Gabriel was waiting outside the church, eyes watching him. He felt a
disturbing presence. He quickly looked above him only to see a large bat-
like wing disappear onto the building roof, that was next to the church. He
stared at the spot for a while until his concentration was broken.
"Gabriel!" Carl literally shouted into his face. He waved a bony hand across Van's gaze until he snapped back into reality.
Van shoved Carl into the wall. He turned to him glaring. "Don't do that."
"Well excuse me Mr. Toughguy but you looked half dead." Carl stopped to pick up the things he dropped and followed Van down the street into an ally. "Besides...I'm supposed to tell where were going and what were facing aren't I?"
Van leaned against a crate box and eyed Carl. Van's hat was slightly tipped to the front so his eyes were shaded in a way that his eyes looked haunted. "Ok. So tell me what terrible creature are we facing here."
"Well it's not here. It's in America. And the creature is twice as powerful as Dracula was. So were probably in deep trouble and will die in the task."
"What is it?" Van asked impatiently now.
"Dracula's sister. She's older and in a higher place than Dracula ever was. As her brother had 3 wives, she has 3 husbands. This sort of thing must run in the family but as far as we know she's the last of her family and she isn't very happy. She's been looking for his murderer which in fact would be you." Carl said with much enthusiasm but didn't look particularly happy.
"Does she look similar to him?" Van asked. 'That wing...' he thought. 'Could it be?'
"Why yes...she does in fact." Carl replied. "Why?"
Van had drifted into space. Carl waved his hand in Van's face. Van snapped back to reality and threw Carl into the wall. "I said don't do that!"
"I asked a question." Carl replied, rubbing a sore arm.
"What was it?" Van asked looking at the rooftops. He was looking for another odd find. Perhaps the wing? Maybe that was Dracula' sister. Perhaps she had finally found him. He kept his hands on the blades attached to his leather belt and said, not looking at Carl but down the ally, "I saw a wing. Much like Dracula's."
"Well then it appears that she has found you. But why didn't Clarviete kill you? That is what I want to know." Carl said.
"Who?" Van asked and looked at Carl.
"Clarviete. That is her name." Carl replied and turned to leave. "Come on we have to catch the next ship to America." he added and mounted his horse that was tied to the same pole as Van's.
Van hurried to his horse and mounted it. He took one last look around, and then they galloped to the docks.
In a few minutes ride, they had reached their destination. The sun was beginning to set. The water where the ships were docked was of various colors and the glare cast off from the sun was blinding. The ship they were sailing was called, 'Tessela'. Named after a ship built by the same maker that had sunk in a storm over fifty years ago. They rode theirs horses onto the ship and took them into the stables where several Thoroughbreds were being kept. The ship was a wide vessel with 3 large sails, to speed up the travel. She was lightly loaded with cannons and a weapon's keep was below deck. Van returned up deck to see that they had pulled away from Paris.
He walked over to Carl who was holding a compass in one hand an odd looking device in the other. Carl didn't even notice Van's presence.
"What's that thing?" Van asked taking the device from his hand.
"That would be my latest invention." Carl replied and took it from Van's grasp.
Van shrugged. "What does it do?"
"It determines how long the journey will be. The exact length. Anyway...it's a traveling mechanism so it will help us on our quest to destroy Clarviete."
Van winced at Carl and slowly walked away to the helm. He asked the captain himself how far the journey would be. He was told 7 days if no storm and possibly 9 if they encounter a storm. Van then asked Carl and his answer was exactly 7 days.
Exactly 7 days of pure boredom had passed and another glimpse of something had caught his eye on the second day of the journey. His heart told him that Clarviete was following them. Van always had a hand on one of his weapons whenever he walked out on deck. The sailors grew weary of him for the variety of weapons he kept with him. He was claimed a dangerous man on the ship and people stayed clear of him.
