DUNLUCE CASTLE

Tonight they would reach Dunluce Castle. Finally! In Belfast, their crates had been unloaded and then taken over by a coastal sailer. At first, Alisa thought they must be fishermen taking over the transportation, as the first thing that hit her nose was the penetrating smell of fish remnants. However, she also caught another scent. Vampires! Strange vampires who belonged neither to her family nor to the Vienna Dracas. They could only be messengers of the Irish Lycana Clan! Family members of Ivy and Mervyn. Perhaps they had even come themselves to pick them up?

Impatiently, Alisa drummed her fingernails against the lid of her crate. To her surprise, she heard the iron pins being pulled out. Then the lid flipped open, and she saw an unfamiliar male face. It was elongated and gaunt with sunken cheeks. Although the wrinkled skin seemed weather-beaten, it was as white as Alisa's. Only a scar on his neck stood out as a reddish jagged line. His hair was long and as colorless as his stubble. He seemed exceptionally tall and now extended one of his strong arms towards her. His hand closed with a firm grip around hers.

"Welcome aboard the Cioclón," he said with a rough voice, pulling her up with a jerk. Only when Alisa felt the planks under her soles did he let her go and take a step back. "My name is Murrough, which means 'fighter of the sea,' and that's what I used to be. Even though the English derogatorily called me a pirate!" He spat over the railing.

Alisa looked around. The ship, resembling a schooner or ketch, had one and a half masts with a gaff sail and two foresails. The hull of the Cioclón was wide and flat and stabilized by two swords on either side.

"I am tasked with safely bringing you to Dunluce Castle," the boatman continued. "So let's make sure we have enough wind in the sails to arrive before dawn."

Despite the welcome, Alisa couldn't detect a smile on his grim face. His eyes glowed in a deep red. He turned away and gave brief commands to three other vampires.

Alisa's younger brother Tammo, who like the others had also been freed from his travel crate, stepped to her side and watched the vampire go. "Isn't he incredible?" he whispered, admiration and a little fear evident in his voice.

Alisa followed his gaze. Hindrik now joined him. They exchanged a few words and then stood together in silent harmony at the bow, around which the nightly black sea burst into white foam. No hostility towards the other families seemed to come from Murrough. Or did he only accept Hindrik because he had also sailed in his former human life?

Alisa sauntered over to Franz Leopold, who leaned a little apart from his family over the railing. On the simple fishing boat, the elegant attire of the Viennese was downright ridiculous. She stood silently next to him. Tonight's night was stormy, and only occasionally did the moonlight shine through the clouds for a moment. The coast with its rocky cliffs alternating with sandy coves could only be guessed at.

"As I look at you all, I'm sure the Dracas will have an exciting time in Ireland!" She suppressed a laugh. "Oh yes, we will," Franz Leopold replied seriously. "I can hardly wait."

Alisa looked at him from the side, puzzled, but she couldn't detect a hint of irony.

"Cowan, wake up!" His father shook him by the shoulder. "I need your help again tonight."

The boy opened his eyes and yawned. "What's up?" A quick glance at the gap between the heavy curtains meant to keep out the draft showed him that it was still pitch dark. Suddenly, the boy was wide awake and threw back the blanket. "Are the men back? What should I do?" he asked eagerly as he reached for his coarse wooden shoes.

Myles seemed to consider for a moment before answering his son. Then he said deliberately, "Yes, some friends are coming who have traveled through the south to discuss something."

Cowan pulled on a thick wool sweater over the tattered smock he had slept in. Next to the family pattern, his aunt had knitted his initials into it, as was customary in many fishing families. Together, they facilitated identifying the dead after an accident, who often washed ashore days later, although Cowan didn't fear that his sweater would ever have to perform this service for him. Myles only ventured out on Lough Corrib, which surely had its own dangers but was nothing compared to the capricious sea.

Cowan reached for his pants. The hems were frayed and dirty, but neither he nor his father cared about that. "Are they coming here to the house?" 

Myles shook his head. "No, we'll meet in an abandoned hut by the mine up above."

