Chapter 5
Julia was going to attack Eliot's notes next. She had stopped at the library first to learn all she could about Faberge his eggs, and the Russian court. It was scant information, but at least it was systematically ordered, something that Eliot's notes were not.
Eliot was brilliant, maybe a genius in his field. But he had never learned to organize his notes. He left the organizing later, for when he actually wrote an article. "Why should I organize them?" he had said to her. "I always can find what I want."
And so she had to make sense of it. At least she had a list of keywords that she could use to find the relevant notes.
In Eliot's notes she had found, in passing, some references to the Sun cults...He seemed to have gathered quite a bit of information on them. No wonder that Laura had killed him and his wife. He was getting to know too much on the subject.
And there might be a connection there, because those were Easter eggs, And Easter was originally a pagan festival that celebrated the return of Spring. That is the time when the Day gained ascendancy over the Night. The triumph of the Sun..
Not much yet about Russian sorcerers. A bit about Rasputin, yes. But that was a different story. One entry about Faberge. About a cigarette case with a magical inscription on it. There was no indication that Faberge knew its meaning. He probably thought it highly decorative.
But the client... the client had been one Vassily Petofi.
Not Andreas, not Kira. Vassily Petofi.. Evidently the Petofi family was a talented one...
Barnabas picked up the phone, It was Julia at the other end..
"Barnabas, I need to look into your library. I think that there is book there that I can use."
"Julia. I could say to come, but..."
"But you do not want me involved, I know."
No, he did not. Sebastian Shaw and promised help, and they had taken him. Amy had promised help, and she too had been taken... Julia was putting herself at risk. .
"You are taking too great a risk." He said to her.
"Barnabas, there is no safety in keeping away from it. The Kings were not investigating anything, and they were taken. Same with Roger.."
"Because Peter... Peter is now unconscious."
"Barnabas, I can help, and I will."
"If they take you..."
"Then you will have to come rescue me."
Iris stood at Peter's bedside. How could she not have seen? She ought to have suspected, ought to have checked in his bedroom.
"It is my fault." she said. Peter was in a coma because of her. Same as Violet was dead because of her. She had failed here sister and her nephew...
Julia woke from her nap. She had been more tired than she knew from all her reading. She thought to rest her eyes for a few moments, and when she opened them again, the sun was shining outside..
Barnabas could not give her the book she needed. She would have to go look for it herself.
It was not a long drive to the Old House. She made a list of the things she wanted to know, and hoped to be able to find the book among the ones that Barnabas kept. Barnabas had managed to build a nice library of odd books with the years. And he might have the book that held the answers.
The name Petofi might be a clue, or it might not. There were other clues that needed chasing.
She got to the Old House and let herself in. Urien was away, and Barnabas, of course dead to the world. So it was going to be self-service.
She picked at a couple of books. Not what she wanted, but still, they might have useful information. She leafed through them.
After a few minutes she decided to take them with her, too, and resumed her search for the one book she wanted.
There was a noise of something being dragged. And metallic sound, as chains clanging against each other...
Then the noise stopped.
She shrugged and resumed her search. The book had to be there.
She found it. It was right by the lever of the secret (now not so secret) room behind which Barnabas kept his coffin.
And, she realized with a chill, that's where those sounds had come from.
She opened the door.
The coffin was gone. There were scuff marks on the floor as if something had been dragged through it.
And there was a silvery powder still silently falling over it...
"They took him away?" George wailed his question. "Just like that?"
"I heard it, but I did not recognize it for what it was. I was so absorbed, reading."
"Which might have been lucky for you, for if you'd have interfered, they might have taken you too."
George felt irritated with her, even though it was unfair. Yes, she should have paid notice, she should... should what? Fight them and be taken too? No. there was nothing she could have done to stop them. It was lucky that she had not interfered.
But still...
'How could they have known he was in it?
"He got in Peter's mind. They still have a link to Peter. They knew that there was a vampire involved, and decided to neutralize him."
"And you..."
"I do not think that they care for me. I was right there, doing research on them, and they did not care. It might well be that they despise us... normals too much to bother to neutralize us. We have no power, no way to stopping them. They will come and pluck any one of us they feel like taking, and we cannot stop them. They must be laughing at us. Now."
"Is that what you think? That we can do nothing?"
"No. There might be something in the notes to help us. And you keep saying that you can contact Angelique and Megan. Why don't you?"
"I can do it tomorrow. Angelique put a deadline on contacting her. She did not want Megan being tempted to come back and reclaim... Richard."
"Not much chance of this. But I will tell Howard to make himself scarce."
"And I will review the information Angelique gave her to contact her."
As the light died around him and consciousness returned, Barnabas was aware of some change, of something not being the way it should be.
His hands went up to the lid, to lift it, and he could not. No matter how much strength he brought to bear, the lid would not open.
"Welcome to our land." a voice said "you shall be allowed to leave your bed shortly."
"Who are you?"
"You surely know by now. You were prying in our affairs, seeking to learn about us."
With a chill, Barnabas realized where he was.
"I know so little of you.."
"Then you shall learn more."
The lid flew open and a man was standing by his side, eyeing him coldly. He gesture, and Barnabas found that he could not move.
"You cannot be trusted." the man said "Yet a use shall be found for you. I shall decide later today. Now we will make sure of it."
Chains were fixed to his wrists and ankles... the same metal that was used to restrain Richard in his prison...
Of course, this must be one of those sorcerers who enslaved vampires, the ronin that escaped, had carried the secret of those chains to restrain their own lawbreakers.
Would this man enslave him? He knew the stories of what vampires had been made to do by their masters...
They lifted him bodily out of the coffin an made him stand. The sorcerer gestured again, and he could move. A little. He could hobble as they pushed him forward.
"Come with us." the sorcerer said.
They went into the woods. The trees were living gold and jewels. He was awed by them, wondering how they could exist... but then, if they were inside the egg.
"Did Faberge make them?'
The man laughed "No, not him. But someone as skillful as he was. Only he worked for me, not the czar, thus the world did not learn of marvels which should remain secret. By the way, my name is Vassily Petofi.
"Petofi?"
"Yes. You must have met one of my relatives, I see. I think it was Andreas. He wrote interesting stuff about you. Are you the same one? The one he held prisoner?"
Barnabas did not answer. Vassily knew the answer already, and also what his relative had done to his captive.
"Why do you kidnap people?"
"We need more servants. The beautiful palace we live in does not keep itself warm, in good repair, and clean, by itself. Food does not appear cooked on our tables by magic, nor does it grow on trees."
"So you need slaves?"
"You could call them that?"
"Do you want to make me your slave too?"
"It might not be safe. But a use will be found for you."