Edward moved first, his slim fingers gouging the stone beneath the heavy iron door. He clawed desperately at the stone, slivers of rock spitting out behind his hands as they worked in blur. After a moment he stopped, Harry saw the two smooth holes he had dug from the ground. Edward's muscles screamed as he put his fingers under the door and tried to push it back up the way it had come. It was no good; it was wedged into the solid rock somehow. In an instant he knew that this was a trap designed for vampires. He looked back to Harry who was already getting his wand from his pocket. He stepped back to give the wizard room.

'Reducto!' shouted Harry, his voice echoing in the tight chamber. He pointed his wand at the door, willing the magic to work. It didn't. There was a loud bang but the door was intact. From behind his he heard a groan, it was Harker. He had his head in his hands and it looked to Harry like he might be about to pull out his hair in frustration.

'It won't work!' he hissed through his teeth in rage. 'There's a spell cast on the metal that repels all magic' He looked up into Harry's questioning expression. 'It's my spell,' he explained, 'I put it there on the Count's orders. These tunnels have been booby trapped for centuries, to protect his hiding place. They've never been triggered before; I'd forgotten all about them...' his voice faded away as he took in the sight of Mina crouched in the farthest corner looking fearfully up into the sky above them.' Oh god Mina,' he crouched beside her, 'I'm so sorry, my love.'

Edward took in the crouching pair, the absolute terror in Mina's eyes and realised that she would burn alive when the sun came up. Harry must have come to the same conclusion because he went over to Mina and made her look into his eyes.

'Mina,' his voice was firm, commanding, 'look at me Mina. The sun is coming up but you will not die, do you understand?' Mina looked up at Harry, her face a blank mask of panic, blood tears streaking her face with crimson. She shook her head uncomprehendingly. Edward tried to explain.

'Mina, vampire's minds are very powerful. If you believe a thing then it will be. Do you understand Mina? This is why there are so many different sorts of vampire. We all believe different things!' Edward saw a light behind the despair in Mina's eyes but then it was extinguished and he could hear the self doubt in her mind. He shook her shoulders roughly.' It's true! You have to believe you will not burn Mina and you will be safe!' He turned to Harker, grabbing his arm tightly, ignoring the wince of pain from the older man.' Tell her! For god's sake, Harker she has to believe!'

))))(((
Zillah had heard the footsteps behind him the instant he had left the hall and he shrank into the shadows, willing them to disguise his form from his pursuer. He watched as Mina hurried down the tunnel, her robe trailing in the dirty floor behind her. He cast an appreciative glance at her smooth white back as her feet whispered past him done the corridor. Her black hair fell heavily down her back and she held one hand out to steady herself against the stone walls. When she was out of earshot Zillah emerged from the shadows. Stealthily he followed, pausing occasionally to catch the scent of her and the sound of her hurried steps. In the distance he heard speaking, voices rose in anger, he could not make out the words but he felt sure the voices belonged to Harry and Edward. He quickened his pace and rounded the rough corner just in time to see the iron door slam down with a clang of finality. He heard the scratching under the door and Harry's muffled spell and then silence. There was some speaking behind the door, it sounded as though the iron must be very thick for he could only make out the barest of whispers. He slid his fingers beneath the door and pulled upwards with all his strength, the iron screamed against the rocky roof of the chamber but it did not move an inch.

'Hello?' he shouted his mouth close to the metal of the door.

'Zillah?' the voice was unmistakably Edward's soft American accent. 'We're trapped!'

Zillah smiled to himself despite the tension of the situation, how obvious.

'I know!' he shouted back, 'I can't get the door to move. Can you go back the way you came?'

'No!' Edward's voice sounded raw, 'there's another door that way too. And Zillah, the roof's fallen away; we're exposed to the sky!' Zillah took in the whole situation, he could feel the sun was rising, the tingling on his skin had been warning him of the dawn for the last twenty minutes.

'Who's in there with you?' Zillah knew that sunlight didn't bother Edward from the conversations he'd had with Harry but from the desperate sound of his voice someone in there had a problem with sunlight.

'Mina and Harker!' There was no mistaking the panic in Edward's voice now. Harry heard it from where he was standing over the crouched form of Mina Harker. He was trying to shield her from the breaking dawn which was stealing its golden fingers into the deep well which trapped them. Jonathan was crouched with her, whispering in her ear, persuading her of Harry's assertion. She only had to believe for it to be safe.

'Mina!' he whispered fiercely,' moonlight's is only reflected sunlight! Modern science has proved it Mina! Men have walked on the moon and seen it to be true!' Her frightened eyes skittered from his face into the lightening sky above them and the fear stood out on her face. Harry thought he had never seen anyone so frightened in his life.

'Mina, you must believe him!' Harker pleaded desperately, holding his hands out, fanning the fingers to shield her face. She began to cry.

'Edward, we need you!' Harry shouted to Edward as he turned to see the faint yellow light flooding the chamber. Mina began to scream.

In desperation Zillah threw himself at the iron door, denting the metal in his attempt to break through. The banging echoed around the inside of the chamber, pounding in time with Harry's heart as the temperature grew from the rising sun.

Mina was trying to compose herself, trying to stop the tears of panic pouring down her face. Jonathan held her face in his hands compelling her to be calm, believe, live. Harry and Edward stood back, their eyes wide with horror and pity as they took in the scene.

Mina's skin began to smoke, whipping curls rising from her skin in a mockery of the magic her husband was pouring into her desperately attempting to counteract the sun's rays. It was no use, the milk white skin began to char: Mina began to melt into a sepia image of herself. It reminded Harry of when he'd seen cinematic film burn, exposed to the light for too long. The brown skin gave way to black, her face horribly distorted, her bright, pleading eyes hideous in the burning flesh. It began to crumbling, delicately falling away from her bones until they too melted into ashes. Jonathan held her body until it crumbled in his hands, leaving him sobbing piteously into the pile of smoking dust which had been the woman he had loved for over a century. The glorious sunlight played over the scene, turning to diamonds the motes of dust which floated lightly in the air. Harry and Edward could only stare on in horror as Zillah's frantic pounding at the door drew silent as he felt the dawn rise behind the door.

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