Cowan nodded gravely. "Yes, it's too conspicuous here. Not all neighbors think like us. Too often, betrayal has been the downfall before it even began."

Myles looked at his son with astonishment. "What's this? Do you think I'm a naive boy who doesn't know what's going on? I'm fourteen, and I'm a man who can fight alongside you!"

"A man? You? Perhaps in your dreams!" a bright voice interjected. Father and son spun around and stared at the girl who entered the chamber barefoot and in a long nightdress. They exchanged embarrassed glances.

"Nellie, we didn't mean to wake you. Go back to your bed and sleep."

The girl looked from her father to her twin brother, who looked very similar to her except for the shorter hair. Both had reddish, curly hair, blue eyes, and faces full of freckles. Their mother had died giving birth to the twins, so Myles, with the help of his sister, who lived only a few houses away, had taken on the task of raising the children.

"Ah, the great secrets are driving you out into the night again," she said.

"How did you come up with that?" her father stuttered.

"Pa, you're wearing boots and the leather jacket, your packed backpack is here by the door, and my lazy brother Cowan can't wait to follow you out into the dark night!" 

"The fish bite best at dawn," her father tried to excuse himself one last time.

"Pa, don't try to fool me!"

"When did you two become so..." 

"... grown-up?" Nellie finished, although that probably wasn't the word her father was looking for. "A little more every year!" she said seriously and patted Myles's arm. "Wasn't that your goal? That we thrive and grow up quickly? Well, now we are here, and we can be more help than burden to you. Be happy about that."

Myles grimaced. 

"We should leave," Cowan urged. "Go back to your bed and enjoy your sleep, sister dear," he said, shouldering his father's heavy backpack.

"Yes, we should go. And I will accompany you."

"That's only for men," her brother retorted.

"Oh yeah? Then why is Karen among them?"

Father and son looked at each other in surprise. "How do you know that?" Myles exclaimed.

"Oh Pa, I have eyes and ears in my head and a perfectly sharp mind that can add two and two together - even if you men don't want to admit it. Wait, I'll put on something warm. I just need a moment."

Myles approached his daughter with heavy steps and put his arm around her shoulder. "I don't know how you found out about this meeting - we've always been very careful... " Nellie snorted and rolled her eyes. "... but then you also know that this is no game. It's very dangerous, and if we're discovered, it can easily end in death. You know, the English don't mess around, as the painful history of our ancestors has taught us."

"I know the history of this country," Nellie said, looking at her father seriously. "Aunt Rosaleen told me a lot about her great-uncle who was hanged alongside Emmet. And I know the story of Robert Emmet's housekeeper, who was imprisoned and tortured in Dublin, even though she never raised a weapon herself! You see, it's dangerous for women too when their husbands, fathers, or brothers get involved in this game."

Defiantly, she lifted her chin. "And if you're going to put me in danger, then at least I want to be there and have a say in our fate." Her father still looked at her helplessly. "Did you think about bread and cheese?" Nellie continued eagerly. "And there should be enough beer and whiskey. The nights are cold, and the men will want to warm up. What are you standing there staring at me for? Come on, pack another backpack while I quickly get dressed." Nellie ran out of the chamber. "Well, she's not entirely wrong," Cowan said. "Maybe we should allow her to accompany us after all." "Does she leave me any choice?" Myles grumbled. "If I command her to wait for us here, you can bet she'll do something stupid. Stubborn girl that she is." Cowan grinned and rubbed his head. "That applies to all of us, I suppose. According to Rosaleen, we didn't get that from Ma. She was very gentle."

A wistful expression appeared on Myles' bearded face, which otherwise usually looked harsh or gaunt. "Oh, my Heather, she was a wonderful woman. So kind-hearted and soft and..." Cowan went out to pack another backpack with food and drinks, as his sister had suggested. He was glad to be able to do something.

When his father fell into this sad mood, it made him uncomfortable, and he didn't know what to say. How could he comfort him? After all, he had never known his mother. "Are you ready?" Nellie appeared dressed and with a bundle on her back. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Then let's go!" Under the cover of darkness, the three left the house by the shore of Lough Corrib and hiked up the hill rising to the west.

