You sit in silence for a while, shocked by what you have just accomplished. Dracula's body still has not faded into ashes, and the heart in your hands is nothing more than a little shriveled organ. You are simply astounded that you could have done that.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Says a familiar voice, "To finally kill what you've been hunting for ages and then meet an eternal silence you thought you would never have?" Van Helsing kneels next to you, placing a hand on your shocked shoulder. You look at him, fear in your eyes. He smiles gently. "It's okay, the monster's gone," he says softly, brushing your cheek with his forefinger. His eyes fall upon your wounds.
Your dress is torn. There are deep claw gashes on your shoulder from which you are bleeding profusely. He tears a piece of cloth from his sweater in an attempt to stop the bleeding. You are too shocked to do anything else.
"Mira, let's get you inside…and drop that thing!" He flicks your hands slightly and Dracula's shriveled heart drops to the ground. "You're freezing. Come on." He drapes his coat over you gently and takes you inside. As you enter the hallway, you vaguely make out the forms of Carl and Father Delavego, but no Vladimir.
"Carl, in my room!" You say quickly, as Van Helsing picks you up to carry you, "The plate is in my room!" The exhaustion is fading into you now, and the pains of your wounds can't even stop you now. In Van Helsing's arms, you find yourself drifting off into a deep, unconscious sleep.
When you wake again, you are in a different room—Anna's room to be precise. But you are not alone. Van Helsing sits in a nearby chair, his hat in his lap. Sunlight is streaming through the window. You feel as if you have not seen the sun in days. Van Helsing looks troubled but he sits there in silence, staring at his hat.
"Gabriel," You say, smiling. He turns and looks at you, but he does not smile. Your smile fades and you sit up, looking at him. "What's wrong?" You ask. He frowns, lowering his eyes again. He looks around at the room.
"My work here is done," he says rather blankly. "I need to return to Rome." You freeze, frowning deeply as this sinks in. He doesn't look at you. "I'm proud of you Mira. You've done a great job," he says, still sounding blank. You just stare at him, completely shocked again. He gets up. "You're going to make some man very happy." He forces a smile, and puts his hat back on, glancing at you.
"But Gabriel…" This hurts you. You thought he had loved you.
"I helped you hang on, Mira," he says, staring at you emotionlessly, "That's all I did for you." He tips his hat respectfully. You are on the verge of tears. How could he? How could he say that's all he did for you? Does he not realize how wrong he is?
"Gabriel, you can't leave me like this!" You protest.
"Mira. You are a grown woman. You destroyed Dracula. What more do you want from life?" He says. He looks slightly aggravated.
"I want love!" You state, exasperated, "That is the only thing I ever really wanted, Gabriel!"
"I cannot give you love, Mira," he says sternly, shaking his head. You feel your heart breaking.
"But you said you loved me!" You say, tears filling your eyes.
"Words are words. They are meaningless unless accompanied by actions," Van Helsing says. There is a knock on the door. "Yes?" The door opens and Carl flings himself in.
"It's not over," Carl says, exasperated. It takes a moment for the thought to register in both of your minds and you stare at Carl in shock.
"What do you mean it's not over?" You ask. You are glad that he interrupted your awkward moment with Gabriel, but you are baffled at what Carl seems to be saying.
"The plate, the golden plate!" Carl says, as if this explains everything. He is out of breath and looks terrified. You have never seen the friar so distraught. Your head is spinning, however. Van Helsing apparently wants to leave you, and now Carl comes running in to say that it's not over? Finally, you find your words.
"What about the golden plate?" You ask, raising a brow.
"Come, come!" His eyes are wide as he grabs both you and Van Helsing by the hands. He practically drags you down the hall and all the way to the library where Vladimir and Father Delavego are in deep conversation. They both look up as you enter. The priest looks at you gravely, and Vladimir just looks at you blankly.
"What is it?" You ask. You are not sure you want to know. Your body is in general pain at the moment, even though Van Helsing appears to have remedied everything to the best of his abilities.
"He rises from the dead every ten years," states Father Delavego simply, "These solutions we have found are only temporary ones, to find the real one." Van Helsing looks completely shocked, and downright confused. Carl is jittery, Vladimir is still, and you are just tired.
"I'm sick of this," you say, "Someone just kill me now." No one moves. You look around at them desperately.
"No, my child," Father Delavego says, "You are bound to him just as Gabriel is." Van Helsing looks even more confused. Father Delavego sighs, rubbing his temples and taking a seat.
"What do you mean by… bound?" Finally asks Gabriel. The priest frowns and sighs again.
"Gabriel, you know what you are. Do you know what he is?" Questions Father Delavego. Gabriel pauses.
"He is…evil; a minion of the devil," states Van Helsing.
"He is the devil," chimes in Vladimir. He uncrosses his arms and steps out. This man confuses you. He stood still like a statue until just now. Now he comes out of his trance like something has re-animated him, and acts as if he knows all the facts. This aggravates you, but you say nothing. "Gabriel…"
"I don't want to hear it from you!" Snaps Van Helsing, "I want to hear it from someone I can trust!" He turns his attention to Father Delavego. "Tell me, Father. Tell me what you mean." You are completely surprised by this sudden outburst…well… partially.
