Chapter 10: Travelling
AN: There's not much to say right now that I didn't already give you guys a heads up on in chapter 9. You know. Week vacation, two chapters posted. But I have to vent a little right now. THIS CHAPTER WAS A PAIN IN THE ASS! pant pant that felt good. But seriously, I couldn't get past the first two paragraphs for at least four days. I think my muse left on vacation before I did. It bugged the hell out of me. But I think I finally got a decent version of this chapter knocked out, so we'll see how that goes.
It took a few days to restore myself to Verona's good humor. True to her word, we practiced flying every night as soon as the sun set, sometimes going nearly the whole nightlong. The purpose of this she told me, was to built up my stamina for the trip to Budapest, which was now only a couple days away. If we made good time, and it was up to me to be able to keep up, we'd arrive the night before the festival. I was especially careful not to try Verona's patience again with another stunt. Sadly enough, she was the only one I trusted in the castle and I didn't want to burn my only bridge.
A slight tap on my door awakened me. Glancing at my window, I saw the last rays of the sun sinking below the horizon. Well, it was time to go. Slipping into my dress, I grabbed the small bag containing my costume, slid my arms through the strings, and left my room.
About to enter the hall, I froze. There was no mistaking the red-head clinging to Dracula, nor the blond lounging against a column. Aleera and Marishka, whom I'd avoided since the incident when Aleera'd tried to eat me. I was unsure of how to approach them now. So I decided to take the I-know-you-know-I'm-here-but-I-don't-want-you-to-see-me approach: I snuck down the length of the hall behind the columns to appear beside Verona.
And stood there, trying not to attract attention.
Which, needless to say, didn't work.
"Hello little one," purred Marishka, sauntering over, taking full advantage of her harem-girl's outfit. "You seem to have done well on your own. At least, you are still alive." She placed one slim finger under my chin and her plump lips curved into a smile that reminded me of a very satisfied cat. I suppressed a slight shiver.
My heartbeat must have changed because Dracula looked over at us and shook his head slightly. "Marishka, do stop scaring her. It is time to go anyway."
"Yes Master," Marishka said with another smile.
Wings appeared all around the room; the blue-white ones of the Brides, Dracula's black bat-like ones, mine of feathered white. I stuck close to Verona, partially as protection from Aleera, who was sending me some extremely nasty glares behind her master's back.
The night air was crisp, but thankfully not too cold. Glancing sideways, I wondered idly if the vampires every felt the cold. They didn't seem too. Maybe I would ask Verona someday. I positioned myself on the edge of the flight in the rear where I was separated from Aleera by a good thirty or forty feet. My gut told me not to turn my back on her if at all possible. It was quite likely she wouldn't forgive my existence even given a thousand years to do so (if I had any say in the matter, she wouldn't be) and I wouldn't put it past her to crash into me, or attack me, or something equally painful, while making it look like an error on my part.
It also allowed me to stay far from the count, who lead the way. I wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of seeing how much the sight of his hellbeast form frightened me. At least the Brides retained some vestiges of their human appearance.
These musings and others, on such topics as the changing scenery and my village, occupied my mind fairly steadily throughout the journey until the sky began to turn a pale gray in the east, heralding the approach of morning.
We angled downward and as we rounded a mountain, I could make out a large castle in the gloom. Obviously it was our destination and as we landed I asked, "Where are we? This isn't Budapest is it?"
Aleera rolled her eyes and gave a slight hiss at my ignorance, but everyone else seemed to take it with almost fond forbearance.
"No," explained Verona. "This isn't Budapest. This is a wayhouse of sorts, the home of another vampire where we are going to take shelter from the daylight. We will arrive in Budapest tomorrow."
Dracula strode up to the massive front doors and rapped once firmly upon their wooden surfaces. Immediately, they were opened by a small creature closely resembling an imp, with its large eyes, bony head, and large pointed ears. The thing gave a low bow as it held open the doors, addressing its remarks to the floor.
"The Master extends his greetings to you, sir. He says, when you are rested, if you will join him in the study? At your convenience of course sir." Dracula nodded in affirmation. The creature continued.
"This one can show you to your rooms, if sir so wishes." By this time we were all inside and it had shut the doors, turning to regard us solemnly.
"That will not be necessary." Dracula slid an arm around my waist, hand splayed in the small of my back, and with the air of long familiarity he led us up to a wing of rooms on one of the upper floors of the castle. Marishka and Verona eagerly went to claim whichever of the rooms they deemed the best, but Aleera would not so readily leave her master. At least not without having the last word.
"I still fail to see why she needs to be here. If they don't make her into vampire fodder before the day is out, then I'm a wingless sparrow."
"May as well be," I muttured. Aleera hissed at me.
"Quiet," Dracula told me sharply. Turning to Aleera he said dryly, "However much I'm sure you have only her well-being in mind, you need not trouble your tender heart over the matter." Catching his hidden but pointed message, Aleera shot me one last glare before disappearing through a doorway. Dracula steered me into the last room.
"Stay here until I return," he instructed. Glancing around the room, I noticed it had a coffin instead of a bed.
"What –"
"However honorable the vampires in this castle may seem, I don't trust them as far as they can walk in sunlight. But you can be guaranteed of safety as long as you remain here."
I cocked my head at him, puzzled. It seemed to me that a locked door or such wouldn't stop a vampire in bloodlust. "Why?"
He smiled. "Because this is where I stay." With that he strode out the door. I let out a strangled cry of annoyance. And discovered that I was locked in.
"Damn you!" I kicked the door for emphasis and stalked over to the other side of the room, where I sank down into a chair in front of the fireplace. Exhausted from the long flight, I must have dozed off at some point for when I opened my eyes again Dracula was just entering the room again.
"Having a nice nap?" he inquired. I wondered at his civility.
"I was." He chuckled and crossed the room to where I sat, still bleary-eyed.
"Come," Dracula said in a low voice, pulling me up from the chair. "You're done in and I can guarantee you will wake up extremely stiff if you sleep there."
My response was a slightly more awake mumble. My mind however was working itself into a puzzled frenzy over the events of today. Why was he going to such great lengths to protect me against some vampire sampling me, even – I realized as we reached the coffin – insuring it personally? I had not expected him to be capable of this much concern. It was kind of…sweet.
No! Bad thoughts! Really bad thoughts! Don't go there Destiny, that's a no-no. Defiantly taboo. But I did not protest at being laid into the coffin, still puzzling over this and mentally kicking myself, nor did I try to clamber out when he climbed in beside me.
"Sleep little angel," he murmured, stroking the side of my face.
"This doesn't change anything. I still hate you," I said, even as my eyelids were closing themselves. The last thing I heard before drifting into sleep was his amused reply.
"I know. I expected no less from you."
Again, please review for me so I'll have something really nice to come home to. C'mon, I'm going to do longhand for ya. That's got to count for something. : )