Blueblood 4: Dracula - 11. Lessons Begin

Dragon shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why does he protect these…things?” He asked Amasis as he waved at the Old Ones.

Amasis smiled and nodded. “Devon is a unique person. He has compassion for everyone.” He waved at the Old Ones, “including these creatures.”

“But they aren’t human.” Dragon said.

As a vampire, I had acute hearing and I walked over. “Yes, they are. George told you, there were creatures made for men using something to change them into something they can use. Their mothers and fathers were human.” I corrected. “But why did you not kill them when you found them when you found them?”

Dragon was not prepared for this question. “I wanted to understand them.” He said slowly.

“Were you keeping them alive to use?” I asked. “They are formidable killers.”

Dragon frowned. “Perhaps to humans, but they threatened the people and I had to do something and stop their killing. They are no threat to me or the rest of us. Why would I kill them?”

I nodded. “Were they ever used to kill any people for you?”

Dragon gave as a shrug and nod. “Not any locals, but…there were a few…they claimed to be soldiers of another power. They were a threat. I questioned them and they didn’t tell me the truth. I did what I said I would.”

I nodded. “You had to follow through.”

“Yes.” Dragon nodded. “I’m nothing if I’m not a man of my word.”

I smiled. “The enemy is very much like a child. You must be firm, but unyielding.”

Dragon looked puzzled. “You understand what I did and why?”

I nodded. “And from what I’ve read, I know why.” I waved toward Gaius. “At first, I thought he was…” I looked at Dragon, “…well…you!”

Dragon nodded. “Our paths were the same in the past.” He looked at Gaius. “He was one of my military leaders. His brother was taken by the Sultan as well, just like my brother was.”

I nodded. “Radu.”

Dragon nodded. “You know of him?”

“What’s recorded in history; yes,” I said.

He looked away. “When we were faced with the Ottoman forces, Gaius stood by my side and fought. We were united for Wallachia against these brutes.”

I nodded again as I got closer to Dragon. He was now less intimidating. In fact, I could see he had a charm; a powerful draw to himself. “You have this…presence I felt.” The picture I saw of Vlad Dracul was crude and done before artists got many of the features right. He and Gaius did look similar, dark hair, which on Dragon was a little longer than I liked on men, but he was clearly a warrior in his build. Was he handsome? He was appealing, but I had Colin and there was no comparison.

Dragon nodded with a chuckle. “It is a talent I possess. I was told my father had it and I always had it and I taught a little of it to Gaius.”

“Which is why I thought he was you.” I smiled.

“This…Inter…net fascinates me.” Dragon pointed to my laptop I had folded under my arm. “Can anyone learn to use this…magic?”

I held the computer up. “It’s for everyone,” I said simply and nodded. “Anyone can access and use it,” I said. “It’s not magic. It’s science. I’d be happy to show you how to use it, there are cautions I should explain, but it’s pretty easy. Almost anything you want to know is in here. Only, there are people that lie on it, just like everyone can.” This version of Dracula didn’t have the techno-savvy other characters who portrayed him possessed.

Dragon smiled. “They always do.” He nodded but looked at me. “Do you lie?”

I shook my head. “I never do on purpose. Unless they ask me something I don’t think they need to know. I normally just don’t answer their questions or tell them I won’t answer. Lies are hard, you have to keep up with what you said to whom and keep it straight. Truth doesn’t require that much effort. It just is.” I shrugged. “To lie you have to keep up with it...”

Dragon chuckled and looked over at George who was talking with Burke privately. “Can he…” he looked at me, “…cure us?”

I looked at Dragon. “If anyone can, I believe he can. He’s a very smart man.”

Amasis nodded and came closer to us. “Devon is correct. George is very smart. The world changed the millennia that passed for me. I know it did for you. Our problem is we haven’t changed. To go forward, we have to be willing to change.”

Dragon shook his head. “You have the means, why not just do what you need to? Why do you come to me?”

“You don’t know who you are?” I smiled at him.

“I most certainly know who I am.” He said asking me as if to ask how dense did I think he was.

“You know who you are.” I chuckled. “I meant; do you know who you are to the world? What you are?”

Dragon nodded. “I know there are stories out there about me. That Irishman…Bram Whatever…and that wrote that book that was supposed to be me, but wasn’t.”

I tapped some keys and brought up a bunch of websites on Dracula. “But you have been linked with this story. You became something of a legend because of it; a myth.”

Site after site began to come up, showing various sites to see and read information about both Vlad Dracul and Dracula.

“What technology are you familiar with?” I asked Dragon.

“I know of electricity and I was told about telephones and those moving pictures.” Dragon said.

“You have a lot of catch-up learning to do.” I chuckled. “What language do you feel the most comfortable with?”

Dragon frowned. “I speak several, I can speak English.”

