Dancing into the Night- Part Twelve

Dancing into the Night: Part Twelve  

Tears. Tears and desolation. It was all the brown barmaid could fathom as she ran from the accursed Summer Palace and into the chilled Hallow's night. Though her vision was blurry due to her tears, somehow she was able to make it from the grounds without falling or otherwise injuring herself. If she had been of sound mind at the time, the girl would have been astounded that such a feat was possible. But she was far from sound- so she paid it no heed.

Lynara had rushed through the corridors of the castle in a panic driven stupor, back the way she had been guided, and had flown past the doorman who still stood as silent sentry outside the magnificent manor. She had moved past him without a word, and as the lighted trail had come into view, the woman had pushed herself to go even faster. Though it was utterly black out and the evening was covered in a rather foreboding fog, Lynara did not stop her departure. Instead she had run back towards the well-known part of Budapest with her shaking hands holding up the sides of her dress so she could move better, and her heart stuttering painfully in her chest.

Now as she sprinted through countless cobbled ways in the hopes of finding something familiar, the woman truly questioned herself sanity as the events of the Masque replayed in her wearied conscious. The otherworldly revelers, the sea of expressionless masks swaying to a song that wasn't quite right, and him. The one that wasn't as he seemed. The one who had broken her and left her internally bleeding, as she now frantically sought for the way home.

It was true that Dracula had never physically hurt her; but at this point a beating would have been more preferable. There was no sense to her thoughts, no quality or understanding, and for a woman that had always relied so utterly upon her instincts, it was completely disheartening. She was caught in a limbo of the mind; her will power tested to the limits as she fought off the beginnings of hysteria and the strange nagging in the very back of her focus.

The Count had betrayed her with half-truths and impossible hopes. Not for wealth or status or for even a happily ever after. But he had transformed her. Made her perceive the world and even herself differently. And for once in her short life, the woman had believed herself better than the worthless scum she had been born as. For once she had felt that she was beautiful and wanted. . . But now it was all ruined. Ruined by what had been hidden and omitted from her. . . But strangely enough the thing that made her sob in despair as she rounded onto a foreign lane, wasn't Vladislaus's secret or what he had kept from her. . . It was what he had claimed after the fact.

Ever since that fateful day when Lynara had killed her uncle, the woman had vowed never to let herself fall victim to another man's mercy. And it was a promise she had always kept. Sure there had been times when the Tavern Master had slapped her around, or moments when a drunken man's hands wandered to unsavory places. But the maid had always been able to get back on track and drain herself of all emotion. Love and devotion didn't exist in a world such as this, and women who believed contrariwise were only bound for disappointment and loss. . . She had accepted that she would die on her own, just as she had lived and grown alone. The maid had always known that being a free and unbound woman was the best path to take . . . so why was her heart crumbling into dust as she ran? Why did every fiber of her being want to return to him?

He wasn't honest with you, Lynara screamed internally, shaking her beaded head angrily. He wasn't even human!

But you love him.

With a shuddering gasp, the woman tripped and fell to the hard cobblestones, sobbing as her internal conflict came to a head.

You love the vampire . . . you love the blood drinker . . . the murderer . . . because you're a murderer too.

"No," Lynara choked aloud as she clawed against the stones and lifted her eyes heavenward to the moon that shone above her through a cloud bank of fog. "I love him because of the good I saw!"

That is just an excuse, Lynara! A reason to forgive all! You have been naïve since you met him. Will you continue to be so now that you know the truth?

"What am I to do? I cannot change my heart! I HAVE TRIED! I HAVE TRIED TO STAY FIRM! TO STAY STRONG AGAINST HIM! BUT I CANNOT! I HAVE BROKEN MY OWN LAWS AND GUIDANCES, AND I WOULDN'T DO THAT FOR SOMEONE UNWORTHY!"

As Lynara yelled at the opposing side of her mind, she felt a great weight slowly begin to lift from her heaving chest. Though when she had first thought the defensive words, it had merely been an emotional outburst, the woman now thought upon it. For years she had trusted her judgment in dire situations. She had come out of more scrapes than she could count. . . So why should this newest obstacle be any different?

My heart wouldn't. . . My heart couldn't be captured by someone who wasn't worthy of it. I've been strong for too long. I've never been taken in by desire or fits of passion. I cannot be as stupid as to want to give myself over without good reason.

Once more the darker part of the woman's mind spoke, making her jaw clench in thought.

But he is a vampire. Are you just going to conveniently forget that fact?

"No," she returned. "But I won't forget the bond I have with him either. He has been the best friend and companion I've ever known. Would I just throw that all away because of what he is?"

He drinks blood to survive! You've heard the tales of the Carpathians! You know that his kind are evil! You were raised with the Holy Brothers! You were to become a Nun! You know that his soul is damned!

