Page 2 of Desperately Seeking Vampire
Lieutenant F. T. Dante
France
My dearest Finch,
The situation is not as dire as you might believe from seeing your friend suffer. While Dark Ones can be killed, as we both know to our sorrow, it is not easy for us to die of hunger. I will do what I can from here to locate all the field nurses in your area, but I fear your attention to this detail will have more potential for success. Turn your efforts—in your free time—to locating the woman. Until such time as you find her, Ivo may find relief for his hunger in whatever animals he can access. I will not detail the many times I was unable to find human sources and had to resort to horses, cattle, and, in particularly distressing times that I do not care to recall, vermin, but nonetheless, all are viable sources when others are not available.
Do not hesitate to tell me if there is anything else I can do. Although I don’t hold with mortal religion, I have ordered the local priest to light candles not only for the spirits of your father and mother, but for you and Ivo, as well. Stay safe, and do not lose hope. Beloveds may be rare, but I’m told they have a way of finding their Dark One when all hope is gone.
Your devoted uncle,
C. J. Dante
Christian Dante
Drahanská Castle
1 August 1916
Uncle Christian,
The last three weeks have been a blur of blood, death, and incompetence. Our hospitals are naught more than charnel houses of pain and misery, filled with a daily influx of fresh inmates, but of that, I will refrain from detailing. Suffice it to say that the package you sent, which arrived last week, was most heartily greeted by Ivo, myself, and the men in my division.
Ivo continues, although he is gaunt and weak. I will draw a veil over the sources of his nourishment, as they are of the rodent variety. Since the horses are as overworked and underfed as the rest of the mortals, neither Ivo nor I have the heart to feed from them. I’ve managed to slip into a nearby town on those occasions when the hunger has become a detriment to doing my job, but other than that, our surroundings, work, and life in general are a never-ending hellscape.
I have managed to steal a list of personnel who were present at the dressing station when Ivo arrived. As you can see, there are fourteen field nurses listed. Most are from Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service, but there are also a handful from the Australian Army Nursing Service. None are American, as I fully expected. Of those fourteen, I’ve met with nine, none of whom manifested any signs of being a Beloved. A tenth one was sent to a casualty clearing station with pneumonia right after Ivo was injured, so she could not be the woman we seek. I have not yet been able to locate the four remaining women noted on the list—the Australians were moved shortly after Ivo’s wounding to regiments of their countrymen, and the two others sent to a nearby field hospital. If you could use your resources to examine them for signs of rampant Belovedhood, I would be grateful.
Royal Army Medical Corps, 8th Division
Lieutenant F. T. Dante
France
My dear Finch,
I have done what I could to track down the women you think might be your friend’s Beloved. Of them, the two British nurses were cleared by me personally. The remaining two Australians were located near Paris, and were checked by my friend Sebastian, but he said they were not Beloveds. Might the woman in question not have been a nurse? I understand that civilians in that area provide what help they can to the armed forces, and it occurred to me that some such woman, seeing Ivo injured, may have attempted to help him and, in doing so, allowed him to feed from her.
Please press Ivo for what details he can reclaim. I don’t relish attempting to interview every woman of a suitable age in the area surrounding the front, but naturally, I will do what I can. If you can get Ivo to remember any more information, I assure you I will put it to the best of use.
Your devoted uncle,
C. J. Dante
Christian Dante
Drahanská Castle
15 September 1916
Uncle: I fear for Ivo. He has not been able to eat in over three weeks. He talks of falling into some sort of death sleep. I am at my wit’s end as to what I can do for him. His mental state is fading along with his general health. I’ve repeatedly asked him for more information about the woman from his “dream,” but he has nothing more to add. He talks of nothing but death now, having given up all hope. Considering the stupidity of the battles around us, and the death and destruction that fill our days, I have lost hope, myself.
I don’t know what aid you can render us, but if there is anything you can think of, any way for us to locate this woman, please tell me. I am not one to give in to emotion, but I dislike seeing my friends fade away.
Finch
2 October
My dear nephew:
