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And I was certain he was a new friend. Adem was in some ways frightening to gaze upon with his scars and imposing manner, but there was such wonderful warmth about him that I could not help but trust him. Perhaps my solitude had made me foolish, but I could not help myself.

“Was it near Bârg?u Pass?” Adem asked, breaking our silence.

“I am not certain. Perhaps. ”

I tried to recall my journeys to Erzsébet’s resting place. I remembered it was some distance from the castle, but we had been traveling with supernatural haste. Each time I had visited her, it had been during the winter with snow thick on the ground.

“I do believe I know a place that could be the graveyard you described. I have seen it once or twice when hunting in the mountains. ”

“Very well. Take us there!” My voice was rich with my excitement. “Let us find her!”

With a roar, he dug his heels into the sides of his mount and the horse flew into the night. Excited, I mirrored his action and the horse beneath me instantly responded and gave pursuit. The ground practically disappeared beneath its flying hooves. The world slid by so swiftly, I scarcely caught sight of the whitewashed cottages and quaint farmlands. Laughter erupted from my lips as my ears filled with the sound of rushing wind. Only the moon and stars above remained solitary and at peace. It was as if a painter had smudged all of the earth with the stroke of his brush as the trees, cottages, and mountains were reduced to a smear of colors rushing past me.

Abruptly, Adem’s horse veered off the road, crashed into the brush, and climbed into the forest. My horse slowed, but followed, its footing sure as it rushed through the dark foliage. I clung to my hat, my head low to avoid the branches clutching at my hair and face. The world smelled of fresh rain and rich earth.

Adem’s horse found an abandoned path skipping through the trees and thundered onto it. I pursued, clutching the reins tightly. Birds rustled in the trees as we awakened them from their slumber. Forest animals darted off to hide, least we be predators. The world was alive and so beautiful, I felt liberated. My earlier anger and fear dissipated as I relished the freedom of the moment.

The horses slowed to a quick walk as we reached the remnants of an old town. It had burned and the whitewashed facades were streaked black and gray. No human remained in the town and only weeds and scrub dwelt in the empty shells of the buildings that had once sheltered the townsfolk and their w

ares.

“Gone now for a few years,” Adem said thoughtfully.

“It burned. I wonder why. ”

“Lightning. A cooking fire. Arson. An angry vampire. Vlad does enjoy settling ablaze those who defy him. ” Adem shrugged. “So many reasons why it could have burned, but it is of no real importance anymore. All that is left are the shadows of the past. ”

I thought of my family, dead at the hands of Vlad, betrayed by his minions. “Can you escape that which always haunts you?”

With a sigh, Adem lifted his broad shoulders again. “Who is to say, Countess? I am still trying to hide from my own shadows. I have yet to evade them. ”

The graveyard wasn’t far from the town, and it was exactly as I remembered. A wall surrounded it and weeds consumed old, broken tombstones. I let out a wail of despair when I saw that the white marble sepulcher that once rose majestically above the graveyard was in ruins. I slid from the horse, vaulted over the wall, and ran to where the huge marble slabs listed in the grass. Only two walls of the sepulcher still remained standing; the rest were strewn about, as though a great hand had come and knocked them aside like playing cards. The bronze door was tossed to one side, crushing two tombstones under its weight. I scrambled over the jagged marble remains, crying out for Erzsébet.

“Countess, take care,” Adem cautioned.

“I must discover if she is here,” I answered, plunging into the rubble.

Adem followed, carefully maneuvering over the broken blocks of marble as I easily crawled over them like a spider. I was desperate and terrified. If Vlad had destroyed her tomb and let her burn in the sun, I would go to the castle and strike off his head.

At last I found her resting place. She was not there, nor was the great iron stake. The platform she had rested upon was empty. Only a scar remained deep into the marble, caked with dried blood, where the iron stake had pierced her body and pinned her. Gazing about, I discovered a bit of the roof. I could see an empty hole where the iron stake had once pierced the stone.

“He did this!” I shrieked at Adem. “He killed her!”

“You do not know that,” Adem responded calmly. “There is no ash. There is no sign that a vampire burned here. He may have moved her. ”

“Do you know what he did to her? How he impaled her? The stake was driven through the roof down into the mausoleum, thrust into her body and into the stone beneath her. He kept her trapped. Did you know that?” I was furious, my hands clenched at my sides.

Adem shook his head solemnly. “No, I did not. No one did. We all presumed she was dead. ”

“Death would have been a blessing compared to her torment!”

I fell across her former resting place. The reek of dried blood and decay filled my nostrils. I remembered her beauty and grace despite her terrible circumstances. Yes, she had been mad with pain, but she had urged me to escape Vlad. She had understood my need to abscond Vlad’s clutches in a way none of the other Brides could.

“Oh, Erzsébet,” I sobbed. “I have failed you. ”

It was worse than I had imagined. I thought perhaps Vlad had hidden her away, but the destruction of her sepulcher brought me great dread. He had chosen me to be his wife. Perhaps he had decided to destroy her at last as some loathsome display of his fidelity. Despite Adem’s assertion that there was no ash, I no longer believed she may still be living.

Lying across the cold marble, I sobbed, bloody tears running down my face. Adem continued to rummage through the wreckage, seeking answers as I mourned. He abruptly ceased his search, craning his neck, listening. I stifled my tears, aware that he was alert to a possible threat. I dared not even speak his name, but gradually drew myself up to sit upon the platform.