A raspy laugh of despair rose from the woman's throat. "Then I must be damned too . . . for my soul longs for his."

"My, my. . . Lost are we?"

Lynara's wide eyes snapped up from the road beneath her, the unknown male voice startling her out of her personal inner dialogue. For a second her eyes refused to adjust to the dark figure that loomed above her, but she fought to regain her composure and quickly moved from her knees to a standing position. Her legs were shaking so badly that she almost fell, but at the last second the maid was able to catch her balance and stay firm. And it was then that the real world once more came into focus and the woman's worst nightmare was realized.

When she had been running, Lynara had unknowingly entered the docks, and from the looks of it, was only a hop-skip-and a jump from the bay. During the daylight hours this might have been alright, but for a woman on her own in the depths of night, this was by far the worst place she could have been. The sailors that lived on these docks were rabid animals with only one thing in mind: carnal pleasures. All sensible women in Budapest had been warned against coming here, for more than a few girls had been taken advantage of or found face down in the bay. . . And now Lynara was in the middle of the district, on her own, without even a stick or rock for protection.

As if this wouldn't have been bad enough, it was obvious now that her presence had garnered attention. For a man stood before the barmaid, eyeing her with devious amusement as she scrambled away from him.

"Oh, come now girlie," the man chided with a deep laugh. "I don't bite."

Lynara instantly wanted to yell at him to leave her be, but the rational part of her mind kicked in and she found herself trying to answer him calmly. Perhaps if she was reasonable she could find a way out of this. Maybe he was just flirtatious but didn't mean true harm. . . She could only hope that this was the case.

"I mean no disrespect, sir. But I am expected home and mustn't delay."

For a breath the man's brow rose in surprise, before he laughed again and called out into the night. "Well, ya hear that! We've got ourselves a lady, boys! And a properly dressed one at that!"

At the troubling statement, two more figures appeared from the shadows on either side of the maid, and she felt her heart rise in dismay. She was cornered and had no prayer of out running them. Perhaps if she'd had her normal work dress on she'd have had better odds. But wearing this evening dress that reached down to her feet? She was handicapped in her movements.

"Please," she pleaded softly, her voice breaking as they began to advance on her. "Let me go!"

"Don't worry, my lady," the spokesperson of the three said eagerly, making fun of her with a dip of his head. "I promise we'll let you go . . . after we've had some fun."

For a moment it seemed as if Lynara's fear would get the better of her, but finally as the one who had spoken drew close enough to reach her, the woman's instincts kicked in. Drawing her fist back she threw a punch hitting the man squarely in the jaw, before drawing back her knee and connecting it with his groin area. Both actions knocked him back a step, and gave her valuable time to react. It wasn't much, but it was just enough for the maid to hike up her skirts and run. Her hand throbbed viciously from where she'd slugged the man (it wasn't the first time she'd hit someone) but Lynara ignored it, as she dashed frantically towards the familiar lane that would lead her back to the industrial part of Budapest. She could see the lanterns at the edges of her vision, could see the Apothecary shop in the distance; safety was within her grasp . . . and then she felt two harsh hands wrap around her middle and drag her back. The woman screamed in anguish as two more pairs of hands joined the first to hold her captive. She thrashed wildly, hoping that she could once more escape, but her attempts were in vain and she was thrown brutally to the ground and was immediately pinned down.

"You stupid bitch!" She could hear the first man cursing angrily, before she felt his hand connect with her face. It was hard, harder than any blow the Tavern Master had ever inflicted, and the woman cried out as her head reeled and her vision darkened around the edges. Still Lynara continued to struggle and fight, but she felt the two other plague rats take either of her arms into iron grips and the third straddle her from above. Several more blows fell on the woman as she continued to cry, and a crimson pool began to leak from both her bloodied mouth and a cut that had opened on her brow.

As she felt the man's hands rip the skirt of her dress, the woman closed her eyes tightly, knowing that she had reached her end. They would use her and then dump her broken body into the quay, and her life would be over. What she had always vowed she would never allow, was happening and she was helpless to stop it. Once more she was too weak to save herself and now she would pay the ultimate price. . .

The woman felt the man's hot breath fan out across her face and had bile rise in her throat . . . . But as the maid's senses grew overactive and her heart nearly beat out of her chest, she heard it. It was very unnoticeable, but the woman immediately opened her dark eyes to regard the heavens where the strange fluttering noise was coming from. Though the man's face was solely in her main line of sight, the space above him was clear for her view, and the sight that met her gaze made the woman sharply inhale. Time seemed to stop as she looked upon the creature that was flying down upon them, but in truth it was only seconds before a loud sound invaded the night.

It took Lynara a moment to realize it was a snarl, but as soon as the woman registered the noise, the man who hovered above her was gone. The heavy weight of his body that had been so restricting now was completely lifted, and the barmaid watched with shocked eyes as he was lifted high into the air, bellowing in fright, by a flying demon.

