Lord of the Vampires (20 page)

Nonetheless, as much as it troubled me, Lucy was clearly taken with him. And when the time came for him to examine her, I gratefully took the excuse to stroll about the grounds, that I might be spared further intentional barbarisms.

When he had made his examination and we took our leave and headed for the station in the fly, his jovial mood disintegrated at once. In his troubled blue eyes I. saw confirmation of my worst fear: that Lucy was in mortal danger.

It is serious, then? I asked, as the driver steered the horse into the park. It was indeed a glorious summers day, full of sun and kissed with a delightful, cooling breeze; above our heads, birds sang in the lush, swaying boughs of trees.

Yet to me, there was nothing of pleasure in that moment. I remember only the sense of horror that chilled me to the bone, despite the warm golden pool of light that bathed us both. For I had only imagined that the worst would be that Lucy was ill with pernicious anaemia; but the answer he gave was even more terrible to contemplate.

He glanced at the back of the drivers head an instant, as if making a decision. Then he said, It is. She has been bitten.

Bitten? I was honestly confused, thinking along strictly medical lines in terms of a diagnosis. But how could that I was going to say,
But how could that cause such a great blood loss
? It would have been such a massive wound that neither Lucy nor any of us could have missed it. In my concern for her, I had not allowed the professors obsession with vampires to enter my mind. But ere I had finished my question, I realised from his intense, unhappy gaze that that was exactly what he meant: a fanged creature had been suckling at Lucys sweet neck.

Van Helsing no doubt detected my dismay, for a look of compassion came over his face and he asked softly, You cannot yet believe, can you, John? Cannot believe with your whole heart?

The bright blue sky, the wind-rippled leaves, the sweet birdsongall of it took on a hideously sinister hue. Nothing was as it seemed; all the beauty surrounding us was corrupt, a cheerful facade built to disguise evil.

How long ago had it beena fortnight, a month since he had first spoken to me of vampires? I contemplated all that he had said, of course; contemplated it, yet found it so horrid and impossible that I could not mentally commit myself to it.

And still, the dream of Darkness and my very instinct did not permit me to entirely z&believe. Should I flee from my friend, reject his diagnosis, and direct him to other lodgings? Or should I distance myself from my own fears and skepticism? If I were to tell any other of my medical colleagues that I sensed peoples auras, they would deem me mad; therefore, I determined at that moment not to do the same to the professor, who in all other matters has proven himself to be a reliable source of information.

But to accept his claim was to open the mind to indescribable horror.

Yes, I have difficulty in believing. But I trust you, Doctor. And if what you say is true: what shall we do, then, to help her? I finally said, with such desperation and anguish that I could not repress them.

He tapped the side of an index finger against his lips and shot a pointed look at the cabbie; we two rode back to the station in weighty silence.

The train was not overly crowded, and we managed to get a compartment all to ourselves, where we could speak more freely.

I must closet myself away, the professor said the moment we were alone. I need at least three days time where I can be guaranteed no disturbance.

I have such a placea cottage out in the country which is quite remote. Not a soul would bother you.

He brightened at once. Excellent!

But before I send you off with the key, you must answer a question for me first.

At that he grew silent and uncomfortable, but waited to hear it so that he could decide whether he could comply.

Why? I asked. Why are you so sure Lucy has been bitten by a vampire, and why must you go off by yourself? Impertinent questions, to be sure, but if in fact we were truly dealing with such legendary evil, courtesy was our least concern.

He sighed, looking like a man who knows that his answers will not, cannot, be entirely trusted or even comprehended. To the first, I can only say that instinct tells me so. To the secondI must take some measures that will allow me to save Miss Westenras life, if need be. And I must try again to recruit one who can help me track Vlad.

Vlad ? I had overheard the name before, when he had queried Mrs. Van Helsing. This is the vampire?

