Into The Shadows, page 77
Carl did as he was told and tossed the antidote into the air. Anna reached out to catch it, but something dark in Hera clicked on and she extended her hand, intercepting it. The gypsy princess sent her a look.
"Hera, what are you…" but she trailed off when she saw the look in the woman's eyes. Hera placed the cure in the princess' hand, expression grave.
"When I give you the signal, I need you to get behind Van Helsing."
"What?"
"Just trust me, Anna. I'm trying to save your life."
Anna was about to protest when a loud crash caught all of their attention as they turned to see Dracula and Van Helsing, both in beast forms, fighting to the death.
The princess grew distracted and she looked on with baited breath as she observed the monster that Van Helsing had become. The rage in his eyes was terrifying to behold, the power that seemed to radiate off of him in waves was breathtaking—almost as much as the Count in hell-beast form. But the battle between the old rivals was to reach its peak, and they all realized this when the wolf grabbed the hellish bat by the throat and sank his claws into his flesh.
Very close now.
Van Helsing felt the power of the moon and soon he would have his victory.
"He's going to win," Anna whispered in awe.
Hera said nothing.
This battle wasn't over yet.
And as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she noticed how the wolf's strength began to fade as the clouds covered the moon overhead.
Van Helsing then found himself with his hand wrapped around the bat creature's throat. The wolf was no more and he was just a man again. Anna panicked, enthralled with the suspense of the battle, but Hera, unmoved by the tension, turned to Carl who had managed to get over to them.
"Give me the silver stake," she whispered harshly.
The friar sent her a bewildered expression.
"Why?"
"I swear to God, I will slap the next person who questions me…"
"Did I mention that it was you who murdered me?" Dracula taunted as Van Helsing ran, creating some distance between himself and the vampire, both men unaware that they had an audience.
Carl had looked up at the vampire when he had spoken, but when Hera thrust her open palm into his face, he was forced to pull his attention away from the battle.
"Carl! Focus!" she demanded. "I need the silver stake."
"But… what happens if we can't get the antidote to Van Helsing in time? What if he kills you?!"
"Oh for the love of…." The young woman abruptly shoved her hand into Carl's robe, the friar jumping and then squealing in surprise.
"Ah! What are you…"
As soon as Hera had the weapon in her hand, she held it between her thighs so she could pull her wet hair back and out of her face. When she was situated, she grabbed hold of the stake with a look of fierce resolution before proceeding to march out of the shadows and towards the men in the center of the room.
Anna called out for her softly.
"Hera, what the hell are you doing? Get back here!" she hissed. But the mortal ignored her. She just kept her eyes locked on the Count. The gypsy princess turned to the friar, panicked. "What is she doing? She's going to get herself killed!"
"I think she's going to distract them."
"But she could get hurt!"
Carl stared after Hera, his countenance shifting when it dawned on him.
"I think she means to sacrifice herself."
Anna's eyes widened.
"What?"
"She's going to help kill Dracula…"
"Well, I figured that when she gave me the antidote and told me to get behind Van Helsing when she makes the signal… whatever that happens to be," Anna shot.
But Carl just shook his head.
"No, Anna," he whispered, looking over at her. "She doesn't need a silver state to distract Dracula."
"Then why would she take it?"
"She's going to kill herself."
"Don't be insane! Why would she do that?"
"Dracula's child," was all the friar said and as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning, suddenly everything made sense to Anna. "The fate of mankind rests not on the death of Dracula, but on the creature inside of her…. If it lives, we are all doomed. It's the only way."
Anna's eyes returned to Hera as the wheels in her head continued to turn.
The Count had used Hera, and in an effort to ensure Van Helsing's victory and to keep Anna and Carl out of the cross-fire, Hera would use herself to distract the vampire, giving the hunter the perfect opportunity to kill him while he was vulnerable.
But because there was only one way to make sure the demon's offspring would be destroyed, once Dracula was dead, she'd have to…
Anna couldn't bear to finish the thought and tears burned in her eyes.
"No…" the princess whispered. "No, Carl… there has to be another way."
"There is no other way," the friar said solemnly.
Meanwhile, Hera continued to walk resolutely toward the hunter and the vampire who were still conversing. Her eyes were consumed in unreserved hatred, a bitter, unforgiving frigidity, even with the tears brimming at her lower lash line.
This had to end.
It had to end now.
"All I want is life, Gabriel," Dracula continued. "The continuation of my kind. And perhaps the return of my ring," and he held up his hand.
Van Helsing looked down at his own, the one which bore the ring with the Count's insignia on it. He wanted to know the truth, and Dracula seemed to be the only one who could tell him.
"Don't be afraid, Gabriel. Don't be afraid," the vampire said darkly. "I will give you back your life. Your memory."
"He'll get them back, but you won't be the one to restore them, Vladislaus," Hera called out, interrupting the dialogue. Both men turned to face her and Dracula's eyes widened considerably, the malevolence that had contorted his features just moments ago instantly melting away.
Hera?
What was she doing here?
For the first time in his life, the vampire was rendered utterly speechless.