Myles had decided not to light the lamp. The moon showed them the way, which quickly narrowed and then wound its way upwards between bog pools and thorny bushes. In the east, the pitch-black clouds were already losing color as Murrough tacked and reefed the sails.

Excitedly, the Vamalia crowded against the railing, trying to see as much as possible of the rocky coast. Then the moon emerged from between the clouds and illuminated a landscape that Alisa couldn't even have imagined in her dreams. She saw not only a cliff that rose hundreds of steps steeply into the sky.

This was a structure of black and reddish stones, formed into six or eight-sided pillars, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, like the pipes of an organ nestled together to bring forth the concert of the senses. "That's incredible!" Alisa exclaimed with a gasp. "Who built such a wonder?" "I don't think it was the ancient Celts," Franz Leopold speculated, his bored tone failing a bit. "Even though a lot of miraculous magic is attributed to them." For the first time, a smile lit up the boatman's face.

Murrough approached them and left it to his men to navigate the shallows, which were obviously familiar to them. "Oh yes, wondrous magic must have been at play when the Giant's Causeway was built - the Giant's Causeway," Murrough said. "Finn MacCumhal was a hero and a noble warrior. Whether he was actually a giant, I wouldn't venture to judge. Perhaps the stories of later centuries made him one. He was a contemporary of Cormac MacArt, king and leader of the noble warrior caste of the Fianna in the third century. His rival was the Scottish Benandonner. Also a great warrior."

"I suspect," Franz Leopold interjected, "the two heroes wanted to test their strengths and find out who was the stronger." Alisa ducked a little and glanced at Murrough, but he just laughed and showed his conspicuously good teeth. "Yes, you've got that right. But since there was no boat stable enough to carry the mighty Finn MacCumhal to Scotland, he began to build a land bridge." Tammo critically examined the coastline. "Well, he didn't get very far to Scotland."

"Nevertheless, what we see here is quite impressive for the work of one man, even if he was a giant," Alisa pointed out. "What you can see along the coast here is just the remainder of the causeway that's left," Murrough corrected.

"Listen. The story goes on. While he was working on his causeway, Finn MacCumhal heard that Benandonner was already on his way to Ireland. So he hurried home, got his wife to dress him in the clothes of a baby, and laid himself in a cradle. When Benandonner arrived shortly thereafter, the woman explained to him that he was seeing Finn's son here. The Scot got a huge fright. How big must then Finn MacCumhal himself be? He fled back to Scotland over the causeway and smashed the structure behind him."

The vampires from Hamburg looked at each other and then began to laugh. At that moment, Murrough turned around and pointed ahead. "Look! There it is: Dunluce Castle, the main fortress of the Lycans." Alisa held her breath. She didn't know what to expect, but this sight would have exceeded all expectations in any case. The coast was divided into bays here, divided by spurs that jutted far into the sea. Flat and grassy above, the edge suddenly dropped off to plunge more than thirty meters vertically into the depths. And on one of these black cliffs - connected only by a drawbridge to the mainland and the outer bailey - Dunluce Castle loomed. The black-speckled stones grew directly out of the rocks, forming walls and gables and two formidable round towers. Behind the castle rock, the cliffs suddenly changed color and shimmered white in the moonlight. Alisa couldn't get enough of the sight. "Look at this old building. It's half a ruin!" Anna Christina complained. "At least we don't have to live like rats in tunnels underground again," Karl Philipp said.

"That's true, but it doesn't look particularly comfortable either," Marie Luise remarked. Alisa was about to say something when Franz Leopold cut her off. "Now shut up already. Your whining is getting on my nerves!" Not only his cousins stared at him incredulously, but Alisa also opened her mouth, then decided to remain silent.

As they approached the cliff wall, which already towered above them, forcing them to lean back to see the base of the castle walls, Murrough took over the helm. "Where is he going?" Alisa wondered, eyeing the sharp rocks jutting out of the foaming water suspiciously. He couldn't safely land anywhere here! The boat was tossed back and forth, causing the vampires to hold onto the railing. They would be dashed to pieces! Alisa sought Hindrik's gaze, but he was staring straight ahead.