One of them. There is also Zsuzsanna, and possibly an Elisabeth. He frowned suddenly at the occurrence of a fresh idea. Before I gomight I have your assistance with Mr. Renfield? I should like to hypnotise him again, and would prefer someone trustworthy nearby. Let me speak openly: I believe he is so strongly drawn by evil that he has established a psychic link with Vlad. Perhaps I can get from him the information I need, and my excursion to the country will be unnecessary.

To this I agreed. When we arrived in Purfleet and returned to the asylum, I checked at once on Renfield to gauge his mood. Unfortunately, he was in something of an agitated state, so we decided to postpone our session. The professor has asked me to call for him no later than fifteen minutes before sunset.

In the meantime, I have dispatched a letter to Art giving a mostly fictional account of what Dr. Van Helsing, the great specialist from Amsterdam, has to say after examining Lucy. Im afraid I told him so little that he might be alarmed; and I certainly could not lie to him about her symptoms or the professors reaction to them. So there was a kernel of truth in my epistle, enough that one looking for evidence of vampires might find it there. (When guilt rears its disparaging head, I remind myself that to have confessed the whole truth would have troubled Art even more for he would think his old friend Jack and the great Dutch diagnostician had gone quite insane, and would not have known where next to turn.) As jealous as I may be of him, I cannot be so cruel to my old friend. For his sake, I would have withheld Van Helsings opinion even if the professor had not insisted I tell Art nothing.

Of course, the professor insisted in looking over my letter, and seemed to take perverse pleasure in garbling all the quotes attributed to him. Our plan is to pretend slowly to discover the signs of vampirism in order to make the others come to the same conclusion on their own initiative. Perhaps even Iif I one day do encounter solid physical evidencemight be convinced.

All I can say is this: If ever I have felt an attraction for things psychical in nature, the events of today have cured it. I feel as though I am trapped in a strange and fantastical dream, one every bit as disturbing as the one about the great Darkness

* * *

The Diary of Abraham Van Helsing

3 SEPTEMBER.

Whitby! The lovely Miss Westenra reported that the beginning of her strange malaise began around mid-August, when she was on holiday at the seasideat Whitby, during the time when a ghost ship appeared! From what she said briefly about it, I have no doubt: that is where he came ashore. Her responses indicate he remained there a week before continuing on to London, where he was drawn again to his victim.

As for Johns Miss Lucy (he thinks I do not know, but it was plain on both their faces that this was the young lady who had rebuffed him), I left her with what protections I coulda tiny silver crucifix which I had charged. She is clearly not of a religious bent, so I gave up any hope of convincing her to wear it; what logical reason could I give? When the garlic blooms come from Amsterdam, I will at least be able to cite the medicinal power of the herb.

So I did something rash, which strikes me now as amusing, though at the time humour was the farthest thing from my mind. With her permission, I put Miss Lucy deep into hypnotic trance, for as I explained it, it would permit her to give me far greater detail than she could remember consciously.

After I had asked all the questions regarding Whitby and the large bird flapping at the window and gotten satisfactory replies, I let her remain in trance, with her eyes closed. Meantime, I performed a mental exercisea spell, if you willwhich permits me to move about unheard by others. And with a little crucifix in hand, I climbed upon the radiator; standing on tiptoe, I wedged the protective amulet between the wooden window frame and the wall. (For all her answers pointed plainly to the window as the place he had entered.) In addition, I produced some small cloves of garlic and carefully laid them atop the narrow lintel.

Whilst I was in that ever-so-precarious position, it occurred to me that Lucy might suddenly emerge from trance and open her eyes, or that the maid might fling open the doorand
then
how would I explain why I was standing tiptoe upon the radiator? I should have done a spell for invisibility first, I thought, but too late

It makes me laugh now, but at the time I was quite frightened. At any rate, I managed to finish my simple efforts in privacy, and now I pray they will be sufficient for a time. As soon as possible, I will notify Vanderpool in Haarlem to coax some garlic into bloom; he is entirely trustworthy, and it will save me the trouble of explaining myself to an English farmer.

It is unfortunate that Miss Lucy is not completely accessible; knowing that the maid was just outside the door (no doubt ready to burst in at the first sign of impropriety), I dared not ask directly about Vlad and his whereabouts. But perhaps the time will come Until then, we will use Johns Mr. Renfield.

