The next day . . .
I woke up in my room very dizzy and somewhat groggy. We left the party well after midnight, and from the sound of things in the other room, Marlus was recovering from his heavy drinking. Then, all the previous events of that night came back to me, and I plopped back onto my comfortable, smooth pillows.
We didn't depart from Budapest until around midmorning, and when Marlus was sober enough to talk to. Once everything was packed, the carriage took off and left the way we came, but without Michael. I wished him luck wherever he was, and we plunged back into the large, heavy forest. The return journey was somewhat quicker than yesterday, but along the way, Marlus and I talked about what we did and saw at the ball. I told him I had one of the best times of my life, but I didn't tell him anything about Dracula as I kept my eyes peeled for anything suspicious along the road and in the trees. He didn't even question who danced with me or anything—I believe he was more concerned with his throbbing headache than what I did at the ball.
The afternoon sun flickered through the thick gray clouds hovering over the village. I was strolling through the castle gardens and admiring the beautiful native flowers. Their bright colors contrasted against the coldness of the surrounding stone, and reminded me of a hidden paradise. I was alone in silent reverence until a figure emerged from behind me.
"I have found you again, my sweet angel."
"How did you know I was here?" I asked calmly with a turn of my head.
"That will remain my little secret. Now, shall we continue our conversation? It was going so well before we were rudely interrupted."
I faced him and paused for a moment.
"Did you ever have a bad childhood, dear Count? One that followed you everywhere and remained despite the passage of time? Well, I have, and my dream has been to wipe out anything that caused me, and others like me, to suffer. But it is a large goal, and I will most likely die before I see it realized."
"So you wish for everlasting life."
"Yes; if I were to have immortality and eternal youth, there would be no limits to what I could do."
"Well then, it seems we share the same dream, and need only one thing in its achievement."
He advanced a few steps so that I was almost face to face with him.
"And what would that be for you?"
"You need to live forever, and I . . ."
He came almost behind me, stroked my hair, and smelled it. I became tense but remained calm.
". . . need to find a new bride. I think this means we can help each other, hmm?"
I turned my head and locked my gaze into his, which seemed to heavily thirst for something. That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
The palace was practically void of life throughout the expansive halls and several rooms. We stood in front of the huge map of Transylvania that covered an entire front wall, and I stared in awe at the portal to Dracula's lair.
"And to think it was here this entire time, right in front of me."
"Yes. This was the way my father banished me to my castle, and the way Gabriel came when he murdered me for a second time," he replied with a snarl.
"So how do we go through it?" I asked.
"It's simple. Read the words in that corner."
He pointed to the bottom left-hand side where there was a Latin inscription, and a piece that looked as if it had been torn and returned to its original place. I wondered why I had never noticed it before. Then I read carefully and spoke the last part aloud.
"In the name of God, open this door."
Something began to crack and I noticed fast thin lines of silver make their way across the map. They soon became moving patches that grew and consumed the entire wall. Then, all that stood before us was a large silver sheet that reflected like a mirror, and I gazed at it intensely. Of course, he had no reflection.
"Remember, angel, once you enter, there is no going back. Now, let us go."
I stood looking at the newly found portal and nodded my head in silent agreement.
I stuck my hand out slowly and carefully; it inched forward until it came into contact with the wall. Instead of stopping though, it went through, and the area around my wrist crystallized like ice. The rest of my body followed after, and I walked through without hesitation. A light flashed as I disappeared completely, and Dracula followed behind, a triumphant smile on his lips. Then the wall transformed back into the map, and we were gone.