by Lucas Thorn
Moved to the coat and began rummaging. Searching for papers. She squinted at them beneath the gaslight lamp. “Holmwood. Arthur Holmwood. Do you know the name?”
“No, Miss.”
She opened the dead man’s bag. A heavy leather thing with dull wooden handle. Initials on a brass plate.
Inside, a bottle which she guessed was holy water.
Crucifix, which she flung aside with a hiss.
Change of clothes. Small wallet of folded paper money.
And a diary.
The vampire hovered in the middle of the room, turning page after page and looking more and more angry as she did.
“He came from London,” she said. “Via Paris and Munich. He was looking for us, Dimiti. He’d been sent even before Dracula left Transylvania. A man named Van Helsing sent him.”
The old man stared back at her, not sure what to say.
Dabbed a cloth to the ripped wound on his throat.
Nodded as much as it would allow.
“That’s a long way, Miss,” he said, knowing it was a lame thing to say.
“Yes, it is.” She tucked the diary into a pocket inside her coffin. “It doesn’t say if there were others with him. Or how many this Van Helsing sent.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open, Miss.”
“Are you a man of weapons? Have you had any training?”
Hesitated. “I can use a gun, if that’s what you mean.”
“But you only carried a knife.”
“There’s a shotgun on the wagon, but John never kept it clean. He weren’t a violent man at heart and hated the thing. It’s not good for anything but scaring off the occasional highwayman.”
“Are there places you might find guns in Vienna?”
“If you’ve a mind to, Miss, I know a few unsavoury types.”
“Then, as soon as you can walk, I want you to go buy what you think you need. Vasilja will give you enough to cover it.”
“How long, Miss? Until my neck heals, I mean?”
“A few days, maybe. You’ll need to wear a scarf, I should think. Given it’s still Winter, you shouldn’t attract much attention wearing one.”
“A scarf? Aye, Miss. A scarf it’ll be.”
“You don’t like scarfs?”
“I was a born traveller on roads which didn’t like my kind too much. Made me appreciate the value of not having anything around my neck. If you get my meaning.”
“I do.” She looked down at him with kinder eyes. “We have a lot in common, Dimiti. We both know what it’s like to be hunted for what we are.”
The old man said nothing.
Didn’t need to as Senka burst back into the room like a whirlwind, a tray in her hands and determination in her eye. Fierce.
A look which brought an unbidden smile to the old man’s cheeks.
A smile which left quickly as pain shot down his neck. He couldn’t yet feel anything in his chest. The man called Holmwood had stabbed between ribs with the stake. Used it like a knife.
Had belted him across the face with the hammer, too.
It had been a surreal encounter.
He’d felt his pulse sling itself along in rapid bursts and there were brief moments as he wrestled Holmwood that time seemed to be sucked into a vortex. Left him hovering between one moment to the next.
When the stake had pierced his chest, he hadn’t even noticed it.
Didn’t feel it at all.
Had been so overwhelmed by the desperate desire to protect the three Brides that he’d cared nothing for what wounds he received in exchange.
Buried the knife in Holmwood’s guts.
Felt a flash of satisfaction which left him reeling in ecstatic glee over Holmwood’s crawling form. Then he’d rolled Holmwood onto his back. And stared into those frightened eyes while strangling the last breath from the man’s body.
It had, Dimiti thought, felt incredible.
He’d never felt so alive even as he should’ve been dying from the hole in his neck.
“Here, Dimiti,” Senka was saying as she poured tea into a small orange cup. “Drink this. They said it’s their best tea. There’s none better, they said. Even the Prince comes to drink it sometimes.”
Dimiti drank.
And, though he’d never dare say it to her, thought it tasted like piss.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“As soon as his neck is healed, we leave,” Hailwic said. “To London. No more exploring. Whatever Dracula has gotten us into, we need to cut its head off.”
“Yes, Hailwic,” Vasilja sighed. “And when we find him, I really will let Senka bite him. He’s ruined my holiday.”
“This wasn’t a holiday.”
