“It’s coincidence. He works a lot inside. Besides, that’s still out in the day,” Jessica said.
“Yes, yes, but also remember what he said to us when we found out about vampires; he said, ‘Do not be fooled by the time of day. They only fear the rays of the sun and not the early or late glow of the day.’ Something like that.”
Jessica said nothing but looked back at the fire, trying to find comfort.
“Besides, how else does it explain how he moved, and how he knows so much about them and why he couldn’t leave the crypt when we were stuck there? He didn’t go anywhere to search for clues; he was stuck there waiting for the sun to go down. He let us leave, and he stayed there by himself, knowing he might still be in danger.”
“How can you think this is so funny?” Jessica asked.
“I think it’s amazing we know a vampire. I very much like having him on our side, especially since there are vampires that are not on ours.”
Outside, Father Lemoine listened in. He knew it was necessary for them to come to terms with the truth.
Sebastian turned the corner, and he knew he was at the right place because he saw Father Lemoine and entourage. Father Lemoine put his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and smiled broadly.
Jessica came over and sat across from her brother, feeling exhausted. Jacob knew her fight would soon run out, but not yet.
“We still don’t know he’s a vampire,” she said to no one. Jacob’s eyebrows went up knowingly.
“Didn’t you see his eyes?”
Jessica didn’t respond right away, and Jacob noticed that her attention had been stolen from him. He swallowed a little, sensing Sebastian had come into the room and was almost behind him. Feeling slightly guilty for the statement because Sebastian surely had heard him, he tried to give as apologetic a look as he could.
Sebastian had changed clothes because the others had been badly stained with blood. He walked over to the front of the fireplace, a favorite spot. They waited for him to speak, not really knowing what to say or ask. He spoke to them while looking at the fire like he was reading from a book.
“My family was killed … but not by bandits or thieves,” Sebastian noted and turned to the twins. “I died that night also.”
Jacob remembered the night of Sebastian’s storytelling, recalling the same posture in front of the fire.
“The stories you told … they aren’t just stories you read … you were there?”
“Yes. It was after the battle. Almost a year had gone by and the area was trying to recover from the massacre. My family stayed in the area because we had nothing to go home to. We were like many others. We came here fleeing from what we could not understand. My father went to work for a family that still had some land, and we tried to start anew.
“The castle became vacant, and finally the church came and took possession, but it was not to be a normal church holding in any way. The church knew what happened; this was to be a solution.
“They came one night. Me and my brother tried to fight them off, but it was a lost cause. They took us one by one. I was made one of them, and I didn’t know why until the night at the Priory. I escaped, and I made my way through the woods, where I died. The monks found me and kept me alive; for some reason they saw fit not to destroy me even after they had realized what I was.” Sebastian turned from Jacob to Jessica and spoke softly. “What I am.”
Jessica’s heart felt as though it were torn out of her chest with the words. She wondered how many times she would feel this way. She wondered if love is like that for everyone, but surely her relationship was considerably different than most.
“I would ask why you didn’t tell us, but I guess that’s obvious.”
“You were never meant to know. You were to come and go and never be the wiser. I am sorry that all of this has happened.”
“All of it?” Jessica asked, drifting to a touchier subject.
“I am never sorry for meeting anyone who makes me feel alive again.” Sebastian turned to include Jacob also. “And I mean anyone.”
Jacob felt touched by his sentiment and felt it was his turn.
“You could have told us, you know.”
“Oh, yeah … , ‘By the way I’m a vampire, nice to meet you.’”
Jacob felt a bit silly, realizing the idea was preposterous.
“So … I have to ask. How old are you?”
Sebastian knew the questions would come, and even though it would make him feel uncomfortable, he was willing to be subjected to the inquisition; it was the least he could do. He walked over and sat with them, indicating his openness.
“I was born in 1791, August. I died in 1808, June. I was not yet eighteen. My brother was twenty-two.”
He looked at Jessica as if prompting her to ask questions, knowing it might help with her acceptance. Seeing she was not ready, he turned back to Jacob, who was on the edge of his seat with a whole list of questions.
“Are all of the myths true?” Jacob asked one question because he couldn’t get them all out at the same time.
“A lot of the lore you know is true, but not all. The reason you probably know so much is because a lot of it is taken from fact.
“The sun and fire can destroy us—they are our worst enemies, but the sunlight has to be direct; the light of the morning or evening before the sun is up or down will not hurt us but can be uncomfortable. Holy water or any blessed items will injure a vampire but will not destroy us.”
“Do … do you sleep in a coffin?” Jessica was a little embarrassed by asking the question. Sebastian felt the pain in the question and knew the divide between them just grew substantially.
“No, it is not necessary for me to sleep in a coffin. I can sleep anywhere I want as long as I am not affected by the sun. The coffin came about as protection from the sun.”
“But what about what happened on top of the tower?”
