Author's Note: (I have a page on my website that contains some information
on Dhampirs if anyone is interested to read about them.
)
When night came, Van Helsing's headache was gone. He also found that Madeline was there to speak with him. Carl had sneaked her inside and left her alone to speak with Van Helsing. "You need to come back to Transylvania. You need to get Anna out of there while Victoria keeps her coven watching over her. They keep putting Anna under spells, and that worries me, Van Helsing."
Van Helsing stood up. "Why are they keeping Anna under spells?"
"I guess to keep her from running away and coming to you." Madeline replied. Her mind was on more things than it could handle. She was still trying to decide if she should tell Carl about what the tarot cards had told her. But, she also wanted to tell Van Helsing that Anna was having a baby, but she didn't know if she should. She noticed the pain in Van Helsing's expression, and she knew that she had to tell Van Helsing the truth.
"Van Helsing," she said.
"Yes," he replied.
"Victoria is keeping Anna locked up because she's carrying a child, and they going to use the child to save themselves from you and the Holy Order." Madeline blurted out.
Van Helsing didn't know how to react, but he did let the anger show upon his face. He wanted revenge upon Victoria for all that she had done to him. He looked over at Madeline, and she saw the fire in his eyes. 'That's good,' she thought. 'I think we'll have no problem with Victoria with that look in his eyes.' Van Helsing asked Madeline, "When would you be ready to leave?"
Madeline smiled. "Anytime," she replied.
"Good." Van Helsing replied. "Let's leave now." He started to walk out but he turned and placed his hand on Madeline's shoulder. "Thank you, you risked a lot coming here since you have to avoid the sun. But, you are not like the other vampires. You have a heart inside your chest that is more than a withered, unpitied hunk of ice. You have a warmth for people that some people don't even have."
Madeline wanted to reveal everything to Van Helsing then because she trusted him. "Van Helsing, I have a confession about myself," she admitted.
Van Helsing stared at her waiting for her to tell him. "Yes," he said to her.
"I love Carl, and he and I shared these feelings in a physical way last night." Madeline noticed Van Helsing looked rather uncomfortable at what he was hearing. "Today, I had a tarot card reading from Katalena and was shocked by what I learned. I'm afraid that I'm going to have a baby, Carl's baby."
Van Helsing didn't speak for a moment then he looked out to make sure that Carl wasn't waiting for them. "Does he know," he whispered. Madeline shook her head. "Are you planning on enlightening him to this?"
Madeline sighed. "I am afraid I do not know how. I will have to tell him that I am a vampire, and that may drive him away from me."
Van Helsing put his hands on Madeline's shoulders. "Carl is bright, and he will realize that what you've done means more than the fact that you are a vampire. He just may need a day or two to accept that."
Madeline sighed. "That's what I fear," she said. "That and having a half-vampire child. But, there are more important things to fear at this point. We must leave for Transylvania."
Van Helsing nodded and left the room. Madeline followed cautiously as she dreaded seeing Carl again. Her guilt weighed her down so much. 'I will tell him. Just not right now,' she thought.
Madeline went outside to where Monty was at, and she climbed inside of the carriage. She saw Van Helsing and Carl come out later, and she felt guilt build up within her again at the sight of Carl. But she ignored it as the carriage started moving, and Madeline let out a sigh. 'At least we're heading for Vaseria.'
Van Helsing and Carl followed Monty and Madeline's carriage, but Van Helsing found the air unsettled. He glanced around while his instinct screamed danger was near. But, he couldn't see anything in the darkness. Carl noticed Van Helsing was jumpy. "Van Helsing, what's wrong?"
Van Helsing shushed Carl. He heard rustling in the forest nearby and couldn't tell what it was. "There's something out there, Carl," he whispered.
Carl's face went pale. "Are you sure?"
Van Helsing nodded. "Positive."
Madeline sensed something near them as well, and her vampire senses were never off. She pulled the lining away from the roof of her carriage, where a trap door was hidden on the roof. She lifted the door and stood up in the trap door. She smelled to see if she could detect whatever was near, but it was a scent unfamiliar to her. She stared out to the woods and saw movement and nothing else. 'Whatever is out there,' she thought, 'is in dark complected.'
