With Henry leading the way, they rode until the sun was preparing to set. The sky was painted gold and the sun was covered by a multitude of clouds. In the opposite direction a moon could be seen preparing for the long night. Henry and Reinhardt slowly rode into the desolate town of the Other World. Henry knew of this place. Twice before he had rode through the ancient town. He knew quite well that this was the last spot before reaching the castle on the foggy lake. Every step that brought Henry closer to the castle made more childhood memories flood into his mind. He had not even so much as been touched by a demon and already this journey was becoming painful. But with so much at stake, he could not turn back.
Reinhardt rode alongside Henry and his thoughts were also aimed towards the past. In his mind, Reinhardt imagined how many of his ancestors rode through here. What horrors they must have faced. It is true what his father told him, "no matter how much I prepare you, nothing can ever fully prevent the awe you will feel when you embark upon your quest. Once you begin, nothing is ever the same again." Reinhardt listened to his father's words ring in his ears until his horse came to a stop. They had reached the beginning of a dock. A gray fog enveloped the sea and neither of them could see what lay ahead of them.
"Look," Henry said, gesturing to a large wooden pole with a horn hanging from a hook. After dismounting from his horse Reinhardt unhooked the horn and held it in his hand for a moment. Henry too got off his and smiled at the horn that to him was all too familiar.
"Blow into the horn and summon the Ferryman," Henry said. Reinhardt looked at Henry for a few moments before blowing into it. The horn echoed in the darkness. After the sound receded, only the sound of the sea remained. Reinhardt turned to Henry, "This is all familiar to you?"
"So far," Henry replied. "I expect that after eight years I can expect a few surprises."
A soft bumping sound made them look towards the bottom of the dock. At the foot of a ladder leading downwards was a small ferry, big enough for maybe three persons. The back of the ferry was shrouded in fog so neither Henry nor Reinhardt could see who was piloting it. Then darkly clothed figure emerged and climbed the ladder. The figure faced Reinhardt and Henry, its face always hidden by its hood. Finally it's voice revealed that the figure was an old man with a raspy voice. The old man seemed to address Henry.
"The Lord of the Manor has returned."
"Y-yes," Henry replied reluctantly.
"It has gone over
many renovations since last you saw it."
"I imagine so."
"There are many unhappy spirits stalking those halls which you played in as a boy."
"I wish to lay them to rest."
The figure seemed to nod in approval. He then turned slightly so that Reinhardt would know that he was addressing him. "I apologize for not answering your call more promptly. Unfortunately for you, I have been receiving quite a lot of work these past few days. Much more activity than usual."
"It is alright, " Reinhardt said, "perhaps you can tell us why you have been so busy lately?"
"I could," the Ferryman said, then he turned and began to descend the ladder. Henry went ahead and followed him. Reinhardt stood for a moment and said, "Ferrymen, never can give you a straight answer." Then he too went down the ladder.
The ferry was very small and Reinhardt and Henry were cramped together in it with the Ferryman standing at the back steering the boat. Ever so slowly they made their way into the fog.
"The fog that never lifts," Reinhardt said.
"True, but sometimes the light can make the fog invisible," the Ferryman said. "I fear I will not be able to take you the whole way. I never go all the way."
Henry turned to the Ferryman, "are we to swim across?"
"No, no one who has ever been in my care has had to swim, for long. But in this case no. You will take my ferry across."
Henry turned to Reinhardt who was trying to get his bearings. When Henry turned back to the Ferryman, he was gone. Henry tapped Reinhardt's shoulder. "I believe we are on our own now."
"Just as well, he knew more than he let on. I don't trust anyone who knows more than I do and doesn't tell me."
"Do you trust me? A man you have known for only a day."
Reinhardt looked at him, "that depends, do you know anything that I don't?" the conversation was interrupted when the ferry suddenly struck something. Reinhardt stared ahead of him and saw only a large wall. Using an oar that was left in the boat Henry rowed the ferry along the side of the wall until they reached what appeared to be the entrance. Reinhardt looked up to the remains of what he knew to be the West Bridge.
