Slowly the room of vampires' talk drew back into separate conversations, and Ashling listened to what Marion and others had to say. She preferred not to join in, as she had not an idea what to say, nor, sometimes, did she know what they were talking about.
"My village is in an uproar," she heard a Russian woman saying, "The spirits have been howling in the wind for ages now, and. . ."
". . . There seems to be no other active hunter other than Van Helsing. If we can destroy him we will have the world to ourselves." Onyar, the blonde man who seemed to oppose every word Marion said, spoke with an evil gleam in his eye.
"Yes, but. . ."
"Something about her, it's just too weird, not of either-"
"Mistress," the vampire with dull eyes and dark skin and hair stood, bowed slightly, in front of her. He chuckled nervously before speaking. "I hope my comment earlier did not strike a nerve. . ."
"Oh, no not at all." Ashling smiled warmly, trying to emulate the calm Marion had. "But, um, what did you really mean by it?"
His eyebrows went up, and his mouth twisted around as if he had said something he shouldn't have. "You do not know of his past?"
She shook her head.
"Well, uh, he had three former brides-"
"Three?" Ashling asked incredulously.
"Excuse me." She heard Marion say politely to her companions, when she still stared at the man wondering. "Ashling," she hissed to her. "There is something I need to tell you." Marion gripped her wrist and rose to walk out.
"We have to warn Dracula. If he takes us by surprise-"
"What?"
"Erhar!" The man jumped as Marion addressed him. He had followed them meekly into the deserted corridor. "What are you doing?"
"Um-um-um-nothing."
"Good, then you can help us."
- - - - -
Marion told them of her vision of Van Helsing preparing to sneak into the castle. She didn't know exactly what he would do, but judging by past experience he would try to kill as many as he could.
She knew that if herself or Erhar were to tell the vampires at large, Onyar and his supporters would cut them down and deny them, rallying more to their side as they threatened and insulted. Therefore she had sent the young vampire to tell a select few who could then band together with him to gather the rest.
"They tend to think they are completely invincible." Marion told her as they strode down a hall, with one side of windows letting in the low full moonlight. "And to some things we are. A stab in the stomach, bash on the head, but a dagger through the heart is instant death. And Van Helsing is practiced at that. He knows how to move quietly so we do not sense him. Only, I think, Dracula may be safe from him. Unless of course he has a werewolf working for him, which is very unlikely." Marion was nervous, for she rattled on and on. It seemed talking kept her calm, it was where she was comfortable.
Ashling nodded, only half listening, wondering where the children had gone.
Marion groaned and Ashling flicked her head up.
"It's no use, I cannot find Dracula for some reason, my mind is fuddled."
- - - - -
Carl placed the blue crystal carefully in its silver saucer of holy water, and gasped as it began to glow from within, a bright white light. It flashed once like lightning, then dimmed and confined itself to sit steadily inside the crystal.
"What is that?" Ahlf kneeled down before him, the Valerios' map at his back.
"It's a sapphire-crystal, and while sitting in holy water it is said to have magical properties, and night creatures have an aversion to silver so I am hoping this combination will dull their senses."
Ahlf nodded dumbly, his eyebrows hiding in his bangs, and continued to stare at the pretty light.
"Trying your hand at witchcraft Carl?" Van Helsing came up behind the friar, fitting a knife into his belt.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Just something I worked out." He said lightly taking the saucer in his hands and raising up.
Van Helsing grunted, and took a step toward the map. Ahlf scuttled up from the floor and stood back, as Van Helsing kneeled to fit the final corner in place. The boy stared in open-mouthed awe as the map slowing revealed the mirror.
"Come along." Without even looking back Van Helsing went through the portal, and Carl, clutching the bowl, and gulping, followed him.
Ahlf sucked in a breath and puffed up his chest, trying to be brave. Then, a haunting, evil cackle echoed from the mirror and he deflated below even how small he was. Then the voice echoed back from behind him, sounding louder from hitting the many walls, separating, then joining again.
Ahlf shot through the barrier, without another thought.
- - - - -
"Try calling Vay." Marion told Ashling. "He is your servant, he will answer you."
She did not understand much, but she knew how to obey orders.
"Vay?" She called and a moment later heard it echo back to her. He did not appear, so she tried again. "Va-" she sucked in a haggard breath, as Marion's image before her was replaced by a fierce man running, a stake in his hand, down the hall. Moonlight flooded in from above, throwing his fast moving shadow across the floor. Ashling looked where he was looking, and saw Dracula holding the blurry figure of a dark haired boy, his fangs pressed to his neck. Just as the first drop of blood trickled down his neck, the man yelled and cursed, and Dracula bit deeper.
She felt herself being shaken. She tore her eyes open and saw Marion's anxious eyes in front of her.
"What did you see?"
"I'm not sure."
- - - - -
Dracula sensed them not immediately but slowly as someone walking into a room, being introduced to each of his senses separately.
Van Helsing, another man, and the boy he had seen, had now entered his castle.
"Good." He murmured, and let his eyes refocus on the children.
Vay stood stock still, and, as Dracula watched, began to waver on the spot, his eyes unblinking and his breathing nearly stopped. Sophie screeched, as he began to fall and Dracula was there in an instant, lowering him gently toward the ground. The events of the moment before were forgotten when he saw the color drain from Vay's face and his eyes grow hazy and unfocused. He gasped for air, his chest seeming to want to bust from it. His fingers twitched and his lips moved with unspoken words.
"What's wrong with him?" Sophie asked, her lips quivering.
