Memoirs of an Immortal Life (20 page)

9 November 1897

Claudia Van Helsing

Outside Paris, France

Devereau Train Platform #6

We wait now; Vladimir and I, for the train leaving Paris bound for Sain Lo where we will shall board the ferry for England. Never would I have believed I would be traveling back to where this had all began.

Vladimir said he purchased several other properties under assumed names of which father is not aware, one of them being Carlisle Abbey on the north side of London in an rather affluent neighborhood where it will be easier for us to become part of the wealthy portion of London Society. He says our first order of the day will be to hire a tailor and have clothing made for us. Then I am to have a grand ball inviting those to whom we wish to grow close into our keep. I am to use an assumed name of Alessandra Bath. Vladimir says he will not attend, that he wishes for me to do this alone, but shall be waiting in the shadows should anything go awry. But how can I orchestrate such a thing, never having done so before or even attending such a gala, as what he desires me to entertain. He says he shall guide me and things such as this are trivial, but important to the stature I now hold. I am wealthy, he tells me beyond my wildest dreams.

Vladimir Dracul’s Journal

10 November 1897

Carlisle Abbey

Ahbrim, no doubt, has discovered our departure. Surely he is filled with anger at the choice made. Certain am I that he will pursue us to the ends of this earth.

Claudia has had little change in her demeanor, despite being separated from her father so suddenly. She is unaware of how much wealth is within her reach and what I willing shall give to her as my only living descendant. Claudia is the world to me with her bright and caring nature; I have begun to see the world once more in a light thought lost to me when darkness was allowed to enshroud my life and the light of living was far from me.

She does not know the depth of the power she now possesses, how easily we can appear to be anyone we wish to be, and despite the fact Claudia is not a vampire, these gifts are still hers to use as needed. A gala shall be held in a month’s passing to announce my fair Claudia to London society. She will, of course, be presented under an assumed name, perhaps the descendant of a French or Spanish royal family as she is proficient in both languages. Our stay here shall be a brief one, only to form strategic alliances that can be used at a later date. Then we shall travel to Germany, a land unfamiliar to me, but certain to be fruitful in my endeavors. As long as Claudia can be kept from the tortured mind of her father, I shall remain hopeful.

Claudia Van Helsing’s Journal

11 December 1897

Carlisle Abbey

How strange and delightful is his company. Vladimir’s mood is light and joyous since our arrival in London. He takes great pleasure in entertaining, a fact I had been given the opportunity to witness before arriving here. He is graceful, elegant, kind, and nurturing despite all he has endured and is not the monstrosity my father believes him to be in the least. Though I may not be the most worldly of women, and my experiences have been limited to what father would allow, I have met many of a professional nature. None of those acquaintances have the depth of Vladimir. He is complicated and multi-faceted. One moment his despair and longing surrounds him and in another he is immersed in a memory from his past that allows him to be joyous and gleeful. His love of music is so complex and complicated Vladimir nearly feels the story in the song as an unseen rapture that surrounds him and him alone. He views the world with a cautious yet curious reserve now unlike when we were in Budapesth or at the Castle. How privileged a woman I am to be in his company.

This evening’s ball will be my introduction into society as Lady Alessandra Bath, a distant relative to the Queen of Spain and Vladimir my uncle, Viktor. It is a moment I never dreamt of or thought could be possible. He says I shall be the center of everyone’s attention, a place so underserved yet desirable.

The attention to detail Vladimir possesses is beyond comprehension. Watching him is not unlike seeing a composer direct a masterpiece. The entire abbey had been transformed into a winter theme that he lovingly refers to as blood in the snow, a title I thought strange until I saw how lovely the grand design and blending of crimson red and snow-white accompaniments were. The drab and dense drapes that cover the long, narrow windows of the abbey have been dressed in white lace with crimson over-lays and silver trim. Fragrant arrangements of blood roses and white lilies with snowdrops grace the tables. Each of the dining chairs has been covered in white and bears delicate embroidered cream rose details with pearl trim. He has hired a medium to entertain our guests and a full orchestra will play throughout the evening to enlighten their senses.

My gown is a lovely creation overseen by Vladimir each step of the process right to the last fitting. It is Edwardian with a long train and slight bustle sewn from crimson velvet with cream under-linings. Dyed pearls line the edges and create patterns of roses across the bodice and skirt, each one he directed the placement of himself. It is so beautiful I am afraid to wear it tonight, but Vladimir says women are beautiful and delicate like a morning flower at the sun’s first light and should be admired in all their glory. “Life,” he said, “is meant to be savored.”

