The captain left Carl and went below deck. Carl pulled Van Helsing's
pants leg away from the wounds, and he winced. Carl turned to a sailor
that stood nearby. "Excuse me," he said. The man turned and replied,
"Yes." Carl asked, "Could I use that handkerchief around your neck?"
The man took off the handkerchief and handed it to Carl. "I'm afraid you won't be getting it back." Carl told him.
"It's ok, sir. Van Helsing did save our ship and our lives."
Carl nodded and tied the handkerchief right below Van Helsing's knee. He tied it tight enough to keep the venom from spreading. Carl was glad that the moon was full enough to see by or else he would have to work by dim lanterns, which a few sailors set down by him just in case it helped. Carl was shaking badly from nervousness. 'I wish the captain would hasten his pace,' he thought. 'Van Helsing may only have three hours if he's lucky. His symptoms indicate the venom was neurotoxic, so his nervous system will fail. But, his breathing will stop if we don't hurry because the venom will collapse the respiratory system.' Carl didn't like the thought of that at all. He had become friends with Van Helsing, and the truth was they both only had each other for friends.
Carl looked down at Van Helsing's face, and he worried more. 'And, what about Anna? She's still alive out there. Van Helsing was going to rescue her. Without him, who will save Anna from her captors?' Carl thought hard about the situation. 'How would Anna react if she found out that I could have saved Van Helsing but didn't have time to because the captain won't hurry!'
The captain returned just as Carl had given up hope of his return. He handed a large crate full of herbs down to Carl. "Anything else I can do?" Carl thought hard about all he knew of medicine and wished he had paid more attention to the monks that had lectured him on it. "Garlic," he shouted. "Do you have garlic?"
The captain nodded and replied, "Aye, we do in the kitchen."
"I need a bulb of garlic." Carl stated as calmly as he could.
"May I ask why?"
"Because garlic can be used to wash out wounds--if we had sterile sphagnum moss--or it can cure poisonous snakebites. I am judging that since the serpent resembles a snake that the venom would be nearly the same." Carl explained as quickly as he could.
"A bulb of garlic." The captain replied. "How will you use it?"
Carl thought. 'Oh, right. Van Helsing would have to be awake to use the garlic.' He replied, "Never mind the garlic. I may need it later if Van Helsing ever comes to."
Carl dug through the box of herbs and found mint, which cures sea serpent stings. 'Again, something that would have to be taken internally.' Carl thought disgusted but laid out the mint anyway. He found a bundle of flowers that could serve a useful purpose. "Ah, Calendula flowers!" Carl exclaimed. "It will stop the bleeding and help heal the wounds." So, Carl placed several flowers on Van Helsing's wounds and continued to search through the crate. Carl also found comfrey leaves and pulled them apart and set the leaves on the wound. Comfrey had allantoin in it and helped heal wounds. Carl's search helped him find lavender, which would disinfect the wounds.
Carl came across Thyme and called the captain over. "Could someone make oil with this,' he requested. The oil is an antiseptic." The captain took the Thyme, but asked, "Couldn't you use whiskey?"
Carl thought and nodded. "Yes, that can be used as antiseptic as well, and I've heard it works on snakebites." The captain nodded and went below deck to get whiskey. Carl found some sage and thanked the Lord. Sage could cure snakebites, and there was a lot of sage in the crate. Carl laid the sage on Van Helsing's leg hoping the herb would help save Van Helsing's life.
Carl also found Costmary in the crate, which could revive a person with just a whiff of its aroma. Carl was glad it was dried and waved it about near Van Helsing's face. He knew that it a fifty-fifty percent chance of the herb working its magic on Van Helsing's state, but he gave it a try because he was desperate. To Carl's surprise, Van Helsing's eyes opened. "Carl," he asked, "What's going on?"
Before Van Helsing moved, Carl said, "Lay still, you were bitten by the serpent. I'm trying my best to save you from its deadly venom." Carl saw the fear return in Van Helsing's eyes.
"We need to return to Rome, don't we?" Van Helsing inquired.
Carl nodded. "You need better care than what we have here with us," he said.
Van Helsing laid back and asked, "How will we manage that if I'm in such serious condition?"
