Chapter 19

Darci woke feeling happy and refreshed. All the horror was behind her, and she and Will would make plans today; they would leave here to start a new life together. She stretched out, wriggling her toes, and then rolled over to snuggle up against Will. His side of the bed was empty; a desolate expanse of white sheet.

She abruptly sat up and looked around. The door to the bathroom stood open, so he wasn't in there. The light filtering in around the edge of the curtains told her it was still day. A digital clock on the bedside table confirmed it was 1:30pm. Perhaps he had gone to get her some food. That must be it. He'll be back soon with some lunch for me.

She got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom to take a shower. The water came out hot and strong, just the way she liked it, and she lingered there until the room was full of steam and she could no longer see her reflection in the mirror. She flicked the fan on to clear the condensation then towelled off.

She wandered back to the bedroom and picked up her clothes from the floor, slipping them on. She glanced at the clock. It was now nearly 2pm. He should have been back by now. She looked around for any sign of where he might have gone, her fingers fiddling with the buttons on her top. Then she saw the piece of paper lying in the middle of the desk.

She picked it up and began to read then put it down and looked away. When she turned back, it was still there, mocking her with its presence and shattering her dreams. She grabbed it and reread it slowly, hoping that somehow the words written on it had changed or that she had misunderstood. But they remained the same.

She had never seen Will's handwriting before, yet it was so obviously his, an elegant sloping copperplate that would have been beautiful if not for the message it contained.

My dearest Darci,

Last night was the most wonderful I have ever known, but any future for us together is doomed before it even begins.

I want you to live a normal, happy life; one without any need to fear. Draken will never stop hunting me now, and even if we are apart, he may try to use you again to draw me in.

I cannot let this happen because your life means more to me than my own. I am going to give myself up. Once Draken has me, he will have no further need of you and you will be safe. I can only hope I will not be unleashing too great an evil on the world in the process.

Do not regret my death. I think I have lived long enough now, and I am ready for it to end. You may feel I am being melodramatic and perhaps you are right, but my heart tells me what I am doing is for the best and I must trust in that.

I will love you until my dying breath.

Your

Will

She let the letter fall to the ground, crossing her arms and tucking her hands beneath them to try to stop them from shaking. She had to stop him, but what could she do? She sat down heavily on the bed, desperately trying to subdue her emotions so she could think rationally.

It was still daylight, so even if he was already at Draken's house, she still had several hours before anything could happen to him. Even then she was certain Draken would want to cruelly drag the moment out. Time was on her side, but she would still need help.

Thoughts whirled around in her mind, gradually slowing and rearranging themselves into the semblance of a plan. There was no guarantee that her idea would work, and she might be going to her death. But she had to try.

* * * *

Darci stood at the door and rang the bell. It had taken her a few minutes to find the house. She'd had to dig around in the recesses of her memory to find the street name, and after that, it had been a matter of walking up and down the street until one of the houses looked familiar. As the sound of the bell began to die away, the door opened.

"Oh, it's you." Liza's expression was blank, and neither her face nor the tone of her voice betrayed any hint of surprise.

"Can I speak to Stefan?"

Liza didn't answer, but she opened the door wider and turned back into the house. Darci stepped inside and shut the door behind her before following Liza down the corridor. The girl's top scooped low in the back, her pale skin ghostly white in the dimly lit hallway.

They entered a room, and Liza flopped into a chair, gesturing for Darci to do the same. "He knows you're here; he'll come soon."

Darci sat down tentatively, unable to relax. She kept her back rigid, and fidgeted with her hands in her lap. Liza made no further attempts at conversation, but every now and then, she caught the girl looking at her intently as if she wanted to speak yet was unsure how to begin.

A few minutes later, as Darci was growing more and more agitated, Stefan entered the room. He'd left off his historical attire of the other day in favour of something more modern: jeans and a t-shirt. He was still handsome, but somehow the clothes looked wrong on him, as if they and not the frockcoat were the costume.

"Miss Madison, to what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" Stefan sat down on the chair beside Liza, gathering her into his arms as he leant back against the cushions.

"It's Will," she said. "He's about to do something stupid, and we have to stop him." She held out the letter.

"Oh, we do, do we?" Stefan leant forward, and Liza slipped out from under his arm as he reached for the paper.

Darci waited as he scanned the letter, watching the expression on his face change: incredulous, aghast, annoyed, and then something that almost looked triumphal, but quickly disappeared.

"I'm sorry; I can't do anything. This is Will's decision, and it is not for me to interfere. What do you expect to do anyway? I suppose you want us to storm the castle and rescue the fair damsel, taking out any number of vampire guards in the process, and then killing Draken himself, hmm? Well, I can tell you now that it is impossible." He stood and approached her, offering a hand to help her up. "Go home, cherie."

"If you won't help me, I shall go alone." Darci ignored his hand, getting up on her own.

"It would be a great waste of beauty, but if that is your decision then I will say adieu." Stefan bowed and walked out of the room.

Darci followed, heading to the front door, fighting back the angry tears that welled up behind her eyes. She had wasted too much time, and it had all been for nothing. She wasn't even sure she could remember exactly where Draken's house was without a guide. She was halfway down the front path when she heard her name called softly and turned to see Liza coming out after her.

The girl scurried forward, casting the occasional glance back towards the house. She was clutching something in her hand that she now held out to Darci.

"Take this. Stefan made me wear it once when he took me to meet Draken. It has been blessed and is made of silver; it will protect you."

Darci looked down at the pendant. It was a silver Celtic cross engraved with runic markings hanging on a black silk ribbon.

"That's a Celtic spell for protection, protection from Draken specifically," Liza explained.

"Why are you here, with Stefan I mean?"

"I'm here because I love him. He loves me too in his way, though he hasn't admitted it to himself yet. One day he'll realise it. I can wait. Don't let my appearance fool you; he treats me well. That gruff exterior and nonchalance is really only for show. When we're alone he can be very tender." She glanced back at the house where the door still stood ajar. "I must go back. Good luck, I hope you find him."

"Thank you," Darci said, slipping the pendant over her head.

Liza ran back up the pathway, turning as she reached the door and calling out to Darci. "By the way, I don't know the number, but the house is on Old Mount Barker Road." Before Darci had time to offer further thanks, Liza had slunk inside and closed the door.