Diaries Of The Family Dracul - Lord Of The Vampires Part 22

Zsuzsanna Tsepesh's Diary 5 OCTOBER, CONTINUED.

Key in hand, I entered the castle in desperate flight-though where I would find refuge, I knew not. So I raced wildly from place to place, searching; searching, without knowing what it was I sought. To Vlad's throne room first, then to the room Dunya and I had shared, and the chambers I had enjoyed with Elisabeth...

At last I went to the chapel, thinking of Carfax and the "crossroads," perhaps, and that there I might find the second key, and deliver both treasures to Van Helsing's hands. Yet as I wavered there, standing amid broken coffins and ruined earth, my eyes were pained by a dazzling, overwhelming radiance-a brightness that was nonetheless dark. I recoiled, but too late; Elisabeth stood beside me, more preternaturally beautiful than I had ever seen her- and cruder. Her lips were fixed in a sneer, and her eyes- the coldness, the emptiness, the hatred in them, I shall never forget! I felt I looked upon an exquisite jewelled viper, poised to strike.

She gripped my wrist, so hard that the bone snapped at once, and I cried out in pain; at this, her smile widened. "Of the two of us," she said, "I would say time has treated me more kindly; you are looking less than lovely, my dear."

"I have better use for my power," I retorted, then cried out again as she twisted my hand completely round, and pulled back each finger one by one; grinning, she took from me the key.

A sudden brilliance shone from her bosom; she dropped the key within, then pulled forth from the same spot the gleaming white parchment. As she unfurled it, beneath the golden text another line of shining letters appeared: In the keep amidst the bones lies the woman with the golden heart; the second key.

"The bones!" she demanded, shaking my arm with near-G.o.dlike strength. "Where is the keep? Speak, my darling! You know this place better than I!"

I was powerless in her presence, and ashamed of my helplessness; when she sank her dull teeth into my shoulder and tore away fabric and flesh, I could not hold back a shriek. G.o.d, I prayed silently, or Dark One, I care not which! Do as you will-inflict on me the worst torment for all eternity, only let me stop her...

"The keep!" she shouted again, then fell silent; a look of inspiration eased the viciousness of her expression. "Yes -the place with the bones, where you took me to see Arkady... Take me there at once!"

"I will lead you," I said, "if you answer but one question for me. Who raised him?"

Her eyes narrowed. "So you have encountered him, I take it... Bah! He was a waste, a total waste of effort. You lied-you said he was intent on destroying Vlad. What good has he done me?"

"At the cost of Dunya," I remarked bitterly. "You killed her to raise him..."

She did not deny it, but cuffed me roughly, saying, "Lead! Take me now-and know that you'll pay for this insolence later. For when I become as powerful as the Dark Lord tonight, I shall treat you to the cage and the Maiden for all eternity! And you, my darling, shall be the first to witness my transformation, and my vengeance; this you have earned by your betrayal."

I knew not what else to do. So I led her back up to the castle's main entryway, for it was only by going up that we could make our way farther down to her destination. And as we pa.s.sed there, she paused as the great front door flew open, and smiled at the sight of Bram, gasping, wild-eyed, upon the threshold.

"Dr. Van Helsing," she said, with mock sweetness. "How kind of you to visit us. I'm afraid I'm distracted at the moment with one of your relatives; but fear not! I shall return to you-whether you flee by boat or train or carriage, it matters not. I will find you, and see you and yours to a disagreeable end."

And she flicked her hand at him, as a cold lady might motion a servant away; at once he fell back, mute.Bram, I told him silently, take the others and flee. You must find Arminius...

I left him there and led her deep into the castle's belly, to the dank cellar dug from earth, now thoroughly laced with the bones of the many who had died here in torment.

"The woman," Elisabeth said, her voice muted with antic.i.p.ation. "Where would be the woman with the golden heart?"

I honestly knew not. "These are mostly men," I said, gesturing down at the bone-strewn earth, "but a few are women. I cannot imagine where-"

My words were swallowed up by a mighty wind, which lifted up the packed ground and began to rotate it, until the room was filled with stinging, swirling sand. I covered my face until it had settled, then lowered my hands to see that my feet were resting upon an uneven platform of stacked skeletons, all so old that the bones had come apart and lay scattered in disarray. Thousands and thousands of skeletons, so many that I realised they, and not the earth, comprised the castle's foundation.

