Chapter 203

Wallachia, Romania, 1894

The tent on the mountainside was full of topnotch Guardians and Hunters from all over the globe. Though a quick glimpse around told Christian there were at least one, maybe two hundred people there, the fact that he was one of them was exciting. Sitting next to Morris, he tried to contain his excitement. They were finally going after that bastard who’d been killing all of the villagers around here for decades, and he got to be part of it.
Jordan Findley was there, standing near the front of the group. He’d likely begin talking soon. Near him was a small woman who didn’t look particularly menacing, but her reputation as one of the deadliest Vampire Hunters in history made her recognizable to all of them. Alice Van Helsing, usually just called Van, had been fighting Dracula on her own for quite some time and lost dozens of teammates in the process. Now, she was relying on Jordan to organize the attack, and the numbers were so high, Christian didn’t think they could fail. While it was possible many of the Hunters present might be killed by Dracula or his army of bloodsuckers, and some of the Guardians could potentially get caught in the crossfire and ended by a Hunter, he knew he didn’t need to worry about any of that. If it came down to just him and Dracula, he’d be the one walking out of the castle.
Christian continued to glance around. He saw a few other familiar faces, people he’d worked with over the years. Most of them weren’t looking at him, or if they saw him, they looked away without waving. Perhaps he looked different in this particular light, and they didn’t recognize him. He saw Dr. Jamie Joplin, a Healer with powers unlike any in recorded history. They’d discussed the genetic mutation in Guardian and Hunter DNA, as well as a few other projects. Jamie did lift his hand when he saw Christian looking at him. Christian waved back enthusiastically, glad to see a familiar face and to be acknowledged.
Across the aisle from him, he saw the Area Leader of London, Ward Bernard, and his protege, Aaron McReynolds. Christian wasn’t sure what to think of McReynolds. Like himself, he believed the man had been overlooked for leadership positions, particularly since he’d taken out Jack the Ripper not long ago. In Christian’s opinion, Bernard was overrated. McReynolds likely deserved that post or a better one. But if he was granted a leadership position before Christian was, that would irritate the hell out of him. He’d been doing his best to wait for the perfect timing, and Jordan had contacted him a few times over the years to let him know he still had him in mind for that technology position; he was just more valuable to the organization in Pennsylvania at the time. It sounded a bit like hogwash to him, but Christian would bide his time. For now.
Jordan got everyone’s attention and began to talk about the attack. None of it was stunning information, and Christian struggled to keep his attention on the Guardian Leader. He wondered where his wife was. He’d only met Janette once, and that was when she’d come to Philadelphia to meet with Samuel, and he just happened to come into the office. Lots of beautiful women were present, and some not so beautiful, but none of them looked like the Hunter Leader. His palms grew slightly sweaty as he thought about the potential of having to talk to some of these lovely ladies. He’d just have to remind himself that he was at work, and there was no sense in getting anxious about it. There’d be no alcohol to help him through the situation, so he’d just try to avoid it if at all possible.
Christian tuned back in to hear Jordan say, “The case we have met here to discuss is unlike any I’ve ever encountered in more years than I care to reflect on. But I am not the expert here, and I will not be taking the lead. I am here only to help with organization and planning. This hunt belongs to the highly talented, highly skilled Van Helsing, and so I will turn things over to Van.”
Van Helsing stepped up to where he’d been standing, thanked the Guardian Leader, as he moved aside, and began to address the group.
Her accent was thick. Dutch--Christian thought. He was having difficulty listening to her, as his eyes continued to slip down to her chest. Realizing he needed to know what was going on, he did his best to listen as she said, “I, too, want to thank you for joining me here today. The task my team and I have undertaken has been both dangerous and deadly. You will help us close in on the demonic Vampire we have spent the last several years hunting. You will help us destroy him.”
Demonic Vampire. He’d heard that term before. It indicated they were of the belief that this was a bloodsucker having returned from hell. Did that mean they thought Dracula had come here through the Blue Moon Portal? He had to imagine it did. He’d heard some guesses that some thought this was Vlad the Impaler, returned from beyond the grave. He wasn’t sure what to make of that. There was no scientific evidence to support it, as far as he knew. Only speculation.
Van went on to give them some history. “As you may know, my team has lost many members attempting to annihilate the monster who resides in the castle atop this mountain. We have chased him from country to country, continent to continent, and now he has returned home to his castle in Wallachia. We hope that we can contain him with our sheer numbers and then find a way to finally put him out of his misery.” How she knew this was his home was also beyond Christian. His face took on a skeptical countenance, but he continued to listen.
When she said, “The name of our mark is Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler,” there were plenty of gasps in the crowd, but Christian had to fight a chuckle. Did she have the science to back that up? “We know that he has returned from hell, and because of his time spent on the other side, his power has grown strong. He is full of tricks the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”
Those around him were shifting now, looking at one another, not sure what to make of this. Van continued to rile them up as she gave examples of this allegedly demonic behavior. “You have heard the rumors, yes? Dracula can shift his shape, becoming a bat or a wolf at will. He can turn into a fog or mist. He has the mental power of manipulation. You may have him cornered and then suddenly decide you should let him go for no apparent reason. To combat this, we have brought in some of the most talented emotional manipulators available to us. But even this might not be enough. This is why it is so very critical to monitor your teammates’ reactions as well as your own thinking. We do not believe he is capable of using this power on an entire group of us at one time, but we do not know for sure.”
The group of “emotional manipulators” she was referring to all looked rather smug to Christian. He had never heard such allegations about any creature before and certainly didn’t think himself capable of being manipulated by a Vampire. It all sounded like a bunch of hooey to him, a speech intended to rouse the crowd. From the level of chatter around him, it seemed to be working. He looked at Morris, who was staring wide-eyed. Was he afraid? Christian shook his head but then stopped, not wanting to seem contrary in a group of strangers. Not yet, anyway.
Van went on to describe how the attack would be launched. There would be teams, and each team would be given a specific task. Of course, she would lead the team that would go after Dracula directly, along with her own collection of weirdos who had already failed several times, by her own admission. It seemed like she should let someone else try, but then, he could hardly say that. She recommended everyone get their weapons blessed with Holy Water--as if that would honestly help.
Eventually, Van opened the floor to questions. There were several. They wanted to know the timeline. Soon. The attack would come soon. They wanted to know how many Healers were there. Lots. All of her answers were vague. Christian had a feeling this was going to be a disaster if she didn’t get her act together.
When she was done, she called for the group leaders to go to the front. “That’s different than Area Leaders, I guess, since ours isn’t here,” Morris whispered. “I haven’t the foggiest what team either of us is on yet, or if we’re even on the same team.”
“I’m sure we’ll find out shortly,” Christian replied. He honestly didn’t care if he was on Morris's team or not.
As some of the others began to move outside, they stood, filing out through the tent flaps. “I see some friends of mine over there. I’m going to go speak to them.” Morris didn’t invite him along, and Christian didn’t follow him.
Instead, he took a few steps away from the crowd, breathing in the fresh mountain air. He had hoped to get a moment or two by himself, but then he stumbled upon a conversation he couldn’t help but listen to.