Hello!
Heheh, I told you a new update would come within a month! Okay, so I said I'd try, but I did manage! YIPEE
Okay, someone once again took the subject of chapter's length to me. People, no more, okay? The very first chapters of this story I made are far shorter than these, so I prolonged the chapter length. I won't do so anymore, not at this point. If this does not satisfy you, hey! I'm not forcing anyone to read this fic!
Anyhow, I am grateful for the great reviewers: hellsingfan101, Make a guess, Andromeda, BlackTiger6593, Tsuki no Rekuen, VampyreVixen16, Falling-Angel-Rising-Dragon, Irena, Fleatcher, The Copper Arabian, Myriad of Willows and MorbidBirdy! Love you guys, keep 'em coming!
Disclaimers: I own no character whom you can find in Bram Stoker's book.
CHAPTER 25: SPYING
Within one week Lucy Westenra was killed twice. After her first death she had risen and preyed on the playing children near her grave. The second time she was put to eternal rest it had happened by the hands of her three suitors: Quincey Morris, John Seward and Arthur Holmwood. The knowledge of how they could save Lucy's soul, when life was already beyond saving, had been given to them by a man named Abraham Van Helsing.
Thanks for the highly efficient postal offices in London, Dracula had quickly discovered much what Van Helsing had been doing since their last meeting nearly twenty years ago then. Van Helsing had a title of professor nowadays, and he was known from Paris to Amsterdam. He had specialized in progressing medical science, especially when it came to treating illnesses, but was also professor of metaphysics, rare deceases and, wouldn't you know it, superstitious folktales and religious myths.
He was still married to Roseanne Van Helsing, though the woman had been living in a sanitarium since 1875. Apparently permanently beyond help, dead to the world, but by the laws of church still Van Helsing's wife.
Van Helsing had without a doubt trained himself in confrontation against vampires since Dracula had last seen him. Yet it didn't seem he was knight of Iscariot. He had protected Lucy with only garlic and crosses. Iscariot would have used enchantments, barriers and blessed spells.
So, Van Helsing and the three men knew that there was a vampire somewhere in England. He would have to get rid of them. Four men, hardly a challenge for No-Life King. And he knew exactly how to get to them. Through the woman who had been living in the Westenra Hall and probably knew what they knew also: Harker's woman!
But first he would have to find out exactly how much they knew of him.
In the form of a huge black bat, Dracula flew to the asylum and set himself upside down outside the window of John Seward's office, from where he could hear and see everything. All four men as well as Mina were gathered together. Dracula recognized Van Helsing at once. He was now in his mid forties, he had more physical build, harder edges in his face and his hair was not as bright red anymore, but considerably darker. His eyes were still very blue.
"…. so I take it we all agree that there is a vampire somewhere here in England. A vampire who cursed poor Miss Lucy to an undead state and who must be found and destroyed before he or she does it to someone else!" Van Helsing said.
"There is no question about it, Doc" Quincey Morris said.
"But how on Earth are we ever going to find this creature? He could be anywhere by now!" Arthur Holmwood exclaimed.
"No, Arthur, he cannot be anywhere as you put it. He must stay close to his own resting place. Now, while it is possible that the vampire is an Englishman of origin, I think we should definitely investigate what shipments have arrived to England from Eastern-Europe and Asia this passing year. If vampire is from aboard he cannot have stayed in England for very long, otherwise I'm sure there'd be more mysterious anemia cases like that of Miss Lucy's around. Also, if he did arrive elsewhere he must have brought with himself the soil of his resting place" Van Helsing explained.
John Seward spoke now. "You mean, like several boxes of plain dirt?"
"Yes, John. Why? Do you know something?"
"Well, few weeks ago then one of my more fascinating patients, certain Mr. Renfield, became almost obsessed about a certain Russian schooner that had crashed to the shores of Whitby. Interested I asked about the schooner, and I was told there wasn't a living person on board and only cargo it had was huge boxes of Earth".
"Did this ship crash Whitby before or after Miss Lucy first showed symptoms?" Van Helsing asked.