* * *

Dr. Sewards Diary

4 SEPTEMBER.

A terrible day all round. Dismissed the attendant just before sunrise so that I could take the professor in to see Renfield without anyone else knowing. Van Helsing thinks that our zoophagous patient is sensitive to the vampires movements and may be of some help in tracking it.

The patient remained quite calm when I entered, so I signalled Van Helsing to come in. He did and, to my surprise, had Renfield in a hypnotic state in less than a minute.

Where are you? the professor asked him, with admirable authority.

I do not know, Renfield replied, in a tone of surprising dignity; when he is calm, he looks quite the cultured gentlemanexcept for the unkempt hair and beard. (We dare not trust him with a razor or even a comb, and he hasnt the patience to let the attendant groom him.) But comb the silver hair and shave the salt-and-pepper beard, and beneath them is a man with strong aristocratic features and intelligent ice-blue eyes beneath severe black brows. According to his wife, he is fifty-nine years old, but extremely well-muscled and fit for his age. (The attendant and now Van Helsing and Ican confirm that!) I think I am in a closed box. There is only darkness, and quiet except for birds singing.

As if on cue, a robin just outside the window burst into song; the professor and I both smiled at the coincidence.

Are you in London? Van Helsing asked.

The question seemed to confuse Renfield. Eyes still closed, he frowned deeply and hesitated. No yes I dont know. What do you mean by London?

It was the professors turn to be confused. The city. London, the largest city in England.

Yes, yes, our madman replied irritably. I know what London is! I simply dont know

A cock crowed in the distance; abruptly, Renfield sprang to his feet and rushed the professor with alarming speed. Before I could move, he had his broad hands around Van Helsings neck and was throttling him, whilst the professor gripped his attackers wrists and tried to break free.

But already the professors face had turned bright apoplectic red; he could take in no air at all, could only emit the most dreadful strangled gasps. I rang for the attendant at once, then leapt into the fray, grasping Renfields forearms just above Van Helsings white-knuckled hands.

In a matter of seconds (I suppose, though it seemed hours), the attendant raced in and threw the whole of his massive bulk against Renfield, smashing him back against the wall. Soon the patient was restrained in a strait-jacket, while I tended to Van Helsing, who gulped down air while gently massaging his violated neck. I was concerned that there had been real damage done, for beneath his fingers there were dark red marks upon the skin that would soon turn to bruises. But he waved me away, and soon recovered enough to speak.

He is headed today for the country cottage. I am concerned about him being alone there; if his theory that Renfield is controlled by the vampires is correct, he is in grave danger indeed.

Chapter 9

Zsuzsanna Draculs Diary

13 AUGUST.

I write this on the boat, on my way back to London after a brief visit to Amsterdam. (The Dutch public transportation is so clean.) It was Elisabeths idea at first forme to go. We had both been out of sorts for some time; I have felt my own strength slipping, despite the fact that I have had my fill of blue blood. Elisabeth, too, seems paler, weaker, and so irritable that I have started avoiding her. It frightens me; I worry that Vlad has cast some sort of spell on us. London is still full of myriad marvels, but I begin to lose interest in what previously delighted me. How many new frocks can one have? I have a closetful. They are
all lovely and I enjoy
wearing thembut my desire for them is now sated, and I grow restless

Vlad has no doubt arrived at the English coast, but still he has not appeared at any of his propertiesCarfax, Mile End, Bermondsey, Piccadilly. We visit them every day, hoping to find him; and every day, our hopes are crushed.

Some evenings ago, Elisabeth approached me smiling for the first time in many days, with a look of determination on her face. Vlad is delayed, she said, and we are both growing terribly anxious waiting. But why must we. You say that you know where Van Helsing lives. Why not surprise him there during the daytime, and bring him here? For if Vlad knows we have Van Helsing, he will be forced to deal with us.

Why not simply kill the doctor? I countered, for 1 was eager to do so, and have my revenge upon little Jans murderer.