Lord of the Vampires (39 page)

* * *

30 OCTOBER.

Today we set foot upon the
Czarina Catherine
at last. As feared, we had come too late; the box had already been taken, but we managed to speak with the captain, an amicable and forthcoming Scotsman. The box, he said, had caused such consternation among his Roumanian crew that it would have been thrown overboard were it not for his intervention. He cheerfully produced the receipt, which showed that it had been recovered by an Immanuel Hildesheim, Burgen-strasse 16.

Blessedly, Hildesheim was in his office and, after a bit of
baksheesh
, directed us to a Petrof Skinsky, a businessman involved in shipping from upriver to the port. Hildesheim had turned the box over to Skinskywho, unfortunately, we could not find at his address. As we were leaving, however, one of his neighbours came running out of a house, crying that Skinsky had been found murdered, with his throat torn out.

When we returned home this evening, discouraged, Madam Mina looked over our notes, and in her logical, precise manner wrote down a series of deductions concerning Vlads whereabouts. She then read them to us, and I summarise them here:

Since Vlad had chosen Skinsky as agent, it only makes sense that he arranged to have the box shipped upriver, such being Skinskys primary business.

Now, the Danube meets two rivers leading to Transylvania, the Pruth and the Sereth; of these, only the Sereth flows into the Bistritsa Riverwhich runs near .the Borgo Pass!

Here is our plan: Arthur will obtain a steam launch, and he and Jonathan will follow the vampire by boat. (In secrecy, we agreed that Harker would not travel with me, as I would be too imperiled; Lord Godalming is less at risk, and knows to take precautions around him. At any rate, he will also have Arkadys invisible presence to protect him.) Quincey and John will pursue on horseback along the riverbank, in case Vlad makes a sudden decision to come ashore, whilst Madam Mina and I take the train to Veresti, and from there travel by land directly to the castle.

Our hope is that Elisabeth will not follow myself and Mina to the castle (nor Zsuzsanna, who will guide us through the forest, and knows Vlads lair best of all). As long as Elisabeth does not possess the first key, and thus no knowledge of the fifth line, she will stay close to Vlad, with the intent of destroying him and obtaining the second key.

Once we dispatch the Impaler, however, the question arises: How shall we then destroy
her
, who is so powerful?

Arminius, be not far!

Chapter 18

Dr. Sewards Diary

5 NOVEMBER.

Six days riding, in falling snow and bitter coldand always with a faint sense that behind us, just beyond my peripheral eyesight, follows a great darkness, that darkly glittering indigo that I have come to dread. Quince knows it, too, for late last night when we made camp and were sitting round the fire, he said softly: Can you feel it, Jack?

I nodded, and as quietly as I could said, Elisabeth.

At this he gave silent assent, and we have spoken no more of it. It means the professors assumption is right; she is not so powerful yet that she can travel upon the river, and board Draculas boat whenever she lists. I am glad she chose to follow us, and not the professor. That was my greatest concern, that she would pursue and kill him, then board the ship and remove the key from a box filled with Vlads rotting remains. Perhaps she fears that we would obtain the key before her, and with our talismans keep her at bay forever.

She is wise to do so.

Just after dawn nowa grey sky, lightly falling snow. I woke to Quinces hand upon my shoulder, and the distant sight of the
tsiganis
big leiter-wagon, flanked by a small army of gypsies, hurrying away from the shore. Quince has the horses ready now: we follow!

* * *

The Diary of Abraham Van Helsing

5 NOVEMBER, MORNING.

In Veresti, I procured a carriage and a fine team of horses, and enough provisions to last us a minimum of ten days. With our blankets and fur wraps, Madam Mina and I were quite comfortable, and took turns driving whilst the other slept; I sensed Zsuzsanna following at a respectable distance, lest she frighten the horses. Travelling day and night with a few stops to refresh the animals, we reached the Borgo Pass by dawn, 3 November.

By that time, Madam Mina was becoming more vampiric, sleeping during the day and becoming lively at night, and giving up altogether her little diary.

