Marching all through the night, by daylight, the quintette of Gabriel Van Helsing, Carl Seward, Adrian Tepes, Velkan Valerious and Frankenstein had arrived in Buda-Pesht. Split in half by the mighty Danube River, the city was nestled in a lush valley, and even from a distance, it was a sight to behold, magnificent as it was ancient. Founded by the Romans at the beginning of Christendom, Buda-Pesht retained much of its history in the appearance of the city. Ancient towers and battlements of the castles, towering spires of churches, all interspersed with modern homes and palaces.
Van Helsing also found himself marveled by the giant at his side: Frankenstein. He did have a very pronounced limp, owing to the heavy metal leg brace on his right leg, but he seemed to possess near-inexhaustible energy. They entered the city, though staggered would have been a better description. Velkan was now dressed in the clothes Adrian had acquired for him, though his eyes still bore the feral gleam of a wolf. Frankenstein kept his hood on to cover his face, but his imposing size made him stand out regardless.
Van Helsing pulled his coat tight over himself, trying to keep out the cold. Suddenly, a blast of wind hit them, and Van Helsing quickly drew out his remaining revolver when he saw the scantily clad form of Aleera descend to a nearby roof.
The vampire bride waggled her finger and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth disapprovingly. "So much trouble to my Master," she said. "So much trouble."
She wasn't here to fight, he could already see that much. A disappointment, because Van Helsing would have liked to finish things with the last of Dracula's brides, and no doubt Velkan would have liked to have a battle with this spawn of Hell. He noticed Frankenstein already moving, and held his hand against the giant to stop him. Now was not the time. "What do you want?" he asked instead, opting to keep his calm.
"The Master commands a trade," Aleera replied. There was a gleeful light in her eyes, one that Van Helsing did not like the look of. "The monster." Frankenstein growled at that reference to him. "And the dunpeal." Adrian now glared. "For the princess."
As the two beings of mystical birthing and impossible sciences glared at Aleera, Van Helsing already knew there wasn't much choice, not right now. "Somewhere with lots of people," he said. Now Adrian and Frankenstein were staring at him. He ignored it, he could explain things later. "Somewhere that your master will be less inclined to show his...other side."
Thinking this over, Aleera's eyes suddenly lit up like those of a little girl, giggling madly. "Tomorrow night is All Hallow's Eve," she said. "Here in Buda-Pesht, there is a wonderful masquerade ball!" She hopped up to a position higher on the roof. "I love masquerades! Vilkova Palace, midnight!"
With another whoop, she leapt away, vanishing behind the roof in a blast of wind and snow that told the group she had transformed to her demon form. Van Helsing growled and holstered his gun. It was then than Frankenstein struck him.
"How can you agree to such a thing!" he roared. He looked to Adrian, and the dunpeal nodded his agreement. "It is madness!"
"That is my cousin we're talking about!" Velkan snapped back angrily. "I respect your life, your humanity, but she is an innocent child! I will not allow her to be claimed by Dracula!"
This was getting ridiculous. They really believed that Van Helsing was going to just trade two of the most vital parts of this whole situation away to Dracula? Clearly, they didn't have as much faith in him as they'd originally shown. With a sigh, Van Helsing drew out his revolver and fired into the air. It was enough to bring silence to the three arguing men. "Would you three knock it off!" he yelled, clearly annoyed. "First off, I can't believe you two." He glanced to Adrian and Frankenstein while holstering his gun again. "You really think I'd agree to just hand you two over!" Now looking to Velkan, he frowned. "And do you really think that Dracula is going to uphold any bargain he makes? If so, then you're not the smart man I took you for!"
"But then what do we do?" Frankenstein said. The worry in his eyes showed all too clearly. He was worried for Anna, just as much as he worried for the safety of not just his own life, but the lives off all humanity. "We have no way to just kill Dracula, and you-"
He gave the giant an angry gaze. When Frankenstein promptly went silent, Van Helsing inwardly thanked the heavens. Right now was not the time for fighting, it was the time for planning. And as much as he hated to do this to the giant again, it had to be done to keep him safe. "I am sorry."
