Brides of Frankengeld Pt. 05

October 3rd 1784

Damion's Journal; he has found Bruno, the Steward at Durishaus, trying to rape Belali.

Belali was sat on an ottoman chest, her back to the wall, one hand was on Bruno's chest and with the other she signed, < no no no no >.

Bruno's trousers were around his ankles and his phallus was erect. Belali's knickers were torn to shreds. He was jabbing at the young black woman's exposed quim with his member, trying to enter her. Her face was screwed up in determination to resist him but her strength did not equal his, sooner or later his will would prevail and coitus would occur.

"Stop Bruno!" I shouted. "Stop now!"

He glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Master Damion," he chuckled. "Just give me half an hour and I'll be with you. I'm about to give our slave a good seeing to."

Belali looked at me in desperation. Bruno's phallus was huge, and very erect. It was surrounded at the base by thick black hair, and the purple head and heavily veined shaft was getting closer and closer to her love tunnel. When my mother was alive Bruno had been her lover, when she wasn't opening her legs to various tradesmen in order to obtain a discount, and I had overheard her screams of delight on the few occasions when I slept overnight at Durishaus. I had, at the time, follishly assumed it was my father who was pleasuring mother.

"Don't worry about this," he indicated Belali's desperate attempts to escape. "She'll enjoy it once I really get going! You can watch if you want. In a few minutes she'll be screaming for more. You'll see."

I strode forward, taking the dagger from my medical bag, and blessed Helena for having the foresight to put it in there. The scabbard obediently fell from the blade into the bag and the dagger guided my hand to place itself at his throat. It must have sensed that my intention was to intimidate him, it did not strike, but I could feel it quivering in my hand. If I willed it, then it would do more.

"This woman is saying no to you," I said with all the menace I could muster. "And this blade lies next to your carotid artery. One slash and you will bleed to death. So... stop!"

"But master," Bruno groaned. He sounded as if he could not believe his lust was being thwarted. "She's just a slave. And it is my right to use the menials this way."

"Firstly," I answered. "This woman is no longer employed here at Durishaus, and secondly, she is no longer a slave."

Bruno looked surprised, the news had not got to him, or he had dismissed it as false.

"She is my assistant," I growled. "And a free woman. The rape of a free woman is a serious offence. Do you want me to talk to the Chief of Police? You know we are colleagues."

Bruno's arrogance made him fire his last bolt, "It was not going to be rape. She were happy to do it. They all are! They only pretend to be upset so that they can't be accused of being a slut."

I was not surprised when Belali slapped him across the face. She signed < no >.

"I don't know what that means," Bruno lied. I had seen him working with her, he knew her signs for yes, and no.

"That sign means no," I said. "But you know that full well."

< no means no > signed Belali.

"What year is it?" I asked Bruno. He looked very surprised at that question.

"Seventeen eighty four, master Damion."

"Remember that year, Bruno," I replied. "It is the year your license to abuse the staff was revoked by the family. You are no longer working for a household where the lusts of my mother and father are a bad example to those around them."

He sat back, astonished, and a crafty look came on his face.

I knew what he was thinking. "Bruno," I added. "Do not think that my brother will support you in this. He is much changed now he is master of Durishaus, you cannot rely on him to continue the sins of his father. Or to permit you to do the same. Now put your trousers back on and join me and Belali in the servants sitting room. I have some questions for you. By answering well you might go a little way to earning my forgiveness."

I took Belali's hand and signed < are you alright? > to Bruno's great surprise. I don't think he had realised that I had learned so many signs.

< yes... thank you > Belali replied.

We moved to the servants sitting room and waited for Bruno. When he arrived I demanded his ring of keys. I think he thought I was going to dismiss him from service and handed them over reluctantly.

"Belali," I said, not wanting to give Bruno the relief of knowing his fate. "Could you please compare these to the ones you have on the chatelaine?"

Then I sat down, but did not invite him to do the same.

"Bruno," I said. "Were you in service when the two stuffed bears were delivered to the house? What is their history? The Chief of Police is conducting an investigation and needs this information."

"Er... yes Master Damion," he stuttered, very nervous now. "Please don't tell the Chief about the misunderstanding with... her. I will tell you all I can remember."

"Go on."

"They were put there in seventeen sixty two, when you were but a babe in arms, master. They had been slain by Lord Frankengeld, your father, that year. He was very proud of his achievement, having killed both of a family in the same hunt."

So, twenty two years ago. But the corpse looked much more ancient than that, at first glance.

"And the taxidermist?"

"He were a tradesman who arrived with the Dark Circus that year. His stall were full of stuffed animals, from distant parts of the world. I were a footman at that time, and I remember he had a mermaid and a unicorn in his sideshow, but only for them who could afford the fee to peep at them."

