Chapter 12

Rose Cottage

The four elementals stood in a circle around Vicki, extending their hands over her body they began to chant. "Through time and space, through trial and error, send this one back without failure to see and to learn and to know what is needed. Let her light be the beacon that others may follow and give her the tools she will need in the years to come." They circled Vicki floating around her in the air going faster and faster until the colors of their gowns began to mingle and mix and colace a vortex over Vicki's sleeping form. In Vicki's dream like state she felt her body grow light and she saw the colors mingle and mix and felt the rush of the vortex as it swept her up and tossed her into a abyss of darkness. She could hear shouts and cries for help, she could feel the very air around her grow light and cold and when she opened her eyes she was standing on a battlement. A war raged below her and she could see for miles the impaled figures of all of Vlad's enemies. Some were still alive and some had been dead and slid down the pikes. The smell was horrific and she felt her stomach was about to revolt.

"Madam, you should not be up here, the Prince requested we keep you in your room, you must come with us, what if an errant arrow were to strike you!" The uniformed guard looked somewhat familiar to her, almost like the man that had stood at her husband's side. Confused and disoriented she followed Radu down a narrow flight of steps to a long hallway with tall pillars. The age of the palace was not as old as she expected. Turning she peered at Radu. "What year is it?" She asked and he paused in his hurrying her to her room.

"Princess? What did you say?" Radu looked at her with open concern and the concern written on his face was enough to have Vicki realized she must have transcended time again. She did not wish to be marked a witch and burned at the stake here. Taking a deep breath.

"I am sorry Radu, I meant to say what tie is it what is the hour. I seem to have lost track of time and was wondering if you had seen Vlad?" She knew things that she did not realize she had known. She was walking quickly with him and looked down at her clothing and realized she must be in the mid sixteen hundred by the mode of her dress. She felt him take her by the elbow and lead her down the hallway to a large bedchamber. Thrusting her through the door he closed it and secured her inside. Turning to her he smiled.

My lady it is just before dusk. You should stay here until we get the all clear from the field." He turned and opened the door and paused. "Elizabeta, you know your prince is in the field and he is securing the grounds around the castle. He will return before dinner." She nodded and watched him start through the door when a small boy rushed through the door.

"Momma, Momma!" He rushed in and threw his tiny arms around her legs. Vicki felt such a rush of love and stooped to pick him up and hold his tiny four-year-old body close to hers. She realized she had a whole new rush of feelings run through her body holding this tiny form to her breasts and feeling his arms about her neck. "Momma it is so loud from my room please let me stay with you!"

She kissed his cheek, walked with him to the bed and sat holding him close to her. "Of course you should stay with momma. Now lie down here with Momma and let us take a nap, Poppa will be home soon." This seemed so normal so family oriented that Vicki could not understand from her modern way of thinking that Vlad had been so horrendously cruel to his enemies. Watching her son and patting his back she sang him to sleep. Watching his eyelashes flutter and close she knew he was sleeping soundly. Rising from the bed, she walked to the doorway and found his nursemaid coming down the hallway. She nodded to her and let her step past her to scoop up her son and bob a curtsy to her walking out into the hallway passing a tall lanky man wearing a purple robe.

"Highness it is time for your next lesson. Come with me, the elements insist I teach you more of the arts." He waited for her to follow him down the hallway to a set of steps that lead down into the bowels of the castle to a room that held pungent odors of chemicals. He walked through the door pausing to light several wall sconces upon his entering the room. With a flick of his wrist he brought about the light. "You must learn the basic elements and how to use them to your benefit. I understand that times are coming soon Victoria that you will need this information to protect yourself and those you love."

He had called her Victoria and she paused in her tracks and looked open eyes and surprised. "You should realize I am a wizard and I know much Victoria, and this I know you are here because you are the reincarnation of Elizabeta. The difference is Angelique has merged your souls. You would never have known about Elizabeta if she had not interfered and now we must awaken in you what was always there and that is the powers of the white witch. I was told you were coming and we had you assume Elizabeta's body for now. So come we have much to awaken in you and to teach you while your husband is at war." He ushered her to a chair and sat her down and began to show her various liquids, herbs and talisman that would help her when the time came.

