1450
Gabriella stepped down the steps, laughing. She could hear Gabriel behind her. She ran faster and turned into a dark hall.
"Gabriella?"
"Over here." Her waist length black hair was in a thick braid, tied with a white ribbon. Her bright blue eyes pierced the darkness.
Gabriel found her. "What's wrong?"
"Have we ever been down this hallway?"
Gabriel glanced at the hall. "No. But…"
Gabriella began going down the hall. She stopped and ran her hand over smooth wood. "I found a door, Gabriel."
"Well, leave it. Vladislaus and Vladimir are waiting for us."
Gabriella groped for the door handle. "This will just take a moment."
Gabriel stood next to her as she felt for the door knob. Suddenly, he held up his hand. "Look." Gabriel pointed to the bottom on the door.
A thin, faint stream of light seeped out…along with something else. Something dark.
Gabriella was dressed immaculately in tight black pants and a tight white shirt that was open at the throat. Her high-heeled boots came from Paris and the wide black and silver belt around her waist looked as though it could crush her. She was wrapped up in a white cloak, trimmed with black satin. Her sense of dress certainly didn't follow the normal fashion. But then again, she rarely ever did. "What is that?"
They lived in a large country estate and had never been over the whole thing. As children, their fondest pastime was exploring their current home. But with such large places…Who knew what was behind that door.
Gabriella touched the floor. "It's blood," she said quietly.
An uneasy feeling crept over Gabriel. "Gabriella…we need to go back…"
Gabriella found the doorknob, gripped it and twisted.
Vladimir came into the large study that was just off the dinning room, straightening his black shirt. "Where's Gabriel and Gabriella?"
His identical brother turned from the fireplace. As a sixteen year old boy, he had been handsome and never without company. Now, he had a regally handsome face, shoulder length black hair that he kept pulled back into a ponytail, and an intriguing golden earring in one ear. "I'm not sure. Haven't you seen them?" he asked in his rich voice that was tinged with a Romanian accent from their father.
Vladimir took the glass of wine his brother offered him. "Not since they came back from their ride."
Vladislaus nodded and studied the flames. "Did you lock the door downstairs?"
Vladimir looked at him. "You where supposed to."
"That's right," said Vladislaus absentmindedly.
"We should clean out the room downstairs before one of them finds it."
Vladislaus raised an eyebrow. "We can't have that now, can we?"
"Don't try that hard face with me, Vladislaus," said Vladimir calmly. Of the two brothers, he was the least excited. He was always calm and quiet, even when provoked to wrath. His shinning blue eyes gave him the look of a dark angel. "You would die if anything happened to frighten Gabriella."
Vladislaus smiled slightly. "You read me too well, Vladimir."
Gabriel and Gabriella squinted as the light came from the room and blinded them.
Gabriella regained her sight first. She stepped into the room and gasped. Her hand flashed up to her mouth and she stuffed her clean fist into her mouth to muffle her scream. All the color drained from her face and she almost fainted.
Gabriel grabbed her.
She turned away and pressed her face into his broad chest. She began trembling. Shock flooded her.
Gabriel's brown eyes where wide with horror. His arms went around his sister and he held her close. Only his arms kept her from falling.
It was a long room, almost like a hall but not quite as wide. And it was filled with every torture device that had ever been created. And then…there where the bodies of men, women, and children. Most of them where mutilated from the devices. But some…where impaled.
He looked down at his feet and quickly stepped back.
Gabriella looked down and screamed with horror.
The blood that had seeped out from under the door had come from a woman. A beautiful golden haired woman. Her sightless blue eyes stared up at Gabriella with a haunting reality. The blood had come from her neck, where there was a gapping wound, almost as if someone had taken a bite right out of the side of her neck.
Gabriel backed out of the room, dragging Gabriella with him. He was taking in what he had seen with the same calm face he kept most of the time. He was like Vladimir, they both had the same calm demeanor.
Gabriella sagged against the wall and slid to her knees. She pressed her forehead to the cold stone, unconscious that she was kneeling in blood. The scarlet blood soaked slowly through her white shirt and began edging around her cloak.
Gabriel didn't move. He was frozen with horror.
A cold feeling swept over Gabriella and she knew the life she loved was gone. But then a chilling calm swept over her and she knew what she had to do.
Gabriella went down the hallway towards her rooms.
"Gabriella, what are you going to do?"
"What someone should have done a long time ago." She threw open the door to her study. One whole wall of the room was filled with various weapons.
"Gabriella, don't do this," warned Gabriel.
Gabriella studied a portrait that hung over her desk. It was of her and her three brothers. Her blue eyes lingered Vladislaus and Vladimir.
"They're mad."
Gabriella unhooked her cloak. It fell to the floor heavily, soaked with blood. "No," she said. "They're not mad."
"Gabriella, please," begged Gabriel.
Gabriella took two silver pistols down and loaded them with steady hands. "They don't belong here anymore, Gabriel. They belong in hell."
Vladimir and Vladislaus both turned when the door flew open.
"Ah, Gabriella…" The words died on Vladimir's lips. The glass slid from his fingers and shattered on the ground. He stared at his sister as wine pooled on the floor.
Gabriella stood in the doorway, a gun held in each of her bloody hands. Her white shirt was almost completely red from blood and her black pants where darker from the wet blood. Her eyes wild but at the same time, calm. "I saw it. And I'll never forget it."
Gabriel appeared behind his sister. "Gabriella…"
Gabriella cocked the guns and leveled them at her older brothers. "What you have done…is an unspeakable abomination to God."
Slowly Vladislaus set his glass down. "Gabriella…"
Gabriella's eyes slid to him and leveled the gun at him. She looked down the barrel of the glinting silver gun, right at him.
Vladislaus had seen that look in her eyes before. Two years ago, a murderer had swept through one of their small keeps and Gabriella had caught up with him. He had been holding a hostage but Gabriella had leveled her gun coldly at him and shot him right in between the eyes. He knew what a deadly shot she was.
"If you do this, Gabriella, this makes you as bad as them," said Gabriel.
Gabriella didn't move. "May God send you both to hell for what you have done."
"Gabriella Tears filled her eyes. "You're surely dammed for what you've done." Then she turned and fled.
Gabriel stood there for a long moment. "Knowing how it would hurt her, how could you do it?"
Vladislaus and Vladimir went in search of their brother and sister but they never found them. It was as if they had disappeared, never to be seen again.
Vladislaus quietly opened Gabriella's bedroom door.
Vladimir was sitting on the bed, holding a cloak. It was a white one, soaked with blood. "We are dammed for what we have done, Vladislaus."
Vladislaus came in quietly and looked around the familiar room. He studied the silver, gold and black silk wall hangings. Then he looked at the portraits.
Gabriella had carefully commissioned them. Gabriella separately with each of her three brothers, the three brothers only, all four of them together dressed in black.
Vladimir turned and followed his brother's gaze. He smiled slightly as he looked at the portraits. "At least we have our memories. The good ones at least."
Gabriel and Gabriella sold their souls. To God. And with that, came immortality. They became the left hand of God.
They went to Rome and into the Vatican City where they remained for years. And then they emerged…together to execute the orders of a secret Order that was kept within the City. It was called the Knights of the Holy Order, composed of bishops, priests and monks. And it was their job to keep the world free of the evil that plagued it. And to do it, they employed Gabriel and Gabriella…Van Helsing.