Chapter 11 – Of the Seraphim
"Where are we?" I asked as soon as Vladislaus swooped down from the sky, landing in a small town. It was rather cold outside, but he hadn't been lying when he had said it had stopped snowing. The moon was taking refuge behind some dark clouds, blanketing the street in ominous darkness.
"An insignificant village just outside the borders of Bucharest. Plenty of fresh blood to feed upon here," he said as he scanned the street, like he was looking for someone. A tall man in black was approaching us, and as he drew nearer, I saw that he was a vampire. I could tell by the lack of color in his face.
"Valdemar," the count said, sounding pleased. The man smirked and glanced over at me.
"Who is this pretty little thing with green eyes?" he said, his blond eyebrows rising suggestively. I felt Vladislaus fidget, as he was standing unusually close to me. For once in my life, I didn't mind it. He smelled wonderful and I felt safe in his presence.
"This is Isabelle Van Helsing," he said, slipping his hand protectively into mine. "She… has come to be in my possession for the time being." Vladislaus wasn't stumbling over his words, but I knew he was becoming angry. I studied the man through half-closed eyelids.
Valdemar was about as tall as the count, but for some reason he seemed much shorter. He had long, curly blond hair and electrifying blue eyes. He was dressed in the same style as Vladislaus, but I noticed that he did not have his ears pierced; neither did he have the mesmerizing aura that made me admire the count, even if it was against my will. I took an immediate dislike to this fellow vampire. There was something about him that I didn't trust.
"So you're the daughter of the famed monster killer? How ironic you ended up in Vladislaus's hands," he said mockingly, with emphasis on the word hands. I glared at him but didn't reply.
"Let's go hunting," the count said commandingly. "I'm dreadfully thirsty. What have you found for us tonight, Valdemar?"
"You'll see. Is the Lady going to accompany us?" he said, trying to act like he was concerned for my welfare. Both Vladislaus and I saw right through it.
"Yes. She wanted to."
"Very well." We then began the long walk down the street. I dreaded every step of the way, like I was a condemned criminal being led to my execution. I stuck close to Vladislaus and tried not to think about what was going to happen. The reason I had agreed to come was no longer apparent to me.
"Van Helsing… this was lying on your doorstep when I woke up this morning. Thought you'd might like a look at it," Carl said, handing him a thin envelope.
Gabriel sat up and ran a hand through his brownish-grey hair. Taking the envelope from Carl, he eyed it suspiciously.
"Do you have any idea what it is?" he said, sounding skeptical.
Carl shrugged and tugged on his robes. " 'Tis a mystery," he proclaimed, throwing up his hands in defeat. "I have no idea. But from the expression on your face it doesn't look good."
"Nice job Carl, detecting the painfully obvious," Gabriel said, his hands trembling slightly as he grasped the slick envelope. Only one person would send a letter to him just one week before Isabelle's 17th birthday. It was finally beginning…
"Hey Carl," Gabriel said as he started to tear the envelope open. "Remember our little friend the count? You know, Dracula?"
"Oh yes, considering I've never seen him! OK, I have seen him, once, but that was at the masquerade ball, and you had me light him on fire! Unfortunately, I DO remember his brides and offspring. It's been what, 17 or 18 years? My memory isn't that bad, Van."
Gabriel shrugged, obviously disagreeing with him, and removed a thick piece of parchment from the envelope.
"You know," Carl said, taking a seat beside him, "Maybe it is a letter concerning Isabelle's whereabouts. She's been gone for a month, hasn't she?"
"Just about," Gabriel replied grimly. The parchment was blank, which told him the writing was on the other side. But he didn't want to read it. Not just yet.
"You don't think…" Carl said, his face turning the color of ash.
"YES," Gabriel interrupted firmly, his eyes glowing. "I do think."
"Oh no, Van, you should've kept a better eye on her," Carl said, his voice shaking. "You have no idea what he is going to do, do you?"
"Well for one, he wants to kill me. That much is certain. What he wants with Isabelle has a lot to do with why he wants to kill me. He needs her to draw me out of Budapest. But he WANTS her for… well, you know Carl." Gabriel bit his lip and sighed. With a quivering hand, he flipped the parchment over and read it, oblivious to the friar's useless rambling about how vampires, particularly Dracula, always managed to come back from the dead some way or another. When he finished, he flung the paper across the room like it was the plague.
