“I don’t think you should take that much, Senka.”

“But you said we’d be gone for months, maybe a year!”

“I know what I said. I was the one who said it. Which is why I’m also saying you shouldn’t take it. Be sensible, Senka. Would you really like to carry it all around with you?”

“But there’ll be plenty of room. Hailwic is getting more than one wagon. You said that, too.”

“Of course she is. Our coffins can’t fit on just one. It would have to be very wide. And the beasts pulling it would need to be strong. And I’ve not seen a strong ox in many years around here. They all look thin and wasted. Much too brittle, really. I don’t know how they pull a wagon to begin with.”

“So, with two, I can take my clothes.”

“If you want to take them, you can. I never said you can’t. But I really don’t think you should.”

“Well, what are you taking?”

“I’m taking my coffin. And some of Transylvania’s finest dirt, of course.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s all I really need, Senka. There are plenty of cities along the way. I shall buy new clothes in Vienna. And Paris.”

“I thought we were going to Munich.”

Vasilja grin was sly. “I meant Munich, of course.”

“You’re hiding something from me,” Senka said. She planted her feet, hands on hips, and glared. “What are you hiding? I want to know.”

“I’m not hiding anything at all. You can ask Hailwic if you like. She’ll tell you where we’re going. She knows everything.”

Pause. “Which means you’re hiding it from Hailwic, too.”

“Honestly, Senka. You’ve got quite an imagination sometimes.”

“I’ll tell.” Firm. “I’ll tell Hailwic you’re hiding something from her. She’ll punish you, Vasilja. You know she will.”

Vasilja sighed. Placed her hands over her belly and leaned closer.

Lowered her voice to a low whisper. “Can you keep this secret, though? I mean, really secret? You can’t tell Hailwic. If you tell her, she’ll go straight to Paris without stopping. This trip will be over before we had a chance to have any fun. You know what she’s like. She’s got no sense of adventure, Senka. I want to go to Vienna. Don’t you? And maybe Prague. Then, if we can, I want to bite a Sardinian. You’d like Sardinians, Senka. They taste delightful. Much smoother than the rough blood we get here. Although, I think Hailwic will tell you they’re called Italians. It doesn’t matter. I’m sure they taste the same as they used to. They can’t have changed all that much.”

“I want to see Munich, too,” Senka said. Suddenly excited. Eyes wide. Whispering loudly. “I want to bite people from all over!”

“Then you can’t tell Hailwic.”

“I won’t.”

“You promise?”

“I swear.” Eyes so serious Vasilja couldn’t stop the smile which sprang to her face.

“Good. Then, I read Mister Harker’s diary. Two nights ago, I slipped into his room and I read it. It was very silly, mostly. But people like him usually are. He came here to meet Dracula, but didn’t expect to find us here. He was trying to think of a way to have you all to himself. When he discovered what you were, he wanted to lock you in your coffin and take you back home with him.”

“What for?”

“Oh, it’s nothing you want to know about. Most of it was rather revolting. But he’d have stopped you from biting. Maybe fed you rats. In his diary, he wondered if he could.”

Horror made Senka almost cry out. “Rats? Why would I bite rats?”

“You might if you were desperate.”

“Never! Not rats.”

“He thought you might, and that’s all that matters. He talked a lot about his home. He had a fiancée there.”

“Who would want to marry him? He seemed like an awful man.”

“Oh, I think you’re right about that.” Vasilja cocked her head. Listening. Trying to feel if Hailwic was close. Seemed satisfied the other vampire hadn’t yet returned. Still kept voice a whisper. “He talked about his friends. About his mentor. A man named Van Helsing.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Is that German?”

“His name is, but they lived in London. Mister Harker and Van Helsing. Oh, and Mister Harker’s fiancée, too.” Vasilja’s smile turned ferocious. “He kept a photograph of her. She’s very beautiful. Dracula would like her a lot. Which is why he’s gone to London. I’m sure of it.”

“What?” Outrage lifted Senka from the ground and she hovered like a scowling banshee. “How dare he? We should be enough for him!”

“That’s what I said before he brought you back to the castle.”

“Oh.” Senka dropped to the ground. Looked sheepish, she stared down at her toes. “I’m sorry, Vasilja.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. You just have to be quiet. You can’t tell Hailwic. She’d only rush us to London before we had a chance to have an adventure. And he’s out having an adventure, so we should, too, I think. Don’t you?”

“Shouldn’t we stop him, though?”

“What on earth for?”

“But if he brings home another…”

Shrug. “Then there’d be four of us. It might be nice to have someone from England around. I’ve heard wonderful things about their trains.”

“Trains?”

“Yes, you’ll see. We’ll have to travel by train to get to Paris. Hailwic will be sick of wagons by the time we get to Munich. You’ll see. You’ll like trains, Senka. I’ve read all about them. And I saw one, once. From the mountains. I’m sure I did. It had smoke coming from its chimney. So much smoke. It roared so loud. It must be thrilling to stand inside one. And what would it be like to bite someone inside a train? We should find out.”

Senka still struggled. “But what if we don’t like her? What if she won’t share her brush?”

