To Spite Another God Pt. 02

Mina woke to the sound of the rooster crowing and a sense of familiar confusion. She turned left, then right in her bed -- and for a few moments, she thought that it had all been a dream. A terrible dream, the kind of thing she would have been delighted to read if serialized in the papers or printed in a penny dreadful...but that if it had happened in the real world...

For those few moments, she could exist in a world without heat rays and tripods and the black smoke and the terrible invaders that had turned everything upside down. But then she noticed she was not laying in her modest flat back in London -- rather, she was sprawled in a vast bed in a gothic bedroom, with the sunlight that shone through the window looking muted and watery. The forests beyond were thick and primeval, far from the beating heart of the civilization that she had taken for granted, before it had been swallowed up by madness. Mina stood from the bed, drawing her nightgown closer around her body...then her fingers quested, probing at her neck -feeling about herself gingerly.

No wounds. No marks.

She didn't know if that signified anything.

The door to her room opened after a short knock and Mina turned, her cheeks heating -- but it was only Lucy. Lucy looked gay as one could imagine, beaming as she swept into the room. "Mina, darling, you look as if you slept dreadfully," she said, with a playful giggle. "Come now -- we're safe." She put her hands on her shoulders. "Mr. Dracula has even sent some of his servants about, to see if they...cannot find what happened to Jonathan. He thinks he might be in Budapest..."

It had been a week since they had arrived in Dracula's castle and Lucy had taken to her new surroundings with terrifying alacrity. Mina, who had taken her food grudgingly and spoken but shortly with Dracula and his strange wives, had tried to council her friend to caution. But Lucy had gone fully ahead into conversing with not only Dracula's wives, but with the vampire himself, going on long, quiet walks in the twilight and evening, returning only late, to sleep, then come to the breakfast table bubbling over with conversations of everything from alchemy to sorcery to history -- all of it seeming relatively harmless, if it was just crankery...

But it wasn't, was it?

If it was real arts of darkness and devilry, didn't Mina have a duty to draw Lucy away from it? And yet, she couldn't think of how to do it without offending the hosts that were all that kept her alive and gave her hope. The villagers in the towns surrounding Dracula's lands, he had explained, knew of his nature and his curse and took it upon themselves to kill his 'minions' with worrying eagerness. Mina could remember what just being suspected of being related to Dracula had gotten her and Lucy. And even if she got past the villages...where would she go? Beyond them were the Martians.

Not that one could tell here, in this quiet castle. Here, everything felt timeless -- days and nights bleeding together so quickly she had barely been aware a week had passed.

Lucy scattered her thoughts by stepping to the window and looking out, her breath drawing in -- her rather darlingly cut dress accentuating the movement of her chest, her eyes closed. "Ah, what a lovely day!"

Mina shook her head. "How can it be lovely, Lucy?"

"The sun's shining. Well. Sort of." She paused. "And we're safe. And Vlade-" she stopped at Mina's furrowed brow and, to her credit, her cheeks flushed. "Mr. Dracula, that is...well, I suppose, Lord Dracula, him being a baron and all. Though...I suppose, since Wallachia is no longer a kingdom, I suppose Mr. Dracula would be...more..." She trailed off as Mina's expression grew more and more frowning. "What would you have me do, Mina!?" Lucy sounded exasperated, with such intensity that Mina actually felt taken aback.

"Oh, I know you've got nothing but frowns and suspicions for him," Lucy said. "But he's been nothing but an absolute gentleman towards us -- he said that Jonathan just misunderstood the nature of his relationship with his wives and got so frightened that he fled. He searched for him, and he's still searching for him -- it's a terrible mistake, but he didn't mean to do him harm. And, if what he's heard is right, Jonathan is just fine and will be with us in a week or two."

Mina shook her head. "Assuming we can trust him."

"He's done nothing but tell me the truth since he got here," Lucy said. "And if you talked to him rather than sulking in your bedroom..."

"I am not sulking," Mina said. "He's a vampire. And...a...sorcerer!" She stepped closer.

"And an alchemist," Lucy said, but she said it the same way one might speak of someone also being an equestrian or a fencer or some other field of endeavor -- like it simply made him more enticing. "Astronomer, cartographer, explorer, did you know, he even landed in the New World before Columbus ever did."