"Hello, Vlad," she said gently, her face drained of any readable emotion.
I'll take it by the shocked look on your face that you're surprised to see me, she communicated through his mind.
Hera, what are you doing here? the vampire asked, sounding horrifically concerned. Naturally, she assumed it was all a façade.
Well, I'm not rendered unconscious in Budapest all by myself, if that's what you were wondering, she bit icily.
The vampire attempted a charming smile for the sake of their audience, but it began to fade when he took note of the tears that stained her cheeks.
"Miss Garret," he answered cordially, placing his hands behind his back, trying his best to stay in character. "You're supposed to be in Budapest with Jane, my dear," he added charmingly. Although on the surface she was all calm and cordial smiles, inside she was screaming in his head.
Hera, what's wrong?
You mean besides me being miraculously pregnant with your child?
I can explain that.
Oh I'm sure you have a nice, convoluted story, but my list of reasons for hating you is so long right now and this demon inside of me is just the tip of the iceberg, you son of a bitch!
Your list of reasons? I don't understand.
He watched in concern and confusion as angry tears started to burn in her eyes.
He couldn't seem to grasp why else she would be so upset with him outside of her surprise conception. Was she really so cross that he had left her in Budapest? But he was going to go back to her. He had every intention of doing so, as soon as he was done here. What lies had Van Helsing filled her head with?
You don't understand? she repeated. Stop toying with me, Dracula! It's not funny anymore! The game is over, give it up already!
Hera, truly, I can't imagine what else you'd be referring to. Where's Jane? She's supposed to be with you.
She's dead.
What? What happened?
"You mean all alone in the Vilkova palace?" she inquired for the sake of those around them, "Alone, vulnerable, and unconscious?"
The vampire was evidently taken aback by that comment, along with the string of thoughts passing between them, but he merely smiled, a seductive arch in his eyebrows as he took a step or two toward her.
Hera, you're overreacting. Truly, my love – this isn't as dreadful as you're making it out to be, I promise. Let me explain….
I'M OVERREACTING? she screamed inside his head, causing his footing to falter for just a moment, but he quickly saved it and continued forward. Are you kidding me? You used me! You LIED to me!
"You were not alone," he said gently. "I am always with you, my love," and he reached out for her.
Hera, I never lied to you! PLEASE! Talk to me!
Hera took a step toward him.
"Yes. You were always with me," she said.
She allowed him to run his fingers along the little stream of blood on the side of her head, watching as he licked his fingers clean so he could then behold the flashes of her memories.
His eyes widened in realization, and before he could even begin to contemplate his next move, everything stopped.
It was cold and sharp, the silver stake she slammed into the center of his gut, and he glanced down at the weapon with confusion, his brow furrowing. He looked up from her hand that was now bathing in his blood and into her eyes, finding that she had fresh tears tumbling down her cheeks in heavy droplets.
When he opened his mouth to speak, she twisted the stake violently, making sure he could feel it and she watched as the pain stole his breath.
"But not anymore," she whispered.
Dracula held her gaze with an uncharacteristic desperation and the agony in his expression shattered the remnants of her heart. Unknown to her, he had felt it all. In that brief second when her blood had touched his tongue, he had had just a taste of her pain. He could not yet understand the reasons for its apparent depth as he hadn't the time to make sense of the images he saw in his mind, but he assumed it had to do with what he had said to Aleera and if that in itself wasn't enough to kill him, the venomous bite of Van Helsing in wolf form chomping down on his shoulder from behind certainly did the trick.
The monster hunter's teeth tore through flesh and sinew, finally meeting and tasting blood as Dracula cried out.
No!
He could not leave Hera like this!
He couldn't die with her not knowing the truth, the real truth!
She thought he had left her, had cruelly used her, and though his panicked mind protested wildly, it was too late.
He was dying, his flesh decaying, his soul leaving his body, and the lives of all his children that had just been given existence – it was all snuffed out in the blink of an eye.
Hera froze on the spot as more tears rained down her face and she watched the lover who betrayed her shrivel and die before her eyes.
The vampire fought, tried to resist, but there were laws that were greater that even his unearthly power couldn't challenge. He had been strong in life, and even stronger in death... but he had risen from dust and to dust he would return.
As Dracula wasted away, his screams echoed through the castle, the only audible thing being Hera's name on his lips, coupled with a long and mournful sound of protestation.
Within moments there was no more flesh, only ash, a charred husk, and soon not even that. Finally, there was only soot burned into the floor.
Dracula was gone.
Hera stood there, more tears tumbling down her face as her eyes fell upon the werewolf who was now snarling in her direction. Closing her eyes, she outstretched her arms in a beckoning manner, waiting for the beast to tear her to ribbons. The monster swept a clawed hand in her direction, the tips of his claws raking across her stomach – not deep enough to be fatal, but enough for it to break the skin.
Hera fell to the ground beside the Count's ashes, the pain stealing her breath, but before the beast could go in for the kill, it was momentarily distracted by a sudden prickling sensation in his back. The werewolf howled as the antidote began to make its way through his system like liquid fire and the beast thrashed back once, trying to remove the syringe from his left kidney. Fortunately, Anna had the foresight to jump out of the way before the wolf could strike her in the process.
