A/N: (Curtains pull away to reveal a tired looking Jackman's-Girl) I have returned. After a long period of absence (dodges tomatoes thrown by angry readers) I have managed to find my inspiration. I promised myself that I'd update so I thought I'd get to work finally. Many apologies to those who have waited for my return, I hope I can make it up to you all.

Review replies:

fanfiction fanatic: Sorry about the slow update. I'll try to be quicker. Thanks for your review!

silver-shadow: I hope the conspiracy has ended. Sorry about the lack of updates, I have been very very busy… Hope I can make it up to you. Thanks for reviewing (twice!).

Nini, the Electrocuted Sheep: Don't worry about it Nini, I'm just glad you reviewed anyway! Thanks for being so dedicated to this fic, and thanks for your review.

Red Tigress: LOL, don't worry about your review, it wasn't late at all – a review anytime is good in my books. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks for reviewing.

crimson-wolfdemon: Wow, you must really like this if you've read it five times! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Van Helsing. Wish I did…

Chapter Six

A man shrouded in darkness sat on his throne, watching the cloaked figure before him. "I see you have finally returned. Tell me, have you any news?"

The cloaked figure spoke. "Two men arrived from the sea during this week. They seemed very odd, not your usual traveler type. I doubt they trust me… yet. What is my next course of action?"

"Keep an eye on them. Earn their trust. I want to know their every weakness. I'll need all the information I can get so I can dispose of them."

"Yes, sir. But… there is something else I need to tell you. One of the men…he looked like you, sir. Is there something I should know?" The figure looked up uncertainly.

"…No, this is new to me. It is certainly odd though… More reasons for you to keep an eye on them. Report back to me when you have news."

"Yes, sir." The figure turned and left, leaving the man on the throne to ponder all the things that had been said.

Van Helsing sighed and gingerly touched his chest. His injuries still hadn't healed, and it annoyed him greatly; Carl and Lyridana had to look after him, and although he appreciated it greatly, he didn't like feeling weak.

The monster hunter looked over at the other side of the campfire. It looked like Carl was preparing their next meal, casually casting a glance at Gabriel every so often, making sure he was alright. Raising his eyes slightly, Van Helsing spotted Lyridana, standing in one of the taller trees, her bow in her left hand and her right hand near the sheath of her knife.

Gabriel sighed again and pulled out the black stone hanging around his neck. He ran his fingers over the inscriptions and looked up at Lyridana again, before he got to his feet (rather unsteadily) and headed over to Carl. The friar looked up at him and stopped cooking.

"Is something wrong, Van Helsing?" he asked, taking in the monster hunter's appearance. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while, which was partially true, and he looked fairly sick. At least it looks like the nightmares have stopped… He'd probably be completely out of energy if he was still having those restless nights.

"I was just thinking… Now that we've found the "clan", what exactly should we do? Cardinal Jinette said we should protect them, but if we stay here we'll just be attacked over and over again."

"So what should we do then?"

"We could take her back to Rome… The Order would protect her there, and we could set our sights on how to deal with O'Shanesey."

Carl looked back at the cooking food for a moment before whistling. Gabriel watched as Lyridana turned and leapt down from the tree, landing gracefully. She walked to them, casting the monster hunter a hurt and angered look – Gabriel had a feeling she had heard their conversation.

Carl handed her a bowl of whatever he had cooked for them, and she sniffed it cautiously before sitting down on a log and picking through the food. The friar then handed Gabriel a bowl and watched as the monster hunter sat opposite the Dark Elf, looking at her uneasily. He allowed himself a small smile; it would be interesting to see how this unfolded.

It was like the two were having a contest – whoever broke and spoke first was the loser. The contest lasted a few minutes before the victor was announced; Van Helsing opened his mouth and tried to explain everything to Lyridana.

"I just think that you'll be safer at the Vatican. Lyridana, if we're continually in each other's presence it'll attract more of O'Shanesey's followers, and you could be injured. You know how serious the situation is; we can't allow him to get stronger."

