A/N: Shoutout to Hollysgirl and VeronaDracula!! Hope I'm not letting either of you down with this story! It's going to get very exciting, or so I feel it is. Thanks for the reviews for the story before this and to my trailer for this. It really helps to know people are reading.

Nazalia rode quickly to the manor that was her home with Evon leaning against her. She worried about him and felt it was her fault what happened. 'If I had been closer, I could have helped him,' she thought. She shut her eyes tightly and plead silently, 'Please let me get there in time.' Her heart pounded in her chest as soon as she saw the manor growing near. She nudged her horse to make it run faster, and Nazalia couldn't wait for the horse to get closer.
Nazalia stopped her horse in front of the manor, and she screamed, "Help!" It took only a moment for several helpers to run out and see Evon. They gently lifted him off of the horse and carried him inside. Nazalia dismounted her horse and waited for Tyrney and Benjamin to arrive. They weren't far behind, and she was glad to see them. But, her heart was still aching from Evon's fall. She fought off the tears because she felt hollow and wanted to be alone to cry.
Tyrney was off of his horse in an instant, and Benjamin followed. The workers there led the horses to the stable, and Tyrney led his sister and friend into the manor. Benjamin glanced over at Nazalia, who was staring down at the ground. He didn't want to see her so miserable, and he knew if half the men in town saw her that way they would want to comfort her. Deep inside, Benjamin wanted to comfort her as well. There was a little flame of burning desire in his heart for Nazalia, but he kept that light put out most of the time. But, Nazalia was in so much pain that he couldn't bear seeing her so emotionally broken.
Nazalia looked up at Benjamin, and he slowly turned his gaze to the manor. She wished he would hold her then, when she really needed someone to take her and tell her it was going to be all right. But, a little voice in her head protested. 'You know it's not going to be all right, Nazalia. This is all your fault, you should have watched him!' She shut her eyes and took deep breaths to keep her tears still at bay. Nazalia feared what her parents would say to her when they found out what happened. 'They will kill me for not making sure he was right behind me,' she thought. 'I have an obligation as Evon's older sister to make sure he is all right. I failed him, I failed Evon.'

The helpers brought Evon to his bedroom and laid him down on his bed. One quickly told the others. "Quickly, go get Carl!" The helper nodded and ran from the room.
Another said, "He doesn't look well." The rest nodded solemnly.
The oldest one, who'd been a friend of the Valerious family for years, said, "He needs good medicine." He knew that wasn't all Evon needed, but it kept the men in the room from worrying. Evon was a tough child, always had been, and the older man was sure that Evon would pull through.