“The one vampire I put in the brazier was not an especially powerful one and could not resist the fire. But Constance is old; she is one of the children of the vampire that came to me that night at the Priory—Baldric. He is a very old vampire; he is also the one who made me,” Sebastian explained. “Constance, from what Father Lemoine has told me, survived their attack.”
“I actually meant with you, what happened to you?” Jacob asked.
“Constance knows full well how to disable and/or kill a vampire, which is why she drove her blade through my chest. The blade was made of silver, another thing that vampires cannot stand; our bodies can react violently to its touch. The other myth is true also, but it doesn’t have to be an ash stake through the heart—it can be anything. When a silver blade is thrust into a vampire’s heart he will lose any control over his body. The more points at which a vampire is pierced with a silver blade, the more he is cast into the darkness like a coma.”
“Did you wake up because they took the blade out?” Jacob asked. Sebastian weighed his words carefully, gauging how far to go.
“That was the first step. If the blade had not been removed then I would have stayed in the coma; once the blade was taken out there had to be some healing.”
“You only heal with blood, right?”
Sebastian knew he could count on Jacob for the proper introduction to a very difficult topic. He looked over at Jessica, who was taking in everything with a stoic expression.
“It is an inevitable fact of my existence.”
Jessica controlled her expression, trying not to show any revulsion at the thought.
“I do not take life for mine to go on. The monks give me what I need and no more; they have been very kind to me. I am only here because of them.”
“What else should we know? I am sure there is more,” Jessica asked. Sebastian nodded his head.
“I am not here to say there are good and bad vampires, but I guess it is much like anything else in this world; there are differences, just as in people. I try to hold to the fact that I myself try to live a good life, and thus I am not as
susceptible to some of the dangers of being a vampire.
“Vampires that hold to the life that one would consider evil … the random taking of life … there are more pitfalls and also more rewards. A vampire that does not hold onto much of himself that was human will become evil. There is a distinct difference between us. I can stand more of the day than most of the ones that hunt us, I would imagine, for I know their kind: I have hunted and killed them.
“They crave the darkness more and more and grow fearful of the light of the day. They can still come out when the sun’s rays do not touch them, but their discomfort is more powerful.
“The myths are a little vague from there, but they seem to be fearful of holy places or things; there have even been rumors of people so blessed in their faith that the mere presence of that individual will cause vampires to flee in panic and pain.”
“She said that to me: I was so young, and my faith was so weak,” said Jacob.
“Yes, she could feel your faith, or lack thereof, when you held up the holy relic. The cross will only have as much effect on them as the level of faith you put behind it.”
“I am not going to have any problem with my faith from now on,” Jacob reassured himself as much as the others.
“It is not always as easy as that. You have to be a blessed person to hold full power over them.”
Jessica made her way almost instinctively over to where the large spear was, making the connection to the story Sebastian had told.
“So it wasn’t just this spear that was tipped with silver; they all were, weren’t they? The whole army was armed with silver-tipped spears, an army armed with the knowledge of the dark, ready to face an army of vampires.”
“No one wanted to believe it then, but fear had taken over and having the silver spears made everyone feel better. Guns were of no use. The spears helped save the day for those who survived.”
The room went silent as they absorbed his words. Jacob was the first to break the silence.
“So what else is there?”
Sebastian shook his head sorrowfully, knowing they had barely touched on the subject.
“I wish that was all, but there is much I do not know. I have studied the subject for so long, but to find stories actually written down is rare. We have searched for anything and everything on the subject, from church records, which were the best in early times, to more modern accounts by a few obscure researchers.
“I am afraid every time I meet a vampire, I learn something new. They vary and can be unpredictable. Some are fast, some are strong, some possess abilities to change, and some are so powerful they can do it all,” Sebastian rattled off. Jacob took that as his cue for another question.
“So what can you do … I mean, you can do things? We saw you move real fast or at least that is what it seemed like.”
“I do not know fully what I can do; I tend to surprise myself at times. One other thing: the blood makes us more powerful, the more we take in the stronger we become. “
“I guess Constance is pretty powerful to jump to the top of the tower?” Jessica wondered.
“Yes, she is an old vampire, along with Baldric, the one who made her. To be made by one so old and powerful makes you more powerful as well.”
“But Baldric made you, so you must be pretty powerful too?” Jacob continued to pursue his questioning.
“I can go long times without blood, but I fear having to face the ones who have come here now,” Sebastian said uneasily.
Jessica felt the weight of the statement fall over them, providing a glimpse of the possible future. Her questions were different than those of her brother, who reveled in anything new and interesting. Hers were simple.
“Why have they come?”
Sebastian walked around to the fireplace to share in Jessica’s company. He needed the warmth of the fire; it was one of the things that made him feel more human, but what he needed more was to feel loved.
“At first I was not sure. I was hoping it was by chance and only an isolated occasion when I came across one in the woods. Some wander from place to place throughout their existence, while some keep to only a few places. My denial for what was really happening blinded me. But now I am sure I know what they want … what he wants. The Lonely Tower is part of it, this place … their home.”
