Iilana awoke to someone shaking her. It was...Anna.
"Heavens, you were sleepwalking, talking angrily to someone...."
Not wanting to worry Anna, she lied and said it was a dream.
"Get up. We leave for Romania soon."
"But the others-
"The other monks will look after them."
As she went to wash up, she thought it was really all a dream-until she saw some marks on her arm-as if several strings had been tied round her arm....
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EARLIER.....
Roma and Darla lay in each others' arms, along with Rigel and Rema. The four young lovers had just ran away from their homes to the old cottage. No one could find them now. Or so they thought. A glass window shattered. The candles went out one by one. The sound of screams followed.
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Iilana did not look herself today. She was quiet today. Too quiet.
"Vampire caught your tongue?"
Carl teased. The withering glare she gave him shut him up.
As she took hold of the reins, Anna took Gabriel's hand.
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all."
"Its not like her."
"She probably didn't sleep well last night."
Shrugging their shoulders, they entered the coach.
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Darla looked a lot like Aleera while Rema resembled Marishka-too much. Dracula ignored the pain in his dead heart and turned to Rigel and Roma. Both looked strong. They were now his fledglings.
"Do you understand what I want you to do?"
"Yes, Master."
"What is it?"
"Capture Anna and Iilana Valerious. And Gabriel Van Helsing."
"Good. Now rest-by night we shall take flight."
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Night fell. Gabriel and Anna were asleep in each other's arms. Iilana was asleep and Carl had taken over the reins. The journey had been uneventful. No vampires this time- An unholy screech contradicted it all at once. To his consternation, a blond-haired vampire-in winged form- flew at the coach. He screamed.
Anna and Gabriel awoke at the screams-, which turned to inhuman shrieks. Grabbing a crossbow and slamming a silver stake into it, Gabriel opened the coach door-and saw Iilana fighting with a vampire. Carl whimpered and passed out when Iilana tore the vampire's throat out, killing it in seconds. Anna grabbed the reins and tamed the horses. Iilana returned to her human form and wiped the blood from her mouth.
"There's more where that come from," she murmured.
"Rema!"
Drawing her katana, she looked up to see a male vampire land at the corpse's feet. He looked up at her, hatred written all over his face.
"Don't worry, I'll send you to her-
"I'm taking you with me!"
He snarled.
Sighing, she bent over- and Gabriel's stake turned him to ashes.
Silence fell.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she asked,
"How-
"Dracula apparently has sired a few new fledglings."
"He needs to get up earlier to catch us off track like that."
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Dracula growled in stringently controlled rage. Typical newborns. At least Roma and Darla would not fail him-they were older and wiser-he hoped. In the meantime, Plan B would have to do...
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Carl was awakened minutes later. All four decided to stop and eat. Suddenly, Gabriel unsheathed his rapier.
"Gabriel?"
"Van Helsing?"
He groaned-and swung his arm at Anna-nearly cutting her pretty face. He plunged it to the ground-missing Carl's leg by an inch.
"Gabriel, snap out of this!"
barked Iilana.
"I..can't.."
he groaned. He kept swinging his sword like a madman. Suddenly, Iilana grabbed a bucket of water and threw it at –and around Gabriel-. To the trio's horror, several lengths of black thread were entwined round Gabriel's every being. He looked like a fly in a spider web. Summoning Fire, Iilana burnt the threads, setting him free. Anna caught him-and wept. Iilana looked into the sky and swore,
"Dracula...if that's the way you want it-let the games begain."
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Several miles away, on a hill, Dracula stood, all in black, his fingers entwined with BLACK THREAD.
"There are so many things one can do with thread, Iilana my dear."
He whispered, smiling.
"Heavens, you were sleepwalking, talking angrily to someone...."
Not wanting to worry Anna, she lied and said it was a dream.
"Get up. We leave for Romania soon."
"But the others-
"The other monks will look after them."
As she went to wash up, she thought it was really all a dream-until she saw some marks on her arm-as if several strings had been tied round her arm....
888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
EARLIER.....
Roma and Darla lay in each others' arms, along with Rigel and Rema. The four young lovers had just ran away from their homes to the old cottage. No one could find them now. Or so they thought. A glass window shattered. The candles went out one by one. The sound of screams followed.
88888888888888888888888888888888888
Iilana did not look herself today. She was quiet today. Too quiet.
"Vampire caught your tongue?"
Carl teased. The withering glare she gave him shut him up.
As she took hold of the reins, Anna took Gabriel's hand.
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all."
"Its not like her."
"She probably didn't sleep well last night."
Shrugging their shoulders, they entered the coach.
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Darla looked a lot like Aleera while Rema resembled Marishka-too much. Dracula ignored the pain in his dead heart and turned to Rigel and Roma. Both looked strong. They were now his fledglings.
"Do you understand what I want you to do?"
"Yes, Master."
"What is it?"
"Capture Anna and Iilana Valerious. And Gabriel Van Helsing."
"Good. Now rest-by night we shall take flight."
888888888888888888888888888888888888
Night fell. Gabriel and Anna were asleep in each other's arms. Iilana was asleep and Carl had taken over the reins. The journey had been uneventful. No vampires this time- An unholy screech contradicted it all at once. To his consternation, a blond-haired vampire-in winged form- flew at the coach. He screamed.
Anna and Gabriel awoke at the screams-, which turned to inhuman shrieks. Grabbing a crossbow and slamming a silver stake into it, Gabriel opened the coach door-and saw Iilana fighting with a vampire. Carl whimpered and passed out when Iilana tore the vampire's throat out, killing it in seconds. Anna grabbed the reins and tamed the horses. Iilana returned to her human form and wiped the blood from her mouth.
"There's more where that come from," she murmured.
"Rema!"
Drawing her katana, she looked up to see a male vampire land at the corpse's feet. He looked up at her, hatred written all over his face.
"Don't worry, I'll send you to her-
"I'm taking you with me!"
He snarled.
Sighing, she bent over- and Gabriel's stake turned him to ashes.
Silence fell.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she asked,
"How-
"Dracula apparently has sired a few new fledglings."
"He needs to get up earlier to catch us off track like that."
8888888888888888888888888888888
Dracula growled in stringently controlled rage. Typical newborns. At least Roma and Darla would not fail him-they were older and wiser-he hoped. In the meantime, Plan B would have to do...
8888888888888888888888888888
Carl was awakened minutes later. All four decided to stop and eat. Suddenly, Gabriel unsheathed his rapier.
"Gabriel?"
"Van Helsing?"
He groaned-and swung his arm at Anna-nearly cutting her pretty face. He plunged it to the ground-missing Carl's leg by an inch.
"Gabriel, snap out of this!"
barked Iilana.
"I..can't.."
he groaned. He kept swinging his sword like a madman. Suddenly, Iilana grabbed a bucket of water and threw it at –and around Gabriel-. To the trio's horror, several lengths of black thread were entwined round Gabriel's every being. He looked like a fly in a spider web. Summoning Fire, Iilana burnt the threads, setting him free. Anna caught him-and wept. Iilana looked into the sky and swore,
"Dracula...if that's the way you want it-let the games begain."
88888888888888888888888888888
Several miles away, on a hill, Dracula stood, all in black, his fingers entwined with BLACK THREAD.
"There are so many things one can do with thread, Iilana my dear."
He whispered, smiling.