Stop! Please go back and reread Chapter Eight as it has been added to! Oh? You read the rest of Chapter Eight already? Never mind...
I'm pretty sure Val has completed all the deus ex machina duties I needed her for in this chapter. I wanted to finish her bit of the story in Chapter Eight, but there were a few things left undone, so they spilled over into Chapter Nine. I hope she didn't annoy people too much. After this chapter, she heads back to her shop and out of this story. Maybe it's time for another mutant attack? I've got to get things back to what passes for normal for our two dhampirs! ^_^
Chapter Nine - Readings
"You got it! D, you're marvelous!" Val exclaimed.
"It was Alucard's echolocation that got us past the darkness. You should find a different place to harvest though. Something very strong wants to hide that cave," D warned her.
"Don't worry about that, D. This is probably my last trip to gain supplies," Val told him matter of factly.
D raised an eyebrow at her.
"I have never been able to find out exactly what I am, aside from mostly human that is, but whatever it is..." Val admitted, "Let's just say if you follow your timetable of coming to check on me once every score of years, I'll only get to see you one more time."
"But, enough of that!" Val reached forward and grabbed Alucard's hand, dragging him to sit next to her on the log, "Let me tell you what I found out!"
"It took careful work to learn how to break the ward, but see what happens when I do," Val put the amulet in Alucard's hand and uttered a word. The multicolor gem flashed and became a black and white gem with a face carved into it.
"This is its true appearance," Val told him. Alucard reached a finger forward to stroke the surface of the stone.
"Father!" he breathed. D came to stand over his shoulder and look down at the amulet himself, "I remember that! Father wore it all the time."
"That would explain why it brought Alucard here first, I suppose. That and the fact Alucard was trying to follow someone who resembles you, D," Val suggested.
"What else did you find out?"
"I'd offer to buy this little trinket from you if I thought I could," Val began with a mercenary gleam in her eye. D glared at her, "But I know you won't sell it," she sighed.
"It is a very powerful amulet; I guess you could consider it a relic. It allows you to open the pathways between dimensions to travel to any dimension Dracula has ever been. But you must be careful," Val warned, taking the amulet out of Alucard's hand. She turned it over, showing the pin on the back.
"Something about how this is constructed didn't look right to me," she slid the whole back piece off, exposing the back of the stone.
"What about it?" Alucard leaned forward to see more clearly.
"This stone is black, showing the carved face in white. The stone only appears dark, it's really white on the inside. That sort of explains the quality of the magic too, very little evil, mostly good. Do you see this spot?" Val pointed to a small speck of white in the center of the back of the stone, "This is where another stone was attached once. I think it was this stone's twin, but it appears white, concealing the blackness within. The face will show as black against a white stone."
"Meaning what?" Alucard asked.
"Meaning...I don't know. Would you say that your father has two faces? Both you and D hold affection for him, and yet your life is devoted to stopping him on your world, while D's is devoted to stopping Dracula's descendants in this world. You can use this pendant, I suspect, because you are a son of Dracula. If it has a twin, one oriented toward the darker aspects of your father, wouldn't that explain much about the intruder in your sanctuary?"
"You suppose Alucard's attacker is another son of Dracula, a brother, but he's trying to..." D began.
"I suspect he would follow in Dracula's bloodier footprints, that's all," Val finished, "Maybe trying to complete whatever Dracula's ultimate design was. Just," she bit her lip and looked into Alucard's eyes, "Be careful!"
"Say, D, make dinner? I'm tired of my own cooking!" Val begged to break the tension.
"You like his cooking?!" Alucard demanded.
"Yes, it's good! Oh, he's been racing around and just making quick meals, hasn't he? Yeah, those are terrible! Come on, D, show your little brother you can actually cook!"
"Heh, heh! She's got you twisted around her little finger, doesn't she, D?" Left Hand teased later, as D added spices to the cooking pot.
"Shut up," D advised mildly, reaching toward a spice jar. Fairy lifted it and handed it to D so he wouldn't have to over-extend to get it.
"Fairy?" D asked.
"Val wanted to talk to Alucard alone. I think she's going to do a reading."
"She never learns. Trying to read dhampirs always gives her a headache," D muttered.
"Can I tell you something, Master D?" Fairy twisted her hands.
"Of course."
"I know what Val's blood is. The non-human one. She's..."
D shook his head, "Don't tell me. You should tell her."
"She won't let me," Fairy replied miserably, "And I so want to tell her! She's slowing down, and aging, just because she's missing something in what she eats. If she just adds it...with her blood she can live longer. Much longer!"
