Dracula Theory, page 18
Libidine Sanguinem
Even before we reached the laboratory floor, we heard the familiar sound of Mr. Renfield’s voice and the clanking of metal. The noise lit a fire under Van Helsing’s feet to send him bounding down the stairs at a dangerous pace. Abraham’s voice rose from below.
“What have you done, you dim-witted, fly-eating gasbag?”
“This does not belong to you,” Renfield shouted.
I reached the floor to see Renfield hunched over the Vampirica, unmaking it, piece by piece. The second he saw me, he smiled and pointed. “Mr. Harker will understand my grand design, why I have done his bidding.”
“No, actually, he won’t,” I replied with as vociferous a voice as I could muster. “I have no idea what you are doing or—”
Renfield looked to me, his eyes brimming red. I’d seen that same look once before—in Mina’s gaze as she fell under the thrall of the Count. In that moment, I recalled the twin puncture wounds on Renfield’s neck. Dracula clearly held sway over the disturbed little man. This did not bode well for our success. I was a fool to lay my trust in the lap of this maniac.
“What I do know is that you are currently standing in our way of possibly—and quite finally—saving my Mina. Ergo, if you do not step back from the machine, I will remove you forcibly.”
“And I will happily help,” Davith added.
Renfield pointed a dirty, bony finger my way and spat. “You! You have gone out of your way to stop Dracula. In that sense, you are nothing but a speck of lint on the bottom of his shoe. You are a pox, Jonathan Harker, and I will never allow you to continue on with whatever machinations you have planned.” Renfield picked up a large iron wrench and aimed it my way. “If you draw near to this machine—and the truth it contains—I will crush your tinpot skull.”
Mr. Renfield returned his focus to the Vampirica. He removed the cover to reveal a palette containing the vials of extracted blood. “The blood is life,” he whispered.
“Step back from the device,” Van Helsing warned.
Renfield looked up, madness filling his eyes. “Or what?”
Davith stepped forward, his arms raised. “Gentlemen, there is no need to devolve into violence. We can solve this problem with a measure of civility.”
Mr. Renfield swung the iron wrench at Davith, growling and spitting all the while. To my shock, the second the weapon swung wide and out of reach, Davith cocked his right arm and sent his fist crashing into Renfield’s nose. The little man fell backward, tumbling to the floor, blood flowing from his nostrils. In that moment, Van Helsing scrambled to the Vampirica and removed the tray of blood-filled vials.
“Fools!” Renfield cried out. “Your souls will be forsaken and your lives forfeit for this treachery.”
Van Helsing gestured for Davith and me to exit the cage. With Renfield writhing and spewing a litany of profanity-laced curses our way, Van Helsing stepped clear of the cell, slammed the door shut, and locked the little man inside. Renfield stood and rushed the cage door.
“He’ll find you. And when he does, he’ll devour your hearts like the sweetest apples plucked from the tree.” Renfield swiped a hand toward Van Helsing. “Please, give me a taste of manna. I beg of you. Show me some level of mercy.”
Van Helsing slapped Mr. Renfield’s hand away. “As far as I’m concerned, you can rot within these bars.”
Without another word, Abraham began ascending the stairs. “I do hope the two of you will follow me. We have little time to spare and must locate Dr. Seward.”
I looked to Davith. The man’s face was littered with guilt. “He’s safer in there. Trust me, we’re doing him a favor.”
Davith nodded and made his way up the stairs. I quickly followed suit, ignoring Mr. Renfield’s pleas. Fortunately, the heavy door to the stairwell sealed out the man’s cries … along with my budding guilt for caging him like a rat.
“Hurry, Jonathan,” Van Helsing called out from the front door. “We must make our way to the doctor’s home.”
I’d hoped, getting beyond Van Helsing’s home, to find some semblance of peace. There was none to be found. Instead, I was fraught with guilt, fear, and a massive attack of trepidation. What we were about to do could not be undone, and my life might well hang on a precipice of most illogical danger.
