said, Witchdoctor. Well said.”
16
When Maxine left the side of the Witchdoctor, it was many hours later. The Doctor had taken over to offer her food, apologizing for the bad manners of his other half. She had gladly accepted, and with the warmth of the fire and the conversation, she lost track of time. Both men were fascinating to talk to, and the “three” of them chatted until she heard the clock of Park Street Church toll out that it was eleven-thirty in the evening.
“Ah, we should not be keepin’ you.” Witch pushed up from his chair. “As lovely as it is to have you keep a fool like us company. Tell me, Miss Parker, have I helped you make up your mind, I wonder?”
“You have. But perhaps not in the way you had hoped.”
“How so?”
“You have reminded me of who he is and that I should treat him as such.” She stood from her chair and walked to the door. “But you are correct. I should be on my way. It has been lovely to speak with you—both of you—and I am happy to have met you.”
“And us, you, sweet thing.” He reached out a large hand, and she shook it with a smile. The longer she was in his presence, the less horrifying his double-sided body became. Perhaps that was the case with all of Dracula’s creations. They carried their sins on the outside for all to see.
Perhaps it was a more honest way of going about their lives.
She bid him—both of them—farewell and walked from the amalgamation of a building across the wooden planks and back to the grass of the common.
There, she saw Elizabeth leaning on a tree with a faint smile. “I was planning on introducing you to many others, but it seems you and the Witchdoctor became fast friends.”
“They accomplished your goal well enough.”
“Good. Have you decided not to destroy him?” Elizabeth pushed away from the tree to join her as Maxine walked down the cobblestone path toward Tremont street. She did not know where exactly she was going, perhaps to the fountain by the underground rail station. But she supposed it did not matter. It would be midnight soon enough, and Vlad would come for her.
The thought was both frightening and exciting all at once. It must be par for the course with the Vampire King.
“Well?” Elizabeth prompted at her silence.
“Not quite. But I am reminded quite keenly of how I should approach this particular dilemma.”
“I would ask for details, but it seems you are in an enigmatic mood this evening. Very well.” Elizabeth shrugged and opened a parasol—why she bothered, Maxine did not know. There was no sun or rain. Only the crimson moon hanging full overhead. For the style of it, she supposed. She was a creature of vanity; that much was clear.
Maxine shook her head. “Forgive me. I am distracted inside my thoughts.”
“I do not think I can fault you for that. But tell me this, Miss Parker. Do you love him? Truly?”
She nodded in response. “It remains to be seen how I can allow myself to accept that fact.”
“I think you shall do the right thing, either way.” Elizabeth smiled.
“Alfonzo urged me to do the same. To seek the righteous path. The issue remains that I am not quite sure I can distinguish what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ at this point in time.”
“And so you have discovered the crux of all our lives. Do you think I wished to spend eternity drinking blood to survive? Do you think I wished to rely on my gifts for manipulation and deceit to seek happiness? No, dear sister. I had dreams of another life once. One with love, and family, and joy. Instead, I find only coldness. The only warmth I enjoy comes by taking it from others. What is righteous in my life, then? Nothing? Should I commit myself to the damp soil as so many of us have done out of desperation to end it all?”
“No. I do not think so.”
“Judge him, and you judge us all, sister. Remember that.”
Maxine looked up at the fountain at the Park Street station. It had once been a beautiful wrought-iron creation featuring Greek gods and acanthus leaves, pouring water into the pool below. It rose some twenty feet in the air.
Now, like everything else, it had changed. The gods had become demons and angels paying equal violence to the figures of screaming mortals they held in their clutches. It was a warning as much