Just like I had hoped, the hooded man returned when he saw me trapped. “It seems that you’re not as clever as I was told,” he said.
“What did you do to Vesper?” I growled, struggling, but failing to free myself. Or so I wanted to make it seem. It wouldn’t do to point out that I wasn’t as harmless as he thought.
To my surprise, the man sighed. “Look, it’s nothing personal. I have a job to do and a message to deliver. Here’s the deal. You’ll get your mate back if you get a man named Rapunzel to Grimoire. A map will be delivered to you once you acquire Rapunzel.”
Several other men gathered around us, all carrying crossbows. “You ready to go, Rob?” one of them asked.
The first man nodded. “Yeah. Let’s hope it’ll be enough.”
He turned on his heel, obviously intending to leave me there. At this point, I completely snapped. With a thought, I finally unraveled the threads of the spell and reached for my enemy. Before anyone could even move a muscle, I picked him up, holding him into the air with ease. Unable to control my impulses, I squeezed his windpipe until my would-be captor started to turn blue. Meanwhile, using my mental powers, I froze all the other members of his party.
“You idiots,” I growled. “Do you know who you’re talking to? I am Count Vlad Dracula. I was born before your ancestors even dirtied Avalon lands with their footsteps. Did you really think that you could attack me and my mate and get away with it?”
For a few moments, I actually waited for an answer, before I realized most of them had their vocal cords immobilized by me. Similarly, the famous Rob—who seemed to be their leader—couldn’t speak for obvious reasons. With a disgusted grunt, I dropped him to the ground. He wheezed and coughed as he tried to draw his breath. I watched him impassively until he seemed to regain the ability to talk. “Now,” I said, “try again. Who are you and what have you done with Vesper? Who sent you? How is Rapunzel in any way connected to this?”
“I’ve told you what I can,” the man answered huskily, his hood falling back as he looked up. “Like I said, I’m only the middle man here.”
Perhaps he was telling the truth, or perhaps he was lying. Either way, I’d gone beyond caring. My fury at his response had gone beyond the limits a mortal could understand. It was now an icy anger, the same one that made Necro Valley one of the most feared lands in the whole of Avalon.
I’d long ago left the bloodthirsty ways of my people behind. I’d been happy with my sisters in Merlinia outside such an existence. But my predatory instincts returned in full force at the realization that he was denying me the truth on my mate. “I see,” I replied, smiling coolly. I saw his gaze fall on my fangs, but to his credit, he didn’t wince or shy away. Well, I had a cure for his courage. “Well, I tried to ask you nicely. I’m afraid that I’ve run out of patience, and you’ve run out of time.”
Grabbing his arm once more, I pulled him closer to me and buried my fangs in his throat. Blood exploded in my mouth, and within it, I sought the answers to all of my questions. Images drifted into my brain, the man’s memories flashing in my mind’s eye in a wild kaleidoscope.
I saw two boys, one older, more arrogant and authoritative, the other shier, sweeter. Their parents had been of a powerful witch line, one of the strongest houses in Grimoire, but an unexpected fire had killed the couple, leaving the two brothers orphans. From the very beginning, the older brother was protective of his sibling, and that didn’t change even when they grew up into young men. Robert Hood, or Robin, as his friends called him, cared about his younger brother deeply, and that very same youth was now trapped by a very powerful witch. I couldn’t distinguish too much information about my true foe. Even now, I could tell that she was watching me and she had expected me to sneak a peek into Robin’s mind. She was ready for me, and she had kidnapped Vesper to force me in a position I could not escape. I could, however, figure out the spot where I was supposed to meet with the witch. She had deliberately kept anything of importance from Robin, so at this point, continuing to scan his mind would only open me up to a possible attack from her.
Finally, I released my hold on Robin’s throat. The man clutched his still-bleeding neck, but didn’t seem to be particularly afraid. Likely, he was used to vampires, since my kind often had dealings with people from Grimoire. “It’s not Red’s fault, for any of it,” Robin said. “He’s only ever wanted to help people. That blasted witch has him now, and I’d do anything to keep him safe. Do you understand me, undead? Anything. So if you want to stand in my way, go ahead and kill me now, because otherwise I’ll make you regret it.”
