Dark Shadows: Revenge of the Vampires
Chapter 14
1
The freezing temperatures had no effect on Ramon. Vampires were impervious to the cold. It was just another of the many perks of being one of the living dead. As he made his way to Dracula's castle, he dreamed of being the head of the Vampire Council. He wanted it for some time now. Ramon joined forces with Andrew Adell, believing the vampire was capable of planning the destruction of Dracula and Barnabas Collins. He believed Andrew could have succeeded if he hadn't developed the obsession of killing Barnabas's San Francisco detective friend. Andrew had been so intent on killing the detective, he took his eye off what they were really in San Francisco to do, and that was to destroy Barnabas, Dracula; and along with them Morgan, Miranda, and Damon. Andrew caused his own destruction and that of a lot of vampire friends of Ramon.
When Ramon realized the battle against Collins, Dracula and those aligned with them was lost, he quietly left San Francisco. Otherwise, he would have faced his own destruction. What was the sense in dying for a lost cause. If Andrew had stuck to their original plan, Ramon wouldn't be dealing with Collins and Dracula right now. He wasn't about to make the mistake of blindly following Tristan the way he did Andrew. Tristan would never defeat Dracula and Collins, especially now that they had the entire vampire council behind them. Not only would they have to face Morgan, Miranda, Damon, and the traitor Eddie, Ramon heard Dracula now had an army of his own. Many vampires started coming back to Romania when they heard of the uprising against Dracula, Collins and the Vampire Council. When Ramon heard about the number returning, he was elated. Since all of the vampires that returned so far were willing to fight on Tristan's side, he mistakenly believed the others who were arriving would be doing the same. He was wrong. They reported directly to the Vampire Council Castle. What was even more troubling was the fact that he had no idea how many vampires were now in Romania who were siding with Dracula. Were the vampires in Tristan's castle outnumbered? If they were, it was entirely Tristan's fault.
In the beginning when the plan to overthrow the Vampire Council was conceived, only Julia Hoffman was to be abducted. Collins would have gone directly to Dracula for help; just as he did under the current plan. The difference was Hoffman was to be held in America. That would have meant more than likely that Dracula would have arrived alone on American soil to help the Yankee Vampire. Ramon was counting on Morgan, Miranda, Damon and Eddie to join them. They would not have any idea they were walking into a trap of an army of Ramon's vampires. They would have been able to destroy them. He wasn't kidding himself. It wouldn't have been easy, but the plan certainly was better than the current one.
By kidnapping Angelique as well and holding her in Tristan's castle, they created a monster in the form of Dracula. He was well respected among the vampire race. In fact, Dracula was literally worshiped by vampires around the world. Word was bound to get out that Tristan was building an army to go up against Dracula and Collins to overthrow the Vampire Council. It wasn't that long ago Andrew Adell attempted the same thing. The outcome of that fight spread like wildfire. The entire world of vampires soon knew about the slaughter of their friends at the hands of Dracula and his people, mortal and immortal. Knowing it would have a major impact on the number of vampires willing to go up against Dracula, Ramon went into this venture knowing his army would also be limited. Too many vampires around the world, whether they agreed with the Council's rules, would not want to have any part going against Dracula. The oldest of all vampires, he was also the strongest and the fastest. Most vampires not only respected Dracula, but were also scared of him.
The current plan, in Ramon's estimation, was suicide. He was afraid of another massacre like the one in San Francisco. Ramon had a backup plan. If it looked like Tristan's army was going to lose, he was going to cut out just like he did in San Francisco. He wasn't going to be destroyed because Tristan was hell bent on getting all of them killed at Dracula's hand.
Ramon continue to trudge through the snow. Why was he the one who was to deliver the ultimatum to Dracula and Collins? That was just more proof of how much of a coward Tristan was. He wouldn't go himself. He ordered Ramon to do it. Dracula could very well destroy him on the spot. The only reason Ramon was following the order was he didn't believe Collins would allow him to kill him. He probably figured out what would happen to Julia Hoffman if Dracula did. That was the only thing that would keep him alive while he delivered the message.