Castle Lochia MDI

Sorin pulled up under the archway. Sliding out he signaled the house guard to collect Carolyn and Elizabeth from the back of the van. Entering the foyer behind them, he watched the guard carry the women up the stairs and knew they would be assigned rooms. Following behind the guards were two maids. "Ahh Sorin I see the first of our guests have arrived." Vlad turned and watched Gilda sulk behind him. "You know what you need to do Gilda, do not return until you have completed your assignment and if I get any reports of you disobeying my orders again, You will be dealt with harshly." His voice had dropped to such a deep low threatening manner that Gilda shot a glance of resentment to Sorin who stood impassively by watching. From the depths of the Castle's subterranean level he could hear Angelique screaming again.

Sorin smiled, "I see your guest is still learning her lesson, you could not take the screaming so you moved her?" He walked past Vlad and headed down the hallway to his library. Vlad turned and glared at Gilda pointed a finger at her did a cutting motion over his throat. Turning he followed Sorin to the library. Entering his library he closed the door walked to his desk and sat down. Lifting up the next picture he laid it on the desk and smiled.

"We have mother and daughter time for you to bring Quentin's love and what of Elizabeta is she well?"

Sorin walked to the cabinet and pulled out the bourbon and poured a jigger into the glass. "She nearly caught me with her mother and sister, so I had to put her out and in a cottage for safe keeping while I made my delivery. She was resting comfortably when I left her in the care takers cottage not far from Collinwood." He turned walked to a chair across from Vlad and noted his frown. "She is fine highness. She was in a warm room and should be out for the rest of the night. By the time I get back there I can take her back and drop her off at Collinwood."

Vlad laced his fingers together and rested his chin on his folded knuckles. "Just as long as she does not wake up and get caught out in this horrible weather. They are predicting over two feet of snow to fall by morning." He leaned back and studied the other pictures on his desk. "I want Daphne, Penelope, and Miss Evans brought next. I don't want any one to connect their disappearance to me until I am ready for them to know it is I and I want them to think they were taken back to the old country."

Sorin smiled, "They will have no clue that they were brought here so close to home. Do you know when you will want Elizabeta brought?" He studied the glass of liquor in his hand sipped it and then set it on the protective covering of Vlad's desk.

"After we have all the women of Collinwood here, I will then call her and tell her what I am expecting. The husband is still human?" He sounded disgusted even saying 'husband' it really rankled him that Barnabas and Victoria had married.

"Yes, the doctor is still giving him injections. He tolerates the sun and has been actively helping the Collins family with the business. Hoffman-Stokes has also been busy with her own life married to Elliott. I do know that Victoria and Barnabas were trying to get pregnant. So far they have not been successful." He closed his eyes and rubbed his hand over his face and head. "Vlad are you sure this woman is the one that is your Elizabeta?"

"More than ever, when I look into her eyes I see Elizabeta and when I am near her and watch her she is Elizabeta, you have been around her what you do think?" He studied his friend and watched him look down at his hands and then up.

"There have been moments when I thought she was Elizabeta, and then there were moments that I knew she was Victoria. She is strong willed and determined, tender, forgiving, self sacrificing all those qualities are not just the Princess but they are Victoria's qualities too and do you know what she told me?" He remembered their conversation on the beach the day before.

"No what did she tell you Sorin?" He had been studying his trusted henchman while he spoke of Elizabeta and a part of him did not wish to see what was there, and he wondered if the close contact between them had brought out new emotions from his hired killer.

"That she went back in time and lived in the year 1796. That she was transported back to the Collins family and lived with them. Do you know what that could mean if we could figure out how to travel back in time like she claims she did and stop Elizabeta from throwing herself from the battlements?" He looked up and saw the studious look on Vlad's face,

"How could this be possible Sorin, you have mastered the dark arts and never have you ever said anything about being able to transcend time to travel back and live in another time and another place. Is she hallucinating this experience?" Vlad sat back, folded his hands together, tipped his chin up and studied a point on the ceiling digesting what Sorin had just told him."

"She truly believes she lived and experienced life during that time my prince and from how she explains the feat she says was performed during a séance she believes she lived then and met the ancestors of Collins."

Vlad was having a hard time believing what he was hearing and the possibilities of what he could do with the knowledge of going back he would have stopped his beloved from jumping from the battlements, he would have known his brother was going to betray him and he might have reconsidered embracing the life is blood oath he had taken. Sighing softly he looked to the falling snow. "I don't believe it Sorin, if it were possible you would have discovered it in you studies. I think she imagined it and lives the dream of this time she believes she spent in the past or it very well could be another past life coming back into her memories just like I know she is Elizabeta reborn, perhaps she was another life in that time." He dropped his chin and held his calculating gaze on his friend. "Now my question for you is, have you fallen in love with Victoria?"

