CHAPTER 4

A/N – Greetings my dear readers! So…*scratches head* what was about to happen in this chapter?... Ah, yes, I remembered. Time to bring about some action, because the crowd wants blood! Or something… So, without further ramblings, here it is. Enjoy and let me know what you think will happen next!

It was a dark morning, with weak pale light filtering through the windows and giving the austere parish house an even gloomier air than usual. The sky outside looked laden with thick grey clouds, foretelling a bleak winter day. Alfred had slept badly, tormented by all sorts of troublesome thoughts and waking up several times during the night, startled by the violent storm which had whipped mercilessly against the windows, hailstone rapping on the glass and wild wind shaking the sturdy wooden frame.

At least the breakfast had been somehow more animated than usual. For once not in his regular sleepy state, Brother Heracles was quite excited about today's practice and talked for nearly an hour, barely putting anything in his mouth. Since they were confined indoors due to the bad weather anyway and momentarily without a plan of action, Bishop Braginski had decided they should at least spend this time training. Despite their meek appearance, all the brothers were adept fighters - the American had been told – and their leader thought they should be in shape at all times.

Alfred wiped his sweaty palms off his simple black clothing as he headed towards the training room. So this was what the vampire had meant about proving himself, apparently. The vampire… The previous night's encounter had shaken him somewhat and he'd found rather unsettling the thought that Arthur could read his mind and even speak in his head. If Bishop Braginski indeed controlled the boy it clearly meant that he had a powerful weapon on his hands, but who was he really putting it to use against? Did the Russian use Arthur to read the minds of his other men as well, keep them in check at all times? No, while part of it may have been true, he could not let himself be 'driven up the wall' with such thoughts!

And then there had been the talk of Darvulia, Erzsebet's private witch. But then again, Arthur had not mentioned her also being a vampire, so she must have been dead by now, wasn't she? But then why the mention of her? Just for the sake of testing or scaring him? Or maybe she had done something important, something the boy had wanted to tell him, but then Alfred had lost his temper and that had been it. Either way, it was a lot for him to wrap his mind about and in such a short time, too.

All the other brothers were already there and it turned out that with all the useless fidgeting with changing his usual robes with more movement friendly clothes while thinking of a million of other things he'd run late. And now all eyes were suddenly on him, some curious, others expectant but overall Alfred felt rather uncomfortable. He had never liked to be stared at.

Bishop Ivan Braginski was for once out of his formal robes, instead wearing a simple white shirt partially open at the front, black trousers and some heavy boots. Under the pristine fabric, his broad shoulders and muscular arms stuck out even more. 'You don't know what he did before becoming a priest, so perhaps you should try not to get on his nerves…' Indeed, seeing the solid Russian now, Alfred had no choice but to mentally agree to what the vampire had said. The American was for the briefest moment under the impression that there was an amused (or maybe ironic?) smile playing on Braginski's lips and he flinched. Maybe I did fail his test or God-knows what the creature has told him and now... now what?! But after the fleeting smile and a discreet gesture for him to join the rest of the recruits, the bishop ignored him, beginning to explain what they were supposed to focus on when confronted with the creatures they were meant to hunt.

"Ghouls are very strong and resilient beasts, da, but they are notoriously slow, at least as far as an experienced fighter is concerned. That's why, when dealing with these creatures, speed is of the essence. Strike fast, hard and quickly move away, out of their reach," the Russian explained."But also, bear in mind that in this mission we might have to face the countess' armed, well-trained servants as well, although I hope it doesn't happen, da."

He walked towards the back of the room where, sunken in semi-obscurity, there was a wall-high panel filled with all sorts of weapons. The sharp blades gleamed wickedly in the dark, adding to the ominous atmosphere. Alfred hadn't spotted any practice straw dummy anywhere and worriedly wondered if they were going to use them against each other. But Ivan Braginski seemed oblivious to this little detail as he continued to explain, with his usual carelessness which was more and more bothersome, as he picked several of the dangerous items and handed them to a few of the brothers. However, most of them got some simple wooden canes. And then the bishop made a calling gesture, motioning Alfred to come forth.

"It is also important to realize that in most situations you may be in the position to confront several opponents in the same time." Braginski snapped his fingers and in a matter of seconds Heracles and five other brothers surrounded the American. Three of them were armed with long, thick canes, but the other three had short swords and axes.

"And now that Father Bonnefoy's best apprentice William Stone is here with us, maybe he can show us some useful tricks. So don't hold back, da?"

It may have been just another fleeting impression, but the blond thought he'd caught a clear hint of irony this time in his superior's words. He'd known it! The darned vampire had certainly told Braginski about his little attitude fit and now he was being taught a lesson, no doubt. Maybe the bishop would go as far as to let his men give him a good beating, if he proved unable to keep them at bay. He took a deep breath - Braginski had advised them not to hold back, so that went for him as well. He would just have to focus like in any other mission and like with handling any other enemy.

Alfred had no other weapon but one cane, but in the end weapons weren't everything. Well, actually there was the small dagger he always carried inside his sleeve for emergencies, but he would not draw that against the brothers. Heracles and the others had admitted not having fought ghouls before, so that was possibly an advantage. He smiled lightly, making an inviting gesture as the men closed in on him, ready to strike.