Mina admitted, that did cause her to blink. "H...How?"

"He turned into a bat and flew," she said, cheerfully. "Isn't that magical?" Her eyes shone. "I would so love to fly. Imagine the whole world under you, spread out like a painting or a view from a mountain..." She bit her lower lip.

"Didn't he need to sleep?" Mina asked -- curiosity growing in her breast despite herself.

"Oh, yes," Lucy said. "And he cannot cross running water -- it is some kind of ancient curse. But if he rests within some native soil, he is sustained against the curse. So, he flew with a small bag of dirt around his neck, and traveled very high, high enough that the curse and then when he required his rest, he would transform into a worm and as the sack fell, he would crawl inside, then wriggle into the small amount of dirt. Then it would bob about on the ocean waves and he would crawl out again after his rest and continue to fly! Apparently, the trickiest part was the initial start of each journey -- he would need to fly straight up, as he couldn't cross any part of the water -- so, he couldn't go from side to side." Lucy beamed. "Amazing!"

"How...ingenious..." Mina blinked. "Sounds rather troublesome, though. Why did he do it?"

"He was curious and wanted to see if he could!" Lucy said, nodding. "But once he got there, he ended up hiring natives to bring him back -- traveling from Alaska to Siberia, a relatively short trip, handled entirely in his worm form. The whole thing took a few years..." She leaned in close, whispering. "I think that's where he met one of his wives!"

Mina frowned. She wasn't sure she believed that story...but...then again...why would he make it up? It seemed rather undignified, not precisely something one would tell to a young lady to turn her head. Not a story of dashing adventure and lurid romance. She frowned, a bit. "He does seem to be a bit of a bluebagger," she said, quietly -- remembering the glimpse she had gotten of his titanic library. "More of a scholar than a soldier..."

"Well, he was that as well..." Lucy said. "But...he said he preferred not to speak on it."

Mina frowned.

* * * * *

Mina spent a day watching the household staff of Dracula's castle, his wives and him. She saw no sign that the library was guarded or warded, but she didn't precisely want to tip her hand. She was polite at dinner, which was usually only a place where Dracula visited to speak to her and Lucy, but didn't follow Lucy on her evening walk. Instead, when she was certain that his wives and he weren't going to witness her activities, she set out for the library. Finding it unguarded still, she slipped within, closing the door behind her.

The candlelit space was as vast as she had thought upon her earlier glimpse. The walls were lined with bookshelves, each one taller than her head. Gilded rows were set along the edges of the shelves, attached to ladders that could be rolled about on tracks. The floor was carpeted and soft, and a pair of fireplaces were constructed into the walls, crackling and burning cheerily. As she stepped inside, a single droplet of rain splashed against the window, and the distant rumble of thunder could be heard. Mina frowned, slowly, then picked up a candelabra, holding it up, the candlelight casting itself along the spines of books.

Many were in Latin -- which she could only faintly understand -- but others were printed in English, with modern bindings. It made sense, as London was the book printing capitol of the world. She quickly began to see a pattern to the organization: Each bookshelf was dedicated to a different field of study, with alphabetically organized books within. Chemistry and the physical sciences...the occult...military tactics and strategies...history. She stopped there, remembering Dracula's full reaction to the knowledge that the world had been invaded by Martians.

Well, then. We'll have to keep an eye on this. And you, of course, will be more than welcome to stay here, to stay safe.

He didn't care that, even now, thousands were dying to try and stop invaders of this world. Mina's tongue darted along her lips and she stepped to the history books. She...

She only had a vague sense of why she was here. But considering the hint dropped by Lucy, she knew that this Dracula had to have more in his history than simply being a curious aristocrat. How had he become a vampire? And how had he been named the Voivode? She only vaguely knew the Slavic languages, but she knew that that title was vitally important. Powerful. She shook her head. "Mina, find your definitions," she muttered, then swept away from History and to the Languages section. It took her a wink to find a few dictionaries that were designed to transform other languages to English. She thumbed through them as the rain began to patter faster and harder.

She found it after a few minutes.

"Warlord," she muttered. "Warlord of Wallachia."

