by Amy Cross
While his mansion in Paris remained standing, Chateau Malafort had long since been destroyed. At the same time, a sense of evil hung in the air, and I was sure that this sense was more than enough to chase away any curious humans.
“Have you excavated?” I asked.
“Of course,” Rimauld replied.
“And you found something?”
“We found a few things, actually,” he said. “I'm not going to lie to you, Mr. Bane. This is a spooky place at the best of times. Some of the things we uncovered...”
His voice trailed off, and he seemed uncharacteristically nervous.
“Well,” he continued, “you'll find them soon enough.”
Stepping forward, I limped over toward the spot where the house had once stood. Already, I could see that a large pit had been dug, and I was pleased to see that Rimauld had arranged for the introduction of a set of metal steps. I began to make my way down into the darkness, and with each step I could feel a presence starting to reach out to me. Not a strong presence, of course, and not a presence that represented any kind of a threat. But a presence nonetheless, when there should really have been only emptiness and silence.
As I reached the bottom of the steps, I was surprised to see a broken glass jar resting on the ground. I was even more surprised when I saw a face in the jar. And I was surprised yet again as I saw Doctor Loman blinking as he stared up at me.
“You survived the collapse of the house?” I said cautiously.
“Don't act surprised,” he replied, his voice filled with hatred. “You're the one who killed me, and who then kept me preserved like this. I've been buried in darkness for decades, with soil in my mouth. And do you know the only company I had? That madman! He kept muttering away to himself, I don't think he shut up once!”
“You were nothing more than a side experiment,” I told him. “In fact, I'd completely forgotten about you until this moment. The fact that you can still speak is surprising, but I suppose I should not be too shocked. It would seem that, yet again, I outdid myself.”
I began to make my way past him. Doctor Loman's mind was so weak and pathetic, I hadn't even picked up on his presence at all. The real presence was still waiting in the darkness.
“I'm begging you,” Doctor Loman called after me, “kill me. I don't want to just be a head anymore, I want to die. Even if there's nothing on the other side, I'd prefer that to spending even one more minute down here in the darkness.”
“I'm sure you would,” I muttered, but I ignored him as I made my way deeper into the cavern that had been dug into the soil.
Now I was close to the real presence.
I was close to the one who mattered.
And I could sense his mind slowly turning toward me.
“General Zieghoff,” I finally said out loud, as I stopped and looked at a set of frail bones that had been left embedded in the muddy wall. A very faint orange glow was visible in one of the arm bones, evidence that – even after so many years – Zieghoff's great death inferno had still not quite died out. “I hope you will forgive the interruption.”
“Is that really him?” Judith's voice asked. “How has he survived down here for so long?”
“His power was immense,” I replied, as I watched the embers flicker in the bone. “While I was in Tor Cliff, I began to wonder whether such a great creature could really have died quite so easily. I realized that, despite what I might have said many years ago, it was worth checking.”
“Is he behind any of this?” she asked.
“No,” I explained, “he can't reach out from here. He's so close to his true death, but -”
“Hugo Bane,” a voice suddenly whispered in the darkness, seemingly coming from deep within the skull that was partially poking out of the mud, “is that you?”
“Who else would go to all this effort?” I replied, allowing myself a faint smile.
“My darling,” Judith's voice whispered, “are you sure you're not wasting time? This is unnecessary.”
“On the contrary,” I told her, “it's very necessary. The great and glorious General Klaus Zieghoff thought he could bend time to his will, but he was wrong. He failed. As the last of his life force fades away, I want him to know that I, Hugo Bane, have done what he could not.”
“Is that why we're here?” Judith asked. “To brag to a dead man?”
“I rather think that the trip was worthwhile,” I replied.
“Who are you talking to?” Zieghoff's voice whispered. “I have no eyes, so I cannot see.”
“My eternal love is here with me,” I told him.
“You have someone?” Zieghoff asked. “I sense only one visitor here right now, and -”
“Then you're wrong!” I snapped, before quickly regaining my composure. “I suspected you might still be down here in some form. The flames of your death were magnificent, but every fire takes a little time to go out. Embers are a thing, after all. And the final embers of your life, Zieghoff, are so weak now. From the looks of you, I arrived just in time. Within a few more months, you'll finally be all out.”
“I've been down here in the darkness for so long,” he replied. “Fortunately, I had Doctor Loman for company, although he mostly stopped replying to me some time ago.” He sighed. “He's still a useful sounding board, though. I put forward ideas and occasionally he shouts at me to shut up. I've become quite the philosopher.”
“I am doing what you could not,” I said firmly. “Shortly, I will be going back in time so that I can change the course of history, so that I can save the life of my beloved Judith. I can do other things while I am there, as well. I can change all of history and make sure that it happens as I see fit.”
“If your beloved is with you now,” he said, “why do you have to go back and save her?”
“Because she is here as a ghost,” I told him, irritated by his lack of understanding. Then again, Zieghoff had never been the smartest of men. “I mean to have her back in her original form.”