At first, Ramon objected to having to be the one to take the message to Dracula. He didn't see any sense in sending a vampire. They had a servant for every vampire in Tristan's castle, not to mention all the servants Tristan had to keep the castle running. Why not send one of them? Let Dracula take his rage out on them. Ramon admitted he was extremely concerned how Dracula would take the news. Would he decide to kill him anyway, believing Tristan would not kill Hoffman, but continue his quest for a war with him? Another thing was beginning to wear on his mind. He remembered when he was in battle in the tunnels under San Francisco that Angelique ordered the vampire bat to bite Dracula. Legend had always told if the vampire bat bit a vampire, it would destroy him and turn him to dust. Ramon believe that to be true since he witness the bat bite Andrew, and he was indeed turned into dust. Yet, when Angelique turned it on Dracula, it only resulted in making him stronger and faster.
Why hadn't Dracula been turned into dust? Angelique knew something the rest of them did not. Yet, she didn't turn it on Barnabas Collins. Would he have turned to dust as well? The only thing Collins and Dracula had in common was they were not turned by other vampires. Both were turned by the vampire bat. Did that have something to do with why Dracula was not destroyed? If that were the case, than why didn't Angelique turn it on Collins and make him stronger and faster than he already was? None of it made any sense to him.
Another concern was Barnabas Collins. He was a young vampire by vampire standards, yet the American was stronger and faster than vampires much older. Ramon would never admit it to himself or anyone else, but he was actually afraid of Collins. Could he defeat him in a one on one fight? Ramon would like to think he could, yet something in the back of his mind nagged at him to not confront Collins head-on. He didn't have intention of doing so. If he were to find himself in battle with him, making sure other vampires fought at his side would be essential. It might be the difference of life and death.
He saw the way Collins easily dealt with attacking vampires in San Francisco. No vampire in their right mind would want to go up against him or Dracula. The more he thought about it, the more he was coming to the conclusion the entire plan was insane.
Ramon looked up. He could see Dracula's castle off in the distance. He was no more than around 15 minutes away. He stopped and stood there. Why in the world did he get involved with this hair-brain plan to begin with? Dracula and Collins could not be defeated by the bunch of rogue vampires Tristan assembled. He had a better idea, but in order to execute it, he needed a new servant, one he could depend on. Obviously, Devlin was a bad choice. That was one thing; probably the only thing he could agree on with Tristan. Maybe this time he would choose a female servant. They were much easier to control. Women fell more quickly and remained in a vampire's thrall. He knew just the woman for the job.
Ramon continued to trudge on through the snow. The journey could have been much easier and faster by turning into a bat and flying to Dracula's castle. He supposed he didn't want the job of issuing Tristan's ultimatum. Flying there would have gotten him there much sooner. In this case, sooner is not necessarily better.
When he arrived at the castle, Ramon hesitated. He worried what Dracula's reaction would be. Hopefully, since Angelique got away it wouldn't be as bad. Using the huge door knockers, Ramon sounded his arrival. The door opened almost immediately. From the look of horror on the human's face, it was clear he recognized him. The servant scurried quickly over to a rope and pulled it. Ramon cringed as a loud ringing sounded throughout the castle. Within seconds Dracula appeared. At the sight of Ramon, he went into a rage. Grabbing the younger vampire by the throat, his fangs elongated. "You dare show up at my castle!"
"I would suggest you take your hands off me, Count," croaked Ramon.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip your head from your shoulders right now!" His eyes were coal black.
"I'll give you a reason. If I don't return to Tristan's castle, Julia Hoffman will be killed. I would suggest you let me go. I am here to deliver you a message."
Despite an overwhelming urge to end Ramon's existence, Dracula loosened his grip on his neck, but didn't let go. "It is fortunate for you Angelique was able to escape. I would kill you right now and storm the castle."
