Chapter 17

After the show I was escorted to a room where Baba Yaga was waiting with a crystal goblet. She waved her hand and it started to bubble up and psychedelic smoke overtook it. It had a very enticing aroma. Drake tried to stop her but he was asked to stand back or face consequences. I took the cup and drank the entire content. I felt no change whatsoever. I asked her if she gave me something to beautify my complexion. One of the dwarves fell backward and laughed so loud that he had to be removed. The rest of them stared at her weirdly like she had made a mix up and gave me the wrong potion. She promised them that this is only potion she brewed all week. She kept trying to reassure them that she had brewed no other. She really wanted me to be guilty but it turns I am innocent. She was seriously disappointed. She asked if there is anything that she could do to have me. It didn't matter if I was innocent. She felt it was important that I was eliminated. The dwarves gave each other a worried look and gave a resigned nod. One of them permitted Drake to punch her in the face. He attacked her like a shark attacking a group of seals. She was given a nose job. She hit the deck pretty hard. She was on the floor unconscious for a few minutes before they decided to revive her. I asked him what was the stuff I drank. He wrinkled his nose and said it was the essence of the deceased. Made from the blood, skin and entrails of the murdered. Used as judge, jury and executioner on special occasions. If I had been guilty I would have bubbled up and turned into a skeleton after experiencing immense pain. Immediately I stuck my finger in my mouth and regurgitated my entire stomach content and demanded an entire bag of breath mints. They gave me the next best thing. They gave me a navy blue candy that removed that awful vomit taste and breath out in the blink of an eye. It tasted different with each chew. I asked if I could explore the place. They gave me a nod like my request was sent for processing. It felt like the answer will reach me about three thousand years later. Drake gave me a look to say stop thinking out loud. I asked him privately if these guys can hear me. He gave me a sharp nod and I went back to my room. I passed out on the couch.

I woke up to someone shaking me violently. I looked up to see it was William. He came to ask me about where my allegiance lay. I told him that I am still a defender. Drake hasn't fed me any innocent blood and he has been training me so I would be safer. I have convinced him to rejoin the defenders. He gave me a look, "Dracula won't join us as long my brother is alive." I smiled, "That is all in the past. You will see before we leave the Lazarus Pit." He jumped away from me, "How did you know?" I shrugged, "I didn't know. I felt like this was the appropriate name for this place. Now go before he shows up. He has been in a terrible mood lately since those murders" He gave me a nod and left without incident. I sat down trying to figure out what to do. I wanted to go out outside and feel the warmth of the outside but I can't go till this murder was cleared.

I decided to go to the scene of the crime. I saw the bodies were undisturbed. What I also noticed was that they were washed thoroughly to remove any evidence. That is the reason for this lengthy interrogation. I was so annoyed that I looked up and saw the fairies. I remembered that they are everywhere. I asked them to come down. They refused to listen. They seemed terrified so I climbed the wall and joined them in the ceiling. They told me who actually did it. They told me these two were in love and they were going to run away. The Succubi's half brother caught them and he murdered them. He is an Incubus. He is currently packing his belongings to disappear.

So I relayed it to the owner and he waved his hand and summoned one of other guests. She was a different creature. This creature looked like the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I felt plain next to her. She knew how beautiful she looked and smirked at me. She turned to the man I accused and turned into a creature resembling an eagle and threw fireballs at them. She was introduced as a Valkyrie. He burned to ashes and she turned back to her beautiful form and tapped the shoulder of a snoring brunette sleeping on top of a pool table. She woke up and turned white haired and gave a hair raising wail. I was frozen still for a few minutes. I thawed a few minutes later and asked one of imps why the white haired lady had to wail. Was there any significance. They explained that this signified that the interrogation was over and things can go back to normal. The owner asked me why I was acting so surprised all the time. I explained that I have been a vampire for only eighty days. Before that I was an oblivious mere mortal. He stood there like he had been slapped across the face. Then he turned red faced and started shouting in a strange language. He yelled at the one who escorted me into his office. Apparently newbies are supposed to sign in a special book. They will be given a crash course, a grand tour and everyone will explain everything to them to make the transition easy for them. The imps started running really fast around and twice they had a head on collision course with each other trying set things right. He waved his hand they brought a black book with Helm of the Darkness engraved on the cover. Even the pages were black and were constantly dripping with blood. I told him I may be married to Dracula but I am from the other side. He gave me a funny look and asked for the other book. They brought a heavy leather bound book with gold pages. Looks like it is the most important book he ever possessed. He even used a crystal key he hid in his pocket watch to unlock it. I was told to hold out my finger. He used a quill to cut my finger and made me sign the book with my blood as ink. He gave me a satisfactory nod and asked me to enjoy my tour of the hotel. He waved his hand and the nymph I met in the mountain fissure came with a blood bag.

