Whoah! Quite big chapter! Sorry for so long, I've been celebrating ... Well, hope you'll enjoy!

Chapter 16

Rescue mission

The island in quarter 7/7 was one of the best sanctums. As many other sanctums of night creatures, who wanted their posterity to live in absolute safety, this island wasn't inflicted on any maps, so was hidden from humans' eyes, especially from the Holy Order. Witches used such islands-sanctums quite seldom, mostly as a 'school places' for teens and children, or for the Great Coven and some very secret black magic rituals. But young generation called them 'prisons' and almost pleaded not to send them there. Perhaps because only one very old and strict witch lived there to keep an eye for teenagers, telling them how they should act, speak, walk, breath, etc. to show their value and full contempt to the representatives of another sex. But actually most witches, who spent time in such 'concentration camps' married with vampires, seldom werewolves or humans and gave birth to numerous girls-half-breeds.

Vampire aristocracy built reach manors and protected war bases, still unmarried women usually lived on islands-sanctums. In this case head of the family could be sure that his daughter stays a virgin before marriage. But such 'greenhouse flowers' didn't have own opinion or point of view, have never drunken the 'real blood' (only medical blood, delivering from the continent on ships), and are easy-broken when something really bad happens. Of course some strong persons escape, trying to follow turned vampiresses example or Maya's, who obtained a lot in men society.

As for werewolves … Well, they have never built any war bases or fortresses, because forest is their most reliable sanctum. These children of nature preferred to hide in forests, but they just not interested in hiding and always choose open way to fight.

Still, back to the island in square 7/7. It was occupied with mountain chains, and the coastline was greatly indented with high cliffs and sharp rocks. Fellan had to whirl around the island to find the bay and moor to the pier. The whole day had passed before they arrived and it was about 1 o'clock of 17th of March.

The troop was walking slowly by narrow tracks, headed with vampires, who moved by flat rocks like lizards. Witches felt calm in this place, as they had spent their childhood on the same island. Kiara turned into her wolf-form, but neither Van Helsing, who stayed normal in fear that he'll hurt anyone as a werewolf. His worries were shared by Ki, as she was afraid that the moon will play a bad joke with him.

Selin slithered down and threw her shotgun on the ground.

"What happened, Sel?" – asked Angelic, caressing her check as Diana did in the dream (or it was a nightmare?).

But Sel made a sign to keep silence and tensed all her muscles, ready to jump. Fellan sniffed the air and understood what she was trying to say. He jumped between fissures and threw a short black demon out of there. The demon fell at Selina's feet; strong smell of cinder said that it was Damos, burnt demon. Irvin, who had just slithered down, grabbed him by throat and pinned to the rock, turning into his hell-beast form:

"Where's my daughter, you – miserable creature!"

Damos meandered as a worm, but didn't say a word.

"Give him to me! I have a great experience in such deals," – vampiress smiled, baring fangs. Irvin nodded and Sel poked the demon's shoulder with her claws, slowly cutting the flesh on the way to heart. Damos couldn't scream, as with the other hand she covered his mouth. Then she finished the torture, enjoying the look of fear and deathful pain on his ugly face.

"Where's the child? Or maybe I'll continue …"

"No! Please! I'll speak!"

"Very well."

"There is a secret tunnel to the witches' Hall of Seven Deaths! My master wanted me to bring the child, and I did!"

"How did your master get you as a servant?" – asked Gabriel.

"Lord Devolio gave me to her as a present …"

"Tell me, slave, why do they need the child?" – broke him Selina.

"Not the child … her sole … Ancient power … Dark lord … blood … the key …" – his speech became incoherent, then he closed eyes and became quiet. Lines and symbols appeared on his body, cut with an invisible blade. Vina put finger on the line and started reading aloud:

"The one, mortal, will come to make a choice. Light and darkness lead her … A sacrifice will return me … I am Lucifer ..." – the witch looked at others and jumped back in fear.

"Take him away! Now!" – she screamed, crying hysterically. Angelica embraced her, trying to calm, but Vina was shaking in a nervous fever, repeating something on …

"Aramaic!" – recognized Van Helsing, meanwhile Selina with the help of Irvin and Fellan threw the demon's body down from the cliff, and it sank in the sea.

Unconscious Vina fell on the hard ground, supported by Angelic. The hunter opened the flask with absinthe and made the witch to swallow the fire liquid. She has never drunken anything stronger than tea, so felt badly and coughed, holding by the throat.

"How do you feel, miss?" – he asked warmly.

"Fine … I've just …Nothing …"

"You know Aramaic?"

"No, of course not! He knows," – her eyes fell on the ground.

