The Dracula Chronicles: For Whom The Bell Tolls Page 29

  “They all want the throne, my son. The pursuit of power is what drives all men like us.”

  “Who is to say, my Lord? He is a dangerous adversary. That is what we must take heed of.”

  “Yes,” Dracul agreed. “He knows the art of war.”

  “We need to prepare for him.”

  “When the men have eaten. We should meet with him soon enough, have no fear.”

  Vlad broke the dialogue between the two men again. “My scouts have seen the content of his army. And they bring good news.”

  “What is that then?” Dracul asked, keen to know.

  “The bulk of them look very young. I would think they have not had much experience. My scouts surmise that they are new recruits.”

  “That is good to hear,” Rodrigul smiled. “Hardened men against boys. Our prospects are improving all the time.”

  “Mihail is a great warrior,” Dracul was quick to remind him. “Let us not forget that. He shall have them well organised, I am sure.”

  “So what are your plans, Papa?”

  “I have not thought them out yet.”

  “We need a plan if we are to succeed.”

  For the first time Dracul found him irritating. He gave his son a quick glance before stoking the fire with a stick. Rodrigul put a finger to his lips to calm Vlad down.

  “It was my idea to cross the Danube into Bulgaria,” Dracul said. “But that has all changed, of course.”

  “Our force is easily a match for his,” Rodrigul cut in. “We have Vlad and the Vlach on our side. Victory is within our grasp.”

  “Yes, I know it is a fight we can win.”

  “We have nine hundred men. Seven hundred cavalry and little more than two hundred foot soldiers.”

  Dracul nodded at the figures. That many cavalry made for a strong force.

  “I imagine most of the enemy is made up of infantry. We should crush them!”

  “Do not forget to add the number that has defected,” Dracul said. “All told, I would say they number fifteen hundred to two thousand in the country.”

  “We can still beat them, Papa,” Vlad encouraged his father. “They are not expecting us to attack them.”

  “You want us to attack first?”

  “Why not?” Vlad asked, growing excited. “If I ride on Oltenita I can scatter their forces. Then you and the Vlach ride against Mihail. The throne should be yours once more.”

  Dracul pondered the idea. “What do you think, Alin?”

  “It is a good plan. If Mihail does have an army of raw recruits we could rout them. They might panic at the sight of blood. I am sure of it if it is their own.”

  “Are you confident to ride on Oltenita?” Dracul asked his son.

  “Yes, Papa,” Vlad said, standing up. “The best time is this night. Hit the enemy when they least expect it.”

  “Your men need to rest though. And it is a long hard ride from here.”

  “They are tough, Papa. And well used to having it hard. If I tell them to ride they would do so.”

  Dracul slapped his hands against his thighs and stood up. “Then that is what we shall do,” he decided. “Once the men are fed and rested we shall fight!”

  WALLACHIA. A CLEARING IN THE FORESTS TO THE WEST OF THE DIMBOVITA RIVER.

  DECEMBER 11, 1447.

  Constantin peered at Andrei through the flap in his tent. His wife sat behind him, her sewing to hand.

  “What is ailing you, my husband?” she asked without looking up.

  He turned to glance at her. “It is Andrei,” he said. “He does not seem himself these last few days.”

  “I have not noticed any change in him.”

  The elder grunted. “I have.”

  “Then go and speak to him. If it would set your mind at rest.”

  “Yes, I believe I should.”

  Andrei looked up when he saw the elder approach. He remained seated on a grassy knoll near to the campsite. Between his fingers he toyed with a blade of grass.

  “Is something ailing you, my son?”

  “No, Papa,” Andrei said, standing to greet the one he had always looked on as his father.

  “You would tell me?”

  “Of course, Papa. I am a little confused, but well all the same.”

  “What is it that confuses you so?”

  “I am seeing this man in my dreams. Well, a boy. He is about the same age as I, though he acts like a man.”

  “On this day you become a man yourself. It is your sixteenth birthing day.”

  “Yes, Papa. I know.”

  “You seem sad about that?”

  Andrei shrugged. “A little.”

  “It is a time to look forward, Andrei. You shall be a man destined to do great things. We have always known this, your mother and I.”

  Andrei looked up at him. “Do you remember my birth mother?”

  “Yes, I remember her well.”

  “Would you tell me about her?”

  Constantin sat down on the grass, ushering Andrei with a hand to do the same. He turned to the boy and smiled a sad smile. “She was very beautiful. You remind me a lot of her in many ways.”

  “Do I look much like her?”

  “You resemble her very much. In looks and in your person, you are the same.”

  He nodded quietly, as if thinking about her. “I am glad,” he whispered. He looked at the elder. “I remember her.”

  The old man screwed his eyebrows. “You could not, my son. She passed over moments after you were born.”

  Andrei looked him straight in the eye. “I remember her well. Not her face, but her presence and her soft voice. She stood over me in my crib and whispered goodbye.”

  The memory of it brought tears to the old man’s eyes. He nodded that she did.

  “I think of her often,” Andrei went on. “She is always with me.”

