Author's note: Thanx so much to everyone who reviewed, JT14, Christine Marquez (nope not gonna tell you, and not considering pairings between the friends just yet) Savari, justjesus09 (I say post it, would love to read it!!) Fortune Zyne, Niffers (Cool name, yep Drac's a cutie!) Countess Alana (More Sarah/Drac moments for you in the next few chapies)
lol was fun I got 10 the most I've had yet on this story! So feeling guilty about leaving you all hanging so these are long chapters! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own my friends that's all. (Friends glare) ok ….. maybe not.
Chapter 55
Following the richly dressed crowd, they entered an impressive grand ballroom. The high ceiling was decorated with a beautiful mosaic, depicting and ancient battle between roman soldiers and Hungarian barbarians.
Van Helsing gazed up at it wistfully "I remember that." He muttered.
Chris shot Carl a questioning look. "Don't ask" the friar muttered shaking his head.
Their masks allowed them to move freely within the crowd and they made their way swiftly to a balcony that gave them an overview of the massive assemblage.
From here they watched the crowd dancing amid gypsy street performers, jugglers, fire-eaters, tightrope walkers and acrobats added to the spectacular scene.
"Well, this is different." said Carl, gawking at their surroundings.
Tony snorted, "I'm not impressed."
Marston winced as the violins struck up a haunting melody, accompanied by an opera singer.
"Its not exactly Adam and the Ants, is it." He said earning himself a bemused stare from Tony.
"What is it with you and eighties music?" he asked nervously fingering the small vial of holy water concealed with his jacket.
Marston shrugged "It was…err…is going to be…a great era."
Jory stared as the opera singer hit an impossibly high note.
"Do you reckon she'll do requests?" he asked grinning.
Chris and Marston shared a glance "Bohemian Rhapsody!" they exclaimed in unison.
Sarah rolled her eyes in amusement. "Yeah I'm sure the 19th century opera singer will know Bohemian Rhapsody." She said sarcastically.
Chris shrugged "It's a universal song."
Carl glanced from one face to another clearly confused. "Are you people even speaking English?"
He looked to Van Helsing for help, but found the hunter staring intently at the dancers, a look of deep concern on his face.
"What?" he questioned fearfully.
"This is too easy, Dracula's up to something." Van Helsing said thoughtfully looking at Sarah who winced.
"I forgot to mention that most of the guests are vampires didn't I." she whispered.
Everyone regarded her in horror. Tony gingerly brought a hand up to his still bruised chest, a brutal reminder of vampire strength.
"We're screwed." Jory sighed, counting easily over a thousand possible vampires barely three meters below him.
Carl followed his gaze "So in situations like this, do we stick to a solid plan? Or do we improvise?" he asked fearfully.
Van Helsing didn't take his eyes off Anna when he answered. "A bit of both, actually."
"I knew you were going to say that." Sarah muttered folding her arms.
Anna glided dreamily across the dance floor her feet barely touching the ground. Little of her surroundings registered as she danced in the arms of a man she vaguely recognised.
It was all like a dream, like she was floating. There were no monsters here, no hunts, and no deaths. There was only…dancing.
The man gently removed her mask staring into her vacant eyes. He was good to her; he was her…master? Abruptly her mind rebelled at the thought, no man was her master! She was the last Valerius!
The scene began to shimmer around her, seeming to come into sharper focus. Anna began to panic; she needed to be somewhere else, to do something important.
Caressing her face, the man lent in and captured her lips in a violent kiss that brought her well and truly to her senses.
The princess found herself in the hands of the vile creature that had caused almost the complete genocide of her family…and she was dancing with him!
Dracula grinned, locking cold dead eyes with startled brown orbs. "How does it feel to be a puppet on my string?" he asked spinning her.
Bile rose in her throat as she felt his cold touch on her bare skin. With disgust she took in her own appearance.
A beautiful crimson gown with a plunging neckline had replaced her fighting clothes, the sleeves hung off her shoulders exposing her slender neck and chest. White gloves reached to her elbows and elaborate ruby jewellery dripped from her ears and throat. Forcing herself not to dwell on exactly how she had been dressed, she focused on trying to struggle against the count.
Her body failed to respond, still under his control.
"You make my skin crawl!" she spat at him.
The counts eyes shone with malice and hunger. "That's not all I could do with your skin."
He dipped her, his hand travelling up her bodice to brush the sensitive area between her breasts and up until he clasped the base of her neck, tilting her head to the side.
He bent towards her and she could feel his putrid breath on her skin. He gestured towards the huge mirror behind them, forcing Anna to look at her reflection.
"Don't we make a beautiful couple?" he remarked.
In the glass Anna saw herself dancing alone hanging inexplicably in midair, seemingly unsupported. Dracula cast no reflection.
Suddenly, Aleera pulled Anna away "My turn" she said. Dracula watched them dance smiling.
Anna's would-be rescuers watched silently as she was swept up into another dance by Dracula's bride.
"Girl on girl action." muttered Tony. "It was better in the book."
Van Helsing watched the dance with dawning horror; it appeared Anna was to become the count's newest bride.
Sarah touched his arm reassuringly "I'm not going to let him do that to anyone else." She promised, her voice straining with hidden emotion.
The Hunter gave her a sad smile before assessing the situation beneath him. "Carl we're going to need some cover for a quick get away."
