VROLOK (47 page)

“All the better for seeing you,” Jakub had always been kind to Isabella.

“That I am sure is a lie, but it is nice to hear your sweet lies again,”

“No, it is the truth; I have been looking for you.”

“Why?” Isabella asked curiously.

“That place is filled with Vampires again,” Jakub tilted his head up towards the castle.

“Are they killing any Slovaks?”

“No, not yet.”

“As long as they are not killing Slovaks I have no quarrel with them.”

“I thought you might say that, but the Slovaks of the village are getting nervous. They are scared; they know what happened to my grandmother and my father. They think you have abandoned us.”

“Abandoned you? You know that it is not true.”

“I know it, but the people of the village are not so certain.”

“What do you want me to do? I can’t go around to every Slovak and promise them I will always protect them.”

“No, I am not asking you to do that. I just want you to visit a bit more often.”

“I visited Nadezhda very often and look what happened.”

“You were not to blame for her death and if you had not been there I would have probably been killed as well as my father.”

“All right. I will visit more often… how is Anna?”

“Very well. She is a mother now. She has a son and she named him after me.”

“So you are a grandfather?”

“I am a proud grandfather.” There was a pause. “What brought you back?” Jakub asked.

“I am back for my grandfather’s sword.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, this is something I have to do it myself.”

Isabella waited until nightfall to go up to the castle. She crept up and peered through the window. No one seemed to be about but she saw her grandfather’s sword leaning up against the fireplace. Isabella suddenly became distracted by a noise from behind her. Isabella turned around to see Anna.

“Anna, what are you doing here?” Isabella scolded.

“My father was worried about you.”

“So he sent you up here after me?” Isabella asked suspiciously.

“Oh no, he would have never have sent me up here; he realises how dangerous it is, I wanted to come here, and I wanted to help you.”

“Anna this is not a game. You are a mother now; you should take better care of yourself and not be doing stupid things like this.” Isabella studied Anna. She was still so young that it was hard to believe that she was already a mother.

“Do you want me go back?”

“No. I want you to stay where I can keep an eye on you.” Isabella was slightly concerned for Anna but if truth be known she wanted a friendly face with her. Isabella opened the door and stepped into the castle. Anna followed her in.

The large hall was as she had left it. There was a fire still burning in the fireplace but the room was empty and cold. Isabella walked over to the fire and Anna crept in behind her. She turned around to watch Anna, who was walking on her tiptoes. Isabella smiled at her.

“There is no need to try and be quiet. If a Vampire was here it would have heard you already.” Anna looked a little embarrassed and began to walk normally. Isabella went over and picked up the sword. It was the only thing in the castle that had been looked after. It must be worth something, Isabella thought, or why else would Vlad have looked after it so well. A gust of wind echoed through the hall and the door slammed shut. Isabella was startled; she knew the wind was not strong enough to blow the heavy wooden closed. She realised she was not the only Vampire in this room.

“Anna, stay close to me,” Isabella whispered. Anna, who was now frightened, did what she was told.

“Who are you?” A voice echoed through out the darkened hall. Isabella could not pinpoint where it was coming from.

“My name is Isabella.”

“Isabella. He has talked of you,” the voice responded.

“I’m sure he has,” Isabella cynically responded.

“What do you want here?” the voice responded.

“Nothing. I just came for my grandfather’s sword.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“He misses you. Will you not wait till he comes back?”

“I will not and that information is of no relevance to me.”

“I know that is not true.”

“Who are you?” Isabella asked, and the other Vampire finally revealed herself. She appeared at the top of the stairs. She was a very young-looking girl; she must have been only sixteen, perhaps seventeen, when she was turned. She descended the stairs with so much grace she looked like she was floating down them. Her golden hair and blue eyes shimmered in the moonlight.

“She is beautiful,” Anna whispered, unable to contain her awe at this vision.

“Yes she is,” Isabella agreed. There was a ghostly quality to her as if she was not of this earth and never had been.

“I am Olya. I am a Vampire but not a very strong one. I was turned too late. I was dead when he changed me. I had been dead for just a few moments; I saw a light and I reached out towards it. I think I nearly touched heaven before I was yanked back from it into this dark world again.”

Isabella felt pity for this heavenly creature.

“I can end it for you—I can send you back towards that light,” Isabella stated.

“No, not yet, I believe I was brought back for a reason and I will not leave until that reason has presented itself.”

“You are brave,” Isabella stated.

“No not really.”

Isabella turned to leave.

“Will you ever come back to him?” Olya asked.

“Never. I can’t.”

“I see only blackness ahead for all us if you do not,” Olya answered.

“Blackness is not just our future, it is our present, as well.”

“This life is not so black for me and it need not be for you.”

“Do you have to feed?” Isabella asked.

“No, I don’t have to kill.”

“You are a wonderment; can I touch you? I want to see if you are really real.”

“You can.” As Isabella touched Olya’s hand an energy surged through her. She recognised it. It was the feeling she had felt when Nicolae, Charlotte and Vincente died. Isabella did not want to let go but Olya pulled back her hand. “You must let go—it exhausts me.”

