Daywalker chronicles com.., p.29
Daywalker Chronicles Complete Series Boxed Set, page 29
So, no Sin jokes. Not around his ghostly human wife, at least. If I told Dracula about all this, there’d be no holding him back. He was the daddy of all dad jokes. He thought he was hilarious. Then again, I’m not sure I’d ever met a man who didn’t think he was the next great comic just waiting to be discovered. You’d think after a few centuries of telling bad jokes Drac would get a clue, but being oblivious to his corniness was half of his charm.
I took a moment in the cold chambers of the Scholomance to consider my next move. My goal had been to find Abraham, clear the air, and move Dracula’s priorities from ghost hunting to the hunters. Now the issue was a lot more complex. Hunters were still a problem. The Van Helsing brothers were still alive. Samuel Van Helsing was back. The ghost of Abraham Van Helsing had left the Scholomance with his son.
Ennigaldi made it clear that from her perspective, my priority should be to eliminate Samuel Van Helsing. Fair enough. How could I do that, though, without also dealing with his brothers, all the hunters who followed their lead, and his ghostly father? It was all a package deal, and not the good kind of bundle that let you get two streaming services for one low price. This package was short on bargains, long on shit. I was preparing to leave the Scholomance and go back to the schoolhouse with not much more direction about what to do next than I’d already had. I hadn’t known that Samuel or Abraham was on Earth. I had hoped to prove Dracula’s anxieties wrong. Now I knew he was right. How long ago had they left the Scholomance? Hard to say, since time there didn’t match with the real world.
All I could do was look up the one figure among all of them who might leave a public footprint. Samuel Van Helsing, using the alias Dean Carver, was the Lieutenant Governor-elect. If he showed up anywhere, it would be national news. It was hard to believe that he wouldn’t get back to his old plans, unless his new plans were of even grander scope now that he’d mastered the dark path of the Scholomance. I wasn’t sure his plans could get much grander than taking over the world’s governments, but his methods could get more ambitious and direct. And if he was back, perhaps he could use his influence on the president to cause all kinds of problems.
I focused on anything I thought might help me get back to my body. Everything from my hopeful relationship with Dylan to my friendship with Zoey to the taste of blood. It wasn’t working.
All I could do was wait until Euryale brought me back. Given how time passed in the void, a day in the real world could leave me stuck for weeks. What was I going to do with all that time?
I paced the halls. I couldn’t get through the walls on either side following either path. I shouted out to the god who spoke to me before. No response. I tried to tap into whatever powers I might have gained as a result of entering the path to master the Scholomance, but I didn’t know what I was doing. Nothing I tried worked. I couldn’t change into a bat. I couldn’t shift into a dog, either. The Scholomance was within the void. As I understood it, even if someone entered the Scholomance through the gate in Romania, they entered the same Scholomance. I didn’t know if that meant they passed into the void or if the Scholomance in the real world was connected to the Scholomance in the void in some mystical way.
All I did know was that there wasn’t a clear exit. The whole place was closed and contained in a few stone chambers.
I sat at the table where Abraham had presumably been playing Monopoly with Samuel before everything changed. It struck me that they’d abandoned the game without a clear winner. Did that mean Samuel was taken into the path of darkness suddenly? Whatever the case, Abraham and his son had been passing the time. All I could guess was that in the time they’d spent together, Samuel must have passed the initiation into the Scholomance. Those trials were no joke. If he passed the initiation, some time had passed before he was allowed to progress to the next level.
Perhaps Samuel was getting his ass handed to him in Monopoly. The horseman was sitting in the Boardwalk space with a hotel on it. I knew from experience, beating Abraham at Monopoly was a challenge. I couldn’t imagine getting so angry about a game that Samuel might storm off and get sucked into the path like I was. Then again, some people take games way too seriously. Anything was possible.
Finally, my vision started to fade. That could only mean one thing. The next thing I knew my arms and legs were stiff as my body turned from stone to flesh.
“Welcome back,” Euryale smiled at me. Her snake hair was covered again.
Athena cocked her head. “Something’s changed. You’ve changed.”
I nodded. “I know why you can’t get into the Scholomance. It’s not Hades. Another god has reclaimed the Scholomance and hopes to restore it to its original purpose.”
Athena tilted her head. “The Scholomance was first founded based on an ancient magic that had its roots in the gods of Babylon.”
I nodded. “I spoke to a moon god called Sin. He wants to reunite the paths of light and darkness. He believes I’m the key.”
Athena looked thoughtful. “That makes more sense than you might realize. What of the Van Helsings?”
“They’re gone. Nowhere to be found. I need to get back home. If Samuel is out there, he has to be stopped.”
Athena narrowed her eyes and stepped back, then disappeared in a flash of light.
I tilted my head. “That was sudden.”
Morty nodded. “She does that. Is there anything else I can do to help?”