It was larger than any man, with wings tipped in crimson that lashed out against the night sky and eyes that glowed an ethereal blue. Its skin was leathery in texture and a deep grayish blue, and its incredible jaws revealed the sharpest mouth of teeth that Lynara had ever seen. It was a bat . . . or something quite similar to it, but in that moment all the woman could see was a saving grace as those who had planned her demise were rendered defenseless.

As the creature held the screaming man aloft with one large clawed hand, the two below let go of their prize and tried to flee. But the monster was too fast. In what seemed to be the speed of light, the bat had landed on the ground before them and with its free hand it lashed out at both figures. The creature bared its teeth in a deafening growl the sound making the men's blood turn cold. And the men were crying out in agony as ripping sounds pervaded the air and the two that had tried to run fell to the ground dead. The beast had slashed and stabbed them with its claws, and Lynara could now see broad crevices across their chests where the creature's talons had embedded and torn their hearts out.

And as they fell lifeless, the otherworldly eyes of the predator turned back to the man that it still held in its free hand. In just seconds the tables had turned: where this man had held Lynara captive, he now hung by his throat with his mouth drawn into an alarmed 'o' of trepidation. Tears dripped down the sailor's face as he gasped for breath, wordlessly begging the creature to let him go. The bat made a deep noise in the back of its throat before it once more bared its great maw of teeth, this time in a wicked smile. It was enjoying his fear and taunted him with it as it snarled again. Never before had a beast looked or acted so maliciously. Then as its smile grew, the bat brought the man closer and clamped its giant jaws down upon his flesh. The man tried to scream as his life's blood spurted in an arc before splashing the nearby building, but no sound left him as the beast greedily drank him dry.

Lynara watched it all from where she still lay slumped upon the cobblestones, and in just a minute the beast threw the man's corpse away into the nearby water with a muted splash. Then, the bat turned its gaze to regard the woman. The maid met its gaze with fearful eyes, thinking that it would attack her next, but the monster's glowing eyes merely looked sad as they beheld her. For a long time it stood watching her from a distance, before it began to walk towards her on two feet. And as it did, it began to change before her very eyes.

Slowly, the leathery skin began to shift into pale flesh, the massive devil's wings folded into a black cloak, and the monster features shrunk and settled into a handsome human face. As the woman watched she felt more tears fall from her chocolate eyes as she now looked upon the one she had run from. It would seem that the fates wished her to face fire tonight, in all forms. For there Dracula stood directly before her, his beautiful blue eyes studying her reaction to his transformation. He took in her tears and her disheveled appearance before a look of pure agony crossed his now pleasing face. Slowly the Count lowered himself to the ground in front of the woman, his actions showing that he had no desire to frighten her further. And with a single hand he gestured to her, bidding her to come to him instead of keeping her distance. He reached out for her with his essence and she could feel him as he gently beseeched her soul to come to his. The feeling was at first strange, but as he tenderly gazed upon her wretched state the woman found herself wanting to reach back.

"Come, little one. . . Do not fear me," he implored. "Everybody else fears me. . . But not you. . . Not my Lynara . . . Not my mate."

The dark maid was still for a time as she felt her heartbeat return to a normal thrum, and her tears began to abate. She had believed herself doomed by the men who now laid lifeless, and yet here the Count was, having saved her again.

Gingerly, the woman shifted from her slouched position on the cobblestones, her face bloodied and her dress torn. For minutes she was unmoving, as she merely stared at the man she had come to rely upon, and the vampire in question held his breath. She could still run from him, she could flee as she had at the Ball and leave him once again. . . Or she could stay after having seen his true form. . . Which she choice she would make, he could not guess. . . But he knew he'd continue to follow her no matter what she did.

Lynara gave a shuddering sigh as the cold of the evening wrapped around her newly exposed skin, before she took action. Though her mind was far from easy, and the conflict remained, the woman knew what she needed to do and pushed back the doubt in her mind. She would deal with it, but for now there was only one thing that she was resigned to.

As Lynara met Dracula's gaze dead on, his eyes grew wider- for the dark orbs showed no fear. Then, the maid was wrapping her arms around him in an embrace, her head going to rest where his heart should have been beating. At first the contact surprised him, for at the Masque his storyteller had cringed from his lack of a heartbeat.

But his moment of surprise ended when he heard the woman whisper brokenly into him, "I could never fear you, Vladislaus . . . Not now or ever again."

"Oh Lynara." The vampire brought his cloak to shield her bared body from the elements, as he nuzzled into her hair. He had feared of losing her to the scum he had killed, and the relief of her well-being was like a rare wine. "My beautiful little storyteller . . . brave until the very end."

The woman began to cry again as the vampire held her to him tenderly, and though she didn't witness it firsthand, the Count had begun to shed several blood red tears of his own.