula himself. Though the Countess had
assured me that they would not rise during the hours of the day, I
am inclined to be fully armed when entering the abode of
vampires.

The heat of the day rose from the
cobblestones, warming the soles of my boots as I waited for my man
to bring about the horse. Magda stood beside me, her fingers
fussing with her long braids. She is a pretty woman with her large
dark eyes, rounded cheeks, full lips, and a delicately pointed
chin. I suspect her youthful appearance is as deceptive as my own.
Her gaze is not that of a young woman, but also not that of one who
has lived so long that the joy of life is lost. Therefore, I do not
believe she matches my age. Clad as a local, Magda’s long skirt and
the chemise were tied at her waist and a red scarf was draped about
her face. She reminded me painfully of my lost love, and I raised
my face to the sun to remind myself that while Saadat now dwells in
darkness, I do not.

Enre rounded the corner guiding my
majestic equine companion. I am uncertain of its nature, or even if
it is truly a horse, but I have grown fond of the arrogant
creature. It often regards me with amusement and I wonder at its
thoughts. Tossing its mane, it turned its dark eyes toward me,
dancing back and forth with anticipation.

Beside me, Magda crossed herself and
the horse snorted with what I suspected was contempt.

“It will not hurt you,” I promised
her.

“What is it?” Magda regarded the
creature warily, sensing its unique nature.

“I do not know. All I know is that
Astir sent it and its companion to me.”

“What is its name?” Regarding it
warily, she took a step back toward the hotel.

Enre looked amused as he fed the horse
a bit of apple from his gloved hand. “No name is suitable for this
one. It is wild magic.”

The horse chomped down on the apple and
chewed as it regarded Magda with great interest.

“It must have a name,” Magda insisted,
wilting beneath its gaze.

“If it has a name, it does not tell us
what it is,” I confessed. “Though I would be honored if it would
let me one day know.”

The horse neighed its delight and
bumped my shoulder with its nose.

This elicited a girlish laugh from
Magda despite her misgivings. “I think it’s mocking
you.”

“I am sure it is,” I conceded, running
my gloved hand affectionately down its mane.

Magda relaxed her wary stance and
approached slowly. I grabbed hold of the saddle and slung myself
up, settling onto the back of the great beast. Enre handed me the
reins as Magda waited. Reaching down, I took hold of her hand and
lifted her easily onto the back of the beast. She clutched my waist
as she arranged herself behind me. Like the countess, she rode with
her legs slung to one side.

Bothersome women should learn to ride
as a man in this world fraught with danger. I vow that I shall
teach both of them before the warm months are done.

“Enre, we should return before
nightfall. If we do not, send word to Astir and take the countess
to Vienna without hesitation. Understood?” Though I was certain of
a successful outcome, I would never wish to endanger the
countess.

Enre inclined his head.
Satisfied with his obedience, I dug in my heels, flicked the reins,
and the horse raced down the busy streets of Bistriţa. Magda
gasped, clutching my sid
es tightly as the
beast easily maneuvered around carts, pedestrians, small herds of
goats, and wandering chickens as it galloped through the narrow
streets. The sights and sounds of the living filled my senses and
my heart soared with pleasure. I could almost allow myself to
believe I was in Turkey, though the sun will never scorch me here
as it did in the homeland of my youth. The windows of the white
washed buildings were flung open and the fragrance of cooking food
and boiling laundry mixed with the stench of the streets. I found
it exhilarating and I laughed.

Magda ducked her head down between my
shoulder blades. I felt her heart thudding with fear, but I could
also hear her laughter when children shouted as we passed by where
they played. Though we are minions of supernatural creatures, we
are both human and to be free of the darkness filled us both with
joy. I could hear it in her laugh, and I touched her hand lightly
in camaraderie.

Once out of the town, the horse
increased its speed until we were just a flicker of color to the
eyes of mortals. The cool wind tore at our faces and Magda’s scarf
trailed behind her like wings. She recovered from her fear and
pressed her chin against my shoulder so she could see our
terrifying, yet thrilling journey along the narrow lanes of the
countryside. As the horse pounded up the road into the mountains,
she pointed to the high summits, amazed at their beauty.

At last we reached the road that would
lead us to the castle perched so precariously along the top of the
mountains. In my previous journeys with the countess, I could not
always see the home of Count Dracula. Depending on her mood, it was
either completely hidden in darkness, or like a mirage, shimmering
in and out of my sight. Today I could see it in all its ruined
glory. It still retained its imposing stature despite the crumbling
facade. It was only one of Vlad’s castles he had inhabited during
his mortal years, but it was the one his Mistress had banished him
to when he had fallen from her favor.

“Is that it?” Magda gasped.

“Yes.”

The side of the road fell away to
reveal the glorious greenery of the valley below with the Arges
River sparkling in the sunlight. The castle loomed majestically
before us as we neared the vast structure. Drawing up on the reins,
my horse companion obeyed and slowed, trotting briskly across the
courtyard to the far side of the castle. I felt a pang of sorrow
when I considered that this was where the dear countess had lost
her family and her mortality.

