Author's Note: Read and review or I'll never write again. ::smirks:: Enjoy!

Chapter Eight: Under Providence

It was hard for Vladislaus to remain silent and steadfast when all he wanted to do was rest but he knew he must. He was Count Dracula, the general of armies, the patron of Vaseria and protector of his people and he could not deny that duty. If he did, the Romany gathered in and around the city would have no refuge from the people who wanted to destroy them: both Moor, and Christian. If he failed the Goddess would be forgotten and the ways of his people would fade away into shadow. He had to be everything to everyone when all he really wanted to be was brother, husband and one day father.

His thoughts traveled to Anne and silently he cursed himself. He had been drunk that night, and tired and angry and Anne had been warm and soft. In the morning, Anne had risen from his bed, dressed quietly and kissed his forehead before returning to her rooms. He had been sick.

Anger raged inside of him again, curse Anne and her damnable mercy. He didn't deserve to be pitied or forgiven. He had half-hoped she would have ran to Gabriel to avenge her, and then he- Vladislaus' beloved, could bring forth the atonement Grigore had sought. A terrible thought teased Vladislaus' mind. Perhaps he had committed some terrible sin that demanded redress. He only half wondered and half feared what exactly would be the penance.

His horse whinnied as if it sensed something and thankfully, it was enough to break Vlad's musings. He looked down at the horse and smiled. Easing forward to pat his horse's side, he spoke in a tender, loving voice.

"It's okay, Balaam." Vlad soothed. "Just lights and shadow."

"And werewolves."

"Quiet Nicolae, you'll spook him."

"Yes sire."

"To hell with that, I see a wolf and Balaam's the first one to be go."

Vlad smiled to himself as he sat up to look at Gabriel, expecting fully to see Van Helsing's wry smile that had teased him so many times before. Instead, he saw Gabriel's face clouded with uncertainty. He felt another stab of pain and realized that once again, he was Count and no longer the careful man that had once been able to carelessly jab and joke with comrade in arms.

And Gabriel was no longer an friend, and he was barely an ally.

"Would it be wise to feed the horses to the wolf first?" Stelian asked quietly. "Then how would we get out?"

"Good point." Nicolae determined. "We'll feed you to it first."

"What!"

"You're the youngest of us. You're unmarried and undecorated. Nobody will miss you."

"I will." Gabriel assured Stelian, as he reached over and patted the younger boy's shoulder lovingly. Vlad narrowed his eyes and looked away, cursing himself for his weakness and then as a cheap shot.

"So Stelian is the first to knock off, then who?" He asked Nicolae nonchalantly.

"You can't feed me." Gabriel counter, eyes dancing over to Vlad and Nicolae warily. "Catherine would never forgive me."

"He's right, sire."

"Catherine doesn't need to know."

"You're right." Vlad said, decidedly, and nodded. "So Gabriel gets fed next, and then you Nicolae- it should be an honor to die for your Count."

"That's it then." Nicolae grunted.

Stelian nodded. "Vlad's all alone now."

"Without a friend in the world."

"Alas," Vlad attempted to tease, "A ruler must sometimes face his fate alone."

Balaam suddenly reared up as a powerful howl cut through the night. Stelian instinctively reared his horse towards Gabriel's. Nicolae had drawn his sword, and drove his horse in front of Vlad's. His eyes ran over the dark forest hungrily. Gabriel drew his sword, which told Stelian to do the same, while Gabriel's other hand (still gripping the reigns) felt to his single shot pistol. All eyes turned towards Vladislaus for guidance.

Quietly, Vlad muttered a sincere prayer to the Christian for the first time in his life, before straightening up. "I'm going in, Stelian, take the left, Nicolae, the right. Gabriel, I want you to stay here."

Gabriel jerked his horse closer to Vlad's, "Regardless of your feelings for me, I am your best when it comes to close combat. You need me by your side."

"I don't plan to get that close to the wolf, nor will I allow my men to engage it."

"Then how do you plan to kill it?" Gabriel countered. "Use our swords as spears perhaps. I don't know about you, but I haven't played with Javelins since boyhood."

Vlad glared at Gabriel, and surprisingly the man did not back down. Dracula half hoped this came from some sincere devotion on Gabriel's part to him but as soon as he entertained that thought, the truth shined through. Stelian and Nicolae were also endangered here and if there was anything Gabriel would not tolerate, it would be the risk of their lives. Vladislaus felt a swell of disgust towards Gabriel.

Why did he always have to be such a damn hero?

Grunting, he turned Balaam away from Gabriel. "I am your Count, and you will obey me."

"Not when you're letting your anger get the better of you."

"It is not my anger that keeps you here, Gadjo." Vlad whispered, as he began to ride forward. "Nico, Stelian, to your posts…"

"You're making a mistake, Vlad." Gabriel called, staring at Vladislaus as he disappeared into deeper into the black night.

He heard Dracula's voice ring out in return. "I need my Angel alive to guard me, Gabriel."

The lady was beautiful but somber. Small hands folded in prayer rested against her chest, as she cast her gaze aside, and closed her eyes in humbleness. She wore the dullest of fine blue robes, with a veil of the same gossamer fabric that cascaded down her black hair, down unto her shoulders then down to her back. Gold twanged the corner of her shroud, and decorated with it small, contained stars. She stood on a bed of roses with angels adorning her but still that look of intense sadness overwhelmed her young features.

Intessar paused at the doorway as she regarded the lady, then, to show her honor, she took off her sandals before walking into the small altar. She was so quiet Anne never heard her. Anne was dressed from head to foot in black, a departure from the usual Gypsy style clothing she loved to don, and her small feet were hidden under the hem of her gown. In her hands was a brown rosary, beads dangling between Anne's pale hands. Her face was twisted in pain, her lips moving at a hurried pace over and over in incantation.