"I see."

"Your father took on the man to prepare the beasts and then they were put into the entrance hall. They've been there ever since."

I suddenly had an idea.

"Did they smell?" I asked Bruno. Belali looked up at me and smiled. I think she approved the question.

"Lord sir, yes," said Bruno. "They smelled for nigh on a year. Chemical smell and animal skin. It were nasty. Then it settled down and nowt ever since."

That was an unfortunate answer. The chemicals used to prepare the skin might, quite easily, have covered the rotting smell of the corpse. I wondered if the craftsman was still in the Dark Circus. If he hadn't passed on in the intervening years he might be a useful source of information.

Belali handed back the key ring and signed.

< no key match >

I gave Bruno his symbol of authority back, thanked him for his knowledge, though without a smile and we left him standing in the room.

As we crossed to the stables to collect our cart for the return journey I could hear a young woman's voice. We found Yani talking to the new housemaid, Tatiana. It gave me an opportunity to study the new servant at Durishaus.

She was tall, slender, and with narrow hips. An elegant woman who could have been at home in any upper class parlour, by her appearance. If she had been born into that level of society instead of the lower classes. She looked as I imagined Anya appeared in her youth. She was perhaps about twenty five years old but already looked a little care worn. But, I discovered, this was just fatigue.

"It's hard work," she was telling Yani. "Give me carrying heavy linen sheets any day than looking after Katy. She will dash off in search of sweets, make me run and catch her ball, or insist we hop all the way to the mausoleum, she has boundless energy and no restraint."

Yani nodded wisely, he knew when to let someone vent their frustrations.

"And today Katy asked me why I have froggy hands," said Tatiana. "She can be so rude to people, pointing out anything unusual. Oh... sorry sir, just chatting with Yani."

She hadn't noticed us approaching until we were upon her. She hid her hands behind her back immediately, and looked down at the ground, as a good servant should. Ready to speak only when spoken to. I had caught her gossiping about her betters, I knew she was convinced that a chastisement would follow.

"Tatiana is it?" I said, in as kindly a manner as I could muster. She nodded. "I'm Damion, the master's younger brother. I'm very pleased to meet you. This is Belali whose job you now hold."

Servant and ex-slave assessed each other.

"I would have to admit," I continued. "Katy can be very annoying, she was rude to Belali just a short time ago."

The assessment continued but as sisters in mutual adversity.

"Can I look at your hands? I am a doctor, perhaps there is something I can do to help."

Slowly, reluctantly, Tatiana brought her hands from behind her back. I examined them. The skin between the fingers, and especially between finger and thumb, extended further up the digits that was the norm. It created flaps that did indeed make her hands look a little like a frog's.

"Do they pain you?" I asked.

"No sir," she replied.

"And they do not restrict your movement."

"No sir, please don't send me away, I can do all my duties."

"I wasn't thinking of sending you away, Tatiana, only of helping you."

She looked at me very suspiciously.

"I know of surgeons at Engolstadt who have the skills to work on these," I explained. I did not mention that there was one only a few kilometres away. But, there was no way on earth I was going to entrust Victor Frankenstein with this woman. And anyway it was probably wiser to leave this condition untouched, rather than risk surgery that could go wrong.

"Yes sir," she looked very reluctant.

"But, Tatiana," I continued. "If they cause you no pain, and you can do your work, it is probably best we leave them alone. Your hands look perfectly healthy to me."

"Thank you, master."

"Katy," I grinned. "On the other hand, needs to be taught to be polite. I know her mind is child-like, but even children can be taught to be kind, and not rude. If she is to stay here for a long time then I will talk to my brother about the need for her to have a proper governess."

Tatiana brightened up at that. Not only had I recognised her plight, I had offered her the chance to leave Katy's supervision to someone more qualified to deal with an ill-behaved child. She looked at me carefully, she was doubtless wondering what the catch was. Why was I was treating her kindly? I smiled at her, she will get used to my ways in time, I thought. She curtseyed, and I gave her a little bow, then she turned to return to the house and her naughty ward.

"Yani," I turned to my ex-employee. "Can you make the cart ready for us to return to Carlsbruck, please?"

"Certainly master Damion," he replied and hurried to perform his new role. As Tatiana walked back to the house, a picture of slender elegance, Belali and I watched Yani bring the horse from its stall. I was pleased he had found a job with more responsibility. He had progressed well in the months we had known him, and at least here he would not have to suffer the attentions of a woman whom I had turned into a nymphomaniac by my Elixir of Pleasure. Except of course that same woman, Gerda, was now a vampire and filled with the erotic power of her kind. And she was currently in her coffin just a few hundred metres away. I hoped, fervently, that any contact would be beneficial and not deadly.