As the last Valerious watched the hunter turn back into a man, Hera's world grew silent. She couldn't hear the sound of Carl trying to gauge if she was alright; she couldn't even see the hunter and gypsy princess kissing passionately as they relished in their victory.
All Hera could hear were the echoes of Dracula's screams ringing in her ears.
He had been screaming her name when he had died.
The woman had felt him die inside of her. She felt his children die, as if they had been in her blood. But the abomination within her womb still thrived, even with the wolf's lacerations across her abdomen and it was then Hera understood she could not share in the other's victory.
She had lost.
Hera situated on the floor — silent and still, though sitting now — as the vampire's destruction played and replayed over and over again in her mind, the confusion and anger in his eyes when she had stabbed him, the pain when Van Helsing bit into him… the despair as he withered away into nothing but ash.
Hera lied there staring, wishing that her tears would bring him back, but it was too late. What was done was done. He had used her, and he had been defeated… and she was left to deal with the lingering repercussions of his actions.
Everything else that transpired shortly after was an indistinguishable blur to the young woman. Van Helsing, Anna, and Carl tried to help her, attempting to bind her wounds and carry her back to Visceria. She had heard their urgings, had heard her voice explaining why they needed to leave her here alone, though she could hardly recall speaking the words herself.
After much deliberation and some insistence on Carl and Van Helsing's part to trust the lies Hera had convincingly given, Anna offered the woman a tearful goodbye and then they were gone.
Hera remained utterly motionless, soon very alone in the burned down laboratory, no emotion in her eyes.
All she could do was stare at the pile of ash beside her.
It would be nearly a half an hour later, when Castle Dracula was utterly abandoned and devoid of all life that reality would finally kick in for Hera.
And when it did, it hit her harder than she could have ever anticipated.
It started off softly at first, warm tears trailing down her filthy face, a cool, icy wind running through her hair—and then the storm hit, abruptly and without warning.
Hera let out an ear-piercing scream, which soon turned into a gut-wrenching wail as her entire world shattered to pieces around her, everything growing dark. All the memories of the moments that she had shared with the Count assaulted her on all fronts and she was powerless to stop them.
With every memory, she cried harder and harder until her throat was raw.
When she remembered how he had used her, how that ugly truth changed everything she had shared with him, how it altered her once happy existence, how it tainted the once beautiful memories, she shattered again, only this time, it was her whole heart and she was left in unsalvageable fragments.
Hera Garret was completely and utterly destroyed.
With one hand still pressed to the bleeding wound on her abdomen in a half-hearted effort to numb the physical pain, with her free hand she cradled her head, sobbing violently, cursing the vampire's name, screaming at the deafening silence.
"I LOVED YOU!" she cried at the top of her lungs. "I loved you!" and she fell to the floor in a heap in hysterics, her breathing uneven, and tears relentless.
The woman removed her blood soaked hand from her stomach and hovered it over the pile of ash that was once her lover and she continued to cry, only the sobs grew softer now as exhaustion took over.
"I loved you," she whispered through her tears. "Why did you lie to me? Why?"
The child within her kicked at her womb and she screamed at the pain before her agony turned to anger. Grabbing the silver stake at her side, she stabbed it angrily at the ashes, as if she were stabbing Dracula.
"I trusted you! I TRUSTED YOU!" and she stabbed the floor again, harder this time, her despair turning into fury as she screamed. "I HATE YOU!" she shrieked, throwing the weapon down and hitting the ash with her fists before falling face first into them and breaking down once more.
"I hate you," she sobbed. "I hate you."
As Hera lay there, something strange began to happen.
The Count's remains began to expand and Hera sat up and watched in horror as the blood she had spilled mingled with the dust, which then began to take the form of a man. First the husk, then the full skeleton, which grew organs, sinew, muscles, flesh, clothes…
Hera crawled back in fear as she watched the Count's body grow back and his presence reentered the room like a light breeze through an open window.
She began to panic.
No!
Dracula was coming back, and undoubtedly for the baby!
The wheels in her mind began to turn wildly as she fought for some idea of what to do.
Although she had resigned herself to this course of action a while ago, the option was still atrocious in her mind, but she wouldn't let him have his prize – not if it meant the inevitable destruction of mankind. Hera seized the silver stake before straddling the Count's waist with her knees, grabbing his hands and forcing him to hold the weapon, the point positioned in the direction of her protruding stomach.
"I will not be your slave," she promised. "I will not be your puppet, your vessel. I will not let your demon spawn harm a single innocent soul, you monster!" she screamed, and when she least expected it, the Count's soul reentered his body and the vampire let out a cry as he convulsed, his body reanimated.
His eyes snapped open and he sat up slightly, only to pause when he saw Hera's face perched above his.
His first reaction was that of shock, anger, and then pain.
"Hera, I have to tell you somethi…" but he was cut off when he saw the agony in her face.
