Shadow Warrior

Chapter 11

Abby was sneaking into position. The vampire had informed them Leo was being held at Castle Dracula. It was once home to the very first vampire, but after his 3rd century of living there, he moved. People had heard the stories of the cursed land and the evil creature which inhabited it. This scared away the locals, which meant no food for Dracula. Since his departure, the place had been vacant.

The ground spoke of torture, death, and hell. Abby could feel all of the pain saturated on the ground. Knowing where she stood, there was probably a murder or some other heinous act done.

It made sense they would choose here. While they all portaled to the abandoned town, Galadin did his own research. He still couldn’t find anything about Abby’s supposed family or ancestors, but he was able to find the report where a group of very powerful Shadow Warriors were able to imprison Valak.

Again, if one thought about it deeply, they would be able to understand much more. Dracula was driven mad and sold his soul.

The story goes he was a young prince, envious of his older brother’s power. His brother was of a kind heart and nearly destroyed their country. When golems attempted to invade their lands and their homes, he tried to strike a treaty. The Golems were not interested. To show their displeasure, they killed their parents. Slaughtering them in cold blood as everyone slept peacefully.

Dracula’s heart was consumed with hate. He sought justice and removed the head of his brother and he was the first to be put on a spike in front of the draw bridge. It was Dracula’s warning. Golems are not entirely intelligent creatures anyway, but they also have no understanding of self-preservation.

Storming Castle Dracula, they entered. There they found Dracula, but it was not the child they remembered. His eyes were red and black. His hands were drenched in blood. His face had morphed into that of a monster. Long sharp teeth were visible as he gave an unsettling smile. There was a dark presence surrounding him. His shadow was dark and ominous.

Seeing the boy was unarmed, Golems attempted to swarm him. Dracula moved at an unearthly speed. Slashing their necks and each falling to the floor. The Prince of the Golems was able to stab the boy, but no reaction came from Dracula. No bellowing or falling to the floor. The knife was void of blood.

Dracula looked at the prince and smiled. “You cannot kill that which does not own a soul.”

Lost in his words, the Prince continued to push forward. Further angering him. “Thou cannot be without a soul!” he yelled. Frustration dulled his senses.

“My vessel is void of soul. For this I shall remain immortal. For this I shall never again be cast aside. Now die.” Dracula leapt at the Prince and removed the Golem’s heart.

Now it has been discovered, Valak’s prison is beneath Dracula’s Castle. A whole history of darkness and death. Valak is not in a prison that anyone could necessarily see. They imprisoned him on another plane of existence. Valak’s presence undoubtedly drove this one loving home into ruin.

As Abby thought about it, Valak must have had ulterior motives in giving Dracula the curse of eternal life. She had never met Dracula, but from the stories she had heard, he was powerful and temperamental.

Moving towards a window, they were able to enter the castle without problems. The windows were wide open, no glass in the frame. Each team moved working inward; they heard a small commotion when one of the teams met resistance.

Continuing their almost silent movements, Galadin was leading the way. He knew this castle better than anyone else. For almost 50 years, he and Dracula were together. They lived in this very castle. Galadin moved through the halls in silence. His movements held no doubt. He knew where he was going.

Finding a back stairwell, long ago used for servants’ movements. They descended the stairs. The night air grew thick as they entered deeper into the earth. Light was very limited as they could not be seen nor heard.

Reaching a darker area, the ominous presence there was almost breath-taking. Abby knew every one around her could feel the survival instinct kicking in and screaming at them to run.

They were but a few feet from the front door when they heard a loud bang. Abby’s eyes searched Galadin’s for answers.

“They have been discovered. We need to move.” Galadin’s words held urgency.

Moving faster, they searched each room for any sign of Leo. Keeping as quiet as possible so their own presence was not noticed.

Entering another door, Galadin called for Abby. As she ran down the hall, the sounds of feet hitting stones echoed down the chamber. They grew louder as more feet descended the stairs.

Galadin motioned for the rest of their group to fight off the men descending the stairs. Abby followed Galadin into the room, where she found a beaten Leo. Dried blood was laced all throughout his hair. Both eyes were swollen totally shut. His body was racked with bruises. Abby gently ran her hands along Leo’s face. He jumped, startled.

“It’s me Leo. I’m here.” Her eyes assessed each wound. Nothing was deep enough to kill him, but it was going to take him a while to heal from it. “We have to go.”

Galadin and Abby gently pulled the restraints from Leo’s body. Once their hold on him was released, his body fell forward. Abby caught him and helped him up to his feet. After a few steps, Galadin pointed out Leo could put no weight on his feet. Instead, he was going to take him and transport him out, then come back for Abby.

He was gone in a flash. Abby jumped in to help those fighting the incoming demons. Their work was swift and thorough. It took them but a few minutes to dispatch the remaining demons.

Rather than tempting fate, they all exited the scene. Heading back to Galadin’s to regroup. The entire time, Abby’s instincts were screaming at her that something was wrong. It was too easy. And all of the demons killed were at low levels. Not demons they had anticipated coming up against. Greater Demons had stronger followers than the ones currently there. Something was off and it worried Abby greatly.

Galadin reappeared, the same confusion etched in his eyes. “Something is wrong.” His words sliced through the silence surrounding them. Everyone could feel it, but was too fearful to admit it out loud.

“We need to get out of here so we can figure out what it is they are up to exactly.” Without argument, Galadin helped them to get through the portal in the nearby town.

There were no parties or congratulations exchanged. No words of encouragement, no feasts. There was only silence. A sinister air about them. Something was coming and it was worse than they had imagined.