By yesterday, we had reached the perimeters of Vlads castlethough we camped a slight distance away. I would not take Madam Mina inside, for the closer she drew to it, the more she fell under its spell; thus, whilst she rested, I inscribed round her a magical circle, and sealed it with the Host. This she could not cross, even when I asked her to do so, so I was satisfied as to her safety therein.

Last night it was that three vampire childrentwo boys, and a little girlappeared to us; I remembered Jonathans diary, and knew they must be the vile progeny of Zsuzsanna and Elisabeth. (No sign of Zsuzsanna at the time; perhaps she became distraught at the sight of them, or perhaps she was, in response to desperate need, out hunting for more sustenance.) Outside the circle, in the fires orange glow, they took formbeautiful, sweet, alluring, and possessed of a grotesque innocence. Madam Mina and I were safely ensconced within our circle, and there we remained. I could not bear to look at them, thinking of my little Jan; I looked instead at Minas face, and was deeply relieved to find there horror and disgust.

At dawn today, I rose, leaving Madam Mina trapped and protected within the circle, and headed for the castle. (Where Zsuzsanna was, she had not said, though we had agreed that she would serve as scout, to alert us when Dracula and Elisabeth approached. The cold morning air was peculiarly electric; this was the day, I knew. This was the day)

It was a sad, sad duty that lay before me, in the Impalers lair; I had been inside this castle two decades earlieronce, in a failed and tragic attempt to rescue my adoptive brother; another time, to murder the foul creature that my poor little Jan had become. Each dark stone, each decay-scented room, was laden with anguished memories.

Even so, I had learned many years before, when Arminius taught me the painful art of vampire-hunting, to harden my heart against emotion and approach the task with the coolest of heads. This I did when I found the lair of the three childrentwo of them nestled together, sweetly asleep in the same overlarge coffin. No pity did I have; not until I had wielded stake and knife, and saw their immortal, gleaming bodies pass into merely mortal remains. Only then did I weep for them and their mothers and fathers.

And when I had mourned them, and whispered over their resting-places a prayer for the dead as I placed in each coffin a piece of the Host, I called to mind the fifth line:

To the first return, and the castle deep within the forest.

Here I was, within the castle, but where should I begin to look for the second key? I wandered a time through each roomVlads vast throne room, with its Theatre of Death, and the inner keep wherein rested his great, lordly coffin. This I sealed with a portion of the Host. And again I roamed, examining each item in each room, looking for clues, for places where something may have been buried. I spared no one place, not even the dreadful catacombs of earth deep beneath the castlemore horrible to me even than the Theatre of Death, for more had met death down in that evil cellar, and more had suffered there a long imprisonment. And so many hundredsperhaps thousandsare buried there that I could hear their bones still crying out in agony.

It was late afternoon when I emerged empty-handed and perplexed, and as I headed down the slope towards our little encampment, Zsuzsanna appeared before me, so abruptly that it gave me a start.

Her dark eyes were ablaze, her pale skin aglownot with any magical glamour, but with pure anticipation.

They come, she said. They come, and Elisabeth follows!

Thoughtlessly, I reached out and grasped her arms dropping my hands only when she recoiled and winced in pain. Dracula comes?

The
tsigani
bring his box in their great wagon many of them, surrounding it and bearing arms.

And of our party?

All of them! They follow on horseback and Elisabeth follows
them
. Just as suddenly, she disappeared.

I ran swiftly down to where Madam Mina stood inside the circle, waving her arms at me with unabashedly joyous excitement. Doctor! she cried. Dr. Van Helsing! We must hurry. And she pointed to the east. My husband is coming!

Her words evoked within me similar excitementand also a certain unease, for she was mentally linked not to Jonathan, but Vlad; to which was she referring? But her joy was so innocent, and her eyes so purelike those of our Madam Mina of oldthat I smiled, and recollected the pieces of Host from the snow, freeing her.

So we struggled together down the steep slope that faced the east, I carrying furs and rugs and provisions, until the castle stood high above us against the clouded sky. I found a hollow worn within a great rock nestled into the mountainside; this I lined with furs and enclosed within a circle, again sealed with the Host, and settled Madam Mina comfortably inside.