Only one small spot stood out amidst the ghoulish tangle of yellowed ivory: the corner where Arkady's catafalque stood, from which Dunya's dust and coffin had now been swept away. The stone catafalque remained, but beneath it-centuries beneath, surrounded by legs and arms and hands of bone, and fleshless fingers that clawed its polished surface-was a casket of shining steel.

Still clutching my arm, Elisabeth dragged me to it- then slowly released me with a sly smile, for she knew I would not, could not, run from her now. With one hand clutching the ma.n.u.script, she used her other to push the solid stone catafalque aside, as easily as a mortal woman might push away a chair.

The stone toppled onto more bones, crushing them as it fell onto its side. We both bent over the coffin to read the etching there, in archaic Roumanian: ANA, BELOVED CONSORT OF VLAD III.

With a hiss of triumph, Elisabeth pulled away the lid and threw it aside; it clanged upon the stone, cracking it.

Within lay a small, fragile skeleton, the jawbone disintegrated so that the skull had fallen forward onto the neck bones and lay perpendicular to the ribs. Beneath the head was a long strip of black, liquefying hair; beneath the crossed arms was a tattered shred of yellowed silk.

And to the left of her breastbone rested a heart-shaped locket of beaten gold, slightly larger than the real lady's heart could ever have been. In the centre was a small keyhole, and above the keyhole, inscribed in Latin, were the words: ETERNAL G.o.dHOOD.

Elisabeth at once s.n.a.t.c.hed it up; and, with a hand that trembled, withdrew the small golden key from her bosom and slipped it into the lock.

It fit smoothly, with a click. And as she drew it slowly open, she looked up at me with a dark, dark smile.

The Diary of Abraham Van Helsing5 NOVEMBER, CONTINUED.

As I staggered gasping into the castle, still overwhelmed by the sense of the Dark One's proximity, I chanced to meet Zsuzsanna-cruelly trapped in the Countess of Bathory's powerful grip. The sight filled me with even greater despair; Elisabeth had in her possession the first key! Yet she had not discovered the second, and solved the mystery, for she appeared no more powerful than she had out in the snow. But how was I to stop her?

Zsuzsanna's expression was calm, fearless; she said not a word as Elisabeth mocked me, threatened me. Struck me down as she had the others with the merest gesture. But before the countess dragged her captive away, promising to return to me later, Zsuzsanna caught my gaze.

And her silent words filled my head: Bram, take the others and flee. Find Arminius...

She was bound, we both knew, to the most unpleasant of dooms, yet seemed utterly resigned to her fate, as if it were her just due, and showed me naught but concern. And in that instant, I forgave her all.

Arminius! d.a.m.ned Arminius! Once they had disappeared, I rose to my knees and sobbed, shaking my fist at the empty air, demanding that my protector appear and give us aid.

From somewhere beneath me, in the castle's very bowels, I heard Zsuzsanna's m.u.f.fled shriek, and rose in anger. I would not sit by. I had seen the direction they had gone, and followed until I found a trapdoor that clearly led below. Yet it was stuck fast; I could not open it, could not enter, could do nothing but moan in helpless frustration. In moments, perhaps sooner, Elisabeth would emerge again, and no talisman in all the world would stop her.

So I sat upon the floor, head in hands, and, agnostic that I am, prayed to G.o.d.

And in my head, a voice spoke again-the blessed voice of Arminius.

Abraham, my son. We are close to defeat. Only one thing can stop her: to forge your own pact with the Dark Lord, and purchase our victory.

"No!" I pressed my hands against my skull, to blot the vile words out. "No!"

Again I prayed to G.o.d, and again G.o.d was silent; but Arminius spoke. G.o.d cannot help you now. Only the Dark Lord can.

The floor rumbled as with an earthquake, and from beneath came the howl of a mighty storm. I tried to stand, to gain my footing, but lost my balance, and fell to one knee. In my mind's eye, I saw the great looming darkness of my dream, and saw myself devoured by it...

And dien, stillness. Stillness so profound that I was filled with a different terror, waiting for the sound of Elisabeth's voice beside me.

"Dark Lord!" I cried out. "Hear me! I, Abraham Van Helsing, will make a pact with you!"

Scarcely were the words uttered before the terrible darkness did appear, the great advancing shadow of my dream, and began to swirl: deeper than indigo, deeper than black; deeper than night or death or eternity.