"It can't be …"

"Why not? Now you know, Gabriel, how interesting our life is," – Selin grinned, taking her shotgun.

"It's not the time for your perverted sense of humor!" – noticed Van Helsing, helping Vina to stand up.

"Guys! I found the entrance!" – shouted Kiara, who didn't see what happened as she was looking for any signs of witches or Maya and went far from the group.

"Can you walk?" – the hunter asked astir.

Vina nodded, and the command followed Ki to an entrance and then through the tunnel and into the secret corridor.

But they soon came to the crossroad and it made them to stop. Seven paths led to seven different rooms, but what's the right one?

"Hmm, looks like mine …"

"No, actually. There's only one corridor, other six – a very skilful illusion." – explained Angelic, touching the wall of the tunnel.

Fellan walked through the path in the center, and Sel chose the other one from the left. When they stepped the road, it broke and they fell into black and dark pits.

"Sel! Fellan!" – shouted everyone. Irvin flew down and caught werewolf, and Selina saved herself.

"A trap for kids. No, it definitely should be much more dangerous!" – she said surely, staring at long black holes of tunnels. Gabriel had the same thoughts; he shot few arrows into the darkness, but there wasn't even a sound of crack or something like this.

"Wait! Listen …" – Selina and Irvin tensed rumor.

Tap, tap … by the stone floor, somewhere far away. The brave rescuers prepared to attack.

But suddenly the sound broke down, and a heavy silence filled the warm and rotten air.

"Come on, closer …" – whispered vampiress, trying to look through the dark cover of the tunnels.

But still no signs of life …

"Well, forget …" – she relaxed completely, - "It's Maya or witches in the Hall …"

"I'm not so sure," – whispered Van Helsing, moving towards the one of the paths; his hunter's extra-sensors told about evil. He touched the stone wet wall and stepped into the darkness. Kiara wished to follow, but Sel grabbed her by wrist:

"Let him check."

The command stared at brown hunter's figure before he didn't disappear.

"Give a call …" – Selin pleaded in minds, and by some reason Gabriel heard her.

"It's dark here, and I feel something disgusting in my boot! I'm going back!"

A trace of a smile ran through Sel's face, what cause Ki, she was happy.

Van Helsing appeared from the darkness, smiling unnaturally like a girl on a Beauty contest.

"What's with you?" – asked his red-haired girlfriend, who had just changed into normal form, and felt cold as her clothes were torn with back transformation.

"Ah, nothing … But, by the God! Take it off me!"

He threw away his coat and took off the sweater. There was a black nasty thing on his back, looked like a hybrid of scorpion and … something without a name.

"Demon Ralloo! Bad thing! Very bad!" – said Vina, stepping back.

"How can I take it off!" – He arched back, trying to get the nasty thing, but demon had other plans. It started growing … and fast.

"O.K., don't move! Stand where you are and relax," – commanded Vina, at the same time giving a sign to others to stay back.

"I can took it off with my teeth," – offered Fellan, who didn't like the hunter most of all.

"Or I'll shoot this thing," – add Irvin, raising his pistol.

"I'll help," – grinned Selina.

"Shut up! It's not funny!" – replied Gabriel, holding from the last strength, he had to raise hands up, as the demon started winding around his chest and abdomen.

Kiara pricked Ralloo with a nail, and it didn't like it at all, squeezing its victim tighter.

"I've told you not to touch this demon!" – shouted Vina.

"The worst thing is that black witches of our category can't harm Ralloo. In the same time the weakest white can kill you easily," – added Angelica, trying to scrawl a pentagram on the demon with a sharp stone.

"But I can try, because I'm a healer," – said Vina and her cheeks got red.

"I hope you agree …" – she whispered coming closer.

He nodded, and the witch kissed him foul of mouth, as she wanted to suck him dry. Others were quite shocked, but it helped! Ralloo hissed loudly and deepened into hunter's body, and then Vina stopped the kiss and spitted the black wastes on the stone floor.

Van Helsing shook himself and breathed heavily, he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy it.

"Thank you …"

"You're welcome."

"Alright, let's go!" – said Angelica, and they followed him into the tunnel, which Gabriel scanned.

But there was another problem: an invisible wall appeared after Angelic and the hunter, who were walking at the head of the group, went through.

"Hey! What's this!"

Sel kicked the wall with leg, but just hurt herself.

"Damn it!"

Van Helsing touched the wall, which was cold and smooth, but hardly breaking.

Fellan tried to attack the wall, but his claws just left few stripes, nothing more.

Then Vina from the one side, and Angel from the other tried to move it with magic, but failed …

"O.K., you should go, and we'll come back and search the other four tunnels." – said Kiara, when Selina's bullets didn't help.