Victoria stood around a fire and worked her magic as she watched Van Helsing, she used the fire to watch what he did. She chanted to awaken the creatures in the forest and all areas she could reach with her powers. "Awaken Centaur, Chimaera, Dryad, Gorgons, the Griffins, my Harpies, the unstoppable Hydra, Lamia, the mighty Minotaur, Naiad, Nereid, Salamanderk, and the all mighty Sphinx. I command you to keep Van Helsing out this area, Transylvania. Kill him if you have to, but do not let him enter here!" The fire in front of Victoria blew up and reached out in the sky as it formed fiery hands. The hands made of fire sent calls out to the creatures that were hidden away for the most part. Victoria let out an evil laugh as she watched her powers call out for her servants. "Yes," she said pushing a loose hair out of her face, "Van Helsing will not be returning to Vaseria. That is for certain."
Anna was asleep, but Mae came into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She watched Anna dream, and she knew that she saw Van Helsing just from the worried look upon her face and from the fact that she knew the side effects of Victoria's magic. Anna was not seeing Van Helsing for once. She was seeing the creatures being awakened by Victoria. She saw the Chimaera, a monster that breaths fire and has a lion's head, she-goat's body, and serpent's tail, wake from its sleep. It was close to where Van Helsing was. So were the griffins and the harpies--monsters with female heads and bodies of birds. The Sphinx--a creature with a lion's body and woman's head that kills anyone unable to solve its riddle--was also very close to Van Helsing.
Mae touched Anna's arm and told her, "Anna, what you are seeing is not a dream. It is really happening."
Anna heard Mae's voice, it sounded far away, but she heard it. It made her worry. 'If this is happening, then Van Helsing is in real danger!' Anna thought horrified.
Van Helsing knew that they were in trouble before any of the creatures ever got near them. 'There is definitely something coming,' he thought. He glanced over to Madeline, who was staring intensely into the distance. "What do you see?" Van Helsing asked her. She didn't reply right away, but the look on her face explained it all. 'Something is coming,' he thought. Madeline climbed back down out of the trap door, and emerged from the carriage. She ran over to where Van Helsing and Carl were on horseback. "Several creatures approach. I could see griffins and harpies soaring in the air, within the clouds. But, I saw a Chimaera and a sphinx running along the ground."
Van Helsing cursed and pulled his pistols out of his leather duster. He readied the guns and held them out so he could aim. That was when he saw the griffins and harpies coming for them. "Madeline!" Van Helsing shouted. "Hide!"
Madeline stared Van Helsing wildly. "Why? You need help!"
Van Helsing stared at her menacingly, and Madeline knew why. 'You have a baby to protect now,' she told herself. A wave of guilt hit here when she knew that Carl would be in danger. "Carl, I have to tell you something." Madeline told Carl. Carl turned to face her, and she could see fear in his eyes because of the upcoming battle he was going to be a part of. Van Helsing looked over at her and looked at her like she was crazy for deciding to tell Carl everything at that moment.
Before Madeline could tell Carl everything, a griffin flew right for Carl. But, Van Helsing shot it when it was inches from Carl. Carl looked over to show thanks to Van Helsing. Van Helsing was busy riding out away from where Carl was so that he could steer some of the creatures away from his friend. There were ten griffins that were swarming him, and he wasn't quick enough to shoot them all down at once. He felt a griffin's claws scratch his face, but he kept trying to shoot them.
Monty took out a revolver that he carried with him for safety and began firing at the griffins. Along with Van Helsing's shooting, Monty finished off the griffins. Van Helsing thanked Monty but was soon sideswiped by a Harpie. The creature knocked him off of his black stallion, but he rose to his feet quickly and reloaded his pistols. He glanced around to see more harpies coming. There were five of them, and they were all heading for him. Or, so he thought.
One Harpy headed straight for Carl, who tried to jump off of his horse. But, the Harpy caught him before he landed on the ground. She then flapped her wings to lift up higher in the air before she flew away. Madeline screamed out, "Carl!" Van Helsing looked and saw his friend being carried off by the horrid creature. He aimed for the harpy, but his shot missed. "Hold on, Carl!" Van Helsing shouted.
"I do not think that holding on is the problem!" Carl shouted back trying to keep humor in the situation.
