A/N-- I'd just like to mention how happy I am every time I get one of your reviews.... you guys really brighten my days. I'll miss working on this story when it's over... but I have some other ones planned. Maybe even a sequel! But that one's on the fence...
Dare()- Yup, LXG was awesome.... especially Skinner!
ROFLMAO, a Hawaiian surfer monk? I was waiting for someone to make a joke like that.... Well, the Gabriel/Anna relationship will get more complicated on its own, but that is a good idea. And Cardinal Jinette will remain dead. I was in a bad mood with him on the day I wrote the plot for this:-)
Allora- LOL, yes, no more Cardinal... I hope you like what I cooked up with this. It might be a little burnt!
Doris()- LOL, I'm so glad everyone hates that guy...
I didn't mean to insult you! I know it's hard to read emotions online... And I'm glad that you're glad it'll be longer!
You'll see, starting this chapter, what Van Helsing has to do to get Carl back...
LOL, it's okay, I wouldn't expect you to remember all the way back to the first chappie.... OOH!!! ONLINE COOKIES!!! --gobbles cookies-- fank oo!
HyperCaz()- Oh good, you're calm again... Nothin' scarier than a pissed off reviewer... LOL. See, I told you this wasn't the end of the story! Aren't you (semi) happy now?
HealerAriel-....here, have some M&M's for your hard work.....
Lovely()- YAY! I'm loved! Glad to know you don't want me to go to hell... I'm sure it's an inspiring place to work tho.
I'm really happy everyone enjoys my take on the Gabriel/Anna relationship. I wanted to make sure they didn't just fall head over heels for each other, because with their personalities and what both of them went through I just knew it wasn't gonna happen. Especially with all the guilt I put on Gabriel. And I'm HAPPY you hate Kokolios! I wanted to make him an annoying bastard...
In... I believe one or two more chapters after this (I have to consult the plot bunnies) you'll find out how Anna reacts to his little plan:-) I'll try not to use TOO much angst!
Anthem82()- Don't worry, I want everyone to hate Kokolios! And here's more for your reading pleasure!
magot123- Hmm, I'm thinking of how I can work it in... and I just might be able to...
I just thought I'd pause and tell everyone how stoked I am this has gotten over 100 reviews... thank you so much. I've never been so proud of a story before.
Chapter 18:
A Storm is Coming
Much to Anna's dismay, they were soon back on the damned ship. But she forced herself to suck it up and try and enjoy the beauty of the sea, learning to control her seasickness by convincing herself throwing up in the water would only damage its beauty, something she had waited so long to see.
Van Helsing seemed much more lucid this time around. He was no longer aimlessly drifting around the ship, staring over his shoulder at the receding land or holding day-long vigils over Carl's body. She was glad he was beginning to move on; or at least she hoped he was moving on. He could be so hard to read... Certainly, he was infinitely more focused than he had been before. Instead of staring at the sea hopelessly, times when she would stand close beside him and not know what to say, he would stare at it intently, obviously thinking hard on something. Then, without warning, he'd whirl off to the room they shared and sit on his bed, rooting through Carl's notes. Day by day, he seemed to be growing happier about something.
But, by contrast, his nights were growing steadily more tortured. Anna would awaken to the sound of him tossing and turning, even making motions as though he was fighting off something. And then he would lie deathly still, every muscle twitching, sweat streaming down his face, taking harsh and strident breaths of fear. Once, she had gone to his side and awoken him; his initial reaction was to seize her by the throat, leaving her gasping for breath. But soon his own breaths slowed and his eyes went wide with recognition. His hand released her throat, then trailed up to trace the curve of her cheek., getting lost in her hair on the way down.
"Anna... I'm sorry..." Gabriel whispered thickly, his hand falling back down to his side.
"For what?" She asked, taking his hand again. But he had slipped off, beyond her reach once more.