"That would not be wise, Count Dracula. There is an army of vampires waiting for you to do exactly that. They would like nothing more than for you to come in alone. You would be destroyed."
"I would not bet my life on that if I were you."
"In a way, I already am," Ramon said. He looked around. "Where's Collins?"
"His whereabouts is no concern of yours."
"I disagree. It is entirely my concern. We are holding Dr Hoffman. If he storms the castle in an attempt to rescue her, he will be destroyed as well. Now, let me go. I have a message to relay to you, and I refused to do it with your hands around my neck." Even though he had never been more scared in his entire existence, Ramon stared into the black eyes of the powerful vampire.
Dracula released his hold on Ramon. Behind him, he heard the voice of his beloved. "Vlad, what is going on? I heard the ringing. She looked to see Ramon standing in front of the castle doors. "What's he doing here?"
"Well, hello, Angelique. You look no worse for your jaunt over to Tristan's castle." He grinned at her. The grin disappeared when he saw the murderous look in Dracula's eyes.
"Ramon has brought us a message," Dracula told her. "And, he better deliver it. My patience are running very thin."
"All right, Count. I'll deliver the message. Tristan is back in the castle. We have, as I am sure you are aware, an army of vampires loyal to us. Julia Hoffman is being held as our . . . guest. She will continue to be our guest until Morgan, Miranda, Damon, and Eddie resign from the Vampire Council. You will destroy each of them and bring their heads to Tristan's castle so we know they are gone for good. Tristan and I will take our place on the Council and it will be run as it should have been for the past four hundred years. Oh yes, I almost forgot. You will also destroy the vampire bat. When you have accomplished all of this, Julia Hoffman will be released. You and Collins will take your women and leave Romania forever. Go back to America. That is where you belong - in the country of rebels. If either of you ever returned to Romania, you will be destroyed. Do you understand the message, Count Dracula?"
"Perfectly," Dracula said.
"And do you agree to our terms?"
Dracula said nothing. He simply stared at Ramon with a look that could only be described as deadly.
"I see. Well, I will relay your answer to Tristan."
"To Tristan," Angelique said. "So, he is the one in charge. You are just a messenger boy." She smiled, knowing she had struck a nerve in Ramon.
"No, Tristan and I are equals."
"Really? Then why isn't he the messenger boy. I will remind you, Ramon, only one vampire can head the council. Somehow, I doubt that it will be you. Tristan has taken you for a fool. You have done all of his dirty work for him. Do you really think he is going to keep you around if the two of you succeed with this plan of yours? He has to know you have designs of your own as head of the council. He will use you until, and only until Morgan and the others are successfully removed. Then you will be the next vampire destroyed. That is, unless you tuck your tail between your legs and run like you did in San Francisco when Andrew Adell's vampires were losing the battle. Yes, I do believe that is what you will do. You are a coward. I really am surprised that you came here to deliver the message to the count considering what he could do to you. Is it because you actually do know that Tristan is your master in this little endeavor?"
Anger rose in Ramon. He took a step toward Angelique. Dracula stepped in front of him. "I wouldn't if I were you," the count said in a low deadly voice. "It would be the last thing you ever do on this earth."
Ramon looked at Angelique with hatred in his eyes. If Dracula did destroy the other vampires on the council, Ramon was going to find a way to kill the witch. He should have ended her immortal existence when he had the chance. That was one mistake he intended to correct.
"You have delivered your message, Ramon. Now get out of my castle before I decide to destroy you now rather than later!" Dracula took a step toward Ramon.
The younger vampire wasn't about to have a confrontation with Dracula at this time. He couldn't defeat him and he knew it. He was much too strong. Ramon couldn't keep up with his speed either. Thanks to Angelique he was even stronger than he ever had been. When she turned the vampire bat on him in San Francisco, it only enhanced his vampiric powers. That was the reason Ramon added the vampire bat to the list of beings Dracula was to destroy. Tristan didn't include the bat, but Ramon was smarter than he. The bat increased Dracula's powers having bitten him once. What would happen if the witch turned it on him again? Would it further enhance his powers? One thing he knew for sure if it was turned on the other vampires, they would turn to dust and be destroyed. If it came down to a fight with Dracula and Collins, he wanted to be sure the vampire bat was not there with Angelique ordering the deaths of those fighting on his side.
