The Vengeance of the Vampire Bride (16 page)

“Whoever they are, I am sure Adem can
handle them,” Magda assured me. “He did well against the Brides of
Dracula.”

I felt a pang of guilt ripple through
me. I had yet to release my vampire sisters from the castle and had
no real desire to do so until I was further away. I was uncertain
as to whether or not I could even properly wield the power that
Vlad had bestowed upon me. That I was leaving them to starve as
Vlad had done in the past gnawed upon my already frayed nerves. I
was already quite bad tempered and increasingly hungry.

Eyeing Katya, I pondered drinking from
her, but reconsidered. It was important that I maintain some
distance from the girl. I had acted impulsively when I had brought
her along. I had been incensed when her father had bartered with
her body and life like common goods. It was a bitter reminder of
how my own family had sought to marry me off to a man of power and
wealth. Perhaps I was doing her no favors by arranging for her to
have shelter and employment in Astir’s haven, but I had pushed
myself into a corner from which I did not know how to extract
myself.

As if sensing my attention, Katya
opened her eyes to gaze upon me. Slowly, she tilted her head,
offering.

Magda slapped her soundly. “Do not
tempt the Mistress!”

“Magda, let her be. She can’t help
herself,” I said peevishly. “I will not be feeding from her and she
knows it.”

With her hand pressed to her stinging
cheek, Katya sulked. Even in the gloom I could see the tears
glimmering in her eyes.

Magda sat back in her seat, but did not
remove her gaze from the young blond woman. She did not have to
utter words for me to know she disapproved of Katya.

The driver of the carriage barked out
an order and the carriage swerved. I grabbed hold of the safety
strap to keep myself from falling to the floor as Katya let out a
cry. The carriage left the road, wheels clattering onto
cobblestones.

Peering out the window, I saw we were
pulling up to an inn. The building was several stories tall with a
peaked roof and plain walls painted golden yellow. Lights burned in
the windows and the front door swung open as the carriage
approached. An unusually tall figure stepped out of the doorway and
several men followed behind.

“Astir,” I breathed with relief. I had
truly thought I had seen the last of him on this journey. If there
were unknown enemies pursuing us, I felt safer with the fallen
angel at my side. I had seen him impressively wield his powers
against a dhamphir.

“Very dangerous roads,” I heard one of
the men saying to Astir.

“That is why I rode ahead to make sure
I could find a safe haven for my wife,” Astir replied.

The carriage clattered to a stop, and
the horses whinnied as it rocked back and forth. Katya peeked out
of the window as Magda collected my traveling case.

Two young men hurried to open the
carriage door and lower the step. They were clad in simple white
shirts and trousers, but their matching waistcoats were ornately
embroidered along the hem.

“Come, come,” one of them
said.

“Excuse me,” Astir said, reaching past
them. “Darling, let us get inside where it is safe.”

“The gypsies are not to be trusted,”
the rotund man at Astir’s side declared. I was inclined to believe
he was the innkeeper by the way he motioned for the other two men
to gather our bags.

I took hold of Astir’s hand and he
helped me down. He wrapped his arm possessively about my shoulders
and escorted me quickly across the courtyard to the doorway of the
inn.

“I’m so glad you got here safely,
darling. The guards did well protecting you,” Astir said, lightly
squeezing my shoulder.

“I am so glad you found us
shelter.”

Magda and Katya trailed behind us as
the proprietor hurried ahead down a narrow hallway that led past a
small parlor and dining room.

“Please come down and eat a good dinner
once you have freshened up. My wife is a very good cook,” he
said.

“Wadim, my wife is considerably
delicate and the journey has tired her,” Astir answered. “Could you
send a meal to our room?”

“Yes, of course! I will see to it
immediately!” Wadim scampered away as his men brought in our
traveling cases.

I played along with Astir, leaning
heavily against him as we hurried up the narrow stairway to the
floors above. There was an urgency about him that unsettled me. It
occurred to me that I had not seen Adem and the guards when we had
arrived at the inn.

The room we entered was plain with
white walls, a simple bed with a colorfully embroidered coverlet, a
dressing table and chair, and small wardrobe.

“Sit,” Astir ordered, hurrying to the
window.

“What is wrong?” I demanded as Magda
shut the door.

Katya promptly sat on the bed,
pouting.

Magda tugged her off and shoved her
toward the chair.

“We are being followed,” Astir
responded.

“Adem made the same proclamation. Who
is following us?” I perched on the edge of the bed and tugged off
my gloves.

Astir stood near the window, watching
the road. The moonlight played along his curls making them glint
like gold. His eyes were once more fires within his lovely face.
“There may be more than one band of men following us. The first I
suspect is led by Katya’s dear father.”

“I am not going back with him!” Katya
cried out.

“Oh, be quiet, silly girl,” Magda
snapped. “The Mistress will do with you as she pleases.”

Astir threw a dangerous look in Katya’s
direction, and she fell into obedient silence.

“And the second group?”

“My dear countess, the other may be
much more dangerous.”

“Who is it?” I demanded.

“Uncertain. But there are many who
dislike your husband, so it could be one of his foes. Or, it could
merely be bandits or gypsies desiring to rob us.” He shrugged. “It
is best to be cautious in this land. It is a dangerous
country.”

“But you are more than mortal. Why
should we fear? I can see you are afraid by the set of your
shoulders,” I pointed out.

Astir leaned against the wall, folded
his arms over his chest, and gazed upon me with amusement. “I don’t
fear for myself. I fear for your delicate little self. Despite all
your power, you do not know how to control it and use it to defend
yourself. At least, not yet. Therefore, I must see to your
immediate safety.”

