Ch X

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Van Helsing caught Aluka just as she passed out.

Oh great, he thought. Now I get to carry her back. Lucky me.

Aluka was out cold. Van Helsing figured that it was probably from excitement or loss of blood. She had looked very pale, now that he thought about it.

He walked to the edge of the woods where the horses were, hoping and praying that he would face no more problems that night. Van Helsing put Aluka in front of him on his horse, and held the reins of her horse in his free hand. It was a difficult task, with maintaining the reins on his horse, holding on the Aluka's horse, and making sure that Aluka didn't fall.

After a few minutes of this, Gabriel reached the Valerious Manor. Although Aluka was thin and fit, that didn't make her a light dead weight. Van Helsing just left the horses near the stables, and grabbed Aluka off of his. He carried her in, and put her down on her bed.

Van Helsing went up to the library, finding Carl asleep there.

"Carl!" he yelled. The friar gave a start.

"What? Oh, hello Van Helsing," he said dully.

"Why did you have to wake me up?"

"I thought you would want to know that we killed the werewolf."

"Oh. That's nice," said Carl, putting his head down on the desk to sleep.

"Wait Carl. We need to discuss what we are going to do about that werewolf."

"You killed it, and all is well."

"No, all is not well. If there is one werewolf, there has to be others."

"Oh. I get it. So we must seek out these others then."

"Yes, because if Dracula is back, then he will once again have werewolves in his control. Which we really don't need, but that's what it was like last time." Carl looked at Van Helsing questioningly. It was the first time he had heard Van Helsing actually make a reference to his previous assignment.

"That's true," said Carl, continuing the conversation.

"Tomorrow, we should go back to where we killed the werewolf and see its human form. Perhaps there will be a bit of life in it if we're lucky."

"Speaking of 'we', where's Aluka."

"Oh yeah. She fainted," Gabriel said, looking at Carl, who looked confused.

"Why?" "Probably from loss of blood, because I saw a deep gash on her right shoulder. It looks pretty bad. You should probably clean it up for her after she wakes up."

"Okay. I shall do that, but in the meantime-"Carl said, once again attempting to go back to sleep.

"You do know that you have a room Carl." "Yes, but I prefer the library."

"Your room is to sleep in. The books are to read."

"I know, but the smell of old paper is familiar and it helps me sleep."

"Alright then- I shall leave you and the books alone-"

"Goodnight Van Helsing," said Carl in between yawns.

"'Night Carl," said Gabriel, exiting the library and walking to his rooms. Van Helsing went to sleep hoping for peaceful dreams he knew he probably wouldn't have.

Gabriel dreamt that he was in a high ceiling room, but instead of being on the floor, like he would be normally, he was on the ceiling. His dream was blurry, like all dreams are, yet somehow he knew what was happening was real.

"She is the key my lovelies," said a man's voice Gabriel recognized. At the time he couldn't place it, but after seeing the three women gathered around the man, he knew exactly who it was.

"My lord, how do you know it will work this time?" asked the woman with long dark hair.

"Do not question what a do or do not know!" the man yelled. It was obvious that he needed to learn to control his temper. The women cowered together.

"Trust me my dears, it shall work, and after it does, we shall kill her." Van Helsing looked at the man and awoke with a start. It had been Dracula.

The Cardinal never said anything about his brides coming back as well, thought Van Helsing bitterly, wondering if what he had just seen had been real or not.

Gabriel saw light coming in through the window in his room, and decided that he might as well wake up. He walked out of his room five minutes later, looking for Carl and Aluka, if she was awake yet.

"Good morning Van Helsing," said Carl, who had apparently just come out of the library.

"Hello Carl. Is Aluka awake yet?"

"Oh yeah, she woke up hours ago," said Carl, and noticing Van Helsing was about to ask about her shoulder added," And her shoulder is fine. I wrapped it up and put it in a sling this morning. When I was cleaning it, she nearly passed out again. That girl just can't handle much pain."

"I see. I've learned to. So, where is she now? We should get going on finding that werewolf we killed last night."

"Oh, she's making breakfast with some food she bought from the little village this morning. Or, she's trying to. I think she feels bad about you having to take her back here last night."

"Wait, she's making breakfast?" asked Gabriel in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Where?"

"The kitchen of course."

"That makes sense."

"I was on my way to see what she created."

"I'll follow you." When they got to the kitchen, they found that there were eggs and toast on the counter. Aluka was by a small flame, cursing at it for going low when she was about to make her breakfast. She was interrupted by Gabriel and Carl's laughter. Aluka looked up at them.

"I made breakfast," said Aluka, apparently very pleased with herself.

"Good job," said Carl, eyeing the eggs. Aluka noticed this.

"You can eat it Carl. It isn't poisonous. There is some there for you too, Van Helsing." "I can't believe you made breakfast," said Gabriel, not quite daring to believe his eyes.

"Yeah, well, it took me all morning. Sorry I passed out on you," she added blushingly.

"It's all right, but this food had better be fit for eating," said Gabriel jokingly.

"And I did this all with one arm."

"Good job," said Carl once again, smiling as he generously helped himself to the eggs and toast.

After finishing a surprisingly good breakfast, Gabriel decided that they did in fact have to go and find the remains of the wolf man.

"Oh darn, do I have to go to?" asked Carl sadly.

"Yes," said Aluka," You have to come too, just in case we run in to anything else. You'll be carrying extra mine and Van Helsing's extra weapons with you."

"Oh. Joy," said Carl sarcastically.

Fin ch X.

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