Henry docked the ferry against the wall and looked up. With no ladder or anything to grab onto he asked, "How exactly are we going to go get up there?" Reinhardt looked up, unhooked the chain whip going from his shoulder to his waist, and made a mighty swing into the air. The end of his chain whip grabbed onto the head of a statue at the top of the bridge. Reinhardt quickly climbed up and allowed Henry to use the whip as a rope. As soon as they were both facing the entrance they found ahead of them lay a set of large double doors, blown off their hinges. Henry kneeled down and inspected them.
"This damage is recent isn't it?" Reinhardt asked.
"After the last time I was here, yes. What could possibly have done it, I'd rather not meet."
Reinhardt and Henry chose to press on rather than speculate on what might have broken the large doors. After climbing several ledges they entered the forest. They walked in silence until, after some walking, they reached a square with four stone pillars towering over them. In the center of the square was a statue. This was so far familiar to Henry. What surprised not only Henry but Reinhardt as well were the piles of bones scattered all over the ground. All around the square courtyard they had entered were the scattered remnants of human beings. Henry and Reinhardt made their way to the center of the square by walking through the small patches of ground where no bones lay. All the while, Reinhardt watched the bones as carefully as he would a wild animal. Reinhardt turned to Henry, "You are supposedly the expert. Which way would you recommend?"
Henry pointed to enormous double doors to their immediate left. They lay on the other side of a short bridge that was half destroyed. "That is the way to the castle. The trouble now is opening the doors."
"How did you open them before?"
"They had already been opened when I came through here."
Henry looked around until his eyes stopped on a switch. The switch was attached to a post on the other side of another small bridge that led only to the switch and nothing else. On this dark island, the switch was most out of place. Nevertheless Henry walked toward it without a word to Reinhardt. Reinhardt followed him slowly but did not cross the bridge with him. Henry approached it cautiously and inspected it for a few moments. Henry looked back at Reinhardt. Reinhardt stood motionless at the boundary between the bridge and the land. A soft rattle made Reinhardt look downwards. There was nothing but the ground and bones.
"Don't pull the switch!" Reinhardt yelled. But he was too late. A skeletal grasped his leg and sent him to the ground face first. Henry had pulled the switch and the whole world turned upside down within seconds. Henry turned around to watch as the bridge that Reinhardt now lay on began to lower downwards into chasm that it had previously covered. Henry's attention was once again drawn away when he heard a loud roar. Henry looked up and saw that what looked like a fiery ball was headed towards him. The ball struck the ground beside him. The ball then moved and took of the shape of a man. But this man was like none that Henry had ever seen. His body was like pure muscle and his skin and head was like that of a tiger. Henry could feel the heat he was releasing as the tiger man body glowed red with fire.
Reinhardt tussled with the upper torso of a skeleton. It was only half of a full human skeleton but what it lacked in completeness it made up for in strength. It held on to his leg as though it were a part of it. Reinhardt had to practically break his leg kicking it against the side of the cliff before the skull warrior broke to pieces. Reinhardt kicked them off of the descending bridge just in case. He looked up and saw Henry facing the onslaught of the tiger man. Reinhardt turned as he heard yet another rattling sound. This time the skull warriors were coming out from the very side of the cliff. Reinhardt unsheathed his sword and stared at the two skull warriors with indifference. Under his breath he whispered to himself, "Courage, don't leave me."
Henry looked into the burning eyes of the tiger man and then aimed his gun at them. The tiger man grabbed him by the arm and threw him against the ground. The armor he wore made the impact of the ground even harder. Henry got up slowly. The towering figure walked towards him menacingly. Henry saw his chance and lunged for the gap between his legs. Henry went sliding underneath him. The rest of the way he crawled towards the ledge and let himself fall down from the cliff's edge. Once again he felt his armor do him more harm than good as he felt the impact of the still descending bridge. Reinhardt, somewhat occupied with two skull warriors, managed to turn to face Henry.
"Nice of you to join me."
Henry managed a small grin beneath his helmet. When he felt the large thump of something landing hard on the bridge he pointed his finger to what he knew was standing behind him. "I brought company I'm afraid," Henry said, referring to the tiger man that had followed him. Reinhardt beheaded both skull warriors and pushed them off the bridge.
"We'll be fine so long as you don't pull anymore switches," Reinhardt said.
