“The monster is always there, waiting for its escape.”
No one else had seen the ten second confrontation, thankfully. “For a moment, I lost sight of your essence and saw only death.”
After everything that happened in El Paso, I sank into a deep depression for a few days. At the lowest point, I almost gave into the darkness that surrounded my soul. I was close to going down the same path that Abigail had picked.
It wasn't just the witches that tore my family apart; it was ordinary humans who drank the toxins that a corrupt church freely gave them. Everyone was guilty. Everyone deserved to die. I nearly became the next Vlad.
Julia tried her best to pull me back but it wasn't working. It not for my father plunging into the depths and allowing me to see the light, I don't know where I would've ended up. He sacrificed a lot to do so, limiting the contact he could have with me. According to Luka, it cost a great deal for a spirit to linger within the living. It was easier with me because of my mother and her gift, but the lengths my father had to go to free me from the Hell that took hold inside me used up quite a bit of that celestial energy.
Now our contact was brief and concise.
I’d lost him yet again.
Being able to save you meant more to him than anything! Luke chided me.
The time for inner reflection would come later. I needed to focus on the here and now. “The past may be forgiven but it won’t be forgotten, Cassie. That daemon killed one of my grandma’s and that’s on you,” I said, sternly.
“Forgiveness is a blessing. I’d never ask for you to forget.”
There is a truth in her words.
I ignored Luka’s interjections and he got the hint. His spirit drifted away for the time. “I don’t want to keep beating a dead horse. Not when the world has a deranged psycho in it with the means to kill a great many people.”
“Koenig is a great many things, but he is far from psychotic. He sought the power of Vlad Dracul, all for Hitler and his armies. He knows exactly what he is doing and won’t stop until those goals are achieved,” she corrected me.
“Genocide ain’t a normal thing to want.”
“In his mind, as it was in Vlad’s from what I gathered, it’s not genocide, it’s a purge of the unclean.”
The oral history of our family painted Vlad as a mad dictator who was bold enough to make a deal with Satan himself. Maybe it was time I learned a thing or two about the man from someone who might have gleaned something from their time on the inside. “What do you know about Vlad Dracul?” I asked, very serious.
“Before Koenig, just the standard story,” she responded. “Once I saw what Koenig had in his possession, it opened my mind to the world. That’s how he seduced Alura and me to join him; he truly has the blueprints for unlimited power, if he can put all the pieces together.”
“Vlad’s journals?”
“Yes, the one he took from the Vatican. Vlad wasn’t just some monster; he was a scientist!” Cassie rattled off. “He took alchemy and mixed it with black magic, turning himself into one of the most powerful beings to ever walk this world, that is, until he met Maximus Brinza.”
Maximus, not the original but the most popular Brinza on the family tree; the one that succeeded in effectively ending the vampires’ shadow war against humanity. His legacy was almost as dark of a cloud that hung over my head as Vlad’s. Abigail always compared me to her late husband growing up and Julia did nothing to stop it.
Cassie went on, not knowing my personal attitude towards another legend that defined my life. “I didn’t get to read the journals, Koenig is very protective of them, but I heard him talk to his assistant about gypsies. I think there is a potential key in the nomadic folk of Eastern Europe.”
“Gypsies don’t really talk to outsiders, do they?”
“No, but they might talk to you.”
Gypsies weren’t my concern right now. “You talk of Vlad with awe; this goes back to how can I trust you moving forward?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not going to try and justify everything I say or do, Castor. However, I will elaborate on this,” Cassie relented. “Don’t take my awe of the man as worshipping an idol. Vlad, was cold and cruel, this much is common knowledge with plenty of evidence to back it up. But,” she stopped me, “he was also brilliant and revolutionary. The knowledge he gleaned from his experiments can and will change the world once out of Koenig’s hands.”
A knock at the door made me jump. In the front room, where an awkward silence had settled over my soldiers due to Francisco, the shaman moved to answer. Paddy grabbed his pistol, which triggered both Gill and Jordan to do the same thing. Francisco opened the door just a sliver; an old man whispered something to him before disappearing. Francisco immediately closed the door and slid two deadbolts over for added protection.
This didn’t look good.
“Germeens have been spotted in the area,” he enunciated. “The time for action eez upon us.”
Paddy nodded and pointed at Gill and Jordan to focus on him. “The three of us, lads, we’re going back to the war, where we belong for the moment,” he said.
“I agree,” I added, walking back in. “You know what’s out there, what we’re really facing. Gill, Jordan, the fate of the world might depend on the two of you being able to help our boys where it counts.”
“What about you?” Jordan asked.
“We’re not abandoning you now,” Gill said.
“No one said abandoning. I have no idea what’s next, if we’re being truthful. Until I do, your talents are wasted roaming Europe with me. Get back to the war and make sure Koenig’s efforts are in vain.”
Neither man liked it, but both reluctantly accepted my words. “Time’s not on our side,” Paddy said.
It was a quick and rushed goodbye for the moment. It was a shame to see Gill and Jordan go, but I meant my words. They were very good men and they’d be able to lead U.S. troops through the Germans and Koenig’s dark ambitions. To keep them here would be selfish on my part. Paddy gave Cassie a hug and the three of them left out the back door and into the Thai afternoon.