She knelt at the side of his bed, his hand still in hers. That's what always happened. Every time they'd get close, connect somehow, he would slip away. He was always once step out of her reach, just to the point where she could feel his pain but could do nothing about it because he would not allow her in. She should give up. Just give up on that crazy mystery of a man. She could help him, she knew it, if only he would let her in... But he would never do so.
I'll tell him. She decided suddenly. When we dock I'll tell him that I'm leaving. but should I give up so soon...?
As shadows of doubts flickered across her mind, he groaned and started to toss again. But she held tight to his hand, squeezing it to remind him that she was still there. Slowly, his taut muscles relaxed and he grew calm once more. She let out a sigh of relief.
Wait, I was holding my breath? She caught herself suddenly. He draws me in too easily, catches hold of me with barely a thought. That cannot be healthy for either of us, as we take over each other...
She withdrew her hand from his and curled up on her bed, trying to convince herself she should let him go. But then she heard his tossing renew itself and could not help but go to his side again and take his hand, trying to banish his demons as best she could.
But this time, Anna's presence couldn't save Van Helsing. She was like some distant beacon. He knew she existed, but he couldn't seem to remember where...
He was back at the castle where he had lived with Vlad and all their friends. He ambled through its halls without purpose, drinking in the copper sunlight. It must've been near the end of the day to have such a color. His left hand brushed against the bare wall, and he suddenly recoiled. Where his hand had touched there was a splatter of warm, fresh blood. A chill ran suddenly through the room, and he hurried out of it. Abruptly, he was in the garden. The copper light was all around him, perhaps a little too close. It was sticking to him, trying to peel off his skin. But he kept walking. What was he looking for again?
And then he saw her, wearing a black dress. The sleeves were Long angel sleeves, black silk covered in black lace, reached nearly to the ground. The bodice was of red silk and cut low, lined with delicate black lace. Her hair was swept up in an elegant chignon; the copper light clung to it too. She was surrounded by red and white roses in full bloom. Droplets of water from the fountain behind her had landed on their petals and caught little shimmering drops of light within themselves. It was so beautiful, she was so beautiful, but why would Analiese not smile?
Van Helsing reached out slowly for her, and she stepped close to him, allowing him to run his hands along her collarbone and across her bare shoulders, still watching him with the same sad expression. He took both her hands and kissed their knuckles, he was about to take her fully into his arms when she cried out in pain and collapsed against him. He tried to scream her name, but the icy wind that tore through then stole his voice. It tore up the roses too, sending a whirlwind of red and white petals all around them. He tried to release her but they were already locked together as the world ended around them.
"It is too late." She said calmly.
No it's not! His mind screamed, but still his voice was carried away by the wind. Blood began to run from the fountain...
"Don't be sad." Analiese told him gently. "'Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." And then she turned to ashes in his arms, as did everything else around him. The light was shattered, the pieces of copper digging into his skin...
Now he was in the Order's headquarters, still torn and bleeding. Carl approached him, chattering excitedly and there was Cardinal Jinette too, telling him of his mission. in Transylvania. And without warning, he was there again, fighting off the Brides of Dracula, Anna at his side. She was actually a little different from Analiese; her hair was darker, heading more towards brown. Analiese had possessed a more red hue.
His heart began to pound in his chest. He was fighting Dracula. Fighting his best friend... And then Dracula was dead, and part of him was mourning. He had loved to laugh, loved to dance, loved to live... and all had been wrenched from him because of jealousy and rage, his heart and emotions torn out of his chest because he had loved too passionately.
But Van Helsing had not been punished. He still had Anna, he could still hope to feel, as far removed from emotion as he might seem at times. And there she was, running to him with the antidote. The cure pumped like liquid daylight through his veins, scorching him, but cauterizing his wounds. Anna had saved him, and he had saved her. He still had Carl too. Now he could live again, with a best friend and a lover, (if she loved him, he nervously thought) free of Dracula's curse.
Still, that was not to be. He had killed Carl. His best friend. Now he could never be completely whole.