Henry aimed his weapon again and fired. The tiger man roared as he staggered backwards a little. It roared once more and slammed it huge fist onto the bridge. The shock wave sent Reinhardt over the edge of the bridge. At the last second he managed to grab onto the very edge of it. Henry checked to see that Reinhardt was "safely" hanging on and then continued to fire. The bullets did little to deter the tiger man but did enough to make him angry and stupid. The tiger man charged right into the cliff side while Henry slid between his legs once more. Henry rolled to the other side of the bridge and quickly pulled a small object from his backpack.
"Reinhardt, hold on and watch out!"
Henry rubbed the top of the object against the floor of the bridge and then threw it at the tiger man. As it flew Reinhardt saw sparks coming from the object and ducked his head beneath the bridge. He looked downwards and saw that they were descending towards water below. On the bridge the tiger man was furious. He began to glow bright red and prepared for another charge. Slowly the bridge stopped descending. Reinhardt's bottom half was underwater. Then Reinhardt averted his eyes as an explosion erupted before him. The tiger man roared and slowly became consumed by his own fire. When the fire dissipated Reinhardt stuck his head up from beneath the bridge. Henry helped him up and both of them looked at what lay behind the dusty remains of the tiger man. Although there were a few roots hanging down and dirt falling as well, it was unmistakably a tunnel.
"Considering what happened the last time I took the initiative, I'll just wait for you to tell me what we do next." Henry said.
Reinhardt looked at him with the same expression he always seemed to have. It was neither sarcastic nor cruel. "If you feel like climbing back, go right ahead. I'm going this way."
Henry patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I won't pull any switches unless you tell me to." After he had gone on Reinhardt muttered to him self, "I feel better already."
The tunnel was dark so Henry lit a match. When Reinhardt's eyes became accustomed to the darkness he saw that there were skull heads lying around the tunnel. "Keep your eyes open," he whispered to Henry. As they walked they suddenly felt a large tremor. It shook the tunnel and caused streams of dirt to fall from the ceiling. After the tremor stopped, shock waves kept the tunnel off balance. Within seconds Reinhardt was yelling for Henry to run. In front of them as well as behind them, the tunnel began to fall apart. Finally they saw a light ahead and they doubled their speed. When they emerged from the tunnel it collapsed in on itself. Both men fell to the ground and stopped to regain their breath. Yet another tremor made them get back on their feet. The end of the tunnel had led them into a wooded area filled with large trees. Reinhardt led the way he felt the tremor had come from. After several minutes of treading through the thick forest they reached an open area. Once more Reinhardt and Henry were stunned to see the area filled with piles of bones. Several parts of the large open area had small patches of flame. In the center the huge remnants of an enlarged skeleton lay broken in pieces.
"What in God's name?" Reinhardt said aloud.
Both Reinhardt and Henry surveyed the area. Without words they agreed that it looked like a battlefield. The most telling piece if evidence lay many yards ahead of them. The entrance of the exterior castle wall. The drawbridge appeared to have been blown of its hinges. The chains that would normally pull it in hung on its sides.
"Any idea as to what might be causing all of this damage?" Reinhardt asked Henry.
"Not a clue. I only know that if whatever it is continues, then this journey might not be as bad as we thought."
Reinhardt didn't like it. Whatever it was that was going ahead of them was obviously a foe not to be taken lightly. Already it had dealt with several obstacles that Reinhardt does not even know how he would have dealt with himself. Reinhardt led the way to the castle entrance slowly and cautiously. As the walked across the great wooden drawbridge the sound of their heavy boots echoed in the abysmal ravine beneath them. Reinhardt cursed inwardly as he imagined the sound of their footsteps warning anyone who might be ahead of them.
When they had completely crossed the drawbridge, Reinhardt thought in the back of his mind that the drawbridge would go back up again. For a moment even looked back, waiting. Ahead of them were the remains of two solid iron gates, which were melted and deformed. A small circular opening in the center of the gates would allow them to continue. Henry made to go though but Reinhardt stopped him. Beyond the two gates, it was almost total darkness. Reinhardt could make out some large structure in the distance but he had no clue to what it might be.
"It's too dark. I think it would be best if we wait for light."
"I agree," Henry said. "Besides, I know for a fact that after this point, things will become much more difficult. I suggest we take this night as the last normal night we are going to have for several days. I know a safe place where we can rest."