“I’m guessing Paddy has a plane?”
“He always has a plane, Castor.”
That just left us. “Radu ees safe with me,” Francisco promised, reaching his hand out.
“The Germans won’t bother a lonely old man in the middle of this village. He can heal him; reverse whatever it was Koenig’s done to him.”
I felt uneasy, but again, Cassie wasn’t trying to push an agenda, but a solution. “Is there a way to keep in touch with you?” I asked the shaman.
“Yo también puedo entrar en el mundo de los espíritus.”
“What did he say?”
It felt good knowing something the witch didn’t. “He said there’s a way the two of us can talk.” She didn’t need to how we were going to go about it.
“There’s a ley line not too far from here.” She gestured out the same door that Paddy took my men. “Chances are we’ll have to avoid some Germans in the jungle, but it’ll be easier if we leave now.”
“Where’s this line go?”
“You’re not going to like it, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Cassie,” I prompted.
“We’re going to Russia.”
Chapter Twenty
**South China Sea; 1942 the year of our Lord**
“W e are at depth again,” the commander of the U-Boat announced.
“Very good, Schweinstizer. Keep us on course and let me know if there are any changes,” I ordered.
The commander saluted me and continued. By God, it was wonderful being around my fellows, speaking my language instead of that barbaric butchered English that I had to resort to with the Japanese. Hitler would make amends with the rest of the Japanese forces and my story that the Americans attacked and burned the base to the ground would help. With any luck, the Far East would soon be fully under our rule and we could begin a silent execution of these heat
hens.
“We lost Radu,” Otto began as the two of us rejoined below the command level.
“We no longer needed him; our experiment was a success! You should have seen him in action, Otto.”
My assistant nodded with vigor. “I can only imagine. I did take the extra vials before he left, as you instructed.”
I didn’t remember issuing that command, yet Otto would have only done as I told him. “Very good. Besides, Radu is in no shape to oppose me and I know all the players on the field. Castor Brinza is strong, yet not the threat we assumed him to be.”
“I compiled everything we learned about the Brinza clan since discovery that they are still in play. Maximus’s bloodline shows such potential, according to the Vatican,” he explained.
I laughed at the mention of the Vatican. “Those fools, hunting a dwindling lineage all in the sake of God. Vlad Dracul would howl with joy if he could see what has become of the church, he once infiltrated and perverted.”
A young man approached cautiously. I waved him over, seeing the papers in his hands. “We have received news that the Seventh Reich is approaching France. Should we come up from depth so you may issue orders?”
I was about to give my order when I noticed Grigori in the shadows. The Russian was very mysterious and aloof. “Otto, I leave you in charge for the time. I have other matters to attend.”
“Yes, my liege.”
**Mount Sapun; 1942 the year of our Lord**
Snow was falling the moment we came out on the other side. Cassie seemed to be very familiar with where we were and grabbed my arm. She rushed through the trees, pulling me the entire time. We didn’t stop until we came across a small cabin in the woods. She didn’t even bother knocking, just entering and snapping her fingers to bring a fire to life in the fireplace. The warmth was a welcome change.
“Paddy and I found this place during our explorations before; in case I ever needed to come back.”
“Where are we?” I asked through chattering teeth.
“We are in the western part of Russia, off the Black Sea, much closer than we were previously to our destination.”
Right before we left, Cassie had this brilliant plan that we needed to go back to my family’s homeland, Moldavia. Where my family actually was from was across the sea to the west in what eventually became Romania. It was a very isolated place, full of old-world superstition and fear.
And for good reason.
A lot of the creatures that once plagued the land still lived there.
“The gypsies will talk to you,” she said again.
Her obsession with the gypsies wasn’t going away. “Explain to me this train of thought. A group of nomadic people who ignore the rest of the world are the key to stopping Koenig.”
Cassie cleared her throat. Oh boy, this was going to be a long one. “Koenig does nothing, I mean nothing, without cause. He mentioned gypsies a few times, referencing Vlad’s journals. He never went into great detail what their role in all of this was, but if Koenig had reason to mention them, they must be important. If you can win their trust, they may indulge their secrets to you.”
Damnit, that was a lot better reason than I expected. “How do we find these gypsies?”
“We rest here tonight and we begin our track north then west. Crossing the Black Sea with the war going on would be a fool’s errand.”
That sucked. “Going such a roundabout way, how will the gypsies find us?”
“Don’t worry, once we get close, they will seek you out. Your aura is like a beacon to those who truly see the world.”
With everything that’d happened recently, a decent night’s sleep was something I could look forward to. The cabin was still cool, not as cold as the Russian winter around us was, but not quite as comfortable as the nights in El Paso. Still, I picked out a nice spot on a rug near the fireplace and took one of the fur blankets over.
“Goodnight, Cassie.”
“And you as well, Castor.”
****
The moon was still high in the sky when something woke me up. Cassie was sitting beside me with her finger up against her lip. She pointed outside and that’s when I saw a very large shadow going by the window, the light from the moon giving us enough of a warning to be very still. That’s when the shadow stopped. I heard a few snorts, like a large animal sniffing out its prey. Something was very hungry; I could feel it.