He withdrew the steel expandable blowgun from his coat. Frankenstein looked at him, a note of betrayal in his eyes. Van Helsing couldn't stand that look. He quickly opened the blowgun and blew into it to fire a dart. He loathed this aspect of his mission now, and his only consolation was that in the end, it would work out.
They had to hire a cart to move his body, throwing a canvas over it to keep suspicion to a minimum. After purchasing new clothes, all attire for attending the impending costume ball, as well as a few other things they needed, the four men drove the cart with Frankenstein out to the cemetery near the palace. After a bit of searching, they found a mausoleum that would serve their purpose and waited there.
Van Helsing took the chance to change into his costume, a vaguely royal suit of black clothes, with a large hat and a very spacious cloak in which to hide some of his equipment on his body. Velkan wore a similar costume, his attire being a royal red rather than black, and missing the hat. Carl, oddly, had chosen to dress as a jester. It was a clash with his personality, but perhaps that was why he had done so. Adrian looked much as he did normally, though clad in blues and purples instead of black velvet, it was a startling change. The masks they would wear would hide their eyes, helping them to blend in and not be immediately recognized as gatecrashers.
Now hiding Frankenstein in the mausoleum, the four exited and prepared to head for the ball. Carl was still fussing over his costume while Van Helsing such the doors behind them. "I'm sure this is some kind of sin," he muttered while adjusting his coatpiece.
"God will understand," he replied sardonically while he and Velkan picked up the broken piece of a tombstone that was in the shape of a cross and set it on the doors to hold them shut. "Besides, how many commandments can we have broken in one day?"
Carl was fooling with his jester's hat. "You don't think this hat is a bit much, do you?" he asked while looking back at his companions. When Van Helsing gave him that look, he realized he was rambling again. "Sorry. We should be worrying about Velkan." He glanced to the lycan. "If the books I had brought with me are right, then the lupus venom in your blood is only temporarily retarded, not purged. You have until the New Moon to find a way to reverse the curse, and even then, like your original transformation, you have until the final stroke of midnight before Dracula regains his hold on you."
"Sounds like I have nothing to worry about then," Velkan replied.
"My God, you should be terrified!"
Van Helsing groaned. And they said that the professor was lacking in tact. "Thank you," he muttered while picking up his hat and leading the way to the palace. "We still have nine days to find you a cure, Velkan. Knowing our luck, we'll find one."
As the four men began to head out, Carl glanced back at the mausoleum. "Are you sure he can't get out of there?" he asked, a bit worried.
"Not without some help from the dead!"
Frankenstein awoke to darkness. His head hurt from the drug, but then again, he was still alive, something of a surprise. Did Van Helsing actually mean to trade him for the girl? But then, why was he alone, here?
Trying to adjust his eyes to the dark, he could see little details due to the small amount of light that was shining in, but it was enough for him to gather where he was; a mausoleum, a place of the dead. What was Van Helsing thinking? Surely he didn't intend to make a trade. Did he plan to trick Dracula?
Either way, it was a very dangerous game that Van Helsing was playing. He had to get out of here, but his limbs would not respond. Only now, he could barely move his head. But, after enough concentrated effort, he was able to move his hands.
He could not afford to wait helplessly where he was. Dracula was powerful, and though Van Helsing was certainly courageous, he was still only a man. Or was he? He had rescued the human mind of that werewolf, made him human again. Was Van Helsing human, even mortal? No, he clearly was not. Nor was he anything that Frankenstein had ever heard of before.
He heard something; a scraping sound, like a rusted hinge opening. One of the tombs was opening.
Frankenstein was not alone.
They stood before the ornate door of the palace that was twelve feet tall and covered in gold. And this is the back door, Van Helsing mused. He glanced to his companions, noting the apprehension in their eyes. Clearly, like him, they were not so sure about what little of a plan he had formulated so far. Still, none of them had come up with any better ideas.
The door swung open before them as if by a spell. Van Helsing took a step back, then saw the servants opening the door from the inside. For a second, he was concerned that they would ask to see an invitation, but they simply smiled and bid them welcome. Maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as he'd feared.
Inside, it was lavishly decorated, the floors intricately detailed, the walls covered with tapestries and gilded moldings in the shape of crowns. The furniture was antique, and Van Helsing could recognize several periods of European history. People came and went through the hallways, most donning masks and costumes, though some merely wore dark robes. No doubt, they were some the richest in Hungarian and Romanian nobility. The entire scene smacked of incredible wealth, and decadence.
