Fortress of Blood (Mina Murray Book 2) Read online

  Fortress of Blood

  Book Two of the Mina Murray series

  L.D. Goffigan

  Fortress of Blood

  Mina and her allies have found the Transylvanian countryside dotted with empty villages and rife with whispers of monsters who wear human skin. As she prepares for the final showdown with her fiance's abductors, the last descendants of the supernatural Draculesti family, she discovers her own shocking connection to the hidden world of vampires...

  A suspenseful retelling of a classic tale, FORTRESS OF BLOOD is the second book of the Mina Murray series.

  Copyright © 2017 by L.D. Goffigan

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Cover Design by Damonza

  Created with Vellum

  “And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.”

  –– Genesis 9:7

  1

  The Order

  “No,” Anara said, barely containing her fury as she shot to her feet. “Radu has given you the information you need. We will not ally with humans.”

  I stood in Radu Draculesti’s gilded drawing room opposite Anara, with Abraham Van Helsing and Jack Seward hovering behind me. Radu and my half-brother Gabriel were still seated, looking at us with quiet astonishment.

  I had just proposed to Radu that we work together to defeat the vampires who had abducted my fiancé, Jonathan Harker . . . vampires that happened to be his biological children. Vlad Draculesti and his sister Ilona were not only responsible for Jonathan’s abduction, but other abductions and murders occurring all around Europe as well. We needed to stop them, and the only way to do so was to work together.

  I was hardly surprised at Anara’s protest—she seemed to hate me the moment she laid eyes on me. Ignoring her protest, I kept my gaze trained firmly on Radu.

  “Anara, please,” Radu said, frowning at her. “If it were not for my cowardice . . . if I had just forced myself to kill Vlad years ago . . .”

  His voice trailed off, dipping with regret, but Anara interrupted him.

  “You told me we were done with this fight!”

  “I was in denial, my love. I have known that I would one day be forced to confront my children. It seems that day has come. I can no longer close my eyes to what is happening.”

  Anara vibrated with fury, but she turned and vanished from the room in a flash of movement. The tension dissipated with her departure, and I instantly felt more at ease. Yet I still found it hard to believe that we were even in the presence of vampires—I’d been in denial about their very existence for years.

  Only days ago, Abe had approached me on the street in London, and then at a society ball, warning me that the mysterious murders all over Europe were linked to a creature we had encountered in Transylvania—a vampire. I’d refused to believe him; it seemed impossible, but when my fiancé was abducted before my very eyes at the same ball by vampires, I could no longer deny what was happening. We had set out from London, determined to track down and destroy the creatures who had abducted my fiancé and bring him home.

  But along the way, our train had derailed on the way to Transylvania, and in the aftermath, I discovered the existence of my half-brother Gabriel, a human-vampire hybrid whose very existence revealed that my mother kept more secrets than my father ever had. Gabriel had brought us here to Budapest to meet Radu for answers . . . of which he had many.

  “Are there others who would be willing to fight with us?” I asked Radu, forcing my mind back to the present. “You told us of a group that was sent to kill Vlad—an order. Who were they?”

  Radu was still staring at the doorway, distracted by Anara’s departure. It took him several moments to respond.

  “Members of the Order of the Dragon,” he replied, his dark eyes finally sliding back to mine. “It was an order formed in the Middle Ages. An alliance between ancient vampire families and some trusted humans to maintain order amongst our kind, and to keep our existence hidden from humans. But there has not been an official meeting in over twenty years. After all that has happened, I suspect the surviving members want nothing more to do with the war. But,” he added, when my face fell, “there may be some who are still willing to fight. There is someone here in Budapest who may be willing to join us.”

  “Matyas?” Gabriel asked with a frown. “He loathes humans. He can barely tolerate me.”

  “He hates Vlad more, and he wants to see him destroyed,” Radu replied. Though his tone was calm, it was edged by steel. “He could be a useful ally.”

  “Who is Matyas?” Seward asked.

  “The leader of the vampires here in Budapest,” Radu answered. “Like my daughter, he is . . . distrustful of humans. I will need to speak with him before introducing you.”

  It seemed as if Gabriel wanted to protest, but he remained silent. I was apprehensive at the thought of being introduced to yet another hostile vampire. Anara had nearly killed us. What would this Matyas do?

  “I will not allow him to harm you,” Radu said, as if reading my mind. “As my guests, he will be expressly forbidden to do so. Matyas may not like humans, but he will not harm you without provocation.”

  I glanced over at Abe and Seward, who gave me quick nods of assent.

  “All right,” I agreed.

  Radu excused himself to contact Matyas, offering us his guest rooms to rest in until he sent for us.

  “Radu and other vampires can fight Vlad on their own. I can still escort you all back to England,” Gabriel said, as he led us out of the drawing room and up the stairs to the guest rooms.

  I tensed. I had grown weary of frequently being told to return to England without Jonathan. I opened my mouth to protest, but Seward interjected.

  “Don’t bother trying to persuade her. I’ve already made the same suggestion.”