"There! Isn't that incredible?" Hindrik pointed in the direction, and Alisa followed his gaze until she recognized what he meant. A hollow opened up in the dark rock, and they were heading straight for it. Two men stood by the swords on the right and left, the third clutching the rope of the last foresail set. Murrough steered slightly to the left and then to the right. Alisa barely saw the boat hull pass by a rock outcrop just a step away, which rose almost to the surface. Then Murrough shouted, the men raised the swords, the sail rushed down, and with the next wave, they were swept into the cave. Murrough secured the rudder, the man at the port sword jumped overboard onto a platform. Skillfully, he wrapped a rope around a boulder and fastened a second one to the front of the castle. Now the ship lay calmly in the shallow water of the rock cave, while the muffled roar of the waves reached them from outside. The boatman placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head. "Welcome to Dunluce Castle. Follow me; I'll take you up. The servants can bring your crates up later."

Tammo pushed past his sister. He was feverish with excitement as they followed Murrough into the increasingly narrow cave until it was just a narrow rock passage. He stopped at a narrow winding staircase. "There are two ways into the castle. This staircase leads up to the northeast tower. That's one of the two round towers we saw from the ship. They're the oldest part of the fortress still standing today. The passage continues to the other side of the rocky island, where it is separated from the mainland by a moat. From there, steps lead to the castle cliff and to the other side to the mainland. The exit and the steps are very narrow, so they can be well monitored from the gatehouse and the east wall."

"And if an enemy sneaks up this spiral staircase into the tower?" Tammo wanted to know. "Then your bridge, gate, and walls won't help you at all."

"The people who inhabited the fortress in the past knew how to protect this access well. And believe me, we have taken no fewer precautions in our concern for the safety of the family!" With these words, Murrough climbed the spiral staircase.

"Surely there are plenty of traps here," Tammo speculated, looking around attentively, hoping to discover some of the mechanisms.

When they reached the top, they stepped out of the round chamber of the tower into a narrow courtyard, where on the east side, between the battlements, one could look down into the bay. On its west side rose the walls of the Manor House, the living area of the noble family.

A joyful exclamation came from the door: "Alisa! There you are!" Alisa turned around and was almost knocked off her feet as a figure hugged her enthusiastically. Before she could grasp what was happening, the young vampire had already let her go and stepped back a pace. He looked embarrassedly at the ground, then shyly smiled at her. "How wonderful to see you. I counted the nights until we were all together again."

"I greet you, Luciano," Alisa replied. "And I am also glad that we meet here."

"Isn't that touching!" Franz Leopold put his hand to his heart and pretended to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.

Luciano's expression darkened. "Pure joy is never granted, is it? I could well have done without a reunion with you and your haughty relatives. Too bad your Baroness didn't prevail. Wasn't she eager to keep you in Vienna?"

"She was eager to hold the school year in Vienna," Franz Leopold corrected. "That means, even in this case, we would have to endure each other again now." He turned away with a shrug, as if any further words to the Nosferas from Rome were a waste.

Luciano clenched his fists and grimaced. "That pompous, arrogant..."

"Leave him!" Alisa placed a reassuring arm around his shoulder. "Just ignore him. Tell me, where is Ivy? I can't see her."

She looked around searchingly. By now, Luciano's cousin Chiara, his cousin Maurizio - as usual accompanied by his cat - and the two Pyras Joanne and Fernand had also entered the courtyard. Only the Vyrads from London were missing - and Ivy.

Luciano shrugged. "I haven't seen her or Seymour yet. Strange that she's not coming to greet us." His voice sounded hurt.

"Surely Mervyn knows where to find her," Alisa said, pointing to the second heir of the Lycans, who now also emerged from the door. She rushed towards him with a radiant smile. He was tall and slender, with his reddish hair still cut short. At sixteen, he was one of the older students at the academy. Alisa, Luciano, Ivy, and Franz Leopold were all fourteen now. Tammo, at ten years old - to his regret - was the youngest.

