Chapter Four: Assignments

The end of D's brief recovery time came in the form of an urgent letter addressed to him from the Elbourne family. Even though he was still painfully sore from the healing-over injury, D set a brisk pace for himself as he gathered his belongings for the trip. From the doorway of D's room, Dirk watched with uncertainty (and a minute trace of worry) in his eyes.

"You sure you're really ready for this, Dad?" Dirk asked, as D sat down on the bed and adjusted the strap of one of his saddlebags.

"No. But the letter stated that my services are required." D replied, wincing slightly as he bent down to put the bag on the floor in front of him; unwittingly putting his left hand to his abdomen when the action pulled on the healing-over wound.

"Then I'm goin' with you." Dirk stated, his tone brooking no argument from his parent as he also made ready to leave.

"Dirk, I wouldn't if I were you. You don't know the first thing about hunting vampires." D argued, more worried about his son's safety than trying to preserve his own solitary lifestyle.

"What better time than now to learn? Besides, from the way that letter had sounded when you read it out last night, it seems you could use all the help you can get." Dirk said, as he sat alongside the infamous Hunter and readied his own saddlebags for departure. D sighed; yes, he could certainly see Doris' stubbornness in the youth, added to and mixed with his own.

"And, don't forget he's got that impetuous nature that he'd inherited from you as well." Left commented, getting a rolling of eyes from his host as a response.

"All right, all right. Since I can't seem to talk you out of this, you might as well come along. But you're learning this trade at your own risk. I won't have time to come to your rescue every time you get yourself into a tight spot. Am I making myself clear?" D asked, smirking slightly when he got an abrupt stand and crisp salute from the younger Hunter.

"Crystal clear, sir!" Dirk replied.

"Good….Now, we'd best hurry, before it gets too hot out there. I don't know what your tolerance is for direct sunlight, but I would rather not have you find out about heat syndrome the hard way as I had to." D murmured, as he stiffly stood and walked out of the room, with Dirk following almost eagerly behind him.

……………………..

It took close to three days to reach the rendezvous point. As they rode side by side, Dirk was aware that nervous gunmen that were positioned in the rocky outcrops around them were watching him and his father.

"Dad, are you sure about this? They're drawing a bead on us." Dirk murmured, as his sensitive ears picked out the sounds of men breathing, and guns being readied for firing.

"Just ignore them. If you make any sudden movements, they will fire." D replied, as they rode up into the courtyard of the destroyed church and dismounted.

"Point taken…..sheesh….These guys are so jumpy that they're a danger to the local wildlife. Who the heck are we up against, anyway?" Dirk asked, as they entered the bombed out structure.

"We're about to find out." D said, softly, coming to a stop when a young man who had his arm in a sling greeted them.

"Welcome, we've been expecting you." The man said, arching an eyebrow when he saw Dirk, but refraining from making any comment.

"I'm Allen Elbourne, and I am the one who hired you." The man continued, pausing when a rock fell from one of the men's vantage points.

"Go on, I'm listening." D murmured, coolly.

"I've hired you to rescue my sister, Charlotte. A couple of nights ago she was taken from her room in the middle of the night. Some neighbors said they saw a carriage outside of our house…..The carriage belonged to Meier Link, the vampire. Shortly afterwards some friends and I tried to go and get her back, but something destroyed our mounts……He kidnapped my sister and killed my friends." Allen murmured, then tossed a bag of gold coins onto a desk (the only piece of furniture inside the bombed-out church).

"That's just the down-payment. The reward is ten million dollars…..But you'd better hurry, since I have already hired the Markus Brothers and they've got a head start on you." Allen said, jumping when D responded for the first time.

"I don't think so." D said, softly, getting a confused glance from Dirk for that.

"What?" Allen asked.

"It might already be too late for her…..She may have already been tempted. What then?" D asked, coldly.

"You have to get there before that happens!" Allen shouted, anxiously, then added, "Why do you think we hired you?"

"Not to be rude, sir, but if you have already hired Hunters, why are you hiring us?" Dirk asked, politely.

"To make sure we get her back. She's the only sister I've got." Allen admitted, sadly. Dirk nodded silently in understanding; even though he'd had no siblings of his own, he knew what kind of fear they could go through when one went missing. He could remember quite clearly when one of his cousins had gotten lost in the wilderness once, and the frantic search that had taken place in order to find her.

"I can somewhat understand how you feel, sir, but if we are too late and she has been changed, then what do you want us to do?" Dirk asked, quietly.

"Then please be kind to her and end her life." The other man, an older, infirm gentleman, said, as he turned to face them. This got a horrified look from Allen as a response.

"No! No! You don't know what you're saying! You're talking about your daughter, for pity's sake!" Allen shouted, but got a firm rebuke from the older man for his outburst.

"That's enough!" the old man said, then turned to D and Dirk saying, "I apologize for my son's words; you'll have to forgive him. He's young and headstrong."

"I understand completely." D muttered, getting an unreadable glance from his own son as a response to that jab. The old man offered a weak smile at the attempt of levity, the continued in his explanation.

"The kidnapping of my daughter is almost more than this old soul can bear. If you met her, you would understand. She is kind and beautiful and it breaks my heart to think of what that vampire has in store for her. I'll double the bounty and offer you twenty million dollars….Just please…..bring her back to us, one way, or the other." The old man pleaded, as D silently moved over to the desk and grasped the bag of gold; signaling that he was accepting the job. As D placed the bag in a pocket somewhere in his cloak, Dirk picked up the picture of the kidnapped girl. The image of a young woman, about sixteen or seventeen years of age smiled happily back; her calm, hazel eyes and warm smile bringing almost a sense of sadness and nostalgia to the young quarter-vampire's mind.

"In some ways, her expression reminds me of Mother……She used to get that same look in her eyes when she thought of Dad." Dirk thought, returning to reality when D called his name and they both made their way to their mounts.

"So, Dad, any idea where the vampire's heading?" Dirk asked, curiously.

"I have my suspicions. Just stick close….From here on out, our path darkens." D said, somberly, as he spurred his horse into motion.

"Yeah…..Evening is falling, and the long night is still ahead of us." Dirk murmured, reciting what he'd heard some of the veteran Hunters say, before going out on a dangerous mission. Unbeknownst to either of them, someone now followed them away from the meeting place….and in the back of the follower's mind, the phrase was completed.

"Where will the dawn find us?"

Author's Note!

Sorry about the long wait between chapters, but I no longer have Internet access. I'm also aware that there are some disparities between the story and the movie, but I am doing this completely by memory….(and my memory isn't very good…). Please bear with me, and I will try to have more updates up soon! Thanks for your patience thus far, minna!

Gemini14