Chapter 20
Vicki's Bedroom Collinwood
Barnabas stepped into the room, took one look at Victoria and smiled, swept her up in his arms and kissed her as passionately as Quentin had just kissed Daphne. "Quentin?" He glanced to Quentin holding Daphne protectively in his arms. "What took you so long?" Barnabas held onto Vicki, wrapping a protective arm around her waist.
Quentin frowned slightly, "Because dear cousin Henri here was not easily over taken as he was before, he has a different feel about him. One this is for sure, things have gone awry, and we must be here around the time you are about to become a vampire Barnabas." He looked at Vicki then to Barnabas.
"In one more day, Peter Bradford will attack Barnabas and turn him into what he was when he first arrived in our time. Jeremiah is not dead, but Josette is pregnant and that was not in the last past history I lived through. With Phyllis Wick not in the control of Trask, she will not die and thus begin the revenge that Peter sought against you Barnabas. How does that affect our future?"
Barnabas heard voices in the hallway. "Look, we cannot speak of these things here, not with Aunt Abigail looking for witches around every corner of Collinwood. With Jeremiah dying or near enough dead, father will not be able to control her, she will go the governor and they will send another witch hunter here. That will not bode well for any that have a specific skill set." He looked at Daphne, "Or someone that has information they should not." He looked at Victoria.
Daphne laid her head against Quentin's shoulder. "I suggest we do as we originally planned and go to the old house and talk about our options there." Quentin smiled at the brilliance of his lady love.
"That my dear is a wonderful idea. Shall we go there now, while the house is upset over Jeremiah and not be concerned over our absence?"
Vicki smiled tensely, "Well actually Daphne and I had decided to move into the old house yesterday, when Henri was being so forceful with his attentions. He had this mad idea that I would make him a perfect wife and even had the gall to announce it to the family that he had proposed to me." Vicki was somewhat upset over the way things had escalated to this point." She sighed softly and walked to her door. "I suppose we could go down the back stairs through the servants quarters."
Daphne nodded, then all tensed when they heard a soft knock on the door. "My dear Miss Winters it is Andréas Petofi, do you have a moment to speak with me?" Vicki tensed looked at the others in her room. Barnabas put his index fingertip to his lips. Walking to the sconce on the wall by the fireplace he twisted it and a panel slid aside. Motioning Daphne and Quentin into the secret passage he turned and whispered softly to Vicki.
"When you are done here, join us at the old house so we can make our plans." He placed a light kiss on her lips, turned and followed Quentin and Daphne into secret passage. With the silent closing of the door, there was a subtle knock again.
"Miss Winters? Are you in there?" Andréas was sounding concerned. When the door was thrown open and Vicki looked as if he had awaken her from a sound sleep. Brushing her fingertips through her hair she smiled embarrassed.
"I am so sorry Count Petofi, I was so upset that I must have fallen asleep." She stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her. "What may I do for you?"
He studied her with a cautious smile edging the corner of his lips. "I was wondering if you have seen Henri, the last I saw him, he was in his room and like you he had wanted a little nap before dinner. Did he by any chance come and seek you out?" Andréas sensed she was nervous,
"No, I am sorry I have not seen Henri, I came back changed, took a bath and laid across my bed, the next thing I know you were knocking on my door. I am sorry I could not be of more help to you." She smiled and had in fact told him the truth, she had not seen Henri, and she had seen Quentin.
"Well, I shall allow you to return to your nap if it is possible, do not forget we have dinner in two hours. Until later and if you do happen to see Henri, do let him know I was wishing to speak with him." He bowed his head turned smartly on his feet and walked down the hallway. Vicki sighed watching him leave; turned reentered her room. She walked to the sconce and turned it, stepping into the secret passage she turned as the door slid shut.
Hurrying along the passageway she found it came out by the rear entrance to the servant's quarters. "Well now that is handy, now I know how I can come and go without fear of being seen." She muttered softly looking around and pleased that she had not been seen with her departure from Collinwood.
Collinwood Estate Woods
Hugging her arms to her body she darted to the wood path and began to walk briskly along the pathway towards the old house. As she hurried along, she paused; she had noticed the woods had suddenly gone silent. Turning she looked behind her when she felt a bag thrown over her head and strong arms lifted her from the ground.
Startled she started to scream only to feel a hand press the bag over her mouth silencing her scream. Vicki felt rude hands throw a rope around her body, truss her up and she was unceremoniously dumped in the back of a wagon. Vicki laid in fetal position. Her mind was filled with fear as she felt rude hands shove her close to the wall of the wagon and yet the only sound was from the horses and the wagon as it went over the bumpy road towards a place she was not aware.
