VROLOK

by Nolene-Patricia Dougan

  “You are right, I was, but I would not remind me of that too often if I were you.”

  “I am too old to hold my tongue, and you are no threat to me.”

  “I’m not?” There was a pause in the conversation. Isabella wanted to frighten Anna, but Anna would not be frightened and Isabella understood this.

  “You’re not.”

  Isabella sighed and said, “I have cursed Katya many times for making me promise never to hurt your family.”

  “I had heard you made that promise willingly and often did more than you were asked,” Anna replied.

  “Your family for the most part deserved my respect and protection. I did whatever I could, which was usually too little too late.”

  Anna began to think about her own future. “What will happen now…what will become of us? Will we go to a new village and start again?”

  “Do you want to do that?” Isabella replied. “I will never come back here. All ties with this place have been severed now. No member of your family will ever have to teach their children to be guardians of Vampires ever again.”

  “I have already started to tell my grandchildren,” Anna replied

  “Tell them it was just a story that you had once heard and that there is no truth in it. In time they will forget, as children always do. I don’t want your family to be under any further obligation to me.”

  “Thank you,” Anna replied.

  Isabella did not want to leave Anna like this. She wanted to give her something. She looked up and saw the castle on the edge of the forest and smiled.

  “There…that will be your new home and you can have Vlad’s fortune. He has it buried all over the Carpathians.” Isabella laughed. “As if anyone would dare steal from him. Do you know when he was alive he left a golden goblet in the middle of the village square for people to drink from, and no one ever tried to steal it? He was so feared even then.”

  “What about you, do you not need money?” Anna interrupted Isabella.

  “I don’t want his money. I don’t deserve to have it.” Isabella looked over towards Anna and smiled. Isabella was touched because Anna actually looked concerned about Isabella’s well-being. “Don’t worry I will survive; that is one thing I can guarantee. Take the money for your family. Consider it payment for centuries of loyalty.”

  “Thank you again.”

  “Don’t thank me just yet. I do want one final thing from you.” Isabella responded.

  “Anything,” Anna replied.

  “I want you from now on to deny my existence and the existence of Vampires. I want us just to be a story in this land, dismissed as a figment of frightened children’s overactive imagination. In time we will become a myth, not even a distant memory. Will you do this last thing for me?”

  “I will, of course I will,” Anna replied. “But what about the other people in the village, they will tell people of you and Vlad and the others.”

  “I would not worry about them; they won’t be getting a chance to tell anything to anyone.”

  “But people will come to the castle and ask where we came from and what we are doing there.” Isabella considered her answer before she spoke; then an idea struck her.

  “Tell them you are descendants of the Dracul family. Yes, that’s it, tell them of his family. Deny all rumours of Vampires. Condemn any people who spout such nonsense as fools. Tell them Dracula’s family history. Make it up. Tell them of other princes after Dracula who continued his line, that his son was not poisoned, that he didn’t die, but ruled Transylvania after Vlad Dracula had died and you are his direct descendants. Write a history and make people believe it. As far as the whole world will be concerned, Vlad died four hundred years ago. People who visit Snagov can even see his tomb. I have even seen it. There is another tomb near a monastery where Vlad’s brother was supposed to have been laid to rest. His body was stolen but his tomb still exists. Tell people it is Dracula’s son’s grave. Anna you can make a good life for you and your family if you do as I ask.”

  “I will never be able to convince people of this. They will not believe such stories,” Anna protested.

  “People will believe anything you tell them as long as you have the confidence to do it. Vlad told me a story once. It was about a French knight. His fellow knights had deserted him. He stood on a bridge alone where two hundred men were marching towards him. He stood there facing his own death, determined to fight off as many as he could before they overcame him. Vlad was watching from afar. He was overawed by the knight’s pugnacity and decided to help him. Together they fought, and when they were finished not one single man had made it across the bridge. The only request Vlad made of this knight was that he never told anyone that Vlad had helped him. The knight protested, saying people would not believe he had done it alone. Vlad simply said that people will believe anything as long as you have enough conviction when you tell them. Later I read of a fearless and blameless knight who fought off two hundred men singlehandedly and I knew it was him,” Isabella said, smiling. She was remembering.

  “You really loved him, didn’t you?” Anna asked. Isabella laughed.

  “I hated him, but someone once told me that to truly hate someone, you have to have truly loved them. Vlad was the only man who never judged me. He never tried to make me different from what I was.” Isabella fell silent; memories were filling her mind.

  “You will miss him, won’t you?” Anna asked.

  “More than I even realise. Unfortunately, I always believed he would be there if I needed him. I always thought he was dependable. I could always rely on him to be skulking about in that castle whenever I needed company. I came as close to loving him as I have done to any man. There were times when we hated each other. There were times when we made each other miserable, but there were also times when he truly made me as happy as I ever have been and took me as close to perfection, as love can ever take you. I was never completely happy with him but we could have been and that is my greatest regret.”

  Anna watched as a red tear fell down Isabella’s cheek. She tried to change the subject, not wanting to cause Isabella anymore distress.

