Chapter 8

"So you gypsies are still around?" Lydian asked Madame Vouyent in a stunned voice. "But how come I'd never met any while Velkan was alive."

"Well you had met me," Madame Vouyent explained gently, "and after all I am a gypsy. But Dracula always attacked us so fiercely. When he was at the height of his power he killed many of us. So many died. To protect ourselves most of us went into hiding in the forests. Only a few of us stayed in the village to stay close to your family. But of course after they were all killed we all left."

"So that's how you got here?"

"That's right," Madame Vouyent smiled, "I left directly after you did. I've been here ever since." A very tall and thin boy came in holding a teapot and two cups. "Ah thank you Elias." She took the pot and cups and smiled at the boy. "Elias is one of my great-grandsons who found you in the forest."

"Well in that case," Lydian said standing up and bowing, "thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome Madame Valerious," he replied sinking into an awkward bow before leaving.

The two women caught up as they drank their tea. Lydian explained how she was looking for her daughter and that there were probably several other people out around the remains of the mountain who may need help.

"Oh Madame Valerious," Madame Vouyent said as they finished drinking their tea, "would you like me to read your fortune?"

"Not this time," Lydian answered with a smile.

It took them a while but finally Carl and Andrea both had their hands free. Andrea had cut the ropes off of Carl's ankles and was just cutting off the rope binding her own feet when they heard the sounds of movement outside of the door. Carl crawled over and put his ear to the door.

They both froze and listened, sure they were about to get caught. But the footsteps were moving in a different direction. With the danger past Andrea finished cutting the rope and stood up gingerly.

"Ok," Carl said, "now what?"

"Well," Andrea mused, "I guess we have to break down the door."

"How are we going to do that?" he asked.

"We're going to hit it," Andrea replied simply.

"That's impossible."

Five minutes later Andrea had hit the door open and Carl had apologized for doubting she could. When they were running down the halls, trying to find a way out, they heard the footsteps again. This time the footsteps were undoubtedly coming towards them.

They ducked through an open door into a room. Carl grinned in surprise as he saw the laboratory equipment filling the room. Andrea on the other hand widened her eyes in alarm as she looked around.

"Damn it," she hissed looking around wildly, "there's no way out of here, not even a window. We're trapped."

"Maybe not," Carl said slowly picking up a jar and peering at the substance inside of it.

"Tell me this is just one of your sick jokes Claudia," Rosita demanded, "you can't be serious about this. You can't be working for Dracula."

"Hey," Claudia snapped, "don't try to boss me around. I am older then you after all."

"By minutes," Rosita argued, "that doesn't count."

"If I can interrupt the family squabble for just one second," Mina said loudly, "but if I could bring us back to the topic of Dracula."

"Of course," Claudia said with a huge grin, "I will take you to him now. He has to kill you to stay in this world and regain his former power. That's the deal he made."

"Good to know," Mina commented, "but we're not going to see Dracula. I'm going to take a guess and say he's holed up in a castle somewhere since the sun is out and I know he won't come out in the sun." Claudia's mouth dropped open. "Of course that means that you'll have to manage to drag the two of us to see him."

"That won't be a problem," Claudia said recovering from her shock and snapping her fingers. Ten Dwerger came over. Mina recognized them from Frank's descriptions. He had often told her stories about fighting them in the bed-time stories he had made up for her as a girl.

"I'm afraid I have to disagree," Mina growled. She turned and looked at Rosita. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" Rosita started to say but then stopped in horror.

Concentrating as hard as she could Mina had scrunched up her face and was beginning to change. Her muscles bulged and grew as her features began to change. Her face elongated and she began to grow fur as she shed her normal skin.

Both Claudia and Rosita screamed and the Dwerger jabbered in terror. With a low growl Mina stood up, towering over the others, now completely transformed into a werewolf.

She grabbed Claudia by the arm and ran, shoving Dwerger out of the way as she went. Soon Claudia was staring at the retreating figure in shock and disbelief.

Once they were out of harm's way Mina slowed down. She transformed back almost exactly the way she had transformed into a werewolf only in reverse. Rosita still hadn't said anything. With a groan Mina completed the transformation back into a human.

"I'm so sorry," she said to Rosita, "there was no other way."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rosita asked her eyes accusing, "You should have mentioned it?"

"It's a difficult subject to work into your everyday conversation," Mina pointed out dryly. "So, isn't this weather nice? By the way, my father who died before I was born was a werewolf and so I'm sort of a werewolf. But don't worry, I'm not dangerous." She glared at Rosita. "Can you see where that would be a hard thing to find the right moment to reveal?"

"Yeah," Rosita grumbled, "but you scared me so bad when you started- well you know. Does it hurt?"

"More then you could ever imagine." The two of them walked through the woods searching for other people from the other groups and keeping their eyes open for more Dwerger.

"Hey," Andrea called to Carl, "the Dwerger are about to break in. I can't hold them for too much longer. How's that bomb coming?"

"Almost done," Carl called, "just another minute."

At that moment with a crash the door burst open. Andrea was thrown back. The first few Dwerger to come into the room stopped in the doorway. Taking advantage of their pause Andrea came at them with her knife. One went down, then another. The third, however, dodged the knife. His lucky swing hit her in the side of the head. She staggered but recovered in time to slice at the Dwerger's throat.

"Andrea," Carl yelled, "it's ready!" She abandoned the fight and ran over to Carl. He threw his newly made bomb at the wall and it exploded. By the time the smoke had cleared Carl and Andrea were long gone.

"Will you please stop holding me at gunpoint?" Jill cried in exasperation to Van Helsing who only pushed the pistol harder into the small of her back.

"Keep walking," he growled, "until you can prove to be who you say you are I'm taking no chances."

"Arg," she moaned.

"Quiet," he hissed, "I hear something."

A second later Mina and Rosita walked out of a clump of bushes right in front of Van Helsing and Jill.

"Uncle Gabe!" Mina yelled, suddenly looking several years younger. He gave her a big hug as Jill stared in shock. Of all the things she had expected from the fiercest monster killer ever it was not this.

A similar meeting was taking place less then a mile away. Carl and Andrea's race to escape Dracula had sent them right into the path of Frank, Patrick, and Anne. After a brief round of introductions each group caught the other up on what trouble they had escaped from.

"You made a bomb right then and there?" Patrick asked awed.

"Carl can make anything but especially bombs," Frank chuckled.

"Um guys," Anne interrupted, "hate to bring up a possibly depressing or hopeless subject but where are we heading?"

"I think I know where we should go," Carl said slowly, "Frank?"

"It's not far," Frank agreed, "and it makes perfect sense for the others to head there."

"Somebody tell me what's going on," Andrea demanded.

"There it is," Van Helsing said pointing up at the huge castle, "the Valerious Family Mansion."

"Mom told me she sold it years ago," Mina protested.

"That's what she told everyone," Van Helsing said casually, "but I found the deed in her office a few months ago. I guess she just couldn't let it go." Jill, who Mina had been able to vouch for, reached the door first.

"It's locked," she called back.

"That's all right," Van Helsing chuckled, "Mina has the key."

Mina slowly pulled the chain she wore around her neck off. She held the key up and looked closely at it. Then she walked over to the door and stuck the key in. She turned the key and they all heard the lock click.

The door to the Valerious house swung open with a creak.