The Van Helsing Chronicles

Chapter 1: Twists and Turns

Chapter 1

Twists and Turns

I step out of the hotel onto the sidewalk and wrap my scarf tighter around my neck. My breath makes steam in the cold air and I rub my hands together, staving off the cold for just a few seconds more. Then, I turn south and start to walk, muttering a distractor spell under my breath. It wouldn't do for the normal people to see what is going to happen.

A few blocks south of my hotel, an old friend meets me. "So, we're really doing this?" Marsh asks, his usual smile missing from his face. "I would hate it if you dragged me out here for another wild goose chase."

"I waited until your exams were over to do this, Marshal," I say. "By the way, how do you think you did?"

He makes a face. "You know I hate that question," he says. I grunt, placing a cigarette to my lips and lighting it before taking a deep drag. He scowls and turns his face away, speeding up his pace so that he isn't downwind of me. "You know those things will kill you."

"I'm trying to kick the habit," I say. "But on nights like these, I need to calm my nerves somehow and I'm not about to sleep around."

"At least sex has been shown to have health benefits," Marsh says. "Plus, it helps your mood."

"Then why don't you do it? Are you still saving yourself for that special someone?"

"Ha ha ha," he says, sarcastically. "So funny. I just have too much on my plate to be sleeping around."

"Come on. You're a Furor. Act like one."

He smirks. "Never met another Furor. So, I wouldn't know how to act like one, now would I? Now, aren't we supposed to be hunting a vampire?"

I grin. "Yes." I refer to a compass that I'm carrying with me. "And I think we're getting close.

Marsh turns and looks at his own compass, frowning. He pulls out his phone and pulls up his maps app, checking it. "Mine is pointing southeast, towards Liberty Park. What about yours?"

"Same," I say. "Shall we?"

Marsh puts his phone and compass away. The two of us continue on our way, moving a few blocks east and then continuing south until we reach Liberty Park. I take another drag from my cigarette and then drop it on the ground, crushing it underfoot. "I can't shake the feeling that we're walking into a trap," he says.

"Neither can I," I say, consulting my compass again. Judging by how stable the needle is, our quarry is close, but is moving away from us. "But we don't have a choice. Three people are dead and the Wardens want us to deal with this problem quickly."

Marsh sighs. "I know. Luckily for us, it's late and cold." He raises his bare hands to his mouth and exhales, a small jet of fire igniting in his palm. Then, he rubs his palms together like he's washing his hands, his skin becoming rosy as heat courses through his fingers. "There shouldn't be too many people around and, with a large enough distractor spell, we should be able to get this done undetected. How's cleanup going to go?"

"I've got a guy," I say. "He owes me a favor."

"Well, as long as he comes through," Marsh says. He peers at the ground and I look too. Just as we suspected, there's a thin arcane line around the park, marking this vampire's hunting ground for the night. Another Hunter group tried to take him down a week ago and haven't been seen since. The Wardens sent us to check up on them and we found the vampire's DNA instead, which allowed us to lock on with our compasses. The fact that this boundary is here means the vampire survived and is expecting trouble.