She first took me to the mines where the dwarves were mining all sorts of things. From diamonds to all sorts of metal. I was forbidden to go to the workshop as they were working on black powder. This is used to make explosives. I had no desire to watch things go boom so I turned my attention to the tiny men hard at work. These guys worked in three shifts to get everything they can get their hands on. The best part was that it would all replenish itself with the rising sun. That means they would continue tomorrow also since those precious metals and stones would never deplete.

Next on the tour was the clapping hall or the nightingale hall depending on who you ask. With each step I took the floor gave a sound that resembles a nightingale singing and when I clapped the ceiling echoed like an opera hall. It was a long stretch of a room that people used it train for stealth missions. I was told the only person that managed to walk through without making any noise was Dracula. I chuckled, "I already figured that out when you said stealth mission." I heard a familiar sound. I turned to see that it was Baba Yaga. She was furious as she walked crookedly towards me and I asked her if she wants my husband to rearrange her body even more. She turned around and limped away. I asked the nymph to continue the tour.

The next room was the archive. It was crammed with books. Some looked like they were made from human skin. Others had covers made of leather, gold or silver or crystal or bone. The room gave me a bad feeling. I was told that this is a room for the Dwarves only. If a person who is not a dwarf goes in there they will never be able to come back out. There is a dragon that attacks anyone who trespasses.

The next was the spa room. I spent at least three hours getting one of the best treatments I had ever had. The first was a lava stone massage. The next was a facial including mud from the dead sea. My body was scrubbed with chocolate and then massaged with exotic oils and my skin became so soft that I thought it had turned into pure silk.

The next on the tour was the shopping center. I wasn't sure what to buy when Drake asked me to enjoy shopping. He had heard from the fairies in our suite that someone walked into and woke me up to talk. He wanted to know that was all he did. I smiled that William was concerned because I had sworn my allegiance to the Dragons and now I came here as guest with the Helm of the darkness. So I made it clear that I am still a defender. "I may be married doesn't change the fact that I promised to fight bad guys if it was called for. You haven't ill-treated me. You did promise to join the defenders. He says you won't as long as his brother is alive." Drake gave me a smile for my honesty and asked that I splurge like there is no tomorrow. I asked him not to kill William. He was only concerned. He is the only friend who understood me when I changed. He promised me that he had no intention of doing anything so I asked him if he going to ask the owner to do something about it. All he gave me was a smile and disappeared into the mist. I prayed for Will and then shopped till I dropped.

After that was the tour of the magic cave that takes you anywhere you like for half a day. I imagined myself near a shipwreck and found the cave entrance had opened up to be just that. I saw two shipwrecks. I found all sorts of stuff and decorated the place. I used the mast and rigging to divide the cave into segments. I used the sails as curtains. Then found a treasure chest filled with jewelry. I dangled the necklaces all over the place and when the sunlight hit the stone. The colored light bounced off the walls and the edge had a beautiful Rainbow line. I placed a carpet on the floor and a few things from the captain's room to finish the shipwreck look. All that was done in five minutes. I even found a stone slab that was a perfect table. As the sun was setting I found driftwood. Which I used to light the center of the cave. The fire was a different color. It was blue and lavender. I was awestruck till I added another log and the flames turned to rainbow color. I wanted to stay here but was told that would be a bad idea. I put out the flames and decided to end the tour for the day. I wanted to see what Drake had done. She obliged my request and promised me a tour of the rest of the mountain. We took a shortcut where an old dwarf was explaining to young dwarfs what to look for when they mine. I guess that this must be a school for dwarfs. I imagined the lessons these guys would get and chuckled lightly.

When I reached my suite William was there and he was talking to Drake. More likely he was negotiating. William seems to be winning. I asked them to be more civil and immediately William responded to me. He became more polite while Drake was rude. I smacked Drake on the back of his head with my hand. He looked at me and I reminded him to be nice. He gave me a bitter smile and signed a document that changed his allegiance to the other side. We had to change rooms from The Empire suite to Queen Victoria Suite. The room was brightly lit with more fairies and pixies. I sat down with Drake and he gave me a sobered look. I promised not to butt in his affairs again. I will give him anything he wanted in exchange for making his pain go away. He smiled, "Will you give me a baby?" I smiled, "I was thinking nine or ten" He smiled as though I had given him the best birthday present ever. He hugged me and we sat down to have dinner. He asked me what part of the tour I liked and he laughed when I told him about the cave. He did growl when I told him about Baba Yaga. But smiled at my threat as he was more than happy to meet it out.