Dracula: Hearts of Fire (Dracula Heart's) (44 page)

    “Not funny Master.”

    Moon Diamond was up on his hind legs dancing around to get Dracula’s attention.
“Master, why don’t you send me? I
f I am to become a
sheriff?
”

    “That’s a splendid idea Zacharia. You don’t need my permission to kill some bad vampires. You’re your own cat, I mean vampire.
Cat, take the author and go kill
that guy, or author take the cat. You two can sort it out.
Bring me back his bones.
”

    The cat growled
as it was ready for action
.

   
That was
n’t the response that Piers Anthony
was hoping to get
. Deali
ng with Dracula was always a complicated thing
, not always easy to read.
“That doesn’t sound like such a great idea.
It would be t
he cat and I against some sort of
vampire
monster?
He could be an expert swordsman.
Some sort of super vampire, one never knows what lurks in the shadows.
”

    “
Piers, have you forgotten so soon that you are a vampire?
You have considerable strength and cannot gain experience by getting me to fight your battles.
It’ll be an experience
that will help you adjust
.
The more you act like a vampire, the more of a complete vampire you shall become. Would you like me to turn you back into human form?
”

    “That’s not possible. Is it?”

    “
Definitely not possible.”

    “
Dracula, why can’t you come? You don’t appear to be terribly busy.
I’m sure you could rip that guy to pieces in no time.
Tear his head off and make him wear a hat.
What do you say?
”

    “
I say no.
After Allison bakes me a cake were going to have sex, and lots of it.
Besides, Zacharia is quite a talented fighter
. You should have seen him with a sword.
”

    Piers smiled awkwardly.
He thought that Zacharia may have been exemplary with a sword but that skill
didn’t do hi
m any good now
.
His claws was now his sword, unfortunately he didn’t think that they would be as effective.
“That’s more
information than was necessary.
Oh come on, we’ll be like two caped crusaders.”

   “Yes, Laurel and Hardy.
”

    “You know, for a friend you’re not very friendly.
What if I get myself killed?
”

    “I have confidence that you shall return victorious.
Why do you carry that sword if you don’t want to use it?”

    “I use it to frighten off feral pigs.”

    “That is so interesting, in
an
uninteresting sort of way.”

    Jenny entered the living room carrying the lion cub.
“Mom, I’m home! Hello
father.
” She gave Dracula a stern look which made him smile.
It was now more of a running joke than anything else.

    Dracula was surprised to see Jenny home so soon. “Hello
daughter.
”

    Allison ran in and they hugged. Her mother looked down at the lion cub. “What the heck is that?”

    “It’s a lion cub.”

    “Well I can see that but why do you have it?”

    “I don’t know Mother. I released it from some stupid room and now I have to take care of it. It’s not a real lion
though;
it’s a product of magic.
Isn’t she the cutest thing?
”

    Dracula looked down at the cub that was chewing on Jenny’s leg, and then up at Jenny.
He smiled and nodded as
h
e recognised the cat immediately.
“That is a real lion.”

    “No it isn’t. It a spell.”

    “It’s a real lion cub that was spelled with magic. That is a genuine lion.”

    “No it ISN’T.”

    “It is.”

    “Isn’t.”

    “Is. Look into my eyes.”

    “Not funny.”

    Zacharia
was anxious to leave so he
hit at the author’s left leg to get his attention.
It was battle time.
He gestured with his head that he wanted Piers to depart
in search of the killer by the zoo
.
Zacharia went into the author’s mind telling him that it was time to go and that h
e would take care of him so he didn’t have
to be frightened.

    “All right Dracula, I’m off to get killed.” The author smiled showing his teeth.

    “Have fun. You better protect that cat.”

    “What? I thought the cat was going to protect me?

    “Bye now.”

    “I may as well have a big old dumb
alligator for a friend.”

    As Piers Anthony departed
with the cat
Jenny continued to argue with her father. “I’m telling you that it isn’t a genuine lion. It’s a wizard’s spell.
It was conjured up from magic.
So I guess you don’t know everything. Do you, Dracula!
Why don’t they call you Vlad anymore?
”

    The Master showed a beguiling smile. “
Nobody knows everything.
It is a real lion. Ask me how I know.”

    Jenny stood akimbo and with attitude
; she had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like the response
.
She had the feeling that he was going to come out on top.
“What makes you think it’s a real lion?”

    “Because
my little wizard,
I’m the one that spelled it.”

    “What! No. What?”

   
“
A wizard had a
spell and wanted me to unleash it
to see what would happen
because of who I am
.
There’s magic in these bones you know.
I turned it and spelled it at the same time.
The cat’s name is S
arah by the way
.”

    Jenny got down on the floor with the lion and
played with it. “What am I going to do with you Sarah? You are too cute.
”

    “
It’s a vampire. Did you see its
fangs?
”

    The girl wa
s more than a little annoyed. “Y
ou create
d it. Mother, is he lying
?
He’d say anything just to make it sound like he’s not wrong.
”
Jenny attempted to go into her father’s mind but he wouldn’t let her; he gave her a raspberry from within.

    Allison
got down with the cub and thought that it was so cute; nevertheless she didn’t want to see it as a full grown lion. “
Your father doesn’t tell
fibs
as far as I know. So what did you learn
?”

   
“I learned a lot, but I need to seek out a wizard to
kill him and take his Blood
Book,
supposedly
that will
teach me everything that I need to know to become a
great and powerful wizard.
I need that stupid book.
I don’t really have the experience to t
ake on an experienced wizard so
there it is.
That stupid wizard just might be the end of me.
”

    Allison wasn’t at all happy to hear that. “
Don’t say that.
Why don’t you let your father go get the book for you?”

   
“I would love to but I can’t. The book will bond to whoever gets near it
first. If fangs over there
gets to within a mile of it it’ll be his book and it won’t work for me.”

   
Dracula nodded.

    Allison laughed at the cub as it made a funny noise. “Jenny, you need to show your father just a little more respect.”

    “I’m going to get something to eat and then I’m going to my room to think things through.
No, I’m going to hang in the Ferrari.
Maybe I’ll go for a drive at two hundred miles an hour.
” Jenny marched into the kitchen. “Hey fudge! Can I have some?”

    “Ask your father
.”

    “Oh Father, can I have some fudge?”

    “If you don’t mind the flaked blood
that’s mixed in there
.”

   
“You know what,
I’m gonna try it anyway since I’m three quarters
bogyman. This is soooo good. Mother
, I’m taking the cat into the Ferrari for a while. I need to think.
”