Chapter 4: Poised to Attack
Miruna ran out past the front doors. There was absoloute chaos in the village! Tiny monsters were flying around everywhere. These creatures appeared to be some small form of a bat or dragon, but whatever they were they were unnatural and evil. Miruna knelt and began grabbing small stones, hurling them at the fiends. Her attacks didn't seem phase them at all. She grunted in frustration and then noticed something overhead. There were two larger and definitely female forms of these monsters. These harpies laughed and seemed to be instructing the little demons. Miruna felt a small amount of nausea course through her. She ignored it and ran to the town's well. Her nanna had taught her that in all myths and legends water was usually the undoing of evil. She tossed a bucket down the well and hauled it back up by the rope quickly. The creatures seemed to be more focused on attacking adults. She siezed the bucket as soon as it was full. She grasped it at the base, spun, and threw a small spray of water onto a group that was attacking a young man. The creatures shrieked and froze where they were fluttering. Miruna stared at them in disbelief for a moment. She couldn't believe it, it had worked! Suddenly, the creatures began to burst into nothing but tainted fluid. Miruna felt herself wretch slightly at seeing this. The remnants of the group splattered to the ground in front of her. Miruna looked back up at the sky to decide where to attack them next. To her surprise, the rest of the little mutants were also dissipating. She felt another stronger wave of sickness. She shuddered. The two females that had been laughing and enjoying the display suddenly screamed in anguish. Miruna looked up at one of them triumphantly. The succubus snarled and dove for her.
"You did this!", the creature growled. "You will die!" Miruna turned and began running swiftly from the red-haired harpy that pursuing her. Miruna suddenly felt all of the strength drain from her limbs. It was as if something within her had stopped producing life and energy. She crumpled to her knees and then to the ground.
"No.", she whispered to herself. She had to get up, she had to get away. She only needed to get back inside the castle, and then she would be safe. She climbed back to her knees again. Strength in the form of harsh breaths and a punding heart was building within her again. She managed to get one foot standing under her, but remained knelt on the other. She cursed her fear and tried to move forward. Sharp pain suddenly shot through her shoulders. She felt the ground disappear beneath her. She looked down, only to see the landscape spinning and fading. She was flying! The pain in her shoulders became more pronounced and now she felt a trickle of blood come from her shoulders. She looked up. The harpy was carrying her off in its talons like an owl with a mouse. Miruna groaned, feeling fear and illness taking her again. She seemed powerless to fight this monster. She simply watched as they continued on over the countryside. The harpies were still wailing. After a few moments, a castle came into view beneath them. Miruna almost felt herself wishing that the creature would drop her and let her simply fall to her death. The pain in her shoulders was almost unbearable.
The harpy landed, tossing Miruna off to the side. The two creatures morphed into a pair of gorgeous vixens. One wore a reavealing gown of green and white that set off her black tresses nicely, the other wore a more reavealing pink and white gown. This was the red-head that had cruelly brought her here to meet some unimaginably horrible fate. Miruna began to feel colder. There was no feeling of desperation anymore, but it was so cold. Tiredness surrounded her. She just knew that if she fell sound asleep she would be warm and safe again. Memories of her father and her past began to flash in front of her. She smiled and allowed each one to play out in front of her. She could still hear the voices of the harpies.
"Our young are dead, master!", one cried. "All of our children gone!"
"Those vile pests in the village destroyed them!", the red-head yelled. "This one was the leader of it!"
Miruna felt someone standing over her. She felt someone beside her. A faint heartbeat was coming from them. This struck Miruna as odd, a heartbeat was usually stronger and louder than this. She tried to open her eyes more to focus on what kind of person this was.
"Who wounded her?", the man next to her demanded. It was definitely a man. A native Romanian, from the sounds of it. In fact, that voice seemed very familiar. "You are lucky this girl has strength, Aleera. I have told you before not to harm the Valerious of her family."
The prince! It had to be him! She groaned and tried to sit up. A strong hand forced her to continue lying back. She felt him breathed very deeply. Warmth began to spread into her from his fingertips. She felt the heartbeat within him grow louder. It was as if his life-force and energy were flowing into her. She felt it become easier to breathe. Her mind cleared. She inhaled sharply. It suddenly snapped back in her mind that she was in peril. She sat bolt upright and scrambled to stand up.