The six brothers lunged forward, almost in the same time, brandishing whatever they were armed with, but the young apprentice dodged their first round of attack smoothly and gracefully. Then, a well placed kick broke Heracles' cane, another sent some other opponent flying, while a precisely aimed punch sent one of the brothers tumbling down onto the floor and dropping his weapons. Swiftly, he disarmed another and now with two canes it was even easier to defend himself. However, Braginski's recruits had some clear skills of their own and if anything they were resilient and relentless. There were already six of them continuously attacking and Braginski motioned for two more to join it. Now their strategy was clear – they were going to go on like this until he got tired and then 'finish' him.

"I know what you must all be thinking, da," the Russian said suddenly, "that ghouls would not gang up on their prey like that, that their dead brains are too thick to come up with even the simplest of strategies, but we may come across them in large numbers. They are an efficient weapon and unlike living servants they don't have to be armed, fed, clothed or paid. But the human servants of Erzsebet are as real as the pits of hell and – trust me – they will fight for her tooth and nail if they have to."

Unexpectedly, the little speech distracted his attackers and Alfred took advantage of their lack of focus to bring them down one by one. To his surprise, Heracles gave up last. Drawing his breath, the blond looked up at the bishop, anxious to assess the man's reaction. Ivan Braginski nodded and smiled benevolently at him, allowing the American to almost relax. Almost.

The tall, blond Russian sighed, stepping forward and crossing his arms thoughtfully. "It is important though to note that countess Héderváry (and possibly her Austrian too) are neither ghouls nor anything like their human servants. Vampires are a different thing altogether. " he stated. "Ghouls are ghouls, we can handle them. But first and foremost we are here to hunt and destroy her. Without her, the ghouls will perish and the servants will scatter. Without her, all this nightmare will be over."

Braginski paused, examining the faces of his men, as if trying to gauge their determination in the matter and worthiness when it came to the task. Funny he should say that though, when he finds himself without a plan...

"However, like I have told you before, trying to barge in mindlessly like a battering ram will not get us anywhere. Others have tried that and you know only too well what became of them, da. I will not have crows feed on our bones if I can help it and the only way is to outsmart this wretched woman one way or another. How? I'm afraid I still have that to figure out, but until then I think it would be useful if you were at least able to defend yourselves."

The bishop sighed again, walking up to the American and his heavy hand rested on the boy's shoulder. "Thus, you should know what you're up against."

As if on cue, the wooden door opened slowly, with a loud creak and Alfred saw the pale blond boy from the previous night poking his head in, throwing a glance around the room. Then the emerald-coloured eyes rested on him and the bishop curiously. The American inwardly tsked and rolled his eyes – had the obnoxious little vampire come to see whether he'd managed to get him in trouble with the bishop? And wasn't he supposed to be asleep during the day? He narrowed his eyes, but to his surprise Arthur instantly dropped his gaze to the floor, shyly.

"You think I don't know what you're up to?" Alfred thought, although he didn't know if the vampire would hear him.

"No, you don't."

The reply was unexpectedly blunt and the other boy didn't look at him.

However, Braginski seemed oblivious to that particular exchange, instead clapping his hands conclusively. "Right! William, you've done very well so far, I am impressed, da. But you and the others must see the real thing as well. Do you think you are up to this?"

The American ran a hand through his hair, now damp with sweat. So that was what Arthur had meant... He searched both his superior's and his pet's faces for any sign of smugness, but found none. The bishop simply looked calm and relaxed, with no obvious emotion, while Arthur was pulling the shy act again (because he was sure now that it was an act), staring awkwardly at his boots.

"Very well. When you're ready," the American said, weighing his canes in his hands impatiently.

The Russian walked up to his pet and patted his shoulder gently, looking back and nodding. "He's ready. Come at him."

Alfred scowled – it was clearly a challenge. 'And why are you here, Jones? Is it not for your own score?' Were they questioning his real purpose, whether he was here just to prove himself and seek advancement? And if so, how was he supposed to act? Well, it was a bit late now though to be second-guessing himself, since he'd rushed in and already accepted. And on top of it all the damned Englishman just stood there, with his arms crossed.

Well, here goes nothing...

Alfred lunged forward as fast as he could - hoping to take his opponent by surprise – and swung the cane, only to hit nothing but thin air.

"Don't think I'll make this easy for you."

He turned sharply, surprisingly avoiding to be grabbed by the collar by nimble fingers and once more attempted to strike. This time Arthur captured his right arm in a grip so tight and crushing that the American feared he'll hear his wrist snap any moment now. Not willing to let that happen to his other hand as well, Alfred hit him as hard as he could, but predictably it was no good. The other boy didn't even budge.

But then the vampire suddenly released his wrist, hand going straight for his throat and the very next moment the taller blond found himself pinned to the wall, feet dangling above the ground as he struggled for breath. The bishop was watching the scene in his usual mood, observant but not seeming willing to intervene and restrain his little beast anytime soon. The cane had rolled down on the floor and panic seized Alfred as he fruitlessly tried to free himself from the creature's grip with bare hands.

It was his luck that from the moment the idea struck him, he didn't think too much before putting it into application. He shook his left hand, grasping the thin silver rosary ended with a cross and and then pressing it forcefully into the vampire's hand.

The smell of burned flesh instantly reached his nostrils and Arthur hissed and dropped him, withdrawing his hand with a pained grimace. And then everything happened in the blink of an eye, Alfred – barely thinking and driven by his own horror - pulled out the small dagger and thrust it into the vampire's stomach to the hilt.

To be continued