A sailor said, "We have readings from a smaller boat that is heading past us going to Europe. Perhaps we can send them Morris code and get you two aboard."
"Could you?" Carl asked hopefully. The sailor nodded and hurried off to send word to the other ship.
The captain returned with the whiskey and handed it to Carl, who pulled away the sage and poured the liquid into Van Helsing's cut. Van Helsing cried out in pain, and the captain asked Carl, "Need anything else." Van Helsing cut in and said, "I could use some absinthe." Carl and the captain exchanged glances, and Carl nodded. The captain did not seem angered by the fact that he had to once again go below deck to retrieve Van Helsing the drink he requested.
Carl was jittery as he and Van Helsing waited for the other ship to come and pick them up. Van Helsing had chewed the mint leaves and felt stronger. But, he knew that was just a small step to his recovery. The serpent that had bit him was large, and he knew that the venom wouldn't be counteracted with just a few mint leaves. He knew Carl was right in heading back to Rome. The monks that studied in medicine would know how to cure him.
The boat finally appeared out of the darkness, and Carl was glad. He was worried that Van Helsing was still in danger of the serpent bite, and he hoped the boat would get them back quickly. They had only been gone for a day, but Carl hoped that the boat they were boarding sailed faster than their previous ship. The crew was kind to Carl and Van Helsing, they had been told about Van Helsing saving the crew and the passengers from a serpent. They were also told he was bitten by the serpent, and they knew that he needed immediate care. "Carl and Van Helsing?" The captain asked.
Carl nodded, and the captain ushered them onto the ship. "This ship is the fastest on this sea. We'll have you back to shore by daybreak." Carl raised his eyebrows, and Van Helsing crossed his arms. "That seems a bit too soon to reach shore, doesn't it?" Van Helsing asked.
"It does seem soon, but it is all the time it takes to reach the shores. I assure you, we will get you to the dock as the sun rises." The captain told the two men. "Now, my crew will show you two to a room where you can rest until morning."
Carl and Van Helsing didn't argue with the thought of resting. It was something they both needed, but Carl feared of Van Helsing going to sleep. There was still a chance that he wouldn't wake back up. 'Do not think like that,' he thought. 'Van Helsing will make it through this.' He looked over to Van Helsing, who was still pale compared to his normal complexion. 'He is still far from his old self.' Carl thought. 'I pray this ship is as fast as the captain boasts. We need all the time we can get to get Van Helsing back to Rome before the neurotoxins shut down his systems, primarily his respiratory system.
Van Helsing laid down and shut his eyes. He felt exhausted, and he knew it wasn't just the neurotoxin in his body. He had not slept soundly in days, weeks even. Van Helsing knew that Carl would keep an eye on him as long as he could. Carl was exhausted too, from the journey they had been on. Van Helsing felt his head pound, and he didn't know if he should be alarmed. He fell into sleep before he could give his headache must thought.
Carl was lying down, but he glanced over to Van Helsing every few minutes. He didn't want to look away for a really long time and find Van Helsing too far gone to be saved. But, Carl could feel sleep overtaking him. He fought it until his eyelids just wouldn't stay open. He let in and fell asleep to a peaceful slumber.
Madeline did not sleep long and was up at daybreak. She was still exhausted, but she sneaked out of her bed and began to pack everything that she would need on a trip, or what she could pack from her room. 'I'll get to the rest of the house a little later. After I have what I need from in here, I'll resume my sleeping.' She packed extra garments and candles mostly. Then, she laid the bag next to her bed and laid back down. It didn't take her long to fall back asleep.
Victoria stood outside the Valerious manor staring up at Anna's bedroom window. She saw that Lily had pulled the curtains back so that there was a clear view into the window. Victoria could not see anything but what was next to the window, but she knew that Lily would signal her when she entered. Victoria had a spell to put Anna under to keep her from learning anything from Mae or Madeline.
Lily entered Anna's bedchamber and walked quietly to the window and stood in the window for a moment. She saw Victoria's figure wrapped up in a black cloak. She saw Victoria spread her arms and began to levitate off of the ground. In a moment, Victoria had levitated herself high enough in the air to reach the window, which Lily opened.
