As I sit here alone, listening to Cneajna’s laughter, I may not have hope, but I have lovely memories of those who love me. Perhaps that is enough.

Letter from Father Ignatius to the Immortal Beloved of Vienna

My dearest Mistress,

Much has occurred since my last correspondence. Decisions have been made in the passion of the moment and I pray that you will have mercy on me. I have perhaps been unwise in consideration of your dealings, but pursued the only course of action my heart would allow. Sadly, this entailed a deal with that most foul beast, Astir. I had no choice. I will do anything I must to save the woman I love.

I feel I must explain my actions in detail...

As soon as I rose, I gave Laura and the household over to the protection of Adem. He understood immediately that I had made a most difficult and possibly ill-conceived decision. As I dressed for travel, Adem brought me a fine sword and silver daggers for protection.

“Ignatius, you do realize he will rise angry and thirsting for revenge. Who is to say he will not hand Glynis over to the regents and allow her to die?” Adem said in his low tones, his dark eyes regarding me thoughtfully.

“He will not,” I said with confidence. “He will defend her and have Gavril release her.”

“Because he loves her?” Adem appeared skeptical of such a thought.

I donned my thick wool coat and regarded him as I pondered his question. “Partially, yes, but mostly because he needs her. Glynis contains his power and is a lynchpin to all his plans.”

“But you are forcing him to rise without her.” Adem handed me my gloves, scowling.

“He will still want his power and he will manipulate her to do as he heeds. He will not let her die.”

“Then he will try to take her with him once she is freed,” Adem decided.

“Yes,” I conceded. “I must anticipate his actions and thwart him once she has been delivered over to him. For Glynis’s sake.”

“And your own,” Adem pointed out.

“Of course.” I quirked a small smile in his direction as I tugged on my leather gloves and reached for my hat. “I love her. I will do all I can to save her. I cannot bear to be without her.”

“It’s true!” Laura gasped from the door way. Her hand was flung up against the slim whiteness of her throat and her hazel eyes were wide with fear. “You cannot! You cannot go to him! She needs you here. It is only two more nights before they decide her fate!”

“That is why I must go. Cneajna is far older than Glynis and has a reputation among our kind as Vlad’s faithful Bride. Her testimony will weigh heavily against Glynis.” I laid my hand on her shoulder gently. “Laura, I must go and do what I can to save her.”

Grasping my hand, she pressed it to her cheek. “Ignatius, do not leave us! We need you! Do not go to that man! He will kill you! He will not help us!”

A sigh escaped my lips as I took her in my arms to console her. I could feel her slender form trembling as I held her. Whispering into her hair, I slid a tendril of power into her thoughts. “Be at peace, Laura. I shall return and rescue Glynis. Then we shall all be reunited.”

“What if he kills you? What if he betrays her? What if he decides to destroy all of us? I know what he is! Glynis told me! I fear him. I fear for you, Ignatius,” Laura uttered urgently.

I compelled her gently to calmness. “I shall return. I promise you this.”

The tension fled from her face as she sank against me, her hands against my chest. Her arm was now healed, only a ragged scar remaining where it had been torn from her body, and soon even the scar would fade. I gently stroked her hair, the silky tendrils sliding easily over the leather of my gloves. She was such a sweet child in her love for Glynis that my heart went out to her. Her youth, though a rapier of danger to our existence, delighted me. Slowly nodding, she slid from my embrace, understanding filling her eyes.

“This is truly our only hope, is it not?”

“Yes, I fear it is, Laura,” I answered.

Adem stepped forward, his hand reaching out to steady the young vampire. Tangled strands of hair fell about her face as she turned toward him, her hands clutched together at her breasts. “Adem, go with him.”

“It is best I go alone,” I said quietly. “When he rises, his anger will be fierce. If I am alone, it will be easier for me to contain him.”

“I can accompany you, though I am not certain if you can fly me there as well,” Adem offered.