"Gabriel…it is your destiny to destroy Count Dracula. It is not Mira's. Mira is a dangerous tool to Dracula," explains the priest.
"A dangerous tool?" You cry, looking at him desperately. He shushes you with a finger.
"Mira, child. May you never know the secrets and mysteries of your past lives. May you never regain the powers you once had," says Father Delavego.
"Powers!?" Your head is spinning.
"The final showdown is a glorious display of God against Satan. You are God's weapon, Gabriel," says Father Delavego. Van Helsing still looks shocked.
"How long have you known this?" He demands.
"The gold plate!" Says Carl triumphantly. He is almost smiling, but the situation is so grave that he is trying to tone it down. He coughs when everyone looks at him and then smiles apologetically, lowering his voice. "Since we found the gold plate."
Silence.
More silence.
"Mira, we are sending you to Rome… to the Vatican…to go into hiding," says Father Delavego. You gape.
"I will do no such thing!" You protest. You look desperately at Gabriel but he is too stunned to stand up for you.
"Mira, it's the only way," Father Delavego says, "You leave next week."
"But we have ten years!" You say desperately, "Maybe the answers are here!"
"And it may take ten years to find them," says Father Delavego, "Perhaps we did not even destroy him this time the way he was supposed to be destroyed—" Just then a servant comes running in, completely exasperated.
"Father, it's gone!" The servant throws herself prostrate at his feet in tears, "He's gone!" The priest's face turns dark. There is no question in anyone's mind what this woman is talking about. The remains of Count Dracula have gone missing.
"You are sure of this?" He asks. The servant weeps an indiscernible accord. Father Delavego stares at you, fear growing in his eyes. You pull out your sword and put it forward, waiting for someone to take it.
"Destroy me," you say. Everyone just looks at you, fear and astonishment on their faces. You continue to look around. "Destroy me! If you destroy me, then he can never use me!"
"You will just come back," Vladimir says quietly. His eyes are downcast when you whirl to face him. "You play some other part in this riddle…"
Carl clears his throat. "Father, may I?" He asks, looking at Father Delavego. The priest nods solemnly and gets up, pacing again. Carl takes the golden plate from the desk, gently, and a piece of parchment with the translation on it. He looks around to make sure he has everyone's attention. He reads slowly, enunciating every word so it is perfectly clear:
"You have made it this far, friend;
You thought for sure this was the end.
But let your eyes this inscription see,
And it may solve your mystery.
Evil sleeps but for a decade
To return once more to its masquerade.
You battle only with swords and wits,
But it will escape all of these tricks.
Seek the necromancer in his lair
Resurrect all that must be there.
The family to be strong must come alive
Else their souls will not survive.
Take with you the angel's blade
This will not be an equal trade.
By standard laws you must abide
Unless evil finds his bride.
Let God unveil his wrath inside
And free the soul of Evil's bride.
She must win her freedom too
And only the angel can make this true." Carl finishes and looks around at all of you. "There is the mention of the Roman surname Valerius as well."
"Valerius?" Van Helsing seems spellbound until he hears that name. "Do you mean to say, we have to resurrect a member of the Valerious family, free Mira's soul, and also restore my connection to God?" His eyes look unusually dark.
"It would seem so," Carl answers.
"Wonderful. How do we go about this?" Says Van Helsing. He sounds rather sarcastic and Carl just stares at him for a moment.
"We will all go to Rome," says Father Delavego, "Promptly."
"Who will watch my city!?" You ask. No one ever thinks about the people…
"We will install an official to oversee the town until we return," says the priest.
"But what if they are attacked!?" You demand, aghast.
"You have excellent warriors here to guard your city," says Vladimir. You are desperate now. You do not want to go anywhere. The thoughts of slaying yourself keep repeating over and over in your head.
"This is all we have time for," Father Delavego says, "We must leave, and quick!" He bustles around the room with Carl, gathering various manuscripts and translations, wrapping the gold plate carefully. You look at Van Helsing, who still looks astonished.
"I knew it was too easy," he says, looking off. It is clear to you that he is thinking about something else. He is thinking about Anna Valerious. You realize now, that he never did love you. He could not love you, after all. He was in love with Anna. You smile bitterly and turn his face to yours. Vladimir exits, probably to find an official to appoint and alert the soldiers.
"So I guess this is still good-bye?" You ask, looking at him. He smiles back, almost as bitterly.
"How can it be? This is hello all over again."
To be continued.
A/N: Ah well. I guess you all have to wait for the sequel now. Boo hoo. I probably won't get to it for a while so don't hang around waiting for it… (And don't hassle me for it either! I've got a multitude of things to do!) And sorry if this last chapter seems rushed. I was incredibly bored with this story and need a longer time to think of what to do next. Thus, I decided to end it and write a sequel when my muse is feeling up to it. Hope you liked it regardless and have a good rest of summer vacation.
Yours Faithfully,
The Gothik Faerie