June 6, 1820

Prepare for my arrival.

It is time to deal with our beloved Countess.

Astir

Chapter 8

The Journal of Countess Dracula

June 10, 1820

The Golden Krone Hotel, Bistriţa

There is no moon tonight and it fills me with dread.

Magda has done well arranging for my family’s coffins. She had them specially made and they are beautifully crafted. With their polished wood and delicate engraving, they are worthy of my aristocratic family. These are no mere pine boxes, but works of art. I am satisfied, but unsettled.

They lay in state in a room I procured. Despite the proprietor’s misgivings and superstitious nature, he agreed to our unusual arrangement once Adem dealt with him.

Sitting in the darkness of the room, staring at the single candle burning at the head of my father’s coffin, I cannot help but mourn them fresh and anew. Darling little May, headstrong Mother, doting Father...how I miss you.

Something is terribly wrong. I sense it.

Since Magda and Adem returned from the castle, I have been afraid. Though they assured me that nothing happened, I cannot help but feel trepidation.

Perhaps it is my nightmares causing me to go mad.

Vlad haunts me.

I am afraid...

I was just finishing writing my very dark thoughts within my journal when Adem gently knocked on the door and entered my quiet sanctuary. After a small bob of his head in the direction of the three coffins, he leaned over me.

“What is it?” I inquired, my gaze lifting to his scarred face and keen eyes.

“You have a visitor,” he answered.

I thought of Ignatius and my heart swelled with hope, but then I realized by his somber expression that I was not going to be happily reunited with my lover.

“Who is it?” I demanded in a terse tone.

“Lord Astir,” Adem replied, offering his arm.

I arose swiftly, my heart beating rapidly within my bosom. I was well-fed, flush with life, warm to the touch, and terribly afraid. The mere thought of dealing with the fallen angel made me feel utterly wretched.

“He will be arriving within the next few minutes.” Though his tone was brisk, I felt the gentle squeeze of his hand on my shoulder. “Do not be afraid.”

“I’m not,” I lied.

I ignored his proffered arm and swept past him out into the hallway. Magda stood near the door, her expression one of apprehension. I strode past her to the staircase that led to my potential doom. Clad in my favorite blue dress and lacy shawl, I felt regal, yet like a child. How could I deal with a creature that had existed since the dawn of man? He would not be coming here for idle chatter. Astir was coming with a purpose.

I had barely set my foot upon the floor of the foyer when the front doors of the hotel burst open and guards clad in red swept in and quickly formed a line at attention. Adem strode forward swiftly to greet the tall, lean figure descending from an ornate carriage. Clad in a long, dark green coat over a blue velvet jacket, long gray trousers tucked into shiny brown boots, and a silk white shirt with a froth of lace at the collar, the fallen angel had the disconcerting appearance of a handsome, yet strangely feminine gentleman. His long, golden curls were swept back from his face leaving a few curls to adorn his ears under his top hat. The eyes that were usually terrible flames of fire were now a cool green-blue and his thin lips spread into a wide smile upon seeing me.

“Why Countess Dracula, are you not a vision of absolute beauty and sophistication?” he exclaimed striding toward me on long legs.

“I could say the same of you, Lord Astir,” I responded, holding out my hand.

With a twisted smile full of mirth, he took my hand and kissed it. “Lovely as always to see you.”

“And whatever have I done to have you honor me with your presence?” I asked, my gaze sharp, my heart seizing.

“I missed you,” Astir said with a pout. He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm and guided me down the hall.

Tilting my chin to regard him, I arched a brow. “Truly?”

“Yes, yes,” Astir said enthusiastically as he walked. “I said to myself, ‘Astir, Buda is such a bore without that lovely little redheaded spitfire rushing about causing all sorts of trouble. Let’s go see her!’ And here I am.”

“Do you speak to yourself often? I hear it is a sign of madness,” I said tartly, miffed at his assertion that I had caused any amount of trouble whatsoever.

His warm finger plucked at my bottom lip as he leaned over me. “And there it is. That darling little spark of mischief.”

