All of Transylvania was out around the square when they arrived. Gabriel didn't find this surprising at all- they had probably all gathered to wait for the advice of Rebekkah about the vampire's victim last night.
Everyone turned to stare as Anna climbed off her horse and stepped up onto the well. She looked back at them, her face unreadable. Gabriel and Carl walked over to stand beside her.
"Good morning, Transylvania," Anna called.
They were silent.
"Where's Rebekkah?" called a pale, blonde woman from the crowd.
"Why, what seems to be the problem?" Anna asked.
"Only the dead woman and her child found, drained of blood, on the steps of her house!" shrieked the same woman.
Anna sighed. "Vampires. They are back."
"Where's Rebekkah?" asked a tall man.
"Rebekkah is the vampire," Anna announced. "Or, at least, one of them."
Silence, deeper and if possible more quiet than the last one, fell. For a tense few moments, everyone stared at Anna. Her eyes revealed her growing nerves.
"Anna Valerious..." said the man.
She inclined her head. "I'm back."
"ANNA, DUCK!" shouted Gabriel suddenly.
Anna jumped forward off the well, landing on her stomach on the ground, revealing the blue bat form of Rebekkah swooping down behind her. Rebekkah let out a terrible screech and rose up into the sky again, cackling as she spun around the clouds, which were hiding the sun.
Anna rolled onto her back. "Everybody inside!" she screamed.
People didn't need telling twice. Suddenly they were running everywhere, screaming and crying out. Anna leapt to her feet and produced a long wooden pole with a retractable silver stake on the end.
"Nice," muttered Carl, arming himself with a pistol, and loading it with bright blue pods.
Gabriel had chosen his crossbow and was quickly loading it. He looked around and saw that the square was empty, save for him, Anna and Carl.
Rebekkah was hurtling towards the ground again, laughing madly. Gabriel took aim and opened fire.
His silver shots trailed along at her feet, then suddenly one entered her foot, which began to pour with black blood. Rebekkah swerved out of her path towards Anna, and instead headed for the well, into which she disappeared.
Silence fell. Anna, Carl and Gabriel looked at each other, frozen to the spot. The clouds had moved out of the way of the sun, and pale beams of sunlight were being cast across the square.
Anna raised the stake in her hand. Gabriel tightened his grip on his crossbow. The pair of them walked slowly and quietly to the side of the well, so that they were on opposite sides.
"On the count of three," mouthed Anna. "One, two-"
The sun disappeared behind the clouds again. A terrible shriek pierced the air, and Rebekkah flew up out of the well, punching Anna in the chin.
As Rebekkah sailed up into the sky again, Anna was flung backwards with the impact of the punch and fell unconscious on the ground.
"Anna!" called Gabriel, leaping over the well and landing on his knees at her side.
Two hands grabbed his waist, and he was shocked to find that he was being lifted off the ground by a vampire.
"How do you like flying?" asked a low, female voice which wasn't Rebekkah's.
Gabriel wriggled in her arms, but they kept going higher. The vampire spun and twirled, making him feel sick and dizzy.
"Seriyah!" called a third vampire's voice. "Don't be a tease."
Gabriel was dropped then, he fell, down, down, down, his arms flailing as he tried to find something, anything, to hold onto...
He breathed a sigh of relief as he caught the crucifux on the church. He looked around. The vampire who had grabbed him seemed smaller than Rebekkah, with a head of curly red hair, and wide teasing hazel eyes. She landed on the roof of the next building and assumed her human form. She was rather pretty, a small farmgirl, no older than fifteen. She smiled evilly at him. The other vampire landed beside her. This one was tall and when she assumed her human form was nothing less than gorgeous. Straight, shiny, black hair framed her dark face bluntly. Her eyes sparkled like black beetles. Her dress was long, tight and silver.
Gabriel glanced at Anna. She was still out cold. He was surprised to see Carl taking on Rebekkah, who was in her human morph. They were wrestling on foot. Rebekkah kept snapping at Carl's neck. He was dodging well.
"Your little friend fights well," sneered Seriyah, cocking her head.
"Rather cute, isn't he?" smiled the third vampire.
"Erika, I think you might be the tease," laughed Seriyah.
Gabriel couldn't hide his wide grin as Carl punched Rebekkah square on the nose. Rebekkah was flung backwards, and she crashed into the side of a wooden cart filled with radishes. The cart and its contents collapsed on top of her.
Erika and Seriyah shrieked and turned into blue bats and dived off the roof, streaking down for Carl, who had his back turned.
"Carl!" shouted Gabriel, dropping to the floor.
Carl swivelled around, and saw Seriyah heading for him, her mouth opened wide. Time seemed to slow down as he raised his arm, cocked his pistol, and shot...
The blue pod smashed into her stomach. Black blood splashed everywhere, and Seriyah pulled up out of her dive.
"Get down!" shouted Carl to Gabriel.
Gabriel didn't think ignoring a warning from Carl's mouth was a good idea, and he dropped to his knees at the same moment as Carl did.
BANG.
Gabriel could only stare as Seriyah exploded into a mass of black and blue gore. Anna sat up with a gasp.
"Seriyah!" screamed Erika, who was working at pulling a battered Rebekkah from the radish cart.
The pair of vampires left hissed, turned into bats, and flew away. All was still for a few moments, then Gabriel ran down to crouch beside Anna.
"I'm so hopeless," she sighed, "out cold through the whole fight. I missed all the action."
"Are you okay?" asked Gabriel, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said quickly. "You?"
"Great. Carl?"
Carl was paler than usual, but he nodded bravely. "Do you think they'll come back?" he asked weakly.
Anna shook her head. "No. They will run to Dracula now, one down. They feel weak and more exposed to danger. It will take them several hours to feel right again. What wimps, they don't even have hearts!"