The journey seemed to take what she surmised could be an hour or more. The wagon drew to a halt and still no one made any sound or spoke, she was drug from the wagon, pushed along a pathway where she stumbled and nearly fell face forward, to be jerked up and then lifted and carried for the rest of her journey. She had she surmised been taken into some kind of shelter or building, but it had a different feel. She was unceremoniously shoved into a hardback chair, the bag was taken from her head. She sat before a man that was coldly handsome with his dark swarthy looks, dressed like a gypsy of old.
The room was dimly lit and he sat on top of a table much as King Johnny had done when Petofi had been brought before him for judgment. It was like her dream. She felt the bonds taken from her wrists, and she blinked and looked around trying to acclimate to her surroundings. She was terrified watching the man study her. He jumped from the table walked to her and walked behind her; lifting her hair he ran his fingertip over the birthmark on her neck. "I see you bare the mark of a Romano." His voice was the same as the man's voice from her dream.
"Do you know who I am?" He paraded back in front of her and put his hands on his hips and bent over going nose to nose with her. "I am your grandfather, your Bunic, my name is King Johnny, the king of all the gypsies." He slapped his chest in a proud manner and smiled, "Come children meet my child's child!" He waved to the shadows around him, stepping back so all the gypsies she had seen earlier walked into view.
"But King Johnny lived in the late 1500's I am in I think the 1700's how is this possible?" She shifted on the chair and tried to get more comfortable than she had been on her trip to this place. She looked around and again had the feeling she was in perhaps a cave or an underground cavern of a mountain. She peered back at the man that had introduced himself as King Johnny. She watched him laugh.
"Silly child, do you not know I am always reborn over and over? Of course you are in the late 1700's. I have taken possession of this Johnny so I can tell you how to destroy Count Petofi." He walked to the table, jumped on it and sat. Reaching behind his back he pulled forth a dagger, holding it high over his head he proclaimed loudly, "This I have is the heart of the Romano! It is the only knife that can destroy Petofi and to destroy him, you have to stab him with it and drive it up into his heart. Then he will die. You are the only one that can get close enough being part gypsy that would be able to drive this into his heart."
Vicki visibly paled hearing what she had to do to break the spell Petofi had over Daphne and the poor Victor Van Gibbon in Julia's nursing home. "I don't know if I can do that!" She gasped softly. She watched Johnny frown deeply.
"You will have no choice my dear one, he will try to kill you before you go back to your time. You must kill him, or he will kill our line off including your grandmother Julianka Patterson. Is that what you want?" He folded his arms over his chest and glared at her.
"Of course not. It is I have never taken a life before. It is not that easy." She was filled with horror at the thought of actually taking a life. She had paled visibly when he had said she was to take Petofi's life. "I . . . I . . "
Johnny jumped down on the ground and walked to her putting his face into her face. "You will do it because you are a Romano and the whole of the tribes are depending on you to do this. Do not think you can get out of this Victoria. You will do it and you won't have a choice! It will be either you or him. So take this, and guard it well, it is the only way to kill him!" he thrust the blade into her hand and glared a her. "Take her back to her friends and guard her well and watch her, the time of the grand conjunction will happen in two weeks time, that is when he will make his move on her and try to kill her!" He helped Victoria to stand.
Hugging her tightly he whispered in her ear, "Listen to me carefully draga unul, va face bunicul mândru. Fă-o pentru cei dragi și de a face-o pentru tine." Some how she had translated those words in her mind and knew he had told her, "dear one, you will make grandfather proud. Do it for those you love and do it for yourself."
She had smiled looking deeply into his gaze and without thinking replied, "Bunicul meu prețios pentru tine și națiunea voi încerca să te fac să mândru de mine și de a salva poporul nostru." Which she knew she had just told him 'My precious grandfather, for you and the nation I will try to make you proud of me and save our people.' He had looked tenderly into her eyes smiled proudly bent foreward and placed a light gentle kiss on her forehead.
Turning he proclaimed for all present. "The next generation to come will save our people! Watch and guard her well! Take her to her friends, and remember my love, do not loose the knife, the one you hold it was the great gift from our gracious benefactor." Stepping back he just appeared to be absorbed into the shadows of the cavern. The men that she had met earlier this time carefully put the bag over her head and gently led her to the wagon.
The trip back did not seemed to be filled with so much fear or panic as before and the time passed a lot quicker with the soft conversations that were transpiring around her. They arrived at the pathway that would take her to the old house and helped her from the wagon, taking the bag from her head. "Go with the grace of the love of your people, we were to tell you that you could not say a word of this to anyone. You must keep this secret and not allow anyone including your friends form the future know what is your mission.