“Well, it was for me. I was even beginning to enjoy it. I wanted to go to Munich.”
“We’ll still pass through Munich.”
“Yes, but that’s not the same. We’ll be in a rush.”
“The more we stay in one place, the more likely it is they’ll find us again. We need to be more careful than ever. These people sound organised. I can’t believe they sent one man to do this. I think he was watching. He saw Dimiti leave the room and took his chance. The others won’t be so foolish, I think.”
“Senka was lucky.”
“Yes, she was.”
“It can’t happen again.” Hailwic paced the room. Fists at her sides. “We were stupid, Vasilja. Stupid. It’s been too long since we left the castle. We’ve forgotten how dangerous it is. How easy it can be to reveal what we are.”
“You’re overreacting, Hailwic.”
“The coffeehouse she went to. They have mirrors on the wall. Mirrors! And we didn’t even pay attention to them. These cursed lights. Mirrors. What if someone else noticed?”
“Really. Overreacting.”
“No, I’m not. We’ll stay away from the coffeehouses.”
“Honestly, Hailwic. Please. You really are overreacting. This is a city. People are not as religious as they used to be. Haven’t you listened? People don’t talk about God anymore. Or our Master. They talk about science. They talk about the philosophies of maths. Architecture. Poetry. I listened to a man talking about how he was analysing people’s dreams. Their dreams, Hailwic. A hundred years ago, he’d have been burned at the stake for even thinking about such a thing.”
“Can’t you see that’s even more dangerous? They’ll not settle for a stake. They’ll want proof. Evidence. They’ll cut us up. Dig around inside our bodies with their knives. Holmwood had all kinds of instruments in his bag. Take a look if you don’t believe me.”
Vasilja took the small couch by the window and shook her head. “You should hear yourself. You’re being paranoid.”
“Protective.”
“Possessive.”
“Promise me, Vasilja. I know you. You’ll test the limits of what I’m saying. But promise me you’ll be careful. Especially with Senka.”
“You can’t blame me for how she is. You can blame him. He seduced her with his Bargain. You know, she dreams about it. Dreams she’s leading armies all over Europe. Crushing them all in Lucifer’s name. I wake before her, and I hear her talking to herself.”
“We hold to the Bargain.”
“That’s rubbish, Hailwic, and you know it.” Vasilja snorted. “What have we done to achieve it? When was the last time we performed a sacrifice? Fifty years? More? Dracula has hidden in his loft for all that time. He hasn’t done a thing. And has he even heard from our Master? I’m beginning to wonder if he even cares what we’re doing now. If he gave up on us a long time ago.”
“Dracula hasn’t forgotten the Bargain. How could he?”
“I don’t know. But something changed in him after he found Senka.”
“She changed us all.”
“Not me. I haven’t changed.”
“Of course you have. Did you even dare argue with me before she arrived? You used to hide in my shadow. Like a little mouse.” Hailwic twisted her mouth. “I think I preferred you like that, sometimes.”
“Wh
at a thing to suggest.”
“Just don’t let her out of your sight. Keep her close.”
“Fine.” Vasilja waved an arm and slumped her shoulders. “I’ll put a little leash on her, if you like. You did that to me, remember?”
“It worked.”
“It was humiliating.”
“As I said,” Hailwic’s grin was malicious. “It worked.”
“Beast.”
“Mouse.” Affection in her voice.
“What did the lawyer say?”
Shake of head. “That he hasn’t heard from Dracula in months. That our finances are still doing well. He’s wants to invest in a company which is researching ways to change these cursed lights to electrical ones.”
“Electrical?” Vasilja raised an eyebrow. “That sounds exciting.”
“It’s apparently the next big thing. All the cities are investing in it. Paris. London.”
“Why doesn’t he, then? It sounds very sensible.”
“Magnin isn’t releasing the funds. He seems to think electricity is a fad. And Dracula hasn’t yet replied to letters requesting the funds to be allocated.”
“What is he doing, Hailwic? Dracula, not the lawyer.”