"Like what?" asked the friar.
Sarah and Jory exchanged a glance; stepping towards him, Jory extracted the small light device from the friar's sack.
"Use this." He said passing it over.
Carl looked deeply confused. "I really don't see how that will help."
Chris took it from him and looked it over "So what does it do?" he asked doubtfully.
Carl's eyes shone with enthusiasm "It creates a light equal to the intensity of the sun" he said proudly.
Chris gaped at him "And… you don't think that would be useful for an escape plan?" he asked incredulously. Carl just looked at him blankly.
"He doesn't quite get the connection." Sarah elaborated.
Chris sighed in exasperation. "Ok Carl I'm coming with you." He announced.
The group watched as they left through the oak doors at the back of the balcony.
Van Helsing raised a questioning eyebrow. "Trust me that things going to save our arses." said Sarah happily.
"Indeed" muttered Marston.
"If he doesn't accidentally reduce you to charcoal when he sets it off." pointed out Tony.
"You always know how to put a damper on the situation." She said scowling at him.
He shrugged "I'm realistic."
Before long, everyone was in position.
Van Helsing kept his eyes on the princess, his fists clenched tightly in anger as he saw her trying to fight Dracula's control. Only the strength of his will and instinct kept him from vaulting off the balcony and into the midst of the crowd to get to her.
He even went as far as to brace his foot on the edge of the balcony in preparation for the jump, but his life was not the only one on the line tonight.
He caught sight of Sarah and Jory slipping on to the dance floor, discreetly making their way towards Aleera and her reluctant partner.
His eyes followed their movements before checking that Tony and Marston were in position.
Sure enough he spotted them moving around the edge of the dance floor, slipping behind curtains to keep themselves hidden from the many vampire eyes in the ballroom.
So far the plan was going off without a hitch, and as an added bonus Dracula was busy gorging himself on a poor maidservant who had, had the bad luck of crossing his path. Silently Van Helsing crossed himself, praying for the woman's soul and silently thanking her for her sacrifice however unexpected it had been. Everyone was ready and now so was he.
Sarah and Jory swept through the crowd self-consciously trying to mimic the many couples surrounding them.
"I feel like a snow beast." Sarah muttered glaring at her swirling white skirt. Jory sniggered stepping in time to the music, his mask keeping his identity from the couples around them.
For all any of the vampires knew he was just Sarah's intended victim. A naive young human she had lured to the ball for her own amusement.
Now and again he caught the eye of one of the woman dancing near them, shuddering slightly, he imagined what could be just beneath the surface waiting to pounce.
"I'm going to be in therapy till I'm decrepit and old." He muttered.
Sarah smirked "least you didn't have a dead guy sucking your throat." She muttered glaring at the feasting vampire on the other side of the dance floor.
Her heart broke for the poor girl in his grasp. Jory followed her gaze regarding Dracula with disgust.
"It could have been worse." Jory said. Sarah cocked her head to the side as he spun her gracefully, imitating the dancers around them.
"How?" she asked miserably watching Dracula torment the young maidservant.
Jory grinned, "Dracula could have been the guy out of "Dracula dead and loving it"."
Sarah grinned back at him, the mental image of the comedy Dracula, a white haired, over weight man, temporarily replaced the handsome, menacing Dracula, who had arrogantly danced with the captive princess.
Marston hung around the large red curtains, which artfully concealed the various entrances and exits to the great ballroom. From here he watched Sarah and Jory's progress. Tony shifted uncomfortably at his side, his eyes locked on the distant figures as they carefully danced their way across the floor towards Anna.
"Van Helsing's ready on the balcony." He informed Tony, who just nodded, still following the dancing couple. Marston followed his gaze watching as they twirled and stepped in time with the other guests.
"Nothing's going to go wrong." He said with confidence he didn't feel.
Tony didn't respond and Marston shifted uncomfortably in his elaborate dress attire. The cuffs and high collar irritating the skin of his wrists and neck 'Please let nothing go wrong,' he prayed silently.
A muscle twitched in Van Helsing's jaw as he watched Anna helpless in the hands of the creatures who had brutally murdered her family. His newly found memories of his relationship with the count, made him feel partially responsible for everything that was happening, but he cast such thoughts aside.
Tonight Anna was all that mattered to him.
"Ok, let me try this again." Chris sighed in exasperation kneeling before the Friar, who was delicately placing his sunlight device on the carpet in the middle of the corridor.
"Vampire's hate sunlight right? Why is that?" he prompted hopefully.
Carl frowned in confusion "Because it is the light of god and brings the lords wraith upon them, destroying them in cleansing flame?"
Chris sighed "In scientific terms that means?"
"The Uv light, speeds up their molecules in a way that makes them spontaneously combust!" The friar exclaimed proudly.
Chris grinned thinking that finally they were getting somewhere until the friar frowned again.
"What has this got to do with my device?"
Chris gritted his teeth. "Ok what does your device give off when activated?" he asked patiently.
"A light of equal intensity to the sun." Carl stated for the hundredth time.
"So U.V light basically." Chris said pointedly "The kind that makes Vampire's become crispy and black and more importantly…DEAD!"
Comprehension suddenly dawned on the Friar's features and he exclaimed gleefully "I know what it's for!"
Chris slumped exhausted "About fucking time." He muttered.