"Let me go!", Miruna yelled defensively as she stood. The man took a step back. Miruna looked at him, fully and carefully. It was the prince from her dreams. His black clothing seemed to glow with some kind of unnatural power. Miruna stared at him in amazement. Two parts of her mind eclipsed and the identity of this man became clear. He was no mere prince, he was Draculea. He had been both a protector and a destroyer to her family. Miruna had heard many terrible stories from the people in Bucharest, but hadn't ever thought of him as being real until recieving the letter from Anna. Did he still remember the oath he made to her father? Even if he did, would he still be cruel to her because she had returned against her father's wishes and his? Miruna took a step back. The expression on his face changed from shocked to worried. Miruna felt a little more nervous and took another step back. Miruna had forgotten the most important advice a passerby in Bucharest had given her as a small child; 'Watch where you're going!'. Miruna felt herself step back, but realized too late that there was nothing behind her. She tried to scream, but felt the sound catch in her throat. She fell backwards immediately off of the tall tower. Draculea flew forward, spreading his wings. He swooped below her before she had a chance to fall a full story down the tower. Miruna gasped and held onto him as they glided to the ground. He looked down at her, still in shock. Miruna pulled away from him and stepped back. "You saved me.", she whispered.
"It is my duty, Miruna.", he replied. "Why have you come back to Transylvania?"
"I... Anna sent a letter. I had forgotten everything about this place. I didn't know.", she stammered. "Are you going to kill me?"
He looked almost hurt at this. "No, Miruna. Why would you think that?", he asked softly. He looked deeply into her eyes and put his arms around her. Miruna suddenly realized that she was shaking quite violently. She felt herself stop shaking after he had held her for a moment. She felt safe with him. Still, the conflict of the stories that she had heard and the fear of the realization of her past still gripped her. She looked up at him uneasily. "You have to go home, Miruna. This place is not safe for you.", he said. "It never was."
"I can't go home. Anna told my father and I that you were trying to kill her and now her brother has become a wofman! I have to help her, you have to help her.", Miruna exclaimed stepping away from him.
"Velkan is dead, Miruna. The venom has killed his spirit, but he is at peace now.", Draculea said firmly. "As for Anna, her family chose to be my enemy. Your father was the only Valerious that saw me as his brother. You are under my protection, your brothers are as well; but Anna is sworn to destroy me."
Miruna stared at him in confusion. "But Anna sees you as a monster, you aren't. If she could see the good that you've done then..."
"Then what, hmm? Do you think she will abandon her quest for my demise? She has been raised with the notion that my undoing is the only way that her family can enter heaven. Fools.", he muttered. "I seek to preserve my kind, Anna seeks to destroy us. The history books tell of all the great deeds I did for God and Romania. If those aren't enough for her then nothing will be enough to convince her. I gave my life to aide the people of Transylvania. I was betrayed." He looked down at her. "This is not your burden to bear, child. You must go home."
"I can't. Anna is my family, I won't give up on her.", Miruna said firmly as she pushed away from him. He stared back in admiration and sadness. Miruna thought she saw a glint of jealousy in his eyes. Jealousy for the love and loyalty she was displaying for family that was essentially brand new to her. He sighed and looked away for a moment. "Will you take me back to the village?"
He turned back to face her, amused. She was refusing to do as he instructed, but still asking for a favour. She was definitely a Valerious woman. He nodded slightly and put his arms around her once more. Miruna felt his warm heart beating. It was so faint, so shallow, almost unnoticeable. She concentrated on it for a moment. Suddenly she felt a sharp rush of cold air around her. She opened her eyes. He wasn't standing in front of her, and she was not in front of the castel anymore. Miruna stood in front of the great mirror in the drawing room of the Valerious manor. She sighed and looked down at her father's journal that still lay on the chair. She reached for it slowly. She suddenly heard a commotion in the entranceway of the manor. Anna and Van Helsing were back. She left the journal and went to find out what they had done with her cousin, Velkan.