Henry turned to a door to their right. The door had a moon crest on its center. Henry pushed the door and entered into the darkness beyond it. Reinhardt followed and heard Henry say, "but it will take some work to get to." When they had passed the darkness they emerged into a large chamber that seemed to rise up into the sky. It was a large circular staircase but of a deadlier kind. From the ground floor Reinhardt could see spiked platforms, dangerous jumps, and even pillars of flame throwing dragonheads.
After four flights of stairs Henry came to a halt before several spiked platforms. "What's wrong? We've jumped through a few of these already." Reinhardt asked. Henry then pointed to the platform across from the spiked ones. On the platform there lay the body of a small girl. Reinhardt put his hand on Henry chest. "On my mark." Reinhardt focused on the rotating platforms and memorized the timing of their movements. In his mind he anticipated their every turn. "Now!" Reinhardt finally exclaimed. Both Henry and Reinhardt jumped into the air and landed on the second of three rotating platforms. Just as soon as they landed they felt the platform begin to move and they jumped once more, this time they landed on the platform where the little girl was. The girl was dressed in a blue dress and was lying face down on the platform. Henry turned her over. The girl's face was covered in dirt. The bags under her eyes showed that she had not slept in quite some time. Reinhardt pulled out some bread from his backpack while Henry tried to wake her up. The girl slowly began to mumble to herself.
"Momma"
"Shh," Henry whispered to her softly. "Eat some bread. It will be all right." The girl ate in short bites and she slowly began to move around more. As she began to stir, she looked around fearfully. Even Henry and Reinhardt were met by a young fear filled expression.
"What's your name?" Henry asked her.
After several moments of looking into the eyes behind the helmet, the small girl replied in a soft and low voice, "BBess."
"Well Bess, my name is Henry." By looking into his eyes, Bess could see that he was smiling under what to her looked like a frightful helmet. Henry cradled her in his arms and she quietly continued to eat more bread. Henry looked at Reinhardt.
"Shock."
"Can you carry her?"
"I can manage," Henry said. In reality they did not have much more to travel. After two more levels they reached a door at the top of the staircase. On the door was a relief of a crescent moon. Reinhardt motioned for Henry to stay back and cover the girl. Reinhardt burst into the door and disappeared into the darkness beyond it. Henry held on tightly to the girl. Then he let out a sign of relief when Reinhardt emerged once more and gave the signal that it was safe. Henry carried the girl through the doorway and into the large open chamber ahead. The chamber was open to the sky so it was lit by moonlight only. In the center of the chamber stood the remains of a mechanism, presumably to open the gratings below. The shock of whatever had attacked the gratings had demolished the mechanisms above. Henry looked around and found Reinhardt standing before a hole in one of the chamber's walls. Henry approached him and saw what it was that had drawn him there.
"The castle." Reinhardt said. The hole in the castle wall had a perfect view of the castle lying in the distance. Henry took in the incredible view for several moments before his eyes set on something not so distant from where they were. Henry's mind felt the sudden rush of memories kept dormant for the past eight years. The large villa that lay several yards ahead of them looked barren and abandoned in the darkness.
"Home," Henry whispered to himself. In his arms he felt as the sight of the castle disturbed the small girl. Henry took her away from the view of the castle and laid her down on the floor. Bess curled up like a baby and began to rock back and forth. Reinhardt looked at the small girl and felt anger rise up within him. The evil of the place was too much for any young one.
"She can't be allowed to stay. Rescuing the children is supposed to be your job. I hope you have a plan on how to get her out of here."
Henry looked at Reinhardt for a moment and then raised his arms to remove his helmet. Underneath the helmet, Henry was a handsome and youthful man with long blond hair tied into a ponytail. His eyes were piercing blue and his teeth were clenched from anger.
"Don't worry. None of these demons will be bothering Bess ever again. I swear it."
Henry then reached into his backpack and took out a white crystal that nestled in the palm of his hand. He closed his eyes and held it in his hands for a few moments. There was a brief flash and Reinhardt shielded his eyes. When he looked again, the crystal's white surface was no longer transparent. On the crystal Reinhardt could see an image. When he looked closer he realized the image was that of Father Samuel with several others. They sat together in what seemed to be a room with many beds. Henry lifted Bess's hand and placed it on the white crystal.
"You might want to shield your eyes once more," Henry said. Then almost immediately there was another flash. When this one dissipated Reinhardt was surprised to see that Bess had gone as well.