They reached South Carolina's shore at sunset and they were literally forced off the vessel. The town was peaceful and looked to be of an upper- class town. The houses were mansions let alone a few apartment homes. The cobble streets looked untouched except for a few piles of horse dung that laid on the side of the street. Now with just a reddish light from the fading sun, a few young boys began to light the street lamps.
"Reminds me of home." Carl replied.
Van didn't answer and sent his horse forward ahead of them. They were stopped by an officer in the middle of a street. He looked them over suspiciously.
"Newcomers aye?"
"Were just passing through." Van replied sternly.
"What have ye got there? Some little flash from inside your jacket caught my eye." the officer replied and attempted to pull back the coat.
Van swiped the hand aside and glared at the officer. "I don't like other people toughing my things." he said.
Carl shifted in his saddle, feeling the tension growing. "Uh...sir?"
The officer looked at him. "Yes?"
"His name is Van Helsing, we were sent here-"
"Van Helsing!" the officer shouted and pulled out a gun thinking that there was a chance that Van would strike him dead.
Van turned to Carl and gave him a deadly glare. "Why did you mention that!?" and with that he galloped past the officer knocking the man over. Carl followed feeling rather stupid and wished that he had kept his mouth shut.
They galloped through a few crowds and into the woods behind a mansion that was having a party. Van turned his horse to Carl's. "You bloody idiot. Now not only Europe but America as well is after me!"
"It's not like you're a murderer. It's pure misjudgment." Carl replied like it was no big deal even though he knew it was.
"You don't even have half a brain do you?" Van said, not asking.
Carl feeling even worse bowed his head to the floor. Then remembering what else he had to tell Van he snapped his gaze up to the warrior. Van was scanning the wooded area around them and kept his ears open for any possible threats.
"I don't suppose you want to hear what I have to tell you then, do you?"
Van glared at Carl. "At this point, any information would be useful."
"Good. Because it's how to kill Clarviete." Carl now had Van's full attention. "But first we must go inside that mansion that's holding a party. In there, we will meet a new companion that has the information we need. I don't really know how to kill her myself." Carl admitted.
Van sighed in exasperation. The sound of an angry mob was getting closer.
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"Gabriel!" Carl literally shouted into his face. He waved a bony hand across Van's gaze until he snapped back into reality.
Van shoved Carl into the wall. He turned to him glaring. "Don't do that."
"Well excuse me Mr. Toughguy but you looked half dead." Carl stopped to pick up the things he dropped and followed Van down the street into an ally. "Besides...I'm supposed to tell where were going and what were facing aren't I?"
Van leaned against a crate box and eyed Carl. Van's hat was slightly tipped to the front so his eyes were shaded in a way that his eyes looked haunted. "Ok. So tell me what terrible creature are we facing here."
"Well it's not here. It's in America. And the creature is twice as powerful as Dracula was. So were probably in deep trouble and will die in the task."
"What is it?" Van asked impatiently now.
"Dracula's sister. She's older and in a higher place than Dracula ever was. As her brother had 3 wives, she has 3 husbands. This sort of thing must run in the family but as far as we know she's the last of her family and she isn't very happy. She's been looking for his murderer which in fact would be you." Carl said with much enthusiasm but didn't look particularly happy.
"Does she look similar to him?" Van asked. 'That wing...' he thought. 'Could it be?'
"Why yes...she does in fact." Carl replied. "Why?"
Van had drifted into space. Carl waved his hand in Van's face. Van snapped back to reality and threw Carl into the wall. "I said don't do that!"
"I asked a question." Carl replied, rubbing a sore arm.
"What was it?" Van asked looking at the rooftops. He was looking for another odd find. Perhaps the wing? Maybe that was Dracula' sister. Perhaps she had finally found him. He kept his hands on the blades attached to his leather belt and said, not looking at Carl but down the ally, "I saw a wing. Much like Dracula's."
"Well then it appears that she has found you. But why didn't Clarviete kill you? That is what I want to know." Carl said.
"Who?" Van asked and looked at Carl.
