Three Nights of the Vampire- The Complete Trilogy

by Amy Cross

  I hesitated, wondering whether maybe I'd made a mistake. After all, I was worried that I might inadvertently change the course of history. In my anger, however, I'd forgotten my earlier concerns.

  “I'm a scientist, Ms. Carter,” Zieghoff continued cautiously. “That's all. I study, and I try to come up with things that will change the world in a good way. Now, maybe some of my colleagues step over the line occasionally, but I'm hardly responsible for their actions. I just focus on my own work, and right now that means trying to figure out how you came here, and whether or not we can use you to advance our cause in the war.”

  “You don't get off that easily,” I told him. “You already admitted that you cut someone up because you thought they were a witch!”

  “Her name was Joan and, as a matter of fact, she was already dead when I cut her up. The procedure was basically an autopsy. Tell me, have they outlawed autopsies in your time?”

  “You told me you fed her to your dogs!”

  “In this time of rationing, meat is meat,” he said calmly. “Should I have let the dogs starve?”

  “You're still a monster,” I replied, “and I won't help you. Where I come from, people demonstrate against your name. I don't know how you died, but I hope you were put on trial after the war with all your friends! If you survive to the end of the war, you'll be one of the first people in the dock at Nuremberg!”

  “Interesting,” he purred. “You story certainly contains some unusual detail. Nuremberg is a fine city.”

  “You're going to go down in history as a terrible person,” I said firmly. “You're going to become a symbol of all the evil and cruelty in the world. Your so-called work is going to be hated by everyone on the planet!”

  He stared at me for a moment, before getting to his feet.

  “No,” he said, as he brushed creases from his uniform. “Absolutely not.”

  “You know it's true!”

  “I know no such thing.” He turned and headed to the door. “I shall leave you to ponder your next move, Ms. Carter, while I determine how to proceed. One thing is certain, however. I will find a way to use you in order to help our cause. An army of witches was always a rather odd idea, but information from the future?” He turned and glanced at me, and a faint smile had once more reached his lips. “One way or the other, Ms. Carter, you will help us win this war.”

  “Never!” I shouted, but he was already out of sight and I could hear his footsteps moving further and further away. “I'm going to get out of here!” I yelled. “And when I do, I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done!”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Matthias

  “Where are you going?”

  Stopping at the end of the corridor, I turned to see Judith watching me from a nearby doorway.

  “Hugo says that we're leaving tonight,” she continued, sounding a little nervous. “He's been making plans all day, and... He says I'm coming with the two of you.”

  “Hugo can take you wherever he wants,” I replied. “I, on the other hand, have other plans.”

  “But Hugo -”

  “Hugo's not my keeper,” I said firmly.

  “He only wants what's best for you. Ever since the accident -”

  “It wasn't an accident,” I told her, cutting her off before she could parrot any more of my brother's ridiculous nonsense. “Someone tried to kill me. A vampire. I might not know who, but I do know that one day he or she is going to pay. Now that the poison is out of my system, I'm starting to plan my next move, and I no longer need my brother to pussy foot around and try to keep me safe.”

  “He's -”

  “And you'll always defend him,” I added, “so there's no point even having this conversation. You see only the good in him, Judith. I suppose that's some admirable blindness, in a way, but it'll only get you so far. My brother is a conniving little bastard and I might love him, but I most certainly don't trust him.”

  With that, I turned to walk away.

  “Her name is Chloe,” she said suddenly, “and she swears she knows you.”

  I stopped again and turned to her.

  “I don't understand it,” she continued, “but I saw the look in her eyes when she was telling me, and I believed her. She's not a witch, and she's definitely not crazy.” She sighed. “So the truth is, I understand why you have to go to her, and I'm not going to dry to dissuade you. But I won't lie to Hugo, either. When he finds out that you've left, I will tell him that you've gone to Chateau Malafort to find Chloe Carter. And next time you want to know something, Matthias, you can just ask me instead of trying to sneak into my head.”

  “I...”

  I hesitated for a moment.

  “You knew?” I asked finally.

  “You're not quite as subtle as you think,” she said firmly. “I knew that if I pushed back, you might get a little more forceful, and I didn't want that.”

  “I would never -”

  “I don't trust you, Matthias,” she added, interrupting me. “Now, if you're serious about going to Chateau Malafort, you should leave now. I imagine you'll have two, maybe three hours before Hugo realizes that you're gone, and then he'll come after you. Just be prepared and try, for once, to do the right thing.”

  “I don't need you to tell me that,” I sneered, before turning and walking away.

  Judith was lucky that day. If she'd been anyone other than my brother's lover, I'd have torn her apart for such insolence.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chloe

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked, as I was forced to walk naked along a gloomy corridor. “What is this place?”

  The guard said something in German behind me, but I didn't understand. He'd entered the room a few minutes earlier and untied me, while another guard kept watch with a gun. Now I was being taken somewhere, and I was starting to accept that this really wasn't a dream after all.

  I was terrified.

  Suddenly the guard put a hand on my shoulder, and I stopped walking.