On the cart travelling home I told Belali all that had been discussed in my meeting with Karl. It was inappropriate but I judged it might indicate to her that I wanted her to be a friend. When I came to the bit where Karl declared he was to remarry she started to sign vigorously. I let the horse guide the cart and watched her carefully.

< Karl marry Gerda > she signed.

< Karl marry Katy > she continued.

< wrong? not allowed? > she finished.

I thought for a moment about what she meant. Then it came to me. Gerda wasn't quite dead. True she wasn't alive either, but she was still moving about, talking, capable of social intercourse and presumably the marital kind as well. Belali was wondering what the situation was, legally, if Karl remarried. Was it bigamy if your first wife was an undead?

"You mean," I said. "The crime of bigamy."

She nodded vigorously and signed < yes >.

"I have no idea," I continued. "But I suspect that when the law on bigamy was written down nobody thought about the possibility that one of the brides might be undead."

As we walked from the stables to number 34 Belali signed < good day >

"Yes " I agreed. "We have a real mystery with the body inside the bear. But with your help we will solve it."

< keys no match... some other house >

"Yes. That, I think, says that this person was not a member of staff at Durishaus. We must look elsewhere for her identity."

< how? >

"The next step is to make a detailed examination of the body. Will you come with me to do this? I think it would be good for your education."

< me... not Helena? >

"Helena has already learned much. She would be a great help but..."

< protect baby protect mother >

"... Ah yes," I admitted. "I feel a need to look after her. Is that unreasonable?"

< no no... not for father >

I couldn't answer that. Was Belali right? Was I behaving like a husband protecting his wife? Or a father wanting to protect their child. Belali, I think, saw my confusion, and signed again...

< I go with you >

"Thank you, Belali," I said, grateful that she had moved the conversation on from my feelings for Helena. "And I'm sorry about Bruno's behaviour."

Belali looked sad, then signed < anyone can use slave >.

"You mean to say that has happened before?"

< yes... many times >

I should have known, but my mother and father - despite their evils - had never employed slaves before my father purchased Belali. I had no real knowledge of their lives. The Ottoman empire had rules about slaves, which in their culture were common, I knew that, but not the specifics. I now realised that a female slave's body was perhaps not their own. Could it be that a free person could demand intercourse any time they wished.

"Well, no longer young lady," I said. "You're a free woman and no means no, as you so rightly signed."

Then we were mounting the flight of steps to our front door. We met Una coming down, to discover she was on her way to have a meal with Yani up at Durishaus. They were still walking out together and, since the death of my mother and father, Una had been much more willing to visit the place where she was abused. But, I suspected, wild horses could not drag her into the Red Room or the Blue Room, those memories of her abuse were still too strong.

Inside we exchanged news and agreed that Helena would organise the equipment for our trip to help Sophie while I did the post mortem on the body. She said we would need to depart Carlsbruck at around half past eleven to be at the windmill for noon, but that she would bring the cart to the Town Hall and wait for me there.

The evening meal was pleasant and uneventful after the dramas of today. I kept glancing at Belali, very aware that if I hadn't gone into Bruno's room that moment then Durishaus would have added another victim to the list of abused souls within its walls. When I was young I thought that Demon House, which is what Durishaus means, was a fine, unusual, exciting name. Now I hoped that my brother might rename it Frankengeld Schloss, or some such title.

It was mid evening, and we had moved to the withdrawing room to take a little wine, when the thieves came.

I say thieves in jest, of course. It was Alicia and Monifa.

"Good evening," Alicia said, opening the door to the withdrawing room. "We let ourselves in. I hope you don't mind."

Helena squeaked with pleasure and leapt up to embrace her. Monifa sat, looking exhausted, grabbed a glass of wine, mine to be exact, and drank deep.

"I thought," she said. "That three thousand years in a sarcophagus was torture. But it pales into insignificance compared with three days in a coach. Even Lord Philip's coach, which he assures me is a superior model. I ache. My aches have aches."

Both Anya and Belali smiled. Our little sorceress had observed the world while trapped in her coffin, but merely watching and listening does not give you all the information about an experience. Sometimes you have to feel it.

Belali signed...

< what happened? >

Monifa refilled my glass and I got myself a fresh one.

"Sorry," Monifa said. "What did you say Belali?"

< Vienna... what happened? >

"If you pour me a wine," said Alicia. "Then we will tell you. But I hope this isn't the only bottle. It's a long story and Monifa is very thirsty."

I found another bottle in the kitchen and we all settled down to listen to the tale.