“Mr. Harker, set aside those feelings of doubt.”
I looked to Van Helsing. “How did you—”
“It’s written all over your face. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“I most certainly wish I could.”
The rest of the carriage ride was filled with silence. I wanted to speak but knew every word that might leave my mouth would further promulgate my lack of faith in Van Helsing’s plan. That was the last thing we needed at the moment. I’d agreed to this lunatic idea and I’d follow through, no matter how deep and dark the rabbit hole grew.
“Doctor Seward is a reputable man,” Davith said softly.
“The truth often eludes you, priest.” Van Helsing replied.
“As does your humanity.” Davith’s audacity shocked me.
“What you don’t know about Seward is that the man is as vile and soulless as is the Baron. What drives his corruption? Money. Or, more specifically, the Barron’s money. Seward wants it. In fact, the man is sick with greed. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the finest doctor in London and would do absolutely anything to save another’s life—so long as the saving of said life could further his own purpose and profit. Dangle a pound before the man and watch his countenance shift from martyr to barter in an instant. Seward was also key in my arriving at the blood ratio for which the Dracula Theory was based. Though corrupt, he’s brilliant.”
The carriage pulled up to Seward’s office. We disembarked and made our way to the door. To my dismay, the sign clearly read Closed.
“I thought you said we were going to the doctor’s home?” Davith read my mind.
Van Helsing waved off the question. “His home and office are one and the same.”
I clenched my hands into fists, feeling defeat warming my limbs. “What do we do now?”
“We knock,” Van Helsing replied, before giving the entryway a proper beat down. “I say, John, open the door.” After a moment, Abraham knocked again. “Mister Seward!”
The door swung open to reveal John Seward centered in the frame. “That’s Doctor Seward, thank you very much.”
Van Helsing brute-forced his way through the entry, nearly knocking Seward to the ground. “So long as you’re on the Baron’s payroll, I can call you anything I damn well please.” Abraham gestured for us to enter. Once Davith and I were beyond the threshold, he slammed the door behind us. “The ratio was wrong.”
“I don’t understand,” John replied.
“The Dracula Theory. We injected Mina with too much of the Count’s blood.”
“And what do you want me to do with that information?”
“Mina has become one of them,” Van Helsing bellowed.
“One of what?” Davith asked, with the slightest hint of knowing sarcasm.
“I assume Abraham means a vampire,” Seward snarled the words out.
Van Helsing drew up, nose to nose, with Seward. “I don’t have time to explain everything, so I need you to work with me.”
Seward crossed his arms and leaned against a wall. “I’m listening.”
“Given what you know of Mina’s condition, and how much of Dracula’s blood we gave her, what would you consider a safe dosage for a healthy man as a means to make a one-way blood bond with the vampire?”
Seward’s eyes widened and his jaw clenched. “Blood bond? What madness has overcome you, Van Helsing?”
Abraham grabbed a handful of Seward’s shirt and pulled him in tight. “You know precisely what I speak of. The blood of the vampire created a bond between the master and the servant. So tight this connection, the master knew the servant’s every move and thought. There has to be a way to create that bond such that the blood injected might guide the servant to the master.”
“What you’re asking for cannot be calculated. There is simply no way to discern such a ratio. At best I could make an educated guess, which would be unsafe and unwise.”
“Fine. Make the guess, but do it now.”
“Abraham, you are asking the impossible of me. On top of which, there is absolutely no way of knowing how even the smallest dose would affect a healthy subject.”
Van Helsing nodded. “Exactly. Mina was in a weakened state when she was injected, thereby making her less capable of fending off Dracula’s sway. With a healthy patient and a smaller dose, the likelihood the vampire could control or even read the mind of the host would decrease exponentially.”
“We don’t know that for sure. As a doctor of medicine, I am not in the business of pandering to the impossible.”