They like Johnny stepped back to the wagon and horse, her escort and wagon disappeared into the darkness leaving her feeling alone and lost. Turning she felt the bite of the wind and realized that her friends would think she had gotten lost or was delayed for some reason, which she had been and now she had to figure out what to tell them. Picking up her speed she walked quickly to the old house.
Entering the foyer, she paused. The house had a feeling to it that unsettled her. It was strangely quiet, with an abandoned feel to it. "Hello? Barnabas? Quentin? Daphne?" she stepped further into the house and paused, turning she saw a dark outline of a figure standing in the hallway leading to the upstairs bedroom areas. "Barnabas?" she stepped further into the house, closing the door, pausing she looked around and stopped in her tracks paling visibly. Lying on the floor was Daphne and Quentin they had been attacked. "No!"
Then he stepped into the light and Vicki saw Peter Bradford, his face was covered in blood. He smiled and his eyes glowed watching her standing there. He walked slowly down the stairs and advanced on her.
"Hello Victoria, how unfortunate that you had to come before I could finish what I had started." He continued to smile walking towards her his eyes were filled with the blood lust he had just awoken to and she knew, as sure as she was standing there, that he had killed Barnabas and on the rise of the moon tomorrow he would wake up and be as he was, which was the walking undead.
Quentin moaned softly, and spoke Daphne's name. "Daphne!" He opened his eyes seeing Peter advancing on Victoria. "NO, you BASTARD!" He tried to stand and found he was too weak in this body the way he was he had to abandoned it and go back to his own body. Vicki backed away from Peter, she knew she would be no match if he were more of a fledgling vampire that he was now. She stood her ground and glared at him narrowing her eyes, she set he shoulders, reached for the knife she had just been given, and clutched it in her palm behind her back after slowly pulling it from her waist band, she waited.
"You are so different than the others Victoria. Why is that? Could it be that you are resigned to becoming one with me and the night? Your sister, as sweet as she is, was soon over come she is still alive and I had planned to use her as a slave to me and those I call to take over. I will use you to bring Phyllis to me so she may become my eternal mate."
He was within grabbing distance and he stopped his head tilted she was not afraid of him, she was excited and seemed to be anticipating something. He smiled, "So, do you want me to make you as one with Barnabas and follow us into the night?"
Vicki spoke evenly and softly, "Mister Bradford, nothing you could do would make me want a life you just described, and knowing Miss Wick the way I do, I would say she would reject you as quickly as anyone with a modicum of sanity would. Come near me and I will assure you it will be the last time you try to attack someone."
The moan that came from Henri was low and long, Vicki did not wish to look away to do so would be a big mistake on her part. She waited, and as he lunged for her, she surprised him with her strength. She thrust her fist forward hitting him hard in his chest and sending him flying across he room to land against the stair railings. He chuckled, slowly stood up and studied her.
"You are a surprise. Where ever did you get that kind of power and strength? Could it be you are no different than Angelique?" He watched her and was more cautious trying to manipulate his movements towards her and using his quick speed, he darted for her and tried to grab her only to find she had moved faster than he had. She had the power of an immortal and the power of an older vampire in her system and everything he was discovering about himself she had already learned. He laughed. "My goodness I know you are not vampire, I would know but you have the powers of one."
"What have you done to Barnabas? Where is he Peter? Is he lying up there dying or dead from your vicious attack?" She had spoken those words with such a deliberate calculated tone that he was surprise at her strength.
"My, my, my you are not the retiring little mouse of a girl I had previously assigned to you. It would seem you are more than anyone perceived. Who are you Victoria Winters? From where did you come?" He had paced her around the room and before he could react she had charged forward and plunged the knife into his gut and twisted it shoving it up into his chest. Her hand had found the strength to take her action.
He was wounded, wounded far more seriously than he expected. He yelled out in pain, pushed away from her turned to mist and drifted out of the room. Vicki looked down at her blood covered hand and the blood on the blade, taking her skirt, she wiped the blood from her hand and then the blade, and placed the blade back in her waistband. It had happened all so quickly. However, for Vicki she was barely winded, her first and foremost duty was to go to Daphne and bent over her fallen body. "Daphne, please don't be dead! Please Daphne don't be dead." She was patting her face, and watched her eyes open; she looked into Victoria's eyes and frowned.
"Peter, he attacked Quentin and then me. I am afraid he has taken my blood Vicki; I fear I will be under his thrall and will do as he bids me to do. I am very afraid Vicki! What if he wants me to hurt someone?" She held to Vicki and her eyes clouded with her tears. She glanced over at the man that lay on the floor and she crawled to him with Vicki's help. 'Oh Quentin!" She looked at the wounds on his neck and frowned. "If this was Quentin should his wounds not be healing?"
