Chapter 23

Castle Dracula

Desecrated Temple

The ceremony was tediously long while the civil servant along with the castle's fake priest sealed their vows to each other. Kneeling as long as she had on her knees she felt her back tense and wondered if she would be able to continue before she fainted. Her head was beginning to buzz; with the words of the priest and civil servant seeming to come from far off. Closing her eyes, Vicki felt the exchange of the leaves over their heads and a chalice was placed in front of her lips, she drank and discovered it was not wine but thick and briny with a hint of sweetness. Blood, she was sipping blood. If her stomach was not already distressed the thought of drinking from a cup of blood made her want to throw up.

Finally the exchange of the rings, the fake priest turned to the couple and said they may kiss, when Vlad kissed her, there was an explosion of applause. The civil servant could not wait to rush from the room and as discretely as possible he stepped behind the couple kneeling at the alter, and exited from a side door, sending a rush of cold air into the room. The fake priest stepped forward and introduced the new Prince and Princess of Wallachia.

Prince Vlad led her on his arm down the aisle into the main foyer of the castle. Entering the ballroom Vicki saw her mother, Rudolph, Petru, Carolyn, Maggie, Radu, while Sorin followed behind the couple with the contingent of castle guard. Vlad led Vicki into the ballroom, and then nodded to the orchestra to begin playing. With the antiphon and opening waltz being played, Vicki was directed to join him in their first dance. Vicki followed Vlad's lead around the room, making polite conversation. "Where are Quentin, Willie, Chris and Joe?"

Vlad smiled, "I sent them back to the dungeon, when they are needed I will send for them." Vicki looked down and nearly tripped during the dance. Vlad swept her up against him. "You are not being very good at trying to convince your family you are happy to be here, you really need to try and smile." Vicki sighed, schooled her features and forced a smile to her lips. "Much better, now smile we will be having company on the dance floor." Vlad nodded and others joined them on the dance floor. Festive merry makers were joining in and around the couple offering congratulations. Vicki smiled and spoke softly with a hint of a flush, "Thank you." With the ending of the music Vlad went to the throne area helped Vicki to be seated and waited for the floor to clear.

"Honored guests, thank you for coming please find a seat and enjoy the respite I have ordered for your pleasure, and by all means what joy you bring to our home please leave a little of that joy before you leave." Vicki let her gaze glide over the room. She wanted desperately to be able to go back to her room, lock her door and pretend this day had not happened. Vlad sat back in his throne chair, lifted Vicki's fingers and kissed them. "From this day forward you are mine Elizabeta, you are mine. I take you body, mind and soul." She could not help; with such a statement stop the shiver that enveloped her body. "You will learn to love me Elizabeta as more and more of your humanity is stripped away, you will find that we are of like minds in thought and in love. You will learn to appreciate everything I offer you and maybe someday freely give your love to me."

Vicki's thoughts were on the last words Radu had whispered to her, "Trust me and be ready, you will know what to do when the time is right." It was the only hope she had left that this nightmare would end with her being rescued by her husband. Softly she uttered, "Love you, of course I will learn to love you." Her eyes shifted over the merry makers still hoping to see a familiar form coming to her rescue.

Carpathian Mountains four clicks from Castle Dracula

Barnabas stood in the metal Quonset hut; the groups before him were dressed in white and grey sub zero camouflage battle gear. Heavily armed group standing patiently at ease while sporting heavy square shaped backpacks and holding bulky weapons that appeared to require large shells. Their faces painted with white and grey grease paint were grim and rough looking and to any other mortal would have been intimidating. The men waited patiently for the arrival of their Captain. The Sergeant that stood with his men asked, "So, these are supernaturals we are going after?" His voice had been soft and deep watching his men and then looking down at a few pictures that had been taken and drawn for imaging purposes.

Barnabas nodded, "Count Dracul of Transylvania." One rather large black man smiled, his size was immense which with the half weeks growth of a beard made him seem more intimidating.

