Peter Rakoczy: The Music of My Life

Chapter 29: A Chat with Viktor

Peter was resigned to his dismal fate.  He realized that any attempt to escape would either be thwarted before he could leave the castle, or, even worse, bring two angry vampires to his home.  He had no desire to expose any other members of his family to Nicolae and Viktor's wrath.

He therefore spent the rest of the day in the upstairs bedroom.  At breakfast, lunch and dinner time, Ana promptly arrived with a tray.  At least the food and drink were more than adequate.  Nicolae must have remembered what it was like to be a noble in a human household because he treated his unwitting guest as such.

The third time Ana arrived, Peter tried to talk to her and get some information about Nina's progress through her transformation.  But the maid remained mum.  She was either extremely loyal to Viktor, or terrified of what would happen to her if she betrayed him.  Ana placed the tray on a small table by the bed and quickly left.

Peter saw that his dinner consisted of half a roasted chicken with potatoes and red cabbage.  He also received a flagon of excellent wine which he completely drained before he even touched the food.  As he longingly looked outside the window toward his home, he realized it was New Year's Day.

"Who would've thought I'd be spending January 1st as a prisoner in a vampire's castle?"  Peter chuckled to himself, but his amusement faded when he remembered his niece's fate.

"I wish I could talk to Nina," Peter murmured.

But he didn't want to endanger her by attempting to see her.  He now knew where she was held, and which bookshelf was the doorway to the secret passage.  But he hadn't seen which book spine Nicolae pressed.  Considering his recent streak of bad luck, Peter thought he'd probably spend hours on end trying to find the concealed button and ultimately fail.

He sighed and laid on the bed.  He laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the ceiling while his thoughts turned to Lisbeth.  By now, she was probably worried about him.  Peter wondered whether Stellian would try to comfort her.  The idea alone made him nauseous.  Yet he didn't put anything past his brother.  Stellian would act concerned, but inside he most likely felt gleeful.  What if Lisbeth gave in to his advances?  Peter imagined his beloved and Stellian together, and felt a wave of anger rise within him. 

"If the bastard so much as touches her, I'll kill him," Peter muttered under his breath.

For a few minutes, he tried to imagine what it would be like to have Nicolae's power.  If he had a vampire's strength, Peter could lift Stellian up with one hand and throw him across the room.  He formed a mental image of the scenario and grinned.  There certainly were some advantages to being a vampire:  incredible strength, eternal life and the ability to control other people's minds.  Perhaps Nina should consider herself lucky.  She would never age.  While her younger sisters would turn into old women, Nina would remain nineteen forever.

Peter suddenly felt very tired.  He hadn't slept for the past twenty-four hours.  His eyelids grew heavy and he yawned. 

"I might as well save up my strength," he thought.  "Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

With that, he soon fell into a deep slumber.  He didn't know how much time had elapsed when he woke up abruptly.  It was still the middle of the night, but Peter thought he heard a noise in his room.  He opened his eyes and carefully glanced around.  He tried to be as quiet as possible.  Suddenly, he noticed a figure looming in the corner of the room.

The figure must've heard Peter move, because it instantly drifted toward him, as though it was floating through the air.  Peter froze, but couldn't take his eyes off the terrifying apparition. 

"Can't sleep?"  Viktor's voice resounded through the still of the night.

"Why are you in here?"  Peter barely uttered the words.  He was absolutely petrified by the vampire's proximity.