Wanted… Preferably Dead.
By LatanyaDisclaimer: I don't own anything but what I created.
Chapter Four: Wings in the dark.
"Great." She muttered, slowing down the pace she was going at so that she could pull the crossbow she carried from its place behind her saddle.
Something was out there following her at roughly the same pace. Tasya didn't have any idea what it was but she knew that it wasn't friendly in the least. Beneath her skilled hands, the horse moved on at a slow canter, remaining blissfully unaware that there was any danger around for the woman remained as calm and centered as possible to prevent any signals from reaching the animal. Keeping her mind clear and focused, Tasya listened for any sounds which might betray where the thing that was following her could be found… or even what it was.
"I sincerely hope that it is not another werewolf that's following me."
And as night began to fall, the clouds above her warned Tasya that there was a storm on the way. She only hoped that it would not be a blizzard because she was not prepared for something like that. Now if only she could reach that line of trees in the distance before it hit, she might have some shelter if it snowed.
"Great. Just great."
"Van Helsing, it's going to snow." Torgny muttered. "We have to find somewhere to shelter otherwise we could very well die."
He shoot a look at the man, beginning to wish that he had sent him back to Rome when they'd first met up, "Oh do shut up Torgny. What matters is that we find Tasya before Vladimir does. How far away do you think she could be? We found signs of her back at the last lot of trees and they showed that she was only a day a head of us."
Carl rolled his eyes. A day into the Carpathians they had found the remains of a werewolf and Torgny had claimed that it was Tasya's work from the sight of a broken bolt with a silver tip. He'd told them that all of her crossbow bolts were silver tipped because she was often wont to ride into the Carpathians between missions. Van Helsing had wanted to know why she did that and Torgny had informed Van Helsing that after himself, the Carpathians were the next thing close to her heart. That had been the end of the conversation for the day and Van Helsing had said nothing at all until later that night.
"Do you think she could be hurt from her fight with that werewolf we found back there? It's obviously slowed up her traveling if she is only a day ahead of us." The friar asked thoughtfully, though from what he had been told, it seemed quite unlikely that Tasya would have allowed herself to be hurt.
"One would hope that if she has indeed been hurt, it is not very serious else she is in danger of infection or frostbite." The other holy man spoke over Van Helsing to Carl much to the hunter's dismay.
"Must you always be so rude as to talk over another person without including them in your conversation?" He snapped angrily at Torgny.
Torgny went to speak again but a sharp look from Van Helsing made him think again before responding. He was swiftly finding that the monster hunter found his company quite trying though he could not begin to understand why. It made him remember Tasya's opinion of him when he first started traveling with her. She had always found his chatter annoying in the beginning and had been oft to tell him to be quiet when she decided that she'd had enough of listening to him. He had always been a talkative man and couldn't understand why people were often inclined to remain silent and withdrawn.
Glancing at Gabriel, Carl wasn't sure of what to think of his reaction to Torgny. He had heard a fair bit about the priest and quite often he had been told that the man was to be found rather disagreeable and disinclined to act with the propriety expected by a priest. He had also been told that Torgny was an intelligent man who could think his way out of situations with speed and swiftness especially when his life was in danger. If Torgny believed that Tasya was in danger, he would have spoken more about it.
Therefore, he must have no real worries about her safety as yet and his assurances in her capabilities must be rather high. Nonetheless, Carl felt free to worry about Tasya on his own without inflicting his views upon anyone else.
"What are you thinking about Carl, that is keeping you so quiet? I would have thought that you and Torgny would be discussing something religious or whatnot." Van Helsing murmured to his companion. "Though I am rather thankful that the man has fallen silent for a short time as his conversation is beginning to get on my nerves."
He smiled, "Indeed Van Helsing but you must excuse the man for I'm sure that traveling with Tasya Van Lura for so long has prevented him from discussing anything of any consequence with anyone new. Perhaps he has forgotten how to converse with anyone else and is therefore trying out his misplaced skills?"
The topic of their discussion glared at Van Helsing, unable to utterly work out why Tasya had ever fallen in love with him. He seemed to be a proud, solemn man who was really rather disagreeable in the general way. But, he was perhaps seeing him from the wrong side and not understanding the full extent of his possible personality. What Tasya saw in him was something he did not know and it could well be that what Torgny found dislikeable was what she found agreeable with her own sense of taste and personality.
"You accused me of being rude before Van Helsing and yet you are now discussing me while I am well within hearing." Torgny spoke, allowing his horse to fall back a little.
Van Helsing glanced at him, "I believe we were talking about you, not to you and it is really rude to listen in to other peoples conversations. Who now is over stepping their mark?"
