Midian Evolution

If I looked like a rape victim, Master looked every bit a sulking, Nosferatu violator of feminine virtue. Not being violated in any way I didn’t wish, I appreciated how his very glance either sent people running or made them stand stunned. I walked alongside him, making the odd comment like, “Costume party!” or “Cosplay!” or even, “Hired! Look for us in Alton Towers!”

That last one got the most favorable response, though it instantly identified us as English.

He paid no attention to my making excuses for him, just strode along toward the terminal like a visiting Emperor. His regal bearing and purposeful walk, the combination of shocking white hair on a youthful body, and his garments all served to make him outrageously exotic. And, that stood for everywhere, not just the highlands of Scotland.

I knew Sir Integra would never have wanted him to make such a fuss. If my suspicions proved true, she’d display some real fury in the near future. She wanted Hellsing incognito, stealthy. Alucard lost the fight about going, but he gave Integra what she wanted with a poisoned spoon.

He led me into the terminal and kept going. I wanted to linger and look at the pictures in the art gallery, but I just couldn’t while running after him. A few minutes into our sprint, we reached the car hire section and stopped.

I thought we were supposed to take the mini, I said.

We need to look unsuspicious on the road. A82 is well used.

Master, we stick out like a sore thumb!

He hired a car while we argued. Taking the keys from the clerk, he tugged me toward the rental parking. Seras, as long as you act like you belong somewhere, few will question. Tourists don’t know what to expect anyway. Your attempts to explain us merely drew more attention.

Call me crazy, but I didn’t see how he could hide in plain sight.

Once we stood outside the sedan, Alucard tossed me the keys. “You know how?”

Well, I couldn’t lie to him. “Only in theory.”

“Good enough.” He got in the passenger side.

I got behind the wheel. Managing to start the car and back out took only a minute, to my relief. Now that I actually sat as the pilot, I didn’t feel nearly as confident. Thoughts of using a car to burn reckless energy couldn’t be farther away. I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt. “Where are we going, master?”

“Urquhart Castle, first,” he said, leaning back. “Don’t forget your signal turns.”

“I don’t know where that is!” I merged into traffic, feeling nervous as hell.

“I do. Just drive.”

I obeyed, of course. The beautiful, breathtaking scenery did a lot to distract me from my fear and Alucard’s silent presence. On this road one could see water, sky and rock in equal portions. Well, master and I could see; I doubted anyone else on A82 saw much more than headlights.

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you, master?” I asked a few minutes into the drive.

“Yes.”

He said nothing else. God, so tight-lipped!

“I guess it’s changed a lot?” I tried again to draw him into conversation.

Alucard pushed his seat back further, throwing his leg out and putting a boot on the dash. “Entropy increases, Seras. Everything ages and changes.” He lapsed back into silence and I stopped trying to make him occupy the space with me.

That stood as the whole thing wrong with him lately, didn’t it? He didn’t occupy my space. He had untold years of existence in his head, putting him centuries away from me. He said it himself; everything ages and changes. Maybe his disposition wasn’t as much moodiness as pure depression.

Vampires couldn’t make use of anti-depressants, I felt sure. We couldn’t even use the sun to cheer ourselves. A life of pure darkness and standing still while everything decayed around you.

I felt sorry for my master. I still approached eternity like I’d approached driving this car. I’d not done it, but I knew the theory. Theory was enough to have some sympathy for him.

Sympathy’s arse. I really felt bad, now.

“Seras, pay attention to the road. It won’t hurt us to plummet into the Loch, but we’d have to explain the loss of this rental.”

I straightened, glad master’s little feud with Sir Integra hadn’t tempted him to let us take a swim. Some small part of him doubtless enjoyed the idea of wrecking. Really, a very, very small part of me did, too. I wondered if we’d burst into flames before sinking to the bottom of this murky, haunted lake. Maybe we’d get eaten by water horses, the fabled Each Uisge who dragged hapless people to the depths, drowned them, and ate their corpses.

I saw ruins ahead. A tower stood tall amidst ruble and crumbling walls. Is this Urquhart Castle? It made me feel bad just approaching.

Yes. Pull over and park in that area full of scrub.

