The Red Rose

Chapter XXXIII

With everything more settled now, we traveled by train, and I think I noticed something I hadn't realized before:

"Carmilla, is it just me, or are we going slower than usual?"

She looks at me, after checking hotels in Budapest on her smartphone, frowns, and says:

"Miguel, this train must be going about 300 kilometers per hour. It's faster than we normally run... are you feeling alright?"

I look up at the ceiling and, taking a breath, I tell her:

"I don't know. I feel like things are moving slowly. I'm hot, and I've been having headaches now and then."

She gently places her delicate hands on my forehead and replies:

"Yes, I've noticed your temperature has been rising. I've also noticed you're not eating like a little piggy anymore. Where does it hurt?"

I smile and say, "Right behind my eyes. It's like a kind of migraine that comes and goes. I've never had migraines before."

Carmilla becomes thoughtful, and while looking at me intently, she thinks for a moment before answering:

"Hmm... maybe it's stress. Also, I noticed in the last battle that your strength has increased considerably. With the blows you were dealing to the triton, you almost made the whole dungeon collapse. But you should be careful. We don't know what tricks Dracula might have up his sleeve, and from the times we've interacted, he's a very well-prepared vampire."

I continued looking out the window, uneasy about the changes I was feeling, and said:

"Yes, I know. I'll be careful."

After several hours, we finally arrived at one of the stations in Vienna and managed to get our things. I noticed that Carmilla had many passports with different names and photos taken in various styles, with different hairstyles and clothes. I only had my original passport, and it was usually the one that caused tensions at customs or border control points, mainly because of my sword and bow, although we were often able to negotiate our way through controls to make our way through different places.

We arrived at the hotel, and I had to take an ice-cold shower. Carmilla had given me some medicine for the headache, but I really doubted it would have any effect.

We looked at Erik's notebook and were able to find the geographical location of the area, which was a small village that passed through a hill. Dracula's mansion, or rather bunker, was a luxurious place with very well-hidden doors.

"Mátraszentimre."

I tried with all my might to read such a tongue-twister, but it seemed impossible.

Basically, it was a small village on a hill, far north of Budapest, where hiking and nature activities took place - a rather discreet place perfect for a supernatural being who wishes to maintain a low profile.

"Our number one vampire doesn't seem to have gone too far from home," I remarked.

"I imagine that for many of us, it's difficult to shake off habits. Although I move throughout Central Europe, I've never ventured to another continent, at least not until I met you," Carmilla smiled.

Juanpi arrived at the apartment, where we had things ready for the plan. He brought a computer, several Gothic novels, and a notebook with notes and ideas, plus other sketches from Sebastian that he sent over the internet.

Although he seemed tired and paler, he was really focused and greeted us. This time he seemed to feel more comfortable around Carmilla.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! You don't know how happy I am with all the juicy information from you. The bestiary is slowly going to look like an encyclopedia! And with the information from the original novels, I think I've traced a possible story of Dracula's alternate timeline." He said while shaking the book with quite some enthusiasm.