I could feel tension rising from Van Helsing. His ears burned scarlet red and the muscles of his jaw flexed over and over. “We pay you to make the impossible possible. If you cannot calculate a dosage, I will gladly replace you with a scientist ready and willing. What say you, Doctor Seward, could you live such a posh life without the Baron’s funds? What would your wife and mistress think?” Van Helsing nodded. “That’s right, my friend, I know all about your little concubine you keep in the apartment near the docks. She’s half your age and the exact counterpoint to the missus.”
In a huff, Seward dropped into a chair, extracted a notebook from a desk, and began to calculate. “I hope you realize, whoever it is you plan on injecting this time is as much at risk as Mina was when we experimented on her.” John glanced up to me. “I assume Van Helsing informed you that our work with Mina was profoundly ill-prepared. We weren’t ready to follow through with real world testing. But because the Baron insisted, Abraham forced me to push the tests forward. I speculated the results would be catastrophic at best. Sadly enough, I was correct. And now it seems Van Helsing has conjured up another experiment with which to play God.”
I’d had enough. “Shut up and make your calculations. We haven’t much time, and I plan on locating Dracula before night gives into day.”
“You?” Seward asked, his lips curling up into the strangest smile. “Mina’s betrothed? Do you have a romantic streak or a death wish? Or both?”
“Be silent and finish your math,” Van Helsing snapped before I had a chance to knock the doctor down a peg or two.
“It’s not just about the math. This isn’t as simple as a shift in ratios. You must also consider timing in the equation.”
“Of course,” Van Helsing responded. “If we inject Jonathan with the correct dosage, during the sun’s peak hours, Dracula will be unable to use the blood bond.”
“Very wise, Abraham.” After a moment of scratching out copious notes on a single sheet of paper, Seward ripped the page from his pad and handed it to Van Helsing. “I hope you choke on this formula.”
Van Helsing nodded. “Thank you, kind sir.”
“You can thank me by releasing me from my duty.”
Abraham shook his head. “You know that’s not my job. Even if it were, do you believe a single note pad of your scribblings would be enough to sway the Baron? Besides, you’re paid handsomely. What complaint do you have?”
“You and the Baron are criminals and some day—”
Van Helsing raised a single hand to silence the doctor. “You would be best served to remain silent in the face of the Baron’s right-hand man. I will not hesitate to inform your employer of your disgrace. The ramifications of such actions would be most hazardous to your wellbeing.”
Seward stood and held out his hand. “Fine. I’ll do what you ask, but don’t expect miracles.” Van Helsing took a moment to glance at the formula he’d been given.
“Very nice. Elegantly concluded.”
“Well? What does it say?” I dared ask.
Van Helsing took a longer look at the paper. “Exactly what I’d expect. Seward knows what he’s doing, and this is proof of his, dare I say, brilliance?” Van Helsing’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Seward was silent.
I had no idea why Van Helsing found it necessary to taunt Seward, nor did I care to know. The only thing that mattered was giving me the tools I needed to hunt down Dracula and save Mina—regardless of the danger.
Van Helsing continued staring at the formula. “I will, however, put this to the test right away.” Van Helsing turned to me and grinned. “Shall we return?”
As one, Davith, Abraham, and I made a most hasty exit from the Seward residence. Once out of range, Van Helsing looked to me and whispered, “This is Seward’s death sentence.”
“I don’t understand.”
Van Helsing gestured for us to enter the carriage. Once inside the car, he tucked the paper in his pocket. “Based on how quickly Seward drew up this new formula, he had to have known all along the correct ratio. He’s a great physician, but not a genius. It would take unheard of mental acumen to pull off such a feat.”
Davith nodded. “Regardless of Seward’s motivation, we now have everything we need?”
Abraham patted his pocket. “That we do.”
We returned to Van Helsing’s and made our way directly to his study. There was no time to waste, so Abraham immediately prepped the dosage of Dracula’s blood. Comparing Seward’s notes to the syringe, Van Helsing nodded and then gestured for me to approach. “This will burn as though the fires of Hades have set your veins alight. I hope you are well prepared for such suffering.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I replied.