Alicia started, "Poppy and Lord Philip have gone home. But Monifa and I can tell you the whole tale, which is full of cunning and not a little naughtiness. My letter, if I remember, left the story at midnight on the day we arrived. So I should continue from breakfast."

Belali signed something. It was < sleep well? > She had her cheeky grin on her face and Alicia smiled a dark smile in return.

"Monifa and I were sharing the bed but I do not use up much space. My habit, from years in my coffin, is to lay very straight, with my arms crossed across my bosom. I was aware of Monifa beside me, and I remained vigilant for dangers, but yes Belali, I slept well."

"It was," broke in Monifa. "The hour before dawn when the Nubian departed. I could feel his masculinity through the tavern wall, and Poppy assured me of his virility countless times. Only when he left was I able to settle. So I had to be content with just a few hours sleep."

Belali looked sympathetic, and slightly embarrassed at asking the question that had been so comprehensively answered.

Alicia rested her hand briefly on the little sorceresses shoulder in a gesture of support, then continued, "We politely refused the food offered by the tavern, saying we were going to see the sights, and walked into the old part of Vienna. We were looking for a cafe close to the Kunsthistorisches museum. We found one directly opposite and Lord Philip and I took seats where we could observe the frontage. Apparently few people in Vienna rise early, except certain tradesmen, and those who wish to visit the cafés serving breakfast like ourselves. We settled down to enjoy our food and spy upon the building we hoped to burgle. The front of the museum building has two large archways, in each of which are enormous double doors, like a church entrance. To the right of these doors which, we observed, had no locks, was an ordinary sized door with a large lock. After a while a man arrived and unlocked this smaller door. Soon after many men arrived, going in through that door and, shortly after, the giant doors were opened."

As Alicia took a drink Monifa continued, saying, "Lord Philip asked me if I could sense the way the doors were closed. I could feel the bones of the gods behind the large doors. They were bolted with large iron bars. Too heavy for me to move with magic. The small door had an impressive looking lock, but it felt only as complicated as the one on the main doors at Durishaus, and I knew I could open that one."

I remembered Monifa opening that lock to save me from a forced marriage.

"We didn't want to be the first into the museum," continued Alicia. "We waited for a little while and ate and drank. We were all excited by the prospect of 'casing the joint' as Philip called it, all except Poppy who, understandably, seemed very tired this morning. We waited until we saw a few others go in, then crossed the square to the entrance. As we walked under the rightmost arch I noticed Lord Philip studying the route from the small door."

"It seemed that there was an L-shaped corridor from that door that ran in front of some sort of office. Philip could see three men inside. They had the look of professors, perhaps curators of the exhibits, each with his speciality. The corridor led into the great hall that was before us. This enormous hall ran for the whole depth of the building, had the double doors at one end and decorated windows at the other, and had an impressive marble floor. All around the edges of this hall there were giant statues from antiquity, and high up there was a frieze that depicted civilisations from around the world. Along the left wall there were two archways that seemed to lead to other galleries, and at the end there were stairs to take you up to the upper floors of the building. Of which there were two."

We sat trying to imagine this grand building as Alicia moved items around on the table to indicate the layout of the museum. She put the empty wine bottle in the middle of the space she had defined and pointed at it.

"In the centre of the grand hall, where all entrances and exits could be viewed, was a place for the museum guards to congregate. It was a circular booth made from wood, and a man was in attendance there. The other guards, we discovered, were scattered around the building, each in their own gallery. They were attentive but not excessively vigilant. Nonetheless our decision to return at night was probably sensible."

"We started to look for the storage area and, after briefly viewing the galleries on this level and those above us, we came back to the great hall. There was no evidence of rooms behind the scenes anywhere. If there was an entrance to the storage area it had to be off this main hall."

As Alicia took a sip of wine, Monifa continued for her, saying, "Then we found it. A door, very ordinary in size, in the shadow of a grand staircase. There were three brass panels on the door, engraved with fine letters. There was one that said 'B1 - Conservators', another that read 'B2 - Archives' and a third that said 'B3, B4, B5, B6 - Storage'. We took the letter B to mean 'basement'. It meant the building went far deeper into the ground than it towered into the sky! Lord Philip was concerned. With so many underground levels, he said, would we be able to find my items? His friend had been guided by a member of staff and had given only a confused set of directions."

Alicia laughed, recalling something, and smiled at Monifa. "Lord Philip had challenged you and set off a series of events that, in the end, proved useful. But at the time we were dismayed."

"I sent out my Ka to seek my possessions," said Monifa. "And I could feel them. I let my Ka drag me to the nearest point, which was close by, and it pulled me down to kneel on the floor, for they were deep below me."

