The Dracula Chronicles: For Whom The Bell Tolls Read online

  The evil in the bath with her did not give her that option. With great force it lifted her from the bottom and released her body into the air. Her lungs sucked hard on the air and caused her to choke again. She hit the wall hard to the side of the bath, her head thumping against it and tears stinging her eyes.

  She exhaled and breathed in again just as something else gripped her by the throat. This time the force was invisible and it pinned her there high up on the wall. She instinctively fought it again with both hands, her legs dangling free.

  Her will to live returned as quickly as she had decided to give it up only moments before. Even as a slave, her life was precious. In all her time, men had used her, but in recent days she had learned the meaning of love. It gave her a sense of purpose and a sense of worth. At least one person existed who felt the same way for her that she did for him. That was something to fight for and not give up on, even with what faced her now.

  Ayshe stopped struggling so much when the hold on her throat eased. She remained pinned to the wall, but could not see what held her there. Her focus changed to the woman in the pool, who had not moved and who remained standing in the water in a position sideways on to the odalisque.

  She watched the woman, unable to do much else. The seconds that passed felt like hours and her earlier fears crept back and took hold of her once more.

  Lucy knew Ayshe was awaiting her next move. The woman’s fear filled the air around the room. She took a deep breath to savour it. Few delights matched moments like these, even the taking of a soul. She turned ninety degrees to face the terrified odalisque.

  When Lucy jerked her head suddenly to the side, it sent a shiver right through Ayshe. Those same black eyes looked up at her, staring deep into her soul. Even though she was naked against the wall, this stripped away layers much deeper than the exterior of her skin. It left her feeling naked and exposed in a way no thoughts or words could ever describe.

  The wait to see what might happen next was close to demoralising. She had no idea of what was to come or what this demon wanted with her. If only this torment could end. Kill me or leave me be.

  Lucy heard her thoughts as clearly as if she had spoken them. She smiled in a way that filled her victim with dread. Her lips curled at the corners, but her eyes remained black and empty. Ayshe’s fear grew ever stronger and to Lucy it was as wondrous as the beginning of an orgasm was to the human kind.

  “You would like for me to kill you? I could do that.”

  Ayshe stared at her with real horror. The voice she heard was not a voice. It was more of a cold growl, and full of spite and hatred. She realised then the woman in the pool had responded to a thought of hers. That alarmed her as much as anything that had passed since this horrible intrusion into her home.

  Lucy snorted two plumes of smoke from her nose. Ash blew up into the air close to Ayshe. The air smelled of sulphur and charred flesh. It made her gag again, but there was nothing left in her stomach to expel.

  The room grew darker though Ayshe could see Lucy as clearly as if it were day. Though the aura around her was as black as her eyes, a dark glow surrounded her that made her stand out in the gloom. The air became so cold that Ayshe could see her breath frosting before her. It began to numb her fingers and her toes and added to the horror of the occasion. But even that could never have prepared her for what happened next.

  She heard a loud cracking sound and looked on as two horns began to protrude from Lucy’s forehead. They grew to a length of eighteen inches and twisted and curled at the ends. She watched as the slight figure in the pool transformed to a height and girth that dwarfed any of the eunuchs in the seraglio. The dress split at the seams and shredded before dropping into the water.

  In less than a minute, the image before her had completely transformed. Where she had seen a woman equal to herself in stature, she now saw a monster. It was a creature so hideous that it could shrivel the most gallant of hearts. The beast rose up to a height of almost eight feet. Its head was the size of a bull’s, though it showed features that resembled those of a human. She saw eyes, a nose and a mouth, but far too much hair for a man. The face was dark and scorched with ears the size of a human hand. They were thick and animal-like and pointed upwards through an even thicker mane of hair. The horns extended even further upwards and twisted and curled into points like those of a goat. From the mouth, she saw long canines that protruded from both the upper and lower jaws. They looked yellowed in colour and strong enough to tear a man’s arm off. Behind the head, she saw what looked like the tops of two monstrous black wings.

  The chest, neck and shoulders on the beast were huge and rippled with muscle. It had arms and legs as wide as a man’s torso. Though thick with hair, it did not conceal the size of the muscles there either. She also saw a tail with a pointed tip that curled around one of its vast thighs. From its crotch she saw a penis that, although flaccid, could have been a man’s arm. Only one feature remained from the woman that had stood there in its place. And that was the eyes. They remained as black and fathomless as before and continued to stare right through her.

  Ayshe trembled all over now, worse than she had at any time. Her lips moved with a mind all of their own and her breathing broke into stuttered gasps. Though numb from the biting cold and being unable to move them, her hands and legs shook uncontrollably. The last of the contents in her bladder erupted against the insides of her thighs and splattered against the tiled floor below.

  She did not even notice that it had happened, so distraught was her state of mind. Her eyes did not move from Lucifer in the pool. She wished she could look at anything other than him, but her head would not move and her eyes would not close. He wanted her to see him and made it so that she would.

  The water in the bath froze all around him, rooting him to the spot. He clenched one of his mighty hands into a fist and smashed the layer of ice. Freezing water hissed through the fissures he had created. He struck it again with such force that the water tossed chunks of the ice up into the air. Some fell back down into the bath while others smashed into tiny fragments on the marble surround.