  “She’s not going back to England without Jonathan,” Abe added, echoing my earlier statement. “You don’t know your sister yet—she can be quite stubborn. Her decision has been made since we left London.”

  Gabriel frowned, scrutinizing my determined features, but he said nothing.

  When we reached the guest rooms on the second floor, Abe asked Gabriel if he could question him further about his abilities while we waited. Abe’s scientific curiosity about vampires had only increased since being in direct contact with them, and he looked so comically delighted when Gabriel agreed that Seward and I smiled at each other behind his back, and the earlier friction dissipated.

  “You should rest, Abe,” I chided, my smile fading as I thought of the injury he had sustained during the train derailment on our journey here. “Your wound still needs—”

  “The wound is healing expeditiously,” Abe said, waving off my concerns. “I am fine, Mina. There is no need to worry about me.”

  They continued down the hall. I was tempted to join them, but fatigue had settled into my limbs like a heavy weight, and I knew I needed to have my wits about me if we were to have a discussion with Matyas.

  Like the drawing room, my room was fit for a noble or an aristocrat, with a large bed, a fireplace, and more oriental rugs. I curled up on top of the lush covers of the bed, forcibly clearing my mind of my turbulent thoughts, and I managed to drift off into a restless sleep.

  “If you
feel you are in danger, leave immediately. I will protect you,” Gabriel said to us in a low voice as we all descended the stairs two hours later. I’d just been awoken by Gabriel, and was still groggy from my nap. I had to struggle to concentrate on his words. “Long ago, Matyas’ whole family was killed by overzealous humans. He holds human life in no high regard.”

  “Christ,” Seward swore. “Why does Radu think he’ll work with us?”

  “Because Radu hopes he will put his hatred of humans aside to help destroy Vlad.”

  To my surprise, Anara was waiting for us at the base of the stairs. She wore a dress of dark purple silk and lace paired with a black cloak, her skin gleaming in the shadowy entrance hall. She looked the part of a mythic creature straight out of some dark fairy tale.

  “Come,” she said, turning to lead us down the entrance hall to a door at the opposite end. She pushed open the door, and it swung open to reveal a set of stairs leading to a massive cellar. There was a lit lantern perched in a wall holder, and she lifted it out before leading us down the stairs; the light from her lantern casting ominous shadows around the darkened cellar as we entered.

  She led us to another door, which opened onto a long winding corridor. I had heard of the extensive cave system that ran beneath the Buda Hills, but I didn’t know that they were linked to homes. Though the corridor that lie ahead of us was man made—with its stacked bricks and slots for torches—the ancient underground caves it was carved into had been made by nature.

  We entered, walking down the corridor for so long that I became nervous wondering exactly where Anara was taking us, until she abruptly turned into a cavernous room that must have once been a torture chamber with long, rusty metal cages, a fractured wooden rack, and several claw-like metal contraptions chained to its brick walls. It was lit by several ancient torches, which gave the room an eerie glow.

  Radu stood in the center of the room, next to another vampire whom I assumed was Matyas. Matyas was as tall as the other vampires in the room, with pale, angular features and icy blue eyes that gave him the appearance of a wolf in human form. He scrutinized each of us, his cold gaze lingering on me.

  Matyas approached us, stopping when he was only a foot away, his lips curling back in a derisive sneer.

  “A human woman. You believe that you can defeat Vlad?” he asked, his eyes trained on me, his words tinged with a strange accent that I did not recognize.

  “I–I don’t think we can defeat him alone,” I said, forcing the words past my lips, which had gone stiff with fear. There was a violence that simmered beneath the surface of this vampire—a violence that even Anara didn’t possess. “I know that we have the same desire to destroy them. That’s why we wish to make an alliance.”

  “I do not trust humans,” Matyas declared, turning back to Radu. “You know this. Their fear rules them; even now I can smell it all over them. I want nothing to do with the fight amongst vampires. It is futile. My followers in the city have already agreed. We have lost too many.”

  “You said you would consider their request,” Radu said tightly.

  “Do you not smell their fear? They would not hesitate to turn on us—to take up arms with other humans against us. The human woman can barely contain her fear and hatred for our kind.”

  “I don’t deny that I fear you,” I said, desperation forcing the words from my lips. Matyas whirled back to face me, his eyes narrowing as I continued. “Surely, you can’t blame me for being fearful of vampires? Vlad killed my father before my very eyes. But my desire to save my fiancé is greater than my fear, I assure you. Just as your hatred for Vlad must be stronger than your hatred for us.”

  Silence followed my words. Matyas’ eyes remained on me for a disconcertingly long moment, but I was becoming accustomed to the long looks of vampires, and I evenly held his gaze.

  “I will not join this fight,” he repeated, turning from me to address Radu. “Your wayward children are not my concern.”

  “I accept my responsibility for Vlad—and Ilona,” Radu bit out. “But I have wallowed in my regret for too long. They are bringing destruction to both the human and vampire world. Now is the time to end them.”

