The House on Blackstone Moor (The Blackstone Vampires) (28 page)

How did such beings exist?

And then there was Eco, a truly demonic creature—evil and corrupt, gorged on sin and vice, a wicked creature that only spread wickedness and degradation wherever he could.

Yet if Louis Darton was unlike Eco, he
was
still half demon! How could I love such a being? It was unnatural, and so my love for him was not meant to be, surely not.

That was why I had to leave him, I kept telling myself. Surely, it was only right. Even he told us to leave, for how could I stay with a demon?

I know now I was rationalizing. And if I was thinking so, I further began to fool myself (I do realize that now) into imagining I had the desire to survive and go on… without him. What a fool I was!

Either way, it would not have been easy in my situation, for I had no family, no loved ones. I was a young woman with nothing—destitute and utterly alone. I feared what would become of me. Could I be a governess somewhere else or would my past catch up with me?

I could picture in my mind being confronted by questions of my past…

“But Miss Baines, did your father really kill himself and your family—is that why you were sent to a madhouse? Well! I am afraid I cannot in all good conscience employ you to look after my children!”

I decided to consider first things first. A great deal had occurred but I was now with Marta and Kana and their people. I was with an old woman who was caring for me—a kindly woman, to be sure. Yet I felt I was among strangers and besides, I was not with my love.

*

It was a very different world I found myself in, a world of unusual people practicing unusual customs—exotic, friendly, well-meaning people but strangers nevertheless.

Kana I felt closest to and asked Marta about her.

“Kana is ancient. No one knows her true age, Rose. She is a mother to us all, so many of us came to seek refuge when we were driven out of towns and villages. Yes, that is why we came here to this land. And even though there was less bad done to us, we were rarely welcomed. She and her husband took a bunch of us and cared for us as any good mother would. I am devoted to her.”

Marta was also devoted to her brothers, as she called them. “These are my brothers. I say brothers because they are like my own kin, Janos and Volka. They are without bride…”

I think she said this to encourage me that were I to stay there, one of them would be my husband.

I put up a hand. “Oh, no, I don’t think so, but they are very handsome.”

They smiled and nodded and thanked me in broken English.

It was then that Kana spoke. “You are young child and you have lived through darkness—terrible things have happened to you. This I can see in your eyes. Yes, dear one, I can see without even telling dukkerin, or fortune telling.”

Marta agreed. “Your eyes tell all, Rose.”

I looked at Marta and smiled for I did truly regard her as a friend.

“We have both shared so much, Rose. In suffering there is unity.”

We three were sitting by the fire. Marta and I often sat that way, staring into the flames and trying to read Kana’s face as she too watched them.

I wondered if I should say what was truly in my mind to ask. At last I summoned enough courage. “Marta was brought to the House, Kana, to exorcise evil spirits…”

She smiled knowingly. “You want to know if there is more to it than that?” She looked away then as I wondered if she should ever answer me. At last she did.  “Yes child, there is. Our people have a great belief in matters some call Occult, yet we do not abide the devil or his minions.” She paused there to push back some burning embers. “We do know of the demons that dwell there… and though it was dangerous, it is the mission of people such as ourselves to face down those demons.” She nodded. “Marta knew it was dangerous yet she went anyway.”

Marta took my hand. “They are all demons, Rose.”

I nearly cried out as I thought of the children and Louis.

We were silent for a while until Kana spoke. “Evil is evil whether it is not of this world or is. Evil seeks to gain a foothold for that is the intention. Evil always seeks to make a home in order to make more evil, and that will happen—so it will spread like a great pestilence.”

“Do you mean…” I was thinking of Eco.

She nodded. “The demon creature that attacked you, he lurks like death in the shadows.”

“Eco.”

“Yes, Eco, the bringer of sin and corruption. He will do more!”

I bade her go on, but she said that was all she knew. “Even I cannot help in this matter, for there is powerful magic that is protecting him from unwelcome eyes. It is the most powerful magic I have ever seen,” she shrugged. “His evil is watched over by a far greater evil, an unimaginably powerful force that seeks to destroy all that it touches.”

I began to shake. Kana reached out to steady me. “It is better to be prepared than not…”

“But Kana, please—this evil you speak of is here, near us? Shall it harm us?”

“It might do more than that, child.”

Marta nodded at that grim pronouncement. “Yes.”

“But where is it? Can we run from it?”

Kana shook her head sadly. “No, it is hidden from prying eyes and searching hearts. This I know, for I cannot see into its heart, into the heart of evil. Evil like this is too strong. It is from the upper reaches of hell, from Satan’s domain and those of his chief demons.”

Once again I began to tremble. “Is it Satan of whom you speak?”

“He who reigns in hell often visits our world though few know it. I do see the flames of hell spitting out their fire and hatred. Yet, when I try to see more I cannot, for shadows come to cloud my view. Forgive me, I am sorry I cannot say more.”

“You have nothing to apologize for, you have saved me and I am grateful.”

She considered me with such understanding, I felt tearful. Then, I went on, because I felt she wanted me to tell her what was in my heart. “There is something…”

“Yes, she replied. “Something that weighs heavily on your heart, and even your soul.” She nodded sadly. “He who is called Louis, he who has had many names is not of your kind. Remember my child, a demon in fine clothes is a demon still!” I swallowed hard for I knew this to be a truth. “Many a heart has been given to evil unwittingly. But you child do have the knowledge to know this evil and to run from it.”

