The sun had barely set when the town was weighed down by fear once again. After three days of silence, Kathleen had another vision and her cries were evidence that the Dullahan wasn't finished yet. Van Helsing knew he had to find her to get the location of the Dullahan's next victim and do whatever he could to stop it. He wasn't sure where he would find her since she had never disclosed where she resided.
Van Helsing was saddling up his horse when Carl walked over, carrying a box of ammunition. "Gold tipped bullets. Gold is hard to come by and we still don't know how much is needed to kill him, if that's even the way to kill him. Use them sparingly." He said sternly.
"I'll just ask him to stand still while I fire at him, that should guarantee I don't miss and waste bullets." He said sarcastically as he led his horse from the stable.
Outside, he was greeted by the sight of Kathleen on her own horse, prepared to go along with the monster hunter. She had changed from her long skirt to a pair of pants more suitable for fighting in. He could see that she was carrying a dagger and the same staff she had used against the Dullahan the first time they met.
"If you think I'm going to allow you to come along, you are greatly mistaken." Van Helsing said firmly.
"My land, my legends. You don't know who or where he's going to strike next, I do. And if you want to know, you have to take me with you." She dismounted her horse, wanting to be on the same level as he was, even though she stood a foot shorter than he did. He could see that there was more on her mind. "There's something else. There's another presence there, someone other than the Dullahan, filled with evil and…death."
"What is it?" He didn't like where she was going with this.
"I don't know, it's been there during the other deaths attributed to the Dullahan only more like a distant shadow. I didn't think much of it before but this time it was stronger, as if it wanted to be seen." There was fear in her voice. Whatever it was, it scared her greatly.
He thought about it for a moment, considering all that she had told him. "Alright, seeing as I have no choice but to let you come with me. Carl, stay here just incase something goes wrong."
Carl let out the breath he was holding in. As much as he felt bad for being somewhat of a coward, he really didn't want to go risking his life.
Kathleen and Van Helsing mounted their horses and set off with Kathleen leading the way. As they reached the border of the town, she paused for moment and looked at Van Helsing.
"She's going to die, if she isn't dead already, there's no saving her. Just stop the Dullahan and let her be the last victim." She said grimly.
"I understand." He then gestured for her to lead the way and they took off.
It didn't take long for them to reach the small cottage that resided alone far outside the town. If it wasn't for the threat that loomed over the entire area, it would've been a nice place to live, a very scenic area with a nice view of the river nearby. As they approached, they could see that the lights were off but the front door was wide open. The house looked abandoned. There was a chill in the air and the wind started to pick up. The nearly full moon cast an eerie glow on the house.
They dismounted their horses at some distance from the house, not wanting the horses to get in the way. They slowly made their way up to the house.
"Just remember, don't listen when he says your name. He calls for your spirit and you can't escape it. As long as you don't hear him say it, you'll be fine." She whispered
He just nodded. Van Helsing took this opportunity to load his pistols with the new bullets Carl had provided. After filling the first one, he handed it over to Kathleen. She took it, looking at it as if it was some strange creature.
"I've never fired a gun before." she confessed.
"Not much to it, point and shoot. Do what you can to hit the target."
She tucked it into her belt and tightened her grip on her staff. Van Helsing became silent as he listened for the Dullahan. They reached the house, there was no sign of the Dullahan but there was evidence that something had happened.
"Who lives here?"
"Her name is Bridget. She helped me out after my father died." She said sadly.
"She lives alone?" it seemed odd to him that another woman would be living on her own as Kathleen did.
"No, she has a husband and a three year old son. He went to Dublin on business and to see family. She was too ill to travel and remained behind. It's going to kill John when he finds out." Van Helsing could hear the guilt that lay heavily on her voice. Her eyes suddenly went wide, "He's still here." She said quietly.
Van Helsing listened for the Dullahan, then broke out into a sprint away from the house. He could feel the werewolf in him surfacing, making him feel stronger and faster. He heard the Dullahan nearby and he wasn't about to let him get away this time. He could sense him, feel that he was close.
Just over the hill, he's right there, just over the hill…
Feeling the werewolf's power overcome him, he leaped forward, his hands partially in werewolf form. He rammed hard into the Dullahan, taking him by surprise, the force of his momentum sending them both flying through the air and onto the ground. They rolled together for a short distance. Van Helsing quickly landed on his feet, howling like an animal encountering its prey.