Van Helsing ran as fast as he could in the direction that the harpy was taking. He was close enough to get a good shot on the harpy when another harpy slammed into him. He was rolled a few times on the ground and found his pistols were lying too far to reach. The harpy was down upon him before he could even move, and he had to hold off the terrible creature until he could reach a knife that was in his duster.
Madeline, seeing that Van Helsing couldn't make it in time to save Carl, ran over Monty's side and cried out, "Please, Monty, help Carl!" Monty nodded and aimed his gun, but he noticed a harpy coming right for him. He turned the gun to shoot down the creature when Madeline pushed his gun back and said in a monotone voice, "I will handle this harpy." Monty turned the gun back on the harpy carrying Carl off, and he waiting until the creature dipped back down before he fired a shot. He didn't want Carl to fall to his death after being saved from the creature. Seeing Carl fall safely to the ground, Monty turned and shot at the two harpies that were attacking Van Helsing. The second harpy had just landed by Van Helsing.
The harpy in front of Madeline was close, but Madeline's fangs grew back quick enough for her rampage to be summoned. She leapt forward and slammed into the harpy. As she and the harpy fell to the ground, Madeline sunk her fangs into the creature's neck. The creature squirmed as Madeline drained its blood, and soon it fell still. Madeline pulled her fangs out of the creature's neck to see another harpy staring at her with fire in her eyes. The creature took to flight, and Madeline didn't even bother to wipe the blood from her mouth.
Madeline dodged the harpie attack, but she grabbed the creature's wings and threw it to the ground. The harpy was quick as it got up, but Madeline tackled it and bit down into its neck like she had the first. There was something sweet in the blood of a creature so foul, and Madeline didn't mind draining a creature that working for evil purposes. She had never drained two creatures before in one night. But, she enjoyed that the bloodlust was gone completely.
Madeline stood up while wiping blood off of her mouth and saw Carl staring at her. 'Damn,' she thought, 'This was not how he was suppose to find out.' Madeline ran over to Carl, who backed away from her with a mix of fear and hate in his eyes. "Carl, please, I was just going to tell you-- "
Carl cut her off, "You should have told me before now. You should have told me last night before we..." Carl's eyes showed he was hurt from Madeline lying to him. "I cannot believe you're a vampire," he spat leaving a sting on Madeline's soul. She shut her eyes and tried to shrug off what he said. But, she knew that she couldn't hold her tongue.
"I cannot help it if I am a vampire, and I can't help that I love you." Madeline told Carl.
Carl crossed his arms and pushed past Madeline. Madeline felt her anger rise and shouted at Carl, "I also cannot help that I'm going to have a child!" She saw Carl stop suddenly and stand with his back to her for a moment.
Carl didn't know what to think because his emotions were all mixed up. He loved Madeline, but she was a vampire. That was why he was angry, along with the fact that she hid her real nature long enough for him to fall in love with her. But, he felt lost in his emotions when Madeline spoke of a child. He turned and stared at Madeline, and he knew that she was being truthful. "Carl," she said gently as she walked over to him. He wanted to back away from her, but he couldn't force himself to move. He looked down at her and thought, 'How could she be a vampire? She's been so kind and helpful to Van Helsing. And, I still love her. What if the child is a vampire like her? It's too complicated.'
Carl's thoughts were interrupted by Madeline placing her hand on Carl's cheek as she stared into his eyes. She looked much older than she had when he'd first saw her, even though physically she had not changed at all. Her eyes showed she was older than she seemed. "Katalena's tarot reading told me, and I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid to accept it because I do not want my child to live this life I must. I know my mother died so I could live--and I am grateful to her for that--but I do not take pride in the ways of a vampire's life."
Van Helsing was battling the Chimaera while Carl and Madeline discussed Madeline's way of life, and Monty was helping. Van Helsing made a mental note to thank Monty after the action was over. The Chimaera was a naughty little creature that blew fire out at Van Helsing. So, Van Helsing basically kept running from it. Monty hid behind the carriage and aimed for the creature's head. He took a shot, but missed its head. The bullet hit the shoulder, and the creature let out a screech. Van Helsing pulled out his shotgun and fired at the Chimaera. The creature retreated and hid in tall grass, and Van Helsing pursued it when the sphinx landed in front of him. It growled then told Van Helsing in the feminine voice that came from its female human head, "Answer my riddle correct, and you can go. Answer it wrong, and you die."