Victoria entered the room and nodded to Lily for a job well done. She walked over to Anna's bed and pulled out a handful of pixie dust. This dust was pure so Victoria could enchant it for her dark purposes. Anna rolled over, and Victoria chanted her incantation on the pixie dust. The dust glowed for a moment then returned to its natural color. Victoria blew the dust into Anna's face and took joy from seeing the gypsy princess didn't even notice the dust.
Victoria turned to Lily, "She won't remember anything until the spell wears off, and that won't happen until her child's birth." Lily nodded but did not speak. Victoria walked back over to the window and was gone before Lily could look over to the window. She went to the window and shut it after seeing Victoria was nowhere in sight. Lily saw Anna tossing in her bed and wondered what was going on in Anna's dreams to make her restless.
Anna had seen Van Helsing get bitten by the serpent in her dreams. She did not know the dream was real, and it was a side effect of Victoria's magic. But, seeing Van Helsing so vulnerable made her uneasy. She saw him lying on the deck of a ship, unconscious to the world. Anna heard herself call out to him, but there was no use. Van Helsing could not hear her, and she looked around. She saw Carl drop down beside Van Helsing. She knew Carl would help Van Helsing, and she let her fears rest for a moment. But, her fears returned after she heard Carl's conversation with the captain. "Don't let him die, Carl!" Anna screamed; her voice falling on death ears once more.
Anna saw Carl search furiously through a crate of herbs and plants to find any remedy for Van Helsing's wound. Anna had never been to the sea before she had died and also when she had been resurrected. But, she had never been upon the seawaters, so she knew very little of the evil that lurked in the depths. Anna knew that she never wanted to meet a serpent after her dream. She did fear that Van Helsing would die before her eyes with her powerless to do anything. 'Please, Van Helsing, don't give up,' she thought.
Soon she got to the part where Carl revived Van Helsing, and she felt a burden lifted. But, she was aware of Van Helsing's condition and how fragile it was at his current point. She also saw Carl and Van Helsing get on a new ship and be sent to rest. She saw Van Helsing shut his deep, brown eyes and slip into dreams. Carl was not far from sleep when Anna's dreams faded to black and left her mind unconscious but her body awake; again, it Victoria's magic was to blame.
Author's Note: (Sorry if most of this chapter was a little weak. I've been gone all day, and I'm barely awake right now. I just didn't want to leave the cliffhanger any longer.)
The man took off the handkerchief and handed it to Carl. "I'm afraid you won't be getting it back." Carl told him.
"It's ok, sir. Van Helsing did save our ship and our lives."
Carl nodded and tied the handkerchief right below Van Helsing's knee. He tied it tight enough to keep the venom from spreading. Carl was glad that the moon was full enough to see by or else he would have to work by dim lanterns, which a few sailors set down by him just in case it helped. Carl was shaking badly from nervousness. 'I wish the captain would hasten his pace,' he thought. 'Van Helsing may only have three hours if he's lucky. His symptoms indicate the venom was neurotoxic, so his nervous system will fail. But, his breathing will stop if we don't hurry because the venom will collapse the respiratory system.' Carl didn't like the thought of that at all. He had become friends with Van Helsing, and the truth was they both only had each other for friends.
Carl looked down at Van Helsing's face, and he worried more. 'And, what about Anna? She's still alive out there. Van Helsing was going to rescue her. Without him, who will save Anna from her captors?' Carl thought hard about the situation. 'How would Anna react if she found out that I could have saved Van Helsing but didn't have time to because the captain won't hurry!'
The captain returned just as Carl had given up hope of his return. He handed a large crate full of herbs down to Carl. "Anything else I can do?" Carl thought hard about all he knew of medicine and wished he had paid more attention to the monks that had lectured him on it. "Garlic," he shouted. "Do you have garlic?"
The captain nodded and replied, "Aye, we do in the kitchen."
"I need a bulb of garlic." Carl stated as calmly as he could.
"May I ask why?"
"Because garlic can be used to wash out wounds--if we had sterile sphagnum moss--or it can cure poisonous snakebites. I am judging that since the serpent resembles a snake that the venom would be nearly the same." Carl explained as quickly as he could.
"A bulb of garlic." The captain replied. "How will you use it?"
Carl thought. 'Oh, right. Van Helsing would have to be awake to use the garlic.' He replied, "Never mind the garlic. I may need it later if Van Helsing ever comes to."
