Chapter 8: Finding Some Vampires
"Would you mind if I smoke a cigarette?" asked Klaus. "It's a terrible habit, I know, and a hard one to break." They were standing out in his garden, the rain having subsided at last.
"It doesn't bother me," said Elsa.
"You are welcome to one if you would like," offered Klaus, holding out an open and half-used pack.
"No, thank you," said Elsa politely.
"I'll have one, if you're really offering," said Albus, reaching out and plucking one out of the small box. "I don't smoke regularly, but every once and a while I enjoy having either a cigarette or a cigar."
"The saints are all probably frowning down on me, for encouraging a youngster like you to smoke. But hey, we're all responsible for our own decisions, aren't we?" said Klaus with a wink at Albus.
"Saints?" echoed Albus.
Klaus shrugged. "You have to believe in something, Mr. Potter. All right, are we ready to go? Grab ahold of my arms, and I'll Apparate us there."
Albus and Elsa did as they were told. Spinning on the spot, they all disappeared with a faint pop.
Albus opened his eyes to find that he was on a hillside covered in trees. He could barely see in any direction, the foliage was so thick. Of vampires, and of the city, there were no signs.
"Klaus—"
Klaus gently held a finger to his lips. "Not so loud, Albus. We're not far, and vampires are keen of ear, even if it is the middle of the afternoon. Karlsruhe is just a couple miles ahead of us, down the hill. The vampires' caves, however, is just five short minutes from us. Up there, and to our left slightly."
"Caves?" repeated Elsa in a whisper.
"Yes. What did you expect? Some dark castle or mansion? This isn't Anne Rice or Bram Stoker, Miss Brandwock. Follow me." Klaus uttered a quick spell for silence, before he headed up the hill through the trees, cutting to their left, struggling through the thick underbrush. Elsa looked to Albus, hoping to have a brief but comforting meeting of the eyes. Albus, however, didn't look at her, but pushed past her and followed Klaus.
Just a few minutes later they arrived on the edge of a small clearing, no more than a couple square yards in size. At the back of this clearing, set into the very hillside itself, was the mouth of a cave. The entrance was large enough for three grown men to pass through, side by side, but it was cloaked in a thick, impenetrable darkness. For a brief moment, as the cave came into view and he stood just inside the line of trees at the edge of the clearing, Albus thought he saw a brief flitting of movement just beyond where the light reached—but he couldn't be sure.
Klaus took a long stride out into the center of the clearing, standing in full view of anything that might lurk in the blackness ahead. He had put his wand away in his pocket, and his dagger was obscured somewhere on his person. Where exactly, Albus couldn't be sure. So it was that he was virtually defenseless, and he held his arms extended to either side, a gesture meant to show the vampires that he came in peace.
"I mean you no harm. I come with two friends. A witch and a wizard, both young, who desire to speak to your new master," called out Klaus, in a loud, authoritative voice. However, there was absolutely no response. No brief movement. No soft sound. Not even the whisper of a slight shift of weight.
Klaus looked back at where Albus and Elsa crouched in the shadows of the trees. He shrugged, and then beckoned for them to join him. Hesitantly, they rose and moved to his side.
"I guess there's nothing else for it," said Klaus. "We have to simply enter. After all, they haven't told us not to."
"Maybe that's because they intend to make us into their snack?" offered Albus in a low voice.
"Could be," said Klaus with a grin, before walking forward and into the cave. Albus and Elsa hurried after him.
Albus stood, blinking, just a couple of feet into the darkness of the cave. He couldn't see anything and stood nervously with one hand in his pocket, curled around his wand. The other opened and closed slowly, itching to reach for the dagger that was tucked into his belt at his back, concealed beneath his overcoat.
Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the utter blackness. He sucked in his breath sharply as he realized that they were not alone. Two vampires stood, one on either side of the passage, leaning against the rocky wall.
Their skin was as pale as the moon. A faint white sheen seemed to glow from their bodies. Their lips curled back to show protruding fangs from their gums. They didn't look particularly friendly.
One of the vampires said something in German. Albus recognized it as a command to stop, and then to wait, though he couldn't understand it word for word.
So wait they did. In silence.
The inside of the cave where they stood was a simple passage. It went no more than fifteen feet back into the hillside, before curving away and out of sight. A very faint light could be seen coming around the bend. Albus guessed it came from some sort of small torch, based on its dimness and the way the shadows danced on the wall.
It seemed like they waited forever, standing without uttering a sound, while the vampires stared at them with unblinking gazes. The three humans, however, barely twitched. They stood their ground, knowing any show of fear or nervousness could be their undoing.
