A/N- Thanks for the great reviews, everyone! I'm glad everyone liked that little reveal last chapter! I look forward to hearing from you all on this one. Please enjoy!

Chapter 18- Tests

Isaac trudged his way into the coliseum, head downturned and his lips pursed in thought. Sophy rose to her feet within the cage, pressing herself to the bars as if she could just slip right through them. He looked up and met her eyes. They were watery with unshed tears and her lips and chin quivered.

"Ria?" she whispered.

Isaac smiled. She thought his thoughtful mood was one of worry or disappointment. He stopped just in front of the cage, looking up at her.

"Adriana is well. Barely a scratch on her. You should be very proud," he said.

Sophy exhaled as if she had been holding her breath for hours. She slumped back to the floor of the cage, resting her forehead to the bars. She smiled, a bit ruefully, and shook her head.

"It shouldn't be her," she said. "It should be me fighting through this castle…not her."

Isaac crossed his arms. "And then Ria would be where you are."

Sophy's hands tightened. "I wouldn't have allowed it."

"And you're saying that she did?"

"No!" Sophy cried out, rising to her feet again. "She's just a child! I'm just saying that I'm her mother! I should be the one protecting her."

Isaac smirked, recalling Ria's words to him.

"Could you stop calling me 'child.' You sound like a pompous ass when you do that."

But, in the end, Sophy was right. Adriana was a child, if not in age, then in experience. In fact, the very definition of "child" was inexperience. Every one of the Belmonts, each in their own way, had been children coming to fight Dracula, despite whether or not some of them had been the right age to be considered a "child" by the rest of their society. Only a few had come back to fight Lord Dracula as "adults," seasoned with the knowledge of what had come before.

And in that, Sophy was also wrong. Adriana knew more of the world, simply by virtue of knowing what lurked in the dark, than most. She was a woman outside of this castle…and a child within. A child sent against hordes of literal God forsaken creations…with Lord Dracula as her only guide.

Isaac physically jerked as the image of his former master flooded to the forefront of his mind. He beat it down, instead replacing it with the image of Dracula's son, Alucard. It was not Dracula leading her…it was Alucard. Only Alucard. Because that was Adriana's truth. No matter what the real truth was, Isaac would believe Adriana's truth…because, if he didn't, she would lose the only constant protection she had. Because he, himself, would have to take it from her.

…………………

Ria and her group were on the move again. She had informed Alucard of her mother's location, and the bright grin he had given her in response had lifted her heart. The coliseum, he told her, was near the middle of the castle, and much less of a distance than they would have had to trek if they had had to go to Walter in the throne room.

Alucard struck out with his sword now, slicing to pieces a knife-wielding zombie, while Ria employed the Vampire Killer in doing the same. While Alucard's sword split the zombies into pieces that fell before erupted into the flames, the Vampire Killer brought flames to the undead first. Ria figured that it must be some sort of holy power within the whip that caused this. When she had a free moment, she would ask Sara about it.

Sara, as she sometimes did, had disappeared from Ria's sight. Ria figured that she probably just went into the whip or something. Sara had often done so when Ria had been taking a shower or some other such thing in which the whip-bound woman had thought the girl would need privacy with. But she wished Sara would come back out of the whip to walk beside her. Being alone with Alucard unnerved her, a feeling that she did not recall any of the Belmonts that had met Alucard in times before her describing. Perhaps it was a side effect of the spell he was using to keep himself concealed from the instinct of the creatures of the castle?

Because he had to be using a spell. She had to be right. It just had to be a spell…

If he wasn't…Ria didn't want to think about what that could mean. The possibilities on that hand were endless…and none of them were good.

Ria awoke herself from her dreary thoughts and groaned at the sight of the series of platforms before her. Alucard was already halfway onto one. He had had to leap onto it…a leap that Ria was sure she would have trouble making.

"I miss the stairs," she said, approaching the platform as Alucard turned and grinned down at her.

The grin quickly disappeared as she saw him draw his sword. Ria, her hand still on the whip, turned, but a moment too late. One of the zombies had snuck up behind her, and now brought the knife down. It caught her upper left arm, making a two-inch cut downwards. She cried out and stumbled backwards. Losing her footing, she fell, hard, right onto her backside.

"Ria!" Alucard yelled, brandishing his sword.

The zombie was over Ria, his knife poised to strike. She clutched her arm, which was bleeding profusely, and stared, wide eyed and in horror. The light of the candles in the room glinted off the end of the blade not soaked in dried blood—and fresh blood, Ria's own.

She was sure that this was it. The end. Taken out by a zombie, before she could even see Walter with her own two eyes. But the zombie did not strike. Instead, it merely stood there, growling over her as if he were waiting for her to follow some sort of order.

Ria heard the slice of metal on flesh and watched as the now split-asunder zombie fell and burned away. The next image filling before her was Alucard, his eyes glowing a very faint crimson. She blinked up at him as he wiped his blade, and then offered his free hand to her. She shook her head and pushed herself to her feet, her right hand leaving a bloody handprint on the floor. She sucked in her breath as she looked down at the cut on her arm.

"Ria!" Sara said, appearing to the girl's side. "Ria, what happened? How did that zombie sneak up on you?"

Ria shook her head, and by way of answering, she looked at Alucard and said, "I'm sorry. I should have heard that thing coming. I don't know why I didn't."

"I did not hear it myself. Zombies are not always the mindless minions legend makes them out to be. He might have been waiting to ambush us…or, judging by the fact that you have no other knife wounds, ambush you."

Ria blinked, but nodded. She should be Swiss Cheese Smith, but the zombie had spared her further damage. Ria recalled that Isaac had said something about not using damaged goods in a strengthening spell. It all made perfect sense in that regard. Isaac had been telling her the truth.

"You're right, I think. Walter probably doesn't want me any more injured than what I have to be," she said.

"We have to treat your injury," Sara said…moments before Alucard said the same.

"There should be another safe room around here, up these platforms. Can you make it?" the dhampire said, pointing upwards.

Ria nodded, sadly. "I have a small first aid kit with me. I think we can patch me up with that."

"Good thinking. Here, I'll help you climb," he said, all but hoisting her onto the platform before them.

"God, I just can't win for losing," she said, waiting for Alucard to climb upward.

"Even your ancestors had to take the time to heal their wounds, Ria," Sara said, placing a hand on her uninjured arm.

"Your mother is not going to be sacrificed any time soon, thanks to Isaac's surprisingly quick excuse. We have time, Ria. Which is a lot to have on your side when facing a vampire," Alucard said.

"I guess so. How many more platforms before the safe room? This really hurts," Ria said, pointing to her cut.

"Only three."

"Oh," she groaned. "Only three."

End Notes: Poor Ria really can't win for losing, can she? When will dear Ria find out "Alucard's" dark little secret? Tune in next time! Please review!