Ramon turned and walked out of the castle. He would report back to Tristan. The man was a fool to think Dracula would back down. It was not part of his nature. He was the most powerful vampire in the world and he knew it. He and Collins were likely coming up with a plan of their own to destroy them all.
This time, he didn't trudge through the snow. He turned into a bat and flew back to Tristan's castle. When he arrived, the doors immediately opened. Tristan was waiting for him. "Well, what happened? Did he agree to our terms?"
Ramon couldn't believe the stupidity of the man. "No, he didn't. Did you really think he would?"
"What did he say?" Tristan demanded.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. He just stood there and stared at me."
"That was not the response I was expecting," Tristan said, rubbing his hands together. "I thought he would give us an answer one way or the other."
Was this vampire blind? Dracula answered them through his silence. He was no more going to kill the members of the council than Tristan would allow Ramon to live when all was said and done. "I believe he did answer us. He has no intention of killing any members of the council."
"Then Julia Hoffman will die. What did Collins have to say about it?"
"I didn't see Collins."
"What do you mean you didn't see him?"
Ramon was tiring of this idiot. "Just like I said. I didn't see him. He never came to the castle doors. Only Dracula and Angelique did."
Tristan turned away from Ramon. He lowered his eyes and a worried look appeared on his face. He didn't want Ramon to see it. Where was Barnabas Collins? Why wasn't he there? After all, he was holding Julia Hoffman. Collins had much more at stake than Dracula. Angelique was back with the count, but Barnabas Collins didn't have his woman back. He should have been right there with Dracula and Angelique. Something was wrong. Was Collins even in Dracula's castle?
"You didn't see any sign of Collins at all?" Tristan asked anxiously.
"None. But then I was not allowed any further than just inside the castle doors. Collins could have been anywhere inside."
Tristan shook his head. "I don't think so. What if Julia Hoffman was your woman? Would you have stayed away from that meeting?"
"Not a chance, but who knows what Collins would do?" He's a strange one. He has all those powers and he wants to be human again. What vampire would give up all this to become human?" Ramon wondered.
"You would be surprised. There are quite a few that would. Collins is not the only one. I have run across several that would give up vampiric powers if there was a cure for it. We are getting off topic here. The question still remains . . . where is Barnabas Collins?"
Tristan was really beginning to bore him. What difference did it make where Collins was? The message was meant for Dracula anyway. Whatever they might be planning, Dracula would be the one in charge.
"We need to find out where Collins is," Tristan said.
"Why? Who cares where he is? It is Dracula we have to worry about. Collins is nothing."
Tristan turned his wrath on him. "You are a fool if you think that. You were in San Francisco. You saw Collins fight first hand. Marcus told me he couldn't believe his strength and speed. Marcus is a much older vampire, and he told me he couldn't even begin to keep up with Collins. He was handling vampires as if they were merely human. Tell me, Ramon, would you go one on one with Barnabas Collins?"
The question caused Ramon to squirm. The answer to Tristan's question was undoubtedly no. He saw how fast and strong Collins was. He never before saw a vampire his age with that kind of speed and strength. "I wouldn't hesitate," he lied.
"Really, then tell me why did you run from the fight in San Francisco? Yes, Ramon, I know all about it. Marcus told me. If Collins was no threat, than why didn't you stay and fight?"
"Andrew Adell was obsessed with the detective that killed his son. He put all the vampires in danger. Instead of taking the time to plan the fight, he went into it with one goal, and that was to kill the police detective. He was a fool. I left because there wasn't any chance of defeating Collins and Dracula the way he handled it. There comes a time when you should know when to retreat so you can fight another day. I recognized that to be true at the time."