His deep voice filled with serious humor was heard from Barnabas left ear; he could feel the excited breath from the man while he studied Dracula's image. "So its old long tooth. I hope you got the money to back up your request." He had intentionally bumped up against Barnabas hoping to make a point and to intimidate Barnabas. Barnabas in turned stiffened his spin and stepped back knocking the man out of Barnabas' personal space and surprising the man with his strength.

Barnabas lifted the brief case, opened it and sat it on the table turning it around for them all to see. "300,000 dollars as was requested, the other items are in a truck outside." Barnabas pointedly looked at the one pushy man and smiled a stiff smile. "I think that was the arrangement and was agreed upon my your leader."

Another figure appeared through a doorway. His voice held the no nonsense vocals of a leader. He spoke with an authoritative command of someone that would not allow any doubt he was there to lead. "It's there, gentlemen shall we give Mr. Collins our undivided attention, while he explains what weapons he brought and what is our objective. Bearing in mind there are soft targets and non supers." He was not a large man but a solid one and he stepped into the room to stand with his men whom had stood at attention until he commanded "At ease," He commanded to his company then he spoke without looking at Barnabas. "Now, Mr. Collins you have our undivided attention please continue."

They gave the appearance of being relaxed shifting to a less rigid position and watched Barnabas who now took center stage and stood before them. "It is my understanding that there are a mixture of humans and vampires in the castle. I have brought with me a weir wolf who will change and go after the first available threat to him. We know it will be the vampires in house. He has some cognitive thought to avoid those he loves and knows. He has been repeatedly drilled to avoid men dressed as you are now. We actually think he will know the threat as none of you. However should he change and come after one of you . . . "

The black man smiled, "Do we get to kill this wolf?" His heartbeat had risen along with his breathing and Barnabas knew he was on the hunt and would kill at will.

Barnabas frowned, "No, the vampires under Vlad Tepes control are open season for you. Anyone other than these individuals," Barnabas pulled pictures of the soft targets from a manila envelope in the briefcase. "Shall not be harmed and are to be rescued. This one is my wife." He held up the picture of Vicki and passed it around. The commander smiled, and turned grabbing a bag he pulled out decks of cards. "Not necessary for the pictures, here are the soft targets on your cards easier to carry."

The men opened their cards and shuffled through them nodding. Barnabas was given a deck, "We took the pictures you sent us and had them made into a deck of cards. They are easier to carry. Now you were saying about the wolf?"

Barnabas bowed his head slightly, "The wolf is to be tranquilized he is a family member and much to our families distress killing him would upset us. Please bare in mind that what we have in our arsenal are cursed victims that have carried the curses they bare for over two hundred years so respect the cash I brought if you do not respect me. Because if this is successful there will be an additional $250,000 bonus added to your price tag." Quentin had generously added that bonus in to the pot and he knew with five hundred fifty thousand dollars in the offering they would not harm Chris.

The Captain smiled, "You are a very lucky man Mr. Collins. She is lovely. Now, shall we proceed with the plan?" The room suddenly became a lot more crowded with more men arriving and entering into the building.

"Cap'n, we went through the payload. It's all there and what we need." The man referred to as Sarg, who stood a full six-foot tall at 220 pounds of muscles stepped forward. He chewed on an unlit half smoke cigar his narrowly slit eyes glanced down at the map. "You bring the boys up to date Captain, I am going to take our first crew to the perimeter, they have already been briefed, we are locked and loaded and will plow the road for you."

The Captain appeared to be annoyed, "Landry, no injury to soft targets you know it's the sups we want to take out."

Landry apparently the name for the burly Sarg nodded, "Copy that, and I will remind the boys soft targets are to be rescued. They have their cards with the faces on the deck, we know Queen of Hearts, Queen of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs and Ace of Diamonds are target for rescue. Then we have the King of Harts, King of Clubs, King of Diamonds, Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, and Jack of Diamonds no harm. I believe there are servants and we will use them as the Ace of Hearts through the ten of hearts to bring them out with no harm no foul, along with the Ace of Diamonds through the ten of Diamonds as soft targets for rescue."