“I could kill you if you insist, but I have don’t time for your stupidity,” I answered, rolling my eyes. “But don’t worry. You’ll get a taste of vampire revenge.”
Focusing my abilities, I gathered my strength and willed all of us back to my castle. It wasn’t an easy feat to accomplish. As a rule, keeping a group of Grimoire witches frozen was pretty demanding. Transporting them to the other side of Merlinia while still forcing them into motionlessness would have been an impossible feat for other vampires. Fortunately, I hadn’t been bragging when I’d told Robin I was powerful, and, after a few moments of concentration, I transported us into the courtyard of my home.
My four sisters emerged from inside, obviously realizing something was wrong. “What happened?” Mina asked, her voice laden with concern. “Where’s Perry? Who are these people?”
“We were ambushed,” I replied tightly. “Vesper is missing, and if I want him back, I have to get Rapunzel Stiltskin.”
I had the distinctive feeling that I was missing several pieces of the puzzle. It seemed clear that whatever had happened during Prince Medwin’s fight with Rumpel Stiltskin had unleashed something. I couldn’t be sure what it was though. The evil I had felt when I’d looked into Robin’s mind seemed different from anything I had ever encountered.
“Veronica, would you look over our records? See if you find any mentioning of a witch that may have had dealings with Rumpel Stiltskin.”
I distantly remembered an ancient story about a very powerful witch who had lived in Grimoire before Rumpel Stiltskin had come to Merlinia. I had no idea why I was thinking about that now—for all I knew, this could be a different person entirely—but I was fairly certain it had been connected to the warlock. Of course, even with my vampire memory, I couldn’t recall any details, if I had ever even known them.
My sister nodded and ran inside, already heading toward our library. Meanwhile, Monica and Catherine glowered at the still frozen men. “I take it these guys were the ones who participated in the attack on you,” Monica said. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of them.”
I finally dropped the spell and allowed Mina to take over. Truth be told, my impulses still told me to lunge at Robin and tear his throat out. Everything inside me ached at the knowledge of what they had done, of the danger Vesper was in. What good was the power I had if I hadn’t been able to rescue Vesper? I had failed him. For all my bravado, I was a terrible mate.
All this time, I had refused to claim him like I knew he wanted, going on the basis that he didn’t fully understand what it meant to be with a vampire. If only I’d done it…If only I had mated him, I would know where he was, how he felt. At the very least, I would be able to reassure him, to tell him he was loved and that I would come to rescue him. But now…Now nothing was like it should have been.
Catherine’s hand landed on my shoulder. “It’s all right, Vlad,” she said, hugging me. “We’ll find him.”
I knew she was only trying to help, but she couldn’t possibly understand. It wasn’t all right, and it would never be until I had Vesper by my side again. As such, I broke away from my sister. “Yes, we will,” I told her. “Be very careful and watch these guys. I don’t trust them.”
“Oh, we’ll watch them.” Mina’s dark expression promised harsh times for my attackers. “Don’t you worry about that.”
Satisfied that they would be under close supervision, I step
ped out of the castle courtyard. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to wait for any answers my sisters would find. I needed to do my own searching, and I knew exactly where to start.
I was pretty sure Rapunzel had gone to Arthuria, having followed Prince Medwin there. I could make my way to the borders between Arthuria and Merlinia with relative ease, but from that point on, I had a problem. Even if finding Camelot wouldn’t be exactly hard, I didn’t have time to waste on trekking Arthuria.
I had never tried something like this before, since I generally didn’t rely on magic other than my own. Nonetheless, this was a time that called for desperate measures. As soon as I was outside, I took a deep breath and said, “The Rainbow Brick Road.”
Having lived in Merlinia for centuries now, I was used to its peculiarities, one of it being the strange Rainbow Brick Road, also known as the Path of Fate. I had never been able to figure out its nature, and my sisters and I had actually started to make bets as to what had made it appear. Generally, we knew better than to test its fickle nature, but now, I needed help. For whatever reason, it seemed fond of my mate, and in some respects, it had even guided Vesper to me. I could only hope that it would help me this time around as well.