"Oh, come on, now Van. Was that really necessary? How scary can a spare piece of parchment be?" Carl said, bending down to pick it up. He froze when he read the first line that graced the top of the paper:
You are cordially invited to a masquerade ball that is to be held
On the second Wednesday of this month
In honor of
Miss Isabelle Van Helsing's
17th birthday
Dinner and refreshments will be offered
Hosted by: Count Vladislaus Dragulia in Castle Dracula
Hope that you will be able to attend
"Gabriel?" Carl said weakly. When Van Helsing didn't answer him, the friar shook the invitation in front of his face.
"Earth to Van! No use sulking like a beaten child, Van. We must rescue her before…" Carl didn't have the heart to finish his sentence.
"Before what? The blood can only come from a vampire, you know that. I will have to beg the count on bended knee…" Gabriel rambled off, muttering some obscurities. "She probably doesn't even know that he is a vampire. He has more than likely seduced her and is using her for God knows what. Even if we do go to the ball, Carl, I might not be able to warn her in time."
"Well, your attitude has greatly improved," Carl said disapprovingly. "What happened to Gabriel, the all mighty I-know-everything demon slayer? I thought..." Carl stopped talking when Gabriel sent him a murderous look.
"I didn't have two deaths riding on my conscious then," he snapped. "I will never be able to forgive myself."
"Stop worrying about your past. If I worried about mine, well… I would not be the accomplished friar that I am today…" Carl ranted off, looking smug.
"CARL," Gabriel said warningly.
"All right, all right," he said, blinking his eyes. "What do you propose we do?"
Gabriel rubbed his chin. "Go to the ball and I will challenge him to a duel. The one who wins gets Isabelle and the blood of the loser. That way, Isabelle will be safe."
"The kill first, ask questions later approach is quite popular with you, isn't it," Carl said matter-of-factly.
"Why yes, it is, Carl, there you go, stating the painfully obvious AGAIN," Gabriel said. "Just because you're a walking library doesn't mean that you know everything."
"I never said I did," Carl said, looking hurt. "I'm just saying that your approach doesn't always work. If we try something a little bit more practical…"
"Like what?" Gabriel growled.
"Employ some help from… well, you know… one of them?" Carl said practically, motioning to the ceiling with his hand.
""You mean Zadkiel, Annael, Michael, that bunch? You can't be serious, Carl. They have better things to do than get involved in my affairs." Gabriel shook his head, convinced.
"This concerns Dracula, who is of their affairs, Van. And as you know, the only way to kill Dracula is through using the 12 Lost Swords. Obviously neither you or I can wield them, so we must ask one of the archangels," Carl said, like it was the simplest thing on earth. "If I were you, I would ask Raphael. He has such a pleasant sense of humor…"
"Uriel," Gabriel said, his eyes glowing with excitement. He ran a hand along his unshaved chin.
"What? Who? Why?" Carl whimpered. "Van…"
"Why use an archangel when you can have a seraph? Dracula stands little or no chance against one," Gabriel said gleefully.
"Uriel? Uriel? Why Uriel? He is so unpredictable, Van. And even though he is known as the sharpest-eyed of all the angels, he is best associated with prophecies, not warfare. Asking for help from a seraph is a dangerous business…"
"Uriel is not just a prophet, he is the angel of salvation, which would counter Dracula perfectly, since that is exactly what the demon needs. We are going with Uriel, and that is the end of that discussion," Gabriel said, in an I-am-not-joking tone of voice.
"Van, I b-beg you. Please reconsider. I am sure that your old f-friend the archangel Gabriel would be more than willing to help. And he is not as… impulsive w-when it comes to f-fighting." Carl was beginning to stammer, and his face had gone pale.
"Dracula knows I am coming. He is going to transform into what he really is, Carl. And although Gabriel would be a safer and maybe even a wiser decision, I have a hunch that Dracula might be able to kill him, given their past history, which I am not going to retell. If I want any chance of seeing my Isabelle again, I must ask Uriel. He is my only choice," Van said as he put the invitation into his pocket.
"B-but he is of the seraphim, Van. One s-step away from God. By heaven, he is the CHIEF of the seraphim. It is said that they can never be looked upon or else you will be f-frozen with f-fear."