The Captain handed another packet of cards over to Landry, "These are our objectives to rescue and bring out alive. Be sure your men have these cards and remember those faces." The Sargent glanced at the cards and nodded not saying another word to allow his Captain to finish his orders. "Once they have been located, secured, and delivered to one of four covered trucks parked due east four clicks from the castle."

Barnabas knew the Queen of Hearts was Vicki, The Queen of Diamonds was Elizabeth, the Queen of Clubs was Carolyn, the Queen of Spades was Maggie. He also knew that playing cards had been reprinted with their pictures on the cards, for the King of Hearts he knew it was Quentin, King of Diamonds was George, King of Spades was Elliott, and the Jacks were Willie, Chris, Joe. He assumed the Ace of Diamonds was Julia. He relaxed knowing they would not have to carry those bulky packets of the targets with them and risk leaving them behind or bent so they would not be recognizable. He was also glad to hear that the servants would be spared.

The Sergeant took his platoon and left the Quonset hut. They headed out into the woods surrounding their base camp and the castle. Barnabas watched them blend and disappear into the snow capped setting. "Tonight we are going to end some blood suckers, its payback time boys. Just remember we do have a number of normals in there. Which means aim true and don't get trigger happy." That was the Captain issuing his final orders for his crack team of supernatural hunters. He handed out goggles to each man, "These are new from our weapons department. They allow you to detect heartbeats. The ones moving without heartbeats are the blood suckers."

The large black man they called Tank, put his on and laughed, "Yeah, you all have hearts so don't be bullshitting me you don't." He turned to look at Barnabas and drew his weapon up and felt a hand come down over the long barrel. The Captain glared at him and shook his head.

"He is a good guy Tank, so don't go there unless you want Shadows coming down on you." His voice had been for Tank only but Barnabas had heard him and wondered what Shadows was and why it made this fearless man appear to shrink in size and back down his rifle and look away.

"He is part of Shadows?" He whispered to his Captain who had nodded slowly. He turned back and growled at his buddied, "You all are a bunch of crazy bastards. Come on lets go kill some blood suckers!"

They laughed and pushed each other in play then they were called down by the gruff sounding Sarg. Their vehicle rolled into place. "Now, when the extraction begins. There will be four vehicles parked in those woods, escort the objective to the vehicle, there will be blankets waiting and hot coffee."

Exterior Perimeter of Castle Dracula

Sarg pulled out a map from his breast pocket, smoothed it out on top of the back of one of his subordinates. "Now, Hunter, you need to go set the charges in this area. He poked a gloved index finger to spots marked on his map. He rolled the map up and handed it to Hunter and sent his crew on their way.

Reaching into another satchel; Sarg pulled out another map rolled it out on as he had done Hunter's map. He pointed to the ballroom area." We want to charge in while the sky jockeys rappel in. Now lets go make some money and bring home the bacon for the family."

They all curled their hands into a fist and bumped them together. "For home and family."

"For god and Country."

The traditional salute to each other because once they left the security of their truck none of them knew who would be making it out alive. Taking deep breaths they all bailed out of the truck and with only a hint of fear. Pausing just a moment they looked at each other and nodded and then charged out with nothing more than shear determination.

Castle Dracula

Ballroom

Vicki sat tense as she watched Radu with Maggie; she watched him lead her out into the hallway. He whispered in Maggie's ear. Vicki watched as Maggie nodded then disappeared. Radu came into the room looked around and walking to tap Petru on the shoulder whispering softly in his ear. Smiling Petru stepped back and gratefully allowed Radu to have his dance partner, which allowed Petru to escape the dance floor with a look of relief. Once again; Vicki watched as Radu led Carolyn off the dance floor to the hallway. Vicki continued to anxiously watch as he whispered in her ear as he had done Maggie. Carolyn hugged him and disappeared.. A glimmer of hope was building in Vicki's heart. Radu was doing as he promised. Helping her family escape.