"She knelt on the floor," laughed Alicia. "And seemed to sag down. One of the guards showed concern and walked towards her. Philip intercepted him saying that Monifa had fainted."

"But I said I hadn't," giggled Monifa. "At that Philip looked at me in a way that suggested I was in the wrong. He bent down by my ear and whispered 'warlocks' to me, which I took to mean we should use deception. So I agreed with him that I felt faint."

"Philip told the guard," Alicia continued. "That Monifa had been overcome with the size and grandeur of the statues in this room. Particularly the carving in marble of the well-endowed naked man. The guard smiled and agreed that, from time to time, some young women were affected that way. He lifted Monifa up and supported her, taking her to the guards booth. Here he sat her down in a chair and provided her with a little brandy to steady her nerves. He was kind and solicitous of her well being."

"While the guard gave me liquor," said Monifa. "I could see that both Alicia and Lord Philip were looking around the booth with great interest. Later Lord Philip told me he was studying a chalk board on which were many names. He was able to ascertain that although there were many guards during the day, at night there was only one."

"And I," said Alicia. "Listened to the conversation between two of the guards. It seemed that the man who was on duty tonight was doing so on his birthday. He was an elderly gentleman who had achieved the not inconsiderable age of sixty four. The day guards were going to leave him a fruit cake in celebration, with a note stating their regard for him. This gave me an idea, which I shared with the others as soon as I could."

"After a suitable time," said Monifa. "I stopped pretending to be faint and, thanking the man, we left the booth. It would have been foolish to leave the museum immediately, as if the only reason for our visit was to see their security, so we gave the exhibits our full attention for the next two hours. It saddened me, and I had to buy a little pencil at the shop to make me feel better."

"Saddened?" I asked, voicing what, I think, Helena, Belali and Anya were wondering.

"Many of the objects in the museum were unhappy," said Monifa. "They were many miles from their homeland and had not been treated with due respect. Nobody had told them how important they were, how helpful to the education of youth, and understanding between nations. None more so than a granite statue to Sekhmet in their Egyptian gallery."

"To the consternation of the guard in that gallery," Alicia smiled. "Monifa bowed deep to the statue and spent a good ten minutes in conversation. But she never touched it, or threatened it in any way, so he just put it down to the strangeness of a foreigner."

"It was boiling with anger inside," explained Monifa. "I was able to settle it down and assure it that it was magnificent. And that the power of the lioness goddess of the red land is just as strong today as it always was."

This was a very strange revelation. Was it that all ancient things had this consciousness? Or was it just those that were associated with religion, like this statue of an Egyptian goddess? There was an argument here for local museums to house relics close to where they were created, rather than just a handful of collections in large cities.

"We left the museum then," said Alicia. "And retreated to our cafe to plot and plan our next moves. Lord Philip told us that just one man should be on duty tonight, even naming him. And I shared my idea, which everyone, particularly Poppy, approved. Poppy was to play a significant role, you see."

We were fascinated and it was clear that the two were teasing us. They weren't going to tell until they were good and ready.

"After a return to the tavern," continued Alicia. "For a change of clothes, we had a nice meal and then, when darkness fell, made our way back to the museum. We waited until the streets had partially cleared and then approached the small door, the staff entrance to the museum. Monifa dealt with the lock and we slipped quietly inside. Lord Philip and Monifa were to take the door down into the basement levels and search for Monifa's property. But first Poppy and I were to distract the night guard so that he didn't notice our companions sneaking along the wall of the great hall. And for that purpose we were both dressed as whores."

There was an intake of breath by the listeners at this point. Was the tale about to become saucy?

"Poppy had loosened her dress until her breasts were exposed," continued Alicia. "And hitched up her skirts so that most of her legs were showing. She had, she told me, left her underwear back in her travelling case. I copied a style I had witnessed amongst the whores the previous night, a dress that cunningly covered just the outer parts of my bosom. We walked through the darkened hall, moving our hips in as sexual way as possible, and he stood up from his chair in shock and surprise."

I was not surprised the man was shocked, not everyday that you're working the night watch and are joined by two devilishly attractive whores.

"We introduced ourselves," said Alicia. "And said we had been sent by his comrades to help him celebrate his birthday. We implied we had been let into the building by a colleague. He immediately started to speculate on which of his friends had done this good deed, and who had left the cake. We suggested that, for good etiquette, he should remain quiet about this part of his celebration in case the old and fussy professors complained about this use of their museum. He agreed and stared hard at Poppy's breasts, then regretted not being thirty years younger."

Sixty four was a good age to have reached and still be fit enough to hold down a job but I could entirely understand why he might regret not being half that age when faced with two ladies of the night.

