"I can't believe I got to sleep next to him!" giggled Sam, obviously thrilled.
Velkan eyed her strangely as her followed his sister to the Valerious Mansion to get the horses.
"Five horses, one for each of you kids, one for Van Helsing, and Carl we knew you'd want to walk," said Anna, atop a russet mare, with Velkan behind her on a fair steed.
As Van Helsing helped Aly onto a grey mare, Velkan assisted Sam onto a creamy mare.
Just then, they all heard a thud as Ciara fell off a black pony.
"I'm ok!" she yelled.
Anna went over to help Ciara as Aly and Sam openly laughed at her.
"Shut up you guys!" Ciara said, embarrassed.
A few moments later, they were trotting along a lonely pathway.
"Dracula's castle is around that bend," called Van Helsing.
"Good," said Sam, who had been complaining the whole way.
"At least I know how to ride a horse," said Aly, proud of her knowledge of horses.
"At least I know how to read a map," retorted Ciara.
"Quite, all of you!" said Anna. "We are getting too close to risk being heard!"
"Dracula has a secret passage hidden behind that boulder," informed Velkan.
"Good. We can go in through that way to get inside," said Van Helsing.
"Well that's excellent news," said Carl, relieved. "My feet are hurting worse than the time I once created a vial of foul green liquid, which…"
"Shush!" whispered Velkan.
They led the horses to the boulder Velkan had mentioned, and got off the animals.
THUD!
"I'm ok!" Ciara whispered.
Van Helsing explained to the three girls how to tie their horses to the tree to which his was already tied.
As they neared the looming doorway, Carl sneezed. Anna shot him a death glare as Velkan whipped out his pistol. Carl stopped and paled, then nodded.
Velkan opened the door with a gypsies grace, and the group slipped inside.
"It's so big!" whispered Sam.
"Why thank you," Velkan whispered, as he hi-fived Van Helsing.
"Eww!" said Sam disgusted, and shared a look with Anna and Carl.
Ciara couldn't stop from laughing, and Aly smiled until Sam glared at her.
Anna directed them to stay close to the walls, and walk lightly. Ciara proved to have great difficulty with this.
Aly whipped out her sword at the sound of a mouse squeaking nearby. Van Helsing motioned for her to keep it ready, and Aly nodded.
They continued until they came to a room, from which an odd noise came. Van Helsing looked in, and saw Aleera, Verona, and Marishka playing cards on an old mattress. He motioned for everyone to be quite, and he slipped in and shot his crossbow. The brides shrieked, shifted forms, and flew away, no doubt to alert Dracula.
"Nice going," said Aly.
Ciara ran over, and picked up the fallen cards from the floor. "Sweet! They're black!"
Anna rolled her eyes. "We need to keep going."
"Yes," said Velkan. "Dracula probably knows were here now."
Sam's face lit up at Dracula's name, while Carl's paled.
As they exited the room, Velkan and Anna dragged the mattress into the hallway. "You never know when you'll need it!" they defended themselves.
Walking as silent as they could, they next found a room filled with large green sacs. "Dracula's children," explained Anna.
Sam frowned, and Ciara laughed at her, while Aly poked one with her sword.
"Eww!" she said as a green puss escaped the hole where her sword had stabbed.
"How rude," said a familiar voice from the ceiling. They all looked up to find Dracula sitting up-side down on the roof above them.
"Backs toward the wall," murmured Velkan.
Before they could move, Dracula was on the ground, advancing toward the group of seven.
Right then, Sam lunged for Dracula calling, "Take me with you!"
Aly, Ciara, and Carl had to restrain her. Dracula looked at Sam amused. Once again, Velkan eyed Sam strangely.
Dracula's Brides appeared at his side, and started moaning and kissing him. Sam looked heartbroken, while the rest of the group looked on with mixed feelings of disgust, amusement, and hate. Suddenly, while Dracula was occupied with his brides, Velkan attacked Dracula.
"Run!" yelled Anna, who joined Velkan and Van Helsing in fighting Dracula.
"Follow me!" yelled Ciara.
They ran through the maze of hallways until suddenly Ciara fell down a well.
"What the hell?" said Aly. "Where'd the well come from?"
Sam was still behind them and didn't notice Ciara was gone. "Don't stop!" she called, barreling through.
As she ran, she fell down the well, to join Ciara.
"Hey," said Ciara.
"Hey," sighed Sam. "So how's it going?"
Aly and Carl looked down at Ciara and Sam. "Are you two alright?" yelled Carl.
They didn't have time to answer, because right then, Van Helsing and Anna came running toward them. "Where's Velkan?" asked Aly.
"Distracting Dracula!" they yelled back. "Where is Ciara and Sam?"
Aly pointed down the well, as Anna and Van Helsing looked down to see Ciara produce a teapot from her cloak.
Van Helsing and Anna shot at Aleera, who had interrupted their 'meeting'. Verona and Marishka flew in and participated in attacking the two. Velkan ran into the room and grabbed Carl, who was being dragged upside down across the floor. They toppled to the floor and narrowly avoided a shot from Van Helsing.
"F---, man!" screamed Carl.
"Sorry!" panted Van Helsing.
Dracula flew into the room, and joined the frenzy. Aly decided to chop down a rope on the wall. What the rope did, she didn't know, but she soon learned it made Dracula angry. He came after her, and she raised her sword in defense.
"Owie!" she whined. "My wrist!"
Dracula took the sword and flung it down the well.
"My sword!" she yelled, and dove down after it.
Aly landed on a sharp object, which she realized was her sword, and began to cradle it. She then noticed Ciara and Sam staring at her. Aly looked up, and Ciara handed her a cup of tea.
"Cheers," said Sam.
Meanwhile above ground, Van Helsing was battling viciously with Dracula. The vampire twisted Van Helsing's arm, and booted him forward. Van Helsing managed to steady himself, and lash out at Dracula, to find he was no longer there. Dracula picked Van Helsing up from behind, and threw him away, where he conveniently fell down the well.
"Welcome," said Sam, as Ciara handed him a cup.
Van Helsing stared, and took the cup.
"So then I said, if you're gonna beat me up, do it properly!" said Aly.
Van Helsing sipped the tea. "Why this is lovely, tell me, how do you steam your tea?"
20 feet up, Anna and Velkan were still fighting with Dracula, and tiring. So they decided to run. "But what about Van Helsing, Aly, Sam, and Ciara?" asked Velkan.
"…they'll be ok," replied Anna. "Besides, Carl ran away 10 minutes ago."
"No I didn't!" yelled Carl, who was hiding in a corner. "I've been here, and I…"