Haven’t read Chapter One yet? Click here to read it!
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten

 

After she was sure that Gervis was safely away, Christine walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge. Waves of exhaustion rolled over her body and she decided that it would be best if she got as much rest as possible before her escape attempt tomorrow. With any luck, she and Gervis would escape, and Lord Radek would be unsuccessful in his hunt for her sister. Then she could reunite with Sarah and they could flee to somewhere far away and out of Lord Radek’s reach. She drifted off into sleep with the thought of finally reuniting with her sister comforting her.

 

When she awoke, it was dark, and she could sense that she wasn’t alone. She sat up in her bed and found Lord Radek, sitting at the dressing table, watching her. She sat in the bed, frozen. She didn’t know if she should say something or scream. The last time she had seen him he’d been drinking blood from her neck.

“Relax, Christine. I am not here to harm you.” Lord Radek sounded tired, almost resigned.

“So, you aren’t here to drink my blood?” Christine could feel hysteria rising within her. This man – vampire – struck waves of terror in her whenever she looked at him. At least until he somehow made her drop her defences and changed her feelings. At least that false sense of security he implanted in her never seemed to last. He couldn’t seem to retain his control of her when she wasn’t in his presence. She waited for that false sense of security to overwhelm her once again and was confused when it didn’t.

“No. And if you promise to just talk with me, I will promise to never drink from you again.”

Christine was shocked at this turn of events. What could have happened to change his behaviour in such a drastic way? “Why?” she asked bluntly.

“Because I cannot stop thinking about you. You have to know that you are different from any other fog traveller that has ever come through Donner. Normally, they are kept in the dungeons. I am sure you have sensed that Giselle does not approve of the unusual way I have been treating you.”

Christine was really confused now. “I don’t even know how I got here. I don’t know how you treat other people. But I’m sure that if you treat them even worse than you treat me, you probably don’t have a lot of friends.” Part of her was afraid that he would be offended at her words, and part of her was happy to be able to speak her mind without her emotions being tampered with.

Lord Radek looked down at the floor. “You are right. I do not have a lot of friends. None, actually.  I have not had a real friend for over five hundred years. But you remind me of someone from my childhood – someone who was very special to me. You remind me what it was like to have someone to talk to, to share things with.”

“Five hundred years?” She knew that vampires were supposed to be immortal, but he looked like he was only thirty years-old.

“You know what I am. I have seen the recognition in your eyes.  Do you have vampires in your world?”

“Only in stories. They aren’t real. At least not where I come from.”

“Well, in this world we are real. And we have ruled this world for over five hundred years. We take care of the human populations under us, and in return, they give us the gift of their blood.”

“I haven’t given you anything!” Christine blurted at him. “You’ve taken it from me. I don’t call that a gift – that’s stealing! It’s like rape!”

Lord Radek seemed to shrink within himself a bit as she shouted at him. Then a small smile crossed his face as he looked back up at her. “Normally, I would never let anyone speak to me like that. They would not dare. I would drain them on the spot and they would never speak again. When you speak to me like that, however, I feel ashamed. You look so very much like her. She would be horrified to see what I have become.”

“Who?” asked Christine, puzzled at this strange change in demeanour.

“My sister. Her name was Anja. Her hair was golden like yours and her eyes shone with the same fire. Your faces are not the same, but she had the same way of holding her chin straight out when she was angry and so very many of your mannerism remind me of her. I thought I had forgotten her, that she was one of the things from my past that had slipped into non-existence, like so many other things have, but you brought her back to me.”

“Was she a vampire too?” Christine was curious now, about this person who, just by a simple resemblance to her, had caused this change in Lord Radek.

“No, I never had the chance. She died when she was only sixteen and I was fourteen. I was not turned until I was twenty-three. Even then, it was forbidden to make another vampire without permission, but I think that if Anja had been alive, I would have done it anyway, I loved her so much.”

Christine was astonished by this turn of events. This monster was showing an all-too-human side of himself. She was very curious about his story, and the story of how this world came to be so different from her own.

“I’ve got many questions about this world,” she said, hesitantly, wondering if he would answer her, or if the sound of her voice would break this apparent reverie and bring back the monster she was accustomed to seeing in him.
“I know. I have never spoken to a fog traveller before like this.”  He chuckled wryly. “I have not spoken to anyone like this for so long. I think we have many things to talk about.”

“Were you serious when you said you wouldn’t drink from me again?” she asked, almost afraid to hear the truth.

“Yes. I cannot do it, especially after you told me that it felt like rape. I could not do it to her, and I find myself no longer wanting to drink from you.”

Christine was flabbergasted. This was the last thing she had expected to happen. Then, another thought crossed her mind.  “But what about my sister – I thought you were going to find her tomorrow? Are you planning to drink from her instead?”

Lord Radek looked confused and suspicious for a moment and Christine realized that she had put Gervis in danger by revealing what she knew about Lord Radek’s plans. He quickly recovered and said, “I am going to find her for you. I do not know much about this vampire she is with. He is a renegade, and I should have taken care of him a long time ago. I am going to find her to bring her here to keep you company and to keep her safe. I will promise to never drink from her if you want.”