"Ah, Alisa, you've arrived with the Dracas, I heard. Now only the Vyrads are missing. Typical. The English always think they're the masters of the world and can afford to make everyone else wait for them!" Alisa wondered about the animosity in his voice. She hadn't noticed any particular hostility between the Lycans and the Vyrads before. Was this a hatred that had built up over centuries between the two families? Like between the people of Ireland and England? Alisa knew little about the history of the countries and decided to ask Ivy about it when she met her.

"Mervyn, where is Ivy?" The Irishman shrugged. "No idea. She's not back yet."

"Not back yet?" Alisa tilted her head back and looked up at the fading night sky, full of worry. Dawn was not far off. "Is she out with Seymour? Then she needs to hurry!"

Mervyn shook his head. "No, I mean, of course Seymour is with her, but I didn't mean she hasn't come back tonight. I haven't seen her for weeks. No idea where she's been wandering. She certainly hasn't spent the summer on Dunluce!"

Alisa stared at him in astonishment, but before she could say anything, Murrough called the young vampires and their companions into the great hall. "She can't have been wandering outside with Seymour alone for weeks," Luciano whispered to Alisa.

"I can't imagine that either. Maybe it's different for the Lycans than for us. Maybe they don't all live together here in the castle."

The voice of the clan leader of the Lycans silenced them both. They joined the other guests and their companions and turned their attention to Donnchadh. His deep voice echoed through the hall. "Greetings and welcome to Dunluce Castle!"

He was wiry with gray hair falling over his shoulders and dark, piercing eyes that moved from one to another. Alisa tried to focus on his words, but her gaze was increasingly drawn to the vampire standing two steps behind him, hands folded modestly. She was young, perhaps twenty years old, and very beautiful. The dense red curls flowed like dancing flames down her chest and framed her elongated face with its shimmering white skin. The long gown matched the green of her eyes and hugged her tall, slender body. But it wasn't just her beauty that captivated Alisa. There was something in her eyes, in her whole demeanor, that gave her an inner radiance. Alisa heard Luciano sigh beside her. She saw that his gaze was also fixed on the redhead.

"If only she weren't impure," he whispered.

"What then?" Alisa said sharply.

Luciano flinched, as if she had startled him from a dream. "Nothing, I just mean, she's an extraordinary sight for a servant."

"If she's even one," Alisa retorted.

"Of course, she is! Don't you know who she is? Catriona is Donnchadh's shadow, and even in the Domus Aurea, they talk about her!"

Although her hands were folded, and she stayed behind the clan leader, there was no hint of subservience in her gaze. Apparently, the shadows of the Lycans did not hold such subordinate positions as in some other clans. It was more like in her family, where there was an equal partnership between pure-blooded members and servants.

Alisa forced herself to focus her attention back on the clan leader and his words. "If you apply yourselves, you can learn a lot here in Ireland and return to your families strengthened next summer. It won't be easy, and you will have to face many setbacks, but if you dedicate yourselves wholeheartedly and with a keen mind to the tasks, then you can rightfully call yourselves vampires with heads held high!"

Anna Christina made a face. "What could be so extraordinary?" Alisa saw the redhead's gaze shift to Anna Christina. The Dracas flinched as if in sudden pain but bravely tried to maintain her disdainful expression. Donnchadh, who had just spoken of controlling lower life forms, paused, as if listening to words only he could hear. Then he nodded briefly.

"Perhaps actions are more impressive than words." He raised both arms, palms facing his audience. His fingers were spread. Alisa heard a chirping sound. Did it come from his mouth? He didn't even move his lips. For a few moments, nothing happened. Karl Philipp laughed mockingly. "Invisible little helpers? Maybe he called a swarm of mosquitoes or a few fleas?"

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the air. "Bats!" Tammo cried and ducked as hundreds of them fluttered in through the open windows and united into a single stream. Donnchadh raised his index finger into the air. Immediately, they flew towards him, enveloping him like a cloud, then forming a ring that rose to the wooden beam ceiling. As they floated slowly higher, Alisa saw that the clan leader had disappeared.

