New Generation
Chapter VI
From the red sky of the east,
to the sunset in the west,
we have cheated death and he has cheated us.
But that was just a dream,
and this is what it means.
We are sleeping, and we'll dream for evermore.
And the fragment remains of our memories,
and the shadows we made with our hands.
Deeper grey, come to mourn,
all the colours of the dawn,
will this journeyman's day be his last?-
"Journeyman"-Iron Maiden
Christian, Lysander, Alcander, and Brian reached the next village on their journey to Castle Dracula just before the sun set over the Carpathian Mountains. When the four approached the village inn, Christian dismounted his horse and handed the reigns to Brian. "I'm going inside to buy lodging for the night," he told them. "Please take my horse, along with yours, to the inn's stable."
Lysander and Alcander nodded at their older cousin, while they led the horses to the stable. The two brothers also shared a look of disgust that Brian was along with them. Damn that soft spot Christian has in his heart, they said to themselves.
"Umm…Lysander, Alcander…" started Brian. Lysander and Alcander turned to him, but did not give him a look that made him feel welcome. "I know that I'm sort of thrown into this without exactly asking, but how exactly are we to defeat Dracula?"
"By stabbing a sword through his heart, and decapitating his head!" replied an annoyed Lysander.
"Surely, Brian, your parents told you how a vampire is to be destroyed? It's not exactly un-common knowledge in these parts," added Alcander.
"Well…they did, but I just wanted to check and make sure." Lysander and Alcander said nothing back to their unwanted companion, only giving him a look of disgust.
"All right everyone!" Christian declared as he entered the stable. "I've paid for our rooms for the night, and once we get the horses secured we can sit in the inn's bar for spirits and supper. From the appearance of our horses they seem to be all right, but Sander and Cander I need to spend a moment to talk to you. Would you excuse us, Brian? I need to spend a few minutes talking to my cousins."
"Yeess, sir, Mister Belmont!"
But when Brian turned to leave the stable Christian replied back, "and Brian, please try not to be so nervous. Nobody is going to harm you."
"I know, Mr. Belmont, but I'm still slightly nervous over everything that has happened to me so far."
Christian nodded. "That's understandable Brian. Why don't you go inside and relax yourself a bit? I just need to have a family meeting with my cousins."
"Yes, sir…thank you Mr. Belmont."
"You're welcome, Brian. And Brian?"
"Yes?"
"You don't need to call me 'sir' or 'Mr. Belmont.' Just 'Christian' will do."
"Alright, thanks Mr…er, Christian."
"Thanks Brian; we'll see you in a few minutes."
After Brian Falkner left the stables Alcander made the comment, "yeah, you little bastard, we'll see you in a few minutes."
"Damn it, Cander, stop that!" shouted Christian. And turning to his other cousin, "The same goes for you too, Sander!"
"Christian, I don't like that guy, period!" exclaimed Alcander.
"That goes for me too," added Lysander. "That son of a bitch is the reason why Dracula now holds Jessica in his possession."
"I wouldn't be one-hundred percent certain of that."
"What the hell are you talking about, Christian?" replied a stunned Lysander. "That moron was stupid enough to believe what some servant of Dracula told him, despite the fact that he should've known better, and know Dracula is back because of him!"
Christian sighed, and put his hand to his forehead. A sign that he was aggravated at the lack of respect his cousins were showing for Brian. "First off, Lysander, Brian was deceived by what that man told him. Whom ever this servant of Dracula is told him lies mixed in with the truth. People who want to take advantage of others often use this tactic, and Brian fell for it. Furthermore, I don't believe that Brian's blood is completely responsible for the return of Dracula. On two separate occasions between Dracula and our parents, our parents have used the Eucharist to destroy Dracula. Neither of you would remember either encounter, but I can remember the first one especially since both Lysander and I were held prisoner inside Castle Dracula."
Lysander shook his head in confusion. "What? What do you mean inside Castle Dracula?"
Christian chuckled. "I guess that Uncle Adrian and Aunt Maria never told you that story. We'll you were too young to remember it, and Cander had yet to arrive on the scene. It was actually your mother, Father Miceadu, and Natalia…"
"Natalia?!" interjected Alcander. "You mean the woman that Dad can't stand?!"
Christian laughed. "Yes, Alcander, one in the same. Anyway, Father Miceadu placed a piece of the Host in Vlad the Impaler's mouth and he immediately combusted, similar to a balloon filled with too much air. Yet after only four years Vlad Tepes returned somehow. I don't know exactly how he did, because the Eucharist should've made it almost impossible, yet it still happened. I believe that ever since my father and your father destroyed Dracula twelve years ago that some underground cults have been trying to revive him, and Brian's blood was simply the final piece of the puzzle. So with that being said, I would appreciate it if both of you tried to be a little more respectful to Brian. He is coming with us, and we're going to have to train him in some form of combat, so he can defend himself."
Lysander and Alcander nodded. "All right, Christian," replied Lysander, "we'll try to be a little more respectful to him, but only because you asked us too, not because we want to."