Gabriel smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the manor."
Everyone turned to stare as Anna climbed off her horse and stepped up onto the well. She looked back at them, her face unreadable. Gabriel and Carl walked over to stand beside her.
"Good morning, Transylvania," Anna called.
They were silent.
"Where's Rebekkah?" called a pale, blonde woman from the crowd.
"Why, what seems to be the problem?" Anna asked.
"Only the dead woman and her child found, drained of blood, on the steps of her house!" shrieked the same woman.
Anna sighed. "Vampires. They are back."
"Where's Rebekkah?" asked a tall man.
"Rebekkah is the vampire," Anna announced. "Or, at least, one of them."
Silence, deeper and if possible more quiet than the last one, fell. For a tense few moments, everyone stared at Anna. Her eyes revealed her growing nerves.
"Anna Valerious..." said the man.
She inclined her head. "I'm back."
"ANNA, DUCK!" shouted Gabriel suddenly.
Anna jumped forward off the well, landing on her stomach on the ground, revealing the blue bat form of Rebekkah swooping down behind her. Rebekkah let out a terrible screech and rose up into the sky again, cackling as she spun around the clouds, which were hiding the sun.
Anna rolled onto her back. "Everybody inside!" she screamed.
People didn't need telling twice. Suddenly they were running everywhere, screaming and crying out. Anna leapt to her feet and produced a long wooden pole with a retractable silver stake on the end.
"Nice," muttered Carl, arming himself with a pistol, and loading it with bright blue pods.
Gabriel had chosen his crossbow and was quickly loading it. He looked around and saw that the square was empty, save for him, Anna and Carl.
Rebekkah was hurtling towards the ground again, laughing madly. Gabriel took aim and opened fire.
His silver shots trailed along at her feet, then suddenly one entered her foot, which began to pour with black blood. Rebekkah swerved out of her path towards Anna, and instead headed for the well, into which she disappeared.
Silence fell. Anna, Carl and Gabriel looked at each other, frozen to the spot. The clouds had moved out of the way of the sun, and pale beams of sunlight were being cast across the square.
Anna raised the stake in her hand. Gabriel tightened his grip on his crossbow. The pair of them walked slowly and quietly to the side of the well, so that they were on opposite sides.
"On the count of three," mouthed Anna. "One, two-"
The sun disappeared behind the clouds again. A terrible shriek pierced the air, and Rebekkah flew up out of the well, punching Anna in the chin.
As Rebekkah sailed up into the sky again, Anna was flung backwards with the impact of the punch and fell unconscious on the ground.
"Anna!" called Gabriel, leaping over the well and landing on his knees at her side.
Two hands grabbed his waist, and he was shocked to find that he was being lifted off the ground by a vampire.
"How do you like flying?" asked a low, female voice which wasn't Rebekkah's.
Gabriel wriggled in her arms, but they kept going higher. The vampire spun and twirled, making him feel sick and dizzy.
"Seriyah!" called a third vampire's voice. "Don't be a tease."
Gabriel was dropped then, he fell, down, down, down, his arms flailing as he tried to find something, anything, to hold onto...
He breathed a sigh of relief as he caught the crucifux on the church. He looked around. The vampire who had grabbed him seemed smaller than Rebekkah, with a head of curly red hair, and wide teasing hazel eyes. She landed on the roof of the next building and assumed her human form. She was rather pretty, a small farmgirl, no older than fifteen. She smiled evilly at him. The other vampire landed beside her. This one was tall and when she assumed her human form was nothing less than gorgeous. Straight, shiny, black hair framed her dark face bluntly. Her eyes sparkled like black beetles. Her dress was long, tight and silver.
Gabriel glanced at Anna. She was still out cold. He was surprised to see Carl taking on Rebekkah, who was in her human morph. They were wrestling on foot. Rebekkah kept snapping at Carl's neck. He was dodging well.
"Your little friend fights well," sneered Seriyah, cocking her head.
"Rather cute, isn't he?" smiled the third vampire.
"Erika, I think you might be the tease," laughed Seriyah.
Gabriel couldn't hide his wide grin as Carl punched Rebekkah square on the nose. Rebekkah was flung backwards, and she crashed into the side of a wooden cart filled with radishes. The cart and its contents collapsed on top of her.
Erika and Seriyah shrieked and turned into blue bats and dived off the roof, streaking down for Carl, who had his back turned.
"Carl!" shouted Gabriel, dropping to the floor.
Carl swivelled around, and saw Seriyah heading for him, her mouth opened wide. Time seemed to slow down as he raised his arm, cocked his pistol, and shot...
The blue pod smashed into her stomach. Black blood splashed everywhere, and Seriyah pulled up out of her dive.
"Get down!" shouted Carl to Gabriel.
Gabriel didn't think ignoring a warning from Carl's mouth was a good idea, and he dropped to his knees at the same moment as Carl did.
BANG.
Gabriel could only stare as Seriyah exploded into a mass of black and blue gore. Anna sat up with a gasp.
"Seriyah!" screamed Erika, who was working at pulling a battered Rebekkah from the radish cart.
The pair of vampires left hissed, turned into bats, and flew away. All was still for a few moments, then Gabriel ran down to crouch beside Anna.
"I'm so hopeless," she sighed, "out cold through the whole fight. I missed all the action."
"Are you okay?" asked Gabriel, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said quickly. "You?"
"Great. Carl?"
Carl was paler than usual, but he nodded bravely. "Do you think they'll come back?" he asked weakly.
Anna shook her head. "No. They will run to Dracula now, one down. They feel weak and more exposed to danger. It will take them several hours to feel right again. What wimps, they don't even have hearts!"
Gabriel smiled. "Come on, let's get back to the manor."