Invierea

by Bruce T. Jones

  “Where is Samantha?”

  “They’re all sleeping. I got the Brian or Nick, whatever the hell you’re calling yourself, watch.” Chuck laughed. “I gotta tell you, this has been one hell of a ride, dude, thanks for letting me tag along. I thought New Orleans was gonna be tough act to top, but damn …”

  “How did we get out?”

  “Shit man, so the cops had us all locked up in the apartment, acting like a bunch of bad-asses. Then that hot little piece Angie goes over and knocks ’em out cold with that spell she used on you. She goes out in the street and the next thing you know, the whole fucking neighborhood is like some Venetian Garden, statues everywhere. Then, Sam comes busting out the door with your pussy ass in her arms. Wait till you see the pictures, bro, we got to go buy you some nice pink panties after that one.”

  Rubbing my face I inspected the damage with my fingers.

  “Don’t worry Nicky, most everything has healed. It only looks like you have two extra assholes on your shoulders now. And don’t worry, if they don’t heal I’ll buy you a nice werewolf mask when we get to town.”

  “Chuck.” I really didn’t know what to say. My head still felt like scrambled eggs. “Who’s with us?”

  “All your favorite vampires, Sam. Gabby, Angie, and dude, speaking of Angie, holy shit, you’re a dad? How cool is that?”

  “Where’s Phillip?”

  “Mitch and Phil stayed in New York for damage control. Phil’s got Izzy and Sabine on ice getting some quality bonding time. He put Daniel on a plane south. But enough of those guys. What’s it like bang’n a vampire, you big whore?”

  I rolled my head to the side. Only Chuck could force a smile from my otherwise aching face. “It’s like fucking with a lamp cord shoved up your ass.”

  Chuck shrunk down in his seat, uncharacteristically cringing from his words. “Hi Sammy, I didn’t hear you coming.”

  “Obviously.” Sam stuck her head in between the seats. “How are you, baby?”

  “I’m fine, but Nicky here is about as worthless as a one legged mule.”

  “Chuck, you’re in my seat. Why don’t you go watch the others sleep?” Sam stuck her face close to Chuck’s and smiled, revealing her fangs.

  “Oh sure, flash your fangs and play the bad-ass vampire card. You know, I won’t be mortal forever, then you won’t be pushing ol’ Chuckie around anymore.” Chuck tried to maintain his stoic expression, but a smile cracked on the corner of his lip.

  Sam gave Chuck a kiss on the cheek. “How about giving me a little time with our patient?”

  “Okay doc, but if the plane starts to rock’n, I’ll put that shit up on YouTube.” Chuck headed to the back of the plane as Sam cozied up beside me.

  “That was too damn close Nick. I think it’s time we go find that island now.”

  “You know something, I believe you are right. I don’t know why I feel compelled to do this, but before we fly off into the moonrise, I have to go home. But I promise you, although the history lesson will be interesting, it will be by no means anything to write home about.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  THE ROADS TO the ruins, by New York City standards, were bone-jarring similar, but void of traffic. Lacking New York cabbies, thousands of pedestrians, the glow of a million luminous light bulbs, and noise, there was an undeniable charm to the trek through the mountains of Romania.

  Not since Miami had a visit to the ruins of my family’s castle been on my agenda, but somewhere in the state of delirium, I was informed by Phillip, this was my chosen destination for our flight of necessity.

  So here we were, Sam, Angelique, Gabby, Chuck, and myself, approaching Dracula’s Castle. Thankfully, Phillip and Dee had agreed to keep my son in the city until we decided just exactly where in the world we belonged. I had no premonition of what to expect, or why I would have chosen Romania as our initial sanctuary from the pursuit of the NYPD, but here we were.

  Angelique pointed out many details of the countryside, in the light of a three-quarter moon, as if it were yesterday, not two hundred years ago. It had been my experience through natural life, a woman’s recollection of distant memories were thoroughly preserved, when the memories involved wrongdoing by a significant man in their life.

