Chapter Fourteen: The Courts of Andume
It takes about an hour to find the horses. Then, once you have mounted, you ride up the path in search of Carl and Vladimir.
"Safe passage indeed," snorts Van Helsing.
"Your fault," you mutter. He sighs. In a few minutes, Carl and Vladimir are visible. You catch up to them and Carl gives you a frightened look.
"Is it dead?" He asks, looking nervously around the trees.
"He's dead," you answer. Vladimir glances at you and then ahead again. The path breaks apart and opens into a deep, snowy valley. On the far side looms a huge, stone castle.
"Welcome to the Valley of the Courts of Andume," says Vladimir. You all gather at the end of the path, reins loosely in hand. "Let's go," Vladimir says.
"Wait!" You command, stopping them, "The valley should never be entered during the night." You gaze down into the valley, which is a swirling abyss of fog.
"I have lived here. I know the ways," states Vladimir defiantly. You lock eyes with him. "Your people cannot wait any longer!" He protests.
"My people would do better if we tried to stay alive instead of thrusting ourselves into a dark death wish!" You counter angrily. Van Helsing snickers slightly. Vladimir looks about ready to burst.
"So, you're going to wait until whatever is following us catches up?" He fumes. You relax in the saddle, annoyed.
"Vladimir, it is one hour until dawn," you state, "Whatever may be following us is still far behind. Otherwise, Van Helsing and I would have been ambushed." Vladimir growls to himself, but says nothing more. Van Helsing dismounts and ties his horse off to a tree, rather resolvedly. "What are you doing?" You ask.
"I'm making a fire and warming up some food," he states, pulling out some kindling wood.
"Fire will attract attention," you say, "Dracula will know we are here."
"Dracula already knows we're here," says Vladimir. He points to the castle and you see a great winged creature sitting on the roof. It immediately lifts its wings and flies into the fog, disappearing. Van Helsing continues his work, creating a fire in minutes. He then takes out some salted meats and cooks them.
You finally dismount with reluctance and join him. Carl and Vladimir exchange glances, and Carl dismounts. Vladimir, however, stays perched upon his horse alertly, while the rest of you eat in silence. All around you, shadows lurk in unrevealed mystery. You feel watched from every angle, but the air is so still that it seems almost uninterruptible.
At approximately five minutes to dawn, your pursuer becomes audible. There is a horrid cry from about a mile down the path. "Well, time to go," says Van Helsing abruptly, grabbing his supplies and snuffing out the fire. You all spring upon your horses and grab up the reins. Vladimir shakes his head as he kicks his horse into motion. You follow suit and descend into the valley.
The fog seems to spiral upwards as you go down, swirling around the horse's hooves until finally, you are enveloped within it. You can barely see over your head now. All is in a dark whirl. You realize that if the sun does not rise soon, you will all get lost. You also sense something else down in the rolling mists, and it is not human.
"Mira," calls a voice.
"Mira," calls another.
"Van Helsing, I can't see a damn thing!" Exclaims Carl. You smile at this remark, but your smile soon fades as you realize how incredibly dangerous this really is.
"Mira," calls another voice, "Come to me." You stop.
"Van Helsing?" You ask nervously. Someone laughs. It sounds familiar, but it is none of your company. "Van Helsing?" You ask louder.
"Right here, Mira," says Van Helsing, emerging beside you.
"We're not alone," you whisper. Carl emerges on your other side. He seems dazed. You all move forward slowly, the fog thinning in between the three of you.
"Where is Vladimir?" Asks Carl. You hear a growl in the mists, several yards away. Vladimir cries out.
"Away! Foul beast!" Yells Vladimir.
"Move back!" You command. Your horse is becoming uneasy. Van Helsing is hesitant, but he and Carl move back. You remove the light-generating device. "Vladimir, close your eyes!" You yell, hurling it in the direction of the growls. You quickly turn your horse away and charge back with Van Helsing and Carl. There is a burning flash and Dracula emits a horrible cry. Looking back after the flash, you see him rise almost blindly, and then flee.
You rein up your horse, which is quite stupefied by the light, and continue downhill. The sun peeks into the valley and the fog begins to disperse. Riding along, you sweep the device off the ground, re-pocketing it carefully. Then you see Vladimir on the ground, gasping for breath. You leap off your horse and kneel at his side.
"Vladimir," you whisper, "What happened?" He pushes you away.
"Kill me, Mira," he says, handing you a silver stake. He is quivering. You shake your head.
"I don't understand," you say.
"I've been bitten," you states, revealing the two dots on his neck. He looks at you desperately, in a sweat, "Please, Mira."
"Vladimir, did you drink his blood?" You ask. He shakes his head, coughing and struggling.
"No, but I am dying," he says. You shake your head.
"No, Vladimir…you…you can't die," you say, tears in your eyes. Carl and Van Helsing ride up. "You're not through. You must redeem yourself," you say. He shakes his head, smiling at you. Then, he passes out. Van Helsing jumps down and checks the wound. Then, he checks for a pulse.
"He'll be fine," Van Helsing states, "There is enough left in him to pull through. We will get him to the Courts of Andume and give him food and water when he awakes." Van Helsing shoulders Vladimir with seeming ease, and places him on his horse. "Come, Mira," he says. You rise slowly, looking at the silver stake. You meet Van Helsing's eyes and then place the stake in your bag, trying to make sense of these recent events. No decent explanation occurs to you.
