Apologies for not posting as usual on Tuesday. Family circumstances and writer's block meant that I just wasn't ready to post this chapter. Fortunately, I have managed to catch up on my writing over the week. I've also written a one-shot 'Cherries' about Bertrand and Ingrid – please accept it as an apology : )

So, chapter 34 and only now do you get to see the ... (no that would be telling!) I hope this was worth the wait. Thank you so much for reading and especially for reviewing.

xo

Chapter 34

Vlad stuck his hands in his leather jacket and gazed moodily at the people in front of him. There were far too many of them, he had only wanted Scarlett and Robin to join him for a discussion at his Banbury mansion. However, Charlie had insisted that she wasn't going to be left out of things by the 'historians' just because she was the only scientist amongst them. And anyway, she was a medium so she might be able to help. Then Ingrid had been adamant that if a bunch of filthy breathers were allowed to hear about the source then she, as his second in command, was also entitled to attend. Vlad had somehow found himself outvoted and out-manoeuvred as Scarlett and Robin voiced their support for the interlopers.

He leant against his desk and eyeballed them each in turn before speaking. "What I am about to tell you, must go no further than this room," he warned them, "Only a handful of vampires know this information and some of them have already ended up as dust." He waited impatiently for each of them to acknowledge this warning. Even Ingrid seemed slightly subdued at the implicit threat in his words. Vlad folded his arms across his chest and began to explain. "In the past few months, a prophecy regarding the future of vampirekind has come to my attention. It was after Ingrid left for her world tour." He gave Ingrid a pointed look, he could only hope that this would assuage her suspicions that she had been sent off on the world tour as a diversion. He wasn't going to go into more detail than this statement. The vampire who had approached him with the prophecy had actually been seeking the services of Bertrand as one of the most eminent historians of the vampire world. Vlad would rather not remind Ingrid of his recent failures regarding the former tutor.

After receiving a huffy nod from his sister, Vlad continued. "I have in my possession the original fragment of the prophecy. According to history, the prophecy was first recorded in Spain – the Valcenia region I believe. At some point, during the various skirmishes between medieval Spain and the Ottoman Empire, it was liberated by the Katane clan. They were one of the oldest and most powerful vampire clans in existence, it is rumoured that they could trace their lineage back to the very first vampires. However, the family suffered a mysterious and sudden demise in the sixteenth century. The clan went from ruling countries in two different continents to nothing. There are no known survivors of the Katane bloodline. Naturally, other vampires weren't too keen to explore exactly what happened so for several centuries the prophecy was misplaced along with the various other possessions of the Katane clan until it was rediscovered a decade ago. The vampire who uncovered the prophecy thought nothing of it until I was officially crowned and recognised as the Chosen One.

The prophecy has been translated and recorded many times but overall the meaning remains the same. It claims that there is an object of immense power which dates back to the first reign of vampirekind. It is ambiguous as to whether the source can destroy us or grant us victory. Either way, it could be an incredibly dangerous weapon to fall into the wrong fangs or hands.

It is my belief that this object is located in Oxford. I need your help to find it before the Slayers Guild or any other vampire. Robin, Scarlett, I need you to be my researchers. I don't trust Professor Teverson, she has been withholding information from her team and Scarlett I know you are as good, if not better, than many of her assistants. Robin, your inside knowledge on vampires and slayers could really help Scarlett. As of tonight, I am handing you both copies of all the information and research already conducted by my vampire staff. Everything that I know, you will now have access to. I will make the appropriate arrangements with your various tutors to free up your time to spend on this. I know, this is a huge ask of you, but I'll ensure that it's worth your time." Vlad gave them slightly anxious looks, "Jonathan van Helsing's presence in Oxford suggests that the Guild is already on my trail. Time could be critical."

Scarlett gave him a mutinous look and folded her arms across her chest. "I can't believe you held back such important information. Academic integrity, all that I'm saying, academic integrity."

Vlad tried unsuccessfully to bite back his smile at her outrage. "Is that a yes?"

Scarlett shrugged grumpily. "Obviously." As if she was going to miss out on the opportunity to research something this exciting.

Vlad looked at his best friend. "Robin?" he prompted.

Robin frowned before nodding slowly. "One condition," he said firmly, "That thing that we discussed. You know student life." He gave Vlad a meaningful look.

Vlad hesitated, he had probably wasted enough nights with student activities, after all hadn't he just warned them that time was critical? Yet Robin's fierce words on Saturday morning still rang in his ears. He knew exactly what Robin was trying to achieve, he wanted to prevent Vlad from getting so wrapped up in his problems as Grand High Vampire that he forgot what he was fighting so hard for. He gave Robin a determined nod of agreement and was rewarded with a wide grin from his best mate.

"Er, what about me?" Ingrid demanded in aggressive tones.

Vlad glanced sourly in her direction. "You are meant to be in Australia." His words were uncompromising.

