Lord of the Vampires (8 page)

Look, my darling, look!

I lookedand saw that the silver was once again coal-black, and imbued with a sparkling indigo sheen.

A mirror! she cried, pacing about the spartan chamber, scanning its grey stone walls. Where is the mirror? You must see!

There are no mirrors, I told her sadly. Vlad destroyed them all long ago. Even if there were, I could not see my own reflection.

Bah! And she pulled my hand and dragged me out into the hall. To my chambers at once!

And together we ran up and down staircases; this time, I had no difficulty remaining by her side. When we had at last come to her roomon the eastern side of the castle, where we house guestsshe flung the door open, revealing countless suitcases and trunks, and a stout, surly-faced young woman, as plain as Elisabeth was fair.

She gestured at the woman. This is my attendant, Dorka; she is utterly discreet. Dorka, this is Vlads niece, the Princess Zsuzsanna. You must treat her with the utmost respect.

Dorka gave a half-hearted, unsmiling curtsy.

Fetch my mirror at once, Elisabeth ordered, her admiring gaze on me as she held out an impatient hand to her servant. When Dorka had moved from the sitting-room where we stood to the bedchamber, her mistress said, So, Zsuzsanna, have you never seen yourself as an immortal?

Never.

Well, you shall, she replied, just as Dorka came running and huffing back into the room with a lovely handheld mirror encased in fine gold and inlaid with pearls and diamonds. The servant placed it in Elisabeths waiting hand, then withdrew to give us our privacy. Look, Zsuzsanna. Look at what you have become.

I took the glass. And cried out in pleased amazement at the woman I saw there. Nay,
woman
is too unflattering a word.
Angel, vision
these are words that better describe what I saw. Dunya had been right that my portrait did not give proper tribute to my beauty.

For fifty years I had not seen the woman in the mirror: a raven-haired young beauty, black tresses agleam with electric indigo, sharp teeth of pearl, lips of ruby, brown eyes asparkle with molten gold. My skin was as delicate and porcelain as Elisabeths, and shimmering with mother-of-pearl glints of colour: rose, turquoise, seafoam-green. Even the sharp features I had inherited from Vladthe thin hawkish nose, the pointed chin, the thick black brows were softened now to delicate perfection.

I gazed up from this wonderment to see Elisabeth grinning broadly in approval, like an artist greatly pleased with her creation. She reached for the mirror, but I would not let it go; at that, she laughed softly.

I was tempted to change the teeth, said she. But I left it to your discretion, in case you found them aesthetically pleasing.

But I
must
have them! How else shall I feed?

Her voice lowered as though she were indulging a dark secret, and feared that someone might overhear. My dear. There are as many different ways of feeding, as you call it, as there are those brave enough to attain immortality.

But Vlad created me, I protested. And a vampires bite begets another vampire. How else can it be?

It can be however you desire it, Zsuzsanna.

But how?

Vlads pact with the Dark Lord need not control you.

The thought of that mysterious creature, Devil or no, terrified me; I lowered the looking-glass and recoiled, whispering, The Dark Lord

To distract me, she took my free hand and pressed the palm to my own cheek. Tell me what you feel, my darling. Tell me what you feel.

For a full minute I was too overwhelmed to speak. At last, I sighed, Warmth. My eyes had filled with tears; one at last spilled onto my cheek, my fingers. A hot tear.

Is that not more pleasant than being cold as a corpse? Vlad is so obsessed with the ghoulish.

You must revive Dunya! I cried, grasping her arm and pulling her towards the closed casket. I returned her mirror to her and flung open the lid to reveal the sleeping occupantso withered and frail.

Elisabeth approached and peered inside. Ah A sweet young peasant girl. She gazed up at me. You must be patient. I have restored you in full and Vlad in part; my reserves of strength are diminished. I shall have to rest now, but I promise you I will deal with her tomorrow.

But dawn is only a few hours away, I protested, eager to remain in her company. And then you can rest all day

No, I shall be up in time to enjoy the sunrise. I only require two hours rest as a rule, more when I have exerted myself as I have tonight. Dear me, child, Vlads silly notion that you are restricted to the night hours has taken quite a toll on your enjoyment.

But it is truethe sun pains me horribly. Yes, I can venture out if I must, but it weakens me and is dreadfully unpleasant.

