Chapter 19: Through the Ice: The lair of the dead.
Alvonia plunged through the thick wall of ice.
"How long is this thing?" she thought. Before her was an opening. She walked through and came out to see her second oldest sister, Syreena, floating in the air. Alvonia raised her fists and grumbled.
"Hello, dear sibling!" Syreena leered. Alvonia smiled and changed to a Banshee, plunging at her sister. The other shape shifter changed to a Banshee also and did the same thing. The collided and fell to the ground. Alvonia reached up and rubbed her head.
"Why do you suddenly have the ability to shift?" she asked. Syreena waved her pointer finger back and forth, clicking her tongue.
"Some secrets are better left alone!" Syreena said in her heavy Transylvanian accent. Alvonia smiled and changed to human form.
"So what, Harven is spoiling you all now?" the original shape shifter taunted. Her sister growled and flew at her. Alvonia's fingernails grew longer than normal. Alvonia stuck her sister in the stomach and laughed.
"Alvonia! Why?" Syreena asked. Her youngest sister smiled and scratched her head.
"I don't know! Now Harven will be one bride short!" Alvonia laughed. Syreena looked down at the fingernails and saw that they were tinted green.
"Ectoplasm! How could you, you cruel creature of death!" Syreena yelled. Alvonia withdrew her fingernails and they grew shorter.
"I'm not the one who loves a vampire!" Alvonia replied. Her sister gasped her last few words.
"Harven is not the one to be wed to us! He has a more sinister man to do that job!" the other shape shifter said, falling to the ground and disappearing into dust. The shape shifter smiled and looked around. This place seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where. In the distance was a yell. Alvonia went to the edge of the platform she stood on and saw the friar Carl plunging deep into the chasms of the night.
"So what is it, Helsing? Plunge down to your death to save your friend our have me kill you? You die either way!" Harven said. Van Helsing looked back up to the ledge they came from and saw the outline of a woman. He smiled and let the grapple free.
"Go back to your shadow, vampire!" Gabriel exclaimed, taking a silver stake out and running it through Harven's ankle. Van Helsing fell and watched Harven clutch his foot and yell. It burned.
Alvonia soared down and picked Carl up.
"ALVONIA!" Carl gasped. She looked up and saw Gabriel falling at a great pace. She swooped up and grabbed the monster hunter. They flew up and finally reached the platform.
"Thank you so much" Van Helsing said. She nodded and flew out once again. Harven was slowly flying toward Fortress Miles. The shape shifter turned into a vampire and bit his neck. Harven turned back to human form and was held by Alvonia. She flew them up. Harven attempted to change back to Hellbeast form, but the blood was doing something strange to him. It burnt as it trailed down the creature's back.
"So what are you going to do now, Harven?" Alvonia asked her nemesis. The vampire bared his teeth and tried to bite her. She made her fingernails grow longer and glared at the demon.
"On to Fortress Miles, huh? To resurrect your cousin? Where is Princess Anna?" Alvonia asked him. He shook his head.
"Why should I tell a mere shape shifter?" the Count questioned. She flew him higher in the air. Now Van Helsing and Carl could see the confrontation.
"Because, I could drop you to your death! And, you can't change into your big bat self any more!" Alvonia told him. He nodded.
"Alright, I will tell ONCE we get to Miles' fortress! And, you must bring Gabriel and the friar!" Harven said. She waved her fingernails out and smiled.
"I agree. And if you attempt one smart move, these nails will be in your head! And Miles' too!" she growled. Harven nodded his head. Alvonia knew that he was pull a trick on them, but the monster hunters' and her powers' combined with the ruby were unspeakable. Alvonia now took Harven over to the platform and stood him down.
"We leave for Fortress Miles as soon as possible, with the vampire!" Alvonia told them. Gabriel gave her an uneasy look, along with Carl. "Trust me!" the shape shifter said. Carl and Gabriel agreed and off the four flew to the fortress.
At Fortress Miles...
Miles walked around the lab and ran his fingers through his hair. How were they to bring Dracula back without Frankenstein's power? He thought. All of a sudden, he saw the outline of a creature at the window. He ran over and unlocked the latch. The Gillman leaped in and dropped a pile of dead bodies to the ground. Miles shrieked and leaped backward.
"Now, now, now good job, G..Gillman!" Miles stuttered. It stood there and growled. The creature had managed to leave Castle Frankenstein with ease. Slobber dripped down it's teeth. Miles gasped and yelled "OH!" while running over to a large bucket. He pulled out three dead fish and threw them to the ground in front of the monster. It leaped at the fish and ate them noisily. The doctor wrung his hands and remembered: Harven had somehow made the portal from the Valerious home connect to the outer rims of his fortress. "Harven..." Miles gasped. The Gillman ate the last fish and looked up. Miles turned and saw himself reflected in the creatures' eyes. The doctor looked down at his hands. "Oh no...oh no!" Miles yelled. He was visible again. "The serum must not have been made to last me for a long period of time! I must take more of the serum so that my foes cannot see my visible self!" the doctor said shakily. He then pointed his finger at the Gillman. "Did you recruit the monsters?" Miles asked it. It growled and shook its head. The doctor laughed and pointed upward. "You see that case that is full of serums?" he asked, looking at a silver crate. The monster nodded its head. It turned, leaping at the window. The glass crashed and flew everywhere. The outline of three large creatures stood, baring their teeth. Miles smiled and laughed. In jumped the werewolves. They scaled the walls and finally reached the crate. Miles shook his head. The creatures ripped and tore at it, making serums fall and crash. The doctor shook his head. "NO!" he yelled. One serum filled with what seemed to be mist soared down and plunged into his skin. Miles was invisible once more.
Alvonia dropped the three to the entrance of Fortress Miles. Harven rubbed his head and ran to the entrance. Alvonia changed from Vampire to Banshee and flew inside behind him. Gabriel and Carl ran in fast. Harven ran faster and faster, Alvonia slowly catching up with him. They finally reached a tall set of doors. They swung open. Harven ran in and closed them behind him. Alvonia smiled and flew through as a Banshee. The vampire was smiling when the shape shifter had tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and rolled his eyes. In the room, they could see dead bodies upon dead bodies. It stunk of blood and decaying.
"Wrong room" Harven said slowly. He turned and was caught by the shape shifter.
"What is this place?" she demanded. He stepped back and showed his canines.
"Um, well, you see, this is certainly a place for dead bodies! A place where you need...not...be!" Harven said, disappearing. Alvonia turned to the door and tried to soar back through, but she couldn't. It seemed to be sealed. She tried again, but still nothing. Alvonia turned and closed her eyes at the sight of the bodies but then opened them at a large window. The shape shifter turned again to the door and spoke into it.
"Van Helsing! Van Helsing!" she yelled. No response. She tried again, but still no answer. "Carl?" she asked. Still nothing. The Banshee sighed and flew over to the window. "I can't believe that they aren't there" she said. At the window, she crashed it open and flew through. What met her was a large werewolf. She yelled and inched backward, but she was too late: the monster had bit her.
Author's Note: I will update as soon as possible! And, in three chapters, the return of................