“Judith,” Zieghoff purred. “That's the name of the French woman I sent to seduce you, to lure you and your brother to Paris so that I could pick your minds.”
“No,” I replied, “you're lying. My Judith is an honorable woman. She loves me with all her heart.”
“She was a very useful whore,” Zieghoff continued.
“You should watch your language,” I sneered.
“She rose quickly in my ranks,” he added. “I began to trust her a great deal. Cruelty came easily to her, as did lies. Sometimes she even suggested new forms of torture that had not occurred to me. I hope that she was able to continue some of my work once I died. She knew what needed to be done, and I am quite certain that she had a handle on the tricky question of how to deal with vampires. Then again, the fact that you are here suggests that she was not entirely successful.”
“You're mad,” I told him. “You're forgetting how things really were.”
“I suppose I should not have had so much faith in Judith,” he replied. “Still, she was not the only one who was left to continue my legacy. Tell me, did the war end the right way? Did good triumph over evil?”
“You lost,” I replied, enjoying the chance to make him learn of his side's downfall. “Your name is synonymous with failure and cruelty. Your mansion in Paris is a ruin, and the statue of you has long since been torn down. When the history books mention you at all, they portray you as a fool.” I leaned closer to his skull. “All your efforts were for nothing. You, Klaus Zieghoff, were one of the biggest idiots in all of history.”
I hesitated, waiting for his response.
“Do you have nothing to say?” I continued finally. “Are you lost in horror at the realization that you entire life was wasted. Are you overawed by the fact that I am going to achieve things that you never could? Are you starting to wish that perhaps you had listened to me, instead of coming up with your own ridiculous plan? I can understand that, Zieghoff. It must be rather mortifying to realize that you've failed so spect
acularly.”
Again, I waited for him to respond, although I was starting to think that I had stunned him into silence.
And then, slowly, he began to laugh.
“Let's go,” Judith's voice whispered. “There's no point to any of this.”
“At least,” Zieghoff chuckled, “I didn't fall in love with a traitorous whore!”
“Damn you!” I snarled, grabbing the skull and pulling it from the mud, then dropping it to the ground and crushing it beneath my right foot.
The laughter continued, however, and as I looked around I realized that it was coming from all the fragments of bone that remained half-buried in the soil. I began to rip that out one by one, crushing them all so that any other lingering embers would also be destroyed. By the time I was finished, the laughter was much weaker, and finally Zieghoff's presence died away completely. More than seventy years after his death had begun, it was now over and he was gone.
“Let's go,” Judith's voice said again. “Hugo, please...”
Letting out a disgusted snarl, I turned and stormed out of the cavern and up the steps, even as Zieghoff's ghostly laughter continued all around me.
“Are you going to kill me too?” Doctor Loman asked. “Please, I'm begging you!”
“At least you won't have to deal with Zieghoff anymore,” I muttered to him darkly. “Enjoy the silence.”
“You can't leave me here like this!” he called out, although I was at the top of the steps now and I could barely hear him anymore. “Please!”
“Enjoy eternity down there,” I muttered, as I saw Rimauld waiting for me up ahead. “I'll be in the car,” I snapped at him. “Fill that pit in, and do it quickly. We have to get back to Paris!”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chloe
The police station was packed as I stood at a noticeboard and pretended to read some posters that had been pinned up. I kept glancing over my shoulder, hoping to spot a familiar face, but unfortunately I couldn't remember exactly when I'd arrived to report the loss of my bag and purse. I was pretty sure that I'd got the right day, but apart from that...
Nearby, a homeless woman was arguing with two police officers who were trying to lead her away. She seemed familiar, and I realized that maybe I recognized her from my previous visit, but I couldn't be certain.
Suddenly I spotted someone entering through the doors at the far end of the room, and I turned away as soon as I saw my own face.
My heart was racing as I reached into my pocket to take out the ring. I knew that this would be pretty much my only chance, since the room was so packed and I figured it would be fairly easy to get the job done. As the younger version of me went to the desk, I knew that this was my moment and I began to walk up behind her. One wrong move, however, and she'd see me. Matthias had warned me of terrible consequences if that happened, although he'd kept things maddeningly vague.
“Do you speak English?” the younger version of me asked the woman at the desk. “Um, parlez... vous... Anglais?”
The woman nodded. She seemed distinctly unimpressed.
“I need to report a -”
Suddenly the homeless woman bumped between us, just as I was about to slip the ring into my younger self's pocket.
The younger me turned and watched as the homeless woman was led away. Reaching into her pocket, she checked that nothing had been taken and then she turned back to the woman at the desk. I remembered that exact moment so well, and it seemed crazy that I'd never noticed that I was being trailed by another version of myself.
“I need to report a lost bag,” the younger version of me said, “and some other...”
She hesitated.
“A lost bag,” she continued finally, as I slipped the ring into her pocket and then turned to hurry away. “I think I need a police report number before I can get some of the items replaced. Mainly my passport.”
“Name,” the woman asked with a sigh.
