“But only after the vampires attacked. I had no forewarning of them. You knew they were around us before they revealed themselves.”
“I think you’ll learn to sense their presence more readily.”
As we walked upon the forest road, clouds hid the moon and darkened the sky. The trouble about traveling on foot during the darkness, especially after fighting vampires was every sound became suspect. Wind shaking a rattling leaf, a night bird flittering through the trees, or an animal scratching the ground in search of food, all of these things made me wonder if lingering vampires followed us. If these sounds alarmed Dominus, it never showed in his expressions. I had a lot to experience before I could ignore all of the odd forest noises during the darkest hours.
Only fools or hunters chose to walk during the dead of night. Perhaps we fit both categories. There were reasons why mothers told their children horrifying tales before bedtime. I wondered if Bodi’s mother had done that for him.
The dead of night phrase made sense to me now. That was the time when the undead were able to make their appearance, and certainly why the living needed to be secured inside their homes. We hunters proved to be the only exceptions because someone needed to protect the innocent from the monsters.
Chapter Twenty-four
I awoke the following afternoon in the cottage still dressed in my hunting coat and clothes from the night before. I hadn’t even taken off my boots. I had been too exhausted. I barely remembered lying down. The cottage was quiet, and I was alone, which alarmed me. I quickly rolled out of the bed and stumbled my way toward the door.
I remembered that Dominus had said that he wished to apologize to Jacques, but had he? With the previous contention between them, I worried that things might have gotten worse instead of better.
I swung open the door and the setting sun caused me to squint. Slowly my vision adjusted, and I was able to look around.
My father sat on wide stump near the woodpile. Jacques stood and leaned against a massive tree with his arms crossed. Both were listening to Dominus tell stories about the vampires he had slain. Neither my father nor Jacques were upset. They were amused. Apparently Dominus had smoothed the differences between them.
“Ah, the boy has risen,” Dominus said. Smoke puffed from his pipe.
I rubbed my eyes. Everything seemed fuzzy and blurred. Even when I had guarded the cottage door throughout the night while my father recovered, I never slept past noon. In spite of my long deep sleep I was drained.
Jacques shot a quick glance toward me.
“Were you and Father attacked after you left the city last night?” I asked.
“No,” Jacques replied.
I looked toward my father. His right hand was swollen and purple. It had to be causing him some added pain. Despite his obvious injury, he held a triumphant smile on his face.
“I believe Father was right,” I said to Jacques.
“About?”
“Torturing the vampire to get the master to appear.”
Father shook his head. “Dominus insists that Baron Randolph wants you dead more than he wants me. I’m inclined to believe that as well.”
Jacques nodded. “I saw the hatred in his eyes the day he stood at the edge of the road facing you, Forrest. He’s not going to abandon his pursuit.”
“Neither shall I,” I replied.
“I doubt he’s going to attack you directly.”
“No, he’s a coward. His actions prove that he is. Otherwise, why does he kill women?”
Jacques frowned.
“The baron killed my mother, but he also killed the wife of the crafter, the man who had built my box.”
“He might be a coward,” Dominus said, “but his actions are to make his enemies submissive to their fear and in turn, abandon any future thoughts of exacting revenge. It has been the same with every master since Dracula, although it’s doubtful any other will be as ruthless as he.”
“I’m too angry to be afraid.”
“He recognizes that, too, especially after last night,” Dominus said.
“I want to go after him,” I replied.
Jacques shook his head. “No, not yet.”
“He fears me.”
“I understand that, but folks controlled by their fear, even vampires, can act crazy and resort to desperate actions. Besides, even if your father’s hands were healed, we only have four people. We need more,” Jacques said.
Dominus gave me a grim smile. “His next attack will be greater than last night’s. He will use older vampires.”
“Against which Forrest has no experience,” Jacques said.
“He will after tonight.”
“Why?” my father asked. “Where are you taking him?”
“Glodrim, which is a small village at the base of the mountain near the bend of the river.”
“I know the place,” Jacques said. “The vampires hide in the caves during the day.”
Dominus nodded. “At my last count, I saw only six.”
“And you spared them?” Jacques asked.
“No, I didn’t spare them. They’re the most troublesome left of their original clan. I’m not agile enough to climb the steep side of the cliff. I assure you, though, with Forrest’s help, we’ll get them.”
Jacques sighed. “I’d like to help you, but I need to return to the tavern near Ploiesti, where your father met the werewolf that gave him the advice that probably saved my life. Did your father ever finish telling the story behind why he chose to become a vampire hunter after encountering Dracula’s grandson?”
“I’ve not asked him yet.”
“No time like the present,” Jacques said. He glanced at the sun’s position. “Besides, I’d best be leaving before it get any later. Even a werewolf has enemies other than vampires.”
“Ah, the boy doesn’t want to hear about my excursions,” my father said.
Jacques flashed a quick smile. “I’m certain he’d like to know how you met his mother. It occurred on the same day, did it not?”