"Poppy wasted no time but sat upon his lap and kissed him. I gave a high pitched laugh and lifted my hands high before running them over his chest. This was the sign for the others to act and I could see them move swiftly but silently to the door to the storage areas, open it, and descend into the underground areas. Poppy continued the kiss for a good few minutes and permitted the guard to fondle her breasts, and then stood up. We had to keep him occupied until our friends returned so a simple kiss was not going to be adequate. Luckily, after her erotic adventure the previous night, Poppy was very much in the mood for experimenting, and had not 'cucked', as she called it, with a man of this old age."

Alicia paused to drink and Monifa spoke up, "The door was easy to open and we passed into the stairwell. Everything was dark so I made a light. I made it on the fingertip of my longest finger, so that I could control where it shone and, by making a fist, I could hide it if necessary."

Sages have speculated how the artists who decorated the tombs did so without covering their paintings with the soot from torches. Some suggested the use of mirrors to shine daylight deep into the passages, and others that batteries had been used to make a wire glow. But this was a simpler and more practical solution.

"Down we went," continued Monifa, even though it was clear that some of us around the table were more interested in what Poppy was doing with the guard. "Passing the levels of the noble Conservators and the wise Archivists and into the realm of the artifacts. Here side passages showed all manner of strange shapes that lurked in the shadows cast by my light. Lord Philip drew his sword despite my assurances that only inanimate objects occupied these levels. My property called to me so we made good progress, though they were on the very lowest of the underground labyrinths."

"Meanwhile," said Alicia, aware that some of us were desperate to hear of more animated activities. "Poppy had performed a tease by taking off her blouse and hitching up her skirts so that her quim was on full display. I supported her by opening the guard's trousers and gently touching his phallus. It was limp, at first, and needed a little stimulation with fingers and tongue. Luckily one of the powers I have been gifted with, since my change, is the ability to rouse a man to hardness. Just licking my lips is sufficient for a young man, I had to work harder here, but it was not that difficult. By the time Poppy was ready he was groaning and had a very erect member. She shuffled forward, put her legs each side of his knees, brought her quim close to his face, and used her fingers to prepare her love tunnel for the activity it loved the best."

Alicia paused, and grinned at Monifa.

"On arrival at the lowest level," said Monifa, who seemed to be trying to ignore the tale her vampire friend was recounting. "We discovered that many of the exhibits here were from my homeland and that the way was blocked by two tomb guardians. They were made from wood, painted black and gold, and armed as a soldier with spear and khepesh. Although it was easy to pass between them to enter the room, beyond which I knew my property was stored, Philip went pale. 'Is it not said that there are guardians in the tombs to slay robbers?' he asked. I agreed that, in some cases, this was true. Then I had a problem, for he would not take one step forward. In the end I had to order the statues to put down their weapons which, being obedient to the commands properly spoken, they did."

This was exciting, and strange, Monifa had actually commanded statues to move. but Alicia intervened to continue the tale of the guard. At this rate we will go to bed very tired, I thought. But nobody else around the table seemed bothered.

"Poppy settled her self down upon the lap of the guard and took the length of his member into her. She sighed and kissed him, and then proceeded to move her hips upon him. Sometimes forward and back, sometimes up and down, it was like she was doing a little dance in his lap. He groaned with satisfaction, swore many times, and kneaded her breasts with his gnarled and wrinkled hands. She spoke like a common whore and no, I am not going to tell you what she said. You must ask her yourself if you wish to hear such language from an upper middle class woman of substance. I will leave it to your imagination."

And she did, referring us back to Monifa for the next part.

"Beyond the guardians," Monifa said. "Was a small room, and then a door onto a gallery. The gallery, which was a walkway high above a large rectangular open space, was wide enough to house many cabinets and cases. Here we found my property and I removed each one slowly, welcoming it back into my hands. As I removed one, Philip would find its copy, and he laid it down in the exact same place. Finally we removed the little piece of parchment with its description and reference numbers that lay in the middle of the tray, and swapped it with the parchment for the items in the drawer above. Another little confusion in case a scholar came looking for them. As we gathered ourselves to leave Lord Philip looked over the iron railing into the space below. I shone the light to reveal a large open space with many packing cases and stone coffins around the edge. 'My goodness' said Philip, 'This would be an excellent place for foul rituals or necromantic summoning of spirits. Who would have thought such a space existed underneath a renowned museum?'"