"Or you are just a coward who would desert your fellow warriors the first chance you got. Tell me, Ramon, will you desert us if the battle doesn't go exactly as you think it should, or will you be stead fast and fight to the death if necessary?"
The nerve of this vampire. He couldn't wait to end his miserable existence. With him, Dracula, Collins and the rest of their allies all destroyed, Ramon would mold the Vampire Council into what is should be. "I will not dignify that with a response. I didn't see you in San Francisco fighting along side of us. You were off in Paris while we were trying to defeat Dracula and Collins. So don't criticize my decision to leave that fight. If it had been run by me, Dracula and Collins would already be dead. We wouldn't be dealing with them now." Before Tristan could respond, Ramon stormed off.
Tristan watched him walk away. Ramon was a coward regardless of how he described his actions. He ran, and Tristan had no illusions that he wouldn't do it again if things weren't going their way. He only used Ramon to handle the abduction of Angelique and Julia Hoffman, and he botched half of that. He was surprised he bothered to come back and report Dracula's response.
Ramon had an illusion he would be able to convince the other vampires to join him. Tristan handpicked them. They would take orders from him, not Ramon. His days were numbered. He wouldn't need him much longer.
There were more important things to address. The missing American vampire bothered him more than anything. It was rumored Collins had the ability to travel through time. If he wasn't at Dracula's castle, then where was he? Tristan thought it was nonsense when he heard he traveled back to the time he originally lived in. He was told Collins and the famous detective from California went back and destroyed the Leviathan race in order to change the current time line. Tristan never believed in time travel. Could he really afford to ignore that it just might be possible? If Collins changed something in the past, the fight between Dracula's people and his might never take place.
Tristan decided he couldn't take that chance. He had to find out if Barnabas Collins could actually travel through time. If he could, there had to be a time portal somewhere for him to move between centuries. He was not sure how he could find out . . . wait, if Barnabas Collins traveled through time, there was one person that would know all about it, and she was below in the bottom level of the castle. He would force Julia Hoffman to reveal how Collins did it, and where the time portal was located. Tristan would travel back in time and destroy Collins once and for all. He was going to be head of the council. No one, especially Collins and Dracula were going to stop him.
2
The lid to Barnabas's coffin opened. The vampire rose with the darkness as he did every other night since he was cursed by Angelique. Some day he hoped to sleep at night in a bed and rise with the sun. Julia would find that cure. Barnabas was certain of it. Julia . . . he could bear to think about her being in the hands of Ramon and Tristan. He had to free her from their clutches unharmed.
Barnabas respected Professor Stokes. If he couldn't figure out what the proper serum dose was to allow him to walk in the daylight, then no one in Collinsport could. If only Julia had been the one to escape instead of Angelique. The vampire wasn't wishing any ill will on Angelique, although he had plenty of reason to over the years. It was just that she had a better chance of surviving in Tristan's castle than Julia did. She had her witches powers to fall back on. As a mortal, Julia had nothing.
Barnabas was met at the stairs by Willie Loomis, his friend and servant. Hi, Barnabas. The professor is upstairs waiting for you. He's been going over Julia's journals most of the night. He said he wanted to speak with you."
"Thank you, Willie." The vampire walked around Willie and climbed the steep stairs to the foyer. He went immediately into the drawing room where Professor Stokes was sitting by the fire reading a book. He stood up as soon as Barnabas entered the room.
"Barnabas, I have been studying Julia's journals again. I just can't locate any information as to what the dose would be to allow you to walk in the daylight. I am afraid of what might happened if you were overdosed."
The vampire once again was reminded of his impatience with the experiment when he forced Julia to speed up the progress. He would almost like to tell the professor he didn't care what happened, but the memory lingered of him aging to two-hundred years. Barnabas didn't want to go through that again, but if it meant Julia would be freed, he would take the chance.
"Barnabas, I really think our best chance of beating Tristan and Ramon is to travel back in time," the professor said.
"How could we possibly know when, Elliott?" Barnabas asked.