The quartet followed the crowd toward two great doors which swung open as they neared. Inside was a massive grand ballroom that was filled with revelers. At least they would be able to remain anonymous in this sea of hidden faces.
There was an orchestra playing, along with a vocalist who seemed to have an amazing voice. Gypsy performers, jugglers, trapeze artists and high-wire acrobats - a very peculiar scene indeed. But then again, Van Helsing had never been to a masquerade in Buda-Pesht before. At least, not that he could remember.
"Well this is different," Carl observed while gawking at their surroundings.
Yes, it was different. That was what bothered him. "Dracula must have something up his sleeve," Van Helsing stated. He turned to Adrian. "Try and find us a place where we can get a good view of everything."
The dunpeal nodded and vanished into the crowd. Meanwhile, Van Helsing could see Velkan looking around, his nose sniffing about. "Something wrong?"
He nodded. "Can't you smell it?" Velkan asked of Van Helsing.
With a frown, Van Helsing inhaled the air, then nearly paled. Yes, he found what Velkan meant, and that was frightening him. His senses were becoming on par with a lycan. "Dear God," he whispered. "I can smell everything." Carl looked at him, not understanding. "Warm pretzels, the fresh punch, juniper bushes, ladies' perfume...and rotted flesh." There were undead nearby, no denying it. Dracula and his bride could not be far.
"Well, you two certainly know how to ruin the mood," Carl quipped sullenly.
Anna could feel herself floating. She was at a party, a grand one. She had not been to many parties in her life, but it was wonderful. No monsters, no fears, no death... There was only dancing. She was dressed in a low-cut red gown, a shining tiara in her hair, and she was gliding across the floor, twirling about in the arms of her dance partner.
Yes, there was a man there. He was good to her, he was her...master. No, wait, this was wrong. No one, man or woman, was her master. She was Anastasia Corvinus, the last of the Corvinus, descended from Matthias himself. The dream shimmered around her, threatening to pop and disappear.
The man in the dream kissed her, and she awoke...into the arms of a hell spawn monster. The beast that her family had hunted for centuries...and they were dancing. Few of her blood had been this close to Dracula, and none had lived. He looked to be about thirty years old, and his face would have been handsome if not for the vile monster that she knew lay beneath. His eyes were red like blood, cold and lifeless. And she became aware of an awful taste in her mouth, thick and coppery, like blood.
A horrible feeling came over her as he spun her on the dance floor, dipping her down. "How does it feel to be a puppet on my strings?" he said. He could see the fear in her eyes, the realization that he had fed her his own blood. "Little more than a doll in my hands?"
"I won't let you trade me," the girl replied defiantly. Revulsion filled her. Not only was this beast holding her so close, touching her, but he had infected her with his vile blood. She tried to struggle, but Anna found that her body would not respond.
He chuckled, moving her across the floor in time with the other dancers in the ball room. "I have no intention of trading you," Dracula hissed. The desire in his voice was impossible to hide; he wanted Anna for his true Bride. "And if I know Gabriel, which I do, he isn't planning to make a trade either." He pulled her close, their lips almost touching. "Neither of us have ever settled for half...my Lisa..."
Now she understood why he wanted her so badly. Adrian had said it many times himself; she looked just like Elisabetha Corvinus, Dracula's beloved wife and Adrian's own mother. "I am not Elisabetha," she stated firmly. "I may look like her, sound like her, but I am not your wife." Pausing, Anna let him see her disgust. "You make my skin crawl."
"That," he replied in a seductive tone, "is not all that I could do with your skin." Dracula stood behind her now, gently stroking her neck. He moved in closer, and she could almost feel his teeth on his neck. One bit, and it would all be over. She wanted to pull away, but an urging in her mind wanted her to just give in, one moment of submission for unending lifetimes of power. His blood was already in her, she would become like him now unless he was somehow destroyed. No! her mind screamed. He was doing something to her, trying to bend her mind to his will.
