Lord of the Vampires (11 page)

At last, I slowly lowered my arm and turned sadly to Elisabeth. We are trapped.

Her expression was one of poorly repressed outrage, though the red in her eyes had faded somewhat. Indeed not!

Then why can we not go outside?

She frowned, as if my question had been highly impertinent, and with exasperation explained: Because Vlad has pulled an unexpected trick. Dont worry, Zsuzsanna. I shall soon set it right. But for now, come. Let us amuse ourselves in other ways.

She led me back to the Englishmans room, from whence, once again, the sound of snoring emerged. Elisabeth turned towards me, a cream goddess in sunny silk, and reached forward to lightly trace the outline of my collar with her fingertip. I shuddered slightly at her feathery touch against the skin of my collarbone, my breast, and was at once on fire.

He is not so strong today, she said, with a coquettish tilt to her head, and the shine of pure desire in her eyes. But perhaps you could enjoy a small drink

I wanted her more than him, and was about to say,
No, let us go to your chambers, and spend the day in your bed
. But she had already pushed open the door and entered.

I followed with only partial reluctance; the thought of dining again was not altogether disagreeable, as yesterday I had not been able to drink my fill. Even so, I was by no means overwhelmed by hunger. Thus I entered without haste, but with mild curiosity: who was this Englishman, and how had he come to be here? Obviously, on the nights Vlad went to hunt for us, he had gone instead to Bistritz to post letters to this man

Rather than go at once to the bed to claim my sleeping victim, I instead passed by the armoire, where a number of papers were neatly arranged in stacks. I glanced at the top letter, which was apparently a legal document of some type, prepared by a certain Peter Hawkins, Esquire and signed by Count V. Dracula. So! I said, with a glance at the man snoring beneath the. canopyonce again, with the bed curtains left open. I took no care to keep my voice low, for Elisabeth had shown me how to prevent others (including Vlad) from hearing me. Our young Englishman is a solicitor employed by a man named Hawkins. And he has been transacting legal business on behalf of a certain V. Dracula.

Elisabeths eyes narrowed with intrigue; she at once moved away from the bed to stand beside me. Whilst I riffled through one stack of papers, she examined another, then picked up a small leather-bound diary and began to read.

What language or code he writes in, I cannot say, she said after a time. But he has written his name here; Harker. Jonathan Harker, Esquire.

I scarce heard her, for I had more carefully examined the legal document and scanned the stack of correspondence. I was stricken like Saul on the road to Damascus with a blinding revelation; and now, I felt my eyes blaze with the same red fury I had earlier seen in Elisabeths.

For I suddenly understood that this man was not here simply as a houseguest, to quench Vlads thirst. No, he was here for a far more sinister purpose: to assist Vlad in moving to England.

A half century ago, Vlad had sworn to me that he would take me from this dreary country to an exciting life in London. Only our difficulties with my brother, Arkady, and his son, the accursed Van Helsing, have prevented us from escape.

Now he was going at lastwhilst I would remain behind to starve. Why else had he prevented me from leaving the castle?

I turned to her, waving a paper in my hand. This! I hissed.
This
is a title deedto property Vlad has purchased in secrecy!

She stopped reading the paper in her hand, and faced me, one golden brow arched in an extreme inverted V as she peered at the document I clutched. London, it seems, she said, thoughtful, remaining calm despite my rage. Purfleet is outside London. And she held up to my gaze another signed paper, this a bill of sale for another estate. Piccadilly. In London proper.

Overwhelmed by rage, I sat abruptly in a faded brocade chair.

Has he spoken to you of this? Elisabeth stepped behind me and put a comforting hand upon my shoulder.

I shook my head, and she sighed. My darling Zsuzsanna I think he means to abandon you here.

The bastard! I swore, seething. He means to leave us here to starve! He means to
destroy
uswe who have only helped him!

She knelt beside me, her expression one of utter sympathy, and wound an arm about my knees, as if to comfort me. Zsuzsanna, I swear to you that he will not succeed! I have expected this all along, and made plans for it.

Then why did you come here, if you knew he would betray you?