“I am learning to fight,” I answered
defensively. Of course, I had packed my daggers instead of wearing
them for the sake of comfort on the long journey. I now realized
the folly of this action. If we were not being pursued by mere
mortals, but more dangerous creatures, the daggers would be a good
defense.

“Yes, so I was told.”

There were heavy footsteps upon the
stairs and Astir strode swiftly to the doorway. His eyes blazed for
an instant, then he wrenched it open. Adem hurriedly stepped
inside.

“The men that followed us for most of
today were Katya’s father and men in his employ. Enre witnessed
Toma meeting with a second group of men he could not identify. Toma
was given money and turned back. The strangers - three men -
continued on. Enre followed them until just after nightfall when
they were joined by another man. A man who appeared in the blink of
an eye.”

I gasped in fear. I remembered far too
well the dhamphir vampire hunter who had inflicted terrible pain
upon me when he had tried to kill me in Buda, who was able to
shroud himself in darkness like a vampire.

“Did Enre recognize the mysterious
newcomer?” Astir demanded.

“He did not. But he also described the
men as wearing black cloaks and hats that hid their
faces.”

Astir’s mouth tensed, but he did not
speak.

“They will be here shortly,” Adem said,
his gaze straying to me. “We must protect her.”

“I will meet with them and determine if
they are a threat,” Astir decided. “We do not want to be hasty and
insult one of the powers that be.”

A ruckus outside the door startled
us.

Adem quickly drew his sword. “They’re
here!”

Astir drew himself up to his full
height, his eyes burning fires. Magda and Katya rushed to my side.
Holding their hands, I retreated to the corner near the
window.

The door burst open and Enre was hurled
across the room into the far wall. He moaned with pain as Magda and
Katya rushed to him. A dark figure stepped into the room clad
entirely in black, a wide-brimmed hat obscuring its face. For a
moment, I feared it was Vlad, but the man tilted his chin and I saw
a meaty, swarthy face beneath the brim.

“Where is Vlad Dracula?” the stranger
demanded in a gravelly voice.

Astir stepped forward, his height
imposing and his features fiercely set in a scowl. “How dare you
burst in! This is uncalled for!”

“Where is Vlad Dracula?” the man
repeated.

“He is not here,” I said, finding my
voice.

The glowing red eyes of the man
narrowed upon me. “Countess Dracula?”

“I am Countess Dracula. Who are you?”
My voice was raw with anger and fear. I longed for my silver
daggers as I stared at the man filling the doorway with his
menacing presence.

Adem and Astir stood between us, yet
the man gave them no notice. His thick lips turned up slightly as
he regarded me.

“I am Chamuka of House Baatar,” the man
growled, his gloved hand drawing a wickedly curved blade from his
belt.

The significance of this introduction
was lost to me, but I saw Astir and Adem exchange a quick
glance.

“You have no business here.” Astir
stepped directly before me.

“I have come to strike off the head of
he who betrayed my Master. But if he is not here, her head will
do.” Chamuka lunged forward, his blade arcing downward.

Adem swept forward, his sword clanking
against metal.

I gasped as two dark forms hurtled
through the window. One of the figures darted toward me, a dagger
in hand. Instinctively, I dodged under the sweep of the blade and
shoved my attacker off his feet. The third assailant had lunged
toward Magda, Katya and Enre, but was now a burning pillar of fire.
I was startled by this quick turn of events. Through the flames I
saw Enre pressing Magda and Katya against the wall to protect them
from the flailing man as he dashed himself against the bed, setting
it aflame. Astir grabbed my attacker and flung him through the
window as Adem continued to battle Chamuka.

Astir plucked the burning man from the
floor and tossed him after his companion. Flames licked up along
the walls and I shrank back toward the window in fear. Astir
stretched out a long arm and grasped hold of me.

“Forgive me, Countess. I had hoped to
guide you and train you to use your powers during our journey, but
it seems that it is not to be.”

“I do not understand what is
happening!”

“An explanation awaits you in another
time,” he answered.

Behind him, I saw Enre leap over the
burning bed to join Adem in his assault against the hulking
vampire. Chamuka growled in anger as he swung his weapon, his teeth
bared to reveal great long fangs.

Astir pulled me close. “Don’t be
afraid. All shall be revealed in time.” With great flourish, he
spun me about before releasing my hand.

I gasped as I found myself standing
before the gates that opened to the Dracula Estate in Buda.
Stumbling forward, I wrapped my hands around the cold iron bars and
stared up at the ornate bronze

D
welded to the gate. Raising my
gaze higher, I saw the stars twinkling above pale gray clouds
hovering over the city. Behind me I heard a gasp, then a shrill
scream raked through the tranquility of the night. Whipping about,
I saw Katya collapse to the ground, still shrieking. Magda’s
shocked expression gave way to exasperation and she flung herself
at the girl.

“Silence!” she ordered, clutching
Katya’s shoulders and shaking her. “We are safe now!”

My gait was unsteady as I approached
them. I had experienced Astir’s power to deliver me from his haven
to my home before, but I was shaken to the core by the great
distance he had transported me. To suddenly be in Buda and before
the burned remains of the home I had shared with Vlad Dracula was a
shock to my senses.

“Where is Astir?” I wondered. “And the
others?”

“Battling that creature, I suppose.”
Magda coughed. The smell of the fire still clung to our clothing
and the two mortal women were covered in perspiration from the
heat.

I was stunned by the attack upon us.
That Vlad would have such vicious enemies did not surprise me, but
I had never considered that my own life could be in peril due to
his dealings. I chastised myself for not being properly armed, but
I was a bit proud of how I had deflected the attack against
me.