Meanwhile . . .
Marlus was returning from a very successful hunting trip, and rode along a small empty road as the sky began to darken. Suddenly, his roan stallion tensed up and pawed the ground anxiously; it sensed something and was about to take off if not for Marlus' good horsemanship. He knew some dangerous beast now lurked in the shadowy trees around him, and he watched them cautiously as he slowly pulled out a pistol.
It struck without warning, and sent his body crashing to the ground. His horse reared up in fright, and Marlus quickly scrambled to his feet to face the werewolf that was now attacking everything in sight. Once it spied him again, it stopped, growled, and flashed out its claws with a menacing snarl. Then it jumped straight at him, and he barely managed to dodge its deadly pounce while landing on the dirt. It snapped and grabbed for his limbs as he tried to shoot the creature; he missed a few times, but then remembered he needed silver bullets to vanquish his foe.
His hands searched around his belt in a panic for his ammunition pack, but the werewolf was getting closer and closer to slashing his head right off as he crawled backwards and nearly escaped its every attempt to get him. Just when it raised a claw aimed for his heart, a single shot rang out, and the creature collapsed in a heap on the ground. Marlus opened his eyes and was surprised to see the werewolf dead; then he looked up to see its killer.
"Oh, it's only you, Michael. Thank God you shot that beast from hell." He breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned against a gnarled tree.
"Are you alright, your highness?" He pulled Marlus up to his feet and helped him stand.
"Yes, yes, but that werewolf appeared out of nowhere," the king replied as he dusted himself off "and I believe it to be a very bad omen."
"I agree with you sir, but at least we can hope this was the only one unleashed by Dracula . . . for the time being."
Then Marlus stood thinking for a moment, and sheer horror covered his face completely.
"Lady Riana! I left her alone at the castle!"
He grabbed his horse and Michael pursued behind in their mad dash back to the village.
They raced into the grand room with their heavy footsteps echoing behind them, and searched the place top to bottom. When they met up again in an upper tower, both men were exhausted, and stopped to catch their breath. Marlus collapsed into a chair very frustrated and angry.
"I am such a fool! She was here unguarded against this growing danger, while I was far away and completely useless! Now she is kidnapped, entranced, or even dead, and it's all my fault!"
"Don't blame yourself, my friend. We can't assume the worst has happened until all the facts are known."
"But we searched everywhere, and there is no trace of her! For all I know, she could be at Dracula's lair."
"That's it! She could've stumbled upon it by accident or taken there by the son of the Devil himself. Now we just need to find it before we're too late," said Michael as he searched around the room in earnest.
"That's impossible. No one has known or ever found that place for centuries except for—"
"Me. And I can tell you right now you boys are in the wrong location."
The great legend marched into the room where Marlus and Michael stared in amazement.
"Van Helsing!"
"Great uncle! What in the world are you doing here?!"
"Trying to save your hides. Now what's the situation, especially with our old friend Dracula?"
He took a seat by the wall as Michael fumbled around for a good explanation.
"You see, ever since I came here keeping an eye on things, I met his royal highness here and another visitor; an American woman by the name of Riana."
Van Helsing listened attentively and seriously. Time had aged him somewhat along his temples, his face, and his hands, but he still wore his well known black outfit complete with his hat. A sense of adventure was alive in his eyes, but with the experience of someone who had seen and done many things over the course of their lifetime.
"She was here looking for Dracula as well, and even came into contact with him, but now as you can see, she's gone missing."
"And you think she went to Castle Dracula."
"Yes; that's exactly right."
"Well, this won't be the first time I've saved a damsel in distress from him. Now come with me."
They all got up and followed him back to the grand room, and stopped in front of the map.
"Ah, this brings back old memories," said Van Helsing as he walked toward it.
Michael kneeled down to read the inscription while Marlus stood there confused and lost yet again.
"What are we doing here? This is nothing but an ancient map of the entire country."
"Not until you read those words. Michael, stand back please."
Everyone stood at a distance.
"In the name of God, open this door."
As soon as Van Helsing said the command, the wall transformed into the large silver mirror again. He grabbed a torch and went right through, and the other two regained their senses and followed suit before they were left behind.