Yet light was shining into his mind, pure and golden. He would save Carl. Once more be the hero, not the murderer. No matter the consequences, he could save Carl...
Now he was walking on water. All around him were patches of light; memories, it seemed. Or perhaps different fates. Anna was beside him, her face reflected in the crystalline water. Dracula was but a shadow, flitting faintly behind him. And up ahead, he could see Carl! there were no barriers between them, and the Friar was just standing there, waiting. Laughing at Van Helsing's hesitation.
"Shut up already, I'm coming to get you!" He called out crossly to his friend.
He took one step... and ripples spread rapidly through the water. The colored lights flickered and changed. Some faded out and new ones were made in different places. He shook it off and took another step. Just a couple more and he could reach Carl... But once more the water rippled and things changed. Faintly, he heard Anna calling out for him to stop and comeback.
"I have to get Carl!" He shouted back. But now Carl was backing away, shaking his head.
"No, don't Van Helsing!" He said shakily.
"I'm coming to get you!" Van Helsing insisted, taking two long strides. The water shook violently, and the lights were wildly flickering, dying and being reborn, melding together and being ripped apart. But whatever the hell it meant didn't matter. He could almost reach Carl.
But Carl was watching him with absolute horror on his face, beginning to run backwards.
"Van Helsing! Van Helsing!" Anna screamed behind him. He whirled to see a massive tidal wave sweeping towards him, pulling him farther away from Anna. But it would subside, and after he got Carl he could get back to her. He began to run after his friend, shouting out from him to slow down and come back.
But the water buckled beneath him and he fell, helpless in the wave's wake. It crushed him and tossed him about before finally forcing him under. All the light and color and sound floated lazily away, leaving him in mute darkness.
YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.
The voice came from nowhere, echoing in Van Helsing's head.
YOU ARE NOT READY.
Still there was no sign of a speaker. His heart began to pound loudly in his ears, creating a cacophonous rhythm that the voice spoke in time with.
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
GO.
And then all was mute again, but for his pounding heart. He remained there, frozen and helpless. Things began to grow fuzzy and unrecognizable. He forgot who he was. Who he had been fighting for. Why he existed. What time was. He... forgot.
Gabriel....
The voice was quick and soft as footsteps in the snow. And equally disturbing.
Gabriel.
It was more drawn out now.
Gabriel.
The word was repeated over and over and over again. Van Helsing knew it was important, but he couldn't remember why. His heart began to pound faster and faster and faster in fear and agitation, pounding so hard he felt that surely it and all his blood vessels would burst. He tried to scream...
"GABRIEL!"
In instants he was sitting up, breathing hard. He was back on the ship, in his bed. Anna was sitting at his side, looking very worried.
"What happened? Are you alright? Were you the one calling my name?" He fired rapidly.
"I don't know, I'm fine, and yes I've been calling you for ages!" She said with a little exasperation. "You were tossing and turning all night, so violently I was afraid you'd hurt yourself. And sometimes you'd cry out strange things..."
"I kept you up all night?" Van Helsing asked quietly.
"Yes. But it's alright. My brother and I never slept much anyway after Father went missing." She said reassuringly. It was then he noticed that she was holding his hand tightly. Pulling his hand out of her grasp, he looked at her hand. It was red, and showed the early signs of bruising.
"I'm sorry if I hurt your hand." He mumbled, resting his face in his hands.
"It's no matter." She dismissed. All was quiet for a while, until Anna spoke up again. "Perhaps you should come outside and get some sun and food, wake up a little more. We'll dock today and you need your strength."
"Alright, I'll eat. But I won't share my food with you. It never looks as good on you as it does on the plate..." He trailed off, standing and pulling on his boots then leaving the room with a furiously blushing Anna.
The nightmare incident seemed wholly forgotten the rest of the day; they were due to dock at sunset. Anna had now overcome her seasickness to the point of being able to carry on a conversation as long as she hadn't eaten recently, and they took full advantage of this fact by whiling away the time with jokes and tales.
