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He turned to her, wondering what she knew about Elena or the castle they were heading to. He played it all back in his head, the strange way Elena had behaved with her coughing fits. The display had reminded him of the TV dramas he’d watched with his mother. But Olivia hadn’t seemed suspicious or worried at all.It has to do with money, that has to be it, Christian thought as he made a left turn, one hand clutching the gearshift. The thought disgusted him. Sneaking a glance at his passenger, he thought to himself,What if I’m somehow part of this?
“No,” he muttered out loud by accident. Olivia turned toward him this time.
“What?”
“Oh nothing.”
She nodded and resumed looking out the window.
I’m just a driver. I’m just doing my job: moving the client where I’m asked to. That doesn’t make me a part of any of this. Olivia is a strong woman. She’ll be just fine.
He rubbed the back of his neck, catching the dampness forming despite the cool breeze coming in through the windows.
You need the money, Christian, he reminded himself as he negotiated a pothole expertly, the van bouncing only slightly. His eyes went to the sun, which was partially hidden behind a thin cloud now, and then to the mountains in the distance and their faint white peaks.It’ll be winter soon. I need to fix the heat of the house before the cold hits. Yes, I need the money. I really do.
He turned to see Olivia looking at him and forced a smile, but she kept her face blank.
“Were you able to get more information from you mother, on my family?” Olivia asked. Even though she was all business, Christian felt a slight surge of relief that she’d actually spoken to him.
“I thought you weren’t going to speak a word till we reached the castle,” he said with a smile. She ignored it, so he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I wasn’t able to talk to her. My mother wasn’t home.”
She nodded.
They drove on for a minute or two before she spoke again, this time without taking her eyes off the road ahead.
“Tell me that story.”
He turned to her. “Hmm, story? Which one?”
“The story about the castle. I feel like there is more to it. Why else make such a big deal of it in front of Elena’s house.”
He hesitated. If she was staying there, it wasn’t a good idea to tell her about the castle’s dark past. She must have noticed that hesitation because she fiddled with her wallet and pulled out one hundred euros, the green note crinkling nicely.
“This trip is already paid for,” he stated. A cow turned to the right to look at their passing van, a bored look in its eyes as it chewed on some hay. Once again Christian found himself staring at the money. His sisters needed winter shoes, and this would cover them nicely.
“Come on, you’re a tour guide. It’s custom to give tips for good tours, isn’t it?”
“Ugh!” he groaned and grabbed the money, tucking it away as Olivia stared at him, her eager eyes saying:well you’re bought now, so spill.
“As I said, a long time ago, Magura Castle was once in the hands of a powerful Romanian noble family. Andrei Rusu’s ancestors.” He turned to her and found her staring back at him, hanging on his every word. “The thing is, the Rusu family fell into disgrace with Vlad the Impaler.” He stressed the graveness of the wordImpaler. Olivia cast a curious glance at him. “Apparently they dared what nobody else was brave, or foolish, enough to do and openly criticized him for his violence.” He glanced at Olivia, his eyes set, “I don’t think he liked being criticized openly, or even privately, I’m sure.”
“TheImpaler?” Olivia asked, drawing him back to that.
“Oh yeah, Vlad the Impaler. He was one of the most powerful rulers in the history of Romania. People identify him with Dracula, although he had nothing to do with vampires. Very controversial figure, though. He had Turks and other criminals impaled on wooden sticks. You know, hence theImpalerbit. That was his thing.”
Christian saw Olivia shudder, a look of horror creeping onto her face.
“Anyways, one day, the little daughter of the Rusu family woke up to her entire family impaled in front of the castle.”
“What the heck?” Olivia blurted out, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.
“I guess hereallydidn’t like being criticized,” Christian said with a shrug.
“That little girl,” Olivia muttered, looking at the seat beside her as if the little girl was huddled up next to her. “Did he spare her because she was—”
“Too little to be impaled?” he cut in, his eyebrows raised.
She nodded.