“Of course you can, but just speak to me in the language you prefer.” I pointed my computer as I hit the key for the Delkenzie program and activated the program. “He will translate this to a language you prefer.”

“He?” Dragon looked uncertain at the computer but did as I asked and spoke several paragraphs of conversation. I looked at the screen as it went through its languages. Dragon watched as the screen changed and became a language I did not know as the text on the screen changed. I divided the screen so I could read it in English.

I nodded. “You speak a form of Old Romanian…” I grinned reading what the Delkenzie program worked out. “…no, it’s saying that it is Balkan Latin…” I shrugged. “…That’s Vulgar Latin. Daco-Romanian?”

Dragon watched as his eyes widened as he watched the computer work and came up with a language that he could easily read. He backed away a little frightened. “This is magic!”

I held my hand up and took his arm to stop him from backing away. “In a way…yes…it’s the magic of science. There are reasons for everything you see and read. You know about telephones…is it magic for you to be able to speak here and be heard by someone else somewhere else, be it another house or even another country as you speak and they hear you like you’re standing next to them?” I frowned. “You are a smart man and I’m treating you like a smart man. You’ve been out of this cave haven’t you?”

Dragon nodded. “At night.”

“The houses and streets are lit; there are cars and things that fly now. You’ve seen them, haven’t you?”

Dragon nodded. “I didn’t understand any of it, but yes.”

I thought quickly how to explain this. “Well…the best explanation is…you’ve seen lightning during a storm.”

Dragon nodded. “Of course.”

I tapped the computer. “We have a way now of using the power of that lightning to have this…” There was no other word I could think of that he’d understand,” “…magic. It is science, not magic and there is a lengthy explanation I can give, but trust me…it’s not black magic. It just works. I’d be happy to help you through all of it to understand, but right now…” I said looking at him. “Using this power, we have this.” I held the computer up. “It is what George uses to research and help find the cure for us. This is a device we use to keep things straight and in order. It won’t harm you. It is a tool.” I said. “Understand?”

Dragon nodded and came a little closer again, but not really certain.

Colin walked up to us. “That was another reason I thought we should get together. We have to!” He said putting his hand on my shoulder. “We were forced to go into the darkness…to hide.” He waved at his earpiece and then the computer. “So much has changed in the world. If we don’t find a way to stay together and be a part of this world, we will be left behind…we will die. I want more for us.”

I pulled the computer up again. “There are many places to find information and there are so many that followed…other stories by other writers about vampires and other stories that are just fanciful and full of things we are supposed to be able to do…” I looked at Dragon. “You can’t disappear in a cloud of smoke can you? Or defy gravity as you climb walls or be upside down on a ceiling or change into a wolf, can you?”

“No. Of course, I can’t.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Now, I understand.” He was beginning to get a little angry, but not at us. “Lucian was always asking about the things we can do. He wanted me to teach him our ways…I never knew just what he was talking about.” He waved at a site page. “Can I read this one?” He pointed to a headline.

I pulled it up and handed Dragon the computer. “To read more, push this button,” I said.

Dragon read and did what I said. It was a few minutes to an hour more and he was getting angrier the more he read. He handed me the computer again. “These are all just stories!” He claimed as he thought. “It is so much nonsense!” He waved again at the computer. “Even the parts I read about what I did that supposed to be part of history…a lot of things are not remotely what I did!”

“History has a tendency to be biased on the side of the victor. It’s like the tale of the fish you almost caught. It gets bigger with the telling of the story.” Colin said.

Dragon nodded as he was now starting to understand more. “I thought Lucian was not telling the whole truth about you.”

Colin frowned. “What do you mean?”

Dragon waved back at the chamber he’d left Lucian and Iilya in. “He wanted me to kill you.” Dragon said looking at us. “He said you were a threat to us.” Dragon waved his arms out as he thought. “I have no problem killing anyone, but…” he turned quickly to us, “I kill for a reason! Every man I have killed was for a reason!”

Colin nodded. “And killing us would be for no reason?”

“Maybe there was a reason, but not one I understood.” Dragon said. “I’m not going kill because someone said to!”

“But you left Lucian and Iilya out there,” I said pointing the chamber we left. “You said to remain there…do you think they are?”

Dragon was suddenly in motion and headed back to where we’d come from. The other vampires there with us stood back and let him pass just staring at him.

Colin motioned for Mark and Burke to follow. “We’d better check on this.”

George nodded and looked to the other vampires. “Please don’t let these two Old Ones go. They hold the secret to us becoming human again.” He said quickly and followed us as we went back.

We got to the chamber and neither Lucian or Iilya were still there. Dragon was standing as his breathing had gotten faster and he seemed like he was fuming. He was barking something in a language the Delkenzie Program translated as questions about where Lucian and Iilya were and how long they had been gone. The two vampires there relayed what they knew, saying they had both left a while ago, almost as soon as Dragon led us to the Old Ones and our men.