*****
Kathleen watched as Van Helsing sprinted off in another direction. She called out after him and started to chase him but he was much faster than she was. She stopped after a few steps, there was something supernatural about him that frightened her. She could see him leap in the distance followed shortly by what sounded like the howl of a wolf. She stood frozen, unable to wrap her mind around what was occurring. She had learned that he once was a werewolf from when she had connected with him to see the death that hung over his head and take on some of his pain, but it never occurred to her that there were still remnants left.
Then she felt it, back at the house just a few feet away from her, the presence of death. She slowly turned back around and faced the house. She never feared death, she saw it too often. But this was different, this time she was frightened. Gripping her staff tighter, mentally checking on the position of the dagger and gun, she slowly made her way into the house.
It was dark inside. But everything looked like someone had been there recently, food was on the table, clothes were being folded, a book was left on the counter. She knew Bridget was taken by surprise.
She continued to follow the presence, through the main room, down the hall to the back door into the garden. Stepping outside she could see that no one was there. She listened as hard as she could but all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears. She walked further outside, still feeling the presence around her, he was there. Then it concentrated behind her and she whirled around.
There she faced a figured cloaked in black. By the small amount of light emanating from the moon, she could see he was very thin and his skin was ashen. But what couldn't be seen was the thick feeling of death that was wrapped around him. She stood there staring at him, knowing she had seen him before. Slowly, her mind comprehended who he was.
"You're the one with the Dullahan when he takes the life from his victim. The presence of death." She managed to say.
"You're the one that sees death. I'm sorry to have caused you so much pain." His voice dripped with evil, like nails scrapping across a board and a dying animal mixed into one. It sent chills up her spine.
*****
Van Helsing watched as the Dullahan struggled to get up. It seemed that not having a head made it harder for it to lift itself up. He noticed that the head was still on the horse, tied up and hanging at the side. He slipped out his tojos and wound them up. The noise spooked the horse which took off, taking the head with it.
He turned the body, which had managed to get itself up, and smiled.
"Looks like it's just you and me buddy." With that, he let the blades go flying towards the body. The first one sliced through the left shoulder and the second went through the gut. Van Helsing knew, from past experience, that it wouldn't stop the Dullahan. But it did make him feel better.
Even without its head, the Dullahan was still able to figure out the direction that Van Helsing was in. Unsheathing his sword, the Dullahan charged. Van Helsing pulled out his pistol with the gold tipped bullets and fired several rounds. The Dullahan stopped in its tracks and slowly fell to the ground, first falling to its knees then plummeting forward with a thud.
Van Helsing slowly approached, not one to fully believe a monster is dead even when it's lying on the ground bleeding. It was hard to tell if the gold bullets had worked, the Dullahan was an already dead creature so looking for the usual signs of life wouldn't work in this case. Using his foot, he rolled the body over onto its back to inspect it.
It seemed to be the opportunity the Dullahan was waiting for. It grabbed Van Helsing by the foot and knocked him off his feet. It then rolled over and got to its feet, lifting its sword high in the air for the kill.
Van Helsing rolled out of the way as the blade came down towards him. Jumping quickly to his feet, he pulled out his shot gun and fired. As before with the tojo blades, it didn't even seem to register with the Dullahan. He could feel his anger rise and the werewolf in him surface again.
Just as he was ready to charge, Van Helsing had to jump back as the Dullahan's horse returned and ran straight for him. As the horse passed by, the Dullahan's body somehow grabbed hold and swung on to the horse. He watched as the Dullahan rode away. He was about to pursue when he heard Kathleen scream in the distance.
*****
"Who are you?"
"I have long since forgotten my own name. When you've lived as long as I have, trivial things such as a name have no meaning anymore." He seemed to revel in the fact, "But I am known by one name, I am the Necromancer."
She couldn't contain the shock and it read clearly on her face, "Bringer of the Dead. You killed those people."
"Technically the Dullahan did that. He has no use for the bodies, I have no use for the spirit. We mutually benefit from our arrangement." He said smugly.
Kathleen's anger rose and overshadowed her fear. She swung her staff around, aiming for his head and torso. She wanted nothing more than to knock him down and bash his head in. Never in her life had she ever wanted to take another's, but she could make the exception here.
She underestimated his speed. He dodged blow after blow, moving faster than anything she had ever seen in her life. He got behind her and knocked her off her feet, sending her tumbling to the ground. She cried out in pain as her face hit a rock. Her staff went flying out of her hand and out of reach. She quickly got to her feet and faced him, tasting the blood that ran from the cut on her lip. Her head hurt and could feel a bruise forming over her left eye.
"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.