He told me of you in his letter. I did not come to help him. I came to free you.

At that, I leaned down and embraced her, pressing her face to my shoulder, and felt hot tears sting my eyes. My sweet Elisabeth, you have been so good to me!

She held me so tightly, and I her, that when we let go, we both gasped. I shall be even better, she said, with a look of infinite resolve. I only ask that you trust me.

There is no question of that. But what shall we do? We cannot leave the castle.

Wait, my sweet. Only wait. When the time is right, we shall leave.

I cannot wait! I cried, and struck my heel against the floor like an angry child. Why can we not kill him
now?
. You are so powerful, Elisabeth. Why havent you yet destroyed him, and freed us from this castle?

At that she sighed and remained quiet a time, staring beyond me at some distant, invisible sight. Finally, she met my gaze again. When another century, perhaps two, have passed, Zsuzsanna, then you will understand. Immortality carries with it one unavoidable burden, that of
ennui
. It pleases me to have a new sportto avenge your suffering by destroying Vlad.

But it would be far too simple to destroy him here; and, I confess, it would be difficult, because his power is greater here than anywhere. And it would be far too swift for he has inflicted far too much suffering in both life and undeath to die quickly, without anguish. She straightened, suddenly infused with excitement. Let us give chase! Let us pursue him to London and torment him there, unravel his plans. And when he is utterly confounded, only then we will reveal that
we
are the source of his suffering.

She clasped my waist and drew me closer to her, then planted upon my lips a fervent kiss. Let me take you to London, Zsuzsanna! Let us conquer both Vlad and the city. I will dress you in the finest satins and silks, and adorn you with jewels; you will be so beautiful that the entire country will fall at your feet and worship you. And she stroked my cheek with her hand and gazed so lovingly at me that I was mollified.

In silence, she rose and drew me to my feet, then led me over to the young man. It pleased me to let him sleep this time. I ever so delicately pierced the unblemished skin of his throat, and just as delicately drank.

And when, lips smeared with Mr. Harkers dark blood, I lifted my face, there was Elisabeth beside me gasping with lust, her eyes as desirous as those of any man who has gazed upon my beauty. At once she lunged against me, tore open my robe, and licked clean my lips. And again she dipped her fingers in his woundsmall this time and not so bloodyand smeared the blood upon my bared breasts.

I yielded, giggling as I fell backward on the bed, against Harkers legs (who, because of my doing, never woke nor even stirred). There I let her take me as she had before, licking away the blood and applying more to the most tender area until I again fell screaming into the blissful void

I did the same for her, although I confess it was not entirely to my taste. Nor did she seem to enjoy it as much as I; she clearly preferred to be the one giving rather than receiving, and once the Englishmans small wound ceased bleeding, her desire appeared to ebb. Yet I managed to bring her into the void, and afterwards, we lay flushed and warm in each others arms atop the snoring solicitor.

Now, she said softly, come with me to my room. I will have Dorka tailor some of my dresses for you, so that you can wear them when we go to London. And when we are there, you shall buy all the new frocks and jewelry you desire, and then you shall buy more.

I went with her to her chambers, and tried on frock after frock, peering into a larger mirror which Dorka held. Such delight! The gowns were all brand-new, the latest fashion with a bustle in the back, and all exquisite (although they were slightly too long, and too generous in the bosom and waist). Dorka is taking them all in now.

And then Elisabeth took me into her bedchambers, where I slipped naked between the most marvellously fine cotton sheets, and pulled the great down comforter, covered in satin, up to my neck. (Now I see the reason for all the trunks: There are no such elegant bedclothes in all of Roumania! She has brought her own linens.)

She lay down beside me, and I quickly fell into a marvellous cosy sleep.

When I woke, it was sunset again, and Elisabeth was gone, no doubt in Vlads company. I had slept most of the day, but was not disappointed, as I felt greatly refreshed. So I returned to the chambers I share with Dunya
had
shared with Dunyaand gathered my diary and portrait and brought diem back here, to Elisabeths room. I shall never sleep in that casket again.