Then Alicia spoke up, "Meanwhile upstairs our happy guard was getting close to his climax, as Poppy worked his member like a violinist their instrument. I was behind his chair and had my hands on his shoulders. I could feel his heart beating, feel the blood rushing through his body, feel his hot breath as he gasped. Then he stiffened and cried out. After a few moments Poppy removed herself from his lap and turned herself around to point her buttocks at him. It was a blatant invitation but he looked up at me instead."

We held our breath around the table. Alicia had been around while pleasuring had occurred but had never, to our knowledge, indulged herself. Was she going to say that she had done so?

"He looked at me with great desire and asked me if I was going to pleasure him too. I answered as plainly as I could. 'Sir,' I said. 'You cannot have me for I would consume you. I would destroy you. For if I gave in to desire then I would drain you and throw you aside as a husk.' And it was true. Pleasuring and feeding are very close together in my nature and if I did the erotic dance with him I would drink him dry. Only love would prevent this. I believe I could pleasure a man I loved and not destroy him. This man I liked, he was very personable, but it would not be enough to save him."

We looked at each other. Alicia was in control of her nature but we knew now why she merely observed others.

"I told him that I was too rich for his blood, but that my colleague was ready and willing. And that I would help. He had become flaccid again, the problem of the elderly that their phallus does not stay hardened as long as when they were young. I touched him and let some of my power to entice flow into him. He became immediately erect again, to his great joy, and stood and moved to penetrate Poppy. I followed him and encouraged his thrusting. He was breathing hard now and I feared for his heart but it was clear he was not going to last long inside Poppy's love tunnel. Then a stick of chalk wrote upon the chalk board, which I could see but he could not as he bucked and plunged into my young friend. It wrote the words 'we are outside'. And, once I had read the words, a rag moved to erase them again. This was obviously the work of Monifa so it was time to end our distraction."

I sat hoping that they were not going to kill this poor man with pleasure, and what his colleagues would have thought about it when they found him the next day. Would there be recriminations and those who sent him his rich fruit cake be blamed for his untimely demise?

"I reached between his legs," continued Alicia. "And slid my hand so that my palm cupped his balls. I put my fingers just at the base of his phallus, and pressed. Centuries ago I discovered that this would induce the most ecstatic response from my victims. That was back in the days when they were victims, of my lust, and then of my hunger. He arched his back and ejaculated into Poppy and I counted the muscular spasms that drove his seed forward, he managed seven, which is a mystical number, and one I thought appropriate to this hall filled with statues of ancient gods and heroes. What he thought I did not find out but I suspect he was simply overwhelmed with joy at being able to perform with a young woman. He staggered back into his chair and we bid him goodnight. He made a weak attempt to rise, saying he would let us out, but we assured him we would be fine. I think he believed a key holder was waiting for us outside, which - in a way - was true."

"We were outside," Monifa said. "My bag was full of my possessions and Philip was looking very pleased with himself. He took out a long stemmed pipe, then filled and lit it slowly, so that it gave a reason for us to pause leaning against the museum. Nobody in the café opposite paid us any attention, and the rest of the square was deserted. When Alicia and Poppy joined us, I relocked the door. It would have been remiss to leave it open, thieves might have got inside. We walked slowly, back to our tavern where we arrived just before they closed the doors for the night. A good night's sleep and we were ready for our return home, which has taken three days. And now I desire to go to my bed, if I may, and rest my bruised bones."

"Did you find it?" I referred to the talisman that was the twin of that worn by Alicia, the one that permitted her to walk in sunshine and gave her the power to dress herself as she wished. This small piece of metalwork was the whole point of the expedition, a way to help Gerda before she became habituated to her vampire state and only sought darkness.

"Yes," replied Monifa. "I will visit Gerda tomorrow and make it hers. Alicia has promised to go with me."

Alicia nodded with a wistful smile. Was she wondering how her life might have been different if she had met Monifa centuries ago. It would have been hard to do this, because at that time Monifa would still have been in her cunningly hidden tomb in the harsh desert of Egypt. Still, everyone lives with regret for the things they did, or failed to do, it is a product of age, and Alicia has more of that commodity than most of us.

"Can you make your own way home?" our vampire friend asked her sorceress companion. "I would like a word with Helena."

"Oh yes," Monifa replied.

We let her go, unconcerned that she might have problems walking through the town in the dark. Any who thought she was just a young girl, an easy target for robbery or rape, would quickly regret it. And, since it was clear that Alicia wished to consult with Helena, the rest of us retired to bed and left them to it.

Helena's Diary

Alicia declared she wanted a talk and since I first met her on the threshold of number 34 I have always been happy to comply. She is immeasurably ancient but we get on like sisters who enjoy each other's company. The others had gone to bed so we were alone in the withdrawing room. Despite the danger, she is a vampire after all, I did not feel unsafe from this undead. Oooh, that was almost poetical. I shall have to get Isadora to dance to it.

