"He stood there for quite a while. He seemed to forget that you were even there, limp in his arms, unaware of what had just happened around you, because of you. I think he would have stayed there forever had the sun not risen. We both had to leave as the sun slowly appeared and a fresh snow began to fall. He returned to the bridge every night for months after that and would stare over the edge. After a while, he slowly stopped looking for her."
"Liar!" she yelled. "How could you say that? Why are you telling me this?" she asked.
"I hate your father," he said, grabbing her by the arms and looking into her eyes. "I know he would never tell you the truth."
"If you hate him so much, how can I ever know if what you say is truth?" she asked.
"You can't," he said, releasing her. "If you ask him, I am sure he will not deny it."
"Why do you hate him?" she asked.
"He would not give you to me," he said. "While you were still but a girl, he began seeking a mate for you. I made him a fantastic offer, making my entire pack quite vulnerable to him, in exchange for your hand when you were old enough. Instead of respectfully choosing someone else, he said that he would never allow his blood to mix with that of a mongrel breed. Even though, if it were not for this mongrel, he would not have you at all."
"You are positing more questions than you are answering," she said.
"My grandmother was a human," he explained. "Our race was blessed many centuries ago with the ability to change by the light of the full moon into that of the wolf. But as the years passed, our numbers dwindled, and we were under threat from humans and your kind. We needed to be able to change more often.
"My grandfather tried something radical: he approached the village elders and promised that if they would willingly give him their most beautiful daughter, he and the rest of the lycan would no longer attack the village. Of course, he did not tell them that he had already made a bargain with Vincent, giving Vincent complete control over the village in exchange for peace between the lycan and nosferatu.
"At first, the humans did not agree, but my grandfather was quite a persuasive man. Eventually, one night, the humans tied the girl to a post at the edge of town. My grandfather took her away as his wife. Unfortunately, the human blood seemed to weaken our abilities. My mother can hardly shift at all. After she was born, my grandparents had no other children; the experiment seemed a failure.
"After she married another of our kind, though, something amazing happened. I was born, and I had abilities beyond what anyone could have imagined. I can shift any night after the sun sets, no matter the phase of the moon. Even during the day, I am stronger, quicker, and more aware of my surroundings than any human or lycan. What that means for the next generation, one can only dream. I now have many brothers and sisters, all more powerful than our parents or grandparents.
"When Vincent heard about our success, he married your mother. Nosferatu cannot breed with each other. I suppose they had never tried breeding with humans before we lycan tried and succeeded."
"So, I am just my father's great experiment?" she asked. "I am a weak, half-nosferatu, but my children with Sebastian will be…what? Nosferatu who can walk in the sun and …" she pulled her rosary out of her pocket, "…and can hold a cross or not be burned by holy water?"
Her head started to spin. If this was all true, then her whole life was a lie. Everything she believed was wrong. Every action she had taken to fulfill her father's wishes was leading to the destruction of the human race. Father James was right. Her father was the devil. And what was she? Only a pawn in his scheme?
Xavier nodded. "I can't tell you what goes on in that man's head. I can only tell you what I believe. And I believe that overrunning the world with powerful little nosferatu is his dream, and Sebastian's."
"I should have died that day in the sun," she lamented, turning away from him.
"Is that truly so?" he asked, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Your mother gave up a part of her humanity, indeed her life, for you. Was her life given in vain?"
"Such a waste," she said, looking at all that was left of her mother's short life.
"I am sorry to hear that," Xavier said as he turned to walk away from her. "I have told you what I know, though I am sad it has not brought you peace. The sun will be rising soon. We should go."
"Wait," she said. "You said that your kind was not supposed to be attacking the village anymore, but you had been attacking it again – that is why I was chained to the pole that night. Why did you break your grandfather's promise?"
"That," he said slowly, "I promised to someone else to keep secret."
She scoffed and crossed her arms. "After all this?" she asked. "After telling me all this to get some sort of revenge on my father for insulting you? This you keep from me?"
"Well," he said with a smirk on his face, "Jessenda gave me such an amazing night with her to keep her role in that secret…" his voice trailed off as he remembered Jessenda's smooth skin and delicious taste. "But she didn't tell me the girl at the post was going to be you. Had I gone through with it, Vincent would have slaughtered my pack with ease."
"Jessenda wanted me dead," Victoria realized.
"Yes," Xavier acknowledged. "I did not realize who you were at first. I was misled. But as soon as I saw you, even before I saw the amulet, I knew something was not right."
"You are not to be trusted," Victoria said to him. "You have told me awful things tonight. How can I know what is true? You have betrayed Jessenda, you have betrayed my father, and you have gone against your forefather's commands. You are loyal to no one. How can I believe you?"
"I am loyal to my people," Xavier retorted. "I would do anything to protect them."
"You have wasted my time," she said. "My family could be dead and I have been here talking to you."