“I don’t know.” Pause. “I thought he was finding another Bride. But now? I’m not sure.”
Vasilja tugged at her lip, thinking.
Watching as the eldest paced.
“You said this vampire hunter was from London?”
“Yes.” Thoughtful.
“Hailwic? Do you promise not to get mad?”
Stopped rigid. Turned slowly, fists curling out into claws. “What did you do?”
“Well, nothing. I didn’t do anything at all.”
“Then what didn’t you do?”
“I might have forgotten to tell you something.”
“Forgotten.”
“Must you make this difficult?”
Hailwic flew across the room. Snarl hissing through lips. Fangs revealed in gaslight. Reached with her long arm and grabbed Vasilja tight by the dress. Pulled her out of the couch and lifted so the younger vampire’s head was brushing the ceiling.
Vasilja winced, but didn’t try to shake free.
“What haven’t you told me?”
“Hailwic, you’re really being very emotional about this. Can’t you put me down, please? Let’s talk about this like sisters.”
“Tell me!”
“He’s going to London,” Senka said from the doorway. “Dracula, I mean. Jonathan Harker had a fiancée and Vasilja thought Dracula wants to make her one of us. I think that’s silly. Isn’t three more than enough?”
Hailwic’s eyes blazed. “You knew he was going to London, and you let me wander all over Europe?”
“We’ve hardly gone anywhere,” Vasilja complained. “Vienna. That’s all. It’s not even out of our way. We’d have had to come here to go to London anyway, Hailwic.”
“You told Senka.”
“Well, I had to tell her something. You know what she’s like. She was bored. She wanted to bring the whole castle with her. And she wanted to find him, too. I just wanted you both to enjoy the journey. That’s all. We didn’t need to rush to follow him.”
“If hunters came after us, what have they sent after him? Vasilja, he might need us.”
“I didn’t know!” She put her hands around Hailwic’s wrists. “Now, please. Let me down, Hailwic. I didn’t know. I thought he was just chasing some little English girl. I thought, what’s the point in rushing to him? Let them have their moment. We’d meet her soon enough, anyway. Why shouldn’t we enjoy ourselves? And we have, haven’t we? It was fun while it lasted. I saw a recital. Senka saw the coffeehouse. You got to sneak around the city. I’m sure that was a lot of fun for you. You like sneaking.”
“She was nearly killed!”
“But, I wasn’t,” Senka said. “I’m here, you know. In the room. You don’t have to both talk about me like that. I know you both think I’m stupid. And too young. And fragile. But that’s not what I am.”
“We don’t think that about you,” Hailwic said. Looked over her shoulder. Frowned. “You’re our sister, Senka. Our youngest sister. If anything, we just want to protect you more.”
“Shelter her, you mean,” Vasilja said.
“Think before you speak.” Hailwic glared. “Don’t make things worse than they are.”
Let her go.
Vasilja, released, simply hovered where she was and rubbed at her throat.
Nodded. “Yes, Hailwic. I’m very sorry, Hailwic. I truly didn’t know.”
“That’s the only reason I don’t bite you.”
“Well, I would hope there were other reasons, too.”
“Think.” Held up a long finger. “Before you speak.”
“I want to go to London,” Senka said. “I want to find the others. The ones who hurt Dimiti. I want to find Jonathan Harker. I want to find Dracula. All of them. I want to find them. And bite them.”
“Yes, Senka,” Vasilja said. Lowered herself to the ground and drew her lips into a tired smile. Rubbed her neck. “I do think that would be for the best.”
“Then you should tell Hailwic everything.”
“I have!”
“There was another man, you said. You told me his name. A German name.”
“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Hailwic! I didn’t hide it from you this time. I just forgot is all. I mean, really forgot until just now.”
“What name?”
“Van Helsing. Jonathan Harker mentioned him a few times.”
“The name from Holmwood’s diary,” Hailwic snarled.
Vasilja flinched, not taking her hand from her throat. “Yes, well. I didn’t recognise it until just now. Thank you, Senka, for reminding me. It was most convenient. And considerate.”