Radu entered the room and targeted Elizabeth sitting by Rudolph on the sidelines. With Radu led Elizabeth on the floor, the room was disrupted by the arrival of Sorin and a contingent of guardsmen, leading a very disheveled and roughed up George Patterson into the room. Elizabeth and Vicki stood with a gasp.

"Dad!"

"George!"

Vicki spoke softly; Liz tried to go to George, but was held back by Radu. Radu using the distraction led an unnerved and upset Liz off the dance floor into the hallway. Vicki lost sight of her mother when Vlad stepped down to the floor standing in front of George Patterson. "Ahh the good Sheriff Patterson, so nice of you to join our happy occasion. Elizabeta, come." Vlad extended his hand to her. Vicki was beginning to feel sick walking slowly down the steps to stand next to Vlad, who immediately pushed Vicki in front of him.

"Hello Baby, how are you?" George had put up quite the fight he was bloodied and battered. He looked at her with a crooked smile and then winked at her.

Vicki felt the burn of tears in her eyes. "Oh Daddy, I am so sorry."

He smiled, "It's okay baby, Daddy was here to rescue you."

Vlad frowned, "Why would you wish to rescue a woman that does not exist?"

George glared at Vlad and then smiled bravely looking at his daughter. "She does exist, and she is my daughter Victoria Winters Collins."

Sorin hit George knocking him down and Vicki gasped and screamed out, "Daddy!" She went to her knees in front of him throwing her body over his body to protect him and trying to gather him close to her.

Then she saw her father do the most unexpected thing, he winked at her and smiled, "It's going to be fine baby a little faith." His words were soft but reassuring. "The Calvary is here baby."

With those words said, the whole room burst into utter chaos. From above the ceiling disappeared as men clad in white and black entered under a shower of exploding devices. Plaster and mortar fell down on the guests with the explosions. Gunfire began to erupt around them sending the guests scattering with screams of terror and shouts of fear. The room continued to explode in a shower of mortar, splintered wood and crashing chandeliers. Dark figures descended amidst a shower of smoke and tear gas. Vicki's eyes began to tear and she felt Vlad lift her and run from the room. The last she saw of Barnabas he was fighting his way to her side. Vlad pressed her face into his chest while speaking softly to her to be brave. The room became a blur of tears and distorted images.

Radu appeared at his left and Sorin to his right, "Highness quickly this way." Sorin began to guide them towards the stairway rushing and guiding them up the stairway.

Vlad paused turned to Radu, "Protect her with your life! Take her to my chambers and wait there, if I do not come to you in 15 minutes, then down the secret passage and to the safe hold." Radu, took Vicki's trembling form into his arms; running down a different side passage. Bursting into a room that was more opulent in furnishings and tapestries with a huge bed centered against one wall, he set her down and began to cover the crevasses in the door to keep out any noxious fumes.

"Victoria, if your love for Barnabas is as great as you say, you now need to use your powers and the powers of those that have come to go back in time and bring Elizabeta here for Vlad." He had cupped both palms against her cheeks and stared deeply into her eyes. "Do this for me and the love of the man you have called husband." Radu kissed her deeply and stepped back.

1462

Castle Dracula

Vicki looked around and Sarah with Josette stood on either side of her, closing her eyes she began to chant softly, "Transporteum, da personaium to a time of long ago, take me to Elizabeta Banal right before she threw herself from the battlements." The room began to shift and fold surrounding her in a wave of electrified air, colorful shapes. Vicki felt her body shift and transcend in an almost liquefied form. When the air cleared she was standing on the battlements. Confusion rein over her as her body began to divide and separate into another figure. Shaking her head she stood on the battlement peering at a familiar face. "Elizabeta Banal, don't do this. You must come with me!" Elizabeta's face was streaked in tears she looked with confusion and fear to the woman that so closely resembled her own image. In a heavily accented voice she sputtered, "Who, who are you?"