“I do not intend to fly. The weather would make it difficult and it would take too long.” I donned my hat as I walked into the hallway, my hand resting against the hilt of my sword.

“You cannot mean-” Adem began in protest.

I turned sharply on my heel, regarding him coolly. “Yes. I do.”

“What? What is it?” Laura cried out.

“Astir. He plans to go to Astir,” Adem said worriedly.

Laura looked aghast. “Ignatius, hasn’t he refused your request already to help her escape?”

“I must. If I am to make the journey to the castle and return to save her, I must go to Astir.” I shook my head. “I have no choice.”

“Dealing with that creature is like dealing with the devil. Its silver tongue speaks no real truth and no true lie,” Adem warned. “I serve him, but I am aware of what my master is. He will use this to his advantage.”

“If he is unwilling to spirit her out of her imprisonment, then I need him to transport me to the castle.” In all my dealings with the creature, I always knew I had to tread carefully. I was as fallen from God as the angel, and Astir reveled in my disgrace.

Distraught, Laura reached out toward me, her slim fingers trembling. “Please, Ignatius, I cannot bear to lose you and Glynis both.”

I took her hand and pressed a kiss to it. “You will not.”

Unable to stay and witness her sorrow, I turned and moved swiftly down the hallway to the stairs that led down to the grand foyer, Adem and Laura pacing me. Magda stood in the hallway below. A look of fright was pressed onto her features as she waited near the front door, clutching my heavy coat.

“Please do not go, Father Ignatius,” she begged as I drew near.

“It is my only option.” I was weary of the argument though I completely understood their concern.

“He is such an evil man,” Magda sobbed as she cast the cloak over my shoulders.

As I fastened the clasp, I turned to regard the three: Glynis’s loving child, her wary guard, and faithful servant. I forced a reassuring smile upon my lips and said, “Do not fear. I shall return soon enough with the Countess. I swear it.”

“A priest, even a vampire one, should never swear on those things of which he is not certain,” Adem chastised me.

My smile faded in the face of this truth. “Then I shall do my best to make it certain.”

“That I do believe,” Adem said soberly.

Laura threw her arms about me, kissing my cheek, her bloody tears staining her delicate face, before drawing back into Magda’s arms.

Without another word, I turned and departed into the snowy night.

Letter from Father Ignatius to the Immortal Beloved of Vienna continued...

I realize, my dear mistress, that our dealings with Astir have not always been to the best result, but I felt I had no choice in the matter. You are far from here and Astir was my only hope. To save Glynis, I accept that I would have to risk losing her to Vlad. Never have I feared so much the outcome of a decision made in desperation...

“That you should come to my haven on a night such as this means only one thing,” Astir decided as he escorted me into an elegant study in his haven. The walls were a deep red and the furniture was gilded in gold. Paintings portraying the fall of man and Lucifer decorated the walls. Dressed in a red robe, his blond hair pulled back from his face into a cascade of curls, he had a devilish look about him.

“And what is that?” I stood before a painting of the Garden of Eden and watched as he poured himself a drink from a crystal decanter.

“Either you are going to beg me once again to use my power to rescue Glynis, which I will not do since I enjoy my haven being filled with the House of Gavril, or you plan to awaken Vlad Dracula,” he answered.

“I do plan to awaken him,” I confessed. “It is the only way. Cneajna’s words will weigh heavily against Glynis. We both know this.”

“And you will not launch an ill-conceived attack against the House of Gavril like so many others would if they were in your situation?”

“If I were to kill every single member of that house, it would not matter in the end. My own Mistress would come to kill me and Glynis for defying her. I will not risk our lives.”

“And you do not feel you are risking your life by awakening Vlad?”

“He cannot kill me.” My confidence seemed to startle Astir. I rather enjoyed the moment. “Though I was a priest, how often you forget that I am a very old, very powerful vampire in my own right. Though I do not often make grandiose plays of power, I am a man to be reckoned with.”

Astir laughed with delight. “You hide so well in your priest habit, sometimes I forget what a bastard you can be.”