She looked expectantly to Vicki. From the doorway, a welcome voice replied. "Because my dear, Quentin had to abandon that body. Even if it had been Quentin, it was not his body it was Duke Henri's. Unfortunately, for Quentin, he had to leave that body, but I suspect he will return and when he does we can finally get things back on track. As for you Daphne fear not for being under the thrall of Mr. Bradford. I will prepare a counter protection spell hiding you from him and his desire to control you through his vampiric needs. " Elliott walked into the drawing room, to Vicki it was Ben in looks. However, in manner and voice he was very much Elliott Stokes. Elliott bent to lift Duke Henri from the floor and seated him in the fireside chair.
"Now, I am afraid I was forced to do some menial tasks for Mr. Joshua before coming here but it appears I was not the only one that was late. My dear Vicki, what happened to you?" He turned and wished he had his monocle it would have helped him study her manner and look as he waited for the answer to his question.
"I was taken to a meeting with the current King Johnny Romano. He gave me a mission. I cannot speak of it Professor, to do so would violate his trust and truthfully I feel I cannot. I only ask that you trust me when I say, when he first told me what I would have to do, I did not think I would be able to complete the task until a short time ago, when I felt my life was in danger I had to protect myself and I proved that I could carry out what they expect me to do. It will happen on the night of something called the grand conjunction." She watched Henri, he seemed to float in and out of delirium.
Daphne had felt violated with the attack, but she was not in as bad a shape as Duke Henri. Even though he was a pig; a part of her wanted him to be all right. He was her last connection to Quentin. She studied him and noting him roll his head to the side she saw his neck had been savagely torn. "Excuse me I am going to the kitchen to get some cloths and water to clean up his neck. Will he not be under the thrall of Peter as well?"
Stokes sighed and nodded slowly. "If it were in deed Henri, when he awakens I am hoping that Quentin will have control of his body again and we will not have to worry about that happening. For now my concern is for Barnabas whom I am sure is dead upstairs and will rise tomorrow night as a member of the undead. I would like to make safe the rooms you will occupy to keep him from seeking his blood from either of you. I believe however Victoria you will be the least affected by the simple fact you shared his life force. You Daphne I fear would be the bigger at risk, so I suggest ladies you spend the night in Josette's room and I will secure the room and make it vampire proof until Barnabas adjusts to his undead state."
Vicki looked up the stairs and then remembered. "Joshua will be coming and will find Barnabas and have him declared dead Ben, what should we do?" She wanted to run up the stairs and stay with him until he awakened but knew he would immediately seek a blood source and that would be her. She knew he would need to find Phyllis and he would be guided by Angelique to take Phyllis' life.
"Unfortunately my dear Vicki, we must let this play out as it had before. I know that Jeremiah has died. Joshua is handling that right now but will be by shortly to discover his son. At least in respect to this part of history we are back on course. You will be at risk Vicki, so we must keep you protected until the planets align and the grand conjunction begins and we put into motion the end to Petofi's reign of terror in the future."
Daphne entered the room and began to bathe Henri's neck. Henri opened his eyes and peered up at her and tried to smile. "I knew you would be here and would help me. Victoria, is she here? He rolled his head to the side and looked at Vicki covered in blood he smiled. "It seems you have a penchant for finding wounded and being covered in blood. We really must see that once we are wed you will be kept safe and away from such contrivances."
Elliott stooped over Henri. "My Lord Limburg, will you allow me to get you situated in a bed. It appears you have been attacked by a wild animal and we must attend your wounds." He glanced to Vicki and Daphne. "We really should have him in the same protected room I plan to put the two of you and by the time he becomes more cognitive of his surroundings and situation I am hoping Quentin will have returned to his body."
Vicki sighed softly; she could not go to that room upstairs and see Barnabas in that condition. She looked at Daphne, "Come on lets get him to the bed upstairs, we can make pallets on the floor and watch over him." She felt her eyes prick with tears and Henri reached his hand forward and cupped her cheek.
"Tears for me my dear how sweet." He closed his eyes and rolled his head to the side. Elliott sighed and shook his head. Stooping over he lifted Henri's body and threw him over his shoulder.
"Come on ladies, I think I can put protections up for two rooms. Vicki, just so you know, the minute that Barnabas' life left his body, your Barnabas like Quentin was transferred back to his body at Collinwood. Once he rises, he will assume that body again but he will be at risk as a member of the undead, he shall no longer be as you remember him in 1969, he will be a member of he undead." Turning Elliott walked up the stairs with Henri over his shoulder.