  He stepped past me and opened a door, and then he gestured for me to go through. I hesitated, but then he pushed me hard in the small of my back, forcing me into a small room where a man in a white coat waited next to a chair.

  “You must be Chloe,” the man said with a smile. “Welcome, my name is Doctor Loman and I've been asked to check on you and make sure that you're fit and healthy. Please, won't you take a seat?”

  “I'm fine,” I stammered, shivering in the cold air. “I don't need a check-up.”

  “You don't have a choice,” he replied. “If you resist, the men behind you will force you into the chair. You'll end up in there anyway, so why not do it the easy way?” He paused, leering at me as I tried to cover myself. “Or do you like bruises?” he purred. “Do you enjoy them?”

  I turned and saw that there were now three guards standing behind me. I briefly considered trying to run, but I knew that I had no chance of escaping so, reluctantly, I shuffled toward the chair.

  “Sit,” Doctor Loman said. “Please.”

  I did as I was told, and then – as I looked over my shoulder, I suddenly felt a metal cuff clamp down over my left wrist.

  “What the -”

  I turned to see that I'd been restrained, but then a second later another cuff was put in place, this time on my right wrist.

  “What are you doing?” I shouted.

  “Gentlemen, you can leave now,” Doctor Loman said, and the guards walked away. The last of them shut the door.

  “What kind of check-up is this?” I asked.

  “Oh, it's not a check-up at all,” Doctor Loman replied as he slapped a metal bar across my feet, forcing my legs down. “That was a lie, to make you sit down without too much trouble. The truth is that you've been sent to me so that I can extract some information. Colonel Zieghoff has a fearsome reputation, but the he rarely likes to get his hands too dirty. Fortunately, he knows he can trust me to get the job done.”

  “What are you talking a
bout?” I asked, struggling against the restraints but finding that they were too firm. “You said this was a check-up!”

  “And I already admitted that was a lie.” He took a set of pliers from a nearby bench and examined it for a moment, before turning to me. “I do so hate it when people struggle,” he continued. “I didn't really want to be here today, but unfortunately I speak far better English than any of my colleagues, so I couldn't really refuse Colonel Zieghoff's request. I always get a terrible headache whenever I have to speak English. You could, of course, make this easy on yourself by giving up your information at the start. Is there any chance that you're going to be sensible?”

  “What are you going to do to me?”

  “Since you asked... First, I'll remove the nails from your fingers and toes. Then I might try taking out a few teeth, and if that doesn't work then I suppose I'll have to try a few other things. You'd be surprised how much pain and mutilation the human body can take, while still leaving the victim able to talk. Of course, the odds of survival are lowered dramatically, but there's not much one can do about that, is there?”

  He stepped closer, still holding the pliers.

  “It's entirely your choice,” he continued. “Are you going to cooperate now, or later?”

  “You're not going to torture me,” I replied through gritted teeth. “You can't.”

  “Of course I can,” he said, before taking hold of my left hand and reaching down with the pliers. “Why are you speaking such nonsense? Now -”

  “Wait!” I gasped.

  “You're going to talk?”

  I stared at him for a moment, before turning to look at the door.

  “Help!” I screamed at the top of my voice, even as I heard Doctor Loman starting to laugh. “Somebody help me!”

  “Who do you think might be out there?” he asked. “Seriously, what do you think this is going to achieve? You're only going to end up giving the both of us a headache. And I have one already, so it will be even worse for me. Please, have a little pity.”

  “Help me!” I screamed, pulling desperately against the restraints. “Somebody! Anybody!”

  “You're going to give up your secrets today,” Doctor Loman said, as I felt the pliers pinch the nail on my left thumb. “You're going to give up the secrets of the future. That's some very valuable knowledge, and we'd like you to pass it on. It's really up to you how much pain you endure before we get to that point.”

  I screamed again, as I felt the pliers pulling against my thumbnail and starting to lift it from the bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Matthias

  By the time I arrived at the gate of Chateau Malafort, night had drawn in and I was feeling tired. In my prime, of course, such a journey would be no trouble at all, but in my beleaguered condition I was prone to fits of weakness. I'd even dozed slightly in the car, and I'd been a little shocked when I'd been woken by the driver. Now Chateau Malford stood ahead, beyond the moat that ran around its circumference, and I felt a shudder as I thought of all the evil that was known to have occurred in that wretched place.

  “Do you want me to wait for you?” the driver asked.

  “No,” I replied as I stepped out of the car. “Go back to Paris.”

  I had already paid the man, so – as I walked toward the gate – I heard him reversing and starting to drive away. The night air was cold and the grass crunched beneath my feet as I approached the booth where a guard sat silently, and I was already trying to work out exactly how I might gain access to the chateau if my primary plan failed. Still, there would be time for that later.

  “I'm here to see Colonel Klaus Zieghoff,” I told the guard. “I have reason to believe that he's here, and I am certain that he will receive me.”

  “It's late,” the guard replied curtly. “Colonel Zieghoff gave orders that nobody is to enter the chateau tonight.”

