Page 43 of The Doctor and the Devil
“Kidnapped, abducted, removed by force!” Charlotte snapped, still upset at having her judgment questioned. “Do try to keep up, Signora.”
The opera singer glared at Charlotte, and I fought to keep from grinning.
“It’s true,” Daphne admitted. “Charlotte and I saw him. The Order has abducted the disinherited Prince Lazslo and intend to try him for the genocide of French people. They are holding him responsible for the origin of the blood plague.”
“Is he responsible?” Josephine asked.
Silence descended and I felt the weight of every intense gaze in the room. I pursed my lips, still unsure how much I trusted these women. Without their aid, I wouldn’t be able to recover Laszlo, but that didn’t mean I was ready to divulge the full weight of my family’s history and my suspicions about the genesis of the plague that was taking hold of France’s less fortunate.
“I’m not quite sure,” I admitted. An honest answer, but not the full truth.
I was met with sighs of frustration and hisses of disapproval. Mina squeezed my arm, but I wasn’t sure if it was for comfort or from the pressure to say more.
“As I said, I’ve been trying to track down the source. Days ago, I was led to a vampire up north who was as close to my original bloodline as I’ve gotten, but it wasn’t enough for me to determine the true genesis of the infection,” I explained.
“If we’re to believe the blood plague comes from your family, why should it matter if it comes from you or your brother? You are complicit, if not directly responsible. This is your curse. You should be held accountable,” Françoise said acidly. “Perhaps we should deliver you to the Order and let them figure out what to do with you as punishment. Thenwecan get on with finding a cure and cleaning up the mess you and your brother left.”
Several of the vampires in the room hissed at her. Charlotte tensed, glaring in her direction. I noticed Mina cringe, perhaps hearing her words to me from weeks ago.
“Not all of us are so desperate for a cure,” Daphne pointed out. “But one should be available, if some so choose. I believe Mina’s work will deliver one to us—it is only a matter of time.” Then, she turned back to me. “Rest assured, we will not be delivering you to the Order, Rafael.”
She must have seen the relief flit across my face because she continued.
“But Françoise raises some excellent points. What can you offer us as proof of your intentions and willingness to serve the people of France—beyond your own obvious loyalty?” Her strange violet eyes flicked to Mina, then back at me. Her meaning was clear.
I straightened, trying to ignore the slights at my honor.
“It is true that this is my family’s curse and my responsibility regardless of how it escaped the confines of my ancestral home. Since I first received word of it in France, I have stopped at nothing to find out how it arrived here. My family and I have been trying to find a cure for longer than any of you have been alive. Dr. Van Helsing can attest to that. For generations, we have hunted dead end after dead end—if you’ll pardon the pun—trying every scientific potion, folk cure, religious relic, holy man, prayer, counter curse, exorcism, and more. Nothing has worked for us, but that doesn’t mean I will stop searching for an end,” I explained.
Daphne’s eyes found mine across the table, and she smiled encouragingly. Perhaps she wouldn’t be so hard to win over. Françoise, however, would not be dissuaded. She opened her mouth to speak, the frown on her lips deepening, but I cut her off.
“What none of you have yet to grasp is that this didn’t start out as an epidemic or an illness for us. My family has been living with this curse—and it is that,a curse—for thousands of years. We have borne the brunt of this penance for sins so long ago forgotten, the gods to whom we beg forgiveness have become the dust and whispers of memory. We have seen more death, suffering, and midnights than you can fathom.”
The younger vampires in the room looked away at that—likely too afraid to confront the true meaning of eternity as I spoke of it.
“And yet, there is hope,” I said, looking at Mina. These words were more for her than anyone here. “There will always be hope. Hope is the universal virtue that unites humanity, even when it feeds on greed, despair, pride, ignorance, and corruption. There is hope for the future. As much depravity and evil as humans are capable of, they are also capable of equal measures of kindness, compassion, and beauty. It is true that I am loyal to one in particular here, but that is because to me—after everything that I have seen in all my years—she embodies the best of humanity. I will protect it for her.”
No one moved, nor spoke a word. Mina’s clear blue gaze was filled with emotions, but too many at once for me to fully understand. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the sound of a tearful sniff shattered the quiet.
Charlotte waved her hand airily as tears tracked down her cheeks.
“Oh Rafael, that was so beautiful,” she blubbered. “Mina,honestly.”
A few people chuckled. Antoine stiffened and threw me a dark look.
“I don’t know that I can offer you more proof than that,” I said.
I looked up at Daphne again, and she grinned, showing me her full fangs. With a wink, she stood.
“Well said, Rafael,” she said. “I, for one, am convinced. I will not speak for all the women assembled here tonight, but you will have my support and whatever resources I can provide.” She gestured to the two empty seats at the massive dining table. Mina and I crossed the room silently and sat as we were bid.
“Mesdames,” Daphne continued. “Now, the fact of the matter remains—the Order has Rafael’s brother in their clutches. Regardless of who brought the plague down upon France, I think it is safe to say that we cannot allow the Order’s warped sense of justice to dictate what happens to anyone anymore—let alone a foreign prince who may be innocent.”
“We don’t know that,” Françoise mumbled.
“We don’t know that he’s guilty, either, Françoise!Mon dieu,how you test me sometimes. Do you need another glass of wine or a cream puff? Anything to make your manner more tolerable while we discuss these very difficult things?” Charlotte groaned.
Françoise narrowed her eyes at the exasperated Comtesse and begrudgingly plucked an eclair from the tower of sweets in the center of the table.