Carl was about to reply when he heard Van Helsing call out, "Carl!" He spun around to see Van Helsing standing in front of the sphinx. "I could use some help!" Carl nodded and left Madeline to help his friend. He needed to escape the conversation with Madeline anyway. He didn't want to think about how complicated his life was now that he knew Madeline was a vampire and was pregnant with his child.
Carl arrived at Van Helsing's side and asked, "What do you need," as he eyed the sphinx.
Van Helsing told him, "She has a riddle for me, if I get it wrong, we die."
Blood rushed from Carl's face, and he said, "Perhaps I should take over this task."
Van Helsing nodded and moved out of the way. "Carl will be the one to answer your question." Van Helsing told the sphinx.
The sphinx nodded. "Very well, but if he does not answer correctly, you all will die." Van Helsing nodded to show he understood.
Carl swallowed hard as the sphinx leaned down face to face with him. "Here is my riddle: A general, accused of high treason, is sentenced to death by the court-martial. He is allowed to make a final statement, after which he will be shot if the statement is false or will be hung if the statement is true. He makes his final statement and is released. Now, what could he have said?"
Carl felt sweat bead up on his neck and forehead. 'If his statement is false, he is shot. If his statement is true, he is hanged. What did he say to be released? What did he say?' Carl thought. He glanced around and saw Van Helsing look worried. He couldn't clear his mind because of everything that had just happened. 'Why did I have to learn the truth about Madeline now,' he wondered. 'Think, think, what could the general have said to be released.' Carl racked his brain to find an answer, and he decided he had come up with an answer.
Carl stood up straight and proudly said, "The general said, 'I will be shot.' If this statement was true, he would have been hung and thus not be shot. But then his statement would be false, which implies that he should be shot, making the statement true again. So, the verdict of the court-martial could not be executed and the general was released. "
The sphinx sat up and stared down at Carl, who started to hunch over in fear. 'Perhaps I was wrong,' he thought. Then, he squeezed his eyes tight in case he was wrong and was about to lose his life. 'I am sorry for failing, Van Helsing.' Carl thought as he awaited a strike from the sphinx's lion paw.
When night came, Van Helsing's headache was gone. He also found that Madeline was there to speak with him. Carl had sneaked her inside and left her alone to speak with Van Helsing. "You need to come back to Transylvania. You need to get Anna out of there while Victoria keeps her coven watching over her. They keep putting Anna under spells, and that worries me, Van Helsing."
Van Helsing stood up. "Why are they keeping Anna under spells?"
"I guess to keep her from running away and coming to you." Madeline replied. Her mind was on more things than it could handle. She was still trying to decide if she should tell Carl about what the tarot cards had told her. But, she also wanted to tell Van Helsing that Anna was having a baby, but she didn't know if she should. She noticed the pain in Van Helsing's expression, and she knew that she had to tell Van Helsing the truth.
"Van Helsing," she said.
"Yes," he replied.
"Victoria is keeping Anna locked up because she's carrying a child, and they going to use the child to save themselves from you and the Holy Order." Madeline blurted out.
Van Helsing didn't know how to react, but he did let the anger show upon his face. He wanted revenge upon Victoria for all that she had done to him. He looked over at Madeline, and she saw the fire in his eyes. 'That's good,' she thought. 'I think we'll have no problem with Victoria with that look in his eyes.' Van Helsing asked Madeline, "When would you be ready to leave?"
Madeline smiled. "Anytime," she replied.
"Good." Van Helsing replied. "Let's leave now." He started to walk out but he turned and placed his hand on Madeline's shoulder. "Thank you, you risked a lot coming here since you have to avoid the sun. But, you are not like the other vampires. You have a heart inside your chest that is more than a withered, unpitied hunk of ice. You have a warmth for people that some people don't even have."
Madeline wanted to reveal everything to Van Helsing then because she trusted him. "Van Helsing, I have a confession about myself," she admitted.
Van Helsing stared at her waiting for her to tell him. "Yes," he said to her.
"I love Carl, and he and I shared these feelings in a physical way last night." Madeline noticed Van Helsing looked rather uncomfortable at what he was hearing. "Today, I had a tarot card reading from Katalena and was shocked by what I learned. I'm afraid that I'm going to have a baby, Carl's baby."