  “Tell him that Matthias Bane is here.”

  “Colonel Zieghoff gave orders that -”

  “Tell him,” I said firmly, “and I guarantee that he will order you to open this gate. On the contrary, if I have to force my way through, he will be most unhappy with you. I will kill you, of course, to ease your suffering, but he will still curse your name.”

  The guard stared blankly at me for a moment, before taking the telephone from its cradle and starting to dial.

  As he asked for permission to open the gate, I looked toward the chateau and saw that lights were burning in several of the windows. The whole place was so remote, I felt as if I was a million miles from Paris, when in reality it had taken only a couple of hours to reach Chateau Malford. I listened out for any hint that the strange woman might be nearby, but in truth my senses were still a little dimmed by my injuries, and I knew that she had to be somewhere close. I still have no idea who Chloe Carter was, but I felt certain that I was about to unlock the mystery.

  A moment later, I heard the booth's door opening.

  “Colonel Zieghoff will see you,” the guard said as he began to swing the gate open. He seemed a little annoyed. Humiliated, perhaps. “He said to tell you that he'll be waiting in the dining room.”

  “Excellent news,” I replied with a smile. “And you get to live, which is a bonus. For you, at least.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chloe

  The hot metal pressed against my arm and I screamed, pulling hard on the restraints.

  “How about now?” a voice whispered in my ear. “Do you have anything to tell me?”

  “Go to -”

  Before I could finish, I felt the clamp tightening on my skin. Doctor Loman pressed an ice cube against the surface, and then he tightened the clamp again until I felt my body must be about to burst open.

  “And how about now?” he sneered, his hot breath hitting my ear as the clamp squeezed tighter still. “Tell. Me. Everything.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Matthias

  “Monsieur Bane,” Zieghoff said as I stopped in the doorway, “what a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting visitors this evening.”

  A fire was roaring in the nearby hearth, and I looked around for a moment at the opulently decorated room. Zieghoff was evidently a man of questionable taste, and it was clear that he'd simply looted several nearby houses and stolen the gaudiest items for himself. Some of the items were fine, but they were all shoved together with an astonishing lack of artfulness.

  “I trust that you're feeling better?” Zieghoff continued.

  “Much,” I replied, stepping into the room and immediately noticing its warmth. “Thank you for your concern.”

  “You and your brother remain my most welcome guests in Paris,” he said, his voice trembling slightly with fear. Zieghoff had always struggled to hide a sense of awe when he was in company with vampires. “It is truly an honor to host you. I hope you will continue to enjoy my hospitality for as long as you wish to be in the city.”

  “You brought a woman here,” I said, stopping next to the table and staring at the wretched oaf. “Her name is Chloe Carter, I believe, and she is English. I wish to speak with her.”

  “That's out of the question.”

  “It's really not. It's going to happen.”

  “Ms. Carter is being processed as we speak,” he replied. “It might be possible for you to visit her at a later date, but right now she is far too valuable. I don't have time to fill you in on the whole story, but suffice it to say that I believe she can be very useful to our war effort. Why, even now I have a man working with her, encouraging her to do what's in her own best interest.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “Talking to us, of course. Telling us what she knows.”

  “She knows me, apparently.”

  “She seems to know a lot of things,” he replied. “Some of them, I think, might be slightly exaggerated. She has already made several highly unlikely claims about the future, but I intend to get the truth out of her before the night is over. She's trying to resist, but she
really doesn't stand a chance. I can see the weakness and fear in her eyes.”

  “Take me to her.”

  “No.”

  “Now.”

  “Sit down and eat with me,” he continued with a smile. He was being far more resilient than I had expected. “You're really obsessing over this woman for no reason.”

  Hearing footsteps nearby, I turned just in time to see a waiter entering with a plate.

  “Set a place for Monsieur Bane at the table,” Zieghoff told the man, who set the plate in front of him, “and bring some better wine up from the cellar. Something to really impress.”

  “I'm not eating,” I said firmly.

  I heard more footsteps, and I turned just in time to see three guards entering the room.

  “You're always free to leave,” Zieghoff said. “The fact of the matter is that I won't allow anyone or anything to interrupt what's happening here tonight. The interrogation of the woman is of vital importance and even you, Monsieur Bane, are going to have to wait your turn. I'm sure the woman will give up her secrets quickly, in which case you can most likely talk to her tomorrow. Of course, there's a chance that she'll be less obedient, in which case I might have to prolong her suffering.”

  “I demand to -”

  “Who poisoned you?”

  I paused, not wanting to even attempt to answer that question.

  “A poison that leaves a vampire on the brink of death,” he continued, “must be a very potent poison indeed. Hard to acquire, difficult to administer. Yet from what I hear, you have still not identified the culprit.”

  “I'm working on that,” I said darkly.

  “You're several hundred years old. I imagine you've annoyed a lot of people in that time.”

  “Most of them are dead now.”

  “Evidently at least one isn't,” he pointed out. “At least one of them got close enough to slip some poison into your food. Or your drink, perhaps. Was it perhaps a poisoned chalice of wine?”