Everyone agreed and continued their ways. Gabriel and the witch went forward and came into the Great Hall of Seven Deaths. There was no furniture: just bare black walls, the ceiling with a red star with six corners – third seal, supporting by smooth columns; and other two seals drawn on the floor. Diana was sitting in the center of the Hall, staring somewhere into the space with interest. A kind of dome was around her.

"My baby!" – cried Angelica and ran to her daughter, but a strong wave of energy threw her and Gabriel to the wall.

Three figures in red cloaks with hoods, covering their faces, appeared from the darkness: one at the head and other two behind her back. Besides them walked another person, with a devilishly charming smile, long auburn curls in a high ponytail with few tresses framing her beauty face, mysterious red eyes and white open dress.

"Maya Fern?" – whispered Angelic, while Van Helsing was helping her to stand up.

"Yes. Maybe you also know my … 'colleges'." – Maya turned head to three figures in cloaks, continuing smiling.

'Colleges' took off the hoods and Angelica recognized three mighty witches of the Council. Lady Sylvia, Lady Katharine and Lady Violette.

They raised hands and pinned rescuers to the wall.

Maya walked slowly to Gabriel, who tried to move, but charms were too strong even for his werewolf abilities. He stopped fighting, staring at beautiful vampiress as a doped. She embraced him by neck and stared into his warm brown orbs.

"Famous Van Helsing! The Left hand of God! Welcome to The Hall of Seven Deaths!"

After she said this, red lines started appearing on the walls, forming symbols, pentagrams, strange signs and strange gravures.

"There are Seven Egyptian Executions on the pictures?" – the hunter asked her.

"You right, Mr. Van Helsing. Maybe our pretty mommy knows what those symbols mean?"

"Ancient power's story … What do you want to do with my child!"

Maya answered with an innocent smile, then gave Gabriel a sweet kiss and returned back to witches, making hunter to gaze her walking.

Meanwhile Angelica fought with the spell like a wild cat, staring at Diana, who didn't even cry, but was sitting calmly on the cold floor.

Ladies stepped closer to her, raised hands into the ceiling and made long red lines to stretch down to the baby.

"DIANA!" – screamed Angelic, tears filled her eyes.

"The Ancient power should be destroyed! We call the demons of Hell!"

Witches had to concentrate on Dia, and forgot about captives.

Van Helsing shot few arrows into them, but silver melted in the air. Angelica used all her power and blocked trio's charms, but it led to a strong wave of energy threw all of them away.

Somehow Maya fell on Gabriel, so he was gazing into the cut of her dress; she fixed up hair and set on the top of him.

"You look better in such … position …" – her hands lowered down to the belt of his pants.

"The Order taught you to hide your desires, a?"

"I've never seen such beauty …" – he whispered in reply.

Maya smiled and kissed him deeply; she enjoyed the fact that the famous hunter fell for her.

"Your … arbalest impressed me, Mr. Van Helsing … as your …"

"Maya!" – shouted Lady Sylvia standing up from the floor.

"Excuse me; I've got some … duties." – she kissed him again and came to the witch.

While they were talking, Angelic took up her daughter.

The trio saw how weak she was and said:

"Leave the Ancient power, Maple, we need to destroy her or the Dark lord will come! We read her future, we know."

Maya smirked devilishly, showing Angelic a locket with a magic symbol of re-giving, using which she planned to get Diana's power after the girl's death. Angel understood everything …

"I'm a mother! And, damn you, I'll protect her from every evil even if it'll be the last thing I'll do in my life!"

Witches nodded and raised hands again, but Gabriel attacked them with sword, and two younger witches had to fight with him. But Lady Sylvia called for Devolio's power …

A black flash appeared in the air and flew in Diana; Angelic pressed her to herself and turned back to the flash, a second, and Dia could lose her mother, but …

"What! Dracula!"

Vladislaus in his hell-beast form took the mother with a child and flew into the night sky, making a second hole in the ceiling.

Everything happened so fast … but very soon the walls shook with Maya's scream. Using the tumult, the hunter shot an arrow with rope and rose up, feeling the fire of witches' spells licking his cheeks.

The cool air of the night made him to think better than in the stuffy dungeons. Gabriel found himself on the dune of the beach. Fellan's yacht was nearby in the dock, and the command now hurried to him.

Selin flew to him and turned into normal. She was dirty from her own blood and quite exhausted.

"Where's Angelic? And … what happened?"

"Vlad and Irvin will take care about her, and we have a small problem…"

"What problem?"

She nodded left and the hunter saw the others, escaping from a whole pack of demons.

"Now, RUN!"