VROLOK (7 page)

“You are right. I am a Slovak. There is a settlement just at the bottom of the forest. I taught myself Wallachian.”

“Using my books?”

Isabella took exception to his condescending tone. “Well, you certainly weren’t using them,” she said.

“You’re quite right,” Vlad smiled. “And I don’t see why you should stop using them. You are welcome here.”

Isabella noticed a glint of light coming in through the window. “I have to go now.”

The young prince stood, bowed his head and then escorted Isabella to the door.

Isabella ran through the courtyard and as she did, Dracula called after her.

“Will you be coming back?”

Isabella turned, smiled and shouted back, “I might!”

Isabella was not used to this sort of treatment. This man was different from any other man she had ever met in her life. He was a gentleman, a nobleman, a prince and he treated her like a lady. Isabella enjoyed this kind of treatment; she liked feeling superior. She was more than a little bit fascinated by him. He was handsome, but then again so was Nicolae, she kept reminding herself. He was arrogant and that was something you could never accuse Nicolae of being. To be his wife would mean travelling all over the world, not just reading about it in books. Isabella wondered to herself, if he had come along a year ago, would she still have married Nicolae?

Isabella ran the rest of the way home. When she arrived, she watched and waited for her husband to awaken. Lying on their bed beside him she felt ashamed. Nicolae was just as attractive as Vlad and Isabella loved him, no one else. She would always love him —even longer than she could know—and she would never intentionally hurt him. Isabella knew that she could have never married anyone else, even if she had wanted to. She moved her body as close as she could to her husband. She didn’t want to let him go.

Nicolae awoke, turned around to face his wife, kissed her on the forehead and then got up and left the room. Isabella lay on the bed alone and thought that just because she loved her husband did not mean she had to stop going up to the castle, and if she happened to see Vlad, how could she help it? Besides, what Nicolae did not know could not hurt him. Isabella turned over onto her side, and went to sleep with a fractious smile upon her face.

On the other side of the village Natasha, Isabella’s sister, was talking to a man called Peter.

“Did you follow her?” Natasha asked.

“Yes,” Peter answered.

“Where did she go?”

“She went up to the castle.”

“The castle. I wonder why she went up there…how long did she stay?”

“I don’t know. As soon as I saw she was going up there I turned back.”

“You turned back!?!”

“I’m not going anywhere near that place. You’ve heard the rumours.”

“You’re not scared, are you Peter? I wonder how long she has been going up there. I am sure Nicolae does not know.” Natasha paused. “Anyway, that gives me an idea,” she continued. “People go missing in the woods all the time and when they find them they are always dead. Why not Isabella? She shouldn’t be going up there anyway. It’s the perfect chance to get rid of her once and for all.”

“You never told me how beautiful she is,” Peter interrupted.

“She’s not beautiful,” Natasha answered vehemently. “She has a scar on her shoulder. You obviously did not see her too closely!” Natasha leaned her chin coquettishly on Peter’s chest and whispered, “I want her dead…you’ll kill her for me won’t you, Peter?”

Peter smiled, ran his fingers through Natasha’s hair and answered, “I will.” Natasha kissed her lover and went to sleep. Natasha had so far neglected to mention her feelings for Nicolae to Peter. He’d find out soon enough.

The next day Isabella went to see Katya. Katya was nursing her child.

“It won’t be long till your baby is born,” Katya began the conversation.

“Hmm.” Isabella wasn’t really paying much attention to what Katya was saying.

“Just a couple of weeks to go, isn’t it?” Katya sighed when Isabella did not respond. “Are you even listening to me? You’ve hardly said two words since you came in!” Isabella still wasn’t listening. “What’s wrong with you Isabella? What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, nothing important,” Isabella said. She looked quizzically at her friend and asked, “You don’t believe all this nonsense about Vampires, do you?”

“Yes, I do, Isabella, and so should you!” Katya said gravely.

“All right, all right, don’t shout at me,” retorted Isabella.

“Isabella, promise me you won’t go up there. They say whatever it is comes from that castle.”

Isabella tutted and did not answer her friend. She rose from her seat and walked towards the window to look out at the night. A white mist was pouring down from over the hills and smothering everything it touched. Isabella loved to watch the mist—it seemed beautiful to her.

“Look at the mist, Katya. It looks as if it’s pouring down from the sky. I love nights like these. They are so beautiful, the mystery of these nights. I always wonder who goes out on nights like these. People who do not want to be seen, who want to keep their actions hidden, unsuitable romantic attachments, perhaps.”

Katya looked at her friend.

“Isabella, you say such strange things sometimes. Sometimes I think you weren’t made for this world. It’s a horrible night…no one goes out when it is like this.” Katya wanted to change the subject. “I saw your sister the other day.”

“I am not interested in my sister,” Isabella objected, turning away from the window and back towards Katya, her facetious mood now becoming more serious.

“I know you are not interested in your sister. It is the person I saw her with that should interest you or at least concern you.”

“Why?”

“She has taken up with a man called Peter. I don’t know his second name.”

“Katya, I really don’t care who she has taken up with,” Isabella said, trying to dismiss the conversation one more time.