Mercifully, I was in luck. A flash of light filled my vision, and the world tilted, a clear sign of a translocation spell. The next thing I knew, I found myself in an unfamiliar meadow. In front of me, a small waterfall flowed into a beautiful pond, and it was in that pool that I spotted Rapunzel Stiltskin, together with his mate, Medwin.
I’d obviously interrupted them, but even so, my concern for Vesper surpassed any embarrassment I, or anyone else, might have felt. “I need your help,” I said without preamble. “Vesper is missing.”
For a few moments, the couple just stared at me. “Missing?” Prince Medwin finally repeated. “What do you mean? What happened?”
A part of me wanted to punch him. This was wholly his responsibility, because he’d been the one to attack Rumpel Stiltskin, and in the process, had unbalanced Merlinia. Nevertheless, I couldn’t truly blame him for what he had done. He had merely wanted to be with his mate, just like I did. I understood that need all too well.
Taking a deep breath, I proceeded to explain. “We were headed for a meeting with Vesper’s family, when we were ambushed. I eventually managed to defeat our attackers, but during the battle, a spell opened a rift in the ground, and Vesper fell through.”
“Oh no…” Rapunzel gasped, paling. “You don’t think…”
“He’s not dead,” I answered between gritted teeth. It was getting harder and harder to maintain my façade of serenity, even if I knew that Rapunzel and Medwin weren’t truly to blame for this disaster. Vampires weren’t known for their patient, compassionate natures, and without Vesper, I could easily lose it.
“Of course he isn’t,” Rapunzel told me. “I…I think that I would know.” He frowned slightly, as if focusing. “It was a spell.” He gripped his temples, grimacing. “A witch took him.”
I had no idea how he even knew that, but I didn’t get the chance to ask. “It was my mother,” a sudden voice said by my side.
I turned, not extremely surprised when I saw Rumpel Stiltskin there. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in our problems, Count Dracula,” the warlock said. “It is a very old tale, one I truly never wanted to resurrect. In hindsight, I suppose it was unavoidable.”
“I don’t have time for cryptic riddles,” I told Stiltskin. “What exactly happened?”
Before anyone could answer, the foliage behind us stirred. Medwin’s brothers, Kirril and Leonard emerged in the clearing, followed by Vesper’s good friend, Dineiro. “What’s going on?” Dineiro asked without preamble. “I just had this sudden feeling that something wasn’t right.”
“Vesper was kidnapped,” Rapunzel explained.
Dineiro’s eyes widened, and Kirril wrapped an arm around his shoulders, shushing him. “H–how…?” the dragon stammered, his eyes filled with tears.
“Perhaps you should get dressed, son,” Rumpel Stiltskin suggested to Rapunzel. “This is not a conversation you want to have in the nude.”
The blond seemed to have forgotten about modesty until his father had mentioned it. His face blazed red, and he hid behind his mate. I sighed in frustration, annoyed that they were even dwelling on such formalities when Vesper was in danger. Nevertheless, I understood the importance a social mores better than anyone. My people were very keen on certain behavior, on what was acceptable or not in a public setting. For that reason, I turned my back to the naked couple, and watched as everyone else did the same.
It was perhaps a good thing that Medwin’s brothers had shown up now, because I suspected I would need all the help I could get. Indeed, that guess was confirmed mere moments later. Once Rapunzel and his mate finished getting dressed, we all gathered together in the center of the clearing and Rumpel Stiltskin started to explain.
“It all started centuries ago, when my mother, a very powerful witch cursed the kingdom of the dryads. As some of you might know, it was once part of Merlinia, before it fell under this enchantment. This fierce curse could only be broken by a man from the witch’s line, born on a certain day. Many years later, on that exact day, my sister gave birth to Rapunzel.”
So Rapunzel wasn’t really Rumpel Stiltskin’s son. I had suspected that for a while now, but I’d never been able to be one hundred percent certain.
