Lost in the Castle

~18~

"You are very stubborn and brave for a human, you know?"

I opened my eyes in time to see Junior giving me a curious sidelong glance.

Stubborn, maybe. But brave? I didn't think so, I was still shaking from my encounter with Jusztyna.

"I'm sorry, Vlad," I said.

"Hmm?" He looked at me again, puzzled.

"I would hate to see you arguing with your mother because of me," I told him, meaning it.

Whatever she was, however she behaved to me, she was still his mother.

"You mustn't worry about it. This kind of argument has been going on between us for ages. Father hasn't spoken to her in years. She is... well, we are just too different," he assured me, taking hold of the reins of the two horses brought to us by a groom.

The presence of the two beautiful animals calmed me further, and I smiled at my Frost, as I caressed his pinkish nose and patted the smooth white fur of his large, warm body. He nudged at my hand tentatively and snorted in righteous indignation when I failed to offer him a treat. I must remember to bring him something when I come out the next time.

I looked at Junior, who was similarly busy with his own horse.

"So Clara will need a chamber now that she will live with us in the castle, I shall see to it as soon as we are back," I said, hoping to distract him. He still looked gloomy and worried after our encounter with his mother. "Shall I keep her close to me, or will Ioan have other ideas?"

The shocked look Junior shot me was telling me that my conception of a relationship was maybe a bit liberal for this era.

"Ioan can have all the ideas he wants, but until he and Clara are allowed to marry, those ideas will remain just that. The girl is barely seventeen, and if her father agrees to leave her with you, then he will surely expect you to take some responsibility for her. Maybe we should go to see Clara's father now, so you can talk to him personally. He might feel better if he sees that you are a human like them. He doesn't like us," Junior said with a wave of his hand that included himself, the castle and the vampire knights standing by the open gate. "The man is not fond of Ioan at all," he added as he helped me mount my horse.

As we rode out of the castle gates, the horses' hooves clattering loudly on the hard wood of the drawbridge, I noticed the wolf pack watching us from the shadows of the nearest trees, like a silent guard.

"Amazing creatures," I whispered, turning my horse towards them.

"You like them?" Junior asked, surprised.

"Don't you?" It was my turn to be surprised when he shuddered before responding.

"No, I don't. None of us does, except my father. They are the only animals able to kill a vampire."

Oh! I had no idea. I had kind of assumed that vampires could not really be hurt, so now I was shocked into silence. There was a lot to learn for me.

Instead of riding towards the forest and the wolves, Junior led the way down the hill. We rode along a narrow, rocky road pursuing the stream running at the bottom of a deep gorge. Without any bidding or order from me, Frost obediently followed Junior's grey, carefully choosing his footing on the treacherous, snow-covered rocks. We rode in silence for a while, the muffled, rhythmic sound of the hoof beats on the fresh snow, helping me to organize my scattered thoughts and form a coherent question.

"Can a vampire die, then?" I asked when the narrow road became wider, and I could bring my horse next to Junior's and ride close by his side.

"Of course. We can kill each other. But there is the Council to make sure that this doesn't happen without a very good reason. There are laws and rules we must follow and respect. Even humans can kill us, but it's not that easy for them. They would need to burn us alive. Didn't you know that?" He smiled at me, a smile that did not reach his eyes.