The other man stiffened and grit his teeth. "Well then, we are as rude as each other Van Helsing. I cannot really understand why Tasya ever had such strong feelings for you for it is my strong belief that you really are disagreeable."
They watched as Torgny kicked his horse into a gallop and raced on a head of them. Carl turned to Helsing and raised an eyebrow, trying his best not to chuckle at the sight of the angry expression on his face. "Perhaps we should follow him in case he gets lost. Heavens knows, I do not think it will rest well with Van Lura if she discovers that we let her long time companion get himself lost in her mountains."
"Indeed, I believe it would not rest at all well with her. Let us follow him along and make sure that he does not get himself into any trouble or misfortune though I would find myself overly glad if he did for I confess that I have no reason to like him." Van Helsing inclined his head and nudged his horse into a gallop to follow after Torgny.
Carl frowned, "Really? I thought he was quite an interesting man. Especially when he speaks of Tasya's many adventures. But as it were, everyone is entitled to their own opinions."
Tasya lifted her face to the snow that had begun to fall. She groaned in displeasure and cursed whatever heathen god had decided to make the world whiter and colder than it already was. Pulling her hood closer around her face, she nudged her horse in to a faster gait with the very hope of reaching the trees that she could see ahead of her. Even as she went, they seemed to be getting further away though she assumed that it was because the cold was getting to her and the slash on her shoulder was beginning to pain her again though she had carefully wrapped it to stop it from bleeding any more or from her movement causing it to grow worse than it already was.
She was glad however; that the only wound she had received from the werewolf she had fought a few days back was the slash on her shoulder for there would have been nothing she could have done if the creature had bitten her. God only knew, the slash had been difficult enough as it was to treat and as soon as she could reach some adequate shelter where she could heat some water, she would have to clean it again and re-wrap it.
"Why does it have to be so infernally cold and damp? Sometimes I have to admit that I absolutely hate the snow!" Tasya growled to herself, pushing her horse into a gallop for her only hope was to reach shelter soon.
The horse beneath her was flagging in strength and Tasya knew she had pushed it to far. Well, once she reached shelter, both she and her mount would be able to rest for however long they would need to recover enough to continue on in their journey. As soon as they reached the town where the Valerious family had always lived, they would be better catered for. While the towns-people were increasingly suspicious of strangers, they knew Tasya to be a Valerious and one of their own, which caused them to welcome her among them like they would not welcome an unknown person.
"Come on my dear Valar for as soon as we reach those yonder trees, there will be shelter and rest for us both and you and I can recover our strength. Just a bit further and I will ask no more of you." She murmured, leaning forward to encourage more speed.
It was much to her relief when she reached the line of trees and was able to enter it and make use of the shelter that was offered by the trees. She slipped down off the horse and collapsed to the ground from over exertion of both her body and mind. Her horse nudged her gently in the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. Though not knowing or intending, the horse had caught the slash she had received from the claws of the werewolf.
Struggling to stand up, Tasya conjured up enough strength to remove her gear from the poor horse and to tether him with a long rope to a tree that was well within the shelter provided. When she was finished, she couldn't rouse herself to attempt to start a fire and simply drew her cloak and a rug around her icy body to block out any more of the cold from reaching her bones. It was not long however, before long sleep had over taken her and she forgot her chill and drifted into the dream state where memories she tried so hard to forget awaited her as they did whenever she allowed herself to sleep.
Night had well and truly fallen by the time she awoke again and Tasya was aware of nothing but snow around her. It even covered her slightly though the warmth coming from her body wrapped in insulating material had caused some of the snow that had covered her to melt. She struggled to stand up, brushing the snow away from her body and peered about in the dark in the hope that she would be able to fine enough loose wood to make a small fire.
She was lucky enough to discover that the storm had blown itself out and the clouds had parted to allow the light of the full moon to shine down upon her. It provided enough light for her to see by once her eyes had adjusted. Searching about, she soon found just enough wood to light a small fire and once that was done, she set about gathering what more she could find.
"Do you always travel alone these days dear Hanne? Or do you simply desire to make yourself an easy meal for some creature that is to be found roaming about?" A males voice spoke from the shadows, causing her to startle.
Not to far away, her horse whinnied in fear, pulling at the rope that bound it to a tree. Tasya spun about, slipping a little on the snow. "Vladimir!"
He stepped out of the shadows and smiled darkly at her, "It has been to long since we last met dearest Hanne… why, not since you and your beloved Gabriel Van Helsing killed my closest friend and your very own cousin."