Mina knew, then, that her suspicions were correct. She strode to the histories and began to tug down books that looked promising. She flipped through them -- and found an illustration of a man that looked remarkably like Dracula. "Vladimir Tepes..." she muttered, then flipped over to an illustration of a terrible battle. She couldn't read the Slavic script the book was in -- but she could see the drawings of military formations, the arrows and lines indicating movements and forces. She put her finger on the smaller of the two armies -- how it was encircled, drew backwards, then struck out with new forces that emerged from ambush. The larger army fled, was destroyed.

She flipped the page and jerked backwards, her hand going to her mouth.

The illustration was done in the old style, without depth and simple human figures. But she could still see the terrified expressions on the men as they were impaled through the chest by long thin stakes, raised up and off the ground by grim faced soldiers in conical helmets.

"The Impaler, they called me."

Mina screamed and spun around -- to find Dracula looming from the shadows, looking down at her. Rather than looking furious that she had intruded, he instead looked distant and faintly sad, his lips pursed together between the sleek curve of his goatee. His fingers went to the book, tracing the illustration as he stepped past Mina. She clutched her hand to her breast, stepping backwards and picking up the candelabra at the same time. Its heavy weight and silvery sheen felt comforting in her hand, as did the flickering flames.

Dracula's fingers hooked under the book and he swung it shut. "I...prefer to not talk about that part of my history."

"Who were they?" Mina asked, her voice tight. "Your enemies. I mean."

"Ottomans," Dracula said, turning to her. "But that matters less than the fact they were an Empire. I've been around for quite some time -- long enough to see that when people decide that the world exists only to have borders drawn on it, there will inevitably come nothing of it but blood and misery." He frowned. "Learning that even the wandering planets aren't free of this impulse is...distressing."

"Quite," Mina said, frowning. Her knuckles were white on the candelabra. "But the Ottomans..." she paused. "Well. They're called the Sick Man of Europe these days -- but they used to be a strong empire, right?"

"Expansive, in those days," Dracula said. "They had inherited a great deal of the military might of the Romans, revitalized under new leaders and new paradigms."

"You beat them," Mina said, quietly. "You took on a larger, stronger force and beat them."

"Yes," Dracula said, quietly. His finger caressed the cover of the book. Then he pointed -- his finger stabbing into the darkness. The book flew of its own accord across the room, smoothly thunking into place between the books that it had once set between. Mina jerked despite herself. No matter how many times she had seen Dracula move an object without touching it, it still sent a crawling supernatural thrill along her spine. It was surreal...and enchanting. She bit her lip, despite herself, looking from that finger to his blood red eyes.

"...why..." she stopped herself.

"At the time, I believed that was only one way to make a war humane," Dracula said, quietly. "It was to make it short." He looked directly at her, his eyes focusing. "Three survivors left the battle. They had to walk past the still writhing bodies of a thousand prisoners." He frowned. "And do you know what the Ottomans did?"

Mina shook herself, feeling like a mouse in the eyes of a great terrible owl.

Dracula melted into the shadows, leaving only his voice in the room as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in the rain spattered windows.

"They sent a bigger army."

* * * * *

Mina came to Lucy the next day, with the skies still overcast through the sitting room windows, and opened her mouth to speak -- only to close it. Lucy looked...distracted...

And pale.

Mina frowned, her mouth closing as the overcast day once again began to drizzle upon the castle. Lucy's fingers were caressing along her neck, and she didn't hear Mina approaching until Mina coughed, softly. Lucy started and jerked her head up, her eyes widening.

"Oh, Mina, darling," she said. "You've, uh, pulled yourself out of the library?"

"Yes," Mina said, taking her seat before the small, crackling fire. Lucy looked as if she had not quite slept properly. Her hair was mussed and her fingers kept going to a small scarf wrapped around her throat. Every time her fingers touched the same spot, her eyes went just a tad unfocused and she bit down on her lower lip. That, combined with the waxy pallor, confirmed everything that Mina had been worried about. She reached out, taking Lucy's hand, drawing it away from her throat.

"Lucy..." she said, quietly.

"Yes, dear?" Lucy asked, looking at her. "Oh, we're not...going to have a walk tonight. Too much rain."

"Lucy, what has he done to you?" Mina asked.

"Oh, he's done nothing, nothing at all..." Lucy said, quietly, then blushed. "I'm fine-"

"Then why are you wearing that scarf?" Mina asked, frowning.