Van Helsing shook his head. “Quite the contrary, I have all the confidence in the world that this will undo your tolerance for pain.” Abraham caught my gaze in his. “Are you one hundred percent certain you wish to go through with this?”
“I am. No matter the cost, I will save Mina.”
“Very well then.” And with that, Van Helsing plunged the needle into a throbbing vein in the crook of my arm.
At first the only sensation was the prick of the needle—a pain I could tolerate any given day. After a moment, however, a boiling river spread from my arm to my chest. The heat rose to a volcanic level, until I was certain my flesh and blood would cook from the inside out.
“Holy Mother of Jesus,” I shouted.
“Sorry, my friend, religion won’t help you at this point.”
“Never give up on the Lord,” Davith added.
Van Helsing looked to the priest. “Forgive me, father, but at this point, God is useless. Our friend’s soul has been handily disposed of. Whatever faith Mr. Harker had is no more. In the sea of devotion, Jonathan is rudderless.”
My body revolted against me, bending and twisting my muscles in a conflagration of torment. A host of visions haunted my mind—past loves, enemies, families and friends lost, demons and angels in a raging battle, vampires with row upon row of vicious and blood-stained teeth. I was certain death was upon me, that I would no longer have to suffer my mortal coil and watch the truest love of my life stolen by a coven of blood-swilling, fang-toothed, psychopaths. I burned. An eternal flame rose from the depths of Hell to lap at my heart. The Grim Reaper was surely upon me. As I was certain my time of living was about to expire, the waves of suffering subsided. My body righted itself and I’d returned to my former state.
Only not.
Something had altered my perspective, a subtle shift in the way the world appeared. Light was brighter—almost painfully so. Sound was louder and colors more glorious. Everything was more.
Besides the heightened sense of smell and sight, there was an addition to my experience that had me insatiably curious. Inside my head I could hear dual heartbeats, one beating exponentially faster than the other. At first, the slower heartbeat seemed to want to catch up to the faster twin, but as I grew accustomed to hearing the dueling sounds, the more funereal of the two began to beat even slower. It was then that I realized one pulse was mine and the other belonged to Dracula.
“It worked,” I whispered.
“How can you tell?” Van Helsing could barely contain his excitement.
“I can feel him inside of me, by way of a pulse.”
Abraham grabbed my arm and placed his fingers across my wrist. “Faith and damnation.”
Davith coughed.
“Sorry, preacher.” Van Helsing offered my arm to the priest.
“God in Heaven,” Davith said with abandon. “This is remarkable. Your theory seems to have worked.”
“Indeed it has.”
I turned to Abraham. “But how is hearing Dracula’s heartbeat in my head going to help us locate the Count?”
“Follow me.”
Van Helsing grabbed me by the arm and led me outside. As soon as I cleared the confines of the house, the pulsing in my head intensified.
“What do you feel?”
I waited to ensure the sensation wasn’t an anomaly. As certain as I am of the Socratic Method and Parliamentary procedure, the strength of the pulse did not subside. I explained the experience, to wit Van Helsing exclaimed a rousing huzzah.
“What does this all mean?” Davith inquired.
Van Helsing addressed the question. “It means the nearer Jonathan draws to Dracula, the stronger the connection will be.”
“Let’s hope it’s not debilitating once he’s upon me. If Dracula’s pulse takes me down, how am I to save Mina?”
“We’ll deal with that problem when and if it presents itself.”
“At which time the pounding within my skull will tear apart my resolve until I am incapacitated?”
We returned to the house and Abraham’s study. To my surprise, Van Helsing laughed. “We will have you well prepared for such an eventuality.” My confusion must have been clearly etched across my face. Van Helsing gave me a pat on the back, approached a shelf, and retrieved a case. “In here you will find all the tools necessary to defend yourself against Dracula. The beast will not go down easily, but I have every confidence you will come out of this victorious.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
Abraham handed the case to me. “Because you are driven by love. What greater motivation for survival is there?”