She turned to face him, anger clearly visible on her features. "So you think I'm weak, then? You think I'm incapable of taking care of myself, so you have to take me back to a place where I'll be safe? I know your intentions are good, Werewolf, but I don't need to be taken care of!" She stood and stalked off into the woods, taking her bowl of food with her.

Van Helsing simply stared after her, before turning to look at Carl. The friar had an amused expression on his face and after eating all his food, he stood and looked in the direction of where Lyridana headed. "Will you be alright here?"

Gabriel hid his offended expression and nodded. Carl lingered for a moment before heading out to follow Lyridana, which would be a quest and a half. He had no experience following trails, and he didn't have elf or werewolf senses to help him out. He knew that she'd probably want to be alone, but he felt like she would need some comfort after that little spat.

He still held the silver stake with him, so if he encountered trouble he'd at least have some way to protect himself. After walking around the woods for a moment, Carl decided to head to the place where they had found Van Helsing. He knew it was a long shot and didn't expect to find the Dark Elf there, but he had to try nonetheless. As he left the woods and entered the clearing, he saw her there, sitting on the edge of the cliff, dangling her legs in the wind.

He approached her slowly, forgetting that she'd be able to hear him arriving. Standing right beside her, he looked down at her face, watching her as she looked out over the sea. He heard her sigh softly, before she suddenly spoke.

"I don't like being stared at."

Carl jumped and she looked at him with a small smile on her face. He quickly apologised, but she shook her head at him and told him not to worry about it. He sat down next to her and saw she had gone back to watching the water. He took this moment to talk to her.

"Is everything okay, Lyridana?"

She looked at him for a moment before picking up a rock and turning it over in her hands. "I don't like it when people think I'm some kind weakling. Werewolf doesn't like it either; I can see it in his face every time we do something for him. So why does he continue to act like I'm something delicate? He knows I can fight and take care of myself!" She threw the rock over the cliff and watched it fall into the water.

"You're important, that's why Van Helsing's looking out for you so much." Carl murmured, taking up a rock of his own. However, this remark seemed to do more hurt than help.

"Is that all I am, some mission?" She hissed quietly to herself, getting to her feet quickly. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

And with that she pulled Carl to his feet and she dragged him back in towards the campsite.

I hate injuries, Van Helsing thought as he picked up a small branch and poked the fire with it. Almost as much as I hate having nothing to do. Where are Carl and Lyridana? At least when they were around there was always some company. But no, I had to get Miss Sensitivity angry…I'm only trying to protect her!

He sighed and continued playing with the fire, looking up occasionally, hoping to see either of his friends approaching. But no matter how long he watched the scenery, it didn't make his friends come bursting out of it. As he slid down onto his back, trying not to injure his ribs in the process, he heard something move in the bushes.

The first thought that came into his head was to grab a weapon. He looked around for his pistols or his shotgun, but they were in Carl's bag. And that bag was on the other side of the campfire. Knowing it would be too risky to get up and get it, Gabriel grabbed whatever was closest. That just happened to be a stick.

He knew it was a horrible excuse for a weapon, and wondered how Carl would react if he saw him protecting himself with a stick. He realised that it could be Carl and Lyridana coming back to the camp, but he doubted it. Why would they be hiding in bushes, out of his sight? Sure, Lyridana could've been planning revenge for how she had been treated, but he didn't think she'd try to scare him half to death by making rustling sounds in the bushes. He closed his eyes and concentrated, listening to every sound that was made. He sniffed, and managed to find the person's scent among the other smells in the forest. Yes, he didn't know this person…but still, it seemed familiar somehow.

He held the stick in his hand tight and hoped he would survive if he was attacked.

Lyridana and Carl had been within meters of the camp when she abruptly stopped. Carl, who had been behind, slammed into her and was about to ask what was going on when she slipped her hand over his mouth. She quietly asked him to be silent before she climbed up a nearby tree. Up fairly high, the Dark Elf could see the person hiding in the bushes. She slowly removed her ivory knife from its sheath and after a moment of aiming, she flung it towards the figure.