It need not be. Why should you not be able to enjoy both night and day?

The question gave me pause. I remembered my one journey to Vienna a quarter-century before, and the disappointment I felt at not being able to ever go into the
Konditorei
and sample the buttery pastries, or enter the dress shops, with their glorious new fashions. The one dress I purchased in Viennafrom a trembling old tailor, near blind, the only one who would venture out at midnight to a hotel to fit meis now two decades outdated. I looked at Elisabeths gown, with its more modest
decolletage,
fitted hips, and narrower skirtand a flounce of gathered fabric at the
derriere,
which I had never before seen.

But how I began.

She shook her head. We have much to talk about. Dont worry, darlingfor my disappointment was no doubt visiblewe will meet again tomorrow night. Until then

And she took my hand, bent down, and kissed it as a man might; a disturbing and undeniable thrill passed through me as she did so.

Dear God, I am in love!

* * *

4 May 1893.

I woke at sunset to find Elisabeth sitting in a chair beside my open casketa sight that quickened my hope and excitement. To my further delight (and surprise), a smiling and beautiful young Dunya stood beside her.

Dunya! I sprang from my slumbering place with a single graceful leap. We embraced like sisters, laughing and weeping, and I kissed her cheekwarm like mine now, like her strong, strong arms. My sweet! How beautiful you look!

Not so beautiful as you,
doamna!
she cried. In truth, she looked faintly like mewith the thin chiselled nose and long dark hair (though hers was kissed with Russian red), and the soulful dark Roumanian eyes beneath arching brows.

How do you know? I teased her.

Smiling, Elisabeth held up the golden mirror.

I slid an arm round Dunyas tiny waist and turned to proffer my other hand to our benefactor, who rose and clasped it at once. Elisabeth. You have been so kind to us, so good! Surely there must be some gift we can bestow upon you, some kindness which can serve as a pitiful attempt at repayment.

Your happiness is sufficient joy for me. And she turned over my hand to reveal my palm, and kissed it.

Such an electric thrill coursed through my renewed body that I released Dunya and pressed a hand to my heart, lest I gasp aloud.

At that moment, the chamber door flew open; in the doorway stood Vlad. For a fleeting moment, I expected him to scream in fury to see Dunya and me fully restored. I tried to pull my hand from Elisabeths grasp, recoiling as if ready to fleebut she held it fast, and gave me a reassuring glance that said,
He does not know.

To my amazement, Vlad remained at the threshold, his expression one of benevolent courtesy.

Ah, Cousin! I see you have taken pity upon our frail ladies. Please: I have prepared a banquet for your pleasure. It awaits you in the great dining hall, where I shall join you in but a few moments. Go there now. I need to consult with Zsuzsanna briefly in private.

I felt a fresh surge of dismay as Elisabeth gave a half-curtsy and left the room; even more dismay when I heard her footsteps echo down the hall, then the staircase.

He remained in the doorway peering after her, his eyes squinting with the strain. (Clearly, neither his vision nor his hearing could match mine.) And when she was what he believed a safe distance removed from us, he stepped inside and shut the heavy door behind him. I studied his expression, trying to judge from it whether he saw me as crone or beauty, and could find no astonishment, no rage, there only cunning.

Such an old, ugly husk of a man. I had been mad all these decades: what use had I for him?

Abruptly he demanded, Zsuzsanna, do you love me?

I hesitated but an instant. In that brief time, he understood my silence too well; his expression darkened as he continued:

It is Elisabeth. She has told you lies, put you under her spell, to make you fall in love with her. She has promised to restore you, has she not? I warn youconspire with her, and you will embark on a dangerous path which can only end in your destruction.

I protested, my cheeks flaming hotly (such a long-forgotten sensation!). Do you threaten me?

But he thundered on, oblivious to my beauty or my words. Do you know who she is? Surely she hasnt told you. She is the Tigress of Csejthe, the slaughterer of virgins During her lifetime, she tortured six hundred and fifty maidens to their deaths, and bathed,, in their blood; no doubt the figure has increased tenfold since her movement into undeath. You can trust nothing she says!

You are a liar, I saidthen marvelled in silence at my own boldness. Never have I dared speak to him thus; I knew it would have meant my ruin, for I had always believed that he alone controlled my life and death. But I knew that, at last, /was stronger than he. Had he struck me at that moment, I would have killed him.