The view from the second-floor balcony was much better than being on the dance floor. Down there, it was crowded, making it hard to search, but from up here, the four men could see everything clearly. Van Helsing managed to spot Anna and Dracula instantly. They were dancing down there. The implications chilled him. Dracula desired to make Anna his new bride, and he had no doubts that the count would honor no trade. From all appearances, though, she still looked to be human. Such was a blessing of luck.
"Anna!" Velkan hissed as he saw his cousin in the hands of the vampire. "I'll tear that spawn of Satan apart if he harms even a hair on her!"
Yes, the feeling was well understood. "Something's wrong," Van Helsing muttered.
Carl was the first to reply. "Yes, they're both trying to lead," he remarked.
He glanced to the man, then shook his head. Even in such a serious situation, Carl's wit had to make itself known. "Not that," he snapped. "The fact that she's still human. Dracula should have transformed her already, he's holding off for some reason."
Looking up, he noticed that trapeze artists were just on level with the balcony. In fact, one them took a momentary break at the side of the balcony. Eyes looking onto the high-wires, he finally had an idea of what to do. This was going to prove interesting.
"Velkan," he said. "I need you to do something for me."
"I'm not going to like this," the Valerious nobleman replied. "Am I?"
As they spun about, Dracula whispered in Anna's ear, his voice soothing. "Soon, Anastasia," he said. "Soon, you will be my true Bride. Aleera will teach you well, to serve me in all ways, and you will learn to love me." He smiled, his fangs visible. "You shall become my beloved Lisa once more, and then, all will be perfect."
She fought against his control, the effort of battling his will showing on her face. Her struggle seemed to amuse him, and Dracula turned sharply and angled her downwards while facing a large mirror. "Don't we make a lovely couple?" he asked.
There were no reflections at all save her own. Dracula of course had no reflection, but the other ballroom dancers... "Oh my God," she gasped as she realized what was going on. In the mirror, it looked as if she was dancing by herself, spun about by an invisible force. "This whole place..."
The count grinned, basking in her fear. "All it takes is one moment of pain," he said, drawing her close. "And we can be together, forever."
She tried to push away, tried to fight him off, but his will was too powerful. "You...you have no heartbeat," she whispered, stating what was obvious, but all the same, the words had to be said.
He pressed her down, bending her backwards while he ran his hand through over her chest, fingers slipping through the gap between her breasts. "Perhaps," the count whispered as his eyes blazed with light. "It just needs to be...rekindled." He leaned in for a kiss, but as much as she tried, Anna could not turn away. She could feel the air change, and she knew that Dracula had tired of this game they played. Any moment now, he would bite into her neck, drain her dry, and then...she would become a monster.
The trapeze artist swung through the air, released his trapeze, and did a flip before grabbing the one his fellow artist had left. His hands gripped tightly, and he swung to reach the platform on the balcony. He was surprised that someone was waiting there for him, and he didn't get much of a chance to react before Van Helsing laid him on the ground with a solid punch to the head.
And then, Van Helsing was swinging through the air. He could see Velkan and Adrian down below, making their way through the crowds. Finally, the two supernaturals were close enough to see Dracula and Anna. Even they could sense that something was going to happen, and Velkan quickly pushed his way through the crowd.
A nearby fire-eater tilted his head up and prepared to preform his trick, now lifting the torch to his mouth. Velkan angrily shoved his way through and gave him a strong hard push. The fire-eater stumbled forward, blowing fire out onto Dracula just as he was about to bite Anna's neck.
Van Helsing let go of his trapeze just as the other artist swung by, and use the momentum to carry him in reach of the other trapeze. He grabbed hold, made the swing, then let go just as it went halfway and pulled out a tojo while turning about. It was now or never, and his hand reached for the high-wire, tojo spinning to life and cutting the cord to send him swinging into the crowd.
Dracula pulled away from Anna, yelling furiously as he turned and grabbed the fire-eater. With a grunt, he flung the man, sending him at least a dozen meters into the air. Van Helsing braced himself, knowing that his was perhaps the most dangerous part of this plan. "Adrian!" he cried. "Now!"
The dunpeal appeared from the crowds, grabbing hold of Anna and rocketing in a diagonal path upwards toward the balcony. A light blue stream of light trailed behind him, and as Adrian landed on the second-floor, Van Helsing dropped the tojo to grip the wire with both hands, and brought his left foot slamming into Dracula's head while his momentum brought him back to the balcony himself.