Ingrid examined her shiny red nails for a moment before replying. "You're meant to be in Transylvania. Plans change. Get over it." Her smile was sweetly poisonous.

Vlad glowered fiercely at his sister, his fangs dropping for a brief second before he recovered his composure. "We'll talk about this later," he said in a cold, crisp voice.

Ingrid gave him a look that clearly said 'whatever' before re-examining her nails. Only Robin noticed the slight tremor in her hands. It concerned him because he had never conceived of Ingrid as being afraid of anything let alone her little brother.

"So," Scarlett decided to break the awkward silence that had fallen between the Dracula siblings, "the original prophecy? When can we see it?" She deliberately kept her voice light and breezy.

It seemed to work on Vlad at least because he gave her a sudden smile. "How about now?" He pushed himself away from the desk and gestured for everyone to surround him. Slipping a key out of his jeans, he unlocked one of the narrow desk drawers and produced a sleek wooden box. The dark material shone from layers of finely applied polish, swirls of shimmering pearl across the surface contrasting beautifully against the almost blackness of the wood. Carefully, Vlad opened the box and began the task of unwrapping the protective layers surrounding the old parchment. "This is the original prophecy. As you can imagine it is immensely valuable, almost priceless." Brushing aside the layers of grey tissue, he revealed a yellowing scrap of paper, the brightly coloured inks still vibrant and alive even after centuries. The writing was in Latin, the words elegantly scribed upon the parchment, the ink was slightly faded but it was clear that it had once been raven black. The intricate border was cut off abruptly at the bottom indicating that the page had been expertly slashed to cut it short. The bluntness of the paper's ends indicated that such a cut had been many centuries ago.

"Oh," Scarlett breathed reverently, "That is so beautiful." It was at times like this, she remembered why she had wanted to study History more than anything else in the world. To think that this parchment was older than the Magna Carta, that once monks had slaved over every beautifully written word to ensure it was pleasing to the eye, the history contained in and surrounding this one piece of parchment ... it was just incredible.

Glancing sideways at Scarlett, Vlad was struck by the light in her eyes, her passionate love for beautiful old things - even scraps of paper – giving her a glow. Forgetting Ingrid's presence, he reached out and touched her hand with his. When she turned to meet his gaze, his chest tightened at the radiant smile she gave him.

Beside him, Charlie cautiously reached out a hand, hovering it a few inches over the parchment only to suddenly snatch it back almost as if she had been burnt. "Woah," she gasped, her eyes fading from an impossible turquoise to her usual hazel, "That is potent stuff."

Robin gave her an excited look. "Can you sense the memories?" he asked eagerly.

Charlie grimaced as she rubbed her hand. "Not exactly. I can feel that they are there but they are locked." She looked up at Vlad. "Were you able to unlock it?" Her question was direct and to the point.

Vlad hesitated before nodding reluctantly.

"May I?" Charlie gestured at the parchment. "It could help with the research".

Vlad bit his lip before glancing again at Scarlett. His girlfriend gave him an expectant look. He sensed that he had some work to do if he wanted to make up for previously withholding information from her. This would be a start. He gave Charlie an unwilling nod. He placed his hand over the prophecy, his skin just barely touching the fragile parchment. Charlie moved to place her hand over Vlad's before Ingrid interrupted.

"What's going on?" Ingrid directed the question along with a hostile glare at Charlie, not her brother.

Charlie gave her a reassuring smile. "Most items contain residual energy, a particular memory or image stored within them," she explained, "Most of the time I can access that energy but some items are locked, only a person emotionally associated with the item can unlock it. Vlad's the Chosen One, since the prophecy is about him, he's able to unlock the energy. As a medium, I am able to act as a conduit for communication between the living and the dead. In other words, I can project the memory that Vlad sees." Taking a deep breath to ease her nerves, Charlie placed her hand over Vlad's. She gasped involuntarily at the pain as just a tiny fraction of Vlad's power coursed through her, causing her eyes to instantly snap turquoise.

Vlad found that he was visibly shaking with the effort of holding back as much of his power as possible to avoid causing any further harm to her. The darkness inside him was howling to be unleashed upon the medium.

The room filled with a low humming much like the subtle sound of electricity flowing through wiring in an empty room. A ball of white light and energy formed a couple of inches above Charlie and Vlad's hands, its harsh brightness hurting their eyes. As the brightness of the light slowly diminished, they were able to see a woman sitting outside in the sunlight. The female figure was blurring into two distinct images. The first was of a dirty dishevelled old woman with watery blue eyes and gnarled hands. Overlapping this image was a beautiful serene young woman all gold and cream in her colouring. As the woman opened her mouth to speak, it became clear that there were also two voices, the scratched and worn tones of the old woman blending perfectly with the ringing melody of the younger.