But soon the times of fun were past and they arrived in a small port. Now the two seasoned warriors grew grim as they picked up enough food for two weeks and then went to pick up horses: two magnificent black steeds. Mounting up, they could not help but look to each other.
"Transylvanian horses." Van Helsing remarked, patting his horse's withers.
"May they bear us to better fortune than the last time we rode their kind." Anna intoned.
"I'll drink to that." Van Helsing replied fervently, putting his boots into the horse's flanks. And then they were off, towards the Carpathian Mountains.
In all his studying of Carl's notes, Van Helsing had been unable to pinpoint the exact location of the Wavewriter. All it said was that it was high up in the Carpathian Mountains that bordered Transylvania. At first he had thought to actually enter Transylvania itself and try and find a way from there, or at least more information, but he grew impatient. This Wavewriter sounded like something big, something important. Once in the mountains, how hard would it be to find?
But they wandered long into the night and still there was no sign of any such thing. Winter was at its end, and seemed vengeful for it; it stirred up a tempestuous blizzard as a sort of temper tantrum, and the ice crystals bit hard into their cheeks and eyes. They were forced to dismount and lead their horses, holding each other's hands so as not to be lost in the storm. Hardening his resolve, Van Helsing pressed higher into the mountains and ignored the icy cold. Anna ignored it as well, but couldn't help thinking Van Helsing mad. They could so easily become lost in these mountains, it would be better to stop and rest. She didn't want him to think her weak, but someone had to be the voice of reason.
"Van Helsing!" She screamed, tugging at his hand. He turned to her. "This is dangerous, we should stop!" Her voice grew hoarse from the strain of shouting over the storm.
Van Helsing looked around himself and then back at Anna. Against her will, she was trembling. He looked at himself and saw he was doing the same thing. For a long time now the horses had been whinnying pitifully and shaking themselves. Both his and Anna's faces were raw from the biting wind and he couldn't feel her hand in his. Unless they wished to join Carl, it certainly was time to stop. But, in glancing further up the snowy slope, he saw a small stand of trees on a plateau, nestled into the curve of the mountain. It looked secure.
"Alright, but let's journey up to those trees." He hollered back. Anna nodded and they pressed on.
Once they reached the trees, they nearly collapsed with relief. It certainly seemed quieter here, more secluded from the banshee wind and crazy, white world outside. The air was, if possible, even keener, biting at your lungs as you drew it in. It felt different than the air outside. The trees were gutted by the wind and nearly shorn of their branches, but they didn't seem in a hurry to be torn out or knocked over. they were old and strong, and this was their home. It was pretty interesting how they were arranged, almost in a perfect circle. But a few were too close to their neighbor or too far out or too far in. Then again, nothing is perfect.
They each staggered to a tree and tethered their horse. The exhausted animals lay down in the snow and commenced sleeping, proof of how tired they were since horses don't normally sleep lying down. Anna immediately curled up against he horse, covering the rest of her body with a cloak. Van Helsing knew she was asleep and that he should be too, but he couldn't help pacing. Where, where in those godforsaken mountains was the Wavewriter?
Whole damn world is godforsaken. He thought bitterly to himself, pulling his cloak and coat close about him. I think God went out for tea a couple centuries ago and forgot to mention it to us mere mortals.
He thought to get out Carl's notes and the book of Romanian Myths to see if he could discover anything new from actually being at the place, but fear of losing the precious articles to the raging storm prevented him from it. Would that he had been more careful with Carl himself...
In a rage nearly equaling the wrath of the storm, he continued to pace and mentally rant until he could take it no more and collapsed into the snow near his horse, staring at the tree. His fire was consuming him, making him want to fold in on himself. Was there really hope after all? He blinked sleepily and was about to drift off when he saw something in the bark.
YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.
There the words were, scratched neatly in as though with a knife. But when he blinked again, they were gone as though they had never even been. Another blink brought a new message.
YOU CAN'T FIND IT UNTIL YOU ARE READY.