"Oh indeed for you are as evil as he was if not more so!" She growled, wondering where she had left her crossbow. "Why do you come here Vladimir? What causes you to seek me out?"
The vampire walked around her, his eyes taking in how much she had changed since he saw her last. She had grown a slight bit taller and she was a lot more slender than she once was. Indeed, her eyes shone with a dispassionate light that told him she had next to given up on life. Smiling even more, Vladimir halted in front of her, close enough for his breath to disturb her hair.
"You are very much changed since I saw you last Hanne. Why, the light in your eyes that once told of a love of life has gone and you have grown quite thin. If I did not know you better, I would be tempted to say that you have given up on life and have planned to find some way of dying a noble death as one to Valerious family should have."
"You cannot say that you know me Vladimir for I never liked you much considering the fact that you were the best friend of a most hated cousin. Given up on life? Well indeed! I still have every reason to go on living for once I have destroyed you, my mission will be complete and I will be able to go on with life." She snapped angrily, glaring up into his eyes.
Reaching out, Vladimir gripped her shoulder, digging his nails into the tender skin around the cut she had received. He chuckled when she cried out in pain and he tightened his grip considerably. "Come now Hanne, why would you desire to destroy me when I am one of the last who truly knows who you are? That is really quite ungrateful."
Biting her lip, Tasya replied, "Why should I ever have been grateful to you Vladimir? What reason have I to feel anything but the uttermost contempt for you?"
"What reason indeed?" He lowered his lips to her ear and murmured. "Where is your dear Gabriel now when his services would serve you greatly? Perhaps he is on his way to Rome to discover what he can about the infamous bounty hunter who goes by the name Tasya Van Lura? Or perhaps not?"
Her breath hissed out between her teeth as she replied, "I do not know what it is that you talk about! I have had no contact with Van Helsing for many a long year and I can assure you that he knows not of my existence any more."
Gripping her shoulder so tightly as to cause her to emit a faint scream of pain, Vladimir pulled her against him and lowered his teeth to her neck, biting down hard. Tasya fainted in his arms, slumping against him. When he had taken what he wanted, the vampire let her drop to the ground and stepped away with a triumphant smile on his face.
"Dearest Hanne, you always were a silly little girl. Now, please don't live for it would be the great inconvenience to me if you do."
Van Helsing heard a faint scream and kicked his horse into a gallop. "Hurry for I believe she's in danger!"
They raced towards the trees, hoping that they would find Tasya there. Just as they reached the trees, they saw a great dark creature fly off into the distance and both Carl and Van Helsing knew what it was – a Vampire.
"Hanne!" He shouted, leaping off his horse and racing into the trees.
Torgny followed at a short distance, terrified of what they would find there. When they discovered Tasya, Helsing was quick to gather her into his arms and try to wake her up.
Brushing the black curls away from her neck, he paled at the sight of the two puncture wounds reddening her skin. She was so pale though still alive – just. Shaking his head, Torgny pulled something out of his saddle packs and returned to Van Helsing and Tasya. He handed it to Gabriel and spoke.
"Take some and rub it into the bite for it should hopefully combat the venom of a Vampire. Tasya herself created it after spending many years studying the lore about Vampires in many countries."
Carl stared at it as Van Helsing scooped some of the ointment out and rubbed it on the bite on Tasya's neck. "What is it made from Torgny?"
"I am not sure but I believe it is a mix of garlic, holy water and finely ground silver among some things. Each ingredient is something that Vampires abhor."
When Van Helsing was finished, Torgny took the jar back and returned it to his packs. In the man's arms, Tasya moaned in pain, her eyelids fluttering. The three men exchanged looks before Carl crouched beside the woman and checked her mouth for any signs that blood had passed her lips.
"I do not think she has been touched in any way besides that bite by the Vampire. Why was she attacked though?" The friar asked, looking at Torgny thoughtfully.
"I would not be surprised if it was Vladimir who did this." The man replied. "For he should desire her dead more than anything else in the world. He seeks revenge for the death of Dracula and for the original betrayal that Hanne Valerious played a main part in. Should he discover that Van Helsing is here, he will not hesitate to attack again for Van Helsing was instrumental in the demise of his best and closest friend."
Wrapping Tasya up in warm rugs, Gabriel Van Helsing stayed close to her to wait for her to awaken. "Whatever the case, should this Vladimir come again, he will find me very angry and very ready for him."
The two holy men stared down at the fallen monster hunter and the man who held her heart in his hand. They had nothing to say on the matter and both set about making sure that there were weapons enough around should the Vampire return to finish the job he had started.