In tenebris profundis de urbem de adagnitio, a iacet secretum
Lassus et cruenta sunt illa qui quaerunt illud

Quando die mutationes ad nocte et metus mutationes ad servisse
Unus stella a in caelum voluntas facere in tenebras lapsum statim

The image flickered for a second before exploding into white light and fading softly away just like the fireworks from the previous night. Charlie cried out in pain as she lifted her hand away. Moving swiftly forward, Robin caught her in his arms before she crumpled to the floor. Vlad's eyes were black and his fangs lowered as he abruptly turned away from them and strode to the other side of the room. His chest moved up and down as he took deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down.

Robin stroked his girlfriend's hair tenderly, pressing a kiss of relief against her forehead as her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," he whispered.

Charlie smiled back faintly. "Hey." Her eyes had returned to their usual hazel, still gripping Robin's arms, she rose unsteadily to her feet.

"Sorry." Vlad threw the apology over his shoulder; he was keeping his distance until he was sure that he had fully regained control. "I was trying to hold back."

"Power surge." This was all Charlie offered by way of an explanation to the others. "It's ok Vlad," she called to him, her voice already sounding stronger. Colour was returning to her cheeks. She nestled willingly against Robin's chest as he pulled her close, dropping kisses on her hair and murmuring endearments into her ear.

Ingrid made a face of disgust at their actions. "Well, that was useful," she hissed at her brother, sarcasm dripping off every word, "She was still speaking Latin. Did you even understand what she was say-?"

"Medieval Latin," Scarlett interrupted excitedly earning herself a fierce scowl from Ingrid. "Twelfth century to be precise. My favourite."

Vlad immediately turned around, his eyes keenly assessing Scarlett. "What did she say?" His demand was brusque, the sharpness of his voice verging on rude.

"You have a favourite type of Latin?" Robin shook his head in despair. "Seriously, you are such a geek." He stopped sniggering as both Draculas shot him impatient glares. Vlad's was all the more intimidating as his fangs were still lowered.

"Shut up," Scarlett said amicably, as she managed to squeeze an arm around Charlie's shoulders in spite of Robin's protective embrace. "She said that in the dark depths..." Looking up from her best friend's face, Scarlett found herself faltering, a rueful smile freezing upon her lips as she met Vlad's eyes; they were hard and black, flints of pewter stone in his pale face. He had never looked at her like that before, all cold and dangerous, almost as if she was some kind of threat to him. Her heart skipped a few beats and for once it wasn't because of her attraction to him. He actually looked menacing, she thought faintly.

Vlad's eyes only seemed to deepen in their blackness. "Tell me what she said." He snarled the words at her, the inhumanly deep and harsh tones making his voice almost unrecognisable. It wasn't a request. It was an order.

Scarlett's temper sparked back into life. How dare Vlad order her around?! Tilting her chin defiantly, Scarlett glared back at him, her sapphire blue blazing into his jet black. "Sorry, Your Highness," she emphasised his title with such venom that a lesser vampire would have flinched, "I wasn't aware that I was one of your subjects."

Ingrid laughed mirthlessly. "You are so dead." She harrumphed with indignation before falling silent as both of them gestured at her to shut up.

Vlad's eyes flickered back to his usual clear blue. "Please," he said abruptly.

It was sharply spoken but Scarlett accepted it with a stiff nod. She continued to hold his gaze in a challenging manner. Her voice was clear and confident as she recited the translation of the prophecy.

"In the dark depths of the city of knowledge lies a secret,

Weary and bloodstained are those who seek it,

As day becomes night and terror becomes thrall,

A star from the heavens will cause the darkness to fall."

"You're certain?" Even as he spoke, Vlad was aware that his voice still contained echoes of metallic undertones. He hoped that his carefully blank face gave no indication as to his inner thoughts. Scarlett's translation was as close to perfection as his advisors had managed. It was unnerving.

Her voice was cool as she replied. "Yes, of course."

"Darkness will fall?" Ingrid repeated the words thoughtfully.

Even with the warmth of Charlie in his arms, Robin shivered. "The fall of Rome." His dark eyes were full of worry.

Ingrid sighed with mock frustration. "No, you idiot," she sneered, "It means that darkness is going to descend upon your stinking breather species when vampirekind dominates the world." She cast a confident smirk at Vlad. "When I say vampirekind, I mean us Draculas of course."

Vlad raised a cynical eyebrow in response.

Robin was nothing if persistent. He shook his head in disagreement. "Nah, think about it, the Bathius Blood papers," he murmured contemplatively, "That sounded like some kind of super weapon to me."

Vlad held up his hand as if ordering them both to quieten down. "As I said it is ambiguous." He glanced at each one of them in turn, his gaze lingering longer than necessary on Scarlett for reasons that had nothing to do with his personal feelings, "This translation, this knowledge can never leave this room or you will be in mortal danger." The authoritative tone in his voice left them without any doubt that this was a direct command. He didn't bother to clarify what mortal danger they would face and whether he, as the Chosen One and Grand High Vampire, was included as a threat.

Chapter 35 teaser

'Throwing back his hood, Vladimir Dracula gave her a bloodthirsty smile...'

ps Apologies if my Latin wasn't perfect... xo