  “I know,” he smiled, touching a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

  Andrei looked past him to the trees, sensing her there.

  “Who is this person? When do you see him?”

  Andrei drifted for a moment and a series of images filled his mind. He saw the same man who haunted his dreams night and day. The man led a large group of other men, all on horseback. For a moment, he felt the sensation of the wind rushing through his hair. “I do not know, but I see him right this moment.”

  The gypsies knew such things were possible. For that reason the elder did not question it. “What is he doing?”

  “He is galloping hard at the head of a small army.”

  “He is a soldier?”

  “Yes, Papa. I believe so.”

  “Why do you think you see him?”

  “I do not know, Papa. We are connected in some way.”

  “I am sure all shall be revealed in time.”

  “Yes,” Andrei sighed. “I imagine so.”

  “Do not let it trouble you, my son.”

  “It does not. One day I shall meet him.”

  “One day, yes. But for this day it is your birthing day. This night coming we should enjoy a feast and much dancing to celebrate.”

  “It is his birthing day too.”

  “Who?”

  “The man I see. Yet he does not celebrate.”

  “It is you I care about,” the elder said. “It is you that I love.”

  Andrei offered a trace of a smile. “I want to walk for a while.”

  “Do not be too long then. You must not be late for your own celebration.”

  “I shall not be late, Papa. I promise.”

  The elder turned away and left him to wander to the trees. Andrei forgot him and disappeared into the brush. He felt even more so than before that his mother was near.

  He had longed to see her his whole life. It excited him now that he might. Every instinct inside told him the moment was close at hand. “Mama? Are you here?”

  Andrei stood still and waited in silence for an answer. His heart raced in his chest. It thumped so hard it drowned out even the sound of the
breeze. When he heard nothing, he ran through the trees. Before long, he picked up the sound of a waterfall up ahead.

  Soon, it came into view. Andrei sat down on the riverbank and watched its perpetual motion. He enjoyed the sound as it cascaded down into the pool below.

  “I am here,” a soft voice whispered.

  It sounded familiar. “Where?”

  He scrambled to his feet and looked around. Did I imagine it?

  “Look straight ahead.”

  He followed the direction of the voice. It led him to the waterfall again. He squinted his eyes hard at the falling water. After a moment, he could make out a faint shape through it. It hinted at the form of a woman.

  Andrei stepped into the pool. “Mama? Is that you?”

  A pair of hands appeared through the water. They were those of a woman. When he took them both in his, they lifted him up and out of the pool. He passed through the waterfall and into a cave behind it.

  His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. Her long dark hair fell about her face and extended down past her shoulders. He saw that her eyes were as clear and as blue as the sky, just like his. “Mama?”

  “Yes,” she said, with a loving smile.

  “I knew you were here.”

  “I am always wherever you are.”

  She put her arms around him and held him close. He closed his eyes and allowed her to run her fingers through his drenched hair. It felt incredible to see her, to feel her, to smell her.

  “It feels so good to see you, Mama,” he whispered. “I have longed for this moment my whole life.”

  “As have I,” she said, her voice so soft. “It is so wonderful to hold you.”

  All thoughts emptied from Andrei’s mind for a moment. He put his arms around her waist and held her tight. The scent of her hair filled his nostrils. It seemed familiar to him and made him feel at ease. “How are you here, Mama?”

  “I was given permission to come and see you. Such opportunities are rare.”

  He thought about it for a moment. “Then there must be a reason?”

  “Yes, my son. There is always a reason.”

  “Then I am thankful to have some time with you.”

  “I am, too. You are very special, Andrei.”

  “As are you, Mama. You gave up your life for me.”

  “That was meant to be.”

  “Why, Mama? Why were you taken from me?”

  “Bringing you into the world is all that mattered.”

  “I do not understand.”

  “You shall in time. Much depends on you.”

  “What, Mama? Why am I so special?”

  “That shall be revealed in time. I am here for another reason.”

  They broke from their embrace. The beautiful floral scent that emanated from her still lingered in the air all around him.

  “Then tell me, Mama.”

  “I have come here to warn you.”

  Andrei felt a little confused. Warn me? Does someone want to hurt me? “Warn me of what? Is something bad about to happen?”

  “You have become a man today. There are some things you need to know.”

  “What things, Mama?”

  “It is the day of your sixteenth birthing day. At sunset on the thirteenth day of each month they shall be able to see you.”

  “Who are they?”

  “The ones that would seek you out and destroy you.”

  Andrei did not speak. Although his mother was with him, he felt suddenly afraid.

  “They have great power,” she continued. “From the moment of your birth, they have sought you out. Your purity and innocence have shielded you from their eyes. But sadly that shall change after this day. For you are an innocent no more.”

  “Why do they want to hurt me?”

  “You are all that stands in their way.”

  “Who, Mama? In the way of what?”

  She fell silent for a moment and looked at him. Her eyes let it show that she feared them too.

  “Tell me.”

  “Lucifer and his demons.”

  “The Devil?”

  “His name is Lucifer.”

  “Why does he want to hurt me?”