The sun has melted away the fog and there is a clear path to the Courts of Andume. You walk your horses up the slope and through an ancient-looking archway. It does not look so menacing in the daylight. You pass through a snowy garden, covered in thorns and other brittle branches. The whole place is dead-looking. You find yourself randomly wondering about what it looks like in the spring.
You finally tie up the horses and move all supplies into the sanctuary. Van Helsing moves Vladimir onto a cot and shakes his head. "Such a brave soul…" he says. You look down into the valley and see something running in the snow. Van Helsing shields his eyes and then looks at you. "Vladimir's horse," he says. He mounts his own horse. "I'll be back," he says, before riding after it. You look at Carl.
"Let's go inside," you suggest.
Once inside, you light a roaring fire in the fireplace, and clean up the area a bit. Since it is going to be your base, you might as well make it as homey as possible.
"So how did you happen upon my light device?" Asks Carl. You look at him.
"Father Delavego gave it to me," you reply, looking at him, "I didn't realize it was yours." He beams.
"It is mine," he states. You smile back.
"It is very helpful," you say, turning back to setting up.
"When do you think Vladimir will wake?" Asks Carl, looking at the unconscious Vladimir.
"Soon, I hope," you reply, setting some food over the fire. There is an awkward silence.
"So, what is this place?" Asks Carl.
"It was a military base back in the fifteenth century, built by the earlier Transylvanians. You can clearly see the time period by the design. It is very religiously oriented; a common thing in the dark ages. It is said that the guardians of the mountain range lived here after the wars were done. Then, it was blessed in the sixteenth century by a traveling priest from Rome. Dracula had wanted to use it as a base for when he went to war, but there was nothing he could do to break the holiness laid upon it. So, he cursed the premises instead, so that his enemy would not be able to enter," you relay, "And it has for the most part been abandoned, as far as rulers go." Van Helsing enters, taking off his hat.
"That damn beast is scarred for life, I would say," he says, sitting down with you. He sighs, stretching. "Well, I hate to be so on top of things, but our plan must be formulated. What are your ideas, Carl?"
"All I know is that we must find out how to truly defeat Dracula, and I have nothing more than that," Carl states. Van Helsing sighs, looking down at his hat.
"I doubt Vladimir has anything reasonable," he mutters, "What about you, Mira?"
"Take the city in daylight," you say, "Drive Dracula back to his icy fortress so that we can do the necessary research in the castle. That is where all the information is." Van Helsing stares at you.
"And you thought I was crazy?" He asks, blinking at you. He looks at Carl, who shrugs.
"She does have a point," Carl says, "All of the information is in the castle."
"All right. My plan seems to be the most organized," says Van Helsing.
"We have two days!" You protest.
"I think Dracula expects you sooner," says Van Helsing morosely, approaching you. You jump up and back away, drawing your sword. Van Helsing gets up and walks toward you, slowly but fearlessly.
"I don't want to go!" You say fiercely. He seizes your sword and wrestles you to the ground, pinning your hands to the floor. You struggle, but it is no use. He is nearly twice your size and much stronger.
"Listen to me, Mira. I have it all worked out," he says.
"No!" You say through gritted teeth. "Carl, help me!" You say desperately. Carl whimpers.
"Carl, remember what I told you," says Van Helsing, a tone of warning in his voice.
"Gabriel, please…" You whisper, tears in your eyes, "I don't want to go…" He looks down at you with compassion.
"Mira…I don't want you to go either, but it's the only way," he says softly, "Just listen, okay?" You nod reluctantly. He pulls out a tiny vial. "If he attacks, kill yourself."
"I shall not reach heaven!" You cry.
"God will forgive you," says Van Helsing, enclosing the vial in your hand. You place it in your corset. "This is selfless action, not selfish. Show no signs of strength. Be weary always, as if you are sick. If you resist at all, do so weakly. He will not take you if you are not strong. Trust me. Delay to every last moment…I know the nights are long, but you must pretend your senses are dull. You will know when we come for you."
"I can't do it!" You say, "I can't! Not with a creature so vile!" He is binding your wrists now. Carl looks guilty. "Please no! Please!" You cry, struggling again. Van Helsing shakes his head, carrying you outside. He places you on your horse, securing your feet to the stirrups with rope. He looks into your eyes and holds the reins, as if he is hesitant to let go. "You want me to die, don't you?" You cry, trying to undo your hands. It is completely useless. Van Helsing stares at you with profound tears in his eyes and shakes his head again.
"I have to be strong, Mira. I have to be strong to carry this out. If I wasn't strong, then I would never demand that you trust me. But hear me, Mira. Trust me. This is the way. God is telling me that this is the way," Van Helsing says, grasping your hand, "I don't want to lose you, Mira. If I did, I would die. You have to trust me…because…if you don't trust me… there's no point in my living." You stare at him through tear-stricken eyes and weep. He wipes away your tears and forces you to look at him again. "I love you, Mira DeLune. I will come for you," he says softly. He kisses you deeply. You stare at him helplessly as he takes out a bottle and sprays you lightly in the face. You black out slowly. "Carry her home," you hear him say. Then he smacks the horse and you are riding.
Though, you cannot feel the rhythm of the horse; you are unconscious.