Then, slowly, the words began to MELT away, into sap. The sap wrote out, in glistening letters:
GO TO BUDAPEST. BEGIN THERE.
And then, once more, the words were gone without a trace.
Van Helsing curled up against his horse and wrapped his cloak around him, but still couldn't find sleep. What had been the meaning of that? How had it appeared? He wanted to mistrust it, but something in him was comforted by the appearance of those messages. Maybe the world wasn't as godforsaken as he had thought. Maybe someone out there was trying to help him.
As sleep finally took him into its arms, Gabriel resolved it. They would head for Budapest in the morning. But that night, he had nightmares to contend with... especially that haunting echo: Gabriel... Gabriel... Gabriel....
Anna was shocked but relieved to awaken to news of where they were going. Their path had been completely aimless the night before, but as she stepped out of the circle into the clean morning air and looked down, she realized she knew where they were. After a little backtracking, she could lead them out of the mountains and to Budapest.
It took until nightfall to get to their destination, and upon arriving in the place where Dracula had held his masquerade ball not so long ago, Van Helsing realized he had no idea where to go after this. The mysterious message had told him to start here, but where here? Well, he might as well establish a 'base camp.'
"Let's go find an inn to stay at. The Order always gives me enough for lodgings." He told Anna as they walked their horses through the town. People, what few were out after dark, scuttled quickly out of their way. Suspicious faces watched them from the windows. "You'd think they were still living in Dracula's shadow. Tell me, is a Romanian town just not Romanian if everyone isn't quivering in fear?"
"Well, we've lived in 'Dracula's shadow' for so long we don't know anything else. We have always had reason to fear, because if it isn't Dracula, it's some other legendary creature that happens to be real. Werewolves aren't that uncommon, and there is still the threat of vampires." Anna replied indifferently.
"But all the ones sired by Dracula will be dead. That had to take a chunk out of the population." Van Helsing frowned.
"Yes, but some second-generation ones may have lived." Was the Princess's reply.
"Second-generation?"
"My family was always concerned that even if we killed Dracula, some of those in his bloodline a little further removed might still live. For example, if he sired someone and then they sired someone, the third vampire would be Dracula's grandchild. The blood might be diluted enough for them to survive Dracula's death." Anna reasoned. "And keep in mind, no one arrives after nightfall here."
"Except for us, apparently. Look, here's a decent inn. Let's get lodgings here." He motioned to a two story building on their left with attached stables. They tied their horses up outside and entered the building.
A low murmur of conversation, the scent of burning wood and tobacco, and the soft glow of firelight greeted them. A moderate crowd was there that night, leaving most of the tables filled. But there were two seats at the bar, where the owner was quietly cleaning mugs or serving the customers gathering around him. The pair moved forward and took the two available stools, waiting until they were served.
"He won't help you find what you seek." said a soft, feminine voice to Gabriel's left.
He turned rapidly to see a cloaked figure seated there, delicate fingers toying with the wine goblet in her hands. She lifted her face, just enough to give him a glance of it; its features were fair and white, with ruby lips and dark, inviting eyes. A waterfall of wavy golden hair spilled over her black cloak and onto her shoulder.
"Excuse me?" He asked gruffly. She laughed in her throat and tossed off her hood with lazy grace. She was stunning to behold, Van Helsing discovered. But her dark eyes and the wry curve of her full lips did not give an impression of innocence.
"The bartender. He doesn't have what you seek." She reiterated.
"Do we know you?" Anna butted in, poking her head out from around Van Helsing. Suspicion was all over her face.
"Who can help me?" Van Helsing asked the strange woman, ignoring Anna for the moment.
"Well, I of course." She laughed merrily. The sound captivated him, and he found his mind falling into her dark eyes, like the void in his dreams. The ghostly echo of his name being called rang in his ears.
"Who are you?" Van Helsing asked slowly.
"Does it matter?" She countered, taking a sip of her wine. "The ends justify the means, no?"
