New Generation

Chapter XI

A sickened mind and spirit,
the mirror tells me lies.
Could I mistake myself for someone
who lived behind my eyes?
Will he escape my soul?
Or will he live in me?
Is he trying to get out?

Or trying to enter me?-

"Diary of a Madman"-Ozzy Osbourne

     At the top of the stairs Lysander, Alcander, and Brian drew their swords while Christian opened the door to the second floor.  Fortunately there was no threat on the other side, and the party entered.  The second floor was a little more charming than the first.  This floor was home to the Castle's library, and Alcander's interest in history was especially re-kindled once he noticed all the books on the shelves.  When Christian noticed his cousin grabbing books from the shelves he had a vivid flash of imagination where a demon from the netherworld leapt from the pages and tried to slay his youngest cousin.  "Cander, what in God's name do you think you're doing?!" Christian hissed.

     "I'm just looking at the books," Alcander said, grabbing and returning books to the shelves.

     "This is NOT the time to look at books!  Don't you realize where we are?  We're in Castle Dracula!  The evilest place on the earth!"

     Alcander, however, reverted back to his childhood attitude that sometimes involved ignoring his older cousin.   "Here's one-it's all torn to shreds."

     Christian was about to grab his cousin by the arm and pull him away until he too became interested in the book that Alcander held, for the book was not just any book, but a sacred text.  "Look at the pieces of paper that dropped from the book and you'll see why," Christian said, pointing to the scattered pages on the floor.

     Alcander picked up one the pieces of paper from the floor and realized that it was the opening of St. Matthew's Gospel.  "I guess the Bible wasn't a very popular book in the Castle," Alcander said sarcastically.

     "Hey everyone!" Lysander exclaimed.  "Look at this!  It's a 'thank you' letter from the Pope."

     "The current pope?" Brian asked.

     "No stupid!  Pope Pius II from the 15th century wrote a letter to Prince Vlad Tepes."

     "What does it say?" asked Alcander.

     "It says: Dear Most Venerable Prince Vlad Tepes,

     I want to thank you for your victory over the Turks, which is also a victory for Christianity.  You did a great service to the Christian world by protecting our faith, regardless of it being Catholic or Orthodox.  I hope that perhaps one day I can use your service in an attempt to restore Christendom with those in your community that broke away from me in the Schism. 

     Peace with you in Christ,

     Pope Pius II 

     I'm almost surprised he didn't tear this up."

     "Perhaps it didn't mean as much to him as the Bible," replied Christian.

     "What the hell?" exclaimed a flabbergasted Alcander.

     "What is it Cander?" asked his older brother.

     "Look at that, Sander," Alcander said pointing to the wall.

     Lysander motioned his eyes to the wall to see what caught Alcander's attention.  On the wall was a portrait of a lovely woman with blonde hair, green eyes, and beautiful porcelain face.  "She looks so familiar," Lysander said.

     "She looks like the portrait of the woman in our house that Dad says is his mother," Alcander replied.

     "Yeah, she does look kind of like her."

     "Well, you two are related in some way to Vlad the Impaler, aren't you?" asked Brian.

     "Yes," replied Lysander, "but that portrait is almost identical to the painting of the woman in our home that our Dad says is his mother, and Dad always told us that our relationship with Vlad the Impaler was too far back to consider."

     Christian said nothing.  He knew the truth.  The women in the painting that Lysander and Alcander saw was Adrian's mother and their grandmother, but he remembered what his uncle told him, and would honor his word.  "Everyone, we can't stand here worrying about books and paintings of the past.  We have a mission to take care of!  We must destroy the lord of this Castle!"
     Everyone in the team nodded.  "You're right Christian," Alcander said sternly.  "We've got a job to do, and a girl to find!"

     "You seem to want her to be here, don't you Cander?" his older brother asked sarcastically.

     "Huh?"

     "You want her here so you can be the big hero and all when you rescue her," teased Lysander

     "I do not!  I just want her safe!" Alcander said defensively.

     "Come on!  Both of you!" Christian replied, with the tone of a leader. 