I tilted my head away from him as I pulled free of his grasp. Stepping into the parlor, I glanced back to see Adem and Magda following us, both wearing expressions I could not decipher. Astir entered the parlor, studying his surroundings with contempt.

“Dreary, plebeian, and dull, but it will do.”

“I am a married woman. I should not be alone with a man who is not my husband,” I remarked, signaling for Adem to join us, not wishing to be alone with Astir.

Astir widened his eyes at my comment. “Yes, that would be a scandal, wouldn’t it?” With a flourish, he slammed the door just as Adem was about to enter.

“You’re in a mood,” I decided, my flippancy hiding my fear.

“I am always in a mood. The question is just what sort of mood am I in?” Astir tossed off his traveling coat and straightened his waistcoat. Fluffing up his collar, he turned to regard me intently. “Shall we talk?”

“If you insist, I suppose. I was busy-”

“Where is your husband?”

I stuttered to a halt at his interruption. “He is occupied with affairs at the castle. The situation is difficult, and he asked that I remain here.”

“Did he?” Astir bestowed me with an amused smile.

“Yes.” Not wishing to answer any more questions, I asked quickly, “Is Buda safe? May I return?”

Astir shrugged. “Perhaps.”

“Has Ignatius returned? Have you heard from him?”

“Father Ignatius is not in Buda, and I have corresponded with him on occasion.”

Despite my apprehension, I stepped toward Astir, desperate for information. “Is he all right? Where is he?”

“Like Satan himself, he’s wandering to and fro across the face of the earth,” Astir glibly responded, waving his hand dramatically.

“Has he asked after me?”

“Has he asked about Countess Dracula?” Astir made a great show of pondering the question. “No, he has not.”

Narrowing my eyes, I said, “Did he ask about Lady Glynis Wright?”

With a wide grin and a spark in his eye, Astir answered, “Why, yes he did.”

“You are a foul, forked tongue-“

“Now, now! No need for name calling. He did ask after you and I said you were with your husband. How was I to know that your circumstances had changed since you had not informed me of your husband’s unfortunate convalescence?”

I gasped as Astir’s eyes turned to flames and his words resonated within me. “I...I...I...”

“I...I....I....what? ‘I entombed my husband after stealing his power’?” Astir seemed to glide across the room on invisible wings to gaze down at me.

I abruptly sat on the couch, my trembling hands in my lap. I was at a loss as to what to say. Tears stung my eyes as I realized that Adem must have witnessed Vlad’s fate and neither he, nor Magda, had spoken a word of it to me.

“You took his power. I feel it rippling off of you. You struck him down,” Astir said in a mocking voice. “How did you do it, little vampire? Vlad Dracula is no fool. At least, not until he deigned to love you.”

“He does not love,” I snapped, lifting my eyes. “He does not love. He only causes pain.”

Throwing himself onto the sofa next to me, Astir flung an arm about my shoulders. His body felt hot to my touch, uncomfortably so. “Ah, so since he causes you pain, you pierced him, stole his power, and entombed him in his castle with his bitter, angry Brides?”

“He was going to kill Cneajna! I had no choice! She was so angry that he had made me his wife and given me his name! She tried to kill me and he came to my defense!”

“So he defends you and you try to kill him?”

“No! He was going to kill her! Kill them all! I could not let him murder them as he had my family!” I wrenched away from Astir and stood, my hands clutched at my side. “I did not know he would will his power to me, but he did. I told the Brides to burn his blood so he would not rise, but he gave his power to me!”

“Ah,” Astir simply said, then shrugged. “Quite dramatic, I take it?”

Whirling about, I stomped my foot. “Do not mock me!”

“Oh, my darling little vampire, I am not mocking you. You ceaselessly entertain me with the ripples your delicate self creates in this vast dark ocean.” Astir grinned. “I do find it endlessly amusing that the one woman Vlad was desperate to seduce and claim as his own has completely usurped him, destroyed his plans, and has made him a prisoner in his own home.”

Frowning, I pursed my lips, considering his words. “He was cruel to me.”