I shook my head. “Unless you can reap Abraham Van Helsing and send him back, for now, I need to get home.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Morty’s portal sent me back to my room at the schoolhouse. I grabbed my phone from my pocket to check the news, but there were no updates about Dean Carver. If Samuel was back on earth, he hadn’t made an appearance. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it meant that, for now, he wasn’t immediately resuming his original plan.
I had a contact in the White House. Since Samuel sired the president—a fact that was still unknown to the general public—I needed to make sure that everything was still copacetic. I shot off a text to my contact. As far as he knew, the president hadn’t received any communication from Samuel, so at least that wasn’t an immediate worry. I encouraged my contact to isolate the president and to encourage him not to take any calls. If Samuel couldn’t contact the president, he couldn’t exert his influence over him.
We only had a few hours before the wolves had to go out again. I rushed back to Dracula’s room. He was lacing his boots when I walked in.
“Sienna! Where did you go? We were all worried.”
“We need to talk.”
I told Dracula about everything that happened at the Scholomance. It was hard to tell what he was more concerned about—that I’d been taken into the path and, along with him, was supposed to reunite the two sides of the Babylonian moon god’s magic, or the fact that both Samuel and Abraham were no longer there.
When I finished, Dracula stood and rubbed his brow. Then he turned and placed his hand on my forehead.
“What are you doing? I don’t think I have a fever.”
“I’m sensing the magic within you. You’re right. There is something different.”
“I don’t know what I can do with it. When I was in that vision I became a bat and shifted back into my usual form again, but that’s the only experience I’ve had with it.”
Dracula nodded. “It took me some time to master my abilities as well. The only reason I took to my light-side gifts so quickly was because it wasn’t that different than what I’d done for centuries. It was almost like doing it backward. Like writing with my opposite hand. I knew how to do it, it was just a matter of practice, sort of like muscle memory.”
“I checked in with the president’s people. They haven’t heard anything from Samuel. There’s nothing on the news, either.”
Dracula shook his head. “He’s changed. As insidious as taking over the world’s governments and infecting all the world’s leaders with vampirism sounds, if he’s truly embraced the dark path, I fear what he’s planning now is even more grim.”
“Hard to imagine things getting much worse.”
“On the bright side, I might have a lead on Abraham.”
“Really?”
“I called Zoey when I couldn’t find you. All she knew was that she’d sent Morty to come get you and take you to see Abraham. When I told her my concern that Abraham might not be in the Scholomance—a worry that’s proven itself valid—she reached out to your medium friend, Delphine. Her flight landed about an hour ago. She should be here momentarily.”
I chuckled. “Did you ask her to come because of Abraham or because of the ghosts at that asylum?”
Dracula smiled. “Both. I still want to help those spirits. It began as an opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the paranormal. I figured we needed to learn more to deal with Abraham. The more I’ve read about their story, the things that were done to those patients, and the fact that the dead doctor’s ghost might still be terrorizing those spirits, it’s about them, too.”
I took a deep breath. How could I argue with that? Vengeful spirits of mentally ill persons whose doctor experimented on them, and might still be doing so, had been suffering for years. Something had to be done. How could we help them, though, when hunters were coming after us and Dylan’s pack? How could we get involved in the horror that was going on at the asylum when the Van Helsings might be coming for us at that very moment?
“I understand. We still have to deal with the situation with the wolves, though.”
Dracula shook his head. “It’s handled.”
“What do you mean ‘it’s handled’?”
“They left several hours ago. They’re heading north. They hope to be out of the state before nightfall. They should be out of the range of the hunters.”
I sighed. “Unless the hunters follow them. They could be watching the schoolhouse. If they saw the wolves leave, who’s to say they aren’t following them?”
Dracula shook his head. “I took your van. I drove them to a chartered bus north of the city. I made sure we weren’t being followed.”
I huffed. “I hope you’re right.”
“Do you really think the wolves are still a priority? The Van Helsing brothers know we’re helping them. If you killed those men, and the Van Helsings found the bodies, they’ll know it was a vampire kill.”
“We don’t know how many hunters there are working with the Van Helsings,” I reminded him. “It’s not that hard to imagine they’d send a couple after the wolves while the rest come after us.”
“We’ll be prepared for that. Go astral if you have to. Your ability to do that is probably the biggest reason the Van Helsings haven’t attacked yet.”
I shook my head. “I’m pretty sure they know about the black lights that can negate the power in my brooch.”
“Which is why they will likely try to lure you out. They’ll either try to get you under their lights, or bait you to attack and blast you with a crossbow bolt the second you materialize.”
“You’re still a target as well.”
Dracula laughed. “I’ve been a target of the Van Helsings for centuries. I can handle myself. I know their tricks. My priority is keeping you safe. Especially if what the priestess in the Scholomance told you is true. There might be larger threats to the world than we ever anticipated. You and I together might be the key to fighting those threats.”
I nodded. “She said that if the demons are released from Hades, Athena won’t be able to rein them back in. We might be the last line of defense between the world and hell remaking itself on Earth.”
