Page 10
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.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10 (Reading here)
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144