Adrian shook the girl, trying to bring her out of the trance while Van Helsing walked over. "Anna!" he cried. "Snap out of it!"
She shook her head, finally free of Dracula's control, then hastily peeled off the jewelry that was on her. She almost had the urge to tear off the red dress, but Anna quickly realized she had nothing else to cover herself with. She looked to Van Helsing, then to Adrian, her eyes filled with gratitude, but also fear. "He's infected me," she said. "He gave me his blood, I'm infected!"
That was why Dracula hadn't transformed her yet. He didn't intend for her to just be any bride, but his one true Bride, the one he would pass a part of himself into. Van Helsing was more concerned with the fact that she was indeed still alive; they had a chance to save her.
"Oh Gabriel..."
He turned and walked back over to the balcony, looking down on the dance floor. Everyone was staring up at them, waiting for something. And then, Dracula stepped out into the cleared circle. He looked up toward the balcony, and smiled. "So pleased you could make it, Gabriel...welcome to my summer palace."
Everything had just gone to Hell.
"Victory!" came a cry. From a side door that was flung open, a group of undead entered the ball room, and at their lead was that twisted man named Igor. He was almost strutting, his pride pouring from his face. And on the table they carried was Frankenstein. He was chained down like an animal, screaming angrily.
"Curse you wretched undead!" he roared. "Though I walk through the shadow of the Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil! You are all damned fools, and damned souls! And you will burn in the flames of Hell!"
He took back his original assessment. Now everything had just gone to Hell.
The count laughed, turning once more to look toward the group on the balcony. "Now that everything is as it should be. Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you..." He raised his hand toward them, presenting his foes and his desire to those present. "Van Helsing!"
The people removed their masks, mouths stretching open wide to reveal the monstrous fangs while their skin became pale gray. The whole party, every single guest, they were all vampires. "That explains the damn smell," he muttered under his breath. He could heard Anna screaming, and with a grunt, he grabbed her by the hand. "Let's go!"
"What about Velkan!" Adrian replied as they fled. Even now, the vampire horde below was racing to chase after them.
Anna's eyes lit up. "Velkan?" she said, looking to Van Helsing. "My cousin...he's still in that beast!"
"He is the beast!" Van Helsing stated. They ran down the hallway, racing to find a way out, but so far there was no sign of a window or anything of the sort. "Velkan's a latent lycan, the venom he got from the werewolf bite triggered his transformation, but we have to find a full cure to purge the lupus curse from him."
There, ahead. A stain-glass window. He pulled Anna toward it, then at the last second noticed something strange about one of the images; a saint that was holding up a hand as if to say "Stop!" Instincts screaming, Van Helsing skidded to a halt. "My mistake," he exclaimed, now leading Anna and Adrian down another hallway. "Wrong window!" He could smell the stench of decay and corruption.
The vampires were behind them, he could sense it. Making a series of turns in attempt to lose the undead, the trio raced up a flight of stairs and through a set of double doors. Van Helsing and Adrian bolted the doors shut behind them, Gabriel grabbing Anna by the hand again and pulling her along down the hallway.
A loud pounding came from the door, and at that moment, Carl came out from an adjacent corridor to stand before another stain-glass window, the magma contraption from the armory in his hand. "Now I know what it's for," he exclaimed excitedly. "Now I know what it's for!" He paused, now confused as to the three rushing people. "Um, where are we going?"
"Through that window!" they cried in unison.
Carl took the second he had to turn the top of the device, spilling the liquid alkali into the magma, then set it down just as Adrian grabbed him. Together, the four jumped and smashed their way through the window just as the double doors were thrown down to the ground. There was a high-pitch sound, and then, a brilliant burst of light, along with a burst wave of force that shattered every window in the palace. A moment later, along with the raining shards of glass came pieces of the flash-burned vampires.
The quartet fell down and crashed into water. Now several feet under the surface, Van Helsing fought back up, reaching the surface and breathing in while he saw his companions breach. He looked up, grinned, then turned to Seward. "Carl, you're a genius!"