Christine looked at him. Was he telling the truth? To protect Gervis, she said, “I heard two people talking in the hall about it. I was worried that you were going to be drinking from both of us.”

He looked into her eyes. “Christine, it is my right as the Vampire Lord of these parts to drink from any fog traveller that arrives. But I promise you, if you stay with me, I will keep you and your sister safe.”

“You keep saying that about the fog travellers. How did we get here?  What causes the fog?”

Lord Radek sighed. “When the vampires first came to be, we were a reckless race. We were drunk on our power and our thirst for blood. The humans could not resist us and their numbers shrunk very rapidly. Conflict started to grow between groups of vampires as the numbers of our food source shrank. There was a great battle and, in order to regain our strength, the humans were fed on even more. It was at this time that the fogs first arrived. No one knows exactly what caused it, but some say that it was a great vampire prophet, who saw us as a beautiful race and saw that we had potential for greatness, if we did not destroy ourselves first. Humans started coming through the fogs, which appeared around the world at specific locations once a month. With our food supply rejuvenated the conflict died down and a form of global government was formed. Close to each fog gate, a settlement was created. A vampire was put in charge of each settlement to rule as they see fit. They are bound by only one rule – no other vampires can be made without permission of the Vampire Council. So we each have our place where we are as gods to our human subjects, but solitary in our existence.”

Christine was having a hard time processing all of the new information. This world was so very different from her own. “So you only feed from the fog travellers?”

Lord Radek chuckled. “No. That is like suggesting that you could only eat from one chicken for a month. A vampire requires more sustenance. In return for my protection and rulership, my subjects each give me a gift of blood one or more times a year. It has become our way of life, our whole economic system is based on the Geschenk – the gift of life.”

Christine didn’t know how to feel about this information. It was all so different from the way of life she knew. “Don’t the humans hate it?”

Lord Radek looked surprised at the question. “No. It is the way things are. It may seem very different from the world you knew, but for them it is the way things have always been. They benefit from the situation too, however. Do people still die from disease in your world?”

Christine thought about the AIDS epidemic, the SARS scare from a few years ago, and the random outbreaks of Ebola in the African regions. There was Bird Flu outbreaks and Mad Cow Disease all over the world as well. “Yes. We have found cures for many of the old diseases through science, but more show up all the time.”

“Disease is no longer the threat it once was to the human populations. A few tiny drops of a vampire’s blood on their tongue, or mixed with their food, kills any disease that is attacking their body. Wounds that would once have been fatal are healed in much the same way.”

Christine was amazed. “People must live for a very long time then!”

“They live until their late fifties sometimes. Things are much better than they once were.”

Christine was surprised at the age he had provided. People in her world lived to an average age of seventy five, and some even made it past one hundred. If there was no more disease, what caused them to die so young? Then she remembered the Geschenk that Lord Radek had mentioned. Constant blood loss must weaken their bodies in some way that caused them to die younger in this world.  She was not going to tell Lord Radek that though, at least not at this time.

“So, if you aren’t going to feed on me anymore, what do you want me for?”

“I want to have someone to talk to – to share my thoughts with. I have been alone for such a very long time. I want to know what it feels like again to have someone to share my thoughts with.”

“But I want to go home to my own world. I have a life there. I’m a teacher. There are children there who will miss me.”

“Christine, there is no way for you to get back. I do not even know if the gate works in both directions. But what I do know is that it is a different world each time. The people who come through are very similar in many ways, but those I have interrogated have always described a world with some difference, small as it may be.”

“I don’t understand. There are more worlds?” Christine was still feeling sleepy and was having a difficult time wrapping her mind around all of the information she was receiving in such a short time.  “Are they different planets? Or are they all just different versions of Earth?”

“I do not completely understand it either. I do believe that it is the same planet. You did not come from some far away star. There are too many similarities to ignore that fact. You do recognise the land mass across the big water, do you not?”

Christine smiled unexpectedly.  “Yes, it’s the same view I have from my kitchen at home.”

“Well, I have never met a fog traveller who came through here who did not recognise it. Other things may change, but the land remains the same.”

“So I’ll never see my kitchen again? I’ll never see my class again? What will they think happened to me? I just disappeared. They might think I was kidnapped, or murdered.”

“I know it is difficult to accept, Christine. Your life has changed drastically in the last few days. I am afraid I have made things even more difficult for you, although I now regret my actions. I am going to leave you now so that you can get some rest. I just want you to know that you can stay here as long as you like, and when we find your sister, she is welcome here as well. I promise to take care of the both of you and to never drink from you as long as you promise to stay, in the name of friendship.”

Christine didn’t know how to answer him. She felt like he deserved some response, but she wasn’t sure if she could trust him. He seemed genuine enough, but he’d given her no reason in the past to believe him now.  She said nothing.

Lord Radek waited for a moment, and then seemed to accept that she would give him no response. He rose from his place at the dressing table and walked over to the bed.  He lifted her hand from the covers where it was resting and raised it to his lips. Christine winced, expecting to feel his teeth sink into her flesh and was shocked when he simply kissed her hand, looked deeply into her eyes for a moment, and walked quietly out of the room.