  According to Angelique, at the height of our power, my family made use of several castles in Romania. Forsaking her suggestions as to the sequence we should follow to tour my homeland, I instead followed Daniel’s advice. Although we left him behind in New York, the few but critical lessons he taught in New Orleans still resonated; close my eyes and follow my instincts.

  However my instincts did not lead us to the castles of modern folklore. The ruins of Poenari would have been the last place Angelique would have suggested, yet this was the very place my heart called.

  Climbing the steps of the ruins at night was not an issue, except for Chuck who whined and complained every step of the ascent. Although I attempted to stress the need for stealth, Chuck continued to bemoan his lack of vision as we passed through the darkened forest. In our hasty departure from the States, the thought of equipping Chuck with any para-military devices never crossed our minds.

  Upon reaching the clearing where the castle stood hauntingly before us, Angelique sighed with a heavy heart.

  “This is all that remains?”

  Moonbeams filtered by the clouds sporadically illuminated sections of the great ruins.

  “That’s more like it.” Finally able to take in what light was available, Chuck forged to the front to gaze at the mystical view before him. “Bro! This is your crib? I gotta tell you, if there ain’t a shitter in there, we’re gonna have a problem.”

  Angelique, Sam and Gabrielle joined Chuck at the front, briefly before Gabrielle took up the lead on the final set of steps leading to the ruins.

  Samantha turned back to me, “So what now?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s just go to the top and see what we find.”

  Sam stroked the side of my head tenderly. “And what if nothing comes?”

  “Then we go back down and wait until something does.” Normally, the caress of her hands would have drawn my attention away from the task at hand, but tonight the forces that guided me here would not be denied. Gabrielle, Chuck, and Angelique were already well on the way to the entrance. “I know what you are thinking. But right now, we have all the time in the world. We certainly can’t go back home any time soon. And if nothing comes of this, at least we can check Romania off our bucket-list of vacation hotspots.”

  Sam forced a smile. “I just worry you’re searching for something that may not exist. And I hate the thought that you might spend the rest of your life with some void that cannot be filled.”

  “Sam …”

  “Hey old man, you need me to come drag your ass the rest of the way?” Chuck called from the top.

  Almost as quick as his words echoed out, Sam and I covered the distance between the woods and our companions.

  “Fucking showoffs,” Chuck rolled his eyes. “Don’t think for one minute you’d be any match if I had some of that vampire shit.”

  “You know, Chuck, the whole reason we parked way down the valley and hiked in without lights was to remain stealthy. But now I am quite certain if anyone is up here, including the dead, they will not be surprised by our arrival.”

  “If you boys care to quit bickering and join us, we can maybe get this done before the sun comes up.” Angelique and Gabrielle turned and continued on past the vacant guard office. Samantha snickered and pushed her way past and followed the pair over the wooden bridge to the final set of stairs.

  “Dude, in the old days you never would have let a chick lead you around by the pecker like that.” Chuck turned away and followed Samantha.

  Chuck was doing his very best to needle me into submission. He was certain beyond all doubt that he should join the brethren of the undead, and was irritated with my decision denying his opportunity. I waited for all of them to complete the climb, leaving me alo
ne in the silent darkness. In solitude I began climbing the stairs as the late autumn wind whispered through the naked branches, stripped clean by the frigid November frost.

  As I reached the ruins, a lone wolf bayed in the distance, perhaps the spirit of my kinfolk welcoming me home. Alone, with new family dispersed about the remnants, I stroked the gelid stone walls attempting to connect with whatever spirit had driven me here. As I looked out over the snow-frosted peaks surrounding the castle, a vision of a renewed Poenari filled my mind. As I roamed through these visionary passages lined with fine Persian tapestries and armaments from multiple centuries of battle, the aroma of torch flames filled my nostrils as shadows danced from the abounding light. Entering the north tower, the voices of guards echoed from above. Passing through the tower, I entered a grand banquet room, and before my eyes could partake of its grandeur, I was immediately drawn to a magnificent portrait of a most beautiful woman.

  The Countess Ilona Szilagy; my great grandmother’s portrait stood before me in all her radiance and beauty, glowing as if her eyes lay upon me for the first time. As I reached out to take her hand the vision vanished in a cloud as Samantha called my name.