“Chloe Carter,” the young version of myself said as I pushed the main door open and hurried out.
***
By the time I got back to the apartment, I was exhausted. My mind was racing and I was more convinced than ever that everything was going to spiral out of control. I needed to get my head straight, and that meant talking to Matthias. He'd gone off to spend some more time with my younger self, but I figured he'd most likely be back by now.
I checked that no-one was around, and then I let myself into the apartment and went straight to the front room.
“Hey,” I said as I stepped through the doorway, but I saw that Matthias was still out.
I tried to remember where we were in the timeline, and what he and the younger version of me would be doing. It was hard keeping my head straight, and frankly I was struggling to remember what was supposed to happen and at what point. Sometimes I wondered whether minor changes had occurred, whether small ripples might have impacted the timeline. As I sat down, however, I reminded myself that no changes were possible. I didn't really like that idea, however, because it made me feel as if I had no free will, as if I was going through the days on rails. Was I free to do anything I wanted, or was I trapped in a loop of time? And if I wasn't free during the loop, had I ever really been free at all? Did anyone have free will, or were we all bound to make the choices we made.
And then I saw the note.
Reaching out, I picked up a piece of paper that Matthias had left for me, and I saw that he'd scrawled a message:
My dearest Chloe,
The time has come for me to face Hugo, and to make sure that everything happens the way that it must. I know that you understand what this means. I also know that you'll want to stop it, but you have to understand that nothing can change. I know what's going to happen to me, and I'm ready to face my destiny.
I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart, and that our love will endure. One day, I will come back for you. If necessary, I will fight my way back from death itself. If it's at all possible, I will come to your window when it's your time to leave the mortal world, and I will take your hand. We will be together eventually. Even death can not keep us apart.
Yours, now and forever, Matthias.
I swallowed hard as I felt a tear running down my cheek. I knew that this was his way of saying goodbye, but I also knew that I had to follow him when he went to the Zieghoff mansion. That meant figuring out the timeline once and for all and determining, for certain, when he and Hugo would be there.
I had to see him one more time.
I tried to think back once more to that night at the mansion, to the terrible events that had led to my journey back in time. They were etched into my memory, of course, but that didn't make it any easier for me to pin down the exact moments when they'd each happened. I knew that I'd have to be careful, that I couldn't risk interfering, but I also knew that I had to be there.
Heading to the hallway, I reached for my coat, but at the last moment I realized that I needed to be more cautious. Matthias and I had acquired a few items of clothing during our journey through the Underworld, and I looked through them for a moment before pulling one out. Holding it up, I saw that it was a pretty ugly white cloak, complete with a hood. Definitely not my style, of course, but I figured it would at least allow me to move about without getting recognized.
With the coat in my hands, I hurried out the front door. I had to figure out when Matthias would be at the mansion to face Hugo, and I had to be ready to help him. Somehow, I had to find a way to make sure that he survived.
Chapter Thirty
Hugo
“I'm waiting, my darling,” Judith whispered into my ear. “When are you coming to save me? When will I see you again?”
“Soon,” I replied. “Just be patient for a little while longer. My brother is coming closer, and Chloe won't be far behind. As long as she dies, history can't play out the way that we remember it. You'll live again, my darling.”
I was sitting at the table in Zieghoff's old banquet hall. E
verything was prepared, and I now had merely to await the moment when Matthias and Chloe would arrive. I had gone over the possibilities a thousand times, and I saw no way that I could possibly fail. Soon history itself would be rewritten, and Judith would be saved.
Why, then, did I feel so weak?
Ever since I had removed my own heart at Murhenge, I had been at the point of death. I had burned, but my original plan had not worked and Chloe had journeyed without me. Why that had happened, I was not sure, although I supposed that perhaps the ring could only transport one person at a time. I had been on the brink of fading away, of finally giving up, when I had heard Judith's voice calling out to me, telling me to be strong. Begging me to save her. It was then that I realized I was not alone, and everyone knows that a vampire cannot die when there is someone with him.
Now, sitting in Zieghoff's mansion, I dug my fingernails into the wood of the table.
I clenched my teeth.
“I am not alone,” I said finally, just to remind myself, even as I felt death trying to claw me away. “She is here with me.”
“I am, my darling,” her voice said soothingly. “I'm waiting for you.”
I instinctively turned to look for her, but of course she was not there. I'd never been able to fight the urge to turn and see him, but I consoled myself now with the thought that soon she'd be standing in front of me once more. Soon I would see her beautiful face.
“We're so close,” I said out loud. “After all this time, it's almost impossible to believe.”
I'd seen how people looked at me, whenever they'd heard me speaking to Judith. They could not hear her voice, so they thought that I was insane. Any other man would have accepted this, especially during the time I spent at that awful asylum, and I had to admit that there had been times when men such as Doctor Everard and Doctor Cole almost persuaded me that Judith's voice was an illusion. If they had succeeded, I would have fallen to death immediately, but they did not succeed. They had no chance, though. I always knew that her voice was real. No doctor had ever been able to persuade me otherwise.