"Not if they stay away from their true form, which I am sure Uriel can manage. I just hope he knows where the 12 Lost Swords are…"
"Of course he does, Van. Don't you ever read? Dracula has them in his castle, although the exact location I am not sure of. They are said to be guarded by some ferocious beast, half animal, and half demon. I shiver to think of what it looks like…" Carl was rubbing his hands up and down his arms, trying to warm himself.
Gabriel smiled. "Wonderful. Now I only have two problems."
Carl sat down and slumped in his chair. "Oh really? The great Van Helsing has problems? What might those be?" He said feebly.
"Where to find Uriel and what to wear to the ball."
We returned to the castle just past midnight, fresh blood still trickling from Vladislaus's lips. As soon as we landed in the library, I moved away from him, towards the stairs. He laughed and licked his lips with his tongue.
"Did you enjoy that?" he asked.
I scowled at him, my voice shaking with fury. "I can't believe you would feast on an innocent child. What did she ever do to you?"
"Children's blood is always the freshest and the most delicious," he said. "And Valdemar said I deserved it, considering what I have been through. For once in my life, I agree with him." He rested his left arm on the mantle above the fireplace.
"Well excuse me if I don't join your pity party. I wouldn't go within ten feet of Valdemar anyway. He gives me the chills." I shivered remembering the lust and hunger in the blond vampire's eyes. I would be content never to see him again.
"Well, you are going to be seeing a lot more of him. He is helping with the plans for the ball next Wednesday."
"Wednesday?" I repeated. "That's only eight days away!"
"Which is also your birthday, since it seems that you have forgotten," Vladislaus snickered, his satanic smile making me feel limp like a rag doll.
"Vladislaus, there is something I must tell you."
"Yes?" He asked, feigning boredom as he scrutinized his long nails under the firelight.
"I seriously think my father is going to kill you. For good. I'm not saying this to make you angry, its just I have a hunch. Please, take me and do with me what you will, but as for Gabriel, leave him out of this. I couldn't bear…" I couldn't bear to see either of you killed, my heart finished what my mouth and brain could not.
"I've gone too far to listen to the unknowledgeable ramblings of a 16 year-old-girl," he said, sparing me no mercy. "Gabriel has succeeded in murdering me, yes, twice in fact. But this time will be different from all the others." He tapped his fingers on the mantelpiece, counting out the rhythm to one of my favorite pieces of music, L'amour est un oiseau rebelled from the French opera Carmen.
"How? How will it be different?" I said, my rational thinking not believing him. But my heart told me otherwise.
"Because I have you. Gabriel loves you so much he would die for you, Isabelle. You're all that remains of his precious Aurora," the count said bitterly.
"Aurora? Was that my mother's name?"
Vladislaus looked over at me, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Gabriel never even told you your mother's name?" I shook my head slowly.
"Damn him to hell. The coward is too scared to face his past. That name must bring back so many unpleasant memories…" he trailed off, grinning all the while.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded. What memories of my mother could be unpleasant for Gabriel? Except for the one when she died, what other bad memories could there be?
"Never mind. You will know soon enough. I suggest that you find a dress for the ball, Isabelle. Havard might be able to assist you in that department. As for me, I am going to go rest for the first time in weeks, for my wound is still healing and I need time to recuperate and reinvest my strength." he proceeded to exit, but I was not ready to let him leave so soon.
"Where is your coffin?" I said curiously.
He turned around and raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Just in case I need anything."
"In your world, where I sleep is on the 1st Floor, in the 'Ice Caverns'. That used to be my entire castle, plus the ballroom on Floor 2, but as you can see, I have built tediously since then to improve Castle Dracula. I would like to say that I have succeeded."
"Is that the same ballroom that you danced in with Anna?" I inquired boldly.
"No. If you read Dracula's Demise thoroughly, it tells you of my summer palace that I still have in Budapest. THAT was where I danced with Anna. Good-night, Isabelle."
And then he was gone, leaving me feeling even more confused about him.
Author's Note: The idea for the French opera Carmen to make an appearance in this fic was rather spontaneous, but it is an extremely beautiful opera.
Once again, thank you to all of my reviewers! You mean the world to me!!