Yet it was an ent.i.ty, a being. As it approached, I felt its intelligence, and rose upon my two feet to greet it as a man. I mastered my fear; I hid my trembling. And called out sternly: "I will make a pact. My life in exchange for Elisabeth's destruction."

From the centre of the swirling darkness came a small, gentle voice. The Dark Lord does not exchange life for life. Speak to me of souls. Speak to me of forever.

"My soul," I cried, "in exchange for Elisabeth's destruction!"

I offer only immortality: the vampires curse. What shall you offer me in exchange?

"I will not become a vampire! I will not prey on living or dead! Why can you not take me as I am?"

The darkness began to fade, to recede, to withdraw from me; down below, I heard a woman's horrified scream. For a terrible instant, I believed I was too late-that Elisabeth had become the Dark Lord's equal.

"Very well," I whispered bitterly. "I shall be a vampire -but one far stronger than Elisabeth, able to overpower her-in exchange for my soul. In exchange for any suffering in all the world, if you make me able to defeat her."

At once, a sense of infinite calm and acceptance flooded through me, and when the darkness flowed over me like the deepest ocean waters, I felt no fear. As it engulfed me at last, I whispered, "If I am to be yours, show me your face."

Within its centre, a small dot of golden light appeared, then began to grow-brighter and brighter, wider and wider, until its radiance cast off all darkness. Blinded, I closed my eyes.

And when I opened them again, I saw before me my beloved mentor, Arminius.

"We meet again, Abraham," said he, smiling. "As I told you so long ago: there are many types of vampires... and of them, I am chief."

Zsuzsanna Tsepesh's Diary 5 NOVEMBER, CONTINUED.

I watched Elisabeth's face as she examined the contents of the locket-watched it carefully for the change that would herald my destruction.

Her expression grew intent, then puzzled; then frustrated, as she muttered, "There must be more!" She held it up, and turned it round in her hands to examine it more closely, as if searching for a hidden spring; then once again produced the ma.n.u.script and read it carefully, then waited a bit, as if hoping another line would appear.

Finally, with a cry of raw anger, she hurled the locket, with key still attached, down into the piles of bones near my feet. I bent down and struggled to reach for them, but could not; the key had fallen deep into the layer of bones, and the locket lay facedown just beyond my reach, so that I could not even turn it over to see its contents.

Above us, a sudden darkness veiled the vault-a moving darkness, like the most furiously roiling thunderstorm. It dropped lower and lower until it stood like a pillar before Elisabeth, coagulating until it was so dense I felt I could touch it as I would a being.

With a snarl, Elisabeth threw herself to the skeletal ground, scrabbling so desperately to reach the fallen items that she ignored the ma.n.u.script, which fluttered down beside her."You have no right!" she screamed at the darkness. "This moment is mine, these trinkets are mine, and if you take them from me..." She hesitated in her sputtering rage, apparently realising that there was no way whatsoever to threaten this ent.i.ty. With a fiendish howl, she turned as if to flee.

But she could not. For beside her stood Bram, glowing with an internal light far brighter than hers. She moved to pa.s.s him, and discovered herself entrapped between the darkness and his light.

I turned back in amazement towards the pillar--and saw in its stead a radiantly beautiful child. In his dimpled hands were the ma.n.u.script and the fallen locket, and he offered them both to me.

I took them both reverently, set down the gleaming parchment, and ran my fingers over the locket's outer message: eternal G.o.dhood. Then, like a book, I opened the heart-opened it as I did my own-and on the inner leaves read: ETERNAL LOVE ETERNAL SACRIFICE.

I began to weep, for I remembered most poignantly the suffering of my ancestors, my mother and father, my dear brothers, my nephew and his little son and wife, and that of all my victims and their families. I wept, and knew most intimately the cost of fear and greed.

"Zsuzsanna," the child asked sweetly. "Do you understand, and accept?"

I nodded, too stricken to speak; and the child held out his hands to me, and helped me rise.

"A kiss, then," said he. "Only a kiss..."

As I stooped to oblige, he sternly shook his head. I felt his hands grow and change within my own, and his stature increase; his golden locks turned white and grew decades in length.

"Arminius," I whispered, to which he replied, smiling: "You shall not bow to me."

And we fell into each other's arms, and embraced.

Chapter 19.

Dr. Seward's Diary 7 NOVEMBER.