Van Helsing didn't speak for a moment then he looked out to make sure that Carl wasn't waiting for them. "Does he know," he whispered. Madeline shook her head. "Are you planning on enlightening him to this?"
Madeline sighed. "I am afraid I do not know how. I will have to tell him that I am a vampire, and that may drive him away from me."
Van Helsing put his hands on Madeline's shoulders. "Carl is bright, and he will realize that what you've done means more than the fact that you are a vampire. He just may need a day or two to accept that."
Madeline sighed. "That's what I fear," she said. "That and having a half-vampire child. But, there are more important things to fear at this point. We must leave for Transylvania."
Van Helsing nodded and left the room. Madeline followed cautiously as she dreaded seeing Carl again. Her guilt weighed her down so much. 'I will tell him. Just not right now,' she thought.
Madeline went outside to where Monty was at, and she climbed inside of the carriage. She saw Van Helsing and Carl come out later, and she felt guilt build up within her again at the sight of Carl. But she ignored it as the carriage started moving, and Madeline let out a sigh. 'At least we're heading for Vaseria.'
Van Helsing and Carl followed Monty and Madeline's carriage, but Van Helsing found the air unsettled. He glanced around while his instinct screamed danger was near. But, he couldn't see anything in the darkness. Carl noticed Van Helsing was jumpy. "Van Helsing, what's wrong?"
Van Helsing shushed Carl. He heard rustling in the forest nearby and couldn't tell what it was. "There's something out there, Carl," he whispered.
Carl's face went pale. "Are you sure?"
Van Helsing nodded. "Positive."
Madeline sensed something near them as well, and her vampire senses were never off. She pulled the lining away from the roof of her carriage, where a trap door was hidden on the roof. She lifted the door and stood up in the trap door. She smelled to see if she could detect whatever was near, but it was a scent unfamiliar to her. She stared out to the woods and saw movement and nothing else. 'Whatever is out there,' she thought, 'is in dark complected.'
Victoria stood around a fire and worked her magic as she watched Van Helsing, she used the fire to watch what he did. She chanted to awaken the creatures in the forest and all areas she could reach with her powers. "Awaken Centaur, Chimaera, Dryad, Gorgons, the Griffins, my Harpies, the unstoppable Hydra, Lamia, the mighty Minotaur, Naiad, Nereid, Salamanderk, and the all mighty Sphinx. I command you to keep Van Helsing out this area, Transylvania. Kill him if you have to, but do not let him enter here!" The fire in front of Victoria blew up and reached out in the sky as it formed fiery hands. The hands made of fire sent calls out to the creatures that were hidden away for the most part. Victoria let out an evil laugh as she watched her powers call out for her servants. "Yes," she said pushing a loose hair out of her face, "Van Helsing will not be returning to Vaseria. That is for certain."
Anna was asleep, but Mae came into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. She watched Anna dream, and she knew that she saw Van Helsing just from the worried look upon her face and from the fact that she knew the side effects of Victoria's magic. Anna was not seeing Van Helsing for once. She was seeing the creatures being awakened by Victoria. She saw the Chimaera, a monster that breaths fire and has a lion's head, she-goat's body, and serpent's tail, wake from its sleep. It was close to where Van Helsing was. So were the griffins and the harpies--monsters with female heads and bodies of birds. The Sphinx--a creature with a lion's body and woman's head that kills anyone unable to solve its riddle--was also very close to Van Helsing.
Mae touched Anna's arm and told her, "Anna, what you are seeing is not a dream. It is really happening."
Anna heard Mae's voice, it sounded far away, but she heard it. It made her worry. 'If this is happening, then Van Helsing is in real danger!' Anna thought horrified.
Van Helsing knew that they were in trouble before any of the creatures ever got near them. 'There is definitely something coming,' he thought. He glanced over to Madeline, who was staring intensely into the distance. "What do you see?" Van Helsing asked her. She didn't reply right away, but the look on her face explained it all. 'Something is coming,' he thought. Madeline climbed back down out of the trap door, and emerged from the carriage. She ran over to where Van Helsing and Carl were on horseback. "Several creatures approach. I could see griffins and harpies soaring in the air, within the clouds. But, I saw a Chimaera and a sphinx running along the ground."