“I believe that is a Baal Bear,” the witch whispered.
Every daemon hunter with a pulse knew of rare creatures that were the result of deviant actions of even greater evils. “My God, a Baal Bear? If that thing finds us…” I trailed off quietly.
We stayed incredibly still. The sniffing eventually began to stop and the sounds of the creature became faint. My heart was still racing a hundred miles per hour. My breathing was ragged and short, too. We were that close to becoming a mythical creature’s late-night snack.
That’s when the roof was ripped off.
Words couldn’t even do the bear justice. In the pitch-black sky, all I could make out was a huge outline with the creature’s face being something straight from Hell. It’s unnatural yellow eyes complimented that red ringed teeth, probably stained with blood, as the bear growled at its targets. Cassie was paralyzed with fear. It was painfully clear that she wasn’t going to be doing any of her normal witchcraft anytime soon.
That left me one choice. With my flail still strapped to my hip, there was nothing else in the cabin I needed to grab. I wrapped my arm around her waist and ran the two of us out of the cabin, right as the Baal Bear finished the job, smashing it completely with its other paw. The fire that’d been going sparked outward and a patch of trees right behind where the cabin had been went ablaze.
The fire only made the scene that much more alarming.
The bear was easily twelve feet tall on its hind legs and probably weighed more than a blasted Wedingo. Seeing us free, it tore down a tree as it fell to all fours again and began stalking us. We weren’t going to outrun it, we weren’t going to fight it, we needed to get to the ley line and vamanos fast. That meant getting Cassie to snap out of this fear state.
“Cassie, I really could use you.”
“Alura… the House of Baal…,” she mumbled.
I had no clue what that meant, but it wasn’t helping our situation. Castor!
It was my dad. I’ll take any ideas, Father.
I knew his time was generally very limited, so if he was here instead of Luka, it had to be important. I kept watching the bear, shielding Cassie as best I could. Our enemy knew it was in a place of power and seemed to enjoy spreading the fear it created.
She’s coming, my father replied.
Who’s she?
Hello my baby boy, a female voice replied.
The world stopped. Whether it really did or it was just a figment of my imagination, everything froze. Momma? I asked, feeling all my extremities trembling.
A son will always know his mother, she said proudly.
What do I do?
I couldn’t see her, but I felt her smile wash over me. Use your gifts, my beautiful Castor. Use your gifts and I will protect you.
When the world began moving again, I placed my trust in my mother and embraced the darkness. I allowed the power of Vlad Dracul to run free.
****
The sight of the Baal Bear created such a panic in me. Baal, the patron daemon of Alura; had he sent this bear to find me? To punish me for killing his prized witch? Even from the Seventh Circle, a powerful fallen angel held sway over this world, Satan proved that time and again. Vlad Dracul was his prized work.
It was only when that power burst alive that my panic escaped me. Castor, for whatever reason, embraced the darkness in his soul and the presence of the vampire lord was felt near and far. Red eyes, a horrible visage, and unlimited power fought back against the intimidation that the Baal Bear was using quite well.
The only thing stronger than the force of Baal was gifts from Satan.
“Castor…?” I asked, tentatively.
The man, er daemon, considered me. “Stand back,” he answered, his voice quite frightening. “This will get bloody.”
Castor walked towards the bear with purpose. The creature held its ground, but became very wary of this development. It tried to snap at the hunter, but he cracked his flail back, opening a very large gash across the horrible muzzle. Blood dripped down, like big giant raindrops, and Castor didn’t stop. He got close enough and caught the swipe of a paw with both hands. Wrapping the flail around, he pulled the chain so tight that it ripped both appendages off. The Baal Bear had no choice but to crash to the ground, injured and, in a matter of moments, defeated.
Castor wrapped the flail’s chain once more around the neck. The Baal Bear knew its time was up and accepted death as Castor wrenched back with inhuman strength. The chain became a garrote as it sliced through the outer hide, the tendons, and finally the spinal cord. When the bear’s large head was freed from the body, it thudded on the permafrost. It’s eyes looked up, rather sad at how it died.
For a second, I pitied the creature.
Then the realization that the daemon was gone and it was just me with a man that may or may not be Castor anymore. His back was still facing me, the front side still taking in the dead carcass of the bear, I assumed.
When he turned around, slowly I might add, I was not prepared for what happened next. A woman, a ghostly visage actually was floating in front of him. He still looked like a harsh combination of man and vampire, but the woman, she appeared to be benevolent. Something was exchanged between the two and Castor left the bear and came back my way.
Once close, the ghost spoke. Her voice had a soft Spanish accent and there was a warmth I never expected.
“My dear,” she said kindly. “We have much to discuss.”
Chapter Twenty One
G radually, the influence of Vlad sank back into my spiritual side, leaving only me. The entire time, I felt my mother’s presence pushing back the worst of the hatred, leaving only the parts I could use and control. It was still scary how easily I slain the Baal Bear and with such disregard, too. I didn’t like it, but it seemed a part of me that could be useful moving forward; if I could learn to control it myself.
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