"I think… it was before. She became ill only few days after".
Van Helsing clapped his hands. "John my boy, I do believe we have a clue! We must find out where this ship came from and where its cargo is delivered to. It is not certain, but it does sound too great coincidence".
"From Varna. That ship came from Varna". For the first time it was Miss Mina who spoke.
"How can you be certain?"
"Because I have been keeping track of all the ships arriving to England from that part of Europe. I have been hoping that my fiancé would be arriving soon. He went to Transylvania to sell estates to a noble man many months ago then and I haven't heard of him for too long now. With everything that's been going around I fear the worst" she explained. She did well to keep her emotions under surface but Dracula could still hear a tremor in there.
"My dear Miss Mina, did your fiancé ever tell you the name of this foreign noble man?" Van Helsing asked.
"Count Dracula, if I recall" Mina answered.
All the color escaped from Van Helsing's face. He was quiet for a moment when suddenly light returned to his eyes. "I see. Yes, indeed. It makes sense. It is God's will…"
Outside Dracula was nothing less than shocked. This little group of men, this group of puny mortal humans, had in a matter of few minutes not only gotten to his trail, but discovered his identity as well. For he was certain from the look of Van Helsing's eyes, that Professor knew now it was him.
When Van Helsing had composed himself he gave orders. "Arthur and Quincey. You must quickly go to the harbor master's office and find out what shipping company took hold of those boxes from the ship and where they were delivered. John, I think we should talk with your patient you talked about. He may be able to give us more information".
Van Helsing gave the commands like a commander leading an army. Dracula was impressed.
"Professor, may I come also?" Mina asked.
"My girl, I am not sure if that is a…"
"Please, professor! This man… this monster has already killed Lucy and most probably Jonathan also!" for a moment Mina's voice broke, betraying her emotions. "I must…
must also do something to find and defeat him".
Van Helsing and Seward changed glances. "Very well, Miss Mina. Very well".
Suddenly Dracula heard a gunfire and reacted a moment in time to avoid a bullet that hit the wall. Down below was Quincey Morris, who had slipped out of the room, with a revolver. Dracula flew away but could still hear Van Helsing shouting from the window.
"Quincey! What in God's name-!"
"I'm sorry Doc but I saw a huge bat outside the window and with all the talk about vampires and such…"
Dracula didn't stay to listen. These men were indeed clever, but they would not outmatch him.
--
The following day was busy indeed. Through his mind connection to Renfield, Dracula could spy as Mina and Van Helsing had talked to him. Renfield didn't give them any valuable information, but he did warn Mina not to stay anywhere near Whitby.
I think I shall have to have bit of a chat with Renfield…
Later Arthur and Quincey returned, having ran all over Whitby, to tell that the half of the boxes of earth from the ship Demeter had been delivered to the Carfax Abbey in Whitby. Other half had been scattered in different locations in London.
Van Helsing decided they would go to Carfax first and with any luck find the vampire there unguarded. Mina would be staying in Seward's office in the meanwhile.
The men left while there was still an hour or so the light, not realizing they were dealing with a vampire who had learned to move in daylight. Dracula watched how the men left to Carfax. He would lose half of his boxes. Unfortunate sacrifice, but once those few men were out of his way he could resume taking over England quietly, and have more of his native soil delivered to him.
As the men crossed the road to Carfax, Dracula floated to Renfield's window.
"Renfield. Your master calls you".
Renfield jumped from his bed. "Master" he greeted, and Dracula noticed he was far less excited to see him than normally.
"Renfield, invite me in. Invite your master to your room" he said.
"W…what are you going to do?"
Dracula held back a frustrated sigh. Of all the time for him to start lose control over Renfield.
"It's her, isn't it?" Renfield asked. "That young woman who came to talk to me today. I could sense it when I looked at her. You want to get to her, don't you?"
Dracula was starting to lose the little patient he had. "Renfield, what is she to you compared to your master's wishes?"
Renfield's whole body was shaking. Dracula's influence over him was having a furious battle against his own will. "But…she was so pure, master. So innocent. Why must she be tainted?"
