Chapter 23

Once they were outside, the sun had already begun to set. Cornell and Ada traveled the entire evening back to the former village. There weren't any provisions, and the water in the castle's forest was purely poison . At the least, the sun was a magnificent and welcoming sight after five days of darkness. Once they had left the dark castle's treacherous territory and walked on familiar ground, they began to lighten up. They were both free! The air was fresher and the sound of autumn leaves caught in a gentle breeze was the best sound they had heard in many days. The question of where they were going to live crossed both their minds, but they kept silent about it. Perhaps they would live in the wild or build their own home? Would Cornell survive through his wound? So much pressure had been put on him in the previous days, and his wound became worse. What if they didn't find help in time...? The duo remained silent and trudged on wearily, both supporting each other.

To both their surprise as they reached the village, they were met by an assemblage of former villagers. The survivors of the village fire! They were lead by Christopher, the boy Cornell rescued from the slave camp over three years ago. They were also lead by Marcell.

Before either group could say anything, Henry appeared out of the group of villagers. He ran up to Cornell and Ada.

"Ha! You're both alive! I knew you'd make it out of there okay! What happened? Did you see Dracula?"

Cornell had a few questions of his own. "What is the meaning of all this...?"

Marcell smiled at his cousin. "We'll all have time to share our fascinating stories later, but first you and Ada should recover your strength and eat. Both of you look quite famished, you know...!"

That night, the survivors, Cornell, and Ada gathered and ate under the stars. They formed one large circle and sat in the midst of what used to be their homes. In the center of the circle, a large fire was lit and a big cauldron of soup sat over it. Baskets of apples, pears, pecans, and berries were separated and collected from the spoil of the orchard. With the few leftover barrels of admixtures they found, they had managed to bake bread, pecan pie, and plum pudding. There was also cooked fish, and plenty of fresh water. Needless to say, that even without the full comforts of home, they had managed well.

"These cuts go deep..." said the man who was tending to the wound in Cornell's side. The man was older and was an experienced healer. "It's infected too. Hmm, it must have taken some strength to withstand that for awhile..."

"Of course it does!" Marcell piped up. He was returning to his normal jolly mood. "He's a Crescent! I'm a Crescent! We're all Crescents--well, except for the whole lot of you...but Miss Ada's a Crescent too!"

Cornell shook his head with pity. "And how did you manage to become the leader of this assembly my dear young cousin, Marcell...?"

Marcell laughed nervously. "Ah...er...uh...well..."

Christopher chuckled. "Oh, he's quite capable. You should have seen him these past days! Serious as a heart attack, he was..."

Marcell blushed slightly as Christopher imitated his words for Cornell and Ada's amusement:

" 'Ahoy, you there! Stay close to the group, don't start wandering off! The last thing we need is another missing child and the like. Who knows where those demon hounds could be lurking at. Women, children, and the petrified, behind the warriors! Alright you lot, spears and rods at the ready! One swift thwack and jab should finish them off, so don't over do it; No one here needs to lose any limbs. The hounds will flee before the dawn! Ha, the cowards! Don't mind us hiding here in the forest though.' "

The scene reminded Cornell of Marcell's father, Marius, when he was in battle.

"Where are your mother and father?" Cornell had suddenly brought up by mistake. He had already guessed the answer.

"Ah, them..." Marcell said in a half quiet tone. "They didn't quite make it out of the village... But that's alright, now all three--no, make that four for you, Christopher--four of us are orphan--Oh, and young Henry there too...er..." Marcell's words trailed off and he remained silent.

Cornell could of course understand Marcell's loss. Cornell took him with one arm and hugged him tight.

"It will be fine. We all still have each other, now don't we, best-buddy?"

After a moment, Marcell started to smile and then he showed one of his infamous giddy grins.

"He's back to his old self again!" Ada said.

Cornell had never known anyone besides Marcell who could smile quite like that. He returned with one of his rare smiles. If he hadn't known Marcell almost all his life, then by the grin on his face, Cornell would have thought the boy had gone mad...

After everyone had eaten well, they settled to hear the stories. The only exceptions were the young children who ran around and played outside of the circle. The circle was made of no more than eighteen survivors, including himself and Ada. The young children outside of the circle made the number twenty-three. Cornell noticed some of them as fellow members of the tribe, and the rest were all familiar faces from the village.

Christopher was an excellent and vivid story-teller. He told the story about the sudden village attack and how he and Marcell rallied the survivors and escaped. It came as no surprise to Cornell when Christopher mentioned that Marcell and himself were two of the most experienced with fighting and were levelheaded enough to become the leaders. To Marcell's extreme annoyance, Christopher had even told of how Marcell had searched in the chaos of the village to find the missing Ada.

"Well, what would you have done?" Marcell asked sourly, in an attempt to redeem himself. His cheeks were starting to turn pink again. "I'll have you know, Cornell was away, don't you remember? A fine cousin I'd be to leave her to those wretched monsters..."

Christopher waved a hand impatiently. "Yes, yes, we understand. What a lovely couple, you and Ada..."

The remark had even made Ada blush. Before Marcell could launch in with another explanation, Christopher continued on with the story: The survivors had returned to the village the following morning, cleaned and gathered what remains they could use. A day later, Henry had wandered upon them and told his story. With the news that Cornell had returned and had gone into Dracula's castle after Ada and Ortega, the group had waited in the village for them.

Once it was Cornell's turn to share his part, the children had sat down too, eager to hear a story filled with adventure. Cornell told the story the best he could, noting all of the demon creatures for the children and everyone else's interest. He started from when he returned to the burning village and mentioned all of the castle sections and obstacles he had gone through. The only part he left out was where he met the strange boy, and how Dracula tried to intimidate him with the truth about Ada. Otherwise, like Christopher, he was straight-forward, even with how he realized he had mistreated Ortega. The listeners were intrigued by the odd towers and demons that made up the dark castle. Throughout the tale, they had thoroughly noted Cornell's courage.

After reliving the event, Cornell was ready to rest and finally be able to get a good night sleep. All of his training and knowledge paid off in a close life or death matter. The story would be passed down in the village history, and eventually become a legend. Yet, Cornell didn't want to be a legend...

The quiet night went on and everyone camped out to sleep. The smell of smoke still lingered around the extinguished fire. Cornell rested by a tree, huddled between the three sleeping children, Ada, Marcell, and Henry, who had taken a liking to him. Cornell sighed. What was he now, a parent? Perhaps he was getting too soft for being a warrior man-wolf. Whatever it was, it caused the dark chills from Dracula's castle to finally leave him. Now he could rest at ease...

Back in Dracula's castle, another ritual was taking place. This time Cornell's wolf spirit was trapped in the crystal. It stood still and regal, like a carved statue protected in a glass display. He was now in Ada's former prison. The dark rites were chanted by Death, while Actrise and Gilles de Rais awed at their fallen master's capture.

"So this is the man-beast magic extracted from the man-wolf," Gilles de Rais said. "What enormous power..."

Actrise agreed. "It's all the crystal could contain; But it should be sufficient for the ritual."

The crystal began to glow a rosy hue. The light lasted only a moment, then faded. Death continued chanting.

"Oh great powers of the Underworld sealed under the man-beast's magic, bring back our master to his true state. Show us your exalted power..."

The crystal began to glow once more.

"Provide the soul of this sleeping devil with a new body!"

Magic began to flow into the crystal, filling it with light until the wolf spirit was no longer visible. In the blink of an eye, the spirit and crystal were gone all together.

"The ritual is a success. All has proceeded just as the Count has calculated. Foolish humans! They will see. One day the world will again be shrouded in darkness. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!"