Vicki smiled, "I am you in 400 years. I have found your prince and he is alive. Please come with me, our lives depend on it!"

Elizabeta turned and began to topple backwards; Vicki reached forward and pulled her onto the security of the supporting walkway. "He lives?" She had a look of hope and such love and Vicki recognized that look, it was the one she had continually seen in a mirror when Barnabas would walk into the room while she was dressing.

"Yes, he awaits you, let me take you to him so we all may have the happiness we were destined to have." She held out her hand to Elizabeta smiling encouragingly to her. Elizabetha took Vicki's hand. "Close your eyes and wait." Elizabetha closed her eyes and once again, "Transporteum, da personaium return us to the time of now, take us home to those that love us." Vicki heard her gasp as the sensation surrounded them, the hair on their arms stood, a crackling sensation of static combined with the swirling colors of change filled both women making them feel as if they were drifting and falling in a headlong rush.

When the sensation stopped, both women found themselves standing in the center of Vlad's bedchamber. Elizabeta was the first to turn and peer around the room. "I know this place, yet it is changed."

Vicki catching her balance had a momentary feeling of nausea; as it passed, she held her stomach. "It is the bed chamber of your love, Vlad."

Elizabeta looked to the familiar and then the modern unfamiliar. "What trickery is this? Light that does not burn? Warmth that blows from the ceiling?"

Vicki smiled, "It is how things are in the 20th century, a time you have come to be reunited with Vlad." Elizabeta backed away overwhelmed by the sudden change of being plunged into a modern environment.

"Where is my beloved?" Why is he not here?" Radu burst through the door, covered in blood. "My . . . " Upon seeing Elizabeta he fell to one knee, "My Lady!"

She stepped forward looking at Radu. "Radu, you are here in this strange time? This one says that Vlad is here."

Radu stood, kissed her hand then turned to Vicki, "You must go now Victoria, go down the passage the one I had showed you earlier and wait for me where I instructed."

Vicki turned to hug him realized he was covered in blood. Ignored the blood on his clothing, hugged him and went through the doorway to the secret passage. The door burst open admitting Vlad followed by Sorin. Vlad rushed past Radu stopped grabbing Elizabeta's hand, "Come my love we must go now."

Elizabeta looked upon the face of her beloved and pulled back. "What manner of trickery is this? How is this possible, you are alive?" Vlad froze, in that moment he felt his world tilt, madness must surely be consuming his brain for the woman that stood before him in the here and now dressed as she was when she was fished from the river. His voice choked his eyes tearing he looked into her eyes and knew that this was his Elizabeta. She was his love, his life, and his world.

"Elizabeta?" He cupped her face in his hands and peered into her eyes. "Elizabeta?"

She caressed his hand with her cheek. "My Prince." He drew her into his embrace, smothering her face with feather light kisses. His lips so close to hers he captured her lips and the felt the same passion returned. It was a wonderful feeling, a feeling he had missed for an eternity.

Sorin's voice was pressing as he urged them to hurry, the door burst open and the room was over run with mercenaries. Vlad pushed Elizabeta behind him catching a bullet in his chest; the bullet was filled with silver nitrate burned but missed his heart. The pain was immeasurable and he felt the bullet pass through his body. The bullet then caught Elizabeta in the chest. She screamed and collapsed. Sorin began fighting the on rush of mercenaries invading the room, Radu joining him, pushing the mercenaries back to barricade the door. Vlad slumped to the floor holding Elizabeta in his arms; blood ran from her lips, "My beloved, here, drink, . . . drink of my blood."