My father’s lower lip trembled. I opened my mouth to tell him he didn’t need to say anything, it could wait until later, but he held a single finger toward me, indicating that he didn’t wish me to speak. I obliged.
Jacques tipped his hat to me and then to Dominus before he sprinted through the trees until he reached the road.
“Our cousin is correct. I met your mother the night I had to kill the vampire to free her and him.”
Dominus frowned and turned toward my father. “Wait. You mean that you killed one of Dracula’s grandsons?”
“Let’s not give away the ending,” Father replied. “After all, I never interrupted you during any of your tales.”
Dominus relit his pipe. “Fair enough. You have my complete attention.”
Father had mine as well. For those weeks he was recovering, I desperately wanted to ask him, but with his aggravation of being bedfast, he wasn’t mentally capable of telling the tale in the way that allowed him to boast. After last night’s challenge and his release of anger, his level of pride and accomplishment had resurfaced. He had never tried to hide his busted knuckles and swollen hand. He did quite the opposite, setting it atop the other hand where it was constantly visible.
Father cleared his throat. “At a rustic tavern in Ploiesti, I had spoken with a man who warned me that killing a wolf might actually kill a werewolf, who could really be Jacques. With that knowledge I decided to return to the place where I had last saw Jacques. I figured he should recognize me, regardless of him being a werewolf or a wolf. At least that much was true.”
“And what wasn’t true?” I asked.
Father laughed softly. “The other mammoth wolves didn’t recognize me. Several of them charged at me, but Jacques tore into all three of them. He got between those massive wolves and I, and held them back by snapping and growling. Quite vicious our cousin was on that night. I suppose he was capable of communicating with them, as they sat back like obedient dogs with their pink
tongues hanging out and clearly they had lost their interest in me.
“I called his name, and he eased to my side and sat down. One of the most beautiful wolves I had ever seen, but huge. He stood higher than my waist on all fours. Looking into his eyes, I recognized it to be him.”
“How did he turn into human form?” I asked. “He never told me.”
Father smiled and pointed his index finger as he made his point. “Ah, the man in the tavern had given me a talisman blessed by a gypsy that could release only one wolf from their shape-shifted form. He wore an identical one on a silver chain around his neck.”
“The one Jacques wears now?”
“Yes, the very one. After he had been freed from his bondage, he wanted to return and free the others, but his fear toward the vampire was too great. Since I was going, he insisted that I have it. At no charge.”
“Hell, I’d have asked for at least a tankard of ale,” Dominus said.
“He didn’t even have to ask,” my father replied. “I bought him several, and during the night while we drank, he gave me details of the best ways to get into the stables and out again with the least chance of being noticed. But he warned me that Dracula’s grandson was one of the most powerful vampires left in the area. If he detected me, I had no hope left, especially if he discovered the talisman.
“I was too drunk that evening to head toward the castle, so I arrived the following evening right before dusk, and that’s when Jacques had protected me from the other wolves. I used some twine to make a necklace with the talisman and wrapped it around Jacques’ neck.”
“What happened?” Dominus asked, leaning forward.
“Well, let’s just say if ever the opportunity arises where you can watch such a transformation? Don’t. It’s one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever witnessed. Actually, I couldn’t even stomach watching the entire ordeal. I leaned against a tree and vomited.”
Dominus shook his head with slight disappointment in his eyes, trying to suppress his grin.
“Jacques lay nude on the ground. The man who had given me the talisman, I think his name was Rusk, never told me that the transformation back into human form would render Jacques unconscious.”
“It did?” I asked.
Father nodded. “I shook him hard and never got a response from him. He snored, but that was it. He was in a deep sleep.”
“So how’d you get him out of there?” I asked.
“How else? I carried him.”
Jacques probably outweighed my father by a good fifty pounds then. More than that now since my father’s legs had withered considerably since his injuries.
“I hefted him over my shoulder and started down the hillside toward the river, the same place where we’d been separated nearly a year before. And that’s when I saw your mother for the first time. Olivia was thinner then, and her complexion an unhealthy pale. Her radiant beauty was diminished only by the haunted look in her eyes. Dressed all in white, she was filling two wooden pails with river water and was about to start back toward the estate. The brightness of her clothes glowed, even though the sun had already set.”
“Wait,” I said. “She wasn’t a vampire. She couldn’t have been because—”
“No, son, she wasn’t. She had been at the river before the sun vanished behind the mountains. But she had been forced against her will to be a human servant for the vampire. He had never killed her.”
“And what prevented him from turning her?” I asked.
“I’m getting to that.”
I sat on the edge of the stump beside my father.
He said, “I saw a vampire approaching her on horseback. Of course, then I only suspected that he was a vampire because I didn’t actually know. My suspicion turned out to be correct though. I crouched behind a row of thorny berry shrubs and set Jacques down. Amongst the things Rusk and I had discussed, he told me that a wooden stake through the heart was the best way to kill a vampire, and the safest way to do that was by entering the crypt during the day while the vampire was fast asleep.”
Dominus laughed. “Yeah, good luck attempting that. It sounds really good when you’re talking about it, but I’ve never encountered a vampire that didn’t have a servant standing guard.”
