New Generation

Chapter XIV

Is it the end my friend?
Satan's coming 'round the bend.
People running because they're scared.
The people better go and beware.
No!  No!  Please God No!
-

"Black Sabbath"-Black Sabbath

     The Castle's ancient staircase echoed with every step taken by the party members.  Along the walls were red tapestries of Wallachia's seal and Dracula's insignia, the Dragon.

     Finally at the top of the stairs the party encountered the heavy iron door that when opened would reveal Dracula's chambers.  Christian, Lysander, Alcander, and Brian all gave the Sign of the Cross, drew their weapons, and with their free hands pushed the heavy iron door open.    Although their weapons were drawn for the possibility of an attack by The Impaler they only found him reclining on his ancient throne, with one leg extended over the armrest.  Dracula did not even appear to notice them until they marched closer to his throne.  Vlad Tepes appeared to them as he had been described throughout history.  He was tall and lean with cold dark eyes and dark hair.  Both Lysander and Alcander thought that Dracula showed a strong resemblance to their father, except that Adrian had blonde hair over Dracula's dark hair.

     "Welcome!" Dracula exclaimed, rising from his throne.  "So nice of all of you to make the journey.  Lets see…who do we have here?"  Dracula rotated his eyes to every member of the party.  Beginning with Brian and ending with Alcander he addressed members of the party individually.  "Interesting, the young man whose blood was the final piece of the puzzle to my resurrection has decided to join you."

     "And I've come to redeem myself on that foolish mistake!" Brian declared.

     "Really?  Just remember one thing, my boy.  Not all the servants of God receive His blessing in times of need.

     Christian!  How much you have grown!  You were just a squabbling little boy the last time I saw you.  Crying everyday for your mother if I remember correctly."

     "I won't be crying once I strike this whip into your skull!" he declared.

     Dracula lowered his eyes and said, "A 'strike' where you will not be successful.

     Lysander!  Although your parents should've given you a warrior's name like 'Alexander,' you were here as well sixteen years ago as well."

     "So my cousin tells me," Lysander responded.

     Dracula chuckled.  "Well, of course you wouldn't remember anything, you were too busy searching for your mother's nipple, but you were here nevertheless.

     And Alcander, you weren't here.  No, you weren't a thought yet.  But I did see you once.  Twelve years ago, it's been.  I was wandering through the streets of your village when I came across your parents' house.  I levitated to a window that appeared to be a nursery, and there you were sleeping in your tiny crib.  Eventually your eyes locked with mine, you screamed in fear, and I departed from the scene."

     "I could really care less if you saw me as a baby!" Alcander responded.  "I'm a grown man now…

     "Grown man!" Dracula said with laughter.  "You're all nothing but 'boys' in my eyes."

     "Whatever," replied Alcander, "I could care less about how you look at us.  All I want to know is where's Jessica?"

     "Jessica?  I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about."

     "Stop with the bullshit, Vlad Tepes!  You know damn well who I'm talking about!"

     Now Dracula roared.  "Now, now, my boy.  That's no way to talk to your grandfather."

     "Shut up with that 'grandfather' bullshit!  You're so far down the line that it's not even worth calling you 'grandfather!'"

     "So far down the line?  Really?  I guess my son didn't tell you very much about me."

     "We don't even know or care who your son is!" replied Lysander.

     "You know exactly who my son is.  My son is your father!"

     Lysander and Alcander did not respond to Dracula's statement.  The two brothers looked at each other in disbelief.  "Whhhat?" Lysander and Alcander said at almost the same time.

     Dracula chuckled at their confusion.  "It's true, but you obviously still don't believe me.  Well, I have something that will help your unbelief.  Although I usually hate them, I've been keeping a mirror in my chambers to observe some of my memories."  Dracula gestured his arm to a mirror that was placed near his throne.  "I want the two of you to see this piece of our family history from my memories."

     Dracula gestured his arm across the mirror.  Although his arm cast no reflection in the glass an image did appear to take shape inside the mirror, and it was not a reflection of the current state of the Castle.  The party members, especially Lysander and Alcander, were interested in what the mirror had to show, but at the same time, all four of them kept an ever watchful eye on Vlad the Impaler just in case he decided to strike.

     The mirror showed the image of a beautiful blonde-haired petite woman wearing a bright red dress.  Her hair was shinning in the sun, and the rays of light from the sun allowed her hair to shine like gold.  Yet despite how beautiful she was, the woman appeared troubled. 

     The party members could tell that she was standing inside the Castle, because they were able to identify the room she was standing in, the Castle's library.    To Lysander and Alcander the woman looked identical to the portrait of the woman in their home that their father told them was their grandmother.