"Does it really matter?" the professor responded. "We only need to go back far enough to destroy them. That could be as much as only a year. They wouldn't have any idea that is what you and Dracula were there for."
"I suppose not."
"You seem troubled about this," Stokes noticed.
"Elliott, every time we go back to the past, we run the risk of changing the timeline that could be disastrous. I am not in favor of handling things this way."
"It will mean a lot less blood shed. The only ones that would be destroyed would be Tristan and Ramon." He looked closely at his vampire friend. "I have to ask you a question, and I don't want you to take offense. Barnabas, are you afraid you can't defeat them?"
The vampire turned to look directly into the professor's eyes. "Both of them are older vampires that I. They should be by all means stronger. Yet, I am continually told I am much stronger than vampires are for the length of time I have been one. I don't know if that is true or not. All I know is Tristan and Ramon should be stronger. I know I will have no choice to fight them to save Julia, and I will do so. I must free her from them. I can't lose her now, Elliott. Now that I have found her and Angelique has finally discovered her love for Vlad, I am free to love Julia without Angelique's interference. Why can't I just live a peaceful life? I fear once Julia has cured me, we will have to move away from Collinsport to rid ourselves of the supernatural. I dread having to leave. Collinsport is the only place I have ever felt at home. It is my home. I don't want to leave it."
Professor Stokes could only imagine the pain and suffering Barnabas had endured over the centuries. His hope for his friend was that Julia would find that cure for him, and he would finally live a normal life. Stokes feared Barnabas was right. The two of them could very well have to leave Collinsport if they wanted to live in peace. Elliott hoped it didn't come to that. Even if they did move away, if the Collins family had to confront trouble, Elliott had no doubt Barnabas would return to protect his family. He wouldn't be able to stay away. It was not in his nature to turn his back on the people he cared for. He couldn't do it in the past, and Stokes had no reason to believe he would start now. Barnabas might not realize it, but he was forever tied to Collinsport.
There was a knock on the double doors of the Old House. It ended the conversation between the two men. Barnabas said, "I'll get that, Elliott." He left the drawing room and walked into the foyer to the doors. When he opened them, a short man with a round belly was standing there.
"Mr Collins? You are Barnabas Collins, are you not?" the man asked.
Always a bit wary of strangers visiting his Old House, Barnabas hesitated, but finally answered, "Yes, I'm Barnabas Collins, and who might you be?"
"My name is Dr Gerard Mosley. I am a friend of Dr Hoffman. We went to medical school together. May I come in? I have much to discuss with you."
Barnabas didn't have time for small talk. His Julia's life was in danger. He had no choice but to send the man away. "I'm sorry, Doctor Mosley, but I simply don't have the time right now. I am very busy. We will have to make it another time." The vampire attempted to close the door, but Mosley put his foot between the double doors. Apparently, he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
"We must talk Mr Collins. Julia and I have the same interest. I understand she has been kidnapped . . . by a vampire." He raised his eyebrow. When he noticed Barnabas's eyes turn black, he knew he didn't have much time before the vampire felt threatened enough to kill him. "Please, Mr Collins. I am here to help. I have the same interest in vampires as Julia. I know they exist. Since she has stayed with you over the course of several years, I have found out you are only seen in the daytime. Therefore, I can only come to the conclusion she has found her vampire."
Barnabas's fangs elongated. He took a step toward the man.
"Believe me, your secret is safe with me. I have a vampire of my own. He too is seeking a cure for his condition. I simply wanted to compare notes with Julia. I have traveled a long way. I mean you no harm. You see, I have been studying my vampire's blood. I have been able to alter it so he is able to walk in the daylight."
Those words stopped Barnabas in his tracks as he retracted his fangs. His eyes turn from black back to brown. Professor Stokes stepped into the foyer. A big smile appeared on Gerard Mosley's face. "Elliott! I had no idea you were in Collinsport. I should have. This town has a reputation for supernatural events. It is exactly the place you would seek out to live."