“I don’t doubt that,” my father replied. “I wasn’t fond of the idea of wandering into a lightless crypt, even with a lantern, and still to this day, I’d rather fight a vampire out in the open like we did last night.”
“It’s safer in a lot of ways,” Dominus said.
Father nodded and continued. “This vampire was off the horse in an instant. I never saw him dismount. He stood only a few inches from Olivia, staring down into her eyes. Then,” My father’s voice crackled. “He fed from her and she from he.”
I felt anger and nausea rise simultaneously inside me.
“I shook Jacques, trying to awaken him, but there was no waking him. The vampire stood about twenty yards away, which was too much distance for me to run without being noticed.”
Dominus held up his crossbow where I could see but my father couldn’t due to how we were seated. Dominus winked. I got his hint. The crossbow held obvious advantages.
“After the damned monster drank Olivia’s blood, he turned and whistled. Immediately all of the mammoth wolves galloped down the hillside toward him. All of them except Jacques.
“I peered through the shrubs, careful not to shake the leaves or branches. The vampire looked concerned, realizing that Jacques was not amongst his pack. Jacques later told me that the vampire did have a mental link of control through hypnosis, but the talisman and Jacques deep sleep apparently prevented him from locating us.”
“Now, this vampire was the grandson of Vlad?” Dominus asked.
Father nodded.
“I figured him to be more powerful.”
“He is,” Father replied.
“Is?” Dominus asked. “So he’s still alive?”
Father frowned with frustration. He was a great storyteller, and it had been a long time since he had been given the opportunity to do so.
“Sorry,” Dominus said, “but I cannot continue with this suspense. It gets me all riled up inside. Besides, the sun will set soon. Forrest and I need to be on our way.”
“Very well,” my father said with a slight sigh and a droop in his shoulders. “I didn’t know exactly what else to do. I assumed that the vampire was going to send the wolves in search of Jacques, but they already knew where we both were. I was so infatuated with Olivia that I couldn’t bear to leave her behind bound to the vampire. I couldn’t leave her. I had one advantage though.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“The flowing river was loud, but it gave me an idea. Before the wolves were sent to track us, I dragged Jacques down the embankment beside the shrubs and lowered us into the cold water. I hoped the chill of the water would awaken him but it didn’t. At the edge of the bank, I dislodged a log and positioned Jacques arms over it, then pushed him into the strong current while I held the end of the log.
“We floated toward Olivia and the vampire, unnoticed and unheard. I did perhaps the most daringness thing ever. As we floated behind where they stood, I reached out and grabbed the hem of her dress and tugged hard. She fell backwards with a loud splash. I caught her and she shrieked. Dracula’s grandson turned with fury set in his eyes. For a moment I thought I was dead, but there wasn’t anything he could do.”
“Why?” I asked.
Father smiled. “A vampire cannot cross moving water.”
I glanced at Dominus. “Is this true?”
“Yep. Don’t ask me how, but it’s the truth. The only way a vampire can cross a moving body of water is for another to carry him.”
“So that’s how you got away?” I asked.
My father nodded.
“And what about her being compelled as a human servant? How did you break that?”
“The strength of such a bond wanes over time. Once his blood got out of her system, sh
e came around. But I took her to a priest. He anointed her with oil and holy water and blessed her. Otherwise, she’d have fallen into a quick transfixion if her eyes ever looked into his.”
“Did you ever meet him again?” I asked.
“No,” he said, shaking his head.
“Why hadn’t he turned her?”
“According to your mother, he was waiting for her to mature a few more years. She resented him for what he had done and for what he had planned.”
Dominus stood and looked at me. “Now you understand why you were destined to become a vampire hunter?”
“It’s why I did,” my father said. “Last night made my seventh kill, but I never got brave enough to go back to where I first saw Olivia.”
“Because of your father and mother, Forrest, you were a gift given to them to wipe out the vampire population. It stirred that deeply inside of your mother.”
Father nodded. “There were few things she ever spoke harshly against. The undead was the main one.”
“Forrest,” Dominus said, “say your goodbyes, get your box, and let’s travel to Glodrim. It’s still a good walk. Doubtful we’ll get there before sunset, but we might.”
I faced my father. “Don’t you want to go?”
He shook his head. “I’m exhausted, Forrest. My hand aches. I can’t possibly use a stake properly.”
“I hate to leave you behind, all alone.”
“I’ve been around for a long time,” he replied. He pulled me close and embraced me, unable to get his arms all the way around me. “You listen to what Dominus tells you. I didn’t care much for him when we first met, but he’s experienced. He knows what he’s talking about, and I’m certain he’ll do everything possible to keep you alive. So listen to him and don’t get overeager, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Now get your belongings and get on your way.”
I did as he instructed. As Dominus and I headed down the road, I looked back. My father stood at the door and waved. The smile on his face indicated how proud he was of me. For some odd reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the last time I’d see him alive.
Forrest Wollinsky: Vampire Hunter [Book One] Page 18