Dragon turned and even with his vampire eyes, he was indeed very angry. I have to say, now he was scary. “They defied me!?”

Colin walked over toward Dragon. “It’s after sunrise. Where would they go?” He asked. “They haven’t gotten the serum yet so they can’t be out.”

Dragon thought and shook his head. “There are numerous caves and military bunkers to use. They could be anywhere.” He looked at Gaius. “You can’t be in the sun yet, can you?”

Gaius shook his head. “I have a few more doses to get.”

Colin looked at Dragon’s angry face. “We have two like Devon and me…my daughter is one that can track. If we have a scent, we can’t follow them.”

George shrugged. “Fortunately, I hid some and have your next dose here, Gaius.” He said holding up a vial. “It’s late, but we can still give it.”

I looked at Dragon. “We can go in the sun,” I said. “He’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the sunrise, but we can get him on schedule. You can see what we intend to do. We’ll find them.”

Dragon was still angry but nodded. “Fine.”

We gave Gaius his dose and now that was observed by Dragon. Even he had a reaction to Gaius’ pain.

“It hurts each time?” Dragon asked.

George nodded. “But only for a while.” He explained. “A few more doses and I insert a form of concentrated serum under the skin. There is no pain then.” He looked at Colin. “What about Nicolae?”

Colin looked at George. “Does Lucian know about Nicolae? I mean, does he know that Gaius has a son?”

George shrugged. “He probably knows Gaius has a son, but I never told Lucian about the possible antivenin or antibody. I need to study more about that antibody.” He sighed. “I just know Nicolae’s the key!”

Colin nodded at what George told him. “I’ll let Stan know.” He looked at Mark. “When we go back, we will go to Nicolae’s house first, but he should be okay. We’ve got a small army to protect him and his family.”

Mark nodded. “I’ll bet Stan has bitten all his nails down worrying about me.” He smiled. “I told him I was fine.”

I grinned. “Telling him is one thing. Seeing you is another. He’ll be better when he sees for himself you are fine.”

Dragon had been watching us. “So, he is with this man? This Stan?”

I turned and nodded. “He is.” I wondered how he would receive this news.

“And you are with Colin? George is with the man you call Burke?” Dragon asked as he sorted it out in his head.

Colin nodded putting his arm around my shoulders. “Is that a problem?”

Dragon shook his head. “No, not for me…but…the world must really have changed. You two are married?” He pointed to me and Colin.

“We are.” Colin nodded.

“There is a problem,” I said to Dragon.

Dragon shrugged. “As long as I’ve lived, it’s nothing new. Don’t misunderstand. I don’t care. Men have often loved men in the past and as far as I have read from history, they always have…few, but they are.” He shrugged. “They just don’t marry, but you are.”

I nodded with a smile. “It’s been a long uphill battle and not every country lets us marry, but where we’re from, it’s allowed and there are countries that allow it,” I remembered what I’d read about his brother. “He didn’t seduce me as a child if you’re worried about that. Like the Sultan did with Radu, if that’s what you’re wondering about.”

Dragon frowned but nodded. “The problem with that was Radu had no choice, but giving in the Sultan was…just done.”

“Pedophilia is a problem today, as well,” I said. “Some humans can have twisted desires and always will.”

George was watching as Gaius went through his pain. “What do Lucian and Iilya want? What is it that they think they can do with being a vampire?”

“Power.” Dragon said simply.

I knew what they were after. “They want what the movies and stories said we are to have. We aren’t the undead. I’m not dead and neither are you.” I said to Dragon and shrugged. “They want that ability to change into the smoke and defy gravity. They want to have that hypnotic effect that Dragon has naturally.”

“Hypnotic?” Dragon asked.

“It’s done by others that aren’t vampires,” I explained. “You do have charisma like many leaders have.” I chuckled. “They don’t have anything as powerful as you do, but you have it.”

Dragon thought. “What can I do?” He didn’t understand what I meant.

“It’s not a bad thing,” I said. “It’s a talent you have that causes people to give in to what you say. They want to be with you and follow your words.”

Dragon nodded as he understood now. “Vraja.”

The translator told me he used a word for magic spell in Romanian. I nodded. “Yes, it is kind of a magic spell. Regular people have that ability and leaders, in particular, can do it very well.” I frowned. “Hitler had it.”

“I know this name.” Dragon literally spat the name. “The soldiers for this leader are the men I gave to those odd ones. The ones you call the Old Ones. They became a vampire I didn’t want to keep from the Old Ones’ bite.”

“Anyone else?” Colin asked.

“Others like Iilya.” Dragon said shrugging. “Very sure of the fact they were superior to everyone else…Russian…KGB?”

I nodded. “This was a few decades ago?”

Dragon nodded. “Four or five. They became something wild, unable to speak and…just wild.”