Isabella let go, not wanting to cause Olya any pain.

“Isabella, if you don’t want to see him you should leave now, for he is near.”

“Thank you,” Isabella stated.

Isabella turned to leave and as she was just about to go out the door with Anna behind her, Olya called after her. “Try to forgive him, Isabella. He loves you and he knows he hurt you greatly, but he is truly penitent.”

Isabella smiled back at this angelic creature. “Do you know what your name means?”

“Yes, it means a holy one.”

Isabella looked at Olya. A serenity surrounded her. Isabella felt as if she had been touched by an angel. She shut the door behind her and left the castle. As she walked down through the woods with Anna to the village below she saw Vlad on a horse galloping up towards the castle. Each was struck still by the presence of the other. Vlad and Isabella gazed upon each other’s faces for the first time in half a century.

“Who is that?” Anna asked.

“No one,” Isabella answered. “Come on, Anna, I better make sure you get safely home.” The horse that was carrying Vlad veered away and galloped on. Isabella also journeyed on, neither one of them taking the time to glance back at the other.

Isabella made sure Anna was safely home and then left to look for Leila.

Vlad had held Leila back from Abraham the night she was wounded; he knew she was going to kill him. He should have stopped her months ago but his old nature made him reluctant. But Vlad knew that he must try to save Abraham, for if he did not Isabella would be hurt and he had hurt her enough. He watched with a firm grip on Leila that night. He was standing behind her. She had wanted to strike out at Abraham since he had arrived to meet Isabella. Leila knew by the way Isabella was looking at him that she felt great affection for him. She had been about to run towards Abraham when Vlad had wrenched her back.

“Where do you think you are going?” Vlad asked.

“Let me go,” Leila screamed.

“No,” Vlad shouted. “You have caused her enough harm.”

“Not nearly enough,” Leila screamed. Leila was struggling trying to get loose from his strong grip but it was useless.

“Stop struggling; it is pointless.” Vlad said, for he was much stronger than Leila.

“You can’t hold me forever.”

“Maybe not, but I can break your arms and legs. That should slow you down,”

Vlad had never been to close to Abraham. In fact that evening was the closest he had ever been. He was watching the pair and as Abraham stood to leave he turned directly towards Vlad. Vlad now facing him for the first time was amazed. He saw what he knew were his own son’s eyes staring back at him. Vlad started to laugh and let go of Leila.

“Go, Leila, try and kill him,” Vlad said. Leila pounced on Abraham and Vlad saw her shrink back when some of his blood splashed onto her skin. He saw the realisation on Isabella’s face as she discovered Abraham was a Dhampir. After a few minutes Leila stood and began to run away, but she did not get very far. Vlad stopped her.

“So for once you have felt what the Dhampir’s blood feels like.”

“Leave me alone,” Leila shouted.

“It is quite fitting that you have ended up this way—that scar will never heal.”

“Stop it, let me go!”

“I will let you go, but she won’t,” Vlad pointed to Isabella. “Now that she has a Dhampir’s blood she will be relentless in the pursuit of you.”

Isabella had turned the tables on Leila; she was now chasing her. She had easily tracked her down. Leila was not as cautious as Isabella was about covering her tracks. The path Leila took was littered with abandoned bodies. Leila’s scar was as prominent as it ever was. Isabella confronted Leila for what she hoped was the final time.

“Leila,” Isabella called out. Leila was chilled to the bone when she saw Isabella. She knew Vlad’s prediction was about to become true. Leila shrank back from her. She wanted to hold on to her pathetic existence, miserable though it was.

“Get away from me!” she yelled.

“You are finally scared of me,” Isabella said. Leila was by now running from Isabella. Isabella chased her and within seconds caught her. She had always been faster and stronger than Leila. Isabella tripped Leila and she fell onto the dirt.

“I am not afraid of you,” Leila said very nervously, jumping back onto her feet, trying to show Isabella that she still had some courage left. Isabella pulled Leila close to her so that she could see her own reflection in Isabella’s eyes.

“You should be, you should have always been.” Isabella placed a drop of the Dhampir’s blood in her eye. As soon as the blood touched Leila’s eye it was petrified and the skin that surrounded it hardened into a callus.

Leila wrestled free from Isabella’s grip and screamed out, “Are you going to torture me?”

“Should I torture you? Should I let you live, only to slowly and painfully take your life bit by bit?” Isabella lunged at Leila again and took another drop and placed in it in the other eye, blinding Leila completely.

“Why?” Leila shouted.

“You ask me why? You killed Charlotte, you tried to kill Abraham and you killed Vilem, one of my kin.”

“You killed me,” Leila shouted back.

“I didn’t do a good enough job; I should have made sure I had finished you off.”

“Well, make sure you don’t make that mistake twice—finish me.” Leila was crawling around on the ground, feeling for Isabella. Isabella knew she did not want to grant Leila the peace that she had witnessed, which every other Vampire had gained when they had left this world.