Prettiest Vampire

Chapter V: Lilian and Demons

Chapter V: Lilian and Demons

Lilian pulled his car into a small parking area opposite the castle and turned off the engine. He took a deep breath before stepping out. He checked his watch – it was only 8:20. Twenty minutes late, that wasn't too bad.

In the end Lilian had brushed out his hair, breaking up the hairspray and curls as much as possible. It looked more natural, although there was still a lot of curl and it was hardly what he would have wanted. Maybe he could explain his hair as the effect of being out in a strong wind.

A rain had been threatening all the way up the mountain, and just now decided to open up. Lilian took a moment and stood beside his car anyway, taking a good look at the castle as the first large raindrops struck the ground around him. Castle Dodrescu towered above him. Details were difficult to make out as it was dark except for a full moon which lit the scene from behind. Lilian could only make out the silhouette of towers and battlements against the dark, gray sky. The castle was built on a rocky prominence, separated from the road and parking by a deep chasm. As such it appeared to float in the distance, an impossible mass of stone balanced in the dark on the head of a pin.

"Creepy," said Lilian quietly to himself. "I'm glad I don't work here."

Lilian walked toward the castle. A wooden draw bridge covered the distance across the chasm, and with some trepidation Lilian cautiously stepped out onto it. There was no railing and so he stayed well away from the edge. Still, he could see down into the chasm from an angle. The chasm at this point was about fifty feet deep, but sloped off quickly around the sides of the castle to a depth Lilian could only imagine. With nothing to hold onto, he tried very hard not to imagine.

The gate on the other side of the bridge was wide open. Lilian passed through and entered a large open courtyard, dark except for a few lamps scattered about. One of the lamps lit a large wooden door opposite where he stood, and not knowing what else to do Lilian walked toward it. When he was half way across the courtyard the door opened and a man stepped out.

"Mr. Renfield!" Lilian called out in relief at recognizing someone, anyone, even Renfield, in this dark and forbidding place. Renfield met him, and escorted him the rest of the way to the doors.

"You're late, Miss Van Schattigdame," Renfield rebuked him as they stepped indoors and out of the rain.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It couldn't be helped. I hope the Count will understand," Lilian explained. Then he added, "And please, I need you to understand, and please make sure the Count understands, I am not a Miss."

"How very modern, a Ms," said Renfield quietly to himself as he rolled his eyes. "Let me take your wet coat."

Renfield assisted Lilian to remove his trench coat, then stared in shock at his attire. Renfield sputtered for a while, but when he recovered his faculties he said, "What did I tell you about proper evening dress? How could you wear something so completely inappropriate? So completely – insane?"

Lilian looked at himself. "It's a perfectly acceptable man's suit," he defended himself. "Maybe it's not an evening suit, because I'm not exactly sure what that is, but it's a suit any businessman could wear to a business meeting."

"Wonderful," replied Renfield. "I'm sure the Count will completely understand." Then as he disappeared down a hall with Lilian's trench coat he yelled out, "Unbelievable – a feminist!"

Lilian assumed he was to wait, and so took the opportunity to look around the grand entrance. At least, it may have been grand at one time. The walls were all fitted stone, and reached at least thirty feet to an arching, cathedral ceiling. Two semi-circular stairways led to a second story, where balconies overlooked the foyer. Long hallways stretched off into the distance from the room on both levels, leading to various doors, stairways, and more corridors.