“To defy death is to curse her to the fate you and I share. ”
I ran my hand over my tangled hair. “For all the pain I endure, there is a measure of love and comfort that I enjoy. ”
“Yet, if you could choose to be what you are now, or the young woman you once were?”
I could feel his dark eyes upon me as I shook my head. “I do not know. ” I opened the door and entered the room. The maids hurried out once I arrived, leaving me alone with my dearest friend gasping for breath as she lay on a mound of fresh pillows. The clean blankets covered her seizing body to her chin. Mucous and blood flecked her dry lips and I hurried to the wash basin to dampen a cloth to clean her.
“Glynis,” she whispered.
Shocked, I turned to see her eyes were open.
“Laura!” Rushing to her side, I fell across her bed and clutched her hand. “Laura!” My elation was short lived for I saw that the light of life was a distant spark in her eyes. I unleashed my power, thrusting it into her. I could feel her life slipping away like water through a sieve. “Laura, no!”
“Glynis. ” Her voice was barely audible and her breath was shallow. I could barely hear it. My power filled the room as I willed her to live. Yet, I knew she was drifting away to a world where I could not follow.
“Adem, summon her parents!” I screamed, then returned my attention to Laura. My hands slid over her face, trying to warm it. The fever was gone and a deep cold was taking its place. “Please, Laura, do not leave me. ” My tears dotted her nightgown and face with blood as I pulled her into my arms. Her breath was barely a whisper against the skin of my neck. Cradling her in my arms, I tried to will life into her. Instead, she released a low, terrible rattling breath and her body sank deeper into mine. “Laura!”
To my relief, she drew in a short, shallow breath, but her heartbeat was fading.
In my desperation, I did a rash thing.
I bit into her throat.
I am lost in grief. Laura is dead. My bite did nothing but hasten the stilling of her heart. I can still taste her cool blood in my mouth. It was nearly devoid of life when I took the three sips I had irrationally hoped would grant her immortality.
Instead, she is dead.
My darling sweet Laura is dead.
Chapter 26
The Journal of Countess Dracula
November 27, 1820
The Dosza Palace, Buda
Percy attended Laura’s funeral. Of course, I was absent due to the funeral mass being held during the hours of the day and in a church. I had considered swathing myself in dark garments and veils to attempt to venture out into the dim winter sunlight to watch her be laid to rest, but Adem would not allow it. We argued heatedly, but at last I relented. It was far too dangerous to even attempt. Despite my fervent desire to be at Laura’s funeral, I did not truly want to risk bursting into flames.
Instead, I fell asleep weeping for my lost friend.
When evening fell, Percy came to visit and share his recollections of the mass and the funeral. He described it all so beautifully, I felt as though I had witnessed it myself. Lost in the emotions of my bereavement, I wept openly in Percy’s arms as he gently wiped away my tears of blood.
Understanding my desire to pay my respects, Percy was kind enough to offer to join me. We ventured into a world filled with snow, grief, and the endless night sky. Clad in mourning clothes, we traveled by sleigh with Adem and Enre as our escorts to the mausoleum where Laura had been laid to rest.
The mausoleum belonged to Maria’s family and sat upon the edge of their property. It was an ornate structure of dark stone with an arched doorway between weeping angels. It stood in stark contrast against the drifts of snow that sparkled under the crescent moon. The snow began to fall again as we stood in silence before Laura’s final resting place.
“I wish I could have somehow saved her,” I sighed at last.
“We all did what we could. We gave her all our love and support to the very end. ” Percy patted my hand gently as I gripped his arm. Though I had fed, I felt weak with grief and leaned against him for support.
“It wasn’t enough. ” My bitterness and anger seeped out in my tone. “I desperately wanted to save her. I tried so hard to will her to stay alive and she still died in my arms. ” The memory overwhelmed me and I covered my face with one hand. Feeling Laura’s last breath leave her body had devastated me completely. I had collapsed with her in my arms and Adem had to pry her from my grasp so her parents could hold her.
“There, there, Glynis,” Percy whispered, sounding so much like my father. He held me in his arms as I clutched his coat tightly with my fingers, burying my face against the scratchy wool fabric.
The cold wind buffeted us as it swirled around the family crypt and sent the boughs of the trees creaking. Snowflakes fell wetly against my cheeks and dotted our clothing. I could hear the snow crunching beneath Adem’s boots as he shifted on his feet behind me. The small clearing amongst the pine trees felt far away from the rest of the world.
As Percy and I stood in silence, I began to feel uneasy. The isolation should have felt peaceful, but instead it was oppressive. I slowly drew away from Percy as I became aware of a slowly swelling power. It pricked along my skin and set me on edge. I glanced toward Adem and saw that he too was alert to the growing presence. Enre drew his sword as I searched the darkness dwelling in the trees that ringed the small graveyard.