"Clarviete. That is her name." Carl replied and turned to leave. "Come on we have to catch the next ship to America." he added and mounted his horse that was tied to the same pole as Van's.
Van hurried to his horse and mounted it. He took one last look around, and then they galloped to the docks.
In a few minutes ride, they had reached their destination. The sun was beginning to set. The water where the ships were docked was of various colors and the glare cast off from the sun was blinding. The ship they were sailing was called, 'Tessela'. Named after a ship built by the same maker that had sunk in a storm over fifty years ago. They rode theirs horses onto the ship and took them into the stables where several Thoroughbreds were being kept. The ship was a wide vessel with 3 large sails, to speed up the travel. She was lightly loaded with cannons and a weapon's keep was below deck. Van returned up deck to see that they had pulled away from Paris.
He walked over to Carl who was holding a compass in one hand an odd looking device in the other. Carl didn't even notice Van's presence.
"What's that thing?" Van asked taking the device from his hand.
"That would be my latest invention." Carl replied and took it from Van's grasp.
Van shrugged. "What does it do?"
"It determines how long the journey will be. The exact length. Anyway...it's a traveling mechanism so it will help us on our quest to destroy Clarviete."
Van winced at Carl and slowly walked away to the helm. He asked the captain himself how far the journey would be. He was told 7 days if no storm and possibly 9 if they encounter a storm. Van then asked Carl and his answer was exactly 7 days.
Exactly 7 days of pure boredom had passed and another glimpse of something had caught his eye on the second day of the journey. His heart told him that Clarviete was following them. Van always had a hand on one of his weapons whenever he walked out on deck. The sailors grew weary of him for the variety of weapons he kept with him. He was claimed a dangerous man on the ship and people stayed clear of him.
They reached South Carolina's shore at sunset and they were literally forced off the vessel. The town was peaceful and looked to be of an upper- class town. The houses were mansions let alone a few apartment homes. The cobble streets looked untouched except for a few piles of horse dung that laid on the side of the street. Now with just a reddish light from the fading sun, a few young boys began to light the street lamps.
"Reminds me of home." Carl replied.
Van didn't answer and sent his horse forward ahead of them. They were stopped by an officer in the middle of a street. He looked them over suspiciously.
"Newcomers aye?"
"Were just passing through." Van replied sternly.
"What have ye got there? Some little flash from inside your jacket caught my eye." the officer replied and attempted to pull back the coat.
Van swiped the hand aside and glared at the officer. "I don't like other people toughing my things." he said.
Carl shifted in his saddle, feeling the tension growing. "Uh...sir?"
The officer looked at him. "Yes?"
"His name is Van Helsing, we were sent here-"
"Van Helsing!" the officer shouted and pulled out a gun thinking that there was a chance that Van would strike him dead.
Van turned to Carl and gave him a deadly glare. "Why did you mention that!?" and with that he galloped past the officer knocking the man over. Carl followed feeling rather stupid and wished that he had kept his mouth shut.
They galloped through a few crowds and into the woods behind a mansion that was having a party. Van turned his horse to Carl's. "You bloody idiot. Now not only Europe but America as well is after me!"
"It's not like you're a murderer. It's pure misjudgment." Carl replied like it was no big deal even though he knew it was.
"You don't even have half a brain do you?" Van said, not asking.
Carl feeling even worse bowed his head to the floor. Then remembering what else he had to tell Van he snapped his gaze up to the warrior. Van was scanning the wooded area around them and kept his ears open for any possible threats.
"I don't suppose you want to hear what I have to tell you then, do you?"
Van glared at Carl. "At this point, any information would be useful."
"Good. Because it's how to kill Clarviete." Carl now had Van's full attention. "But first we must go inside that mansion that's holding a party. In there, we will meet a new companion that has the information we need. I don't really know how to kill her myself." Carl admitted.
Van sighed in exasperation. The sound of an angry mob was getting closer.
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