Read Online A Dance in Blood Velvet by Freda Warrington - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Freda Warrington
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sucked hungrily.
“Feeding her.”
“Hasn’t she already taken enough from you? Why?”
“It’s Katerina,” said Karl.
Charlotte and Ilona both gaped. Karl felt weakness weighing him down. He knew he should stop while he could still move, but he was transfixed by Katerina’s ruined face, by the way her pain lessened as his increased. Pinkness crept into her cheeks. Then Ilona swore in German, and began to laugh.
“Christ!” she said. “I might have known! She always led a charmed life, didn’t she? I wonder how she pulled this trick?”
Charlotte closed her hand on Ilona’s arm. “Don’t,” she said. Her voice was quiet, but her subduing effect on Ilona was - to Karl - unique and astonishing. “Karl, please stop feeding her. She’ll kill you.”
“How?” asked Karl. “If only it were that easy for us to die.” He pulled his wrist from Katerina’s lips and pressed his thumb to the wound until it began to heal. Then he took off his coat and covered Katerina’s pathetic form. She uttered faint moans. There was no intelligence in her eyes.
“It is Katerina, without doubt,” said Ilona, bending closer. “What happened? Where did she come from?”
“We found her drifting as if dead,” said Karl. “I didn’t know her at first. When I touched her, she attacked me. But, Ilona, why were you there?”
She glanced at him with her large dark eyes, looked away. “I am often near you, Father. I dislike entering the Ring, but every time I’m there I feel something... not right. I considered asking if you’d noticed the same, but I’d hate you to think I have such fancies.”
“You should have told us,” said Karl. “You know I would take you seriously. What was it you felt?”
Ilona’s lips thinned; she loathed admitting to feelings that weren’t flippant or callous. “Other vampires around me. Too many. And what was Katerina doing, floating like a dead fish in a tank, when we thought she was in the Weisskalt?”
“I don’t know whether to be relieved or disturbed that my own visions were real,” said Karl. “I wish I had an answer, Ilona.”
“What are you going to do,” said Charlotte, “about Katerina?”
“Cut off her head,” said Ilona. “Put her out of her misery. She can’t survive.”
“Why not?” Karl said sharply. “I brought you out of the Weisskalt, and you survived.”
“Yes, but I’d been there only a few days. She was there for forty years! Look at her!”
“I will not destroy her.” Karl said evenly.
“God,” Ilona muttered, raising her eyes at the sky.
“Are you going to help me or not?” said Karl.
Even Charlotte looked reluctant. Drawing back, she said, “What can we possibly do?”
“She needs human blood. She’s drawn so much from me that I’ve no strength left to enter the Crystal Ring at present. Even if I could, Katerina’s far too weak to go back in. So, first we must find out where we are.”
“Somewhere in Austria or Switzerland,” said Ilona. “Isn’t that specific enough?”
Karl ignored her. “We’ll arrange a place to meet. Charlotte, you can go through the Crystal Ring and bring a motor car; go home and bring ours, or hire one; whatever is quickest. Meanwhile Ilona and I will feed Katerina. Then we’ll take her home.”
* * *
“Can you enter the Crystal Ring for long enough to take her through a wall?” Ilona asked.
“I doubt it,” said Karl. They stood in a valley with mountains rising around them, dawn lightening the shadows to steel-mauve. A spring thaw patched the snow with green. He held Katerina against him, wrapped in his coat; she was like a wax mannequin, her head drooping against his shoulder, her hair cobwebby like an old man’s.
“We’ll do it the easy way, then.” Ilona pointed to a farmhouse sitting snugly in the valley. “I’ll enter first and let you in. The inhabitants won’t put up a fight. Can you sense them?”
Karl felt little discs of warmth touching him. He was drowsy, and
“Feeding her.”
“Hasn’t she already taken enough from you? Why?”
“It’s Katerina,” said Karl.
Charlotte and Ilona both gaped. Karl felt weakness weighing him down. He knew he should stop while he could still move, but he was transfixed by Katerina’s ruined face, by the way her pain lessened as his increased. Pinkness crept into her cheeks. Then Ilona swore in German, and began to laugh.
“Christ!” she said. “I might have known! She always led a charmed life, didn’t she? I wonder how she pulled this trick?”
Charlotte closed her hand on Ilona’s arm. “Don’t,” she said. Her voice was quiet, but her subduing effect on Ilona was - to Karl - unique and astonishing. “Karl, please stop feeding her. She’ll kill you.”
“How?” asked Karl. “If only it were that easy for us to die.” He pulled his wrist from Katerina’s lips and pressed his thumb to the wound until it began to heal. Then he took off his coat and covered Katerina’s pathetic form. She uttered faint moans. There was no intelligence in her eyes.
“It is Katerina, without doubt,” said Ilona, bending closer. “What happened? Where did she come from?”
“We found her drifting as if dead,” said Karl. “I didn’t know her at first. When I touched her, she attacked me. But, Ilona, why were you there?”
She glanced at him with her large dark eyes, looked away. “I am often near you, Father. I dislike entering the Ring, but every time I’m there I feel something... not right. I considered asking if you’d noticed the same, but I’d hate you to think I have such fancies.”
“You should have told us,” said Karl. “You know I would take you seriously. What was it you felt?”
Ilona’s lips thinned; she loathed admitting to feelings that weren’t flippant or callous. “Other vampires around me. Too many. And what was Katerina doing, floating like a dead fish in a tank, when we thought she was in the Weisskalt?”
“I don’t know whether to be relieved or disturbed that my own visions were real,” said Karl. “I wish I had an answer, Ilona.”
“What are you going to do,” said Charlotte, “about Katerina?”
“Cut off her head,” said Ilona. “Put her out of her misery. She can’t survive.”
“Why not?” Karl said sharply. “I brought you out of the Weisskalt, and you survived.”
“Yes, but I’d been there only a few days. She was there for forty years! Look at her!”
“I will not destroy her.” Karl said evenly.
“God,” Ilona muttered, raising her eyes at the sky.
“Are you going to help me or not?” said Karl.
Even Charlotte looked reluctant. Drawing back, she said, “What can we possibly do?”
“She needs human blood. She’s drawn so much from me that I’ve no strength left to enter the Crystal Ring at present. Even if I could, Katerina’s far too weak to go back in. So, first we must find out where we are.”
“Somewhere in Austria or Switzerland,” said Ilona. “Isn’t that specific enough?”
Karl ignored her. “We’ll arrange a place to meet. Charlotte, you can go through the Crystal Ring and bring a motor car; go home and bring ours, or hire one; whatever is quickest. Meanwhile Ilona and I will feed Katerina. Then we’ll take her home.”
* * *
“Can you enter the Crystal Ring for long enough to take her through a wall?” Ilona asked.
“I doubt it,” said Karl. They stood in a valley with mountains rising around them, dawn lightening the shadows to steel-mauve. A spring thaw patched the snow with green. He held Katerina against him, wrapped in his coat; she was like a wax mannequin, her head drooping against his shoulder, her hair cobwebby like an old man’s.
“We’ll do it the easy way, then.” Ilona pointed to a farmhouse sitting snugly in the valley. “I’ll enter first and let you in. The inhabitants won’t put up a fight. Can you sense them?”
Karl felt little discs of warmth touching him. He was drowsy, and
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