“The girl was starving. The Countess purposely starved her to see her suffer.”
“Yes. I know of the girl. But no court of law would consider her punishment unjust. She is a peasant, she is a thief.”
“She was starving!”
“This is not my concern.” The Count waved his hand in dismissal. “My interest is a certain noblewoman who was invited recently to Čachtice Castle. She is the first of several girls from noble families who have been extended invitations to winter at the castle.”
“What is her name?”
“Countess Zichy of Ecsed,” said Thurzo, watching Janos’s face. “Do you know her?”
“I dined two nights ago with the lady, Palatine.”
“You?” snorted Thurzo. “The countess invited her horsemaster to dine at her table?” He inclined his head. “But of course! Your father is to be knighted by the King next week. News travels quickly even in the wilds of the Carpathians.”
Janos heard a horse whinny. He eyes flicked toward the window.
“I hope your stable boys can handle my stallion.”
Thurzo grunted. Janos could tell by the pinched look on the Palatine’s face that he did not like the interruption.
“How did the Countess Zichy look?”
“Rich and spoiled,” said Janos. “She said ugly things about the Countess’s handmaiden.”
Thurzo nodded. He stroked his black beard playfully. “Ah, yes. Erzsebet’s beast, my wife and I call her—what’s her name?”
“She is not a beast!” shouted Janos, rising to his feet.
“Steady, boy. Do not forget to whom you speak,” murmured Thurzo, not bothering to rise. He motioned the young man to sit once again, flicking his finger. “You do not want me as an enemy.”
Janos sat slowly, but met the Count’s eyes, refusing to look down.
“Let’s get to business, shall we?” said Thurzo. “The two of us have a common foe, I believe—the Countess.”
Janos said nothing, his shoulders still trembling in anger.
“If something untoward should befall the young Countess Zichy, King Matthias would be able to bring Erzsebet Bathory to trial. But only if she injures a noble.”
“But what of the others? I have heard—”
“Yes, the pastor is compiling a list. It is said to contain almost a hundred peasant girls’ names already. Surely he exaggerates. But whatever happened to them, it was no crime. Those girls were her personal property.”
“They were human beings!” said Janos, his voice edged in anger.
Thurzo made a sound of disgust, wet and thick in his mouth.
“Do not be a fool, Szilvasi. Those women are expendable in the eyes of the law. But a countess, a lady of noble bloodlines, is not.”
Janos looked away.
“If you truly want justice, you can stop the bloodshed. You can be my ally, Szilvasi.”
“Ally?” said Janos, a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Yes,” said Thurzo, leaning forward in his chair, making the wood creak.
“What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to report to me immediately if the Countess Zichy is injured or…”
“Or what?”
“Disappears.”
“I can do that,” said Janos.
“Good. Good,” said Thurzo, stroking his bearded chin. “Now that you know the way, I will expect you to bring news here directly. Do not trust a messenger or try to write to me in Vienna. Countess Bathory has spies everywhere.”
“I understand,” said Janos, rising from his chair.
“One other thing,” said Thurzo, escorting Janos to the door. “There are tales of a stranger dressed in black who visits Čachtice Castle. It could just be Carpathian folklore, these simple-minded peasants love to exaggerate. Some say it is the spirit of Count Vlad Tepes, Dracula himself, who visits the castle.”
“The Impaler?”
“The great slayer of the Ottomans—and of peasant servants who offended him. I fear my cousin Countess Bathory takes him to be her mentor.”
Thurzo noticed that Janos clenched his fists at his sides.
“He lived and died two centuries ago,” Thurzo said, smiling. “I want to know who this visitor is. I do not believe in ghosts. Do you, Horsemaster?”
“With such a monstrosity in the living, there is no need for haunting spirits.”
Thurzo opened the door. “It might interest you to know that Count Vlad Tepes is a distant cousin of Erzsebet.… Good journey, Szilvasi.”
PART
-2-
Chapter 61
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
DECEMBER 25, 2010
The taxi stopped at the Michalska Brana, the oldest gate in the walled city.