  “My decision stands,” Matyas said, not at all swayed by Radu’s argument.

  Radu straightened to his full height, taking a challenging step towards Matyas.

  “I will not forget this,” he hissed. “You have turned your back on your own kind out of cowardice.”

  Matyas snarled, a sound that was terrifyingly monstrous, and I instinctively took a step back. The imminent threat of violence in the room was palpable, and Gabriel moved to stand in front of us as Anara hurried to her father’s side. Radu didn’t flinch as Matyas drew closer to him.

  “I am far older and stronger than you. I could kill you where you stand,” Matyas seethed. “I will not stand for such insults.”

  “Matyas,” Anara said with forced cordialness, moving forward to step between the two vampires. “We accept your decision. There is no need for deyaner.”

  I did not recognize the strange word, but I noticed that all the vampires in the room froze at its mention. After a tense moment, Matyas backed away from Radu, though his eyes were still raging with fury.

  “Leave now or I will not be restrained.”

  “Radu . . . the decision has been made. Let’s take our leave,” Anara said, gripping Radu’s arm.

  Radu glared at Matyas before allowing Anara to lead him from the room. Gabriel ushered us out after them, shadowing us as we left the room. But I chanced one last glance back as we left, and I saw that Matyas was regarding me with an expression alight with a strange sort of . . . recognition.

  2

  The Land Beyond The Forest

  “Matyas received the Blood during the height of the witch hunts,” Radu said. “He has seen the very worst of human nature, and he cannot look past it.”

  We had returned from the caverns and now sat gathered around the table in an opulent dining room over a meal of paprika hendl. Radu still looked tense from the confrontation with Matyas, his brow furrowed into an anxious frown.

  “Are there are any others who will help us?” Abe asked.

  “There is a small fortified village of vampires near Klausenburgh, in Transylvania,” Radu said. “Their leader is quite reasonable; she has always been against violence towards humans. If they are still there, I believe they will join us. It would also be a good place for us to prepare for the attack on my son’s fortress. If there is time, they can even train you.”

  “Train the humans?” Anara’s words were sharp with incredulity.

  “If they are to storm a fortress filled with vampires, they will need to be trained on how to fight them . . . even with other vampires protecting them,” Radu replied, unperturbed by her tone. “Who better to train them to fight vampires than vampires themselves?”

  “You’ve already agreed to ally with them,” Anara objected. “Now you want to teach them how to destroy us!”

  “In this fight we are on the same side, child,” Radu said, leveling her with a hard look. “You do not have to join us.”

  “Radu, I must insist—”

  “I will not repeat myself, nor will I argue with you,” Radu interrupted. Anara went rigid, and I thought that she would once again storm from the room. Instead, she looked down at the table, folding her shaking hands into her lap.

  “There is a village of only vampires? Are there many of these villages?” Abe asked. He was unaffected by the tension between Radu and Anara, and had taken out his journal, furiously scribbling down notes. “How old is Matyas? How old can vampires become?”

  “I am aware of at least seven such villages. Vampires who dislike the ruckus of large human populations prefer them. It is easier for us to live in cities without notice, but not in smaller human villages,” Radu answered. “Vampires are ageless . . . it is only by force or choice that we die. Matyas is one of the oldest vampires I know. He has nearly four hundred years.”

/>   Even though Radu had already indicated Matyas’ great age and I had sensed it from the vampire himself, I was still rattled with astonishment. Matyas had been alive since the fifteenth century. I recalled the coldness in his eyes, the immediate distrust when he looked at us. How much human cruelty had he seen over the centuries? How much had he personally experienced? It was no surprise that he did not trust us.

  I told Radu about the vampires in the clearing; the strange language they spoke and the fact that they had left me alive.

  “The language is our ancient tongue,” Radu replied. “I do not know—”

  “A language?” Abe interrupted, his eyes going wide as he jotted something down in his journal.

  “Long ago, we lived in complete isolation from humans, and we developed our own tongue. There are not many who speak it now that we live among humans—those who do are very old, or have learned it from their elders. I know some words, but my knowledge is not extensive. I do not know why they left you alive, but I am grateful that you were spared.”

  “What about Ghyslaine?” I asked.

  Radu frowned with confusion, and I told him of the word the vampires spoke to me in the clearing, and Vlad’s whisper to me on Westminster Bridge.

  “I am surprised my son seems to be aware of the word . . . it is not familiar to me,” Radu said, still frowning. “I am still young for a vampire, merely in my hundred and tenth year. But an older vampire may recognize it. We will come across them in Transylvania.”

  A sharp stab of disappointment pierced me at his response. I had so many questions and was hungry for answers, especially this particular one; I knew there had to be some crucial information I was missing. Ghyslaine, whatever the word meant, had to be a vital clue.

  Despite my lack of an appetite, I forced myself to eat, first taking a sip of the slivovitz—a sweet sort of brandy Gabriel told me was made from plums. The meal was as delicious as it smelled, and my stomach rumbled in satisfied appreciation when I began to eat.