“Their home?” Jacob could barely get the words out of his mouth. He stuttered and mumbled, trying to make sense of what he thought Sebastian had said.
“Yes, their home. Remember the story I told you. It dates back through time immemorial. We do not truly know how old this castle is.”
“But you said the tower appeared at a certain date?” Jessica said trying to recollect the story; her focus always seemed to be split.
“Yes, the tower supposedly was built centuries ago, and no one knows who built it, remember? But the records are scarce and hard to accept. My belief is that there was something here long before the tower was built; there has been something here for far longer, a more modest structure.” Sebastian made his way around the room, looking at all the items that filled its space, knowing many of the tales of each and how they came to be here.
“But wouldn’t such a large and imposing structure gain attention?”
“Your thinking is right on the mark: the structure did gain attention, and it was the center of much speculation, especially if anything bad happened in the area. People were incredibly superstitious and thought an uninhabited tower was the cause of all their ills. There is a story of a man who had seen the tower and heard of tales about it. He entered the castle to find a large open tower with this magnificent staircase leading to the roof. Not much else was found but some furniture, candles and such. It was obvious someone spent time here. He went back and told of all that he found but was not satisfied. He went back, and he stayed outside keeping watch on the tower. He vowed not to leave until he discovered the identity of who resided there. The day came and went and night fell; from there he saw the glow of candlelight coming from inside. Much intrigued, he wanted a closer look and he went up to one of the few windows and peered in.”
“So what happened?” Jessica asked.
“He returned to his village where he told his family and his friends about what he saw. He regaled them around the fires at night with tales of the mysterious figure who only stayed in the tower at night, reading and writing. Only a few days later the locals came to his house to find it empty; he and his family were gone, with no sign of what happened to them.
“This is an ancestral home for vampires. How far back it goes I cannot know. But one thing for certain is that people took notice over the centuries. Whether they were right or not I don’t know, but they took their vengeance out on whoever lived here. They burned the tower. Whenever events arose they couldn’t explain, the Lonely Tower was always a focus, and then it would fade out of memory until some other time when all of those who had lived to know its past were gone.” Sebastian recounted the tales and his theories.
“So they just want their home back, after all this time? Haven’t the monks been here for nearly two centuries?” Jacob was trying to figure out the math.
“Vampires care not about time; they have all the time they want, and they hold to the fact that what is theirs is theirs, no matter how much time has passed.”
Sebastian tried his best to explain that the logic of a vampire is much different than that of a mortal. The twins looked like they were beginning to understand, when Sebastian interrupted their mental processing.
“There is something else also.”
Sebastian stopped his pacing and made sure the twins were ready. He held them in his gaze for a moment.
“The Lonely Tower is only half of what I suspect. You know that I have killed vampires?”
The twins nodded their heads silently.
“One thing I have not shared with you yet: some vampires cannot be killed, not truly,” Sebastian said and waited. Jacob shook his head and started to speak.
“Wai
t, wait, wait! You already told us how vampires can be killed—sunlight and fire. I mean they are already dead, if that is what you mean. How do you literally kill something that is already dead?”
“Yes, they are already dead … undead … and they can be destroyed, but there are some who can come back even after being burned. Myth says some can come back even from dust, and there are some whose bodies never totally decay.
“The Brotherhood of the Word has destroyed vampires like this before. The question after you destroy them is … what to do with them.” Sebastian paused, waiting for his meaning to sink in.
“Are you saying … do you keep them?” Jacob could barely get the words out, and the mere thought of where his brain was taking him made him feel lightheaded. His sister did not want to consider the possibility.
“We don’t really keep them, but we are keepers of them. They are buried here and there,” Sebastian stated.
“Vampire graveyards!” Jessica thought the idea silly even as she coined the term.
“Yes and no. They are not graveyards in the sense that you know it. Most are hidden; some are lost to time. This is one of the secrets of the monastery. We safeguard the graves of these, keeping their existence hidden from those who would try to resurrect them, and we research the potential whereabouts of others that are lost.”
“There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of secrets,” Jacob noted.
“Are they searching for the graves?” Jessica asked.
Jacob looked from his sister to Sebastian, hoping against hope his sister had not hit a point.
“I believe so, but I do not believe they know where to look. Site selection was a closely guarded secret. That is why I believe they have not just attacked and taken over the castle outright.”
“That’s why they took him! That’s why they took Dad!” Jessica saw that her brother’s face also reflected the memory of what they were trying to forget—the fact their dad had been taken. Jacob’s grief came back to him in a flash, but in that flash he had a hope.
“If they need information from his research, then there is a chance he is still alive!”
Sebastian had already thought about this but did not want to raise any false hope; he knew what he was dealing with and the chance of the twins’ dad remaining alive was remote.
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