Once we ditched the vehicle, we walked directly to the castle by crossing a wooden gangway. The closer we got, the more melancholy I felt. The lovely moon only made the shadows more intense, more oppressive. I smelled blood, but old blood, blood so ancient it smelled more of dust. Yet, it released a powerful current within me, made my teeth tingle and my muscles flex.

I didn’t like this place.

Stay alert. Security is usually good in historic landmarks. This castle is the third most visited site in Scotland.

Stay alert? I felt like I’d never relax again. All these looming stones with their invisible, pungent blood splashes raised high anxiety within me. The pressure just kept mounting. Each step I took brought me closer and closer to the inner circle of something.

I absolutely could not help staying close to Alucard. Never had I felt so quietly overwhelmed. I couldn’t grasp it completely as fear, either, more like eternal anticipation. Fumbling around in my bag, I got a loose cigarette and stuck it in my mouth. I knew better than to light it. The burst of light and subsequent glowing ember would give us away. I just needed a pacifier.

Master led us to a mildly less ruined section of castle, the tower. We climbed, then stood motionless, looking out over the dark Loch from a high vantage. The many metal handrails bracing crumbling stone told me of the structure’s age and hard use.

“I taste the vinegar of lies,” Alucard whispered. Timpul, distruge toti dar ma…

Not knowing what he meant didn’t make his word’s impact any less. I shivered, bracing my hand upon the ruined half-wall…

An explosion went off in my head. I smelled smoke as flames took my vision. All around me I heard voices crying out in panic and pain. Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang. In the billowing clouds of white smoke, my master appeared, but not as I knew him.

He wore armor, bloody and battered, the hard shell of the breastplate gleaming dully through what light slanted in these tiny windows. His hair flowed black and matted, and a full beard hid the angle of his jaw line. Red eyes flashing, he held a struggling man over his head.

He passed me for the edge of the no longer crumbling parapet, and threw the screaming man off the tower.

I slid to the stones and the vision ended. I heard my shattered breathing, and stopped it immediately. Master’s boots appeared in my vision, then his knees and torso as he lowered himself before me. What is it, Seras? What has happened to you?

I don’t know. I reached for him, and, as always, he extended his hand. I saw you, master, throwing a man over the tower’s edge here.

Alucard rose gracefully, bringing me up with him. I staggered a bit. He pulled me against his body, holding me firmly. A covenanter, he said after a long moment. I made no distinction between countries and crowns. I killed for the enjoyment of killing, only. He brought a hand up, smoothing my hair from my face gently. How did you do this?

I just touched the wall, here. At my answer, Alucard tilted his head. I remembered him asking aloud just what he’d made, and believed he might ask it now, too. You don’t have that ability, do you, master? I asked, a sinking feeling in my gut.

He shook his head slowly. No. But, I don’t imagine that means there’s anything wrong with you, singe-sotie.

God, was I glad to hear that odd nickname. It meant he felt more like his usual, abrasive self instead of his sulky, abrasive self. I leaned my forehead against his pectoral, breathing him in. Surely the scent of him would banish the phantom smoke in my nostrils.

It’s called retro-cognitive psychometry, he said after a moment. I leave it to you whether or not to pursue the ability, because I cannot guide you in it. He led me by hand toward the stairway, going slowly for a change. If the visions disturb you, you should put your gloves on until deciding. This country is rich in heritage, and I dwelt here for a time. I believe I left in the 1630’s, but that’s a rough estimate.

Alright. Are we leaving already?

I had no legitimate reason to come here, Seras. I merely wanted to see the effects of the explosion the Williamite troops set to prevent Jacobites from occupying the castle. I came here when it still very much stood strong.

We walked the gangway again. Each step away from the cursed grounds made me feel that much better. Once in the car, I grabbed a blood bag and drank it down, uncaring it was my least favorite type. Master, your part in this country isn’t what bothers me, I told him. The vision disturbed me because I was there. I stood on the parapet. I smelled the smoke and heard the screams.

Master nodded. If I don’t bother you now, Seras, I hardly think I would bother you then, he said in a dry tone. I didn’t have the same level of power. My bloodlust never seems to change, but you’re used to that, aren’t you?

I started the car. Yes, master.