“Who bit Iilya?” Colin asked.

“Lucian.” Dragon said grumbling. “He claimed that Iilya was bitten in defense, he was protecting himself and Iilya’s survival was an accident.”

“Now you don’t think it was an accident?” I asked.

“I think Lucian was creating followers of his own.” Dragon said. “I have for a while.”

Colin looked at his watch. “Gaius will be waking soon.” He turned to George. “You need to take Burke and Mark back. Get something from Eva for Gaius to eat and bring it back. We’ll do the sunrise thing tomorrow morning.”

“We gave Eva the day off,” George said.

“We gave her the day off yesterday.” Colin corrected with a grin. “She should be there now. We’ll get another CPU and get a place with more power and you, George, can start again with the serum and this antibody thing.”

George nodded with a smile. “Well, I have others with the venom in their blood and no serum. That will help.” He looked at Dragon. “I can have some of your blood, can’t I?”

Dragon looked puzzled but nodded. “If it helps.”

George nodded and slapped Dragon on the arm. “It will!” He looked at me. “And you need to start working on those Old Ones.” He grinned. “You got Gizmo to like you; maybe you can get those two to like you, too!”

I found out that Dragon had caught one of the Old Ones almost a century and a half ago. The second one about forty or fifty years ago; both were found in the woods. I asked again why he kept them.

Dragon shrugged. “To keep the people safe.” Then he smiled. “Okay, they were kind of pets for me.”

I grinned. “Pets?” I nodded. “I can see that. Gizmo was very personable.” And I hurried on to prove I understood. “He was dangerous, but not to me and so I guess those two weren’t dangerous to you. They didn’t attack me. I understand. Have you tried to talk to them? Do they understand you?”

Dragon nodded. “Sure. They know what certain signs mean and will do what I ask. Like the sign I gave for killing those…Nazis and KGB...”

“They knew that they weren’t just feeding on them, but killing them?” I clarified.

“Yes.”

“You won’t tell them to kill me, right?”

Dragon smiled. “Not without a reason.” His eyebrows waggled, but I didn’t worry. He was kidding. Wasn’t he?

“Do you have names for them?” I asked.

“Yes!” Dragon smiled. “The first one I caught nearly a century ago I named Iustina.”

The translator told me Earless. “Iustina?” I asked.

Dragon nodded and pointed to his own left ear. “He was in a fight apparently. He’s missing this ear. It was cut off before he came here to me.”

I nodded chuckling. “Okay, and the other?”

“Repetate.”

I chuckled again. “Because he was repeated after Iustina?” I shrugged. “It makes sense. Do you let them out?”

Dragon nodded. “With me, yes. Not many of the others have really bonded with them.”

I grinned. “But you did?”

Dragon grinned and nodded. “They really are affectionate to me.”

“Gizmo was to me,” I said. “You didn’t kill them, that’s great!”

Dragon shook his head. “You approve?”

“As you said, killing should be for a reason,” I said. “They are what they were created to be.”

“And you won’t kill them either?” Dragon asked.

“I don’t want to,” I said. “I’ll get to know them and once they see I’m not a threat or on the menu, we should get along fine, but they do have that strain of venom that is pure. If George wants to reverse the effects, he’ll need them.”

“I’m going with you,” Colin said. “You think they’d like me?”

I grinned at Colin. “They’ll love you!”

We went back down to the cell where they were being held and Dragon opened the lock. I held my hand up to Colin to stop. There were human differences in the two bald and naked Old Ones. The one that had his left ear cut off, Iustina was an inch or two taller than Repetate, but both were looking puzzled at me.

I smiled at him. “Hello, Iustina.” I looked at the other. “That means you’re Repetate. Hello, Repetate.” That got them to look at me more puzzled, but they were both sniffing the air. “Yes, I am a vampire, so no dining on me,” I said lightly and looked around and found a stool nearby and brought it over and sat. “My name is Devon.” I said pointing at myself. I did the names again pointing at each and myself again. “I hope we will become friends,” I said. “I knew another like you. I named him Gizmo. He was a special person. I liked him very much. I’m hoping I will you, too.” When I didn’t see understanding in them, I looked back at Dragon. “What language did you use with them?”

“Romanian.” Dragon said.

I nodded and held up my device with the speaker on it and said it again in Romanian. Say what you will about these Old Ones, they were human, as my device fascinated them. Their eyes grew wide as it translated what I said to a language they knew and inched a little closer to understand how and what it was but still wasn’t sure about me yet. They were like I described Gizmo, almost like children. Translating what I said they were getting closer. “I won’t hurt you.” I said and it translated. Fear was going away as they tried to understand what was going on and even to the point, Repetate touched the device. I grinned, this was a way I could win their confidence. Colin was even smiling at what he saw. They were no threat to me. This was going to work!