VAN HELSING - A Short Story

Part Two, Chapter Seven: The Hunters of family Van Helsing

THE BLACK FAIRY 

Flying arrows, bolts of magic and blurry silhouettes of Faes, Vampires and Werewolves was all I could see in the first few seconds of realisation.

How did they do this? How did they manage to bypass the protection wards that are placed over this place? Without the help of a Downworlder, they never even would have seen us. Yet in the face of death, I had to set my priorities.

From the deep folds of my robes as equally white as my hair and skin, I pulled a wand as black as the night. With each blast I fired from it to protect my friends and myself from flying bolts and bullets, the magic made my eyes and hair glow purple and the latter was bellowed away by the gush of wind exiting my wand along the magic.

I could see my sister send down stars and sparkles from the sky with her own magic as she tried to force away the hunters. I could see Alucard, Kain and Vlad engage in sword combat. Johann was protecting Lisa for she was defenceless against the Van Helsings. She was busy moving between fellow Downworlders who were injured, Johann moving along with her.

The Magicks were no longer visible and the Werewolves had to retreat. Their strength was depleted easily on a new moon. If I had not gathered around my sister for the two of us to combine our magic and blind the hunters – knocking some of them down – we never would have been able to survive this.

I took as many as I could to warp them away from the scene of crime and to the City of Glass. My sister followed my example and Dracula had gathered the ones who remained. One after the other, we reappeared in the white entry hall of the beautiful home of Alucard and Kain.

I appeared with a pink blast of magic, having brought Lisa, Johann and about fifteen of other Downworlders. My sister appeared in a sparkle, taken about twenty more with her. Last was Dracula. A red mist announced the arrival of him, the Werewolves, our fellow Vampire leaders and only eight other Downworlders.

They had killed so many? The thought of the lives lost to the Van Helsings misbalanced me. I could see my fingertips turning grey and my roots blacken. I quickly shook away the emotion and returned to my purely white state.

"How did they find us?"

Lisa panted, beginning to circle around the room and between the people, mending everyone that she could. If I only knew the answer to that question...

"The works of a Magick, no doubt about that...!"

Vlad gritted between his teeth as he slammed his sword into the marble floor, burying it inside it with a deep crack. He popped his knuckles and went over a deep cut on his cheek – which had cut into his beard as well – with his clawed hand.

"...Yet what Magick would ever dare to expose our lives? Who would be so insipid to put himself in such danger?"

He continued, a little calmer. Nobody of us said anything. Questions like these were the only things that went through my head right now. There was no reasonable explanation I had regarding the happened, I had to disappoint all their expectant expressions by saying so.

"I am just as clueless as all of you. The only thing I know for certain is that it happened and we have to make sure that it never happens again. We must inform V-"

A flash of sparks announced itself in front of me. I opened up my palm and the slip of torn paper materialized inside it with a fiery red but harmless flame.

I moved it closer to my eyes to be able to read it. It was written too quickly to be easily readable and with coal that looked like it had broken several times when this note had been written. I was able to decipher it after all though:

She has struck; there is no time to lose – the Vampire is out of control!

Not even these thoughts were sorted. Yet I knew exactly what our informant meant but they must have been in such a state of shock that they could not think too well.

I just looked at Johann and blinked slowly. I did not need to speak to tell him what I wanted. With an expression of surprise and fear, he looked at me now. But with another nod, I reassured him that I would take care of things and bring her here.

With that on my mind, I tightened my grip around my wand, began to glow purple again and disappeared with the same pink blast of energy as before. I had to save Ambra and prevent her from doing any more damage than she already did...