Stokes could see the apprehensive look on Barnabas's face. "It's all right, Barnabas. Gerard is a friend of mine and Julia's. He can be completely trusted. I give you my word. He might even be able to help us with the serum."
"Serum? What serum? Has Julia developed a serum as well? I know she was working on one."
"Why don't we go into the drawing room. Is that all right with you?" Stokes asked the vampire.
Barnabas stood there for a moment. He didn't like the idea of some stranger knowing about his vampiric condition. The trust he had in Elliott Stokes was high. He decided to trust him in this matter as well. The man might even be able to help Julia with the serum. The old saying was two heads were better than one. Maybe it was true. Barnabas nodded and led the men into the drawing room.
"Would you like something to drink?" Barnabas asked Mosley"
He smiled at the vampire. "Yes, thank you. Like Elliott here, I prefer sherry."
Barnabas walked over to the desk where he kept several different kinds of alcohol. He poured two glasses of sherry, giving one to Gerard Mosley and one to Elliott Stokes.
"You're not joining us?" he asked Barnabas. "I thought vampires could actually drink."
"We can," Barnabas said, "but to be truthful, the only thing that doesn't upset my stomach is blood."
"I understand. Let's get down to business. How did Ramon managed to kidnap Dr Hoffman?"
Knowing that it would be painful for Barnabas to relive it, Elliott stepped in and explained to Mosley what happened. Mosley listened intently before saying anything. "So, Mr Collins, you are considering traveling back in time to stop them?"
"That was the professor's idea," Barnabas said. "I doubt Dracula will agree. It might stop Tristan and Ramon, but there is the problem with the rest of the vampires. They obviously are willing to challenge the council. Dracula is not going to allow that. He will want those vampires destroyed too, and quite frankly I agree with him. Even if we were successful in destroying Tristan and Ramon in the past, we would still have to deal with the rest of them."
"Then, maybe I can help you on the other front. Let me take a look at Julia's research. You will need the proper dose of the serum to stay in the daylight long enough to destroy the vampires in their coffins."
Barnabas showed interest for the first time in their conversation. "Do you think you can figure out the proper dose?"
"There is only one way to find out. Where is Dr Hoffman's lab?"
"In the cellar," Barnabas said.
"Well gentlemen, there is no time like the present. Show me the way," Gerard Mosley said.
The three men followed Barnabas to the basement.
3
Tristan looked at the clock. He didn't have much time. He should already be heading for his coffin. Interrogating Julia Hoffman should wait until tonight when he awakened again. Taking a chance of being caught out of his coffin when the sun came up would turn him into ash. The vampire was willing to take that chance. Finding the time portal was fastly becoming an obsession. By going back in time before Dracula became a vampire, it would be a cinch to kill him. The war with Morgan's Vampire Council would be short. His vampires didn't have the killer instinct. Tristan knew his army did. They would have no trouble winning a war against the Vampire Council.
He would force the war on the council soon after Dracula's demise. Barnabas Collins would be much easier to destroy. Tristan knew exactly when Collins became a vampire. He would go back to 1795 and kill him before Angelique turned the vampire bat on him. Why didn't he think of this? Just as soon as he heard the chatter about what happened in Collinsport from Ramon, he should have started looking for the time portal. Changing the timeline made more sense that an out and out war with Dracula. The so called strongest vampire in the world would be no match for Tristan as a mortal man.
The tide was turning in his favor. His attitude changed. Tristan now believed Dracula could easily be defeated. Rather than go down into the furthermost depths of his castle, he stopped on the level where the dungeon was located. Julia Hoffman was going to tell him where the time portal was. If she refused, Tristan would force it out of her. When he arrived at the cells, one of the human guards opened the door that led to the numerous cells. The vampire didn't acknowledge their presence. They were humans, and humans were not worthy of his acknowledgement. Walking down to the cell where Julia Hoffman was imprisoned, Tristan stopped in front of it. He realized he didn't obtain the key from the guards. It didn't matter as he really didn't need it. Tristan disappeared and reappeared on the inside of the cell.