  “Thank you for giving us this. It’s a second chance for us all,” Anna said.

  “It is no less than your family deserves,” Isabella answered.

  “Can I ask you for another favour?”

  Isabella smiled. She had just given this woman everything she had and still Anna was asking for something more. Only Anna would have dared.

  “What else do you want?” Isabella asked.

  “I want to know what happened to you. I want you to tell me about the things you have seen.”

  “You are the third member of your family to ask me that. I’ll grant you this last request.”

  “I actually have another.” Anna stated.

  Isabella laughed and said, “I have nothing left to give you.”

  “You can give me this….” Anna gathered up her courage to ask Isabella for this last thing. “A man called Simon came to visit me today. He tried to save me. He thought I was in danger. I believe him to be good man and guilty of nothing more than just being there when Vlad was killed. I would like you to spare him and his family.”

  “No,” Isabella said, resolute. “I will not and cannot grant you this,” Isabella said firmly. “These men let Vlad die. They are all guilty of nothing more than just being there when he died. They watched him die and they must suffer as he did. They watched as he was slaughtered and did nothing to stop it. For that they will follow him to the grave. All of them.”

  “And what about the men who killed my son?” Anna asked, remembering her own loss.

  “Rest easy, Anna, my punishment for the English that pursued Vlad and hunted him down like an animal will be greater still. They will suffer the worst of all fates. I will not stop until their worst fears have been realised. That is a promise.”

  Anna was stunned into silence; she almost pitied the men who had killed Vlad. Isabella realised she had slightly
frightened Anna when she had spoken so vehemently. She wanted to give her comfort but she didn’t know how.

  “I have to leave soon but before I do I will give you my memories,” Isabella said, and she placed her hands on Anna’s head. Thoughts and memories flowed into Anna’s mind. She saw and remembered Isabella’s life as if she had been there observing it all along. Some things were horrible, some beautiful and some sad. She understood Isabella that little bit better and she knew that no one would be spared. For the first time in her life she felt pity for Isabella and Isabella sensed her pity.

  “Do not try to rationalise my actions,” Isabella began, “because have no doubt—I am a cold-blooded killer. I have killed children while they slept in their beds and not felt a moment’s remorse. Your pity is wasted on me, but I thank you for feeling it. Take your grandchildren and their mother up to the castle and you will eventually forget these memories that I have given you. Live the rest of your life in peace and forget about Vampires, for you will not hear from me again.”

  Anna felt sad as she watched Isabella depart. She knew what Isabella was, but she could not help but feel the loss of a friend as she saw her walking away.

  The night Katya had died Isabella was distraught. She left her friend’s house and walked back up through the forest to the castle. She went to her bedroom and lay on her bed staring out the window. Emptiness filled her. She felt Katya’s death had severed the last link to her old life. She was now truly a Vampire and nothing else. She did not know what to do now. The best thing she could think to do was to take comfort in Vlad’s company and live here with him. Any thoughts of her painter in Italy left her. She would stay here for the foreseeable future and see if she could finally forget her old life. It would also give her time to grieve for her old friend.

  Vlad was pleased that Isabella stayed. They actually seemed to be enjoying each other’s company. They slept together and they fed together. This was the closest thing to happiness either one had ever experienced in their afterlife, but it was not to last long.

  One night as the dawn was just about to break, Isabella crept downstairs and sat on the floor beside Vlad’s feet and leaned her head on his lap. He was pleased if not surprised by this show of affection, but he knew her too well and realised she wanted something. The pair shared everything but neither one was that intimate with the other. They didn’t completely trust each other; perhaps they never would—each one knew the other’s character too well.

  Vlad rested his hand on her head and waited for her to ask him whatever it was that she wanted. The pause was not long before she started to speak, for Isabella was impatient and impetuous.

  “I have grown tired of this place,” she began. Vlad thought this meant that she wanted to leave him. He lifted up his hand from her head and got up, ousting Isabella’s head off his knee.

  “You want to leave so you can go back to Italy!” Vlad snapped.

  “No, I have seen enough of Italy, too—quite the contrary, in fact. I thought I would quite like to fight in a battle.” Vlad looked at Isabella, bemused as she continued to speak. “A German army prepares to fight the Turks in Hungary. Why don’t we go and lend a hand? Since my promise to Katya we have been going further and further afield for food. If we got into a war there would be plenty of blood at our disposal. A King, Maximilian I think, is rallying troops against the Turks.

  “I could not fight for Christianity,” Vlad answered.

  “Then you could fight for the Turks.”

  “I don’t think I could fight for them, either.”

  “The point is not that we are fighting for any side, the point is we could feed to our hearts’ content, and not get noticed by anyone.”

  “We are not noticed here,” Vlad said.

  “You know that is not true. The villagers whisper about us daily. Even I heard stories when I was alive about the Vampire that lived in this castle. And since I have promised not to kill any more of Katya’s people….”

  “Whatever inspired you to make such a foolish promise?”

  “An old friend. Don’t tell me you have not had a moment of compassion because I know you have.”

  “Maybe I have, but I do want you to forget this promise you made to Katya. It is better to be feared than loved. Isn’t that what you keep telling me?”