  “He wants to return to Heaven. Only you have the power to prevent him from doing so.”

  He could not believe what he was hearing. “I am but a boy. What could I ever do to stand in his way?”

  “No, Andrei. You are so much more than that. You are so, so special.”

  Andrei stepped away and walked to the edge of the cave. “Why me?”

  “Because God has chosen you.”

  He breathed a deep sigh then turned to face his mother.

  “Do not be afraid, Andrei. You are not alone in this.”

  “So what am I to do on the thirteenth day? If they can see me then surely they would kill me.”

  “You have to protect yourself.”

  “How?”

  “That is what I have come to show you.”

  “Then I am ready to learn.”

  “It is always best to be near water,” she said.

  “As I am here? Hidden behind a waterfall?”

  “Yes, they do not care for water. There is none of it where they are. And water brings life, and life is something they seek to destroy. But you have to do more. Water alone is not enough to protect you.”

  “Then what else must I do?”

  “Have with you a vial or a container.”

  Andrei looked about the cave. Some distance away he spotted a broken piece of an animal skull. “Shall this suit my purpose?” he asked, picking it up.

  “As long as it can hold water, it should suffice.”

  He stepped beneath the waterfall again and held out the chunk of bone. The water filled it in seconds.

  “Once it is full you need to say a prayer and bless it.”

  He knew she was on his shoulder, so did not look around. “What is the prayer?”

  “Hold your right hand over the water and repeat the words I say.”

  He carefully repeated the four lines of the prayer she uttered. Within moments the piece of skull radiated a brilliant blue light. He likened it to the same light he created when he healed Constantin all those years ago. It glowed so bright it illuminated the entire interior of the cave.

  “Sprinkle it all along the entrance,” she directed. “But be sure to save some.”

  Andrei dipped his fingers into the blue water. He sprinkled it at various points as his mother instructed.

  Each spot glowed the same bright blue. He watched in awe as the points joined together to form a solitary unbroken line. It then extended upwards from the cave floor to the ceiling, creating a force field of great power.

  “This has consecrated the ground,” his mother advised. “It ensures the area is safe from even the most powerful of your enemies. Lucifer himself could not breach it without alerting those that watch over you.”

  Andrei stepped back, a little wary of it.

  “Embrace it,” she said. “It is the shield that protects you.”

  He looked to her and nodded. “What should I do with the remainder of the water?”

  “Find the central point in the cave. Then use your index finger to form a circle on the floor with the water. Create the circle from inside it.”

  He did as she instructed.

  “Then mark the four points, to the north; south; east; and west.”

  “I do not know which is which, Mama.”

  “Close your eyes and allow your senses to guide you.”

  He looked up, not overly convinced.

  “Go on,” she urged. “Trust in your instincts.”

  Andrei closed his eyes and cleared his mind. Just as his mother hinted he would, he sensed each of the four points. When he was sure of each, he marked them on the edge of the circle.

  “Stay on your knees while in the circle. It makes you stronger to be close to the ground. Then face to the west,” she said. “With the last of the water, mark the Sign of
the Cross on your forehead and on your breastbone.”

  Once Andrei had done this, his aura became visible and surrounded his entire body. The warmth it produced drew sweat from his every pore.

  “Doing this ensures your safety. If they ever breach the outer barrier, this second one should protect you.”

  Andrei extended his arm and delighted in the brilliant blue that cloaked it.

  “It is your aura that gives energy to the forces around you,” his mother advised. “Always keep your eyes closed and your mind clear.”

  Andrei nodded that he understood. Then he closed his eyes.

  “Never break the circle,” she warned. “Not ‘til the next sunrise. No matter what you might hear, never break the circle.”

  “What would happen?”

  “I dread to think of it. Always come alone when you perform this ritual. The energy of another could negate the effect of yours.”

  “I understand, Mama,” he whispered.

  Andrei sensed her about to leave. “Before you go, Mama. I want to ask something of you?”

  “Yes, my son. What is it?”

  “The man I see in my dreams. Do you know who he is?”

  She did not answer right away. In the moment she thought he would open his eyes, she spoke. “He is your brother.”

  Her answer took his breath away. She anticipated the next question on the tip of his tongue. “It is the truth. The man who gave you to me, sired him also.”

  “Who is that man?”

  “His name is Vlad Dracul.”

  Andrei did not need to ask anything more. He knew who Vlad Dracul was.

  “Stay a little while,” she said. “Grow better acquainted with the forces around you. Then return to your loved ones.”

  “Shall I see you again, Mama?” he asked.

  “I do not know,” she said, the sadness evident in her voice. “I would say not.”

  “Then know that I love you, Mama,” he said.

  “And know that I love you too, my precious boy. Stay safe.”

  Back at the camp, the gypsies were ready for the planned celebration.

  “We are ready to begin, Constantin,” one of the others said.

  The elder shot him a sharp glance. “But we cannot. Andrei is not yet here.”

  “Then where is he?”

  “I do not know,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. “He said he would be here.”

  “Perhaps we should go and find him.”