Van Helsing cursed and pulled his pistols out of his leather duster. He readied the guns and held them out so he could aim. That was when he saw the griffins and harpies coming for them. "Madeline!" Van Helsing shouted. "Hide!"
Madeline stared Van Helsing wildly. "Why? You need help!"
Van Helsing stared at her menacingly, and Madeline knew why. 'You have a baby to protect now,' she told herself. A wave of guilt hit here when she knew that Carl would be in danger. "Carl, I have to tell you something." Madeline told Carl. Carl turned to face her, and she could see fear in his eyes because of the upcoming battle he was going to be a part of. Van Helsing looked over at her and looked at her like she was crazy for deciding to tell Carl everything at that moment.
Before Madeline could tell Carl everything, a griffin flew right for Carl. But, Van Helsing shot it when it was inches from Carl. Carl looked over to show thanks to Van Helsing. Van Helsing was busy riding out away from where Carl was so that he could steer some of the creatures away from his friend. There were ten griffins that were swarming him, and he wasn't quick enough to shoot them all down at once. He felt a griffin's claws scratch his face, but he kept trying to shoot them.
Monty took out a revolver that he carried with him for safety and began firing at the griffins. Along with Van Helsing's shooting, Monty finished off the griffins. Van Helsing thanked Monty but was soon sideswiped by a Harpie. The creature knocked him off of his black stallion, but he rose to his feet quickly and reloaded his pistols. He glanced around to see more harpies coming. There were five of them, and they were all heading for him. Or, so he thought.
One Harpy headed straight for Carl, who tried to jump off of his horse. But, the Harpy caught him before he landed on the ground. She then flapped her wings to lift up higher in the air before she flew away. Madeline screamed out, "Carl!" Van Helsing looked and saw his friend being carried off by the horrid creature. He aimed for the harpy, but his shot missed. "Hold on, Carl!" Van Helsing shouted.
"I do not think that holding on is the problem!" Carl shouted back trying to keep humor in the situation.
Van Helsing ran as fast as he could in the direction that the harpy was taking. He was close enough to get a good shot on the harpy when another harpy slammed into him. He was rolled a few times on the ground and found his pistols were lying too far to reach. The harpy was down upon him before he could even move, and he had to hold off the terrible creature until he could reach a knife that was in his duster.
Madeline, seeing that Van Helsing couldn't make it in time to save Carl, ran over Monty's side and cried out, "Please, Monty, help Carl!" Monty nodded and aimed his gun, but he noticed a harpy coming right for him. He turned the gun to shoot down the creature when Madeline pushed his gun back and said in a monotone voice, "I will handle this harpy." Monty turned the gun back on the harpy carrying Carl off, and he waiting until the creature dipped back down before he fired a shot. He didn't want Carl to fall to his death after being saved from the creature. Seeing Carl fall safely to the ground, Monty turned and shot at the two harpies that were attacking Van Helsing. The second harpy had just landed by Van Helsing.
The harpy in front of Madeline was close, but Madeline's fangs grew back quick enough for her rampage to be summoned. She leapt forward and slammed into the harpy. As she and the harpy fell to the ground, Madeline sunk her fangs into the creature's neck. The creature squirmed as Madeline drained its blood, and soon it fell still. Madeline pulled her fangs out of the creature's neck to see another harpy staring at her with fire in her eyes. The creature took to flight, and Madeline didn't even bother to wipe the blood from her mouth.
Madeline dodged the harpie attack, but she grabbed the creature's wings and threw it to the ground. The harpy was quick as it got up, but Madeline tackled it and bit down into its neck like she had the first. There was something sweet in the blood of a creature so foul, and Madeline didn't mind draining a creature that working for evil purposes. She had never drained two creatures before in one night. But, she enjoyed that the bloodlust was gone completely.
Madeline stood up while wiping blood off of her mouth and saw Carl staring at her. 'Damn,' she thought, 'This was not how he was suppose to find out.' Madeline ran over to Carl, who backed away from her with a mix of fear and hate in his eyes. "Carl, please, I was just going to tell you-- "
Carl cut her off, "You should have told me before now. You should have told me last night before we..." Carl's eyes showed he was hurt from Madeline lying to him. "I cannot believe you're a vampire," he spat leaving a sting on Madeline's soul. She shut her eyes and tried to shrug off what he said. But, she knew that she couldn't hold her tongue.