  “Nick, are you all right?”

  I turned to see my friends, bewildered by my dream-like enacted movements.

  “She was here, just now.”

  “Who,” Gabrielle asked.

  “My great grandmother.” Needless to say, as I studied the reality of the crumbled stone surrounding me, the materialization and subsequent vanishing of a grand dining hall staggered my consciousness like a good upper-cut.

  “Her portrait once hung here, right where we stand,” Angelique began. After Vlad II’s death, his brother, your grandfather, returned to claim the family castle. Their portraits stood beside each other, in this very space.

  “How could Nick have known that?” Gabrielle asked.

  “Maybe he was here as a child, like some kind of flashback,” Samantha speculated.

  “No,” Angelique began. “Nicholas was born in the late nineteen forties. According to history, this portion of the castle was destroyed by an earthquake in the late nineteenth century. The tower and grand hall all perished into the Arges River below.

  “More like one too many bullets to the head. If you ask me.” Chuck snorted at his joke, his sense of humor not necessarily shared by the rest of the group.

  Gabrielle punched Chuck in the shoulder. “You would not find it so funny if it were your head.”

  “Why do you think her image appeared to you here?” Samantha asked.

  “It was here, the secret passage began,” Angelique explained. “Spiraling deep into the mountain, it led to a grand chamber where we rested. There were other chambers as well, rooms filled with the treasure of the Tepes family, ancestors from ancient times. I always hated that passage, dampened stone that seemed to never end, so dark and cold. I always feared it would collapse, and we would be trapped for all eternity.”

  “And now it is gone, along with all of its secrets,” Gabrielle concluded.

  “Perhaps not.” Angelique turned to the opposite side of the ruins and pointed. “There was another passage that led to the opposite side of the mountain. A thin slate covered its hidden entrance, one that could be crushed by the force of a hammer. It is possible the way to the chamber might be found, if it did not collapse in the earthquake.”

  “Back down the mountain, and rummage through the forest again, in the dark? Maybe I’ll hike back to the van and wait,” Chuck bemoaned.

  “Is Mister Grumpy Pants whining?” Samantha seized the opportunity to retaliate for all the grief Chuck had dealt out over the past three days.

  “Hey, you turn off your night vision and see how much you like running around the woods practically blind. If somebody had thought to bring my night-vision goggles I’d be kicking y’alls asses all over the mountain. Hell, a flashlight would do.”

  “Take my hand, Chuck, I will lead you.” Extending her hand, Gabrielle winked at Chuck.

  “Damn it, Gabby, nobody leads a Marine around, no matter how irresistibly sexy they are.” Even in the darkness of the pale moonlight, Gabrielle’s blush was apparent. “I’d just as much prefer heading back to the van and wrestling some of those crazed wild dogs we passed on the way in.”

  “Look, we have about four hours before we have to be back on the road. So let’s make this quick as possible. Angelique, please lead the way.” I began walking back toward the bridge without waiting for any more commentary from Chuck.

  About half of the way down Angelique veered from the stairs and headed into the woods. “Only once did your father show me the entrance, but it was in this direction.” Upon reaching a shallow ravine Angelique looked back to the top of the mountain. “The entrance was in a crag, such as this. We followed it until the castle first came into view. It is fortunate the leaves have fallen otherwise the view is obstructed.”

  As we trekked through the ravine, I was captivated by the rugged beauty of the late autumn skyline. After nearly twenty minutes, the silhouette of the castle revealed itself. “There, through the trees,” I pointed.

  Immediately, we scattered and began searching the mountain base for a smooth slate matching Angelique’s description. Amongst the Alpine undergrowth, dirt and leaves, the few stones that fit the description proved a false glimmer of hope.

  “Maybe there is another ravine,” Samantha suggested.

  “Perhaps, but this just feels right.” Angelique continued to search to the left and the right.

  “Hey does anyone mind if the village blind man chimes in?” With no objections, Chuck continued. “Angie says the last time she was here was when the castle was still intact. Right?”