Lucy looked abashed. Her eyes flicked away and she bit her lip. "I...I...Mina, you must believe me-"

"That bastard!" Mina snarled, the oath slipping out despite herself. Her fingers tightened. "We're leaving, now. We have to get away from this place, we have too-"

"Mina, dear, no," Lucy said, shaking her head.

"I don't care about the Martians, this place is worse, we have to..." Mina stammered. "If he loses control again, if he tries to...if he..."

"Lose...control?" Lucy's cheeks were shockingly pale. Despite that, she still manage to blush. Her fingers went to her blond tresses, tossing them behind one ear. "Mina, my dear Mina, I...asked...him too."

The words tolled in Mina's ears like the bell that rang when the time came to announce the funeral of a king or a national tragedy. Lucy's smile was wan and her eyes looked faintly unfocused, as if she had been hollowed out and left fragile and empty. "I knew you'd look like that..." She said, and Mina shook her head, then dragged Lucy's hand closer to her, leaning her face forward. She pressed her forehead to Lucy's knuckles, feeling the coolness of her, as if she was already half...gone.

"Lucy, no," she whispered. "What lies has he told you?"

Lucy snorted, quietly. "Lies?" She shook her head. "My dearest Mina...have you not seen for yourself?" She stood, wobbling slightly. "He has the strength of two dozen men. He can turn into a bat, or a wolf, or fog." Her eyes shone. "He has lived for centuries -- and he...he has what I wanted!" She said, flushing. "Do you know why I dithered? On the choice?" Her voice was sharp and focused, despite her earlier distraction -- and Mina found herself on the back foot.

"I...on the...what?" she asked, utterly thrown.

"Quincy, John, and Arthur!" Lucy said, sharply. "Three suitors -- three perfectly lovely men, who all wished to wed me. And you know why I dithered? Why I hemmed and I hawed?" She leaned forward, her voice husky. "Because I wanted to marry each of them, Mina."

Mina wanted to cover her face with her hands -- her cheeks burned at the very idea...and...though she tried to stop it, her mind slipped, gently, into imagining Lucy in the...being surrounded by...she flushed and shook her head, her eyes still locked on Lucy's. Lucy stepped closer, her hands going to either side of Mina's chair, hemming her in as she whispered. "I wanted more than just marriage, Mina. I...never could say it, I never even let myself really think it. But..." She paused, her lips almost touching Mina's, her breath soft and warm against Mina's lips. "The world's thrown upside down. London doesn't exist anymore. E-Everything I wanted has gone up in smoke. Why shouldn't I?"

She stepped back.

Mina tried to find a response.

Instead, she fled.

* * * * *

Mina spent the rest of the afternoon barricaded in her room -- feigning sleep whenever a servant knocked to ask if she required anything. She searched the room, collecting what she could -- some gold trinkets she could barter or give away, some rough supplies, and the dress that was most suited to travel. But then came the terrible question: To try to leave immediately, before Dracula might suspect anything, or to...wait another night. Another night where Lucy might be once again fed upon? She didn't know how many times she would need to be...

Assaulted?

Not assaulted. Seduced. The word was more accurate, as much as it turned her stomach. To think, her innocent, lovely friend in the grasp of this...lying snake of a man. Dracula had acted like a perfectly reasonable guest -- all the while sizing her up for...for...

What?

To become a fourth wife? A part of his harem, like some eastern Despot?

Mina shook her head. No. She didn't have the time to wait, to risk that Lucy might be taken beyond her grasp. That she might lose another thread in her life in a world of madness. She squared her shoulders, then picked up a candlestick with a flickering flame already dancing atop it, then opened the door and stepped into the darkened corridors beyond. She knew the way to Lucy's room, even in the dark...and yet, with the shadows of the evening come, the route felt as if it stretched on to perdition. Every soft footfall on the muffling carpet that spread along the stone floor rang in her ears like the clattering of iron shod hooves. Her every breath caused the candle-flame to flicker and dance before her, casting jagged, wild shadows on every wall. The doors she passed -- closed -- led each to a quiet private room for guests of the castle...but at night, those guest rooms felt as if they had been filled by every demon from Hell that she could imagine.