Carl dug through the box of herbs and found mint, which cures sea serpent stings. 'Again, something that would have to be taken internally.' Carl thought disgusted but laid out the mint anyway. He found a bundle of flowers that could serve a useful purpose. "Ah, Calendula flowers!" Carl exclaimed. "It will stop the bleeding and help heal the wounds." So, Carl placed several flowers on Van Helsing's wounds and continued to search through the crate. Carl also found comfrey leaves and pulled them apart and set the leaves on the wound. Comfrey had allantoin in it and helped heal wounds. Carl's search helped him find lavender, which would disinfect the wounds.
Carl came across Thyme and called the captain over. "Could someone make oil with this,' he requested. The oil is an antiseptic." The captain took the Thyme, but asked, "Couldn't you use whiskey?"
Carl thought and nodded. "Yes, that can be used as antiseptic as well, and I've heard it works on snakebites." The captain nodded and went below deck to get whiskey. Carl found some sage and thanked the Lord. Sage could cure snakebites, and there was a lot of sage in the crate. Carl laid the sage on Van Helsing's leg hoping the herb would help save Van Helsing's life.
Carl also found Costmary in the crate, which could revive a person with just a whiff of its aroma. Carl was glad it was dried and waved it about near Van Helsing's face. He knew that it a fifty-fifty percent chance of the herb working its magic on Van Helsing's state, but he gave it a try because he was desperate. To Carl's surprise, Van Helsing's eyes opened. "Carl," he asked, "What's going on?"
Before Van Helsing moved, Carl said, "Lay still, you were bitten by the serpent. I'm trying my best to save you from its deadly venom." Carl saw the fear return in Van Helsing's eyes.
"We need to return to Rome, don't we?" Van Helsing inquired.
Carl nodded. "You need better care than what we have here with us," he said.
Van Helsing laid back and asked, "How will we manage that if I'm in such serious condition?"
A sailor said, "We have readings from a smaller boat that is heading past us going to Europe. Perhaps we can send them Morris code and get you two aboard."
"Could you?" Carl asked hopefully. The sailor nodded and hurried off to send word to the other ship.
The captain returned with the whiskey and handed it to Carl, who pulled away the sage and poured the liquid into Van Helsing's cut. Van Helsing cried out in pain, and the captain asked Carl, "Need anything else." Van Helsing cut in and said, "I could use some absinthe." Carl and the captain exchanged glances, and Carl nodded. The captain did not seem angered by the fact that he had to once again go below deck to retrieve Van Helsing the drink he requested.
Carl was jittery as he and Van Helsing waited for the other ship to come and pick them up. Van Helsing had chewed the mint leaves and felt stronger. But, he knew that was just a small step to his recovery. The serpent that had bit him was large, and he knew that the venom wouldn't be counteracted with just a few mint leaves. He knew Carl was right in heading back to Rome. The monks that studied in medicine would know how to cure him.
The boat finally appeared out of the darkness, and Carl was glad. He was worried that Van Helsing was still in danger of the serpent bite, and he hoped the boat would get them back quickly. They had only been gone for a day, but Carl hoped that the boat they were boarding sailed faster than their previous ship. The crew was kind to Carl and Van Helsing, they had been told about Van Helsing saving the crew and the passengers from a serpent. They were also told he was bitten by the serpent, and they knew that he needed immediate care. "Carl and Van Helsing?" The captain asked.
Carl nodded, and the captain ushered them onto the ship. "This ship is the fastest on this sea. We'll have you back to shore by daybreak." Carl raised his eyebrows, and Van Helsing crossed his arms. "That seems a bit too soon to reach shore, doesn't it?" Van Helsing asked.
"It does seem soon, but it is all the time it takes to reach the shores. I assure you, we will get you to the dock as the sun rises." The captain told the two men. "Now, my crew will show you two to a room where you can rest until morning."
Carl and Van Helsing didn't argue with the thought of resting. It was something they both needed, but Carl feared of Van Helsing going to sleep. There was still a chance that he wouldn't wake back up. 'Do not think like that,' he thought. 'Van Helsing will make it through this.' He looked over to Van Helsing, who was still pale compared to his normal complexion. 'He is still far from his old self.' Carl thought. 'I pray this ship is as fast as the captain boasts. We need all the time we can get to get Van Helsing back to Rome before the neurotoxins shut down his systems, primarily his respiratory system.