"How? Where?"
"A prearranged place between Father Samuel and I." Henry placed the crystal back in the backpack and took out some bread for himself. "When Samuel first contacted me and informed me of my mission, my first problem would be getting the children out. When I was here eight years ago, I took something with me. This white crystal has the power to transport the children we find to the place Father Samuel and I agreed with."
"I see one problem with what you are telling me. When Samuel contacted me, only a day had passed since the attack. Then, when you the met at the village it were as though you two had not met for quite awhile. But all of this planning could not have taken place so quickly. So my question to you is, how?"
Henry grunted. "All right. I'm aware that you and Father Samuel have known each other for many years. So obviously you know that Samuel has a way of knowing more than what he says. Father Samuel knew that children were going to be taken."
"What!" Reinhardt exclaimed loudly. "Impossible!"
"Listen to me Reinhardt. He knew some children would be taken but he did not know which or from where. He could not protect all the children in Romania."
"But how did he know?"
"I'm not sure. I think he knew of some prophecy."
"Prophecy? He told me of one once. But it was too long ago. I can't remember the exact words."
"Well, the way the crystal works is by focusing on a place in your mind. After several moments the crystal finds the place and it appears in the crystal. Then all you must do is touch the crystal and you are taken there."
"That could come in very handy."
"The trick of course is that you must be able to visualize your destination. That is why I can't just think about Dracula and have us get there on the spot. I would have to have been there."
"Tell me about your first trip here. How did you come to be here?"
"Did you see that villa out there? That was my home. My father came here many years ago when the castle was in ruins. He was the adopted son of a wealthy Englishman. His true roots were here in Wallachia. He brought my mother and I with him to excavate the castle ruins with hopes of finding more about his family line. Eight year ago he found too much."
"How did the man-wolf and the girl fit in."
When Reinhardt mentioned "the girl" a smile crept onto Henry's face. A short laugh burst out from him and he continued his tale. "The man-wolf's name was Cornell. The girl was Ada, his sister. Ada had been kidnapped by demons from Dracula's castle. Cornell went in search of them and to rescue her. To keep this tale short, I'll just tell you that he did."
"What about your parents?"
"My father wasturned. My mother, I actually don't know."
"Any hopes?"
Henry grinned a little but his eyes were filled with sorrow locked away for so long. Reinhardt could see the tears he was forcing back into himself. "A few." Henry shook his head several times and then asked Reinhardt, "who will take the first watch?" Reinhardt was about to respond when a loud echo resounded all over the chamber they were in. The sound was that of a clock striking the hour. Both Reinhardt and Henry looked outwards through the hole and towards the castle. In his mind Reinhardt recalled the passed down tales of the castles enormous clock tower. The castle mesmerized both of them. Even when a cloud of mist appeared before the hole in the wall they did not break their gaze. The cloud of mist contorted and changed shape until finally Reinhardt and Henry watched as a large figure hovered about outside the hole. The scars on the figure's face as well as the style of his clothes made him look ancient. The regal sash going from his shoulder to his waist and the long cape made look like royalty. The look in his eyes was unmistakably evil.
"Dracula," Reinhardt said.
He crossed his arms as he drew closer to them. Then he spoke in a loud and commanding voice. "Scum of a Belmont, upstart weakling. All who oppose the dark lord must die. So come to me the both of you, meet your doom! I will make your souls suffer in hell."
Henry had heard enough. He raised his pistol, aimed for the ancient vampire's head and fired. The only reaction was a booming laugh that echoed throughout the mechanism chamber. The vampire faded slowly into mist and then finally into nothing. Reinhardt looked at the empty space and then at Henry who still aimed at Dracula's head even though it was long since gone.
"You shot at Dracula. Dracula?"
"He called me an 'upstart weakling.' If I could get my hands on his throat I'd show him who's an upstart"
"If you could get your hands on him," Reinhardt said. "If."
"Do you suppose he visited whatever it is that is going ahead of us?"
"Perhaps. In either case, I'm glad to know that he did visit us. It means he's aware that we are here. It may even mean that he considers us an obstacle." Reinhardt turned and continued looking at castle. "I will take first watch. You get some rest."