Run from it? I could never do that! I opened my mouth to speak, but did not for I found the words had vanished. Either that or my intention to speak them had left me.

My own heart was guiding me for I knew I loved Louis, deeply and sincerely. And the children, too.

The children! I had not thought of them for a long time. How would they be? But they were demons, too.

Kana readied herself to go to bed. She had already begun to put the fire out, but Marta hurried over to finish the task.

“It is late, Rose.”

Now for the first time I asserted myself. “I will sit here for a bit.”

“What, with no fire? You will be cold. Here.” Marta said, wrapping me in her shawl. “Do not sit and dream all night, Rose, or you will sicken.”

Yes, sicken. I was already sick. Ill with longing and worry for Louis and the children—ill with a love and yearning I could do nothing about.

I watched the dying embers and thought of death, but not real death—death of love and feeling, death of passion and joy, the death of purpose, too.

How empty I felt, how utterly disheartened I was without those I loved, those I pined for.

What did the future hold? Where would fate lead me?

Alas, I would know before too long.

It pained me to think of the children
, but at least it had been arranged for them to stay with the Lodge sisters. They would be safe there. Louis had explained to me that their cottage was some distance away from Blackstone House and the moors. It was on the other side of Egton.

It was comforting to know that as I shuddered to think what Eco might have done to them. He might have destroyed them in the same way Louis destroyed Eco’s monsters. It was a horrifying thought that would give me nightmares for some time to come.

As for Louis, I was certain he was well. After all, I had pleaded with Kana to tell me what she could. She hadn’t wanted to at first, and told me she preferred not to read into the minds of those she considered demonic.

“I will do it this once.” She said finally, for she could not stand to hear my sobs. I was so grateful I fell to my knees. “That is alright child, draw near and listen.”

She arranged herself at her small table, with me sitting across. Marta was not present for it would have been a distraction.

Kana dealt the strange looking cards, not like our playing cards. “These are very old and have magic within them. They can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Do not touch them; I am the only one who should.”

When the cards were dealt she began. “He is tall and dark and looks like a prince.”

I thought I detected a slightly mocking tone, but perhaps I was wrong. I listened as she went on. “The house is empty but for him. He stays in one room overlooking the desolate fields…” These I took to mean the moors.

“It gives him comfort to gaze on them so.” Suddenly she looked as though she did not want to say what she saw.

“Please go on, Kana!”

“He holds a hairbrush.”

I swallowed a lump of emotion. “It is mine.”

She nodded. “He kisses it.”

This was too much and I began to weep as though my heart were breaking. She asked if she should proceed and I nodded for I could not speak.

“He fares well, though he is sad, sad in his loneliness…”

She stopped speaking then and took my hands in hers. “He is alright. It is you I am concerned about. I shall rest now, for it has taken much from me and I am an old woman.”

I watched her retire to her little bed and waited until I heard her even breaths and I knew she was asleep.

Looking back on it now I see just how confused I was with regard to Louis and my feelings for him. On the one hand I knew I cared for him as I did the children, yet caring for Louis was far more complicated.

I did love him with all of my being. But how could a mortal love a demon in the first place? I recalled Kana’s words about a demon in fine clothes.

Yes, but a demon who longed for his lost love, how could I possibly forget that?

*

If my life felt on hold, the gypsy way of life continued. Kana had explained how her people had to earn money for food, and the only way to do this was to put on shows and tell fortunes.

Soon many people came to have their fortunes told. Many of them were families with children. But others came too—whole wagonloads of farm workers arrived almost daily to partake of the various entertainments.

The shows were similar to those one would see at a country fair—albeit more exotic. There was a dancing bear. Actually it was a bear cub that thrilled many a child, me included, I have to say; although I would tell Kana later that I thought all wild creatures should be free to live in their own environment.

As there weren’t any fortune tellers besides Kana, there were often great queues of people anxiously waiting for her—mainly women, but some men too.

It seemed many people longed to know what the future held for them, myself among them.

As for my own fortune, she told me with a worried expression that it was impossible to see.

She did promise to do more readings. “Perhaps the truth will be revealed. Sometimes, it hides from us; I have known it to be so.”

I did not press her for she looked terribly distraught.

Often she’d keep pacing and wringing her hands and shouting, “A portent! There is a portent! Evil spreads like an ill wind!”

It was like she was sensing something awful approaching.

Could it be that evil was returning to Blackstone House? I asked her and she shook her head. “The house is safe for now as are they all.”

I wept with joy, I was so relieved. So what was the matter, what was she seeing? I asked her.

“I can only repeat what I have said. There is evil and strong magic that protects it. What it is, I cannot yet say, though I wish with all my heart I could know.” She hugged me to her. “I wish to protect you from harm, dear child. That is all I wish to do.”

*

She became ill shortly after that, very ill. Marta feared for her as did we all and then there occurred something like a crisis after which she seemed fine.

I was relieved for I had come to love the old woman. I couldn’t stand how troubled she was. She once told me, “If you fear for me, I fear for you, my child. I can see you are unhappy for I know what is in your heart.”

Tears came as I could not hold my emotions in any more. “Kana, I cannot help it. I love him!”

“But they are all demons. He is still a demon, the children too are demons, do not forget this!”

“But they are children! Truly, they are sweet and gentle.”