"So," Intessar said quietly. "You believe in the Goddess as well."

Anne jumped, looking back. "This is not Del." She murmured, calling the Gypsy goddess by Her name. "But Mary."

"I know who she is. She is the virgin who gave birth to the prophet Jesus."

"Our savior."

"Says you." Intessar teased as she kneeled beside Anne. She spent a long time just looking into Mary's soft face. "Why does she look so sad, Mistress?" Intessar asked quietly. "Doesn't she believe her Son will save the world?"

"Yes." Anne countered, looking up. "But to do that he must die."

"And she has to let that happen?"

"Yes."

"And why do you look so sad?"

"I don't want Vlad to share in Jesus' fate…"

"What? To die and rise again?"

"Just to die."

"You're worried." Intessar deadpanned, and then leaned over, tucking her arm around Anne's shoulders. "Don't worry, he will not leave his brides unattended."

Anne looked over and smiled weakly at Intessar's encouragement. Despite herself, she leaned closer into the Muslim's embrace, brushing her cheeks against her ear. "Or his child."

Intessar felt her heart break but her face did not show her betrayal. Swallowing hard, it took many seconds for her to regain herself. "You will bear his heir?"

Anne nodded softly. "I am late."

Intessar swallowed hard again and readjusted her grip around Anne's shoulders. "Then you hold all our hope within your womb, Milady. Perhaps Godhood does rest in the women."

Anne smiled, regarding Mary. "Do you believe she is Del?"

"In another form, yes."

"Then God or Goddess," Anne whispered. "Let this evil night past…"

Intessar's hands fell over the beads of the rosary, as she took them into her hands. "What do these mean?"

"The large beads symbolize Our Father, the smaller ones…Hail Mary."

"You pray to the mother more then the father."

"Women get things done faster." Anne teased back. She swallowed slightly. "Shall we pray?"

"It's better then wasting time panicking but after this, I'm teaching you how to pray to Allah the Merciful."

There was a beat before Anne nodded. "Alright. It's good that we cover all the basics."

Nicolae's shrieks pierced the night air like a sword cutting into bone and flesh. Vlad had long since dismounted Balaam, and without thinking, failed to mount again, opting instead to take off in rescue of the man. Stelian's shouts, followed by the charge of what had to be Gabriel, followed a moment afterwards but Vlad was quicker on foot then either of the horsemen. Ducking under branches and avoiding exposed roots, Vlad haphazardly made his way through towards the cleaning Nicolae had been sent to cover.

The sight he encountered froze the very blood in his veins. Nicolae was staring straight him at through deaden eyes, sprawled on his back with his arms spread out in awkward angles. His face was frozen in terror and deathly pale with only a streak of crimson splashed across it. Nicolae's legs were twitching, as nerves refused to die, and even though there was nothing that seemed to connect them to the upper part of Nicolae. Where his stomach should have been was a grisly tattered mess of skin and intestine. White bone jutted up from pure red pieces of exposed flesh, and resting in the midst of this was the creature, chewing on the bones and making a sickening crunching noise as it popped each bone.

Vladislaus began to gag, and choke as he stumbled back in fear and nausea, tripping over his leaden feet and falling with a panicked yelp. He began to vomit, gagging from the sight of so much gore and blood, becoming grimly aware a moment too late that his cry had alerted to the beast to his presence.
He was aware only of the werewolf's fearsome howl before white-hot pain blinded his senses and threatened to send him into darkness. He felt the animal's jaws tighten around his ribs, piercing bone and flesh. He thought for a moment he heard the wolf scream before he recognized it was his own voice, railing against the night sky. He felt his head loll backwards, as darkness began to creep in.

Then, uncertain if the action was caused by his own death or Divine action, he felt the wolf's weight release his body; heard the pained scream and then the thudding of the wolf's retreat into the forest. He became aware of a pounding in his ears, the rushing of blood that made his head ache and the realization that someone was calling his name.

"Vlad! Vladislaus, please God no…Vlad!" It was Gabriel.

Vlad smiled softly, pressing closer to Gabriel and struggling to find air. "I knew my Angel would come in handy." He muttered.

He heard Gabriel exhale, and then laugh. "You son of a demon…you…are you alright?" Vlad felt Gabriel's hands trace over his body, then them retract from pure horror as the touched the wound. "Vlad, you were bitten…"

Vlad felt his mind clear of pain only to allow terror to take its place. He felt his body begin to shake under the strain of what he had just heard. "Then…let me die."

"What?" Came the reply, "No!"

"Gadjo…listen to me. Whoever is bitten by a werewolf and lives, becomes a werewolf." Vlad felt salt as it began to sting his eyes. He began to shake in terror but struggled to keep his voice steady. He could allow his body, now poisoned, to betray him but his mind would not. Not yet. He looked up, through clouded vision and reached out to touch Gabriel's cheek. "I don't want to be damned…" He felt the darkness spreading over him again. "You can keep the ring."

"I'm going to steal that ring fair and square. And the hell you are going to be damned, I'm not going to lose you."

Vlad felt Gabriel hoist him up to his shoulders but he had no strength to scream. In between darkness and pain, he could feel Gabriel throw his cloak over his frame, and particularly over the bite wound, and then felt as he was lifted onto Balaam. Stelian had come, and now Gabriel and the boy talked in hushed words about returning to the Manor and alerting Nicolae's wife. Gabriel didn't tell Stelian he had been bitten. After Stelian had taken Nicolae's horse and tied it to his to leave, beginning the trek back to Vaseria, Vlad watched as Gabriel walked over to the remains of Nicolae, and with two fingers he crossed the man's soul and blessed him in Latin. Vlad smiled.

Such a damn hero, he thought to himself, before darkness finally sent him into a fitful sleep.