Even before we reached the laboratory floor, we heard the familiar sound of Mr. Renfield’s voice and the clanking of metal. The noise lit a fire under Van Helsing’s feet to send him bounding down the stairs at a dangerous pace. Abraham’s voice rose from below.
“What have you done, you dim-witted, fly-eating gasbag?”
“This does not belong to you,” Renfield shouted.
I reached the floor to see Renfield hunched over the Vampirica, unmaking it, piece by piece. The second he saw me, he smiled and pointed. “Mr. Harker will understand my grand design, why I have done his bidding.”
“No, actually, he won’t,” I replied with as vociferous a voice as I could muster. “I have no idea what you are doing or—”
Renfield looked to me, his eyes brimming red. I’d seen that same look once before—in Mina’s gaze as she fell under the thrall of the Count. In that moment, I recalled the twin puncture wounds on Renfield’s neck. Dracula clearly held sway over the disturbed little man. This did not bode well for our success. I was a fool to lay my trust in the lap of this maniac.
“What I do know is that you are currently standing in our way of possibly—and quite finally—saving my Mina. Ergo, if you do not step back from the machine, I will remove you forcibly.”
“And I will happily help,” Davith added.
Renfield pointed a dirty, bony finger my way and spat. “You! You have gone out of your way to stop Dracula. In that sense, you are nothing but a speck of lint on the bottom of his shoe. You are a pox, Jonathan Harker, and I will never allow you to continue on with whatever machinations you have planned.” Renfield picked up a large iron wrench and aimed it my way. “If you draw near to this machine—and the truth it contains—I will crush your tinpot skull.”
Mr. Renfield returned his focus to the Vampirica. He removed the cover to reveal a palette containing the vials of extracted blood. “The blood is life,” he whispered.
“Step back from the device,” Van Helsing warned.
Renfield looked up, madness filling his eyes. “Or what?”
Davith stepped forward, his arms raised. “Gentlemen, there is no need to devolve into violence. We can solve this problem with a measure of civility.”
Mr. Renfield swung the iron wrench at Davith, growling and spitting all the while. To my shock, the second the weapon swung wide and out of reach, Davith cocked his right arm and sent his fist crashing into Renfield’s nose. The little man fell backward, tumbling to the floor, blood flowing from his nostrils. In that moment, Van Helsing scrambled to the Vampirica and removed the tray of blood-filled vials.
“Fools!” Renfield cried out. “Your souls will be forsaken and your lives forfeit for this treachery.”
Van Helsing gestured for Davith and me to exit the cage. With Renfield writhing and spewing a litany of profanity-laced curses our way, Van Helsing stepped clear of the cell, slammed the door shut, and locked the little man inside. Renfield stood and rushed the cage door.
“He’ll find you. And when he does, he’ll devour your hearts like the sweetest apples plucked from the tree.” Renfield swiped a hand toward Van Helsing. “Please, give me a taste of manna. I beg of you. Show me some level of mercy.”
Van Helsing slapped Mr. Renfield’s hand away. “As far as I’m concerned, you can rot within these bars.”
Without another word, Abraham began ascending the stairs. “I do hope the two of you will follow me. We have little time to spare and must locate Dr. Seward.”
I looked to Davith. The man’s face was littered with guilt. “He’s safer in there. Trust me, we’re doing him a favor.”
Davith nodded and made his way up the stairs. I quickly followed suit, ignoring Mr. Renfield’s pleas. Fortunately, the heavy door to the stairwell sealed out the man’s cries … along with my budding guilt for caging him like a rat.
“Hurry, Jonathan,” Van Helsing called out from the front door. “We must make our way to the doctor’s home.”
I’d hoped, getting beyond Van Helsing’s home, to find some semblance of peace. There was none to be found. Instead, I was fraught with guilt, fear, and a massive attack of trepidation. What we were about to do could not be undone, and my life might well hang on a precipice of most illogical danger.