He bit his wrist and pressed it to her mouth, Her voice was soft as she spoke, "My love, you have my heart, you own my soul, and now I give you my life. I love you." She coughed on his blood gave one final breath and was gone. As she died, her body began to fade and disappear. Vlad enraged turned and burst through the door and in an uncontrolled rage began to decimate the mercenaries in the hallway. Screaming out his rage, he torn heads from bodies, bathing his body with their blood, he ripped apart those unfortunate to be found in his way. The hallway ran with the blood of the dead and dying with Vlad giving into the anger that consumed him from the very depth of his soul. He had his love, held her, kissed her felt her love returned to lose her in minutes? He was seeking his revenge and he would have it before this day was done.

With the body count mounting up in the hallway, Sorin grabbed Vlad by the arm. "Come Highness we must go now, we must go and regroup. We will plan and we will make them pay for this affront and for what they have done to you and your beloved Elizabeta."

Radu turned to Vlad, "Let me be the one to deliver the punishment my lord, allow me the honor to give my life for what they have taken from you."

Vlad feeling his blood lust and rage leave him, now felt only grief. "I had her for a few moments, I had my Elizabeta. I will have her again, by all that is dark and foul, I will find a way to bring her back to me and be reunited with her once again."

Sorin looked around the hallway and noticed the fighting from below had grown more than silent; it was as if something other than death had visited these halls this night. It felt like they were the only ones left in this world. Sorin looked to Radu, "Go, see what has happened." Radu bowed to them; then disappeared down the hallway, watching Radu leave the hallway the very area around them had grown dark and listless. "By what demons sorcery is this?" Vlad had shouted to no one in particular. It was then they realized that they were no longer in the castle hallway. With the coldness and the dank darkness that surrounded them; they knew they had been cast into a void.

Sorin frowned "I fear my lord we have passed in between. Come let us go and see what we can find in the between. Maybe your Elizabeta is here." Vlad and Sorin moved along what they perceived to be a hallway, from a distance there was the sounds of the past lives Vlad had led, there were figures walking pale and unseeing past them moving through the darkness of the hallway. From a distance they heard laughter. A woman was laughing and the sound was chilling. "The witch has done this." Angelique stepped forward from the shadows and smiled.

"Not I Vlad Tepes, you cannot blame me for this for like you I am trapped here by another of the eldritch form. One that was foretold coming that would be of good and pure intent. The very same one whose foretelling predicted they would bring forth the guardian of the hell mouth that is Collinsport. I, just like you have been sentenced to this void of between."

Vlad frowned, "Is there no end or out to this between?"

Angelique laughed, "This is a maze, you must complete the levels of nine hells before you can escape. At least here, we will feel no hunger, we will not age and we will be damned until we complete and fight our way out."

Sorin snorted, "That is nothing compared to what he has already been through. Where do we begin?"

Angelique pointed to a shadowy outline. The outline began as nothing more than a distorted figure of blotched darkness and a mass of greyish blackness, then took form as a black granite stairway. "We begin there." The three of them walked towards the outline before them unknowing that what awaited them would leave them scarred, battle weary and a festering for a need. This festering growing into something, that something was a need for revenge and hate.

Castle Dracula

Amid the chaos

From the room where Vicki waited, she began to draw on the very elements around her, "Wind, water, fire, and earth, bring forth the between and cast down those that would be dark of heart and want for evil and destruction." Her body glowed with the power she was wielding while standing in the small room. A sound from behind her and she turned to see a man dressed in black fatigues, he aimed an automatic weapon at her and fired.

From behind him a large white wolf growled and jumped forward knocking him to the ground. He placed his arm up in a defensive pose to protect his face; Radu in wolf form dodged under his arm grabbed his throat breaking his neck and ripping his throat out, sending blood spewing over his white furred body. Turning he looked and saw Vicki lying on the floor, blood oozed from her stomach. "NO! No, please no." He transformed into human form; rushing to her side he knelt down and carefully gathered her to him.

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