“You will, Isabella. Everyone in the village is suspicious of him. People suspect him of killing his father. His own father.”

“He suits my sister, then.”

“Just be careful, Isabella. They may be a dangerous pair.”

“I wouldn’t worry. I can take care of myself despite my sister. She would be too terrified to even challenge me.” With this the conversation ended. Katya’s warning was not strong enough for her to be able to make Isabella realise the gravity of the situation.

That night Isabella was restless. She waited till Nicolae was asleep and then once again headed up towards the castle. Peter was watching and waiting for her. Vlad was also watching her approach. He saw Peter and Isabella but stayed concealed from both of them.

Isabella walked past Peter, still totally unaware that he was there. Peter started to follow her. When he got within touching distance of her, he grabbed her from behind and flung her around to face him. Isabella could smell his sour breath; he’d obviously been drinking. Peter pushed her down onto the forest floor and lay on top of her, pinning her down beneath his large frame.

Isabella could feel his rough hand pushing up underneath her dress towards the top of her thigh. His other hand was also occupied by ripping off the shoulder of her dress. “There’s the scar just where your sister said it would be. But she was not right about everything. You are very beautiful, even more so up close,” Peter leered.

“My sister!” Isabella snapped.

“Yes, she is the one who wants me to kill you, but I think I will keep you alive until morning at least.” He pressed his lips over Isabella’s.

Isabella became enraged at the mention of her sister. Natasha had arranged this. Not content any more to try and ruin any chance Isabella had of happiness, Natasha wanted to kill her.

Isabella’s rage gave her strength and she bit down hard and took off part of Peter’s tongue. Then she snatched his hand from under her dress and kicked out and up with both legs to get Peter off her. Isabella was now free from his grasp and he was reeling in agony, holding his bloodied face. She lifted a rock and with all the strength she had left to muster, she bashed in Peter’s skull and then spat on him in disgust.

Vlad had watched the whole incident. He had kept quiet and out of sight. He wanted to see if Isabella could look after herself and how strong she was; he was not disappointed in her.

Isabella left the body and slowly walked up towards the castle. She should have gone home but something urged her to continue to her planned destination.

Dracula went over to Peter’s body and drained whatever blood was left. He then raced up to the castle so that he would get there before Isabella.

Isabella knocked on the door and Vlad opened it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, mocking concern.

“I was attacked,” Isabella, said, gasping for air, “Attacked, who attacked you?”

“I think his name was Peter.”

“Was?”

“He’s dead. I killed him.” Her words were not laced with any sign of remorse.

“You killed him?”

“Yes.”

“You murdered him? You ended the life of a human being?” Dracula said, trying to act self-righteous.

“Yes I have and I will end another human being’s life by the end of the day.” Isabella said with venom.

“Does this walking corpse have a name?”

“Natasha. She’s my half-sister. She told Peter to kill me!” Vlad turned from Isabella and smiled to himself. He liked this woman. Then he faced her again with a look of feigned concern, “I’ll walk you back to the village.”

“All right.”

The pair walked down through the forest together. Vlad brushed past a thorn bush and cut his hand. Isabella lifted his hand to her lips and sucked the excess blood from his fingers. Dracula pulled away.

“You have to get rid of the poison,” Isabella said.

Vlad laughed and replied, “Don’t worry. I will not die from a prick from a thorn.”

“We’re getting close to my home. My husband does not know that I go up to the castle. You can’t come with me any further.”

“What sort of a man have you married, Isabella?”

Isabella hesitated and said, “A good man.”

“Oh, I am sure…a good and righteous man. That doesn’t suit you, Isabella.”

“What would you know about what suits me and what doesn’t?”

“I know you better now than your good husband ever will. You may be good on occasion and do the right thing, but it’s only because people around you influence you. It is not your natural instinct. No matter how hard you try, you will never be righteous. Think about it, Isabella, you are already lying to him. You would rather keep him in the dark than let him think badly of you. You sometimes even go as far as resenting him for his good nature.”

“That is not true,” Isabella lied.

“Is it not? Let me ask you this, are you going to tell him about your intention to kill your sister, or that you have just killed Peter? He’ll only stop you, won’t he?”

Isabella stood silently. She knew he was right.

“Yes, I can picture him now,” said Vlad. “He’ll be handsome, someone you have known since you were a child and the only reason you married him was because all the other woman of the village wanted him.”

Isabella threw out her arms to strike at Vlad. She wanted to silence him, but Vlad quickly restrained her before she had the chance.

“Have I struck a nerve?” Vlad said. “Oh, I see, your sister wanted him for herself. Is that why you hate each other so much? What happens when you get older and you lose your attraction for him? Will you still love him for his good nature?” Isabella tried to lash out with her feet but Vlad tripped her up.

She stood back up immediately and answered him, “Everyone gets old. You, too, will lose your beauty and unlike Nicolae you will have nothing to offer me or any woman when that happens. You know nothing about me. I love my husband and as long as I live we will be together.”

“Then you’ll never be together again!” Vlad clasped his fingers around Isabella’s throat and started to drain the life’s blood from her.