"Indeed." He said in the same, uncertain voice.
"Ahh, you do not trust me. And wisely, as I do not trust you. There must be something we can do to alleviate this..." She lay one slender finger on the side of her jaw and tipped her head to one side as though deep in thought. "Aha!" She clapped her hands. "I know what you can do that shall help both you and I."
"I'm going to go check on the horses." Anna murmured, standing and walking away. There were traces of hurt in her voice.
"Anna!" Van Helsing called after her, but she didn't respond.
"She doesn't matter for now, Gabriel." The other woman replied quietly. "It is better that she is gone, since you so obviously don't want her to know what you have been up to."
"How do you know my name?" Van Helsing growled. People who knew his name yet he had never met before weren't good in his book.
"The same way I know your purpose here. You seek the Wavewriter." She said simply.
"How can I find it?" He asked as she drank from her goblet.
"Tut, not now!" She chided, shaking a finger. "You are not ready yet. You must prove yourself." Van Helsing rested his elbow on the counter.
"I'm listening." He said.
"Good, that's helpful." She purred. "Nearby here, in a forest, is a nest of vampires. They have been plaguing nearby villages and towns for a while now, and they irk me. But, alas, I can do nothing. Kill them for me. Then meet me here. I give you as much time as you need... I shall know when the task is done and you return. Do you accept?"
"You're going to help me find the Wavewriter in exchange for this?" Van Helsing asked.
"Well, we shall see when you return. you must trust me, Gabriel. Trust is hard to establish but easily broken... I cannot offer my service unless you trust me." She said gently, in almost maternal tones.
"Very well. I don't see how killing things can gain someone's trust, but I'll do it." He replied. She giggled and clapped her hands.
"Good then! I shall see you when you have finished!" She said with girlish glee. Then she pulled her hood over her face and walked out the door into the night.
Van Helsing sighed and stood as well. He needed to go talk to Anna about this so they could decide when to leave, but she likely wasn't happy. She hadn't seemed it when he had started his conversation with the mystery woman. When he found her, she was with their two horses, talking to them quietly, stroking their muzzles. He approached her from behind.
"Anna?" He called quietly into the still night air. She turned to him briefly before returning to the horses.
"Have you gotten us rooms?" She asked in a monotone, not meeting his gaze as he leaned against the post they had tied their horses to.
"No, not yet. I received some interesting information... there is a vampire nest associated with the cult we are looking for. The cult themselves are very elusive, so destroying their resources might be the best method of flushing them out. That's what the woman was telling me." Now Anna's eyes flew to meet his.
She had, of course, been nervous and jealous when the gorgeous but strange woman had begun talking with Van Helsing. It was obvious that she was everything Anna was not; the golden hair, the seductive manner, the way she held herself, drank from her goblet, her dark eyes beckoning Van Helsing into their depths... Anna wasn't afraid that this temptress could be a demon, Van Helsing would know what to do with one of those. But what if it was just a regular woman? And what if she captivated Gabriel? Jealousy and hurt, over a man at least, were new emotions to the gypsy Princess, and their power had overwhelmed her so she had left him to his fate. But if she was just an informant...
"So that's why you were talking to that woman at the bar?" Anna asked with imperfect nonchalance, picking at an invisible thread on her shirt.
"Yes. She was... a contact of the Order's." Van Helsing supplied.
"Oh. Alright then. Shall we leave?" She asked brightly.
"No, let's get a room and rest the night. We'll need our strength to fight the nest tomorrow." Van Helsing replied. With mock bravado, he offered his arm to Anna. She took it, and he could not help but smile inwardly at the relief on her face she thought she was concealing.
A/N-- In case ya can't tell, I've been listening to ROTK soundtrack... since 'Hope and Shadow' was a play on 'Hope and Memory' and this one is directly from the album. Okay, hope yall enjoyed that chapter!! We get some monster fighting in the next one... And that means you get more M&M's if ya review, cuz I hand those out with the action chapters!!!