Beneath us wound the roadway leading upward to the castle. From my pocket, I produced a pair of field-glasses; though a hard wind had suddenly picked up, and the light, constant snow began to swirl, I made out the dark figures of the
tsigani
riding alongside the leiter-wagonat such a furious pace that the wagon swerved dangerously from side to side, coming very close to knocking some of the accompanying horsemen from the roadway.

Suddenly, from the north, I saw two dark figures on horseback rapidly approaching the gypsies and, with a cry of gladness, recognised Quincey Morris great Stetson white, but not so white as the swirling snow. Thank God! I cried, relieved that they and not Jonathan Harker would be first to approach the wagon, and lowered the field-glasses to pass them to my excited companion. Madam Mina, look!

* * *

Zsuzsanna Tsepeshs Diary

5 NOVEMBER.

I left Bram and Mrs. Harker upon the hillside, and swept down to where the fierce
tsigani
rode beside the great wooden chest. I knew I must stop them, and quickly, before Elisabeth arrived, for I could sense her nearing, waiting for the perfect moment to lay claim to the key. Thus I flew down to the roadway, perfectly invisible, and hovered between the two horses pulling the wagon. Gently, I set my palms upon dieir muzzles.

The effect was immediate: The poor frightened creatures reared at once, causing the wagon to rock crazily to one side and very nearly overturn. The driver swore, and the gypsy army reined in their mounts, who also shied at my unseen presence.

At that same instant came the thunder of approaching hooves, and a calm, steely voice shouting: Halt! I smiled, for the voice belonged to Quincey Morris; and he and John Seward came racing up like apocalyptic horsemen bent on godly vengeance. Once they had the key, their talismans would protect them from Elisabeth, and we would all escape and formulate a plan against her; I was overwhelmed with joy, for we were so close, so close to the first victory

Yet at once those clattering hooves were answered by others, as from the opposite side came Harker and Lord Godalming. Godalming struggled valiantly to overtake his companion; I could see the anguished grimace on His Lordships face as he flogged his steed to go faster, faster. But Jonathan rode with a deadly fury straight from the maw of Hell, at a speed born of immortal desperation.

Halt! cried he, with such fervent passion that even the
tsigani
looked upon him with fear. Now the gypsies were trapped between our men upon the narrow passage; and to translate their intent, Seward, Godalming, and Morris raised their Winchester rifles. (Only I noticed that Godalmings rifle was placed so that, with a very slight movement, he could quickly have Harker within his sights.)

And on the cliff above, Van Helsing stood, pointing his own rifle down at the colourful army below. Even so, the gypsies drew their knives; and their leader pointed up at the reddening sun, which now kissed the tops of the mountains. Again, I stroked the horses muzzles in order to create a helpful distraction; again, they reared.

But only one of our party took advantage of it. In a wink, Harker let go his rifle so that it hung from its strap, unsheathed his kukri, and, with inhuman daring, slashed through the wall of armed men guarding the wagon. From the opposite side, Morris did the same with his Bowie knife in an effort to reach the chestbut alas! Jonathan reached it first and, with vampiric strength, lifted the box and flung it down to the ground.

He leapt down and began to pry off the lid with his knife; Morris, who had come thus far with only a few shallow wounds upon his arms and face, jumped down as well and attacked the chests other end with his Bowie. By this time, I saw that Van Helsings aim had shifted, and Godalmings, too, in case Jonathan were to seize the key.

Soon, the lid of the box was pulled off, and there lay Vlad, helpless and exposed, eyes red with rage and the light of the sinking sun. That rage turned to triumph as the sun slipped down past the horizon

But his triumph lasted less than a second. Harkers curving knife tore through the Impalers throat, while at the same instant, Morris weapon plunged deep into the vampires heart.

The frightened
tsigani
turned their horses and raced away, abandoning the wagon. I remained and watched with bitter joy as the body dissolved at once into dust: mere dust, lifted by the swirling wind to expose beneath a small golden key.

It lay closest to Morris, who swooped down for it; at once, Harker moved forward and embraced him, as if in celebration. But as he pulled back, I saw the bright flash of the kukri knifebloodied, as he drew it from Morris chest.