"You are free to believe what you want," Xavier said. "Only the body lying on the ground there knows the truth. You can forget everything I have told you if you wish. If your father does defeat the slayer, I hope you enjoy your life with Sebastian. You will certainly bear him powerful offspring. Nosferatu that can roam about in the daytime will certainly be a boon for your kind. As for the humans, well at least they still have hope of an afterlife, unlike our cursed souls."
"Why are we cursed?" she asked him. "What have we done? It is not our fault."
"Maybe not your fault. Maybe not mine," he said. "You and I were born this way. But as for your father, this life was his choice. You might not believe me, but know this: your father is not a victim except of his own ambition. He chose a long life on this earth because he was only going to hell after it. He was a murderer in his mortal life and is a devourer of souls in this one."
"What am I to do?" she asked. "All my life is a lie, and death is no release. What am I to do? I can linger no longer! I must return. What am I to do?" She started to panic.
"Listen to me," he said, grabbing her and holding her steady. "Whether or not you believe me, there is a slayer of both of our kinds in our midst. Now is the time to act. Return to your father and ask him for the truth. I don't care if he knows I told you. Deliver my message to Calmet. Maybe, just maybe, we will live another night. Hold on to me."
She put the amulet and the sword-shaped pin in her pocket and grabbed his neck. He was strong and fast. In only a moment, he was up the rope. Once she was on solid ground, she felt the urge to run; whether she was running toward the truth or only into more lies, she did not know. She did not say goodbye to Xavier. She ran through the gate and slammed it shut. She did not stop at the horses. She ran as fast as she could to the castle door, which was unlocked. She ran inside and slammed the door behind her on the low, dark moon.
21
Victoria looked around the great entry room and listened for signs of life; she heard nothing. She walked to the stairwell and was about to go up when she noticed a pile of ashes at the bottom of the stairs and a sharp, wooden stake lying in it. It was more like a pile of dust, and she most likely
would not have noticed it if it had not been in so conspicuous a place. She bent down to get a better look. Her light breathing made a few of the ashes move, revealing a gold chain. She reached down and picked it up. As she raised it from the ashes, she began to recognize it. She was sure it was the gold necklace that Helena always wore. The cloisonné rose charm that appeared last out of the ashes confirmed it. She sighed and blew the ashes from the necklace. Part of her was saddened by the loss of Helena. Victoria always thought that if she could save any of the women, she would save Helena.
She looked around the room for more signs of the carnage that must have taken place while she was gone. She saw no more piles of ash, nor any bodies of humans. She was unsure whether or not that was a good sign. This was the second of her kind that Calmet had killed. She was alone and vulnerable. She picked up the stake from Helena's ashes, putting it in her belt for protection. She headed up the stairs and listened for sounds in the dark to lead her in the way she should go.
When she reached the top of the stairs, only a deadly silence surrounded her. She looked down both halls, but she did not know which way to go. The last place she had seen her father was in the library, so she turned to the right and headed that way. She walked as cautiously and quietly as possible. The hallway got longer and darker with each step she took. She sensed she was not alone and started to feel afraid. She heard something like the flutter of fabric. She turned around and Sebastian stepped out of the shadows.
"Sebastian!" she cried. She did not realize how loudly she spoke until she heard her voice echo down the empty hall. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth.
"Shh!" Sebastian said. He took her by the hand and led her to one of the rooms that lined the long corridor. He closed the door quietly behind them.
"Sebastian!" she whispered when they were safely in the room. "What is going on? Where is everyone? What happened to Helena?"
"Your father is a fool," he said to her. "He has underestimated the slayer. I fear that all of our kind who stay in this place will be dead before sunrise. You must come with me; we must flee before it is too late." He grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her toward the door.
"Wait," she said pulling away from him. "Now? We cannot flee. Morning will be here soon. Where are we to go in such a short while?"
"Your father has an old coach I took the liberty of preparing. We can use it; its shades are dark enough to protect us. The slayer brought two horses, we can use them. We must go." He tried pulling her out once again.
"No, Sebastian, I cannot leave without talking to my father."
"There is no time," he said.
"Then go without me."
"No!" he screamed and grabbed both her arms.
She pulled one arm loose and punched him in the cheek. It probably hurt her fist more than it hurt his face, but it enraged him nonetheless. She was able to use his shock to pull her other arm free and run behind a large wing-back chair.
"Just go without me," she said again. "I mean nothing to you. You can escape."
"I have put far too much effort into this charade to go home with nothing," he said as he lunged at her. He was in a half-transformed state. His fangs showed, he was dark in color, his hair and eyes were wild.
She ran to the other side of the room behind a table. "Please, Sebastian," she begged. "Please just go. Don't do this. Just leave and we may both survive this night."
"I will have you one way or another!" Sebastian growled as he leapt at her again.
She ran from behind the table, but he was too quick. He grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her back. She grabbed a candlestick with the other and bashed it across his head as he whirled her around.
He let go of her and yelled in pain as he put his hands to his temple. "You damn slut!" he yelled at her.