Before it hit its mark, however, the figure leapt into the camp, leaving the knife to slam into the tree. Lyridana stared at the figure, a look of complete disbelief on her face. "I missed," she said, her shock sounding through in her voice as well. "I never miss."

Carl looked up at the stunned elf before pulling out the silver stake and rushing onto the campsite. Wielding the weapon like a sword, he moved in to defend the monster hunter. Before facing his enemy Carl looked at Van Helsing and saw what he was holding.

"Is that-"

"Yes Carl, it's a stick."

The friar was about to say something, but he decided against it. Turning back to face his enemy, the friar stared at her for a moment before he fully took in her appearance. His brows furrowed and a searching look appeared on his face; silver hair…where had he seen silver hair before?

"Do I… Do I know you, by any chance?" Carl asked slowly, still keeping his grip on the stake tight.

The silver haired figure slowly raised her head. Carl looked over her face and thought for a moment before he finally remembered. "Amara, is it?"

Amara smiled and bowed deeply. Carl smiled back and retracted the blade of the stake, placing it on the ground beside him. Van Helsing watched carefully, eyes narrowing; he remembered meeting Amara, but he wondered what she was doing here. And why had she been sneaking around like that? Something was up, and he had to find out what.

At that moment, Lyridana walked out of the bushes, her knife in her hand and a scowl on her face. Standing beside Van Helsing, she sheathed the knife, folded her arms across her chest and glared at the intruding girl. Apparently, the Dark Elf didn't like her much, and when Gabriel opened his mouth to ask why she instead asked a question.

"What do you want with us?" Her voice was dripping with pure malice.

Amara ignored the question and instead turned to face Van Helsing. "I heard that you were on a mission to bring down Seamus O'Shanesey. I must ask you why."

Lyridana was seething with rage and almost lost it, but Gabriel tapped her on the leg and when she looked at him, he shook his head at her. He then looked at Amara, who was looking at him intently, waiting for an answer. "It's my mission to destroy him because he destroys others; he is evil. It's my job to vanquish evil."

Amara nodded her head slowly, before looking over at Lyridana, who was as angry as ever. "In answer to your question, impatient one, I have come to offer Mr. Van Helsing information regarding Seamus O'Shanesey. But in return for this information, you must allow me to stay with you so I can be safe."

Lyridana's eyes narrowed and she shot a glance at Van Helsing. Carl looked from the Dark Elf to the monster hunter and wondered what the decision would be. It was clear that Lyridana didn't like Amara, but Van Helsing would probably do anything to get information on his enemy. Gabriel looked from Lyridana to Amara, before sighing unhappily; he hated compromising as well.

"Deal." He muttered, and Lyridana glared down at him, barely able to believe what he had just done. She shook her head and headed off to a tree, going to retrieve her bow and arrows. She took an extra long time to allow herself time to think, and when she returned she saw that Van Helsing and Amara were talking like they were old friends.

Carl saw how furious she was, and, seeing as he couldn't talk to Van Helsing, he decided to talk to her. "If you don't mind me asking," he began, shuffling over to stand beside her. "Why don't you like Amara?"

Lyridana shot the silver-haired female and angry look. "There's something…strange about her; she's just plain odd. I don't trust her. No one could possibly move that fast without having something odd about them."

Carl looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "What do you mean, 'No one could move that fast'?"

The Dark Elf looked at him, folding her arms over her chest. "I've been able to bring down the fastest creatures by throwing my knife at them. I've never missed before, and they had been the fastest things in the world. It's impossible that someone "ordinary" would've been able to dodge that attack." They had been so consumed by their conversation that they didn't realise Amara was standing almost directly behind them.

"Well maybe you're not as good as you think." She said, a smug look on her face. "Maybe you've met someone who's better than you, hmm?"