     "There you are my princess," the voice of Vlad the Implaer called from the other side of the room. 

     Christian, Lysander, and Alcander knew that Dracula rarely walked the earth during the day, so this date must have meant some kind of significance to him.

     "My Prince," responded the woman, as she embraced him.

     The cruel Vlad the Impaler showed his tender side by stroking his fingers through the woman's hair.  "Lisa," he began tenderly, "you look troubled.  Is something wrong?"

     "Lisa?!" Lysander and Alcander said to themselves.  "Dad told us that, that was the name of his mother…our grandmother.  Is this for real, or is he just playing tricks on us?"

     "Vlad," began Lisa, "why are you the way that you are?"

     "What do you mean?"

     "I mean, why are you cursed as being a cruel and heartless individual; yet you are so tender and loving to both me and our son?"

     "Because I'm not a cruel and heartless man.  I'm only viewed this way in the eyes of the Church, and in the eyes of God.  A God, who I'll remind you, turned His back on me!"

     Lisa took her husband by the hand, and gently massaged her other hand over Vlad Tepes's.  "But Prince Vlad, you now have Adrian and I here for you.  Doesn't that make you happy?"

     "Adrian?!" Lysander and Alcander said again.  "Dad?"

     "Of course, but…"

     "Wouldn't you like to live a life without this curse that has been placed upon you?"

     Dracula did not respond to that question, and the vision faded.

     Smiling at Lysander and Alcander he replied, "Well?"

     "That doesn't prove anything!" exclaimed Lysander.

     "Nothing at all!" added his younger brother.  "How do we know that it's not a coincidence that you had a wife and son who bared the same name as our grandmother and father?"

     "Damn it Sander!  Cander!" Christian declared, jumping into the conversation.  "He's telling the truth!"

    Lysander and Alcander looked at each other as though they had seen a ghost.  "What?!" they shouted.

     "It's true," began Christian.  "Uncle Adrian told me that Vlad Tepes was his father.  My dad, my mom, and even your mom knew that your father was the son of Dracula."

     Dracula started chuckling, but Lysander and Alcander only ignored him.  "Why didn't anyone ever tell us?" demanded Lysander.

     "Because nobody wanted you to know.  I was never supposed to tell you either, but after all that I've seen I feel that you should no longer be left in the darkness."

     "That's right, Lysander and Alcander," Dracula told them, flashing them a smile that exposed his fangs.  "I'm your loving grandfather, and because I'm your grandfather I'm going to give you the chance to walk out of here alive.  All you have to do is follow me and I shall lead you to all truth and enlightenment."

     "Keep your forked tongue on the other side of your teeth!" exclaimed Lysander.  Dracula blinked in surprise, and actually took a step back, at his grandson's statement.  "You're far from being our 'loving grandfather.'  You tried to kill our mother, our father, our aunt, and our uncle!"

     "We care more for our parents and the other members of our family, who have cared for us since we were little, long before we would ever give a damn about you!" exclaimed Alcander.

     Dracula sneered at his grandsons' words.  His bright red lips curled, exposing his fangs.  "Very well then.  I gave you the chance of aiding me and you refused.  Now you wish to fight me, all of you?!  You're nothing but children as far as I'm concerned, but I never had a problem murdering children during my breathing days if it was to advance my cause and I don't have a problem doing the same act again, even if my flesh and blood are involved!"  Dracula's eyes turned bright red, and he crossed his arms in front of his face.  His body slowly began to transform into mist, but Christian, Lysander, Alcander, and Brian charged at Dracula with pieces of the Host.  Dracula screeched at the presence of the Host, but the party members also screamed when their arms came into the realm of Dracula's mist.  They felt as though someone had struck their arms with a hot poker.  Whatever it was that struck their arms succeeded in making them drop the Host, and in the dimly lit chamber they were unable to find any trace of it.  Although they no longer had access to the Host its power prevented Dracula from shape shifting. 

     Dracula snarled at the party before reaching into his cloak to unsheathe the Tepes family sword.  "You had best pray for your God's protection!" he told them with a sneer, before charging after Alcander.  Alcander parry-and-dodged the attack, but the force of Dracula's sword was incredible!  Alcander nearly lost his sword due to Dracula's power, and Dracula's strength was beginning to make his knees buckle.  Fortunately for Alcander, his older brother was there to help him out.  Lysander delivered a powerful blow into Dracula's arm.  Dracula snarled at the pain, and pushed Alcander away.  Dracula decided, instead, that Lysander should be the first to go, but before he could strike Lysander, Christian cracked Dracula in the skull with his whip, while Brian cut into Dracula's torso. 