Sorin schooled his features, turned and looked Vlad in the eyes. "No, I find her enchanting, and very sweet and I can see so much of the Princess in her and I of all know what the Princess and her death meant to you. So, no highness my feelings are as they always have been devoted to you and to do your bidding." He smiled reassuringly watching his boss study him and then he returned his smile. He watched him stand and walk to the window and look out at the snow piling up outside. "Will you be able to get back to Collinwood tonight in this mess?"

Sorin shrugged. "I should be able to get there, they were working on the roads when I left. It is not like they don't know what they are doing to clear the roads for driving on the main highways. You wish me to bring you Daphne and Miss Evans tomorrow or do you wish all three women brought to you?"

"All three of them, brought and then they will know we have made our move and they will be totally off balanced and before they rush to surround a field of protection around Victoria, we will send Gilda to do her bidding on Collins. Yes, I have given her another chance, if she messes this up, she can be sent back home or ended, it matters not to me, she has disobeyed for the last time. I can easily replace her." Vlad's voice had grown soft while he spoke of Gilda.

"As you wish Highness, I will check on the witch. What of her brother what did you do with him?" He stood and walked towards the door and had paused while enquiring about Nicholas. "I know he annoyed you."

"He has found that I have more dominion over his abilities than his precious Diablos. I believe that Angelique is also learning to not disobey me again either. You say this ends by weeks end?"

Sorin nodded, "Yes she was to experience all the evil deeds she has done for one week. It was a return spell and she knows it well enough that she felt she might die from it."

"I have given the irritating brother a room. However, he knows should he annoy me again he can just as easily join his sister." Vlad smiled at the thought of putting the dapperly dressed man in the dungeon. "Safe travels my old friend keep an eye on my beloved and I shall see you later tomorrow with my other three guests?"

Sorin bowed to him turned and left the library and walked to the dungeon where he paused outside Angelique's door. He could hear the labor of her breathing and hear the exhaustion in her voice as she croaked out a plea to make it end. Opening the door Sorin stood in the doorway and looked at the pitiful figure of Angelique cowering by the cot that had been her bed. She must have tried to destroy the cell she had occupied, the bed was in a shambles and there was food splattered on the wall, a chamber pot that she must have been told to use had been flung in the corner giving off an offensive smell. With a wave of his hand Sorin had the area cleaned and the smell was no longer there. Angelique glared at him with daggers of hatred. "I would wish you many deaths over Sorin, many more deaths to come in all your lifetimes."

"I see you have learned nothing Angelique Bouchard. I was going to see if you had been humbled and I see you are still angry, so be it. You shall continue with this spell to the end of the week when I return to evaluate your humility at that time. Pleasant dreams." He turned and he heard her scream out in anger and hate.

"You will died you worthless bastard of that I am sure, you will die and I will be there to watch you die and you will be the one to beg me for death!" He closed the door with a resounding clang and headed up the stairs only throwing over his shoulder his own retort to her threat.

"Many have tried and many have failed and they were far stronger in their powers than you witch." He laughed and it echoed down the hallway and into her cell to make her pause and shiver, the laughter was filled with confidence and his own irony at the situation she now found herself enmeshed."

Collinsport

George had awaken after six hours of sleep, rolling out of his bed he went to take a shower and was surprised that Elizabeth had not come to wake him. Not thinking anything other than he was hungry and wanted to eat he looked out his window before going to bathe to moan softly. There had to be easily a foot of snow on the ground and he knew his night would not end until he made sure no one was trapped in this mess. Hurrying his hot shower, he went by Elizabeth's room and found she was not there. Walking down stairs the whole of Collinwood was fairly queit and he wondered where everyone was.

Walking to the kitchen he found a note from Mrs. Johnson that his meal was in the oven and she had to go and check on her sister to make sure she was all right. George opened the oven door and took out the plate and sat it at the bar. Sliding his hip on the stool he began to eat. He was glad that Mrs. Johnson had kept his meal warm. He heard the phone ring so he slid from the bar stool and walked to the wall and picked up the phone. "Patterson speaking."