  She watched him flex his hand once his legs were free again. The fingers were as thick as any three of hers and coated with hair. She noticed claws as long as three inches protruding from the ends of each of them. The thought crossed her mind at what he could do to her with those.

  Once again his gaze fell on her. “It is not what I had planned for you. But ask me for it and it shall be so.”

  Her heart missed another beat at the reminder that he could read her thoughts. The voice this time was different, but still icy cold and so completely sinister. She tried again to close her eyes, but could not. More than anything, she wished this ordeal would end. An involuntary gasp escaped her lips when he stepped out of the water to stand in front of her, about six feet away.

  An icy gust passed through the room and snuffed out the few candles that had remained alight. It plunged her into darkness and served to intensify her fear. Slowly, she slid down the wall about eighteen inches.

  She heard him draw closer and whimpered, tears streaming down her face. The air reeked of sulphur and other foul odours that she knew were coming from his breath. She felt it against the side of her face. It was cold and with a rancid edge; it made her gag several times. From it, she knew he was only inches away.

  He did not care that he repulsed her. She was terrified of him and that was the whole point of his visit. He wanted to leave this imprinted in her memory forever. Her fear intoxicated him. On countless occasions he had felt this from man, but never quite as distinct as this time. He had really gotten inside her, right to her core. The message he had come to deliver, he knew she would heed. Her presence in Vlad’s life would be a problem no more.

  He ran the tip of the claw on his index finger along the side of her face. His very touch made her whimper in a way that he almost pitied. But in truth, there was no pity in him. When he used the same claw to move some strands of hair from
her face, she finally found the strength to cry.

  From the sounds of his breathing, she knew her tears did not move him. She no longer cared. When she felt his mighty hands on her breasts, her sobs grew in intensity and frequency. Though her chest heaved hard from her nervous state, the strength of his grip ensured she did not move. She tried to curse him, but the words got stuck in her throat. In the one moment she had found the courage to do it, her voice failed her.

  His breath was almost too foul to bear. The worst smells filled the air around her. It made it a nightmare for her to breathe and she gagged over and over, dry retching so much that her stomach hurt. The tears continued to stream down her face on either side. Her fears multiplied at the thought he might have a sexual interest in her.

  He thought about it for a moment, but dismissed the idea. Such an action would kill her and that was not his intention. Vlad was the last to spend time with her and should such a fate befall her, he might then get the blame for it. He just wanted to make a point; one that she would never forget.

  His long black tongue extended from his mouth and crept inside hers. When she tried to resist it, he slid it in deeper. Her teeth closed against it, but it caused him no discomfort. At the same time, he rubbed her crotch with his right hand. The sheer enormity of it pushed her thighs apart. He could still feel Vlad leaking from her and in a moment of anger, he pushed his middle finger into her opening.

  The finger filled her and pushed her vaginal walls wider than any penis ever had. She gasped at the sheer shock of it. Then the agony followed as the claw pushed into and through the opening in her cervix. Her eyes opened wide and the scream stuck in her throat, held there by the tongue that was wedged between her jaws.

  After a time, he removed both his finger and his tongue. He put the claw to his mouth and licked away the blood. The scream he expected did not come.

  She wanted to scream, but had still not overcome the shock of his invasion of her. Her tears multiplied and clouded her vision, not that she could see anything. The pain in her vaginal opening was excruciating and she bled freely onto the tiled floor below.

  He put his mouth to her ear. “You had a good three days. Let that be the end of it. Do you understand me?”

  She managed a nod to let him know she understood him well.

  “If you ever set eyes on him again, I shall return. You do not want that.”

  Again she burst into a tearful sob. Not only had he terrified and violated her, but now he had shattered her heart too. Her body slid down the wall to the floor below, her knee sliding into the pool of her own blood.

  With a click of his fingers the candles were alight once more. The ice in the bath melted and steamed with warm water. “You are healed,” he said.

  Her pain subsided and the bleeding ceased. The only evidence of his visit was the blood around her knees and the shredded dress in the bath. When she looked up again he was gone.

  TRANSYLVANIA. THE DANESTI STRONGHOLD AT BRASOV.

  LATE NOVEMBER, 1447.

  The outcome of Dobruja had a profound effect on Dracul. He no longer acted with his usual caution in his foreign policy. He had gone for Hunyadi’s throat and failed. There would be a heavy price to pay once Hunyadi had recovered from it. Now he knew it was only a matter of time before the White Knight came for him.

  He had to act fast to secure his borders. Threats existed now from both the north and the south. The sensible course of action was to ally with the Turks. At least then, he would only have to worry about his new enemy. But he had chosen not to do so. He had no way of knowing how the Turks would react to seeing his banner at Varna. But worst of all, he believed they had put his sons to death. Murad had not replied to a single letter to confirm they were alive. And no matter what the cost, he could not deal with anyone who could harm a child of his.