"I think that's him," Luciano called out, pointing to the largest of the bats, which now took the lead and shot out through the door opening, followed by the shrill squeaking and flapping of wings.

"That was impressive," Luciano admitted. "They all listened to his command."

"Impressive?" Anna Christina objected. "I don't see what purpose it would serve to walk around Vienna with a swarm of bats around your head. Unless maybe I wanted to draw attention to the fact that a vampire is among them!" Karl Philipp and Marie Luise laughed.

In the doorway appeared a gray wolf, the largest Alisa had ever seen. He casually made his way through the guests and residents of Dunluce Castle and then settled in the spot the clan leader had occupied just moments before. Catriona snapped her fingers. Dense fog began to lazily waft around her feet. It shimmered slightly in the green of her gown. Then it condensed into wisps that reached out like searching fingers. They flowed towards the wolf, who sat motionless on his hind legs. Catriona traced a small circle with two fingers, and immediately the wisps rotated, rising up and enveloping the wolf and the red-haired woman. Alisa heard her call out something in a deep voice that sounded like gaoth. Before she could ask Mervyn what the word meant, a gust of wind swept through the hall and cleared the fog. Instead of the wolf, Donnchadh was back in his place. But Catriona had disappeared. Alisa saw Franz Leopold lean towards Anna Christina.

"Now you'll probably say you don't want to go to a ball dressed as a wolf, and even the fog in the Hofburg would look a bit strange. Yes, it seems we'll only learn stuff here that we won't need at all in Vienna!"

"Yes, something like that," Anna Christina agreed, apparently missing the gleam in his eyes.

"Well, now it's really time for you to get into your coffins. We've set up resting places for you and your companions in the rooms to the right and left of the kitchen courtyard. Lie down. The sun could appear over the hills at any moment. We wish you an undisturbed rest."

With that, they were dismissed. Donnchadh waved over two of the Lycans. A young man and a woman who looked very similar. Both had curly hair with a reddish sheen, dark eyes, and sturdy builds. As they approached, Alisa could see pale freckles on their faces. They introduced themselves as Bridget and Niamh and solemnly waved for the visitors to follow them. The heirs' servants were accommodated in the building on the west side of the courtyard, the young vampires themselves on the east side. Plain stone coffins lined the walls. Unlike their year in Rome, no one seemed to care about separating the girls from the boys here. Luciano headed for the coffin next to Alisa's, while the Dracas chose the four beds a bit further away on the right wall.

"May I assist you?" Luciano asked politely, lifting the lid to Alisa's coffin.

"You've grown stronger over the summer."

"But yes!" Luciano nodded proudly. "And I've also grown taller." He stretched to make himself appear a bit taller.

"Unfortunately, you haven't gotten much thinner," came Franz Leopold's nasal voice.

The members of the Nosferas family all tended towards corpulence, led by their clan leader Conte Claudio. And Maurizio was simply fat. Nevertheless, Alisa thought Luciano had lost some weight over the summer, and she told him so while shooting Franz Leopold an angry look. Flattered, Luciano ran his hand through his short black hair, which always seemed a bit tousled in all directions.

Don't always interfere in conversations that aren't meant for you!, Alisa thought. She was sure Franz Leopold picked up on her thoughts. And sure enough, his response echoed in her mind.

Why not? I'm intrigued to hear how you always rush to Luciano's defense. I just don't understand what you see in that weakling who hides behind a girl's skirt and lets her fight his battles!

Alisa climbed into her coffin and lay on her back. First of all, he's not a weakling, and secondly, Luciano is perfectly capable of standing up to you, she retorted before the lid closed over her.

Finally, it was quiet and dark around her. Alisa felt the leaden tiredness flow through her body, accompanying the sunrise. It was impossible to fight it. Sleep was stronger and clouded her mind.

I wish you a restful sleep, she believed she heard Franz Leopold's voice in her mind, but before the thought of concern that he could still reach her through two closed coffins fully formed, she fell into the death-like stupor in which all vampires endured the day until the sun disappeared behind the horizon again.