Headed for Paris on the train this morning. Art and I talked a good length about Quincey's funeral arrangements, as his body travels with us. It seems there is no family in America, and so Art is determined to have Quince buried on his family estate. There is a very large tree there, with a lovely view, and Art says it will suit Quince just fine.

Mina also was up early, and came into the compartment whilst we were talking. She is the bravest of souls, that lady. I told her outright that Art and I had decided on a story about Quince's death: that one of the gypsies had inflicted the mortal wound. Poor Harker is back to his pleasant self now and overcome with joy to see his wife freed from the vampire's curse. But he has no recollection whatsoever of the events that occurred after we stopped the leiter-wagon.She agreed at once that this should be the same story told by all, and I a.s.sured her I would write the professor and let him know. Very bluntly, she said, even though tears shone in her eyes, "It would break Jonathan's heart to think that he had killed your n.o.ble friend, and he would turn himself in to the authorities at once; and that would break my heart. I think you do Quincey justice as well, for I know he would insist upon the very same thing."

And she is right. As he was dying, Quince begged us that, if we survived and Harker came through unscathed, we should never bring him to justice-for it was Elisabeth, not Jonathan, who was his murderer. I close my eyes now and can just see him smiling down upon the Harkers, and us all, for keeping our promise.

The professor (I cannot remember to call him "Father," and certainly the word professor has for me come to be a term of endearment) has returned to Amsterdam. I would have gone with him had it not been for poor Quince; as it is, I will travel there after this funeral to attend another one very soon.

It is strange to see him so transformed.

The Diary of Abraham Van Helsing 7 NOVEMBER.

When I arrived home with my visitors, Frau Koehler hurried down the staircase at the sound of my footfall and at once burst into tears when she saw it was me.

"Thank G.o.d! Oh, Doctor, thank G.o.d! She is dying... it could be any moment now, and for days I have not been able to reach you! I sent telegram after telegram to Purfleet, but always, no reply!"

I put my arm round her and kissed her on the forehead to comfort her, then explained I had brought with me Mary's sister-in-law, Zsuzsanna, and her brother.

"Ah yes," she said, voice trembling. "I met the young lady before."

At this, I shot Zsuzsanna a telling glance, but at the news of Mary's impending death, her eyes showed naught but concern. I whispered into the good Frau's ear my request for some time for us alone with Mama, then motioned for Zsuzsanna and Arkady to join me.

I was used to the sight of the last stages of death, and could face it with composure-but not so with one I so dearly loved, whose former beauty and grace I knew well. Mama lay curled upon the bed like an unborn child, blind, mute, deaf, unaware of our presence. Yet even in her unconsciousness, her face was cruelly twisted with pain.

Arkady at once rushed to her side, knelt upon the floor, and gently lifted her hand to his lips; and there he kept it whilst Zsuzsanna and I wiped away our tears and set to the work at hand. Zsuzsanna moved first, her silent gaze speaking of her need to do so, for it was she who had caused Mary some pain, and she who therefore had the right to remove it.

She bent low, and gently turned Mama's contorted face towards her radiant one; and when she pressed her lips against Mama's chapped, gaping ones, I saw.her shudder, then bear up stoically against the agony.

I watched her drink deep and lovingly of pain. And when Mama's brow yielded its last furrow, I drew Zsuzsanna aside, and bent down for my own kiss.

Eternal love; eternal sacrifice. Only through these two could Elisabeth's goal of omnipotent immortality be achieved. The truth cannot be hidden; but fear and hate obscure it. One might say that Arminius was cruel to offer immortality to all who wished it, even the most wicked.

Yet how else could those who most needed it be redeemed, save through centuries of opportunity, of contemplation, of boredom, which can only lead to one inevitable conclusion?

The Dark Lord is also the Lord of Light.

For Vlad, there is no more hope; as to Elisabeth, we have given her the gift of solitude and time. She is trapped forever within the catacombs where she came so close to understanding, with the golden locket and its message that so puzzles her. The entrance to that subterranean tomb we have rendered invisible, so that none can find it.

As I kissed Mama, I shuddered beneath the first round of agony-Zsuzsanna had drawn away all physical pain, and now bore it, and her own grief, in silence. But this was suffering of a different sort I encountered; emotional hurt, perhaps of all anguish, the most difficult to bear.

Still, I bore it, and gladly. "There are many different types of vampires," Arminius had said, and I remembered also what that wise alchemist had told me during my first tutelage: that he was a vampire, of the psychical kind.