And now, as I write this, nestled again in Elisabeths sumptuous, comfortable bed, my thoughts return to Vlads betrayal and Elisabeths insistence that we should not harm him now, but follow him to England.

In truth, the thought of going with her to London to London at last!thrilled me beyond words, and to take revenge upon Vlad with her by my side seemed sweet. But how long must I wait? How long?

Chapter 5

The Diary of Abraham Van Helsing

9 May.

Gerda has become more animated during both day and night. I have shifted my routine to accommodate her, rising shortly after noon rather than the hour before sunset. To my surprise, she is hypnotisable most often during the late afternoonbut at times, the hour of her vulnerability shifts. Some days, she will not enter trance at all. Today when I rose and unlocked the door to her room (poor thing, I am forced now to keep her under lock and chain, lest Zsuzsanna at a distance bid her to harm herself or, God forbid, Mama), she was amazingly animated. She sat cross-legged on her bed, long white nightgown carelessly bunched about her upper thighs as she gestured smiling at an invisible visitor and chattered away like a little girl at an imaginary tea party. I could not decipher what she was saying, though the lilting cadence and whistling sibilants clearly marked the language as Roumaniana language which she does not speak, and with which I have some limited facility. But the words were not completely formed, so that the effect was rather like listening to a young parrot who has captured the rhythm and intonation of his masters speech, but is yet unable to enunciate clearly.

For the space of a minute, perhaps two, I stood in silence observing this odd babbling pantomime. Gerda gave me no noticeuntil, abruptly, she turned to cast me a sidelong glance, snorting to her invisible companion:
Him
! This time she enunciated the word in clear, precise Roumanian.

But as she peered at me from beneath half-lowered lids, her eyes widened slowly, and both smile and derisiveness faded from her face. For the most fleeting of seconds, she knew me and I her. For I beheld the face of my tortured beloved, my wife, a prisoner held not by locks and bars but by that infinitely cruder jailor, madness. This was Gerda as she had appeared almost a quarter century ago, with the pale, dainty face of a gentlewoman and the dark suffering eyes of a lunaticeyes so troubled and despairing that, when they looked out at me from behind a dishevelled curtain of long sable hair (Katya had washed and brushed it out), tears of compassion filled my own.

Gerda, I whispered longingly, and reached to touch her hand. But she turned away, slack-faced, all animation and expression just as swiftly gone, replaced by the blank-ness that I have come to despise so.

Nothing I said could rouse her, so I surrendered and tended to Mama a few hours before checking on Gerda again.

This time, my efforts came to fruition. Gerda quite easily and naturally slipped into hypnotic trance, though at some points she fell stubbornly silent (most notably at the questions How is Vlad? Is he strong or weak? and Are you and he still trapped within the castle?).

Yet while she would not divulge information about Vlad, at the query And how are you? Are you strong?.

she cried out with girlish enthusiasm: Ever so strong, and happier than I have ever been in my life! At this, my heart sank; yet my dismay was quickly submerged by curiosity when she added, It is all because of Elisabeth

Elisabeth? Who is she? No doubt,
she
of
she who has come
, but I waited for a more specific description.

She grew silent and pressed her lips together, as if resolved not to answer; I feared our session had come to a premature halt. But then she replied softly, My dearest friend And would say no more on the subject, not even whether Elisabeth was mortal or no. (She cannot be, of course, if she is capable of so easily restoring Zsuzsannas strength. In all frankness, this terrifies me. What manner of immortal is this, who is more powerful than even the Impaler? And how could I ever hope to defeat such a creature?)

I pressed further. And are you able now to leave the castle?

At onceto my reliefher expression darkened. No, she said, with clear anger. But I shall soon, when we go to London.

London! My heart began to pound against my breastbone as if fervently demanding escape. My father, Arkady, had told me that Vlad had expressed a desire to go to England as long as fifty years agoto London, where he is unknown and unfeared, and has vastly greater itumbers of potential victims.

I asked a few other questions, but in truth, I do not remember the answers she gave, for I was too shaken by the knowledge that Vlad and Zsuzsannaand whoever this Elisabeth might bewould soon make their escape.