“Then we bite her. Or lock her in the church. There are plenty of options. I still have a whole book of them from before he brought you home and I made a list.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I wanted to feed you to the wolves, but Hailwic said I had to wait until he got bored of you. That’s when I started being creative and had to write it all down to remember what to do.”

Senka stood rigid.

Looked down at her mace.

“I didn’t know that, Vasilja. I thought you liked me. You were nice to me when I arrived. I always remember how nice you were. I was scared when he said I had to meet you. I thought you’d hate me. Then, when I saw you in the courtyard, I wanted to cry. But you gave me your ribbon, and it meant a lot to me. I still wear it, you see? And I always clean the blood off, too. I don’t care about my other clothes, but I care about this. Because I want to keep it forever.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t worry, Senka. I didn’t mean I don’t like you now. It’s just when you first came here, we didn’t know quite what to expect. We thought you’d be like the girls in the village or something. And you know what they’re like.” She put her hand on the other vampire’s shoulder. “Honestly, Senka. You shouldn’t think about it. You’re my sister now. I just wanted you to know that how you feel, if he brings home a new Bride for us, is normal. We’ve all felt jealous before. And angry. I think it’s the little piece of us which was human. Sometimes it tries to make us feel human again. It tries to tell us that we’re different now. And that it’s wrong to be different.”

“I won’t let it.” Showed her teeth. Snarled; “I won’t feel jealous. I won’t feel angry.”

“You see? It’s easier if we just remember what we really are. Vampires.”

“Which is why if I don’t like her, I’ll just bite her.”

“We all will.” Patted Senka’s cheek. “Now. Let’s finish packing before Hailwic gets back. She shan’t be very long now.”

“Can I take my brush?”

“You should. Your hair is very pretty when you brush it. It gets messy when you don’t.”

“It tangles. I hate it.” She looked down at the boxes she’d been trying to arrange. “Are you sure I shouldn’t take everything?”

“Do you remember your journey here?”

“It took months.”

“And what did he let you bring with you?”

“Nothing. He said I had to start a new life.”

“Oh, he says that all the time. Because he knows it’s too hard to carry things with you. And he’s terrible at explaining why.” Vasilja absently reached for a book on the shelf and tucked it under her arm. “But, if you can, remember what it was like travelling all that distance. Now imagine trying to do it with your big boxes there. Imagine that, Senka.”

“We had to run in the rain, once. Some men were chasing us.”

“And would you be able to run from them again with all this?”

“No.” Regretful. “I suppose I wouldn’t. I’d have to leave them behind.”

“And would you want them to have your dresses? They’d give them to some peasant or something.”

“How awful!”

“Exactly.”

“But I want to wear nice clothes. And not the same ones every day.”

“Paris, Senka. Munich. London. You’ll be bringing more home with you than you think.” Vasilja giggled. “Last time he took us to Rome, I came home with three wagons full of silk. I think I even got that ribbon in Rome.”

“Really? So, it’s Roman?”

“Italian. Hailwic says they’re Italian now.”

“Italian?”

“Yes. Apparently, that’s a thing. I expect a lot has changed since I last left these mountains. Which is another reason we simply must keep our secret from Hailwic. Do you understand? If we want to learn anything at all about how things have changed, we need to keep it secret.”

“Yes, Vasilja.”

“Good. Now, Hurry. I want to get another book from the library.”

“Won’t they be heavy?”

“I’m only bringing two.”

“Maybe I should take one?”

“But you don’t read, Senka.”

“It’s not that I can’t read. It’s that they’re mostly boring. But I imagine I’ll spend a lot more time in my coffin, so I could try!”

“Well, I suppose that would be amusing.” She held out her arm for Senka to take. “Come along, then. Let’s find you something to read. It’ll have to be something simple, of course. If it’s too hard, you won’t want to finish it, and it’s just not right to leave a story unfinished.”

As they glided down the hall, Senka frowned suddenly. “Do you think Hailwic will let us go into the town before we leave?”

“Not tonight, I should think.”

“Why not?” Almost a whine. “I really was looking forward to biting Jonathan. With him gone, I have no one.”

“Oh, Senka. You are silly sometimes. You’ll love travelling. I can tell.” A wicked edge cut through Vasilja’s tone. “There’s so much to bite. So much more than the bare pickings up here in the mountains.”

“You promise? You’re not just making it up to make me keep secrets from Hailwic?”

“I promise. You’ll see. And, by the time we get to Vienna, you’ll be glad you listened to me. You’ll thank me. By Munich, you’ll be begging forgiveness for ever doubting me.”

“I’ll kiss you if it’s true. But bite you if you’re lying.”

“And I’d do the same if I were you.”

They whispered through the air until they paused in front of the library. Vasilja placed her hand on the enchantment which opened the door.

Room still cluttered with debris.

“Vasilja?” Senka rested her fang on the corner of her lip. “You do like me now, don’t you? You’re not still thinking of feeding me to the wolves?”

“Of course not! Why would I do that?” She smiled wide, eyes sparkling bright. “I gave you my ribbon, didn’t I?”