How I wish his curse could have been lifted, that somehow he could have been granted what he has given me: a life, long and grand, without the darker side of his nature. But then, it seems that the traits which make him so endearing, so captivating to me could vanish. Somehow in the transition between the man Vladimir once was and the man he became was born a creature whose nature is so dedicated and caring that surely even God can see it is not evil which grasps Vladimir but conflict.

Vladimir Dracul’s Journal

11 December 1897

Carlisle Abbey

How lovely she was this evening, my beautiful niece, as she danced and smiled the evening away without a care in the world. Nothing pleased me more than to see her filled with such delight as she moved among our guests and assumed her rightful status. As a Baserab, Claudia is entitled and deserving of life’s pleasures even if what pleases her most is a simple gown and a strand of pearls.

She moved among our guests with ease, as though it were second nature to her, chatting about their professions, their lives, their families, while they were none the wiser that I listened from afar, learning every detail necessary for our survival. Knowing the details of many is a benefit and makes the assumption of another’s life much easier. It is a necessary evil in survival.

Orislav keeps watch over Ahbrim and sends word to me when he is able so that we can stay ahead of him and prevent Ahbrim from reclaiming Claudia. There will perhaps come a time when this life will end, leaving Claudia alone. I wish for her to be taken care of very well and to want for nothing in her life. It is my mission to ensure that is the case. Arrangements have been made for Orislav and Velascon to care for her in the event of my demise. They have been faithful to me all these years, have never condemned me for my behavior, or for me having condemned them to the same fate. They are the same as family to me and I have treated them as such.

The only thought that continuously haunts my mind is that Claudia will be condemned to a life filled with the lingering memories of those she has loved and the moment they left her life. She will not have an immortal counterpart with which to share her life, her loves, or her dreams for they will wither and die just as we were destined to do before the end times. There are moments when my thoughts turn to a darker place where it is considered that I should have allowed her to perish as nature had designed and then she would not have to face such un-pleasantries as once would have been allowed when I was Viovode and accepted no weakness. But as quickly as they arise, they fade, as the light of the day rises in her eyes and she smiles.

I promised her a journey to Paris, more than just a chance switching of trains to avoid the pursuit of her father. Perhaps in a month we shall travel and thus allow Claudia to see the wonders that
have been hidden from her eyes until now.

a city despised….

istanbul

Chapter Twenty Two

Abraham Van Helsing’s Journal

16 January 1898

Istanbul

Sightings reported here have been for naught. Though there are creatures here I believe to be kin to Vladimir, either through his ow
n making or through those he made creating more in their image, Vladimir and Claudia are not here. Torturing them to extract a confession about his whereabouts was pointless. Even being skinned alive was not enough to produce the truth.

My blindness toward him and the vows taken have caused me to lose the only love I had left, my beautiful daughter. She was so easily swayed by his charms and deceit. I should have had
the foresight to understand it would be so easy for Claudia to fall into his trap. She is not worldly or educated in such things. The responsibility of what has happened falls upon no one other than myself.

London would not be an area to which he would return readily. Vladimir keeps many dens throughout the European countryside and has been known to be very partial to Prague, Paris, and Madrid where he owns several villas, no doubt still maintained by either Orislav or Velascon.

They left no clues on their hasty departure as to where they might travel. No deception was laid to steer me in the wrong direction. He simply disappeared with Claudia in tow during the darkness of night. Vladimir is a creature of habit, drawn to familiarity and settings that are of comfort to him. I thought certain he would travel to northern Carpathia and seek sanctuary with the descendants of the Corvinus family but oddly he did not. His motives are different and this time I am not privy to them.

Vladimir Dracul’s Journal

21 January 1898

Paris

How glorious the wonder of Paris when viewed through her eyes. Each site seen provides her with such joy, such unadulterated bliss, I find myself infected by her enthusiasm. My will to live and for life is reaffirmed in each tiny gesture she makes.

The dress shoppes of Paris delighted her, as did the hatter’s shoppe where she spent a small fortune on new fashions. She has developed a penchant to try anything new or foreign to her such as French pastries, Parisian Coffee, and decadent hand dipped truffles. It is the simplest items that please her the most and the ones that cannot be denied.

We have toured the museums of Paris like a whirlwind, and I was adored at the mere fact of her being on my arm by those who passed, amazed at her beauty and simplicity.

“You sir, have the gem of all gems in your hand,” a man said in passing. And he was right; I do, and am so fortunate for this time shared with Claudia.