At last, three more vampires came swiftly into sight. They hadn't made a sound, giving no warning of their approach, and their abrupt appearance almost made Albus jump.
The one in the middle clearly held authority over the rest, for the two vampires that had leaned arrogantly against the wall until now immediately jumped forth, standing straight and tall. He strode forward, looking the humans up and down, inspecting their appearance and dispositions. He stood at least six feet and four inches high, at Albus' best guest, and had a piercing and unsettling gaze under which Albus shifted uncomfortably.
The vampire exchanged a few words in German with Klaus, in a deep and booming voice.
"Why do mere humans dare to intrude upon us?" demanded the vampire, now in English.
"This young witch and wizard desire to speak with your master," said Klaus with respect, though he was unwavering and showed no fear.
"And what right do they claim to speak with him?" asked the vampire, looking down his nose at Elsa and Albus in clear disgust.
"He is a close friend of theirs," began Klaus, "and would no doubt be very disappointed to learn that they had been turned away," he added pointedly.
The vampire looked as if there was a morsel in his mouth that was particularly distasteful. He exchanged a short glance with the vampire at his right, who looked as if he was thinking something along the same lines.
"Very well," the vampire said at last. "Come this way." He turned and swept off up the passage, as if it was assumed everyone would follow. Klaus went after him, with Elsa and Albus just behind. The two vampires that had come with him fell in behind the humans, blocking them in. The two other vampires remained where they were, though Albus noticed they once more took up positions of leniency, leaning back against the rocky walls.
They walked down the passage, which twisted and curved its way down into the hillside. Albus was right, it was lit by dim torches that were placed every twenty feet or so in brackets hammered into the walls of rock. They were far enough apart and threw off so little visibility, in fact, that there were several feet of darkness in-between the stretches of light.
The air was dank and cool, and only got more and more so the farther on they went. It didn't take very long for Albus to be thankful for the extra warmth provided by his overcoat.
After about fifteen minutes of walking at a brisk pace, the passage widened and became a sort of sitting room. It was roomy and circular, with three doorways leading off further into the hill.
Albus was pleasantly surprised at the extent of furnishing the vampires had here. There was an expensive looking silk rug, a number of armchairs, two couches, a few wooden chests that stood against the walls, and the only light came from a roaring fire in a smooth fireplace made of black marble.
Albus would be lying if he said it didn't set him a little on edge when he noticed that a number of the seats were already taken by no less than half a dozen vampires. His hand curled even tighter around his wand.
The tall vampire that had led them here turned, slowly and obviously licking his lips and teeth in a fashion that Albus really didn't like. "You may know me as Voughan, for I find it merely bad manners to not let my meal know my name before I feed."
Albus swallowed hard, really wishing they hadn't come up with such a crazy and stupid plan. Who would dream of walking right into a vampire den anyway?
"Forgive me, Hovenkoffer. I can recognize the family resemblance between you and our late master. However, I cannot in good conscience let these younglings live, if they are indeed friends of our new, human master, and it would be foolish to let you live, but kill them," said Voughan, in a surprisingly apologetic tone.
"No hard feelings," muttered Klaus dryly.
Albus noticed with a dry mouth that the vampires that had been seated were now on their feet, moving towards them slowly.
"We can hear your hearts racing in your chests. Do not worry, it will be over fast, and will not be…too painful," said Voughan.
Albus sensed more than heard the two vampires behind them creeping forward, ready to feast on human flesh.
A quick idea rushed to the forefront of Albus' mind, without his actively looking for one. He could slip on the Invisibility Cloak. It would only take him a moment, and then he could get out of here, none the worse for wear.
But as quick as the idea came, he squashed it. He couldn't fit both him and Elsa under the cloak at the same time, and even if he could, would he really abandon Klaus, who was only here because of them? No. He would never do that. Their only hope would be to fight their way out. But how? Vampires were known for their speed and strength, and a fight between a human and vampire in close quarters was supposed to be hopeless. True, it was the middle of the day, and the vampires would be weaker, but would it be enough? He realized it would have to be.
What happened next seemed to progress in slow-motion. Voughan stepped forward, his hand going out to cup the back of Klaus' head, his mouth moving towards a vein at the base of the elderly wizard's neck.
A dagger appeared in Klaus' hand so fast Albus didn't have time to see where he pulled it from, glittering like a dangerous serpent in the firelight. A splash of blood flew into the air, and Voughan stumbled back in surprise—it was the first ungraceful movement Albus had seen him make.
Klaus turned his face to Albus with a grin, and the whole scene seemed to freeze in time. "I haven't had this much fun in years," he said.
And then the moment was over, and everyone sprang into action, the vampires converging on the three humans.
Chaos ensued.