"Sheriff its Jess Winthrop, we need you to come into the office there are several slid offs and we have some people trapped out there in this mess."

George looked at his meal and then sighed. "Jess, let me finish my supper and I will be right in and we will see if we can get the National Guard out to help us with this mess, they got the equipment that can help us rescue people." He hung up the phone went back to eat and looked around perhaps that is what happened Elizabeth got stuck at the cottage at least there she was under roof and not in this mess. He could hear the winds howling outside the window and would not want to be out in this tonight but he had no choice.

Setting his dishes in the sink he sighed, rinsed them off and put them in the dishwasher. He did not need Mrs. Johnson fussing because he had left a mess in her kitchen. Walking back to the main part of the house he stopped to listen and wondered where everyone was. Maggie came out from the upper floor to the landing and she smiled. "Oh Sheriff Patterson, good to see you. Are you going out in this mess?" She walked down the stairs and paused in the middle of the foyer.

"I really have no choice Maggie, is anyone else home?" He looked around and hoped that Liz would show up.

"David is in his room, Carolyn I think is in her room. Penny is in her room and Roger and Barnabas are trapped in Logansport they will try to make it back tomorrow, they decided to get a room and wait out the storm and I think Carolyn told me earlier that Mrs. Stoddard was at the caretaker's cottage and she may have decided to stay there since the weather turned to nasty so quickly." This made George relax.

"Well you guys stay in tonight and avoid going out, I have been told there are people trapped in this and I have no choice I need to go out and work with the National Guard on rescue efforts, so if Liz does make it back tell her I will see her in the morning." He smiled, grabbed his coat, and threw on his hat walking back to the kitchen and the rear of the house to his parked squad car.

Logansport Hotel

Barnabas sat across from Roger, they had just finished their meal and Barnabas ordered coffee for him and a brandy for Roger. "I am sure that by morning they will have the roads cleared, I just wished I had been able to talk to Liz when I called earlier. She will worry about us." Roger sipped his brandy.

"I too wished Vicki had answered the phone. Willie said she went for a walk earlier and he had not seen her and thought maybe she had come in and was in our bedroom lying down. I did not want him to waken her if she was sleeping." Roger watched his cousin sip from his coffee cup.

"I do know Maggie said David was in his room and for once was behaving himself and not making mischief. She said the Sheriff had come in early and had gone to bed and that Elizabeth was down at the caretaker's cottage and she was winterizing it. She may have gotten trapped down there and maybe waiting out the storm in the cottage, at least she will be warm and safe there."

Barnabas nodded set the empty cup on the table and leaned back to admire the atmosphere of the hotel. "I will try before we retire for the night to speak with Victoria. I am concerned this came on so fast and now it has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. Maine can be so unforgiving when it comes to our coastal weather. Which reminds me Roger have you considered branching out the cannery's shipments to the West Coast?" Barnabas needed something to keep himself occupied but a deep part of him was worried about Vicki. It was an innate sense that something might be wrong and he was not there to help or address the problem.

Paying their bill both men left the café and walked up to their rooms. Barnabas walked to the phone by his bed and had his call put through. Only to be told that the lines were down between Logansport and Collinsport, this only made him grow more concerned over the fact he was cut off completely to Victoria and Collinsport. Deciding it would be something he would worry about in the morning he decided to get a hot bath and prepare for bed.

Castle Dracula

Vicki was growing tired but she had surpassed the teachings of her instructor he smiled nodded and with a wave of his hand and the softly uttered words of displacement and return, Vicki felt her body grow light and she was now floating through time and space again. Closing her eyes she waited for the momentary dizziness to pass. When she opened her eyes she was sitting curled up before a fire in a cottage that was known to her as Rose Cottage, she had to mull over all she had learned when she felt her body shift and sudden she thrust forward in time once again and found herself standing in the West Wing of Collinwood. Sarah smiled and waved her down the hallway to a door, opening the door there were stairs. "I never knew this was here."

"You need to go up and keep thinking two thousand ten, the stairs will stop and you will step out and you will need to find a man by the name of Sebastian Shaw, he is in town and he is expecting you, he will complete your education and will give you what you need in order to protect those you love. Time is of the essence, when you get there and he had given you the information you need, you must return to me here at this place and I will take you home Miss Winters." Sarah smiled opened the door and waited for her to enter.