“Mr. Harker, set aside those feelings of doubt.”
I looked to Van Helsing. “How did you—”
“It’s written all over your face. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“I most certainly wish I could.”
The rest of the carriage ride was filled with silence. I wanted to speak but knew every word that might leave my mouth would further promulgate my lack of faith in Van Helsing’s plan. That was the last thing we needed at the moment. I’d agreed to this lunatic idea and I’d follow through, no matter how deep and dark the rabbit hole grew.
“Doctor Seward is a reputable man,” Davith said softly.
“The truth often eludes you, priest.” Van Helsing replied.
“As does your humanity.” Davith’s audacity shocked me.
“What you don’t know about Seward is that the man is as vile and soulless as is the Baron. What drives his corruption? Money. Or, more specifically, the Barron’s money. Seward wants it. In fact, the man is sick with greed. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the finest doctor in London and would do absolutely anything to save another’s life—so long as the saving of said life could further his own purpose and profit. Dangle a pound before the man and watch his countenance shift from martyr to barter in an instant. Seward was also key in my arriving at the blood ratio for which the Dracula Theory was based. Though corrupt, he’s brilliant.”
The carriage pulled up to Seward’s office. We disembarked and made our way to the door. To my dismay, the sign clearly read Closed.
“I thought you said we were going to the doctor’s home?” Davith read my mind.
Van Helsing waved off the question. “His home and office are one and the same.”
I clenched my hands into fists, feeling defeat warming my limbs. “What do we do now?”
“We knock,” Van Helsing replied, before giving the entryway a proper beat down. “I say, John, open the door.” After a moment, Abraham knocked again. “Mister Seward!”
The door swung open to reveal John Seward centered in the frame. “That’s Doctor Seward, thank you very much.”
Van Helsing brute-forced his way through the entry, nearly knocking Seward to the ground. “So long as you’re on the Baron’s payroll, I can call you anything I damn well please.” Abraham gestured for us to enter. Once Davith and I were beyond the threshold, he slammed the door behind us. “The ratio was wrong.”
“I don’t understand,” John replied.
“The Dracula Theory. We injected Mina with too much of the Count’s blood.”
“And what do you want me to do with that information?”
“Mina has become one of them,” Van Helsing bellowed.
“One of what?” Davith asked, with the slightest hint of knowing sarcasm.
“I assume Abraham means a vampire,” Seward snarled the words out.
Van Helsing drew up, nose to nose, with Seward. “I don’t have time to explain everything, so I need you to work with me.”
Seward crossed his arms and leaned against a wall. “I’m listening.”
“Given what you know of Mina’s condition, and how much of Dracula’s blood we gave her, what would you consider a safe dosage for a healthy man as a means to make a one-way blood bond with the vampire?”
Seward’s eyes widened and his jaw clenched. “Blood bond? What madness has overcome you, Van Helsing?”
Abraham grabbed a handful of Seward’s shirt and pulled him in tight. “You know precisely what I speak of. The blood of the vampire created a bond between the master and the servant. So tight this connection, the master knew the servant’s every move and thought. There has to be a way to create that bond such that the blood injected might guide the servant to the master.”
“What you’re asking for cannot be calculated. There is simply no way to discern such a ratio. At best I could make an educated guess, which would be unsafe and unwise.”
“Fine. Make the guess, but do it now.”
“Abraham, you are asking the impossible of me. On top of which, there is absolutely no way of knowing how even the smallest dose would affect a healthy subject.”
Van Helsing nodded. “Exactly. Mina was in a weakened state when she was injected, thereby making her less capable of fending off Dracula’s sway. With a healthy patient and a smaller dose, the likelihood the vampire could control or even read the mind of the host would decrease exponentially.”
“We don’t know that for sure. As a doctor of medicine, I am not in the business of pandering to the impossible.”