  On his return from Dobruja, Maia began to push him away again. She was not as cold as when he had returned from Anatolia, but not too warm to him either. Relations had begun to sour between them again. She often avoided him or found excuses to keep the door of her bedchamber locked to him. He knew she blamed him, even though she did not say it in so many words. It served to add to his bitterness at the world outside. He had no friends and neither did the country he loved. If he had learned one thing from Dobruja, it was that. But he was not going to give up his throne or his life without a fight. If Hunyadi wanted to come for him, then he could come. And the sultan could come too if he felt so inclined.

  His luck took a turn for the better in the summer a year on. The papal fleet from Burgundy launched a campaign along the Danube. Dracul joined with its leader, Walerand de Wavrin. They defeated and captured many of the Turkish forts along the river. The most important of these was the prized stronghold at Giurgiu.

  Murad was well aware of the rift between Dracul and Hunyadi. He discussed the issue at length with his advisors. They still did not see Dracul as a threat. Nor did they worry too much about his son being at Varna. Hunyadi was the one who had the power to rise against them. And it was for that they had to plan. So Murad decided it best to try and offer a new treaty to Dracul. He sent word that Vlad and Radu remained alive and well. It paved the way for them to negotiate.

  “Do you think I should agree to this, Alin?” Dracul asked his trusted friend.

  “My only experience of Murad saw him stab you in the back.”

  “Yes, he is a snake. But then is that not said of all monarchs? Myself included I am sure.”

  “And so should you be. You would fare much better I feel.” He took the letter and studied it. “The terms do not lack favour to you. And the boys are still alive. That is the most important thing of all. The fact that they are tells me he respects you and he values you as an ally.”

  Dracul breathed in deep. “Yes, it would seem so. If he did not value that, then he would have put them to death after Varna. This may be the right time. Wallachia needs a friend more than she ever has.”

  “I agree. How long can it be until Hunyadi comes? When he does, you can be sure he shall have a strong army. It has been two years and it is only a matter of time before we have to stand against him.”

  “Yes, my friend. I believe you are right. I should agree to the terms.”

  The two nations signed the treaty. After the first crusade in 1443, at least four thousand Bulgarians sought refuge on Wallachian soil. Murad wanted these men expelled and sent home. His other main proviso had to do with Giurgiu and the other towns Dracul had taken. He had to pass control of them back to the sultan.

  In return, Murad promised to recognise his autonomy. He also pledged his full military support against Hunyadi if and when the need arose.

  HUNYADI hit back when he heard news of the treaty. He launched a strong propaganda campaign against Dracul. In the letters he sent out, he portrayed Dracul as the most fickle ally. He claimed his rival cared more for the interests of the sultan than for those of the Christian alliance.

  By late 1447, he felt ready to launch a coup to oust Dracul from power. He travelled with an army to Brasov to meet with Vladislav Basarab. Basarab shared the exact same birth name as Dracul and was his half-brother. He was the head of the Danesti side of the family and had taken the throne in Wallachia for the year Dracul was in Anatolia. These factors all made the two men natural enemies. He remained Hunyadi’s choice from that side of the family to sit on the Wallachian throne despite fleeing and vacating it to Dracul some years before.

  “I trust you are well, Vladislav?” Hunyadi said once the two men were alone.

  “Yes, my Lord,” Basarab sighed. “As well as a man can be without his throne.”

  “Perhaps you should not have given it up without a fight, if it ails you so. But times are changing in your favour and you need not worry about it for too much longer.”

  “Why?” he said, straightening in his chair. “What good news do you bring me?”

  “Have you acted on my last letter?”

  “Yes, I did as you asked, but you d
id not reply to mine. Why did you want me to assemble an army?”

  “I feel the time is right to make that change.”

  “A change? What do you mean, my Lord?”

  “A change of rule on the throne you covet so much. It is why I am here. You are the one I have chosen to assume the throne after Dracul. You had better keep a hold of it this time.”

  Basarab could not conceal his delight. “I have long waited for this moment.”

  “The time is right, if you are ready.”

  “I am ready. I have been since the day I set foot in this city again. When do you plan to make this change?”

  Hunyadi clenched a fist. “My army is not with me for the sights of the city. My patience with Dracul is all but spent.”

  “I am glad to hear it, my Lord.”

  “I have come to kill Dracul and his heir. Power shall then pass to the Danestis. How long you remain on the throne would depend on you.”

  “I shall not make the same mistakes as before.”

  “Good. Then it is official and we have an accord. You are the man I want. Do not disappoint me again.”

  Basarab dropped to his knees and kissed his hand. “Thank you, my Lord. It is a decision you shall not regret.”

  Hunyadi looked down on him with a degree of disdain. He had always seen him as a weak man. The youngest of all the brothers, Mihail, would have been ideal to rule. He was strong, a true warrior and a match for Dracul on any given day. But that was the reason he did not choose him. If the deal turned sour, then he would rather have to fight this fool knelt before him.

  “I hope not,” he said, his tone dry. “I would hate to see a repeat of the last occasion I put you on the throne. I need a strong man to hold the reins of power. And if I make you voivode, then you are my ally and you come when I call.”

  “You know you have my undying loyalty.”

  “Good. I shall not tolerate any appeasement towards the Turks.”