Carl knew this was pushing it. Lyridana snarled but before she could leap forward and give the intruder a piece of her mind, he grabbed her arms and held her back. She struggled against him but he kept a tight grip, keeping her just out of reach of Amara.

"This proves yet another thing about you, impatient one." Amara drawled, intense dislike showing in her eyes. "You're an animal and have to be held back by a friend so you don't put others in danger."

"Amara!" Gabriel's cold and slightly angry voice came from the other side of the camp. "That's enough. When I allowed you to stay I didn't allow you to insult my friends and allies."

Amara looked at Lyridana once more, before bowing and returning to the campfire. Lyridana followed her movements and eventually stopped struggling, and Carl let her go. She clenched and unclenched her fists over and over, breathing heavily. He looked at her and slowly patted her on the back, before going to sit down on a log by the fire.

Reluctantly, she followed him and sat down beside him. She and Carl watched as Van Helsing gingerly stretched out, managing to do so without hurting his ribs. She hoped he had healed sufficiently, because if Amara had news on who O'Shanesey was going to attack next, he'd need all his strength. As she sat there thinking about that, something suddenly came to her.

"How did you get this information on Him?" she asked, and Amara looked up.

"You mean O'Shanesey?" Lyridana nodded. "I am the town mystic. I know these things."

Lyridana narrowed her eyes, thoroughly unconvinced. But her question had brought Van Helsing out of his stupor, and he decided to ask something. "What is the information you have on O'Shanesey? Do you know his location? Who he's going to attack next?"

"No one knows his location. If people did, I'm sure you would've found out and been on your way by now. I do, however…know whom he's going to attack next. And luckily enough, you won't have to go far to find this individual."

Carl gave Lyridana a nervous look and saw that her eyes were still narrowed and fixed on Amara. Whoever He was after next, the person, or thing, was still in Ireland. How many magical beings did she know around these parts? More importantly, how many of them hadn't already been sought after by O'Shanesey? It could've been that He was still after her, but she would always be here, and she was sure He wouldn't just run in when she had the most famous monster hunter protecting her.

So, what could He be after? A dragon? No, Lyridana hadn't seen one of those in a very, very long time. She had once spotted a phoenix around in these woods, but she doubted it was still here. Unicorns used to be found here too, but they had long since disappeared.

There was always the possibility of her brother being the one He was after, but she didn't know if he had slipped onto a ship and sailed away. It was possible that he was in hiding in the forest, and if he was, she knew she'd be able to find him. He had always picked the easiest hiding places…but maybe that was because he had to let his little sister win.

"So tell us already! Who's O'Shanesey going after?" Van Helsing finally asked, unable to wait any longer.

"His name is Rialbanth. I think he may be an elf. He's living in this very forest, but I haven't the slightest idea where. It's important you find him as soon as you can, because once O'Shanesey goes after him…" Amara decided not to finish that sentence.

Carl realised how quiet Lyridana was and looked over at her. Her face was pale and she looked like she was having trouble breathing. He gently touched her on the shoulder and she jumped, her breath quickening, before she looked at him. "Lyridana, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned for his friend.

She struggled to get the words to come out for a moment, before she managed to answer. "Rialbanth… He's my brother."

A/N: Oohhh! A cliffie! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. With a cliffhanger it'll be easier to start the next chapter.

Don't bag the name Rialbanth. It has special meanings, even though it's majorly weird.

When I was doing this, I had the biggest urge to write someone in who'd say "Everybody get down! He's got a stick!" after Gabriel confirms that he's defending himself with a piece of wood. It'd be funny but wouldn't make sense, so I left it out.

All the "I missed" things were taken from the movie Daredevil. Bullseye (Colin Farrel) says those lines; he's such a cool bad-guy.

Please forgive any mistakes in this chapter. Sorry if this wasn't what you wanted, were expecting etc., but I'm trying to get the plot clear in my head, so this needed to happen to set up the next chapter.

Anyway, please review, but no flames! (Holds out bag of cookies) Please review? Please? A cookie to everyone who reviews!