VAN HELSING - A Short Story

Part Three, Chapter Fourteen: Lord Ian Collinwood

AMBRA 

And I did not break my promise. After a good snack – rabbit and pinecone tea – and a good night's rest, I headed off in direction of London.

The storm had ceased and the wet grass made squishy and slippery noises underneath my feet. Getting to London would be a very long walk but with my new enhanced stamina, senses and gift of orientation that came with being a Vampire, I was confident of arriving at the city's outskirts by nightfall.

If I had only been trained in flying, my journey might have taken even less time but there was none of it left for training. Johann would have to do so after he joins me in the city.

Because of my impeccable time management, I truly arrived at nightfall, able to see the vast city from the hill that surrounded it. What I could not have foreseen though was yet another downpour that caught me off guard.

If I would have been dry, I would have taken the last few miles down to London but the clammy cold and clothes sticking to my body, forcing my teeth to clatter even more urged me to find shelter at a homestead nearby.

It was the only house that I could see far and wide and there were no caves for me to hide in so I will have to be social now if I did not want to freeze to death.

The ground underneath my feet squished as the rain mixed with the muddy soil. Thankfully, a small street leading from the estate to the city was paved. Back on London roads. The house itself was a little creepy but only because of the many trees surrounding it and the barren hedges and stone walls covered in mosses.

I walked up to the door, gripping the brass knocker and slamming it three times against the little dot that made the sound reverberate through the wood and into the house. I could hear it echo between the interior walls.

Through a small window at each side of the door, I saw light be turned on inside the hallway: candlelight making the shadows dance and allowing me to see the tall silhouette come closer.

Several locks clicked open and a slit of orange light illuminated part of my face.

"Can I help you at this late an hour?"

The aging man asked me through the slit of the door with a deep voice, appropriate for his increasing age. But I could not see much of him yet.

"Yes kind sir, I travel from afar, wanting to visit the city. I would have arrived in time if the weather had not caught me off guard. I hope I don't impose on your hospitality by asking for lodging for the night. I will be out of your way in first light."

I explained and he pulled the door back more, flooding the porch and myself with light. I was also more able to distinguish his features.

His skin was spotted with age and had several deep lines underneath and next to the eyes and on his forehead. Deep bags made his cold blue eyes look even droopier. His hairline was receding but he still kept the grey tufts on shoulder-length, occasional white streaks brightening the colour.

He wore a full suit, tie, vest, coat and all. A massive amulet was set into his ascot tie; silver frame and deep red gem. He was resting his weight on a black cane with a silver lion as a grip, its eyes being of the same deep red as the gem at his neck.

He nodded a few times, raising his deep black eyebrows and thus putting his forehead in more folds than it already had, stepping aside for me to enter the estate.

"Come in dear. You must be freezing out here. Drenched you are for sure."

Upon myself entering the hallway, he let the door fall shut behind me. The hallway that I found myself in was massive with dark furniture and crimson tapestries and carpets accentuating the dark wood. Candlelight brought at least a little brightness to the house.