Van Helsing laid down and shut his eyes. He felt exhausted, and he knew it wasn't just the neurotoxin in his body. He had not slept soundly in days, weeks even. Van Helsing knew that Carl would keep an eye on him as long as he could. Carl was exhausted too, from the journey they had been on. Van Helsing felt his head pound, and he didn't know if he should be alarmed. He fell into sleep before he could give his headache must thought.
Carl was lying down, but he glanced over to Van Helsing every few minutes. He didn't want to look away for a really long time and find Van Helsing too far gone to be saved. But, Carl could feel sleep overtaking him. He fought it until his eyelids just wouldn't stay open. He let in and fell asleep to a peaceful slumber.
Madeline did not sleep long and was up at daybreak. She was still exhausted, but she sneaked out of her bed and began to pack everything that she would need on a trip, or what she could pack from her room. 'I'll get to the rest of the house a little later. After I have what I need from in here, I'll resume my sleeping.' She packed extra garments and candles mostly. Then, she laid the bag next to her bed and laid back down. It didn't take her long to fall back asleep.
Victoria stood outside the Valerious manor staring up at Anna's bedroom window. She saw that Lily had pulled the curtains back so that there was a clear view into the window. Victoria could not see anything but what was next to the window, but she knew that Lily would signal her when she entered. Victoria had a spell to put Anna under to keep her from learning anything from Mae or Madeline.
Lily entered Anna's bedchamber and walked quietly to the window and stood in the window for a moment. She saw Victoria's figure wrapped up in a black cloak. She saw Victoria spread her arms and began to levitate off of the ground. In a moment, Victoria had levitated herself high enough in the air to reach the window, which Lily opened.
Victoria entered the room and nodded to Lily for a job well done. She walked over to Anna's bed and pulled out a handful of pixie dust. This dust was pure so Victoria could enchant it for her dark purposes. Anna rolled over, and Victoria chanted her incantation on the pixie dust. The dust glowed for a moment then returned to its natural color. Victoria blew the dust into Anna's face and took joy from seeing the gypsy princess didn't even notice the dust.
Victoria turned to Lily, "She won't remember anything until the spell wears off, and that won't happen until her child's birth." Lily nodded but did not speak. Victoria walked back over to the window and was gone before Lily could look over to the window. She went to the window and shut it after seeing Victoria was nowhere in sight. Lily saw Anna tossing in her bed and wondered what was going on in Anna's dreams to make her restless.
Anna had seen Van Helsing get bitten by the serpent in her dreams. She did not know the dream was real, and it was a side effect of Victoria's magic. But, seeing Van Helsing so vulnerable made her uneasy. She saw him lying on the deck of a ship, unconscious to the world. Anna heard herself call out to him, but there was no use. Van Helsing could not hear her, and she looked around. She saw Carl drop down beside Van Helsing. She knew Carl would help Van Helsing, and she let her fears rest for a moment. But, her fears returned after she heard Carl's conversation with the captain. "Don't let him die, Carl!" Anna screamed; her voice falling on death ears once more.
Anna saw Carl search furiously through a crate of herbs and plants to find any remedy for Van Helsing's wound. Anna had never been to the sea before she had died and also when she had been resurrected. But, she had never been upon the seawaters, so she knew very little of the evil that lurked in the depths. Anna knew that she never wanted to meet a serpent after her dream. She did fear that Van Helsing would die before her eyes with her powerless to do anything. 'Please, Van Helsing, don't give up,' she thought.
Soon she got to the part where Carl revived Van Helsing, and she felt a burden lifted. But, she was aware of Van Helsing's condition and how fragile it was at his current point. She also saw Carl and Van Helsing get on a new ship and be sent to rest. She saw Van Helsing shut his deep, brown eyes and slip into dreams. Carl was not far from sleep when Anna's dreams faded to black and left her mind unconscious but her body awake; again, it Victoria's magic was to blame.
Author's Note: (Sorry if most of this chapter was a little weak. I've been gone all day, and I'm barely awake right now. I just didn't want to leave the cliffhanger any longer.)