I could feel tension rising from Van Helsing. His ears burned scarlet red and the muscles of his jaw flexed over and over. “We pay you to make the impossible possible. If you cannot calculate a dosage, I will gladly replace you with a scientist ready and willing. What say you, Doctor Seward, could you live such a posh life without the Baron’s funds? What would your wife and mistress think?” Van Helsing nodded. “That’s right, my friend, I know all about your little concubine you keep in the apartment near the docks. She’s half your age and the exact counterpoint to the missus.”
In a huff, Seward dropped into a chair, extracted a notebook from a desk, and began to calculate. “I hope you realize, whoever it is you plan on injecting this time is as much at risk as Mina was when we experimented on her.” John glanced up to me. “I assume Van Helsing informed you that our work with Mina was profoundly ill-prepared. We weren’t ready to follow through with real world testing. But because the Baron insisted, Abraham forced me to push the tests forward. I speculated the results would be catastrophic at best. Sadly enough, I was correct. And now it seems Van Helsing has conjured up another experiment with which to play God.”
I’d had enough. “Shut up and make your calculations. We haven’t much time, and I plan on locating Dracula before night gives into day.”
“You?” Seward asked, his lips curling up into the strangest smile. “Mina’s betrothed? Do you have a romantic streak or a death wish? Or both?”
“Be silent and finish your math,” Van Helsing snapped before I had a chance to knock the doctor down a peg or two.
“It’s not just about the math. This isn’t as simple as a shift in ratios. You must also consider timing in the equation.”
“Of course,” Van Helsing responded. “If we inject Jonathan with the correct dosage, during the sun’s peak hours, Dracula will be unable to use the blood bond.”
“Very wise, Abraham.” After a moment of scratching out copious notes on a single sheet of paper, Seward ripped the page from his pad and handed it to Van Helsing. “I hope you choke on this formula.”
Van Helsing nodded. “Thank you, kind sir.”
“You can thank me by releasing me from my duty.”
Abraham shook his head. “You know that’s not my job. Even if it were, do you believe a single note pad of your scribblings would be enough to sway the Baron? Besides, you’re paid handsomely. What complaint do you have?”
“You and the Baron are criminals and some day—”
Van Helsing raised a single hand to silence the doctor. “You would be best served to remain silent in the face of the Baron’s right-hand man. I will not hesitate to inform your employer of your disgrace. The ramifications of such actions would be most hazardous to your wellbeing.”
Seward stood and held out his hand. “Fine. I’ll do what you ask, but don’t expect miracles.” Van Helsing took a moment to glance at the formula he’d been given.
“Very nice. Elegantly concluded.”
“Well? What does it say?” I dared ask.
Van Helsing took a longer look at the paper. “Exactly what I’d expect. Seward knows what he’s doing, and this is proof of his, dare I say, brilliance?” Van Helsing’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
Seward was silent.
I had no idea why Van Helsing found it necessary to taunt Seward, nor did I care to know. The only thing that mattered was giving me the tools I needed to hunt down Dracula and save Mina—regardless of the danger.
Van Helsing continued staring at the formula. “I will, however, put this to the test right away.” Van Helsing turned to me and grinned. “Shall we return?”
As one, Davith, Abraham, and I made a most hasty exit from the Seward residence. Once out of range, Van Helsing looked to me and whispered, “This is Seward’s death sentence.”
“I don’t understand.”
Van Helsing gestured for us to enter the carriage. Once inside the car, he tucked the paper in his pocket. “Based on how quickly Seward drew up this new formula, he had to have known all along the correct ratio. He’s a great physician, but not a genius. It would take unheard of mental acumen to pull off such a feat.”
Davith nodded. “Regardless of Seward’s motivation, we now have everything we need?”
Abraham patted his pocket. “That we do.”
We returned to Van Helsing’s and made our way directly to his study. There was no time to waste, so Abraham immediately prepped the dosage of Dracula’s blood. Comparing Seward’s notes to the syringe, Van Helsing nodded and then gestured for me to approach. “This will burn as though the fires of Hades have set your veins alight. I hope you are well prepared for such suffering.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I replied.