"Than, Valdis, find your mother tell her to find me. I will need her help." Dracula finally looked up at them. "Sophie go with them." He gathed the boy into his arms as the other three took off up the stairs, Sophie throwing glances over her shoulder.
- - - - -
Than and Valdis stopped at the top of the stairs, squinted their eyes, and looked at each other.
"What is it?" Sophie asked.
"We cannot find her." Valdis said.
Her brother added, "It is as if someone was covering out eyes, but instead it is our powers."
"No matter," Valdis continued. "She must be with the others, all we have to do is find them."
It didn't take them long to find the corridor where all the vampires were milling around.
Than and Valdis called for their mum, while Sophie stared around worriedly. She wrung her hands together wishing she could find Ashling, and thinking of what was wrong with Vay. Something nudged her back, and Sophie discovered Vukasin had found her. His reassuring warmness under her hand dissipated some of her anxiety.
It didn't help however, that many of the vampires looked at her with gleaming eyes, and twitching fingers. Most turned away when they realized who she was, but Vukasin had taken to growling at those who wouldn't. The air was filled with strings of tension, and the people stood around in little clumps whispering, though she didn't see the reason to.
When Sophie caught up with Than and Valdis she saw a young woman kneeled before them. Her face was kind and Sophie liked her on sight. She could see she wore pants underneath her pink skirt.
The two children were tripping over their words as they tried to explain to her.
"Jessebelle, we have to-"
"You have to help us-"
"Dracula-"
They usually would speak in unison, but just as they had told Sophie of their powers being dampened it must have messed with their very minds. Both of them stopped, looked at each other, then said as one:
"Vay collapsed!"
Than continued: "Dracula told us to bring Marion to him."
"To help Vay." His sister finished.
"What happened to Vay?" Ashling dislodged herself from the crowd and kneeled beside Sophie. Before she could get an answer the little girl threw herself into her arms and began to speak hysterically. Ashling couldn't understand a word of it, so she tried to shush her, which Vukasin helped along by licking her tears away.
"He must be sick." Valdis looked serenely at Ashling her blonde hair framing her face. Her eyes were tinged with fear and worry.
What Marion had said about Vay undergoing a change suddenly popped into her mind. Sophie had quieted and the wolf-dog now sat like a guardian at their side. Marion glided up to her children and whispered to them. A few words passed between the three them Marion stood up straight and addressed the gathed vampires.
"Please, everyone, quiet." They stopped before she even finished with the last word. "I have seen that we are to be attacked. I have no idea how big the force is nor how they plan to do it, but we must take precautions. I am sure you have all felt you senses dulling, some of you can no longer feel another's mind or use your gifts. This must surely mean that they have a magic on their side a witch or magician. Because of this damper I have not been able to contact Dracula, but I ask that you find a place to stay out of the way and if you are needed we will call." She nodded in finality, and a murmur returned to the room, as the crowd dissipated. Onyar and a few others behind him, sauntered up to Marion.
He cleared his throat. "You cannot expect all of us to stay inside out of the way can you? We are fighters Marion, and," he rolled his eyes. "We shall do what you ask."
"No, I do not. And, yes, I should like you to patrol, in twos, around the place."
He nodded, and began to direct his men where to go.
"What should we do Marion?" Jessebelle asked, placing her hand on her shoulder.
"I want you and the children to wait. Find a large room where they can play and watch them, please."
Jessebelle nodded and gathered Than and Valdis around her.
"Sophie," Ashling whispered to her, holding her head up to look at her. "I want you to go with them."
"Where are you going? I want to stay with you. What will happen to you?" She rushed out her little face contorted with concern.
"I will stay with Marion." She chuckled a little. "Nothing will happen to me."
"Well, I'm sending Vuk to guard you. You will wont' you Vuk?" She added uncertainly.
Vuk dipped his head ever so slightly, but she knew it was a yes.
"Jessebelle, will you take her too?" Ashling asked her.
"Of course I will." She kneeled down and beamed at Sophie. "If you don't like me you can at least play with Than and Valdis."
The little girl smiled sheepishly and turned away with her and was soon talking animatedly to her. Vukasin pressed his huge head to her knee, as they watched.
"What are we to do?" She asked Marion.
"We need to find Dracula."
- - - - -
"How are we to get in?" Carl was kneeled in the snow, digging a small hole in which to place his saucer of holy water. "You can't just jump over the gate now."
Ahlf had been told all about their previous encounter with Dracula, and didn't have to ask what he was talking about. Through Van Helsing's tellings, he had met Anna, a wonderful woman, who had lost her family to Dracula's evil. Damn him, who had killed her.
"He killed her," Van Helsing had told him, "by ripping her throat out with his fangs." He had been told this after learning everything he could about her. Her kindness, her love, her courage, seemed hardly a reason to kill her. He then vowed he would avenge her death, even though Van Helsing often told him to control his temper, which he did very poorly compared to his apprentice. This vendetta, started on account of someone he had never met, had at first made him eager to kill Dracula, but then Van Helsing had said he used to witness this all the time from other vampires and had set him on killing the entire vampire kind. 'How dare they,' he thought. 'Kill such people who they do not even deserve to meet.' He spit at the thought.
Van Helsing stared up at the distant opening above the gate. "Well, I guess we'll have to climb." He turned to look back at Ahlf. "Are you ready boy?"
"Yes, sir." He started forward taking the rope from around his shoulder, and uncurling it.
- - - - -
Author's Note: Am I being clear? And if you have no idea what I'm talking about in being clear, I guess I am, clear that is. I'm rambling now. . . great.