Random-Battlecry Thanx for that little explaination :D Glad you still like it, I really am trying to make it as emotional as possible (not easy) I've started writing notes for an original fiction I want to do don't know how long it'll be before I start it properly though. I want to get this one out of the way first its taking up all of my time. Keep reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Van Helsing nor anything associated with it, it is the property of Universal and the brain child of Steven Summers (who had better make a sequel in which Anna comes back from the dead, don't care how he does it or whether it makes sense just that it happens)
Chapter 24
Van Helsing watched Sarah's actions carefully through the spyglass on the crossbow.
Next to him Anna drew her sword, Carl, Amie and the boys were on their way from the manor to act as back up.
Van Helsing was glad that they hadn't seen Sarah, he was still unsure himself whether he should let her live now that it was clear what she had become. The only question remained how long before she embraced her new life?
Dracula was regarding them with an amused smirk on his face; Van Helsing felt Anna's rage as she found herself before the man who had hunted and brutally murdered her friends and family.
The brides were grinning excitedly anticipating the coming battle.
Anna saw her own death staring at her in their faces and found that she didn't care. She swore to herself that she would die fighting taking one or both of the women with her.
At the end of it all she would make her family proud.
Chris, Marston, Jory, Tony and Bob arrived then, each armed with a katana and the swordsmanship Anna and Van Helsing had taught them over the last few days.
They regarded the Brides and Dracula with expressions of the deepest loathing. Dracula's confidant smirks maddening them.
"He killed Sarah," said Tony emotionlessly.
Dracula laughed, "I have killed many people boy." He said grinning.
In the light cast by the flickering lamps his face resembled a skull, shadows covered his eyes and his mouth stretched impossibly wide.
"And it appears that I will have the pleasure of killing all of you tonight. You owe me the loss of Marishka, I collect all my debts in blood."
Focusing entirely on the princess he gave a mocking bow.
"Ahh Princess Anna, at the end your father and brother both begged me for death. It will be interesting to see how long you last."
Anna said nothing but stood trembling with the force of her anger, without turning to him she addressed Van Helsing.
"I will take care of the brides, keep the monster busy and if I am still alive we will finish him together."
It was a sound plan; he was the stronger of the two and had already destroyed one of the hated vampires.
He looked at the young woman beside him and knew without a doubt how much it cost her to admit that she couldn't destroy Dracula alone. She met his eyes briefly and understanding passed from one hunter to the other.
Van Helsing found himself wishing they had met under different circumstances.
The brides made the first move leaping towards them in a perfectly synchronised attack forcing the group to split up.
Van Helsing was forced closer to Dracula, Anna and Bob dodged to the left entering one of the smaller streets between the houses Aleera following.
Marston, Chris, Tony and Jory were forced to the right and found themselves against a solid wall, the dark haired bride Verona closing in fast.
Bravely all four of them ran at her swords drawn, she laughed and easily deflected their blows with her arms, slashing at their exposed arms with her claws.
Jory yelped as she got him above his elbow creating a minor flesh wound that bled freely.
She smiled sweetly at him and turned to deflect Chris's thoughtless attack from behind her.
Tony ran to defend his friend and felt himself being lifted off his feet.
Verona brought her face close to his and chuckled prettily.
"Too bad, so sad" she said sweetly flinging him high into the air and across the square to land in the shadows of the inn.
Marston watched him hit the floor and lost sight of his body in the darkness.
"Tony!" he yelled in anger. Chris and Jory joined him in a maddened attack on the bride.
Verona was toying with them as a cat does with a doomed mouse. She would play for a while she decided and then the real fun would begin.
Battering their harmless weapons aside she spared a thought for her newest sister. An order came sharply into her mind "Find her!" she grinned upon feeling her masters presence in her mind and began to strain for any indication of where her prey was hiding all the while continuing to play with the three boys.
Tony groaned as he got to his feet, he had mercifully landed on an abandoned pile of hay next to the inn. The stack broke his fall, saving him from serious injury.
He stood and retrieved his sword from the cobbled street and made to run back to the fight, which had now moved into a side street.
Before he had taken more than a few steps he saw a dark shadow crouched behind the log pile beside the inn. The villagers were all inside. Tony thought back to Sarah's book and the list of Dracula's allies. 'Dwergi!' it had to be one of Dracula's grotesque Dwergi henchmen. Silently he stepped into the shadows to his left approaching the shadowy figure from behind.
Van Helsing had found himself alone with a grinning Count Dracula, quickly he noted where the others had gone and then forced thoughts of them out of his mind he could not afford to be distracted now.
The count began to walk slowly circling him; Van Helsing mimicked his movements exactly waiting for an opportunity to attack.
After a minute or to the Count's eyes seemed to glaze over as if his mind was somewhere else.
Van Helsing took his chance and brought his crossbow to bare firing off three consecutive shots at the vampire, but the shots hit nothing but air, the vampire was gone.
Van Helsing felt the creature appear behind him and with reflexes to match the creatures own, spun smoothly and buried his silver stake directly into the creature's unholy heart.
Van Helsing waited for the monster to fall. The Count stood for a moment and then impossibly, he smiled. The hunter released the stake and stumbled back in shock, no vampire could have survived such a direct assault.
"Hello, Gabriel," Dracula said pleasantly.
Van Helsing froze, confronted with his own long forgotten first name and confused as to why Dracula had addressed him as such like they were acquaintances.
Dracula calmly grasped the stake and ripped it out of his chest, casually tossing it aside. As the wound healed itself the count studied the man before him.
"You don't remember do you?" he asked.
"Exactly what should I be remembering?" Van Helsing replied as he backed away. Dracula followed him displaying his agility in the smoothness of his movements.
"You are the great Van Helsing. Trained by monks from Tibet to Istanbul. Protected by Rome herself! But like me hunted by all others."
Van Helsing was not impressed by the vampire's knowledge. "The holy order knows of you, so it's no surprise that you would know about me." He said carefully while trying desperately to formulate a plan to keep himself alive.
Dracula grinned at him flashing his sharp teeth "Oh but it's much more than that. We have such history, you and I Gabriel. I know of your nightmares, and why you remember bloody scenes from ancient battles. Do you know how you got those scars on your back?"
Van Helsing shook his head denying that the vampire could know such details about him.
"How do you know me?" he asked.
Dracula opened his poisonous mouth to answer but suddenly spun to look in the direction of the square, a scream of the uttermost agony escaping his lips.
Van Helsing watched stunned as the great Vampire fell weakly to his knees before him.
This could only mean one thing…one of the brides had just died.
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Note: ok I wrote this on the assumption that Van Helsing didn't know his name was Gabriel at the beginning of the movie, I don't know if that was right or not. Also I know that the Drac/Van scene is almost exactly the same but gonna say in my defence that the movie is still going on in here somewhere so somethings will stay the same. Thanx R & R!!