Christian smiled back at them. "Thank you. Now lets go inside. I'm in the mood for a hot meal, a beer, and a cigar!"
"We'll be inside in a minute," Alcander told him.
"All right."
After Christian left the stable Alcander looked to his older brother. "I don't care what Christian says, that son of a bitch still willingly followed Dracula's servant along. He may have been the final piece of the puzzle, but he still agreed to follow that man along to assist in the return of Dracula when he should've known better."
Lysander nodded. "I'm in agreement with you, Cander. Brian should've known better, but I guess we need to try and be nice to him since Christian asked us to. For the life of me, I still can't understand how Christian can't see what we're seeing!"
"I can't either, but I don't think it's worth our time to try and figure it out."
"Probably not."
*
"So let me see if I've got this right, Father Belmont," Brian's father began. "You're telling me that our son helped resurrect Vlad the Impaler, and now he's marching off to Castle Dracula with your son and two nephews?"
"According to this letter I received from the parish priest of St. Andrew's he apparently is." Richter handed the letter to Mr. and Mrs. Falkner. "Is this your son's handwriting?"
Mr. Falkner read over the letter and said, "Yes, it is."
"Then I guess that answers your question."
"But I don't understand why?" Mrs. Falkner replied, entering the conversation. "Why would he resurrect a monster like Vlad Tepes?! Surly he knew better?"
"I can't understand why he would either, Mrs. Falkner, but in his letter he writes that he was deceived. Nevertheless, what ever the true circumstances are, I believe it would be a wise decision if the two of you didn't talk about it."
Mr. and Mrs. Falkner nodded. "Despite all of that," Mrs. Falkner added, "I don't know how he will be able to handle himself inside the Castle? Our son was not trained like your son or your nephews, Father Belmont."
"Mrs. Falkner, does your son have faith?"
"Yes, Father. We raised him to believe in the teachings of Jesus and the Church. Which still makes me wonder why he…"
"I know what you're going to say, Mrs. Falkner, and for right now let me suggest as a priest try not to wonder to much about that question. But on the matter at hand, so long as your son does not lose his faith that will be his weapon against the forces of Vlad the Impaler and the forces of darkness."
*
That evening at the Tepes residence Adrian captured a glimpse of his wife staring at Castle Dracula that illuminated in the moonlight. Earlier that day, after her sons set off on their journey, Adrian noticed his wife going through some of Lysander and Alcander's old toys and baby items that she had saved. He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his arms overlapping hers. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, and turned to him. "Yes, I'm all right."
"You don't sound all right."
"Now you know how I felt every time you set off on an adventure, and I was left here at home with our two sons," she said with a smile, despite the tears that were beginning to show in her eyes.
"Maria," Adrian said, pulling her even closer to him; "you know what our sons trained for."
"No, I didn't," she added with her voice becoming coarse. "I never expected him to come back!"
"Maria," Adrian began as he placed his wife's head against his chest and rubbed his fingers through her soft hair; "Maria, you know that we never expected Dracula to come back any of the times he did years ago, yet it was my duty to face him."
"But that's the difference between you and our boys. You were a grown man, and they're still boys! Why didn't you go with them? Forget that question. Why didn't I stop them? Because they're not ready for such a challenge!"
"Yes, they are."
"Damn it, Adrian!" she screeched; "they're still children!"
"I know how old they are, but they're still powerful enough to defeat Dracula. They're more powerful than I am right now!"
Maria's green eyes displayed a completely confused look for her husband.
"Maria, if I was to go after Dracula right now I don't believe that I could win. Age and humanity is starting to finally catch up with me, but it hasn't caught up with our boys."
Maria said nothing. She simply turned away.
"Look Maria, I want you to understand something. I would've never sent our children off if I believed they were going to be slaughtered. You know that I love my sons just as much as you do, and I know that Richter and Annette feel the same way towards Christian."
Maria returned her gaze to her husband with tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
Adrian gently wiped the tears away. "Maria, I have faith in my sons. I trained them. I know their abilities, and so do you. Please have more faith in them."
Maria did her best to smile, and Adrian kissed her, yet she was still worried, as any mother would be, over the fate of her children.
*
At dawn the next morning Christian visited the village's weapon and armory shop. He purchased for Brian some leather armor, a small sword, and a revolver. "Brian," he told him, when he presented him with the gifts, "I think you will be able to move around comfortably with this gear. How familiar are you with either a sword or a gun?"
"I've fired a rifle before at my father's, but I've never used a sword before."
"Well, a sword is going to be your most valuable weapon. Many of the monsters controlled by Prince Vlad will not respond to bullets. With the help of Sander and Cander I will show you some proper techniques with a sword that may save your life." Before the four-left town that day Christian instructed Brian how to properly hold his sword, and how to wield it. For stabbing and defense, Christian instructed Brian with sticks. Although Brian was far from becoming a master of the sword, Christian felt that even in that first lesson he had some potential that could be built upon as their journey continued.