"I know she doesn't like me," Fairy continued.
"It's not that she doesn't like you," Left Hand offered softly, "It's that she senses something in you she doesn't want to admit."
"I know...but I want to help her!"
"Why?" D asked.
"Because she's helped my master. Because she's your friend. And because of her blood," Fairy responded simply.
"What does she need to add?"
********
Val took Alucard's hands and turned them palm up.
"No weird little face," Val smiled, "I always check now!" Alucard laughed.
"You want to do a reading?"
"I might see something that will help you," Val replied, "I won't try if you don't want me to."
"No, I don't mind," Alucard told her.
"Open your eyes then and let me see," Val commanded. She looked deeply into Alucard's eyes for what seemed like half of eternity. She then looked down into his hands and lightly traced the lines she found there. She sighed.
"As always, you dhampirs lead lives too long and too deep for me to catch more than the fleetingest glimpse of the future. I'm afraid all I can tell you is that you have the way."
"The way?"
"There is a concern weighing your heart. If you remember who you are, you will find you have the way," Val clarified as best she could.
"Remember who I am..."
"Yes."
"Thank you, Val," Alucard stood and offered his hand. Val struggled to stand up, even with Alucard's assistance.
"Are you okay?"
"Reading dhampirs always takes a lot out of me. I'll be okay," Val admitted.
"Hmm. I have something for you. I know very little of magic-crafting, but D thought this might help you," Alucard handed her a small packet. Val opened it to find a few short glistening strands of silver hair.
"Vampire bat hair, from..." Alucard began.
"A dhampir! Oh, this will make that shadow disappear and the invisibility amulet work perfectly!" Val exclaimed, "I should have thought of that! Thank you!"
"Hmm," Alucard looked uncomfortable, "Let's get back to camp."
"You're just as bad as D!" Val complained. Alucard smiled.
********
"Your best yet!" Val exclaimed after dinner.
"Oh? You liked dinner?" D asked.
"Very much! What did you use? There's something in here that's not in my supplies."
"It's a new spice I've only recently started to use. Here," D handed Val a small jar, "And seeds so you can grow more," D handed Val an envelope.
"What's it called?" Val asked, accepting both.
"I haven't had a chance to name it. Why don't you name it when you see what it looks like when it blooms?" D suggested.
"You sure? Okay," Val stretched, "For some reason, I feel strong enough to try another reading," Val decided.
"Why do you do this to yourself, Val?" D asked.
"I just want to help. Come on, D!"
"I'll clean up here," Alucard offered.
"Thanks!"
"Now, what was all that about?" Alucard demanded of Fairy after Val and D left. Fairy clapped her hands delightedly.
"Master D is so wonderful!" Fairy declared, coming to rest on Alucard's shoulder, "I figured out a few things about Val..." she started whispering in Alucard's ear.
********
Val took D's hands into hers and turned them palm up before glancing down and noticing Left Hand's leer. She laughed, "Not again! Lefty, you are terrible!" She gently turned Left Hand over and took D's right hand between hers.
"We'll see what I can find out this way," she muttered, before staring into D's eyes. She gazed there for as long as she could stand, then regarded the hand clasped between hers, telling the lines of his palm as she had with Alucard. She shivered.
"There's a blackness about you, D," she told him, "All around. Only two things I can wrest from it. Do what you must. All will not be lost."
D nodded, and started to rise.
"Not yet, D," Val commanded. She reached for Left Hand again, "I want to try something."
"Wha...? What are you doing?!" Left Hand demanded.
"You want to read Left Hand?" D asked.
"Try anyway," Val responded, "Open those eyes of yours, Lefty, and let me see!"
She looked into Left Hand's eyes when he complied.
"Now close them," she suggested, reading the lines that traveled across Left Hand's face. Her eyes widened.
"Interesting!" she glanced up into D's face, before leaning down and whispering to Left Hand.
"What?!" Left Hand cried out, "I'd never!"
"You must!" Val insisted, "Remember what I told D!"
Val jumped up, brushed her skirt off and walked back toward the camp.
"What did she tell you?" D asked.
"She told me..." Left Hand stopped in shock.
"Yes?" D demanded impatiently.
"She told me that if I wanted to save you, I'd have to kill Alucard!" Left Hand cried out.
"What?!"
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Reviews, comments and constructive criticisms are always welcome! Please feel free to email me also if you see something awkward that needs to be clarified or fixed. I need all the help I can get!
stargarde@stargarde.com
So sorry for the delay! Next chapter teaser - Chapter Ten - The Voice in the Darkness