     "All right, we're coming!" Lysander and Alcander said unanimously, as they followed their older cousin and Brian.  The library seemed almost too quiet for them.  They faced not one encounter.  Not one unwanted encounter.  Alcander was keeping a lookout for possible hidden places where Dracula may have decided to hide Jessica, but all he saw was a bunch of bookshelves.

     When the four finally found the staircase to the third level without the presence of a guard Christian exhaled loudly, and removed the sweat from his brow.  "I think that we're lucky," he said, but his luck was short lived, when a large bookcase moved on its own from the wall to block the entrance.  "Oh, shit!" came the next word from Christian's lips before the books from the bookshelf seemed to come alive and leave the bookshelf on their own.

     The books circled the party, and their pages opened to reveal a large number of red-scaly goblins with wretched faces and sharp claws.  The goblins lunged at the party, but fell to the fate of Christian's whip and Lysander, Alcander, and Brian's swords.  Unfortunately for the team the battle was not yet over, for after those goblins were defeated another group of goblins arrived to take their place.  "Destroying the goblins won't do any good!" Christian screamed over a din of scaly goblins.

     "Neither will not destroying them!" yelled Alcander, as he stabbed and punched the goblins away from him.  "We either kill them or they kill us!"

     "And they will kill us if we keep fighting them like this!" Christian exclaimed cracking his whip while sweat dripped along his face.  "We have to destroy their source."

     "And how do you plan on…doing that, Christian?" panted Lysander.  "We can't get past the goblins long enough to get to the bookshelf."

     "I have a plan," Christian said, as he fought off another round of goblins, "but I need your help."

     "What do you want me to do?" Lysander asked, twitching his nose in disgust.  Goblin blood had splattered on his face with almost each successful kill.

     "See those candles on that table over there?" Christian asked, pointing to the table.

     "Yes."

     "When you can break the circle, charge to that table and set its cloth on fire.  Then toss the burning cloth over to me.  If it lands on a few goblins' heads then so be it.  Then I will charge to the bookshelf and set it on fire."  And after completing his sentence Christian had to dodge a pair of sharp claws, and counter attack by cracking a few goblin skulls.

     "But how will you be able to break through the swarm of goblins?" Lysander asked, as he dodged some Goblin claws before running them through.

     "That's where Cander and Brian will come in.  Did you two hear what I was asking Sander?"

     "Yes," they panted, while continuing to fight on.

     "Good.  After he hands me the cloth make me a path."

     "All right!" they replied.  Lysander's blade was soaked in goblin blood when he finally found an open path to charge to the table and set its cloth on fire.  "Toss it Sander!" Christian shouted, while still fighting goblins with his hand held high in the air.  Lysander decapitated a few more goblins before tossing the burning cloth to his cousin.  Luck was on their side because Lysander made a perfect throw, and Christian made a perfect catch. 

     From the table that Lysander stood upon he was kicking goblins in the face and slicing more of them to pieces with his father's sword.  Finally he raised a crucifix that he'd been carrying since the journey began.  The goblins screeched at the sight of the crucified Christ and ran in terror.  Christian noticed the events with his cousin, and decided to raise the Consecrated Host.  The goblins immediately fled in terror at the appearance of Christ in the Eucharist, and when Christian approached the bookshelf it too moved away to allow Christian and his party safe passage.  Christian motioned his cousins and Brian to enter first, but before he followed them he threw the burning cloth into the cursed bookshelf, forcing it to burst into flames.  The demon inside the shelf screamed in Christian's wake, as he slowly followed his companions up the stairs.  The four of them decided to stop for a moment and have a drink of water from their flasks.

     "Christian," Brian began, "why didn't we just use the Eucharist before?"

     "I didn't think it would be effective since there was so many of them.  I thought one of them could have knocked it loose from our hands.  Besides the Eucharist is saved for the one person who fears it the most."

     "You mean Dracula?"

     "Yes, there is no safety for him when he sees the Body of Christ."

     "Is that why it has so much power over creatures of evil?"

     Christian and his cousins chuckled, and Christian placed his arm on Brian's shoulder.  "Brian, you're catching on to the art of vampire hunting rather quickly."