"I'm not sure of it being the same, really, in any case. But the shape of the work remains," Rae says, thinking as she prepares another bite. Though the topic is an intriguing one, she eats with every sign of enjoyment. "The author of Dracula in my world was Christian, and did put his own religion's symbolism into the story - but then, it's pretty widely known that much of what is stated in the book to be true, isn't. Now, at least. Even a century and a half later, the lingering belief that garlic and holy water repel vampires led to heavy death tolls in that part of the world during the Wars."

Legends die hard. Mrs. Yanovsky's point, exactly.

"Vlad as I met him in the bar is most definitely not the character in the book Dracula as I know it."

She knew that the moment he revealed who he was.

"It's likely there are many different versions of the same stories, of the same people. An opera of a Bible story of a historical king, just across worlds."