Kevin Dewgall raced through the manor until he found Carl. "Carl, Carl, come quick!"
Carl turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"
"It's Evon! He's been hurt, badly. We need you to come assess his injuries." Kevin breathed.
Carl nodded and told the boy, "Go get the doctor! I'll go up and see what I can do, but we need the doctor."
Carl rushed to Evon's room and found him laid on his bed as pale as death. Carl approached slowly and noticed the boy's chest barely rose and fell. Carl could tell he had some serious injures in his chest by the staggered breathing. 'Poor kid,' he thought terrified of Evon's actual diagnosis because he knew Anna and Gabriel would be horrified to see their youngest son in such conditions.
The older man looked over at Carl. "What do you think is wrong?"
Carl lightly touched Evon's ribs, and felt a lot of swelling. "Possible chest trauma," he said quietly.
Carl unlatched Evon's vest and shirt and saw Evon's bruised chest. "Oh dear," he said nearly inaudible. Carl turned his attention to the torn skin at Evon's shoulder and said, "We need to get the shirt away from that. The older man untied the cloth tourniquet that Nazalia had put on her brother and slipped the arm of the shirt off. The wound was terribly deep and gory. Carl examined the gashes and swallowed hard because he still wasn't used to seeing blood, especially not the blood of his friends' child. "It seems the muscles have been torn." Carl breathed uneasily.
The doctor arrived soon enough and was escorted to Evon's room. He shut his eyes first thing when he saw the condition Evon was in. Carl knew that was a terrible sign, and he looked down at the floor. The doctor went over to Evon and worked on sterilizing the wound at Evon's shoulder. Carl saw the doctor sew the gaping wounds up and then apply clean cloths over the wounds. He looked over to Carl, who was hugging his arms and desperately trying not to faint. "He's in rough shape, Carl."
Carl nodded. "I know," he replied sadly.
The doctor nodded and told Carl, "Come, I need to have you lift the boy so I can see what damage he might have to his back. Carl walked over to where Evon was lying and carefully lifted him up. Carl had never seen Evon so pitiful, and he felt his nerves break down. It was painful to see a young man like Evon, who was so stubborn, so vulnerable. The doctor made a heart-stopping sound, and Carl knew there was trouble. "What is it, doctor?" Carl asked.
The doctor hesitated for a moment. "The boy's ribs are a mess. It seems there are no ribs that are not broken."
Carl winced at that comment. "Then, there is little hope for him," he said quietly.
The doctor nodded. "There is nothing I can do for Evon at this point. I need to tell Anna and Gabriel."
Carl sighed. "I will tell them." He laid Evon's broken body back down on the bed. Tears came to his eyes, and Carl saw the doctor tear up as well. It was sad to know that Evon was so young and had no hope for recovering.
Nazalia had noticed the doctor enter the manor, and she wanted to go see him help Evon. But, she feared the worst would happen if she looked on. She feared that there would be nothing the doctor could do for Evon, and she didn't want to feel her guilt eat at her any further than it had already. She saw Carl come to the door of Evon's room, and he stood there for a moment. "Benjamin, come here," he said.
Benjamin walked over to his father, and Carl led him into the room. Benjamin looked in his father's eyes. "Evon's not going to make it, is he?" Carl shook his head in response.
"Go get Gabriel and Anna for me, please." Carl told his son, and Benjamin nodded.
Benjamin held back the surge of emotions that rose knowing that Evon was dying. He felt angry that Evon could be dying at such a young age, and he wanted to take his aggression out on the creatures that had caused it. But he knew that killing more griffins wouldn't make Evon live, so Benjamin headed for where Gabriel and Anna were at. He walked past Tyrney and Nazalia, who looked at him with prying eyes. They wanted to know about their brother, and Benjamin kept a calm face to keep the pain from seeping to his friends. They would have time to grieve soon enough.
Anna and Gabriel were sitting with Madeline in the sitting room when Benjamin entered. "Benjamin." Gabriel said, "What's the urgency?" Gabriel sensed fear and anger in the young man's heart.
"My father asks for you and Anna." Benjamin replied. "Something has happened to Evon."
Benjamin saw the fear in Gabriel and Anna's eyes, and they quickly fled the room to see about their son. Madeline rose and looked up at her tall son. "Ben," she said quietly. "What has happened?"
Benjamin held back his emotions and told his mother, "Evon is dying." He saw Madeline's face darken with sorrow, and she pulled her son into an embrace. She could feel his pain, and she stroked his back like she had done when he was upset as a child. He didn't fight her as he normally would do. Benjamin felt comfort in his mother's arms. He knew the comfort would not last long, so he clinged to the comfort he was offered.
Anna and Gabriel rushed past their two older children, who had terrified expressions. They glanced at each other as their parents passed. They watched their mother and father enter Evon's room and shut the door. Nazalia felt her tears growing again. "Oh, God," she whispered. 'Don't let it be that,' she prayed. 'Don't let it be that Evon is dying.'

Anna put her hand to her mouth when she saw her seventeen-year-old son lying on his bed, nearly dead. She walked over and brushed the wet hair from his face, and brushed his cheek with her fingers. Gabriel stepped closer and saw all the injuries his son had, and he knew Evon's fate. "Carl," he said with a raspy voice as the result of emotional pain. "Is Evon...dying?"
Carl took a moment to reply because Anna looked up at him with pain filled eyes. He didn't want to confirm to his friends that their son had very little chance to make it to nightfall, much less through the night. But, he knew they had to know. "Yes, Evon is dying."
Carl winced at Anna's wail, and had to cover his eyes when he saw Anna lean her head down against her son's head. Gabriel dropped to the floor and laid his head in his arms, which were crossed upon Evon's bed. He did not want to believe that Evon was dying because he was too young. Pain struck deep into Gabriel's heart, and he felt weak. His thoughts ran together, and he couldn't sort them out. So, he let his emotions out and cried over the diagnosis for his son.
Anna raised up with tears freely flowing from her eyes and asked Carl, "What happened?"
Carl realized he did not hear what had happened to Evon. "I am afraid that I don't know, Anna. Kevin told me I was needed in here, and I came. No one ever told me what happened."
Anna told him as she looked down at Evon's face. "Go get Nazalia, she'll know what happened."
Carl nodded and exited the bedroom. He looked over to Nazalia and Tyrney. "Why don't the two of you come in here?"
Nazalia and Tyrney slowly rose from where they were sitting. Both had a nagging feeling that they all ready knew what they would find out in that room. Neither one wanted to acknowledge it, but they had no other choice. Nazalia saw her parents sobbing over Evon, and she knew her fears were realized. She turned to run, but Tyrney held her back. She looked up at her older brother and saw tears up to the rims of his eyes as he stared over at the scene before them.
"Nazalia." Anna said to her daughter. "Do you know what happened."
Nazalia swallowed hard and turned to face her mother. "Yes," she said meekly.
Gabriel rose up off of the floor and looked over at his daughter. "Then, tell us," he said with a raspy tone of voice.
Nazalia was able to hold back her tears. "I rode ahead to get some fresh air. Evon was as old as I was when I first rode alone for a little while, I figured he would be all right." She didn't see anger in her parents' eyes, so she continued. "But soon, I heard Evon scream out my name. So, I raced back to where he had been to find a dead griffin. I followed a trail of disturbed leaves to where a group of griffins had gathered. I shot the griffins and found Evon clinging to the edge of the cliff that looks over the river." She had to pause to keep her tears from spilling, and she didn't dare look up at her parents or Tyrney. "I went to him and tried to pull him up, but he lost his foothold on the cliff. I still held onto his wrist, but he was losing consciousness fast. He told me he was sorry and then went unconscious. I tried to pull him up, but I couldn't and lost my grip." Nazalia couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they poured out of her eyes. "Evon fell into the river really hard. I got back on my horse and raced down to the river bank. Evon was lying against a rock, and I pulled him onto the bank. I tied a tourniquet around Evon's shoulder then heard Tyrney call for me."
Anna looked over at Gabriel. Neither one could figure out why griffins would attack Evon for no reason. But, that didn't change the outcome of their attack. Evon was dying of internal injuries to his chest, and there was nothing that could stop that pain. Anna laid her head back down against Evon's forehead and cried. But, Gabriel ushered his other two children over to him. They came willingly and were taken in their father's embrace. Carl left the room to give the Van Helsings time alone.