  “Go on,” I prompted.

  “So how tall was the castle before it collapsed? Seems to me, if I could see through all this damned darkness, with the tower being much taller, I would have seen it long before we arrived to this location.”

  “And all this time everyone assumed all you could do is beat people up or kill them. Chuck, you are amazing,” Samantha praised.

  Gabrielle affectionately pulled Chuck closer. “That’s my jarhead.”

  “All right, all right. Do not inflate his head any larger. We will never get him in the cave once we find it.” I turned and retraced our path in, keeping about twenty feet above the base of the ravine. Tapping each stone with a large rock I had found, I silently paced off the return trip. With Sam and Angelique about fifteen feet above me, and Gabby and Chuck below, we methodically searched the hillside.

  Other than the crunching of leaves underfoot, the wisp of the wind, and the occasional clacking of rock on rock, the night had grown silent. Within two hundred yards from where we initially searched, the echo of rock on hollow rock stopped us all dead in our tracks. Further up the hill, Samantha struck the stone slab again, confirming the echo. Just as before, the sound resonated with a unique clacking.

  I ran up the hill, followed by Gabrielle with Chuck in tow. Studying the slab, my decision was to either shatter the rock or attempt to unearth the edges and preserve the hidden passage. One choice would expedite to process, the other was time consuming and possibly an unproductive waste of time if the stone could not be dislodged. I checked my watch as my heart raced with anticipation.

  “We need to preserve the integrity of the entrance if possible, to keep it the hidden.” I grabbed a broken branch and start excavating the perimeter.

  Sam, Gabrielle, and Angelique joined in as Chuck stood by watching. “I’d love to help, but I still can’t see a fucking thing.”

  “Fine Chuck, just watch our backs,” I instructed.

  “Would love to do that, but Godzilla could sneak up and I’d never see him coming either. Guess I’ll just stand here and look pretty.”

  We all snickered at our beleaguered friend’s incessant whiny humor. While digging in the dirt, Sam stole the opportunity to give me a peck on the cheek. “I hope you know you’re going to have to pony
up for manicures for us girls tomorrow.”

  “Good luck finding an all-night salon in this neighborhood.” I smiled and returned to my task. Within thirty minutes the edges were unearthed and defined.

  Chuck appeared over my shoulder with a thick branch about eight feet long. “Step back, Doctor Jones, and let a professional show you how this is done.”

  “Thought you couldn’t see a damn thing out here?” I quipped.

  Chuck’s smirk was intended to annoy. “That was payback. It was kind of nice to sit back like Pharaoh and watch all of y’all superior beings do my dirty work.”

  Gabrielle, standing uphill from Chuck looked him in the eye and then playfully punched his chest.

  Chuck drove the branch into the ground and rolled a large rock under it for leverage. Without much stress, the large slab gaped open. The ancient darkness sealed within would not allow much sight. Having been sealed for at least one hundred and twenty years, it was blacker than black.

  Inside the confines of the tunnel I knew our presence would now go undetected. I extended my hand like a surgeon awaiting a scalpel, “Flashlight, Chuck.”

  “You mean my flashlight? Maybe you should try feeling your way around for once.’’

  With a stern look from Gabrielle, Chuck handed it over with a huff.

  I shined the beacon into the tunnel. Darkness as far as the eye could see. “Anyone want to stay behind?”

  With no takers, one by one we squeezed by the stone and entered the seemingly endless passage. As Chuck entered he allowed the stone to close behind him. The passage extended far beyond the beam of the mist-shrouded light. Without a sound to be heard, I led my companions through the rough stone walls deep inside the mountain.

  With much anticipation in her voice, Angelique broke the silence, “I think it should not be much farther.”

  After nearly fifteen minutes we finally arrived in a grand chamber. Without our light, even with such keen night vision, it would have been impossible to witness the magnificent chamber, its vaulted ceiling rising about twenty feet above. Scanning side to side with the flashlight, I illuminated the six arching marble pillars dividing the room in half. To the right, a solid stone wall covered with tattered tapestries; to the left, two smaller archways, another passageway, and two more archways.