She tried to make her way to the door, but she tripped on a rug that had become wrinkled as they ran around the room and lost her balance. He opened his eyes and saw her lying on the floor. She heard him take a step toward her, so she rolled over to face her attacker. She pulled the wooden stake out of her belt and held it firmly in front of her chest.
In the darkness and confusion, along with his head injury, he did not see that she held a weapon out in front of her. As he attempted to pounce on her, she screamed out, hoping her father or someone would come to help her. She heard the door to the room open just as Sebastian reached his target and jumped on her. But as he landed, the stake she was holding ran into his chest.
He looked down at her in disbelief. She could not move or look him in the eye, but she did hear him utter one last groan. She felt his heavy body go limp on top of her. She could not breathe under his weight, but then she felt his body lighten as ashes crumbled around her. She moved and what was left of Sebastian's corpse completely dissolved. She sat up and saw the ashes fall from her clothes. She let go of the stake and it too fell to the floor.
She rolled over and looked at the doorway. She paused when she saw Ethan standing there. "Please, leave me," she begged him.
Ethan stood in disbelief at the scene. Could she really have just killed one of her own kind? Why would she do that?
"I just…I thought I heard a struggle," he stammered. He looked around the room and back into the hall, then back at her. "I was looking for Calmet." He looked at the pile of ashes. It was becoming a familiar sight. She had actually done it. He took a step into the room to get a closer look and figure out what had happened.
"Stop!" she screamed, holding up one of her hands to halt his movement. "Please don't kill me yet." He stopped and just looked at her. "Please, not yet," she continued. "I'm not ready."
He looked at the fear in her eyes. He remembered the pain he had caused her. The tears and sadness he had already created on her face. She was sure he was going to kill her. How did they come to this?
"I am not going to kill you, Victoria," he finally said softly. "I don't even know what I am doing here." He turned away from her and shut the door.
She sat for a moment, afraid he was going to come back. She looked at the ashes on the floor. Her father was going to be furious. She didn't know what to do. There was nowhere she could go – the sun would soon rise and Calmet was looking to kill her. Just for a moment, all she could do was lay her head against the wall and close her eyes. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves.
After a few minutes, she got up and walked to the door. She carefully stepped around the ashes; it seemed wrong to step on them. She reached down and picked up the stake. She put it back in her belt and placed an ear to the door to listen for any sounds on the other side. Once she was sure no one was there, she opened the door, slipped out into the hallway, and looked for the others. Even though she feared what her father would do to her when he found out what she had done, she had to find him. She had to talk to him.
She walked down the hallway back toward the room where Ethan had been thrown out the window. She cracked the door open and, even though there was very little light, she saw the broken window. She surveyed the room and saw another pile of ashes. Victoria was sure it was Tessa. She closed the door and continued down the hall. Vincent had to have been aware of their deaths. Why was he allowing Calmet to wander the castle, killing them at will?
At the end of the hall, she had no luck finding the others. She went back toward the main staircase to ascend higher into the castle. When she stopped at the next floor, she could hear nothing, so she decided not to look there. She continued up the stairs.
When she reached the next floor, she could not hear anything, but she could sense a presence nearby. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They were there. She could tell that her father was somewhere nearby, and the humans too. She headed down the hall, stopping at each door, placing her hand on them to get a better idea if anyone was on the other side. She arrived at one room that was rarely used due to its huge size and could sense the presence of a nosferatu on the other side of the door. She cracked the door very slowly.
> "Hello?" she called softly, nearly in a whisper. The room was quite dark except for a few candles and some moonlight seeping in under the heavy drapes. She opened the door a little wider. She thought she heard a low growl as she stepped into the room. "Jessenda?" she said.
"Shh!" Jessenda said, appearing almost right in front of her. Victoria quickly shut the door.
"Finally!" Victoria said, trying to sound relieved she had found her, although she wished it had been anyone but Jessenda. "I have been looking everywhere for you and Father. Where is he?"
"I don't know," Jessenda replied, walking away from her. She walked over to a table and poured herself a glass of wine. She offered a glass to Victoria. Victoria just shook her head. "As far as I know, you have not eaten for days," Jessenda continued. "You need to keep your strength up."
"I couldn't possibly right now," Victoria said. "You really have no idea where Father is?"
"No, we were separated after Helena was killed. Calmet went after Vincent and I went to find Tessa, but it was too late." She finished her glass. "I am sure Calmet is dead by now, though. I don't know why I still feel so nervous. That boy could not have survived that fall. We should be safe. Why do I feel so anxious?"
"I won't feel safe until I know where Father is," Victoria replied. "What about Sebastian?" she casually asked.
"That coward," Jessenda replied. "I have not seen him since Calmet arrived. He already sent his girls home yesterday. I would not be surprised if he snuck out. I would think that Vincent would have better…" her voice trailed off and she suddenly raised her head.
At first Victoria thought Jessenda heard something, so she turned her head toward the door and listened. She did not hear anything, so she looked back at Jessenda, who was staring at her so intently she looked entranced.
The Vampire's Daughter Page 20