Van Helsing shook his head. “Quite the contrary, I have all the confidence in the world that this will undo your tolerance for pain.” Abraham caught my gaze in his. “Are you one hundred percent certain you wish to go through with this?”
“I am. No matter the cost, I will save Mina.”
“Very well then.” And with that, Van Helsing plunged the needle into a throbbing vein in the crook of my arm.
At first the only sensation was the prick of the needle—a pain I could tolerate any given day. After a moment, however, a boiling river spread from my arm to my chest. The heat rose to a volcanic level, until I was certain my flesh and blood would cook from the inside out.
“Holy Mother of Jesus,” I shouted.
“Sorry, my friend, religion won’t help you at this point.”
“Never give up on the Lord,” Davith added.
Van Helsing looked to the priest. “Forgive me, father, but at this point, God is useless. Our friend’s soul has been handily disposed of. Whatever faith Mr. Harker had is no more. In the sea of devotion, Jonathan is rudderless.”
My body revolted against me, bending and twisting my muscles in a conflagration of torment. A host of visions haunted my mind—past loves, enemies, families and friends lost, demons and angels in a raging battle, vampires with row upon row of vicious and blood-stained teeth. I was certain death was upon me, that I would no longer have to suffer my mortal coil and watch the truest love of my life stolen by a coven of blood-swilling, fang-toothed, psychopaths. I burned. An eternal flame rose from the depths of Hell to lap at my heart. The Grim Reaper was surely upon me. As I was certain my time of living was about to expire, the waves of suffering subsided. My body righted itself and I’d returned to my former state.
Only not.
Something had altered my perspective, a subtle shift in the way the world appeared. Light was brighter—almost painfully so. Sound was louder and colors more glorious. Everything was more.
Besides the heightened sense of smell and sight, there was an addition to my experience that had me insatiably curious. Inside my head I could hear dual heartbeats, one beating exponentially faster than the other. At first, the slower heartbeat seemed to want to catch up to the faster twin, but as I grew accustomed to hearing the dueling sounds, the more funereal of the two began to beat even slower. It was then that I realized one pulse was mine and the other belonged to Dracula.
“It worked,” I whispered.
“How can you tell?” Van Helsing could barely contain his excitement.
“I can feel him inside of me, by way of a pulse.”
Abraham grabbed my arm and placed his fingers across my wrist. “Faith and damnation.”
Davith coughed.
“Sorry, preacher.” Van Helsing offered my arm to the priest.
“God in Heaven,” Davith said with abandon. “This is remarkable. Your theory seems to have worked.”
“Indeed it has.”
I turned to Abraham. “But how is hearing Dracula’s heartbeat in my head going to help us locate the Count?”
“Follow me.”
Van Helsing grabbed me by the arm and led me outside. As soon as I cleared the confines of the house, the pulsing in my head intensified.
“What do you feel?”
I waited to ensure the sensation wasn’t an anomaly. As certain as I am of the Socratic Method and Parliamentary procedure, the strength of the pulse did not subside. I explained the experience, to wit Van Helsing exclaimed a rousing huzzah.
“What does this all mean?” Davith inquired.
Van Helsing addressed the question. “It means the nearer Jonathan draws to Dracula, the stronger the connection will be.”
“Let’s hope it’s not debilitating once he’s upon me. If Dracula’s pulse takes me down, how am I to save Mina?”
“We’ll deal with that problem when and if it presents itself.”
“At which time the pounding within my skull will tear apart my resolve until I am incapacitated?”
We returned to the house and Abraham’s study. To my surprise, Van Helsing laughed. “We will have you well prepared for such an eventuality.” My confusion must have been clearly etched across my face. Van Helsing gave me a pat on the back, approached a shelf, and retrieved a case. “In here you will find all the tools necessary to defend yourself against Dracula. The beast will not go down easily, but I have every confidence you will come out of this victorious.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
Abraham handed the case to me. “Because you are driven by love. What greater motivation for survival is there?”