There was pride on Carl's eyes, and he nodded while keeping afloat. "A genius with access to unstable chemicals!" he replied. Now that he knew what the damned thing had been for, Carl was sure to make more. That little contraption was one hell of a weapon against vampires.
He heard something. A heavy breathing, along with animalistic grunts. There was no mistaking that sound; it was Velkan. Van Helsing turned to see the lycan emerge from a lower level window, leaping down into the river and swimming toward them while shifting back to his human state. "Well done!" he commended. "For a moment, I was worried we'd lost you!"
"Nothing would keep me from protecting Anna," the man replied, now hugging his cousin tightly. The girl was bursting into tears, unable to believe that she had her cousin back. "I'm so sorry, Anna."
Both Velkan and Van Helsing turned at that moment. A longboat rolled down a stone ramp way on wheels and hit the water, manned by a dozen or so of those terrible Dwergi while Igor sat behind Frankenstein, shouting orders. The giant was tied to the mast, and there was a sad expression on his face.
Without a glance to his companions, Van Helsing swam after the boat. The Dwergi dropped the oars and began to row. It was a race, Van Helsing saw, and he began to swim faster, trying to catch up. The longboat was moving rapidly though into the main river. As they passed through the large archway, a huge gate began to drop down behind them. Van Helsing could see the misshapen little man mockingly waving at them, patting Frankenstein on the head. He shouldn't have been able to hear the horrible man's words, not at this distance, but they were as clear to him as if they had been said to his own ears.
"Say good-bye to your friends," Igor whispered to Frankenstein. "Because where we're taking you, only God and the Devil know!"
Van Helsing tried to will himself to go faster. It was going to be close, so very close...
And then the gate slammed shut in front of him, cutting him off from the boat. It was only a short distance from him, but to Van Helsing, it may as well have been a league away. Frankenstein's face was a mask of depression and sorrow, filled with hopelessness. He was a man who had been hunted by humanity, only to fall into the hands of something much worse.
Adrian swam over, determined not to let his father's servants get away, and gripped the bars with his bare hands. Smoke rose from his skin as a burning sound could be heard, and then he screamed out in pain, pulling away to reveal horrible burn scars on his palms. He plunged them into the water, trying to ward back the pain. "Iron!" he cried. "Damnation, that hurt!"
Van Helsing's attention was on Frankenstein. He was falling his mission now at every turn, he could not let this end in such a way. "I'll find you!" he yelled out. "I find you and set you free, I swear to God!"
There was a rush of wind, and Van Helsing could hear Dracula and Aleera laugh as they flew off toward Tirgoviste. Carl made his way over, Anna and Velkan not far behind. It seemed hopeless now, but Van Helsing would not, could not give up. "I have to save him."
Carl had a look of guilt on his face now. Something was wrong, Van Helsing could see it. "I should have told you," the man finally said. "I cabled Rome earlier while you and Adrian were obtaining disguises, to apprise them of the situation."
There was anger and fear rising in his heart. The hairs on the back of Van Helsing's neck rose, as he had a bad feeling he knew where this was leading. "What did they say?" he asked.
"Even if you somehow kill Dracula..." Carl hesitated. He knew that Van Helsing was going to be furious with this. "Jinette orders you to destroy Frankenstein as well."
Fire burned in Van Helsing's eyes. Not figuratively, but almost literally. "He isn't evil!" he roared. He was seething at this order, it was against everything he fought for. "He is an innocent soul, a creation of God, no matter how he was born, and I cannot kill him!"
Carl gulped. He had known this was how Van Helsing would react. He knew the man's code well enough, and he was right; Frankenstein had done no wrong, committed no sin. Rome regardless insisted that such a being could not be human. But they hadn't met Frankenstein, they hadn't seen the pure humanity in him.
"I left Velkan out," he finally said, glancing to the two cousins. "And I did not tell them about what's happening to you. I agree fully with you, we cannot kill Frankenstein." Carl again paused, breathing deeply. "This is what the professor always talked about, following what your heart says and not the man with the funny hat."
If not for the gloom of the situation, Van Helsing would have laughed. But there was no time for this, they had to get back to Tirgoviste, and fast. He looked to Velkan, to Anna, and then to Adrian. These people more than anyone knew the importance of ending this war which had raged for more than four hundred years.
"We must hurry."