Christine lay back down in the bed and just let the thoughts whirl tumultuously in her brain.  She didn’t know how to make sense of everything right now.  After only a few minutes, it seemed that her brain gave up, and she fell asleep.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Sarah woke up to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and for a moment was startled by the dirt walls that surrounded her.

“What time is it?” she asked groggily. She couldn’t tell if it was day or night because they were still underground.

“It’s just before dawn,” answered Hillard, taking his hand off her shoulder. “We’re going to get an early start, and hopefully Lord Radek will not be expecting us until later in the day.”

It sounded like a reasonable idea to Sarah. Not that she truly understood why they were still going in during the day, when it seemed like Lord Radek wouldn’t be out of the castle after all. Maybe it was because that was when he would be at his weakest – inside the castle or out. As long as they got her sister out, she really didn’t care what time of day they left.

They quickly packed up, bringing only a very small amount of food and water for the short hike to the castle, and some weapons.  Hillard took only a small knife from the wall. Adalaide took a sword.  Sarah looked at them both questioningly. She didn’t know how to use a weapon. She’d never used a knife for anything more serious than cutting food.

“Don’t worry.  Here, just take this knife. Use it only if you have to. I know you probably have no combat experience.” Hillard smiled at her reassuringly as he handed her a small knife, similar to the one he tucked in his own belt.

“That’s an understatement. I’ve never hurt anyone in my life. I don’t even know if I could use this if my life depended on it.”

Adalaide smiled grimly. “You would be surprised at what you can do when your life depends on it.”

They began their trek through the woods, towards the castle. They’d only been travelling for a short time when Hillard stopped to pick up a thick branch from the ground. As they continued walking, he carved the end into a sharp point with the knife he had taken from the wall. Once he was finished, he placed the stake in his bag and found another stick to sharpen. By the time they were within sight of the castle, just a couple of hours later, he had five such sticks in his pack. When he spotted the turrets of the castle he motioned for the small group to stop.

“Okay, Sarah. Here’s my plan. I need you to have courage. You want to get your sister back, right?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” she answered, annoyed that he had even asked.

“I’ll be taking you into the castle. I’m going to say that I found you and that I want a reward from Lord Radek for bringing you to him.”

“What?” Sarah was shocked. “This is your plan? You’ll be turning me in to Lord Radek?”

“Hear me out. You admit that you have no experience in combat. You aren’t going to be at your most useful if we go into the castle fighting our way in. However, if I bring you in, they will more than likely bring you to Christine. Adalaide, in the mean time, will be sneaking in through the kitchens, using her in-castle contacts to help her out. I’ll keep Lord Radek occupied while she goes up to the room where your sister, and most likely you, will be staying. She’ll pick the lock, get the two of you out and by the time Lord Radek has kicked me out, you will both already be free.” Hillard stared intently at Adalaide as he spoke. It seemed as if she wanted to ask him a question, but didn’t want to say anything in front of Sarah.  Finally, Hillard just nodded at her and Adalaide seemed satisfied.

Sarah tried to just ignore the silent communication between the two. She was sure that Adalaide was worried that her lover might get hurt or even killed by Lord Radek. Sarah was concerned about him too, but tried not to think about it. All she should be thinking about at this point was rescuing Christine.

Adalaide gave Sarah a brief, strong hug and whispered in her ear, “I will see you soon. Be ready.” And then she was off into the woods, presumably towards the castle kitchens.

Hillard took Sarah’s hand in his for a moment. His emerald eyes stared into hers and he looked unsure of what to say. Sarah was confused for a moment, because there seemed to be so many emotions crossing his face at once.

“I can do this,” she asserted, trying to be brave. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’ve been worrying about you almost from the moment we met, Sarah.” He squeezed her hand tightly. “I’m afraid of what may happen in there, just like you are. I believe in what we are doing.  You need to be with your sister.” He almost sounded like he was trying to convince himself of something. “You don’t need me.” He sighed.

Now Sarah was really confused. He sounded almost as if he cared more about her than as just a friend. She decided to take a chance.

“I do need you, Hillard. This world is so different from mine. But you’re different too. You’re different from any man I have ever met before. I’ve half convinced myself that all of this is just a dream, but if I knew for a fact that at least you were real, I think I could accept it.”

Hillard looked at her for a moment. He was thinking that even if he were successful today, he would likely be killed in his efforts to get this special woman back together with her sister. One kiss couldn’t hurt.

He grasped her to him tightly, hugging her against his body. A kiss could be a terrible thing. If he were killed, she would be devastated. If he were not, there could be no future between them.

“I am real, Sarah. And I promise to keep you safe.” It was the best he could offer her. He knew from the expression in her eyes that she was disappointed and confused, but he didn’t know how to fix things. There was no cure for his curse and he could never make another of his kind.

Hillard took Sarah’s hand and led her towards the castle.

 

Read Chapter 12 next Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 . . .

 

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