Disclaimer: I only own the characters of Yvette and Sonia (and any other Belmont Slayers that may be mentioned). All other characters and concepts belong to their respective creators.

A Pack of Ghouls

1458

The great hall was filled with people.

The citizens of the township chatted, ate freely of the magnificent feast set out before them, and drank wine and ale. At the head of the horseshoe-shaped table, Gabriel Belmont sat with his wife, Marie. The two of them watched as their children circled around the room, speaking to the townspeople. Gabriel's father sat at a small table, playing card games with some of the elders of the local town.

Gabriel looked over as his manservant appeared at his side.

'A courier from Lady Yvette, My Lord.'

Gabriel nodded and set down his goblet. 'Show him in.'

His manservant vanished and soon returned with the man in question. He stood before Gabriel, close enough to be heard over the party behind him.

'My mistress begs your pardon, Lord Belmont,' the courier said, 'especially on today of all days. But she has discovered a vampire raising ghouls to the southwest. She believes him to be preparing to attack your guests on their way home. She would deal with the problem herself, but she is occupied with a nest of vampires preying on another village to the north.'

Gabriel clicked his tongue disapprovingly. 'Bloody rotten timing, I must say.' He nodded to the courier. 'Thank you, my good man. You may help yourself to some food and drink on your way.'

'Thank you, My Lord.' He bowed and left.

Gabriel wiped his mouth on a napkin and stood up, putting it aside. He kissed his wife's cheek. 'Take over, won't you, my dear? I'm to say goodbye to the children before I go. I shan't be long, I should hope.'

'Of course, darling.'

Gabriel moved around the table. Having seen him rise, all of his children were already moving across to him. His youngest son squirmed and squealed happily as he saw him. Gabriel smiled and lifted him from his oldest brother's shoulders. He quickly kissed the boy's forehead and spoke to him.

'You're having a good birthday, Trevor?'

The two year old eagerly nodded.

'Very good.' Now, Gabriel addressed all of his children. 'I am required. There are two attacks occurring simultaneously. As Yvette cannot be in two places at once, I must leave now.'

'Papa come back?' Trevor asked.

'Papa will come back,' Gabriel promised. 'I'll come and see you when I return.'

'May I come, papa?' his oldest son begged, eager to get onto the field.

'Now, now, my boy.' Gabriel smiled at him. 'You know you are not yet prepared for field work. You must sharpen your senses further before you may come on the hunt.'

He gave a disappointed sigh. 'Very well, father.'

'We'll look after Trevor while you're gone,' his only daughter promised as she took the two year old from her father.

Gabriel smiled.

'Shit!'

With a flick of his whip, Gabriel Belmont took out the row of ghouls. It gave him the shits, really. Ghouls had to be intentionally risen – dead bodies raised from the dead by vampiric magic. Ghouls were the result of vampires trying to forge a Night Creature. This bastard had clearly been operating a while before anyone thought to call on the Belmonts.

And don't even get Gabriel started on that ominous-looking portal that was forming overhead.

He could hear the voice chanting in Latin. As he fought, Gabriel struggled to recall just what that sequence of words was supposed to do. The trouble was, even for a Belmont, it was difficult to focus on two things as once. With a frustrated growl, Gabriel made a decision. He'd have to keep his attention on the immediate threat. The portal, and the vampire creating it, would simply have to take a back seat for now.

The ghouls circled around, clamouring towards him from all angles. Gabriel scowled. Spinning on the spot, he snapped out the Morning Star Whip. A line of explosions ignited all around him. With a smirk, Gabriel moved forward. His problem was that as long as there were dead bodies around, the ghouls could constantly be raised.

With a grunt of effort, Gabriel dashed the next line of ghouls to dust.

But now the portal was large and glowing.

Gabriel felt a tugging on his body. It was almost like a particularly heavy wind had taken hold. With a final snap of the Morning Star whip, Gabriel looked up. The portal was so large he could barely see the sky beyond. Blood from a wound on his face lifted up and was sucked in. And then he spotted the single vampire leaping up into it. The ghouls were beginning to be dragged up too.

Really shit.

Gabriel had no choice but to follow through. Even if he didn't want to go, he was caught in the pull. So he ran at it and leapt. He hit the portal, jamming his eyes shut. It was like passing through a waterfall. Sunlight was suddenly on his face and Gabriel smirked as he heard the tail end of the screaming the vampire was doing. But he still had to deal with the ghouls.

Opening his eyes, Gabriel turned in mid-air and came to a landing.

But he wasn't the only hunter here. He spotted something move, slicing through the ghouls in a flash of yellow. When he identified who he was looking at, he smiled. Yvette was wearing more layers of skirts than he was expecting, but she had not changed a bit. The sword in her hand was making mince-meat of the ghouls. There was someone else too – someone who was a blur of red and blue, conjuring ice and fire.

Gabriel turned his attention to the ghouls attacking him and cracked Vampire Killer at them.

'Yvette!' he called. 'What's going on?'

'Well,' she called back, 'based on a letter you leave me in 1469, you've just been sucked through a time portal! It's 1892!'

Oh, charming. Hm…His blood had flown up into the portal…that had probably directed it somewhat. The portal had opened up near Yvette because they shared blood. He just thanked God it was Yvette and not members of the family who would have no idea what Gabriel Belmont looked like, and who'd need to verify it was him first.

Yvette knew him.

And soon, the ghouls were all gone.

Yvette sighed and turned. 'All right. 1892, and you're in luck, Gabe.'

'I am?' Gabriel asked. 'I'd say being tossed four centuries into the future is decidedly unlucky.'

'Eh.' Yvette shrugged and lifted her head. 'Sonia, come down here!'

Gabriel watched an ice slide form with a crackling sound, and the blur of red and blue turned out to be a young woman with long red hair, wearing a blue dress – the exact same colour blue as Speaker robes, if he wasn't mistaken. And she was wearing the Belmont crest just like himself and Yvette.

'Gabe, meet your granddaughter, Sonia Belnades Belmont.'

Gabriel's eyebrows flew up. Belnades, if he wasn't mistaken, was a Speaker name. A line of Speaker Magicians, actually…which explained the fire and ice. And that meant he was right. Sonia wore the blue of her mother's people. So…one of Gabriel's sons would go on to pair himself up with a Speaker. Might even get those blessed oral histories written down!

At the very least, to still be alive now she had to be the second Belmont Slayer.

'Hello.' She smiled politely. 'Would you prefer grandfather, grandpapa, or something else?'

Gabriel chuckled. 'I think grandpapa will do. So, which of my children begat you?'

'Trevor.'

It wasn't the answer so much as it was the tone in which she said it. And she seemed to realise that. She pulled her lower lip in and averted her eyes, glancing at Yvette. The older Slayer averted her eyes as well, but she quickly cleared her throat and rushed to change the subject. It was enough.

'Well, we should worry about getting you back to 1458, Gabe,' she said. 'It was Trevor's second birthday, if I recall correctly.'

'Yes,' Gabriel said.

'Sonia, what do we need for the spell?'

Sonia proved her heritage of a Speaker by proceeding to list all the required ingredients from memory alone.

They began to walk shortly after.

But it preyed on Gabriel's mind. The way Sonia had said her father's name was…clear. It was as if only Trevor could have fathered her; as if there were no other options. And that…saddened him. It wasn't uncommon, of course, for not every child to survive their youth. But he and Marie had four right now, including Trevor, and they would have more.

It was extremely depressing to think that only Trevor would make it all the way up to adulthood.

Only Trevor would survive long enough to marry and have his wife bear children.

It was the way of the world…

But it did not make it less of a blow.