Alicia looked worried and took from her dress, a letter. It was folded but the seal had been broken, she had read it. In fine lettering near the seal her title was written by a steady, well educated, hand. She looked deep into my eyes, as if gauging if she could trust me, then slid the letter across the table until it lay under my fingertips.

"Please read it, Helena," she said with a voice full of emotion. "I am in sore need of advice, and I trust you above all others."

I felt very proud that she valued my opinion. After all we were about as far apart on the social scale as two women could be. Me, the daughter of a tenant farmer, and she a Countess of ancient lineage. Lineage is a new word I learned at my last lesson with Freida. It means the line of your ancestors. Everyone has them, but some are regarded as more worthy than others. I didn't think I would get to write the word so soon after learning it. I opened the letter and studied it, hoping that there were not difficult words in it. It read...

Dearest Alicia, it said...

Then the line had been adjusted and the word Countess had been written above and between the two opening words, as if the author was uncertain if they had been too forward in just using her given name.

The letter continued...

I am writing to make a request of you. Please read all. It has been a struggle to write down some of my feelings, it does not come naturally to one of my background and career.

I have, ever since we first met, had feelings for you. It was by the body of the poor innocent, tragically slain by the monster, that I saw the way you lifted the little girl, with infinite kindness, and knew you to be a good woman. Since then I have developed even deeper feelings for you. A warmth in my heart that I had never expected to experience in my life. Over the weeks I have come to admire your mind, for its knowledge and clarity, your nature, for the care you show to others, and your form, for its beauty.

As a consequence of these feelings I would deem it an honour if we could share a drink at the Kaffeehaus one evening. I hope you do not consider this too forward a request, and I pray you can put aside the social distances between us and accommodate this humble request.

Yours, in all sincerity,

Vasile, Chief of Police.

I put down the letter.

"He wishes to woo you," I said, my heart leaping in my body with joy that here two lonely souls might find companionship with each other.

"Yes," Alicia replied. "It's terrible!"

"Why?" I said.

"I must trust that what he says is honest," she spoke quietly. "That is his nature. But the closer he gets to me the more likely he will learn my nature."

"Oh!" I said.

"He is a clever man. He has touched me on several occasions, felt my cold hand, my cold cheek. It may be that he has already made the deduction, as Freida would say. But how could he write such a loving letter if he knew what I was?"

I understood that Alicia was about to turn him away, to reject the possibility of happiness. I had to do something.

"You must make the leap of faith," I said. "You came here to ask my advice, correct?"

Alicia nodded.

"I would not be here if I had not taken a leap of faith, put my whole future into an enterprise and trust that things would turn out well."

She looked a little quizzical and I realised that I had not told her the events of the day Damion graduated.

"Damion had achieved his doctorate and was about to pack and leave Engolstadt for ever. I persuaded him to take me with him, even though it meant leaving all I knew behind."

"I see," said Alicia.

"If I had not done that then I would have never met you. You would never have taken the leap of faith to enter this house. Much would have been different. I would not be here to advise you. To be your loyal friend."

"So you would advise me to... take this leap of faith... and meet him?"

"Yes," I replied. "And if you have warm feelings for him then tell him. I know you saved his life at the burning windmill. You put yourself between him and the torch bearing mob though they were your greatest fear. That is the act of someone who cares deeply."

"And if he learns my nature and rejects me?"

"If he truly loves you," I reassured her. "Then he will, like me, see you as a shining example of your kind. Someone who can live in partnership with humanity. Someone he can declare his love to, and who can love him back."

"But what if we pleasure and I lose control? If I bite and drain that noble heart of its life-giving blood? Or worse! The male member is full of hot blood when it is aroused. What if I go down on him to give pleasure and end up taking his life?"

"You go too fast here," I said. "He has invited you to visit the Kaffeehaus, not his bed. He is doubtless looking forward to sharing some time in quiet conversation. That should be possible, yes?"

"Yes," replied my friend from the shadows.

I could see her calming her thoughts which had run ahead to the behaviour of betrothed couples. Then she laughed, a sound which I was delighted to hear in the middle of this fraught discussion.

"You are right, Helena," she smiled. "This is just a simple assignation, such as friends might make. I was already imagining the wedding night, which is a long way down the road."

She paused, took a deep breath, though she was not required to breathe, and looked into my eyes.

"I will take the leap," she said. "But I need you as my support. If I fall it may be I will require your help again."

"If you fall," I said. "I will pick you up."

We parted at that and I made my way to bed, reminded of my own leap of faith, and this man who had stood ready to pick me up if I stumbled.

To be continued...