“At that time, my mother attempted to kill him, but we succeeded in stopping her. We bound her with a powerful spell that was connected to the curse she herself cast on the dryads.”
“So, now, she’s free?” Medwin asked. “If so, what does she want with Rapunzel?”
“She can’t be completely free. Due to…certain changes with regard to my sister and my own battle with you, some of that spell cracked. For her to actually regain the full extent of her abilities, she needs Rapunzel to break the original curse.”
“Wait a minute,” Leonard interrupted. “If your mother was so powerful, why is there even a way to break this curse? And why is it so specific? What happened to your sister? And if you beat her once, why can’t you just do so again?”
“It’s…complicated.” Rumpel Stiltskin released a heavy sigh. “First of all, you’d have to understand the nature of magic. It’s like…a fire, fed by a limited amount of fuel. Some mages are more powerful than others, and some spells are more demanding than others, consuming more fuel. For example, if my mother had cursed one lone man, there might not have been a way to break it at all. But because she cursed a kingdom, that tiny chance appeared.”
That didn’t answer any of the other questions, but I was out of time and out of patience. “All right. So then, we have to meet up with your mother so I can get Vesper back.”
“It’s too risky,” Medwin protested. “Rapunzel is going to have a child.”
I glowered at the Arthurian prince, anger swelling darkly inside of him. “I don’t care. I want Vesper, and if you stand in my way, you will regret it.”
Rumpel Stiltskin got between me and Medwin before the situation could escalate. “You need to calm down, Count Dracula. This is the exact reason why you and Vesper were targeted. She knew that you would do anything and go against anyone to save Vesper. Vampires are just like that.”
Yes, we were, and for once, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it. I would have probably said or done something they wouldn’t have liked too much, but Rapunzel suddenly spoke out, “I will come. To tell you the truth, it was cruel of me to only dwell on my own happiness when the people from that kingdom are all cursed. We have to do this.”
Medwin pulled Rapunzel aside and glanced straight at his mate. They must have argued through their mental bond, something which I honestly considered an unnecessary delay. There was no real choice in the matter.
“What about the Fairy Godfather?” Dineiro suggested while Rapunzel and Medwin were still engaged in their silent debate. “Can’t he help?”
Rumpel S
tiltskin shook his head. “My brother is taking care of Anelah. Like I said before, she’s not feeling well.”
At last, comprehension dawned. “Anelah is your sister. Rapunzel’s mother.” I rubbed my eyes tiredly. “Goddess, how did you people manage to involve Vesper in this drama?”
Medwin’s brothers seemed even more surprised than me. “Anelah?” Leonard’s eyes were wide as he spoke. “But…She…”
“I’m sorry for not telling you, brother,” Medwin said, turning toward Leonard. “With everything that happened, I just didn’t find the right moment.”
“Can we please focus on what’s important here?” I demanded. “Vesper is in trouble because of you people. Granted, I have my own share of the blame, for not being able to protect him, but I have every intention to fix that. Rapunzel is coming with me, Prince Medwin, whether you like it or not.”
Medwin glowered at me again, but before we could start arguing once more, Rapunzel intervened. “Like I said, I will join you. But, Count Dracula, you have to consider an issue. What guarantee do we have that the witch will free Vesper if we fulfill her demands?”
“We can’t trust her,” Rumpel Stiltskin said. “I’m not sure it is even wise to break the curse to begin with.”
“Perhaps you should,” Dineiro said softly. “After all, if you are correct in what you’re saying, those poor people have been trapped long enough.”
He had a point there. They all did. I couldn’t rely on the fact that the witch would keep her word. That would be just plain folly. For the moment, I had to control my temper and remember these people were my allies. I needed to channel my aggression at the people who deserved it, this blasted witch. Besides, as much as I blamed him for this disaster, I couldn’t expect and didn’t even want Rapunzel to sacrifice himself.
“Very well then,” I said, forcing myself to calm down. “We need a plan. Lord Stiltskin, you sealed this witch once. Can’t you do it again?”
“At the time, I had my brother’s help and that of our fathers,” Rumpel Stiltskin replied darkly.
Undead Have Bunnies, Too Page 3