Julia Hoffman was sleeping on the cot in the far corner. Tristan would like nothing better than to use his vampiric strength, lift the cot and send her flying into the wall. He wouldn't do it; he needed information from her, and she couldn't give it to him if she were dead or unconscious. He walked over to her. "Dr Hoffman, wake up!"
Julia was startled out of her slumber. Sitting up, she became aware her visitor was none other than Tristan himself. "So you are back," Julia said.
"I am indeed, Doctor. You and I are going to have a little talk," the vampire told her.
"You are not my idea of someone I want to have a chat with," Julia responded.
"You are a bold one, aren't you? I wouldn't have expected that of you as one living with a vampire. You, of all people, know fully well what a vampire is capable of. I suggest you be more respectful of me, Doctor Hoffman. You are a guest in my castle."
"I am a prisoner in your castle, Tristan. You don't have to abduct a guest."
"As you wish. Call it anything you want. Maybe prisoner is a better word. It might motivate you to tell me what I want to know," Tristan said.
"I will not be telling you anything. You don't have much time on this earth. Dracula and Barnabas will soon come for me. You really can't think that bunch of rogue vampires will be match for their strength, do you? They won't come alone either. They will have an army of their own."
"Oh, dear Doctor, I certainly hope so. We can then eliminate the entire Vampire Council all at once."
"You are a fool it you think you can defeat Dracula and Barnabas," Julia said, looking at Tristan with disdain.
With vampiric speed, Tristan crossed the cell and backhanded Julia before he even thought about it. His temper got the better of him. Julia went flying across the cell and hit the wall. She slid down and fell to the floor.
Upset with himself for losing control, Tristan went over to her and picked her up. Setting her on the bed, he waited for her to wake.
Hoffman rubbed the back of her head. She had a bump the size of a goose egg. She should know better than to anger a vampire. Julia knew what they could do. It was almost as if she forgot the power of a member of the living dead. It was a long time since Barnabas ever raised a hand or threatened her. He was more mortal than immortal. His blood just hadn't gotten the message yet.
"Let that be a lesson to you, Doctor. I suggest you not speak to me in that tone again. You are mortal, and a mortal to me is nothing but a food source. Now, shall we get to the reason I came down her to see you?"
Julia looked down and closed her eyes to stem off the nausea and darkness that threatened to engulf her. With how hard she had hit her head on the wall, a concussion was a real concern. "What do you want?"
"When the Leviathans attempted to take over Collinsport, Barnabas and that San Francisco detective traveled back to the time Collins is from. I want to know how they did it. There must be a time portal somewhere. That is the only way they could have managed it. Where is it?"
"Time travel? Time portals? You must be mad. No one can travel through time. You should stop listening to idle gossip," Julia said.
Tristan backhanded her again. Only this time he made sure he didn't use much force. He used more than enough, though. Julia Hoffman was already developing a bruise under her right eye. "Don't lie to me, Doctor. I know there is a time portal. Ramon was in San Francisco. He found out about it. Now, I am going to ask you one more time, where is the portal, and how does it work?
Julia said nothing. She had a pretty good idea why Tristan wanted to know. He planned on going back in time to kill Dracula and Barnabas. He probably thought it would be easy if they had no vampiric powers. If he traveled to the time Barnabas was from, and before he became a vampire, Barnabas would be a mortal going up against a vampire. The odds were not good. However, even if he was able to determine what century Dracula was from, and was able to travel to a time before Dracula became a vampire, Tristan would not be able to use vampiric powers. He wouldn't have any as it would be before he became a vampire as well. Julia didn't believe he realized it.
"Doctor, answer my question!" Tristan shouted.
"I am not going to help you. Dracula and Barnabas will destroy you whether or not I survive. You can't defeat them."
"Then I guess I will just have to force it out of you." Tristan moved toward her. His fangs elongated. Grabbing Julia, he tilted her head to expose the jugular in her neck. He punctured her skin with his fangs and drank.