“Who else?” Hailwic fumed. “Names, Vasilja. Give me all their names.”
“Well, there was also a John Seward. He’s a doctor, I think. A doctor of minds. Probably thinks dreams are very important. I think Mister Harker knew Mister Seward well, but he mentions Van Helsing quite a bit.” Sigh. “I think Van Helsing has an interest in the occult.”
“And vampires?”
“Maybe. It wasn’t mentioned specifically.”
“But probably.”
“Probably.” Winced. “You can’t blame me! Most rich men these days have an interest in the occult. It’s just something they do. Like going on long walks. It doesn’t mean they actually do anything. Just that they sit around in coffeehouses and talk about it a lot. All very boring, if you ask me. Isn’t that right, Senka?”
“Leave her out of this, Vasilja. What else?”
“Nothing much. Mostly, he wrote about his fiancée. How beautiful she was. The kinds of things he couldn’t wait to teach her. All very disgusting, of course. And he has too much of a fondness for prostitutes. And not in a positive way.”
“What was her name?”
“I don’t know, Hailwic. He seemed to visit a lot of them.”
“The fiancée!”
“There’s no need to shout. Her name was Mina. Don’t ask me to remember her last name, because I don’t.” Pause. “Murray. Her last name is Murray. Oh, and there was Quincey Morris. Something about him being an American. I don’t like him already. Jonathan didn’t like him, either. Someone called Lucy did, though. I think Lucy is John Seward’s sister. But I’m reading between the lines, I think. I can’t be sure about that. And, well, you won’t like this. But Jonathan did mention Arthur Holmwood now that I think about it, but only that he was some kind of aristocrat. Which is hard to believe. I mean, he didn’t look like an aristocrat, did he? He looked like a gypsy.”
Hailwic spun angrily, looking like she wanted to hit something. “Vasilja!”
“What?”
“How could you hide all of this?”
“All of what? It’s just the names of his friends. There was nothing in what he wrote to suggest he was hunting us. Or that anyone else was.
I only read his diary because he obviously wanted to keep it secret. I thought there had to be something interesting in it. But it was mostly boring, like I said.”
“Are you sure there wasn’t anything else?”
“That’s all there was, Hailwic. It was just the diary of a very simple man.”
“Was Jonathan interested in the occult?”
“Not very much. He seemed to find it rather entertaining. He thought of it mostly as a kind of game to play with other men.” She grinned wickedly. “We must have been something of a shock to him, I think.”
“We should have bitten him when we had the chance,” Senka said.
“Was he there to kill us? Confirm our existence?” Hailwic paced again, eyes slitted and mouth hard. “Or was he bait?”
Vasilja blinked. “Bait?”
“Transylvania is ours. It’s where we’re strongest. The further we move away from it, the weaker we become. London is as far away as they could take us. It’s even across water.”
“Dracula has gone to London.”
“They must have known we’d follow him.”
“But why try killing us here? Why not wait for us to get to London, too?”
“Maybe he thought we were taking too long. Maybe he didn’t think we’d be going to London at all.” Senka pushed her brows together, concentrating. “I saw him. In the coffeehouse. I didn’t think about him. But he was standing close when I was talking to Peter. And I was telling Peter how much I wanted to see the city. Peter asked me how long I would be here, and I told him I didn’t know. I said I wanted to stay for a year, at least. But I was only talking. I didn’t mean it. Is it my fault, Hailwic? Is it my fault that he hurt Dimiti?”
“No, Senka. It’s not your fault. It’s our fault. We’re older, and we should have known the risks. We should have been prepared.”
“There shouldn’t be any risks,” the young vampire hissed, flaring suddenly. “We’re vampires. What are humans compared to us? They’re the ones who are fragile and weak.”
“Yet, they can kill us while we sleep.”
“Not if we had an army. We need an army. Why don’t we have one?”
“Don’t be silly, Senka. If we tried to raise an army, all of Europe would rise up and kill us. There’s too many armies these days. And most of them have better guns than we could afford.”
