LX. Poienari

In the darkest night,

Go to the old citadel.

Elena

"Faster, mom! We are almost out of time!" I say to mom, while I look at my watch, 11:53 PM. Shit!

"We will get there in time!"

And I see my mom going even faster. Three move minutes and we stop the car. We still have to climb 1480 stairs to get to the old citadel of Poienari.

Everyone thinks that the castle of Vlad Țepeș, or Dracula, is Bran, but he had two castles, one in Târgoviștene, and the other in Poienari.

I run on the stairs, pushing myself even more than ever. Vlad already told me how to get into the secret tunnel that leads under the ruins.

"Elena! Wait for us!" my mom yells.

But I don't listen. All I care about is to save Vladimir. I touch the scythe to make sure I still have it in my messenger bag. I look at the watch, 11:57 PM. I push myself even harder.

When I get to the ruins, I look for the wall that Vlad told me.

I push the stones and grab and pull the wall rings Vlad described. Stairs that lead beneath the ruins appe