Dracula nodded. “We have to play this carefully. The Van Helsings, Samuel and Abraham’s ghost included, are gunning for us. We aren’t just the hunted. We’re also hunting the hunters. We have to find a way to get to Samuel and end him.”
“We have to find him first.”
“Delphine will be here any minute. My hope is that, as a medium, she’ll be able to make contact with Abraham, or at least find him.”
“If we can find Abraham, we can find Samuel. Presuming they’re together.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Delphine arrived by Uber. I was a little anxious about her safety as she walked from the car to the schoolhouse. She dragged a suitcase behind her that was almost as tall as she was.
Delphine was in her middle-to-late forties, a pretty woman, Black with long dreadlocks that reached the small of her back. She was petite, and couldn’t have been more than a buck-fifteen soaking wet. The first time I met her, “Miss Delphine” was operating a small business of her own in downtown Kansas City where she gave palm readings, flipped tarot cards, and consulted the spirits of the deceased. All for a price, of course. A woman has to make a living somehow. If I didn’t know any better, the old me would have assumed she was a fraud, but it didn’t take long working with her to recognize that she was one of the most psychically gifted people I’d ever met. That was especially true when it came to contacting spirits. If Abraham Van Helsing was nearby, she’d find him.
She made it inside without incident. The Van Helsings might have been ruthless hunters, but so far as I knew, they didn’t kill humans. So far as Alexander and Reginald Van Helsing went, at least. Since Samuel was also a vampire, I couldn’t say the same for him. Given what Ennigaldi said he’d done when presented with the test in the desert, he was a well-practiced killer. In a similar vein to Jack the Ripper, he was once known as Sam the Carver. Hence, the alias he assumed as Dean Carver, Lieutenant Governor-elect. He chose a first name paired with a last name that paid homage to his homicidal past. What a blood-sucking politician!
We had to disarm all of the booby traps to allow Delphine inside, and Dracula re-armed them as I led her to one of our many empty rooms that was still furnished. It had been furnished for one of the werewolves who’d since been slain by hunters.
Delphine dropped her suitcase and opened her arms for a hug. “It’s a delight to see you again, my dear!”
I grinned. “Likewise. How was the flight?”
“Bumpy. I had a window seat, and the man sitting next to me didn’t understand the concept of personal space.”
I chuckled. “I’ve been there.”
“Next time, I’m definitely going for the aisle. I hadn’t flown in years. They didn’t even serve a meal! Not like I’m complaining. As I can recall, the food was always horrendous. Still, it was better than a bag of pretzels and a Sprite. I could really use a bite to eat before we get started.”
“I think the wolves might have a few things in the kitchen you could eat. I’d offer you something of my own, but I don’t have anything other than blood.”
Delphine grinned. “Unfortunately, blood doesn’t fit well into my vegan lifestyle.”
“I think Dylan has some protein shakes in the fridge. He thinks they’ll give him muscles.”
Delphine raised one eyebrow. “He realizes he has to work out along with the protein for that to work, right?”
I laughed. “I’m not sure he does.”
“If it’s whey, again, not vegan.”
I sighed. “Right. Wolves aren’t naturally vegan, either. I think he might have some plant-based shakes, too.”
“I don’t require much, love. Just a piece of fruit will do. Perhaps a small salad.”
I raised my index finger. “Salad won’t happen. No one who lives here likes vegetables. I think we have apples.”
“That would be lovely. If you’d grab me one while I set up my things I’d be grateful.”
Delphine threw her suitcase on the bed and popped it open. I was surprised such a small lady could lift it so effortlessly. Only one small corner of her suitcase was dedicated to clothing and toiletries. The rest included candles, bags of various substances I couldn’t identify, and trinkets that likely carried mystical properties.
I let her get to unpacking and setting up for whatever séance she was planning and went to the kitchen. I helped myself to a bottle that Dracula had marked as “philistine wine.”
I figured Delphine needed a little time to prepare, so I decided to enjoy it. Rather than gulp it down all at once, I took a breath between swallows.
Little known fact: vampires don’t have to breathe, but most of us do. Even Dracula. It’s residual human instinct. It also had the benefit of clearing my palate a bit between gulps. Dracula said there was an art to it if you wanted to bring out all the flavorful notes of a good blood-wine. I wasn’t much of an artist. I didn’t use fine brushes and didn’t have the patience for detail that Rembrandt, Picasso, or Leonardo DaVinci must have had. I was more like my father when he painted my room when I was a girl. A big roller. Get as much paint on the wall as fast as possible with minimal spillage. The same principle applied to the difference between how Dracula and I enjoyed our blood. Same medium. Totally different approach.
Dracula could have nursed a bottle over the course of an evening. I downed one in less than five minutes. I burped. Didn’t taste much different on the way up than on the way down. Double the pleasure. Double the fun.
When I got back to Delphine’s room with her apple, she wasn’t done setting up, but I was impressed with how much she’d done in such a short amount of time. Almost as impressed as I was that she’d fit so much crap in her suitcase.