Such freedom! I laughed, drunk with the power of fearlessness.

He did in fact swing his arm to strikebut halted abruptly in midair in front of my face, prevented by an invisible force (ah, Elisabeth, my powerful saviour!). His eyes reddened with rage, and he parted his lips and released a low lupine growl, his face contorted into a Medusan mask.

Stay away from her, Zsuzsanna. Stay away, or I shall be forced to retaliate!

I said nothing, only watched him spin on his heel and storm out, slamming the door behind him with such force that it rattled for several seconds.

Dunya stepped up to stand beside me; I think she had been cowering behind me all this time. She put a soft hand upon my shoulder and whispered,
Doamna.
Do you think he can really hurt us if we see Elisabeth again? She is so kindly

Again I slipped an arm round her waist, but stared ahead at the trembling wooden door.

To hell with him, I said slowly. To hell with him.

Chapter 4

The Diary of Zsuzsanna Dracul

5 May 1893.

I woke from a sweet dream to the sound of my dear dead mothers voice calling softly:

Wake up, Zsuzsanna. Wake up, child, its almost midday

I opened my eyes, not to my mothers worn face, but to the exquisite and youthful countenance of Elisabeth. This time she wore a fetching gown of cream-coloured moire, with a narrow standup collar of stiff lace that fringed a more daring
decolletage.

I smiled at the sight of her; but then my expression turned to wide-eyed awe at the realisation that beyond her, a yellow shaft of sunlight was streaming in through the unshuttered window.

And it did not pain me. Nor did I feel in any way weakened by it.

Those
revelations widened my eyes even further, and I emerged once more from my grim resting-place with a bound and hurried over to the window to gaze unblinking out at the beautiful day. Above, in a blue, blue sky, the sun blazed.

It
is
mid-day! I cried, and whirled round, slack-jawed yet smiling, to stare in tearful gratefulness at Elisabeth. How is this possible?

She returned my gaping grin and, rather than reply to the posed question, said instead: Will you accompany me for some fresh air? At my hesitance, she added, Vlad is sleeping, as you know. I have made sure he will hear nothing. We can meet now during the dayevery day, if you wishand he shall never know.

I believed her gladly, for I remembered that yesterday night, he had not perceived my beauty. In answer, I grabbed her arm and together we ran giggling down the winding staircase through the grand hall and out the great spiked door into the blessed outdoors.

Elisabeth slowed upon the steps and let go my hand. I scrambled down them onto the grounds and pulled off my slippers. The instant my bare feet touched the soft, cool grass, I could no longer resist: I spread my arms like wings and spun round in circles like a frenzied child who has been closeted for a long bleak winter.

Such an intoxicating spring! The plum trees were fragrant with blossom, and the open lawn was scattered with wildflowers: bluebells, crimson poppies, daisies, snowy alyssum. The air echoed with the cheerful calls of birds larks and robins, not the melancholy song of the nightingale nor the mournful cry of the owl, the only birdsong I have heard for half a century.

And as I spun in joyful delirium, I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the skyto the sun, whose warm, soothing light upon my face seemed at that moment more delicious, more precious, than anything I had experienced as an immortal.

When at last I fell, dizzy and laughing, onto the cool ground beside a patch of intricately delicate Jack-in-the-pulpit, I rolled over onto my back to stare at the clouds in the turquoise sky, and called out to my benefactress:

Elisabeth! You have been so good to me! You have returned my beauty, my strengthand now you have returned to me the whole world! For that is how I felt: that I had been confined to the night, living only half an existence. And now the other half of life had been restored to me. Can I do nothing for you in return?

You can share with me the young gentleman guest.

A guest? I sat suddenly, pressing my fingers behind me into the grass, into the damp soil, and stared at her. She had sat upon a step, as heedless of propriety as a young boyknees spread wide, an elbow resting atop one of them, chin supported by a palm. Caressed by the warm breeze, the shining cream skirt billowed out onto the dirty stone, its wearer apparently fearless of its being soiled. Her expression signalled that she did not share my wild enthusiasm for the scenery; to her, it was something commonplace. What entertained her was my joy, for her gaze was fixed solely on me, and she wore the slight, delighted smile of an owner watching her puppy gambol unawares.