Henry took off his backpack and pulled out a sheet and snuggled himself against a wall. With his head laid back and his backpack beside him, he reloaded his pistol. Reinhardt saw this and finally got a good look at Henry's pistol. Unlike any other pistol he had ever seen, Reinhardt asked Henry, "Where did you get that pistol from?"
"It was given to me years ago. It belonged to a great hunter."
"He doesn't hunt anymore?"
"His last hunt put him against too strong a prey. He did not survive. All that was left was this gun. Originally there were two but the other he took with him. Since I've had this gun I've taken it apart and put it together again. I've even made some improvements." Henry smiled, "I think Coller would be proud," he whispered to himself.
"What was that explosive that you used?"
"Just a simple bag with gunpowder. Tied to the top of the bag is a small match. Just rub the match against something hard and then run for cover." Henry gestured at Reinhardt's backpack. "How about you? Do you have any interesting weapons I should know about?"
For the first time Reinhardt grinned slightly. "Not really. My father taught me to use only a small amount of weapons. None of them are especially impressive. Well, except for two. You see since I was old enough to train with real weapons, my father taught me that there are three kinds of whips. There is the chain whip with the morning star at the end." Reinhardt unhooked it from his shoulder and showcased it for Henry. Then he reached into his backpack and pulled out another whip. "Then there is this one, the leather whip."
"Why two different whips?"
"Well there was a time when the members of the Belmont clan only had the leather. Eventually someone introduced the chain and quickly became the standard. That and the fact that there have been many chain whips but only one leather."
"You mean to say that the leather whip in your hands is the same one that"
"Exactly. It has been the same whip for over a hundred years." Reinhardt looked at it in his hands. He had trained with it for years and he still marveled at the fact that his ancestors before him have used the very same whip to vanquish Dracula. Holding it in his hands gave him renewed confidence. "It also has one other 'legendary' distinction."
"What's that?"
"Legend has it that the whip has been known totransform."
"Transform?"
"It is difficult to explain. My father told that the fight between good and evil is always the same. But every so often the battle becomes more difficult. Also sometimes the stake can be raised. The forces of evil might suddenly have an advantage over us. In that case, this whip apparently transforms into a far more powerful weapon. Supposedly it turns into fire."
Henry looked at the whip in Reinhardt's hands. "Let's hope that things never get that desperate. Careful not to burn yourself."
Henry then closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. Reinhardt stood before hole in the wall and stared at the castle. Many of his ancestors stood before the castle as he did now. Possibly they pondered their great destiny. Reinhardt on the other hand had only one thing in his mind, "brother, where are you?"
When Henry awoke, it was not to the traditional sound of birds singing. On this island there are no birds, just bats. He opened his eyes and right above him was the source of the flapping noise that had awakened him. Henry was suddenly hypnotized by the sound of the bat's flapping wings. But the bat was not all that had awakened him. There was also a faint rumbling, then a large explosion. Henry jumped to his feet and followed the sound and the rumbling, guns in hand.
"Henry!" said a voice.
Henry found that apart from the hole in the wall there was also an opening from which he could see clear across to the other girder chamber. From what he could see it was a chamber exactly like his. It's purpose to control the second large girder of the castle wall. The only real difference was the fact that there seemed to be quite a lot people on the other side as well as something very large and probably very dangerous. There was no direct way to cross from one to the other and it would take too long to traverse the dangerous stairs downwards and take yet another trip up the other. Henry grabbed a long rope from his backpack and tied it to a fixed stone and lowered himself into the area in between the two girder chambers. Through cracks in the floor Henry could see that the middle area was directly above the area in between the two girders. Henry jumped to avoid the holes in the floor and made his rope into a lasso as he ran. It took two throws but Henry managed to throw the rope around something solid and quickly begin his ascent. By the time he reached the top he had felt another large quake. Henry slowly entered the large girder chamber using the tip of his gun as his eye. He surveyed the chamber with one broad sweep of his gun. In one corner lay a group of children huddled together mostly crying. In the center of the chamber lay the rotting, burning, and disintegrating remains of what looks like a double headed dragon. Finally, standing a good striking distance away from the dead dragon was Reinhardt. He stood motionless until he finally looked up and saw Henry.
"I think I have found the force that has been plowing a way ahead of us," he said.
His hand gestured to a small
girl of about twelve years of age that lay unconscious before him.
Chapter 24:
The Return Home