Suddenly Renfield saw rats everywhere. Thousands… no, millions of them everywhere around him.
"These are all yours, Renfield, if you invite me in. These and more!"
Renfield stared the illusion of rats with open hunger and in trance like state muttered "enter".
The moment invitation escaped his lips the illusion disappeared. Dracula harmlessly swept through the bars to the room.
"NO!" Renfield cried and attacked the vampire, who effortlessly sent the weak man crashing to the wall. The sound of several bones breaking echoed in the room.
After that Dracula took the form of a hardly seeable mist and floated through the corridors of the asylum until he reached the office of Dr. Seward's where Mina Murray was rather terrified to see him suddenly appear.
"I do believe I don't need introductions" Dracula said.
There was fear in her eyes, a fear he was so used to seeing for he had seen it in the eyes of dozens, no, hundreds of others. But despite the fear, her shaking body and her careful steps backwards, an automatic reaction to get as far from him as possible, there was something else also in Mina's eyes.
Defiance and anger.
And Dracula found himself oddly liking that.
"You…" she started, her voice quivering slightly. "You are him. You are Dracula". It was not a question.
"You humans, always stating the obvious" Dracula sighed.
"Is he dead? Did you kill my Jonathan, just as you killed Lucy?" Mina demanded.
Dracula let a mocking smile appear to his face. "No, my dear, not like Lucy. I granted Lucy a gift of eternal night, a gift those foolish men were only too quick to rob from her. As for young Mr. Harker" he chuckled "I had no need for him so I left him to rot in my castle. He did serve as a good appetizer though".
A look of absolute horror passed Mina's face and she turned away from him. Even when she tried to hide it Dracula could hear her sobs.
"You monster" she finally spat quietly. "Does destroying other people's happiness make you happy in turn? Do you not know what it feels to lose a loved one?"
For a fleeting moment Dracula's thoughts tried to summon the picture of his only love Isabel to his mind, and remember what it had felt when he lost her to the rain of arrows. But he couldn't recall, it had been too long ago then.
"Being a vampire is to be above such feelings. You cannot even begin to imagine this freedom, this purity of all those humane weaknesses called feelings" he softly said, slowly working his influence over her, breaking through her strong will.
"Those feelings…" she started as her eyes started to become unfocused and dizziness took over "…are what… makes us stronger… stronger than you…"
Dracula laughed joylessly. "Stronger than me? My dear, you do not know how many humans have tried to fight against me. They all believed their human emotions and fate in God" he spat the last word "would give them some advantage over me. They all died in agony. So much for their power".
"You cannot hope to evade death eternally, Count" Mina said, as she lost her footing and fell to the couch of the office.
"I do know there is no such thing as true immortality, but mark my words woman, no little band of humans will be able to bring my downfall. Enough of talking for now. I am hungry".
As Dracula's head came closer to her neck Mina whispered "Are you going to kill me?"
"No, you are more useful to me as my spy. You will be my eyes and ears in this novice vampire hunter group".
With that he sank his teeth in her neck and drank, hungrily lapped her crimson elixir of life. Mina lost herself to his wicked touch and when he had enough, Dracula opened his shirt and made a small cut to his chest. Just enough that his cursed blood slowly fell out.
He took Mina's head and brought her lips to the cut. "Drink".
And she did.
Just then the door of the office suddenly swung open and Dracula turned to see the horrified face of Abraham Van Helsing.
"You! I knew it was you!" Van Helsing shouted.
Dracula moved aside to let Van Helsing see Mina's face, her lips covered in his blood.
"Your foolish efforts cannot protect anyone from my power" Dracula said.
And then he was gone once more.
To be continued…
Well, not sure if I have anything to say. I try to follow Stoker as well as I can, considering how alternate my version is. The scene with Dracula spying Van Helsing's group in the form of a bat, and nearly getting shot by Quincey, actually is in Stoker's book.
Well, that's all I have to say for now. More next time, again, I'll try within a month. Till then, take care!