Later, everyone left Evon's room except Nazalia. She sat on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chin. She was sobbing and feeling more and more guilty as the hours passed. She could hear the faint sounds of her brother's labored breathing over the silence and her sobs, and she cringed at every painful breath he took. Evon had made it to dusk, but Nazalia was aware that he was barely alive. He only had a few more hours at the least, and Nazalia was not going to leave his side. 'Not that it helps now,' her brain told her. 'You failed to be at his side when he really needed you. Now, you're just sitting here while he dies.' Nazalia laid her head on knees and let her tears fall like rain.
Benjamin slipped inside the room and touched Nazalia's arm. "Nazalia," he said gently.
Nazalia lifted her head. "I should have been there," she cried. "I was too far ahead, and I should have known better."
"No one is blaming you for what happened." Benjamin told her as he sat down beside Nazalia.
Nazalia sniffed. "Not yet, but they will. I knew better than to wander away from him."
Benjamin brushed her curly hair out of her face. "You have been ahead of Evon on rides many times before. Today just was one of those days where everything goes wrong."
Nazalia wiped her eyes. "Did you see my family's pain?"
Benjamin shook his head. "No, but I saw the fear in their eyes when I called them to my father."
"I've never seen that look in their eyes, Ben. They looked hopeless, and they've never been hopeless before." Nazalia cried fresh tears.
Benjamin took Nazalia in his arms and shushed her. She clinged to him and cried upon his chest. He didn't mind, and he just held her tight while she let out her pain. Benjamin even found a few tears slip down out of his eyes. He didn't know how to feel about what happened, but he knew that it wasn't Nazalia or Evon's fault.

Anna sat looking out her bedroom window. Gabriel stood beside where she was sitting, and he was silent. The moon was shining brightly amongst the stars, and he cursed inwardly at the nerve of the world looking so bright and cheerful on such a devastating night. Anna still had tears rolling out of her eyes, and she finally broke the deafening silence. "Children are suppose to outlive their parents," she said quietly without looking anywhere but outside at the moon.
Gabriel turned to her and didn't know what to say. Evon was dying far from the age he should be dying at, but there was nothing that could stop it. His ribs could not be repaired, and he couldn't live in the state he was in. There wasn't even much time left for their son, but they had to be alone for a little while.
"Why hadn't he followed Nazalia?" Anna wondered out loud.
Gabriel sat down beside his wife and looked at her. She turned to stare at him with pain in her brown eyes. "He must have sensed something was wrong and stopped." Gabriel told her. "You know he was always alert to danger, just never sure where it was."
Anna cried out, "But, he had always made it through all the other times."
Gabriel pulled Anna into his arms, and they cried over their son some more. Evon had always been lucky when it came to danger, but his luck had run out. He was lying in his room slowly dying from internal bleeding, but he would not be awake to realized what was happening or to feel the pain of his injuries. That was the only good thought that Gabriel and Anna could even come up with at such terrible times. Evon wasn't in pain, but he was still upon death's door. That part of the reality was what felt like a knife in Gabriel and Anna's hearts.