She wishes to travel to Spain and see a bullfight for one reason or another
, which I must admit eludes me as to why. It is such an aberration and horrid display of cruelty, but it is what she wishes to see, so I will of course oblige.

The usual stays of my travels to France are not safe for us, so we have traveled in different circles, ones
more advanced in freethinking - like the philosophers of the day that one finds in the larger cities.

Claudia is becoming her own woman, a woman of strength and courage, to be admired by all who encounter her now that she has the freedom to do so. It saddens me that Ahbrim could not see the woman living inside her that begged to be discovered.

Vladimir Dracul’s Journal

31 January 1898

Paris

He is here, within the city, silently stalking me for the betrayal he believes I have somehow committed. Has he so quickly forgotten Elisabeta and the fate he alone condemned her to?

The bond between us is too deep for his presence to go un-noticed. Perhaps, this is what he desires, a final meeting of sorts, where he shall save me from my darkness - when in all truth Claudia has taken that darkness from me and returned my will to
live, and I do not believe it is a fact Ahbrim can accept.

Ahbrim is not a living
being but is a man obsessed, bordering on insanity in both his actions and his words. This night I know what must be done but do not have the heart to reveal to Claudia what it is that I alone must complete.

It has also been pondered as of late if she is truly safe from harm in m
y company. Given the events passed, it is with a heavy heart I have grown to believe that all those I love will face peril, regardless of how diligently I keep to my watch. Should she befall any tragedy there could be no one to blame but me. Yet I am compelled to protect her, perhaps from my own short giving in protecting my beloved Elisabeta and later Mina. How my heart still longs for her! Will the torment of losing her love never leave me? What shall my life entail if not a single word good and light can be said of it?

Claudia Van Helsing’s Journal

10 February 1898

Paris Underground

An entire world exists below the city. Vladimir says it is called the City of the Dead – a city long ago constructed when the common man could not afford their loved ones to be placed above ground. Now it has become the sanctuary of others like us; others who seek to hide from the world above who pursue them.

He says he can flee no longer from his fate. I cannot fathom why it is my father despises him so greatly and why he has chosen to pursue him with such vigor.

We do not leave the confines of the underground at night. Vladimir believes it is not safe for us yet how I long to see the streets of Paris at night with their gaslight lamps.

“I am a creature of darkness. It is when he shall seek me,” he said.

Yet in the time I have known him, it is not a man of darkness I see but a man of light; a man whose heart weighs heavily for those he has lost and those he will never know. The truth has been known to me for some time now. At first, it was merely speculation and veiled pieces of information he has chosen to share, but as the days have passed, it became clear. Vladimir is my father’s brother and their contemptuous relationship has spawned centuries. I am certain if it but have no proof. The memories in his blood are strong and now run through my veins and though I know not the complete betrayal that occurred between them, and can only see that it involved the soul of Vladimir’s beloved wife, I understand he believes my father alone is responsible.

My father was once a loving man, respected and admired, sought after by nearly every medical institution for his unprecedented work and research. Now he is a man consumed by vengeance, blinded by his
single-minded sight, and obsessed with killing my beloved Vladimir to further his work. How can a man turn against his brother so vehemently when that brother has turned his hatred to love to save another? Were it not for Vladimir, this journal would not be written for my life would have long ended and been committed to dust.

I fear it shall not be long before my father discovers where we have gone. Vladimir says he will flee no more; that in time all men must face the consequences of their actions and God has called him to judgment. He desires peace and release from his suffering
, which is understood but not endorsed by me by any means.

I have grown to care for him
, in a manner not imaginable to me in my short lifetime. My father would say it is Vladimir’s blood speaking through me, the will and the call of the creature to survive yet I know that is not true and will not allow any harm to befall my beloved Vladimir – a man, not a creature, who sacrificed all to save me.

Claudia Van Helsing’s Journal

22nd February 1898

Paris Underground

It happened so quickly my memories are nearly a blur. Early this morn we ventured from our home, here in the underground, at my insistence. What transpired…the blame alone lies with me
and no other.

My father discovered our whereabouts and lay in wait for us to exit. I walked with my arm entwined in Vladimir’s, and he appeared genuinely happy.
He was at peace with whatever fate God bestowed up him and was grateful for the time we shared.

We had barely reached the end of Versailles Street when my father leapt from the shadows and drove a stake deep into Vladimir’s chest.

He did not fight as expected, and as I looked on in horror, it appeared he was smiling and willing to leave this world. His peace, I believe, had been made not only with God but with himself.