Van Helsing froze at the scene in front of him. Carl looked puzzled, but was too intrigued by the clearing to question the look in Van Helsing's eyes. Van Helsing turned his horse and dismounted a few strides later. Pulling the saddlebags from the horse, he turned to Carl, looking him in the eyes, as if studying his mind.
"Well, I can't set up camp by myself!" He finally said to his confused companion.
"But Van Helsing...that clearing up ahead...the statue...can't we keep going?" Carl asked, trying to figure out Van Helsing's mind.
"Carl, remember our little talk about gut feelings?" Van Helsing started, pausing to let Carl give a nod of his head. "Well, this is one of them." He finished, pulling the saddle from his horse, exposing its sweat covered back.
Carl knew his fight was over, and complied with Van Helsing's commands. He too slid from his horse and walked it over to where Van Helsing was standing. There they made camp and ate a quick lunch of Transylvanian bread and some sweet fruits growing nearby.
After lunch, Van Helsing propped himself against a tree and closed his eyes. It took him no time at all to fall into a deep sleep. He was back in the clearing, screams coming from all directions...where was she...why wasn't she here? He waited, his body wouldn't move from the spot where he stood. Suddenly he herd her voice, echoing through his mind "Never forget me! You must help me, please! Please, come back! Help me!" It trailed on, until it was lost in the screams around him. Blood seeped around him and ran into the pool, turning it a bright red. He wanted to run, but he was still anchored to that spot. Before him were the statues, all of them seemed to carry an expression of sadness. The blood kept coming...the screams got louder...everything, closing in around him...all of it...Van Helsing's eyes shot open. Carl was shaking him, and a cold sweat had formed on his brow. He shuddered at the nightmare that had plagued him, and thought again about the clearing ahead.
"Would you like to tell me what that was about?" Carl asked Van Helsing, his face looking sincere, but his eyes looking more puzzled than ever.
"It was," Van Helsing paused, to regain his breath, "just a bad dream. That's all." He finished, looking into his friend's face and giving him a small grin. The dream...he thought, the voice still hanging like a fog in his mind...she was asking for help...I thought her family had been put to rest...they were safe, what has happened to change the balance. Surely I would've gotten orders if something had gone wrong...But we made sure...Dracula was dead...how could I forget?...His mind raced through all that had happened in the last month. He was puzzled, but moved on, deciding to send word to the order's headquarters as soon as he could.
"Carl, I think we should be moving on...we can make that town by nightfall if we hurry." Van Helsing said, standing and brushing the dirt from his clothing. Carl complied and soon they were off once more, at a slow walk. The clearing...it was up ahead and seemed to call to them...wanting them to come closer. As if in a trance, Van Helsing went straight for it, although his mind was filled with the sights of his nightmare.
"Halt!" A strong, but feminine voice called out from within the clearing as they reached the outer fringes of it. "Who wishes to enter this realm?" The unknown woman asked. Van Helsing looked around, and saw the woman who was speaking. She was almost hidden between two large trees that grew next to the pool. She was wearing a maroon and gold traveling dress. In her hands was a beautiful longbow with gold inlaid into the wood. She was tall and slender, perhaps in her twenties, and had long brown hair braided and wrapped in a bun at the nape of her neck.
"Don't shoot me, please! I just want a bed...and some food...and a nice warm fire would be nice..." Carl trailed off, scared at first, but then the feeling disappeared when he started thinking about all the luxuries of a town.
"I'm Van Helsing, and this is my friend Carl. We've come from far away, and are in need of a place to sleep. I know this place...why is it guarded?" He asked, his voice slow, as the strange familiarity of the place came back to him. It wasn't until now that Van Helsing realized that the woman he thought was Anna, was only a statue. His spirits seemed to fall some, but he was perplexed by the lifelike look of her.
The woman moved forward, and moved closer to the two riders. They dismounted and walked across the clearing, stopping by the statue in the middle. She laid down her bow and a quiver of arrows that she had over her back. Then, looking up at the statue, she began to speak.
"I am Lady Elena, guard of our Princess Ginny. I am the youngest daughter of the royal family." She looked into Van Helsing's eyes, then Carl's.
"I know this woman...its Anna." Van Helsing breathed in shock, still not believing the situation he had been brought into.
"No, I don't know of an Anna, but this is Princess Ginny, and she has been like this for one hundred years." Elena replied, her brow furrowing.
"Well...this is all very interesting, but we better be getting to town, shouldn't we?" Carl pleaded, feeling uneasy already at the sight of the beautiful stone girl.
"No, Carl" Van Helsing replied, then to Elena he asked "You say she's been like this for one hundred years...and before that, what was she?" He was puzzled, she was exactly as the girl in his dreams. Although the dress she was wearing had no color to it, he knew that it was the same cream-colored one as in his dream.
"You've never herd the story of the Enchanted Stone, then?" Elena asked, her eyes blazing with an unknown fire.
Both Van Helsing and Carl shook their heads, and waited to hear the tale. It was as if the clearing itself had drew in a breath, and lay in wait for the story to begin.
Hey! Guess what? I still don't own any rights to Van Helsing or anything relating to it!
Thanks to the wonderful person that gave me the review, and please everyone let me know what you think...you guys want others to review your stories, and you know how wonderful reviews are, so why don't you review?
Thanks for reading!
Lady Eli
