AN: Okay this chapter is going to be kind of confusing. Things are set up and questions are posed for later in the story. I have one question though: should I create an OC? Onwards!
The horses landed with a thud, throwing their riders. The ship didn't even rock with the impact.
"Monster!" a voice roared.
"Piss off!" a member of the crew shouted back. The gangplank was pulled up and they were onto the ocean. Dodger pushed himself up and got to his feet replacing his top hat. He sighed and stood up, dusting off his pants. Carl got to his feet next, replacing the grappling hook.
"Well," he said matter-of-factly, "that takes care of them—Van Helsing, are you alright?"
Van Helsing didn't look alright. He was pale and leaning heavily on the mast, his eyes unfocused. Carl walked forward slowly.
"Van Helsing?"
"Dodger!" a voice roared, "why are there horses on my ship?!"
Carl tore his eyes away from Van Helsing to see a pirate come striding towards them. He was dressed like most of the crew in brown pants, black boots, a white loose shirt under a black vest and a red headscarf that kept his brown hair out of his blue-grey eyes and matched the belt that secured a sword and a pistol to his waist.
"Capitan!" a crewmember darted forward, "we're being tailed sir." He passed Jim a spyglass. Jim took it and focused it on the sea.
"These your friends Dodger?" he demanded not looking at the thief.
"Not totally—some of them are his," he said jerking his thumb at Van Helsing. Jim lowered the glass.
"We're being tailed by a few fishing boats—fishing boats! Pull in sail we'll lose them easily enough. Don't raise the flag, they don't need to know our intentions yet."
"Which flag?!"
"Get the red one ready," Jim instructed. He turned to them and winced, "you're company gets worse every time I see you Dodger."
"Gents," Dodger said motioning to Jim, "this is Capitan Jim Hawkins. Jim this is Carl—who is a friar not a monk—and Dr. Van Helsing."
Jim looked at them carefully. Finally he sighed.
"Alright you all are welcome here," he said, "but I must warn you Mr. Van Helsing, we do not engage in battle lightly so if you want to fight any creature in your line of work with my ship I'll need some convincing—but right now it looks like you need a doctor."
"I'm fine," Van Helsing said through gritted teeth.
"Stop being your definition noble," Jim snapped, "your on a pirate ship—now sit before you fall."
But Van Helsing's eyes had already shut and he had fell to the ground. Jim and Dodger darted forward, quickly pulling off Van Helsing's coat. Dodger's eyes narrowed and he stared at his now red-coated hand. Reaching into his boot he flipped out his dagger and cut away Van Helsing's shirt. The slash on his arm was bleeding sluggishly.
"Carl!" Dodger called, "when was he bitten?"
"Bitten?" Carl asked innocently.
"Do not play games with me," Jim snarled, "I know a lycan bite when I see one—now if you want him to live, when was he bitten?"
"A few months ago," Carl said hurriedly, "but he was injected with an antidote."
Night fell and Carl on the deck outside Van Helsing's chamber. He was asleep and would be weak for a bit considering the blood loss he suffered. Dodger came up beside him and stood by Carl.
"Can you tell me what happened to Princess Anna?" Dodger asked suddenly breaking the silence. Carl turned to face the pirate.
"You knew her?" he asked, obviously confused.
"I knew her," Dodger said nodding, "most thieves did—the Gypsies are powerful people and their Princess is well known."
'Was—she's dead," Carl said and hung his head, he hadn't spoken about Anna since she was cremated, but now the rush of memories was powerful and strong.
"Dead?" Dodger repeated, "did he finally kill her or was it a bride?"
"Neither," Carl said looking up, "they were also killed."
"Then who?" Dodger asked, fire burning in his eyes.
"It's not that simple," Carl began, "you see Van Helsing was bitten by a werewolf—but the only thing that can kill Dracula is a werewolf bite so it was a bit of a plus—and he was becoming one rapidly. We—Van Helsing, Ann and I—discovered Dracula had an antidote. We got it and Anna injected it into Van Helsing as a werewolf just after he killed Dracula. Van Helsing didn't know what he was doing and he killed her," Carl finished and looked at the thief who stared at him with dead eyes, "she loved him," he added timidly.
Dodger's eyes closed and he clenched his fists before taking a deep shaking breath and opening his eyes. Dodger turned and stared out to the sea.
"I don't blame him," he said finally, "I know he wasn't in his right mind if he was in lycan form."
"Well someone should blame him," Carl said sighing, "maybe it would make him stop blaming himself."
"Martyr?" Jim asked cocking his head to the side.
"You heard?" Dodger asked.
"Aye," Jim said nodding, "and I've seen a lot of lycans—both as men and beast—and the lucky one's don't remember but the strong ones do, they're those that go insane."
"Well that's comforting," Carl said and paled a bit.
"Not so much as this," Jim growled and thrust a book under Carl's nose. He squinted in the dark and made out the words. Carl opened his mouth and closed it several times, "don't tell him yet—otherwise—"
"Like hell I'm not telling him!" Carl cried.
"You shouldn't curse," Jim scolded, "and if you tell him you risk all you hold dear."
"Gents might I suggest we make the cure?" Dodger suggested, "it should still be in his veins—just a matter of duplicating it."
"That is not a 'just'," Carl said.
"Can you do it or not?" Jim demanded.
"I can do it," Carl said, "at least I think I can—but it'll take time and a lab and—"
"We have those things," Jim said, "you haven't even given a destination yet."
"Well the one who knows is asleep," Carl pointed out.
"Well we can't do anything but wait then," Jim said.
Suddenly the door next to Van Helsing's shook violently. Dodger looked at Jim sharply.
"Jim?" he asked, "who do you have in there?"