"Not even close." She said through clenched teeth. She pulled out the gun Van Helsing had given her and aimed it at the Necromancer's head. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the Necromancer raised his right hand with his palm facing her.
She was besieged by visions of death, deaths of those past. Ones that had occurred at the hands of the Dullahan and ones that had happened long before. She had seen those deaths before, she had mourned those deaths, she had cried out at those deaths before they had even happened.
Unable to keep her grip, she dropped the gun and fell to her knees. Tears were rolling down her face as she cried from the pain of witnessing those deaths once again. She could feel him moving closer to her. Trying to protect herself from him, she curled into a fetal position, screaming and crying in pain.
What really frightened her was she could feel the build up of a keen, her mourning cry that would ring out for miles around. She tried to suppress it, do anything she could to keep it from happening, this wasn't the time for a keen.
Just as she felt she couldn't hold it in any longer, the visions stopped. She was vaguely aware of what was going on around her, but she didn't care. She only wanted to welcome the darkness that was swiftly enveloping her.
*****
Van Helsing wasn't sure what he was seeing as he ran to where Kathleen was. As he approached, he could see Kathleen curled up, screaming as a dark figure stood over her. He aimed his gun and fired, hitting the dark figure in the shoulder. A cry of pain emanated from it and it turned towards Van Helsing. Van Helsing could see the figure was robed in black, very skeletal looking. He also noticed a large amulet hanging from its neck.
Before the figure could charge, Van Helsing fired again but this time the figure managed to dodge his bullets. Giving one final yell, the figure sank into the ground and disappeared.
Van Helsing ran to Kathleen. She laid there unconscious. He gently tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work. He finally resorted to the smelling salts he carried with him. As he waved them under her nose, he could see here eyes slowly flutter open.
"Kathleen, wake up." He said with authority.
Her eyes had fully opened and she looked at his face. Fear encompassed her face and she began to fight him, trying to get away from his grasp. He could see that she didn't recognize him, she was still far within her mind.
Not letting her go, he shook her a little harder, "Kathleen, it's me! Van Helsing! I'm not going to hurt you. You need to come back, wake up!" He watched as she shook her head as if waking from a dream. She looked at him with recognition.
"Van Helsing?" she said, sounding confused. "Where is he? Where did he go?"
"Who? That thing that just here? I took a few shots at him and he just…disappeared." He didn't like it when things got away from him. "What was he doing to you?"
"He…he showed me death. Deaths that have already passed, deaths that I've seen already. He almost made me keen. I don't know how he did it." she looked Van Helsing in the eyes, "He called himself…the Necromancer."
*****
"The Necromancer?" Carl said, alarmed at the new development. Van Helsing began questioning the friar as soon as he and Kathleen returned to the town. Van Helsing paced around the room as Kathleen sat in a chair by the window. She looked like she had been violated, and in a way, she had.
"Well, he's a warlock. One that is capable of bringing the dead to life, creating zombies to do his biding. Is that what we're now up against?" Carl asked, starting to panic.
"It seems to be that way." How he hated when things turned for the worst. He wondered why nothing could be simple anymore. "What else can you tell me? More to the point, how do we kill him?"
Carl did his best to gather his wits and do his job, he was the one who could find the information. He picked up a nearby book and flipped through a few of the pages. Finding the right page, he quickly translated the text. "Well, according to this, the Necromancer isn't actually one person, but several people in succession. Once the previous Necromancer gets too old, he passes his power on to the next person, his apprentice. But the Necromancer lives to be very old, several hundred years in fact. Let's see…" Carl flipped through a few more pages, trying to find the relevant information. Van Helsing was growing impatient.
"He knew what I was." Kathleen suddenly said.
Van Helsing walked over to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You knew what he was, you felt him. It's no surprise that he knew what you were."
"It's worse than we thought. It's not just the Dullahan, he's only the puppet. Now we have a puppet master." She said bleakly.
"Here it is!" Carl yelled. Running over excitedly, he pointed to a picture "The way to destroy the Necromancer is to remove his source of power. His amulet."
The amulet had a black stone for its center, surrounded by a black metal in the design of two black, skeletal birds whose wings held the stone. There were also skeletons and skulls as part of the design.
"That's the same one I saw him wearing. So we have to remove this and he'll be powerless. Sound's like a plan." Van Helsing said.
"It's not that simple. The influence of the amulet is so strong that anyone who picks it up will be consumed by it and become the next Necromancer. So even if you kill him, there's still the amulet to deal with. And according to this, no one is safe from its influence." Carl said, stressing his point.
Van Helsing turned and looked out the window, wondering how they were going to get out of this one.