Vampire Of The New World

Jon felt a wave of panic as he looked at the expanse of the island and realized how difficult it would be to get back to the mainland should he choose. The first hurdle would be how to get to the shoreline. The mansion was built at the edge of a precipice with its back to an almost vertical wall of the mountain. He knew that to get to the shore, he would need to use the cable car. Without the cable car, he would have to manage climbing down the steep incline through rocks and forests. Hopefully, he could make it to the water before anyone realized that he was missing.

That done, he would still need a boat if he were to cross the sea to the nearest inhabited island. The Golden Krone was nowhere to be seen, but he was told that it had already gone to the mainland for additional supplies. Jon imagined himself taking control of the boat and using it to get to the mainland, but realized the absurdity of the idea. The crew should be armed although he did not see any firearms on board. Then, there was of course, Captain Salazar. The prodigious strength of the man was something he had not witnessed before. Never could he overpower the man in physical combat. He remembered how easily it was for the captain to save him from falling with just one hand. Then, he imagined how the captain could also easily throw him overboard to the sharks.

Jon then thought of getting his own boat, if this were possible. He guessed that he would need to paddle to the west in order to reach the mainland, but he wondered how long this was going to take. He would need provisions, water mostly, until he gets to safety. That is, if the Golden Krone were unable to find him and catch up with him. Catching up would not be an issue, as he witnessed how fast the boat could travel on the water.

The sun had shone brightly, uplifting Jon a bit as he pondered at what he should do next. At least, there was good weather, Jon thought. The sea was calmer than when he arrived and he was happy to see the turquoise waters as they gradually faded into cerulean and then disappear into the line of the horizon.

He went back to his room and concentrated on creating the doc.u.ments he would need that night during his meeting with Dante. He realized that there were still several properties that they need to discuss. If Dante wanted to hear about all of them, it may take them a long time.

When Jon had finished arranging his files, he realized that it was near noon and he again heard the soft footsteps of the manservant, Pablo, outside his door followed by three consecutive knocks.

Jon was escorted to the dining room where he once again found a sumptuous meal waiting for him. He ate in silence before thinking of interviewing Pablo once more about Dante and about the island. It was a terse conversation due to Pablo's sparing use of words, but Jon was able to obtain some information.

The island had been in the possession of Dante's family for as long as anyone could remember. It used to be uninhabited because of the lack of good soil to farm. However, the presence of fresh water made it known to the sailors who would sometimes replenish their water supply by going to the island.

According to stories, a dinghy was washed ashore carrying a man who turned out to be Dante's ancestor. No one knew where he came from, except that he could have been a survivor of a sunken ship. Eventually, he made his home on the island with the supplies coming from passing sailors. Stories and superstitions grew around Dante's ancestor as to how he was able to amass wealth, but it was only during Dante's time that the mansion was built. When pressed as to how Dante became rich, Jon would only get the short explanation that Dante dealt in art.

Jon remarked as to the superstitions that he heard on his way to the island, but Pablo seemed reluctant to talk about these. Pablo only said that whatever stories Jon heard were untrue.

After lunch, Jon returned to his room to sleep in order to be ready for work that night. He considered himself a morning person, but knew that he would need to adjust to his client's own working hours. As he lay down in bed, he thought about Lisa and how he missed her already. He once again took out the rosary she gave him and then decided to call her.

It was a short video call, but seeing her pretty face and hearing her sweet voice made all the difference to Jon. He told her what had transpired and promised her that he would try to finish earlier and get back to her in Malen as soon as he could. He was, however, unable to talk to Lisa about the strange things he had seen and decided to leave those out.

"Oh, I was going to surprise you, but I decided to also fly to Cardena and visit my cousin Celeste. I was hoping that we could see each other there," said Lisa.

Jon brightened at the idea. "Of course, I would like to meet you in Cardena. If only I could finish tonight so that I can be with you earlier. I will do my best to finish here early."

That night after dinner, Jon came up to the library door silently and opened it partially. He took a peek inside and saw Dante with his back to the door. He stood up effortlessly from his chair and then with an easy gait, went to a shelf across the room. He reached upwards to obtain a book from a top shelf.

Dante did everything without the support of his cane.