We found the outer buildings that dwelt
in the shadow of the former fortress abandoned. The inhabitants
appeared to have recently vacated. Wagon wheels and animal tracks
indented the moist soil and an oven still smoldered in one
hovel.

“Who lived here?” Magda
wondered.

“Vlad’s gypsy servants,” I ventured.
“They are gone now. Odd.”

I held onto her hand as she slipped off
the horse. I dismounted and released the horse to do as it pleased.
I knew it would not wander far. It tossed its head and trotted over
to a trough to drink. Magda arranged her scarf and attempted to
tidy her long skirt. My hand resting on the hilt of my sword, I
surveyed our surroundings. All the small buildings had the windows
tightly shuttered under wreaths of garlic and vervain. Large,
hastily-made crosses were secured to all the doors.

“If they are Dracula’s servants, why
were they protecting themselves from vampires?” Magda knelt down to
examine a shattered door. A cross was bashed to splinters near a
building that was partially demolished with the windows ripped away
and the roof a burned wreckage.

“It does appear that they brought down
the fury of the vampires upon them,” I surmised. Peering into the
destroyed abode, I smelled and tasted the coppery reek of the blood
sprayed across the walls and destroyed furniture.

Magda crossed herself as she regarded
the castle with dread.

I wondered if perhaps the Countess had
done more than merely ward the castle so it could not be entered
from without. Perhaps the ward had also not allowed those within to
venture beyond the crumbling walls. All indications were that it
was just this morning that the gypsies had found that they were
free to flee, which would coincide with when Countess Dracula had
agreed to allow me within the ruined castle. I was now certain that
the countess held the power of her husband within her veins and my
curiosity about his unknown fate grew.

Looking upon Magda’s expression, I
could see she was startled, afraid, and attempting to piece
together the puzzle about us. Whatever her thoughts were, she kept
them to herself.

“We should make haste. We do not need
to be here any longer than necessary,” I said.

I walked to the door that led into the
kitchen with Magda following in my shadow. The crumbling wall
around the castle must have been impressive at one time, but now it
was the roosting place for birds that called out as we
passed.

“The house in Buda was nothing like
this,” Magda observed. “How could he make her live
here?”

“His power is tied here,” I answered.
“He can never be too far from his native soil.”

“Is that why he carries it with him?”
Magda furrowed her brow. “I wondered why he always brought boxes of
soil with him. We would have to lay it about the outside of the
house and the platform of his bed was filled with it.”

I found this to be intriguing and
arched my brow at her. “Truly? That is fascinating.”

Magda shrugged her shoulders. “He is a
man of very odd tastes. After a while, we all just ignored the
idiosyncrasies. Besides, he is a vampire.”

“True enough.” I tested the door and
was surprised to find it unlocked.

We entered a long corridor that led to
the castle kitchen. It was obviously in disuse. Over the cold
hearth, laundry swam in tepid water. Bed clothes and curtains were
strewn about the floor and in one corner a heap of fine women’s
garments were shredded.

“The servants left in a hurry.” Magda
knelt down beside a candle that had been crushed under someone’s
foot. She picked up a discarded candle from nearby and lit it with
the touch of her finger.

I was startled by her
action.

“I have drunk enough of his blood to
gain a few...” she struggled for the word.

“Powers?”

“Gifts,” she answered. “I can will fire
into being.” The firelight danced in the depths of her dark eyes.
“Sometimes I cannot contain it as I should.” Her voice was tinged
with regret and she averted her gaze as she moved toward a door on
the far side of the abandoned kitchen.

“We should be careful,” I instructed
her. “All of the windows are shuttered. They could still be about
in the darkness.”

“Count Dracula will not hurt me,” Magda
assured me.

“Yes, but I cannot say the same for
me.”

Drawing close to her, we walked deeper
into the castle.

Chapter 7

Letter to Lord Astir from
Adem continued…

We found the castle to be
as the countess had described: some areas were quite pleasant and
restored to their former glory while others were in great
disrepair. Near the library that the countess had described in some
detail, we found the bodies of two gypsies. Magda let out a gasp
when the candlelight fell upon their hideously twisted
forms.

Taking her candle, I drew
closer to the corpses. Both were completely drained of blood and
only their clothing revealed they were women. Magda looked away
from their wretched faces filled with terror even in death. Setting
the candle near me on the floor, I began to examine them. Their
clothes were bulging around their withered limbs. With gentle
hands, I pulled back their clothing and uncovered bags full of
jewels and other valuables such as a gold goblet.

“They were stealing from the castle,” I
ascertained.

Magda glanced over her shoulder to see
the loot. “Why would they steal from him? In Buda, all of us knew
that to steal from him was death.”

“Maybe because they do not fear him
anymore,” I answered, my thoughts quickly sifting through the
various possibilities.

Instead of commenting as I expected,
Magda instead bit her lip and averted her gaze. I found this
reaction to be intriguing and set aside the looted goods. Returning
her candle, I took hold of Magda’s elbow as I guided her to the
stairway that would lead us down into the dungeons.