  “Don’t worry—no human will ever love us.” Isabella answered.

  “So you want to fight a war?”

  “I want food. I am hungry and so are you.”

  “When do you want to leave?”

  Isabella smiled. He was going to go with her. “I must go down and see Katya’s daughter first before we leave. I will go tonight and then we can leave tomorrow.”

  When Isabella arrived down in the village she went straight to Katya’s old cottage.

  “It has been a long time,” Katya’s child, Isabella’s namesake, began.

  “It has,” Isabella responded.

  “Why have you chosen tonight to visit me?”

  “I have come to tell you that I am leaving. I will not be back for a while.” As Isabella spoke a girl entered the house. Her face was bruised and she was trying to hide it. The human Isabella looked at the girl with pity and turned back to the Vampire.

  “I am glad you came to see me. I wanted to ask you a favour. That girl is my granddaughter.”

  “What’s wrong with her face?” Isabella asked.

  “Her husband beats her.”

  “What has this got to do with me?”

  “You promised my mother you would protect our family. I want you to use…gentle persuasion to make sure he does not beat her anymore.”

  “Why doesn’t she just leave him?”

  “She loves him.”

  “She’s a fool; I cannot help people who won’t help themselves.”

  “Is she a fool? My mother told me stories of a woman, a girl who lives with someone who tried to kill her.” Katya’s daughter was so like her mother. Isabella couldn’t help liking her. The Vampire would comply with her namesake’s wishes and use gentle persuasion, as she put it, to stop the young girl’s husband from beating her to death some day.

  Isabella sighed and began to speak again, “Tell your granddaughter not to go home tonight. I will go and wait for her husband.”

  “Thank you…and Isabella…don‘t kill him,” the young Isabella shouted after the Vampire.

  Isabella looked back at her, smiled wryly, and nodded.

  “He’ll live,” she replied.

  Katya’s daughter coughed. The Vampire knew that her friend’s daughter was nearing the end of her life.

  Isabella sat in the dark waiting for the girl’s abusive husband to come home. When he eventually entered the house, he reeked of wine. On seeing Isabella, he started to shout at her.

  “Where is my wife?” he barked.

  “She’s not here,” answered Isabella.

  “I can see that!” he shouted back. Isabella stood. The husband staggered over to where she was standing. “What have you done with my wife?”

  “Do you care?” At this the man lashed out at Isabella. His blow knocked Isabella off balance and she fell to the floor. Before she could get up the man struck out again with his foot. The side of his shoe caught her cheek and split it open. He kicked out again but this time Isabella caught his foot in her hand and squeezed hard, breaking his bones in several places. He screamed out in pain and stumbled back away from Isabella.

  Isabella looked up at the husband of Katya’s grandchild and he began to fear for his life when his eyes met hers. He fell back into the corner of the room. It was as if Isabella’s stare had thrust him backwards. She lifted her hand and rubbed her fingers against her cheek, wiping off the blood to reveal a completely healed wound. He ran for the door, his fear overcoming his pain. Isabella got to the door before he did and slammed it shut. The man, now terrified, backed again into the corner of the room. Isabella pushed him back further so that he was pinned up against the wall.

  “You wo
uld hit a woman…?” Isabella asked; her voice full of disdain. The abusive husband said nothing. “Always be careful when you do; some woman hit back,” Isabella continued.

  At this she grabbed him round his neck and lifted him off the ground. The man now gasped for air and struggled to get his words out.

  “Who are you?” he whispered.

  “I am…a dark angel. More importantly I am your wife’s guardian angel. If you are not the epitome of kindness towards her from now on I will come back and rip the flesh from your throat.” Isabella pressed her finger nails into his neck, and a few drops of blood started to spill onto her fingers. “Be warned I only make a threat once,” Isabella said, and then she let go and he dropped to the ground. He curled his body up into a ball and lay there not moving…too scared to move. Isabella leaned down and with her finger nail slashed his cheek exactly where he had wounded her.

  “Just a scar so that you never forget my warning,” Isabella stated.

  This man never hit his wife again. In fact, he turned into a kind husband that his wife could love without reproach.

  Isabella returned to the castle and when she entered a man was sitting with Vlad. Isabella was horrified when she realised it was Vincente.

  Vlad could see that Isabella was extremely agitated at Vincente being there and he knew why. Vlad walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek.

  “My love…we have a guest,” Vlad said sarcastically.

  “I can see we have a guest,” Isabella reaffirmed.

  “Say hello to our guest. You are being quite vulgar. It must be your upbringing.” Isabella threw Vlad a supercilious look. She had become as much of a snob as Vlad was and had put her underprivileged childhood behind her. Vlad liked to remind her of it every chance he got. He knew how to antagonise her just as she knew how to antagonise him.

  Isabella by now had regained her senses and went over to their guest. Vincente, being totally ignorant of the danger he was in, took Isabella’s hand and kissed it. Dracula did not outwardly show any reaction but Vincente had just signed his own death warrant, simply by having the audacity to touch Isabella in his presence.