Chapter 21: The beginning of the end.
Harven changed to a Hellbeast and flew at Alvoina. The shape shifter turned and hit him across the ugly demon head. Next, Ianna hovered in the air and laughed.
"You dare to fight while surrounded by two powerful beings?" Ianna asked. She smiled and pulled the ruby out. It glowed red. Ianna screamed and began to disappear into a shadow. Harven changed back to human form and grabbed for the ruby. Alvonia changed from a werewolf to a Banshee. The light grew brighter. Harven reached his hand out and tried to get it, but the shape shifter hit him in the head with her left arm. The vampire staggered backward and changed to Hellbeast form again. Ianna could just be seen turning into dust. Harven growled and spoke in a deep, demonic voice.
"Give me the ruby" he said. She shook her head and clutched the ruby more.
"Why give it to a traitor?" Alvonia asked. He raised his hand to punch her, but a rope soared from the ruby and hit his arm. Harven smiled and changed back to human.
"Traitor? No. I was merely doing a favor for a cousin!" the vampire said, changing back to Hellbeast and flying out of the window. The rope broke free and Alvonia still held the ruby tightly. She changed to the werewolf again and leapt from the tower. She saw Harven flying toward the dark, clouded sky. Even though the moon didn't touch her, she could still change into the creature she took form of now. Harven growled and stopped in mid-air. Alvonia stopped and smiled. He was about to be caught. One thing caught in her mind: Where was Van Helsing and Carl. Just then, the shape shifter realized that Gabriel lay behind her. She hurriedly turned to human and knelt down. He had a blank expression on his face. Gabriel's eyes were wide open.
"Gabriel?" she asked. He lay silent. Alvonia now turned to see Carl standing up on a platform below. "Carl, he isn't moving!" she yelled down. The friar looked up and gasped.
"Is he breathing?" Carl replied. Alvonia turned and saw that his chest was slowly moving up and down, but no air came from his mouth or nose. She then turned to see Harven standing on a turret, smiling at her. He brought a sharp claw out and motioned for her to come there.
"Carl" she said. He gave a confused look. The shape shifter changed to the werewolf, jumped down, swooped Carl up, and then brought him back up to Van Helsing. "Watch over Gabriel! Make sure he is kept safe!" she warned in a deep growl. He nodded his head and watched her leap up. Harven smiled and they collided. Alvonia reached her claws out and stabbed them in his right arm. Harven's wings flapped as he hit her with the left, (and only free), hand. His canines attempted to bite her neck, but she dodged every time that happened. On the turret they fought, and the clouds rumbled, sounding a warning for lightning. She suddenly changed to a vampire and spread her wings, flying away. Rain began to pour down, apart from the snow earlier. Harven beat his wings and followed her. At another turret, the shape shifter let her claws become sharper. Harven flew up and smiled. He turned to human form.
"Well, it must end here, I suppose!" he said silkily. She thruster her claws forward and stabbed Harven in the chest. He turned back to Hellbeast and saw the blood draping down. The monster looked up.
"I guess it must!" Alvonia said. She lifted her other hand and hit him in the head hard. He tried to hit her, but ropes bound his hands behind his back. His wings were spotted with blood. Alvonia changed to the werewolf again and bared her fangs to bite Harven. She lowered down and closed the fangs, but Harven disappeared into a shadow and was seen falling through the ceiling. Alvoina sighed, rolled her eyes, and looked for an entrance to the Fortress.
Miles rolled his eyes as Harven appeared in the room.
"She defeated you again?" Miles asked. Harven looked around to see that the room was filled with white orbs, floating in the air.
"Don't speak, I need to get on the stretcher." Harven said. Miles shrugged his shoulders and walked over to an empty stretcher. Another was covered with a sheet. Harven's eyes caught the Gillman running along the upper walls. On a third stretcher lay Frankenstein's monster.
"Before you ask, yes. The Gillman returned him for me. We need him for the reviving!" the doctor said. Harven lay down on the stretcher. Four straps held him in and he began to rise in the air. The stretcher with the strapped in sheet did the same, along with Frankenstein. Harven's eyes' closed and Miles flipped the switch on a large machine. One by one, the orbs began to file into the machine. Outside, lightning began to hit the castle. Miles saw an orb larger than the others come in through the ceiling and fly around him. "Van Helsing's soul?" the doctor asked. He looked up at the stretcher with the sheet and saw that the sheet had been torn off by lightning. There was a mangled skeleton. The orbs that had gone into the machines were sent through electricity and hit Harven and then the skeleton. Frankenstein was being electrified by the lightning bolts. Miles thought for a moment: Where would the soul of Gabriel be sent? Just then, Alvonia flew into the room and hit Miles across the head. He fell down. The shape shifter saw the orbs. Just minutes before, her sister, Ianna, had taken Van Helsing's soul, and now it was time for her to take it back. The orbs went into the machine like mad. She looked up to see Harven layinh still, along with Frankenstein. She now flew up and attempted to take the straps from the stretcher, but the lightning bolts hurled her backward. Alvonia then turned to see that the skeleton was shaking madly. Skin was lunged onto it. The bones were not easily seen, now that more and more skin and limbs soared onto it. She gasped and was horrified when the skeleton was turned into a vampire. The machine sent out more bolts of electricity. Alvonia saw the large orb going into the machine.
"NO!" the shape shifter yelled. She soared over and took hold of the orb. The shape shifter brought it backward and flew up to where she had entered. The orb tore out of her grasp and flew through the skies. Alvonia smiled. She knew that it would go back to the monster hunter. The noise of lightning bolts hitting the machine had stopped. Alvonia looked down to see Harven yelling at the top of his lungs. A white light passed from him and hit the other vampire's body. The straps that held the three in came off and then the stretchers lowered to the ground. She saw Harven falling on the ground, along with the Frankenstein Monster. Gracefully, Count Vladislaus Dragulia stepped onto the ground with ease, smiling. Harven's power had been sent to him.
"Greetings, my dear Alvonia" Dracula said.