     Dracula dropped his sword and fell back.  He had a large cut on his forehead from Christian's whip, along two other wounds on his arm and torso; but Vlad the Impaler was far from finished.    Dracula glared at the party members, and extended his arms as though he was a beggar, begging for food.  The party had no idea what Dracula was trying to do, so they braced themselves for an attack.  But Dracula did not attack them.  Instead, he only closed his palms, and when he did the party seemed to grow tired.  "What's happening to me?" each one of them thought.  They were simply too tired to speak.  "I can barely keep my eyes open.  He's cast some sort of spell on us!"  Dracula then opened his palms, facing the party, and return their energy back to them with such a powerful force that it knocked each one of them against the Castle wall. 

     Dracula seized at the opportunity to make a more physical attack by grabbing the throats of Lysander and Alcander.  Dracula hoisted his grandsons from the floor, and showed them his fangs.  Lysander and Alcander gasped for air in Dracula's grip, but Alcander was fortunate to have a free hand near his pocket that housed the rosary his mother had given him.  However, Dracula's powerful grip was having a terrible effect on his senses.  He had difficulty finding the rosary beads, and when he did find them they almost slipped from his hand, but fortunately two of the beads became trapped between one of his fingers.  Gasping for air, and feeling his eyelids become heavier, Alcander found the endurance to stamp the rosary beads and crucifix onto Dracula's hand.  The beads and crucifix burned his skin like acid, forcing him to release Alcander and his brother.  Lysander and Alcander gasped for air at their grandfather's feet, their necks covered with red splotches from Dracula's powerful grip.  Lysander was the first to recover from lack of oxygen as he helped pull his younger brother away from Vlad the Impaler, with Alcander using his rosary as a shield. 

     The back of Brian's head was in excruciating pain, and when Brian placed his hand on the back of his head to help ease the pain he noticed that his hand was covered with blood.  Blood that he feared might excite Dracula.  Although he was terrified of Prince Vlad's power he was going to face his fear.  Pulling himself up by his sword, Brian attempted another charge against Vlad the Impaler since he was caught off guard from the effects of Alcander's rosary.  Dracula was weakened, and had the charred imprint of the rosary beads and cross on his hand; but he was also aware of Brian's charge.   Sidestepping Brian out of the way, Dracula pushed him into the Castle wall.  Brian's body bounced off the wall similar to a bullet, but fortunately the wall did not strike the back of his head.  Dracula retrieved his sword and pointed the blade in the direction of Brian's throat.  The grip on Brian's sword was covered with sweat, but he was going to be brave and make another attempt against the Prince, even if it proved to be his last.  Brian swung his sword with all his might, but Vlad Tepes parry-and-dodged the attack with such force Brian lost the grip on his blade.  Without a sword he was at Vlad Tepes's mercy, and he knew that Vlad would show him none; but then Brian remembered what Christian said about faith.  "It's more powerful than your blade," were the words that Brian remembered.  Brian raised his crucifix, and Dracula turned away.  Gathering his courage, Brian stepped forward holding the crucifix and recited the Doxology.  The prayer, along with the crucifix, increased Vlad Tepes hatred for God.  Thoughts of his first wife's suicide and Lisa's murder returned his mind.  "And He brought on all of it!" he said to himself.   Hastily, Dracula rotated his body so that he faced both Brian and the crucifix.  The blood colored eyes that Vlad Tepes displayed terrified Brian to the point that he started to gasp the Doxology.  Flashing his fangs, he snarled at the crucifix, and watched it burst into flames.  Brian tossed the crucifix away, and fell to his knees in fear.  "Stupid Jesus trinket!" snarled Dracula, as he stepped closer to Brian. "I told you that God would not protect you!"  But Dracula's comment was met by the quick snap of Christian's whip against his back. 

     The vampire snarled at the blow and turned to Christian.  He stared at Christian and prepared to make an attack, but that decision would prove to be his downfall.  Distracted by Christian, Vlad was unaware of the Renard sword that pierced his heart, wielded by his youngest grandson, Alcander.

     Dracula fell to the ground, coughing up blood, and attempting to remove the blade from his heart, while Lysander, his other grandson, stood over him holding his father's sword.  Lysander removed the rosary his mother gave him, and wrapped it around his wrist.  "Grandpa, God is on our side," and observing the blood stains on his father's sword along with the touch of the rosary beads around his wrist added; "and so is Mom and Dad!" before severing the head of Vlad the Impaler.