Astir snorted with contempt.
Ignatius ignored him. “There is a school of the black arts known as the Scholomance hidden away in the wilds of Transylvania near a lake with no name. It is taught by Lucifer himself.”
Laura’s eyes widened as I narrowed mine.
“Surely you jest.” I scoffed at the mere notion.
“Ah, no, he does not, dear Glynis,” Astir sniffed. He abandoned the piano and slumped into a chair, his long legs askew. “Lucifer does indeed teach the darkest of magicks to his students there. Ten students are selected, but only nine depart at the end of a decade. He always keeps one as payment.”
“And you are saying Vlad was one of these students?” I was astonished.
“He studied with the devil?” Laura paled a bit more as she gazed at Astir. I had told her all about his true nature and she had been a bit unnerved by his status as a former angel. “Count Vlad Dracula studied with the devil? Satan himself?”
“Lucifer,” Astir corrected. “It was within a century of Vlad becoming a vampire. He was not satisfied with the powers that were bestowed upon him by his vampire nature. He wanted more power and was determined that he would not die again. Therefore, he sought out the Scholomance and found it.”
“He vanished for a decade,” Ignatius continued. “He left Erzsébet and Cneajna drained and entombed until he returned. And when he did reappear, he had gained the knowledge that would allow him to live on forever. That is why the Immortal Beloved has ordered an edict that none may slay him. For should he die, he will return.”
“But what he shall be, we do not know,” Astir added.
“Is that why she keeps him bound to his land?” I thought of the boxes of earth he carried with him. “Is that why he wants to escape her so terribly?”
“Of course. He gained power to seize control of all vampires only to have her thwart him because she created him.” Ignatius’s face was the picture of sorrow. “He attempted to strike her down and was swiftly defeated. She banished him to his land. He remained there until he found a way to move about with limitations. That was when I was sent to watch him.”
“Who is the Immortal Beloved?” Laura dared to ask.
“One of the first of us,” Ignatius explained. “She is the one who created Vlad and me. We are her rare progeny. She is loath to create progeny after the corruption of Vlad. But all vampires who are aware of her existence revere her.”
“Not all vampires are aware of their origins or of the old great vampire houses.” Astir sighed dramatically. “There are plenty of ignorant vampires running about in this day and age.”
“Vlad told me there is no true order to vampire society.” I felt perturbed by my lack of knowledge.
Ignatius slightly shrugged. “There really has never been. A few vampires have tried to mold their lives after their mortal ones. Like Gavril and Ilinca, they have created vampire families and abide by their own strict rules. But there is no true set order. In this area of Europe the vampires have shaped their society to resemble the mortal royal houses and acknowledge the Immortal Beloved. Yet, in France and Germany, the vampires do as they please and rarely congregate.”
“The point of the matter is that Vlad is a power to be reckoned with,” Astir interrupted, obviously in a foul mood. “We cannot kill him. Therefore, at some point, we will have to deal with him.”
“And we have seen how he can influence people even from beyond his imprisonment,” Adem stated. “He was attacking you as a spectral creature.”
“And he has been haunting the dreams of Csilla.” I felt disturbed by this thought. “I do not think he has tried to summon Magda.”
“He cannot. She is bound to your blood,” Adem comforted me. “But Katya could be susceptible.”
“How can we be certain?” I was aghast with the possibilities.
“Why don’t you ask her? She’s lingering outside the door.” Ignatius gestured toward the hall.
Adem lunged swiftly through the doorway and dragged Katya into view. Her vivid blue eyes were wide, but her sultry smile was the same as ever.
“Tell us, Katya, do you hear Vlad Dracula in your dreams?” Adem shook her roughly.
Fluttering her dark lashes, her smile broadened slightly. “Perhaps.”
“What does he tell you?” Ignatius rose sharply to his feet.
“To bring her to him,” she answered, pointing at me. “And he promises to reward me.”
“In what manner?” Adem shoved her deeper into the room to stand before me and Ignatius.
“To make me his Bride.”
Studying her closely, I wondered if I should kill her. “Does this appeal to you?”
Laughing, she vehemently shook her head, her blond hair flying about her face. “Oh, no! I laugh when he offers! I should never want to be a vampire! Then I would not be able to go outside in the day. I love the sunlight.”
“So what do you want?” Ignatius looked upon her with great curiosity.
“To drink from Countess Dracula so I may be like Magda. I wish to live a long life in servitude to the vampires. I like it when they give me their kisses.” Katya’s gaze shifted to my lips, her expression full of longing. “I love the kisses she gives me. I want them upon my flesh. I have no desire to become a vampire and lose that exquisite joy.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Astir decided, sounding a bit surprised.
“How can we know that?” Laura demanded. “What if she’s plotting against us?”
Ignatius tapped his chin thoughtfully. “She speaks the truth. She’s addicted to the vampire bite and her mind is so completely warped by Vlad’s interference, it is difficult to even try to control her.”
The fallen angel let out a loud, boisterous guffaw. “Oh, you have no idea how difficult.”
Katya smirked at him, before returning her eyes to me. The hunger lingering in their depths was disturbing in its ferocity.
Laura rushed to my side and glowered at the girl. “You are not to upset my Mistress!”
Katya frowned slightly. “I have no intention of disturbing anyone. I merely wish to serve.”
Unfolding his long form from the chair, Astir stepped between the two young women. “Now, now, we have much more important things to concern ourselves with other than Katya’s desire to be fed upon. We have won a great victory tonight. The powers that be are now at peace with all gathered here. We are safe from their interference for the time being. But the day will come when Vlad Dracula returns and we should be prepared.”
“How?” I asked.
“We should leave the city,” Laura decided. “We should take my inheritance and move far from here.”
“He will find her,” Ignatius stated.
I knew in my heart this was true. “Should I not attempt to create a safe haven for myself here? If Gavril and Ilinca trust me, will they not turn against Vlad?”
Astir pulled Katya away from me and sat her gruffly down in a chair. “I think that is a very wise suggestion, my darling Countess. But how will you procure their loyalty?”
Sighing, I sank into Ignatius’s arms. “I am at a loss.”
“I must ask,” Laura said. “Why does Count Vlad Dracula desire her?”
The men before me looked vastly uncomfortable at her question and it occurred to me that Vlad may want me for more than just his mere wife.
“What is it? What are you keeping from me?”
Ignatius stroked my hair lovingly as he moved to look into my eyes directly. “Vlad gave you his power when you struck him down.”
“Yes,” I said, vividly remembering how he wilted into a wizened husk in my arms. “I thought perhaps he did it because he loved me, but I realize now that was a foolish thought.”
“Not necessarily.” Astir sniffed with disdain. “He does love you. And he does have confidence in your abilities to survive among the most dangerous of immortals, but he did it for another rather distasteful reason.”
“Enlighten me.” I was becoming impatient and set my hands upon my hips.
“He needs your blood to revive him,” Adem said at last.
“Can he not drink from one of the sisters or a mortal?”
“He could, but he would be significantly weaker.” Ignatius shifted on his feet, disturbed by his own thoughts. “He would need to drink your blood to regain what he has lost.”
“And not a mere drop or two,” Astir continued.
“He will need to drain you as you did him to restore him to full strength. He will reclaim his power from your veins and rise.” Ignatius was wise enough not to touch me as I stood before them, hands clutched at my sides, my anger burning bright.
“He cannot!” Laura cried out.
“But he would,” Katya said in her lighthearted voice. “He would drain every last drop and punish her for what she has done to him. I saw that in my dreams.”
I could not speak my rage was so overpowering. I stomped my foot and let out a cry of frustration.
