The following morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. There was a strange, low, and unpleasant buzz resonating through the stone walls of the castle, making the air around me seem to vibrate. Or maybe I was just imagining it as Katerina, coming in with my breakfast, seemed totally unfazed and undisturbed by the noise.

"How are you feeling today, my lady? You look even paler than usual," she mentioned as she put a small tray of food on my lap when I sat up and propped myself against the pillows.

I looked at the food that did not look tempting at all. "Fine," I said through tight lips, trying to fight off the waves of nausea washing over me at the sight of my breakfast.

It wasn't easy at all. The feeling, which was bad enough normally, was nearly unbearable now, accompanied by the headache.

"Katerina, I can't eat. My head is killing me," I said, looking at her, my eyes pleading, as she watched me intently, lost in her thoughts.

"You know, I was just thinking... this feeling sick in the mornings..."

Well, I've been thinking about it too. A lot. How could I ignore it, with Junior teasing me about it on every opportunity he got? And the thought was starting to drive me crazy over the last days. However, I didn't want to talk about it with anyone until Vlad's return.

"Not now, Katerina. Please."

"All right, as you wish, Lady Samara," she said, surprisingly dropping the subject. "Just have your milk then. I'll leave the food here, you can eat when you are hungry. But make sure you'll eat something. I'll come back later with some willow bark for your headache. Now rest."

"Thank you," I told her, finishing the milk immediately and putting the empty cup back on the tray before she placed it on the small table by the bed.

The old nurse shook her head and sighed as if something was troubling her.

After a moment, she said, her voice laced with worry, "I really hope your husband will come back today."

"Katerina! Why do you say that? What did you hear? Is something wrong? Tell me!" I called, struggling to stand up fast and failing. The headache was awful... Tiny black dots appeared in my field of vision, making me feel dizzy, forcing me to remain seated for the moment.

"Hush... I didn't hear anything, I don't know what's keeping them," she said, making me lay down again. "It's just that if he won't be back tonight, you'll have to walk through on your own."

Oh. Is it Halloween already?

"I'm not going anywhere without him! Are you crazy?!" I exclaimed. I would not let her force me to go through the portal alone.

"We will see. You should walk through, you know that, we don't know what might happen if you don't..."

"But not without him... What if I won't be able to return?"

"Calm down, my lady! You'll only make yourself feel worse. We will see what happens later. Hopefully, they'll be back here on time. In the meantime, rest. I have to visit the sick, but I'll be back with you soon. Try to sleep," she advised, leaving me alone.

As if it was that easy...

I sat up slowly and carefully this time, trying not to make the headache worse. If only the buzzing would stop.

I noticed that the wolves were not in their usual spot by the fire as I walked past, pulling my blanket tighter around me. They must have gone out, despite the cold, when Katerina opened the door.

Pausing by the window, I realised why it felt colder today. The first snow had fallen during the night, covering the countryside as far as I could see. The layer didn't look very thick; it would be gone by the afternoon. Still, it made a difference in the temperature.

I shivered and proceeded to my basin, then the dressing room. Putting on one of my favourite dresses, made of burgundy coloured velvet, I remembered that it was the one I wore when I arrived here, precisely one year ago. It looked like a sign, an omen, to wear it today, but I was feeling too cold and tired to change it. It was soft and warm, and I didn't believe in signs anyway.

I had to smile when I recalled the times when I didn't believe in time travel, or vampires, or love as great as...

When will he come back? I missed him so much.

Forbidding myself to think about anything but the day that lay ahead of me, I went back to my bed and managed to eat a bread bun with raisins. As I started to feel better, I picked up the breakfast tray and decided to take it back to Cook myself.

"You were supposed to rest!" Katerina scolded as soon as she saw me enter the kitchen.

She was getting ready to leave, by the looks of it. The nurse was dressed against the cold weather and had a basket stuffed with food and some of her medicines over one of her arms, a small jug in her other hand.

"I'm feeling better, I can't stay in bed all day again."

"Well, you saved me a journey, at least. I was going to take this to you before leaving," she said, putting the jug on the table and beckoning me to come over. "Your willow bark. Just one cup," she said, pouring it out for me. "It should be enough."

"Thank you, Katerina. But where are you going?" She didn't leave the castle very often.

"To the mill. Clara's father is unwell, he's been having a high fever for days, like all the others..." She shook her head thoughtfully. "I wish the healer would come soon. I do need some help."

"Poor Nurse," I said," shall I come with you? I could help."

"Of course not! I don't know what it is the miller has, I wouldn't want you to catch anything in your con... " she stopped, catching herself at the last moment. "Anyhow, I must go now. I'll see you later, my lady."

"Be careful, Katerina, please," I said, kissing her on the cheek before she left. I had never seen her look so worried.

I drank my tea, then helped Cook prepare the lunch and even ate some before retiring back to my room. The wolves were still out, and I missed their company, I never felt alone with them around.

It was an early afternoon already, and there was no sign of anybody coming back as yet. I climbed back to bed, feeling tired. There was nothing else to do anyway. I could still hear the buzzing, but now that the headache was nearly gone thanks to Katerina's tea, it was much less annoying. It was making me feel sleepy... 

I was just starting to doze off when Junior appeared at the foot of my bed, startling me.

"Where is your father?" I asked, puzzled, as he was alone.

"Samara..."

Oh no. No. The way he said my name made my skin crawl into gooseflesh in an instant.

I sat up straight and closed my eyes, preparing myself to receive the news, whatever they were, but unable to ask him to continue. I knew that I was not going to like what he had to say.

Junior sat next to me on the bed and took one of my hands in his, in an attempt to soothe me.