"I cannot help it if I am a vampire, and I can't help that I love you." Madeline told Carl.
Carl crossed his arms and pushed past Madeline. Madeline felt her anger rise and shouted at Carl, "I also cannot help that I'm going to have a child!" She saw Carl stop suddenly and stand with his back to her for a moment.
Carl didn't know what to think because his emotions were all mixed up. He loved Madeline, but she was a vampire. That was why he was angry, along with the fact that she hid her real nature long enough for him to fall in love with her. But, he felt lost in his emotions when Madeline spoke of a child. He turned and stared at Madeline, and he knew that she was being truthful. "Carl," she said gently as she walked over to him. He wanted to back away from her, but he couldn't force himself to move. He looked down at her and thought, 'How could she be a vampire? She's been so kind and helpful to Van Helsing. And, I still love her. What if the child is a vampire like her? It's too complicated.'
Carl's thoughts were interrupted by Madeline placing her hand on Carl's cheek as she stared into his eyes. She looked much older than she had when he'd first saw her, even though physically she had not changed at all. Her eyes showed she was older than she seemed. "Katalena's tarot reading told me, and I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid to accept it because I do not want my child to live this life I must. I know my mother died so I could live--and I am grateful to her for that--but I do not take pride in the ways of a vampire's life."
Van Helsing was battling the Chimaera while Carl and Madeline discussed Madeline's way of life, and Monty was helping. Van Helsing made a mental note to thank Monty after the action was over. The Chimaera was a naughty little creature that blew fire out at Van Helsing. So, Van Helsing basically kept running from it. Monty hid behind the carriage and aimed for the creature's head. He took a shot, but missed its head. The bullet hit the shoulder, and the creature let out a screech. Van Helsing pulled out his shotgun and fired at the Chimaera. The creature retreated and hid in tall grass, and Van Helsing pursued it when the sphinx landed in front of him. It growled then told Van Helsing in the feminine voice that came from its female human head, "Answer my riddle correct, and you can go. Answer it wrong, and you die."
Carl was about to reply when he heard Van Helsing call out, "Carl!" He spun around to see Van Helsing standing in front of the sphinx. "I could use some help!" Carl nodded and left Madeline to help his friend. He needed to escape the conversation with Madeline anyway. He didn't want to think about how complicated his life was now that he knew Madeline was a vampire and was pregnant with his child.
Carl arrived at Van Helsing's side and asked, "What do you need," as he eyed the sphinx.
Van Helsing told him, "She has a riddle for me, if I get it wrong, we die."
Blood rushed from Carl's face, and he said, "Perhaps I should take over this task."
Van Helsing nodded and moved out of the way. "Carl will be the one to answer your question." Van Helsing told the sphinx.
The sphinx nodded. "Very well, but if he does not answer correctly, you all will die." Van Helsing nodded to show he understood.
Carl swallowed hard as the sphinx leaned down face to face with him. "Here is my riddle: A general, accused of high treason, is sentenced to death by the court-martial. He is allowed to make a final statement, after which he will be shot if the statement is false or will be hung if the statement is true. He makes his final statement and is released. Now, what could he have said?"
Carl felt sweat bead up on his neck and forehead. 'If his statement is false, he is shot. If his statement is true, he is hanged. What did he say to be released? What did he say?' Carl thought. He glanced around and saw Van Helsing look worried. He couldn't clear his mind because of everything that had just happened. 'Why did I have to learn the truth about Madeline now,' he wondered. 'Think, think, what could the general have said to be released.' Carl racked his brain to find an answer, and he decided he had come up with an answer.
Carl stood up straight and proudly said, "The general said, 'I will be shot.' If this statement was true, he would have been hung and thus not be shot. But then his statement would be false, which implies that he should be shot, making the statement true again. So, the verdict of the court-martial could not be executed and the general was released. "
The sphinx sat up and stared down at Carl, who started to hunch over in fear. 'Perhaps I was wrong,' he thought. Then, he squeezed his eyes tight in case he was wrong and was about to lose his life. 'I am sorry for failing, Van Helsing.' Carl thought as he awaited a strike from the sphinx's lion paw.