"I'm sorry, Samara," he said, his voice laced with despair.

"Tell me," I croaked.

He took a deep, shaky breath. "Father is in Hunedoara. The Council keeps him prisoner." My heart started to beat faster, in a hectic rhythm as he said that, then missed a few beats when he added, voice breaking, "Ioan, my best friend... is dead."

This was as much as I could endure, my mind apparently decided, as the rest of what he was saying, the words delivering the truths I didn't want to acknowledge, were reaching me suddenly as if through a thick fog, or a layer of cotton wool my mind produced to protect me from the horrible reality. His words sounded soft, muted, and devoid of their sharp edges, unable to hurt me, not at the moment. And even though I knew that once, soon, when my mind would clear up again, it would all hurt doubly, I was happy that the fog was there to protect my sanity at the moment.

"What happened?" I asked, looking in his eyes in search of the whole truth, my own voice coming back to me as a muffled, distorted whisper.

"Father told me that they were ambushed," Junior started. "A large group of masked men, vampires, attacked them in the forest not very far from Hunedoara. They took Clara, Samara. Ioan wanted to defend her, of course, and that was it. They fought, most of Father's men died, and so did Ioan... Clara is gone, they took her."

"Your father...?" I forced myself to ask. Was it possible that this had really happened? How could it be...

Junior nodded sadly, thoughtfully, before he went on. "He killed the man who killed Ioan. In self defence, of course. Just that in that precise moment Rareş and a few others from the Council appeared on the spot and saw everything. They stopped the fight, unmasked the man Father had killed and... it was Florin, Samara, Ioan's own brother!"

I could only nod. At the moment, nothing could surprise me. This... wasn't about me or Vlad. It wasn't true, was it? All will be fine...

"Samara, are you all right? Are you listening?" Junior called, grabbing me by my arms and shaking me. "Father is not coming home, not for months, at least! Rareş has been trying to get at him for a very long time, and now, finally, he's got a good reason to make his life a hell. I'm here to take you back, then I'm off, I must find Clara before it's too late!"

The fog clouding my mind had lifted, all too soon. He had my full attention now. His words were... cruel, and painful...

"You can't just take me back, I'm not leaving! Your father wouldn't allow it, we had... other plans..."

"He told me to take you back to safety before leaving to search for Clara! Father is certain that they made a mistake, that they took her thinking it was you! Once they realise she is not you, they will be here, whoever they are, knowing he can't protect you."

The world seemed to have shifted on its axis. I was slipping, falling, nothing was making sense anymore. My head was spinning, the awful noise I heard all day seemed to be getting louder, or maybe I just fixed all my senses on it...

"... Samara, do you understand? They set Uncle Radu free before I reached Hunedoara. I don't know where he is right now, and we have never found the girl who helped him to get to you before!" Junior called, and I realised I missed most of what he had just said. It didn't matter anyway, I only cared about Vlad.

"But your father... I can't leave him, what will happen to him?"

"They'll let him go eventually, but not soon, not easily. Florin was an important member of the Council. Rareş will make this long..."

"Can I come with you to see him? Is he all right?" I just wanted to be near Vlad.

"I'm not going there, Samara. I must find Clara before they'll make her disappear forever, I must save her, for Ioan! But before that, I must take you back, and we are wasting time here. The portal is open, can't you hear it? We must hurry. It takes time to walk through. I don't want you to arrive on the other side once the castle is shut for the night."

I just stared at him blankly. He wasn't making sense.

"Come on, Samara, we must go."

"No. I am not leaving, I'd rather... die than go back without him..."

"Samara, stop it. You know it might not be just you anymore," Junior said, looking pointedly at my belly, where my hand lay in an unconscious, protective gesture.

Please don't. Don't do this to me. Not now.

"And it's not just that. Knowing Rareş, he is on his way here already, I know he wants to talk to you alone. He is curious about you," he went on.

"But can he? If I refuse to receive him..."

"If he wants to get to you, he will. He won't mind to... threaten, or even hurt people you care about..."

"Katerina!" Vlad's half forgotten words about what Rareş thought about Katerina and how she was safe as long as he was around sprang to my mind.

"Yes... and once he gets to you, he will use you to get to Father..."

"No! He can't do that. Can he? What could he do... to him?"

Junior looked away before he said, "Samara, I'm sorry. Father told me to take you back to the safety of your other world before Rareş can lay his hands on you."

"Liar!" I called, my voice filled with desperation, rather than anger. "It's not true, we had our plans, our future... I can't leave!"

I had to stop talking. I couldn't breathe. This was not happening. It was just one of my nightmares.

Junior pulled me in for a hug, then lifted me off the bed and carried me down the wooden stairs.

"Let go of me! I'll walk if I must!" I called, hammering his chest and arm with my fist.

He sighed but obliged, setting me on my feet.

I walked back to my bed and snatched my book from under the pillow. I wanted to take it with me. It was full of what soon will be just memories.

"Can we wait a while?" I asked, surprised to hear my voice calm and steady. 

Falling apart now was not an option; there will be time for that later. I had to summon all of my strength to be able to leave, to protect Katerina, Clara, Junior... I had to do this for Vlad, I wouldn't let them hurt him through me... Crying is useless, I scolded myself while dabbing furiously at the corners of my eyes.

"The wolves are out, and Katerina is at the mill, I can't even say goodbye," I pleaded as Junior did not respond.

He shook his head. "It's getting late. It takes hours to cross over. We must go now."

So this was it.

I followed him to the door, clutching my book, which seemed to be only solid, real thing in this word, this reality that was starting to dissolve around me tightly to my chest.

Don't think. Don't look around. Just walk.