Michael Belmont and the Heir of Van Helsing (The Adventures of Michael Belmont) (27 page)

She wiped her tears away again and attempted a smile.
 
“Thank you,” she said, taking his hand.
 
Abigail saw the way they were looking at each other and raised her eyes at Michael, but wisely held her tongue.

Magda looked out the door to make sure nobody was listening, and then lowered her voice.
 
“Do you think he might have been attacked?”

“I was thinking the same thing at first,” Michael answered, “but if that was the case, I’m pretty sure they would have finished the job.
 
He was obviously helpless after the crash.
 
If it was Mihnea or his men I don’t think there would have been any need to take Olaf to the hospital.”

“But he’s going to be vulnerable while he’s there,” Abigail said.
 
“Mihnea’s people will learn about what happened if they don’t already know.
 
There’s nobody there to protect him.”

Magda looked terrified.
 
“You’re right.
 
He could be in horrible danger.
 
I have to go to him.”

“I don’t think so,” Michael said, putting his hand on her arm.
 
“Knowing Caleb, I’m sure he would have followed Olaf to the hospital.
 
He knows that Olaf is vulnerable, and that he’s the one Mihnea really wants.
 
I’m certain that Caleb would have gone to the hospital to protect him.”

Magda looked hopeful, but scared.
 
“I wish we knew for sure.”

About that time, Ms. Voss’ phone rang.
 
She came jogging into her office to answer it.

“It’s for you, Michael,” she said, eying him curiously.
 
“What happened to your nose, it’s very red?”
 
She reached up to touch it and he yelped in pain.

“I’ll uh, I’ll explain later.
 
Thanks,” he said, taking the phone.
 
Ms. Voss frowned at him and let out an exasperated sigh before turning to leave.

“These children are going to drive me to an early grave,” he heard her grumble under her breath.

Magda and Abigail watched Michael expectantly as he talked on the phone.
 
After speaking for a few minutes, he hung up and let out a long sigh of relief.

“That was Finnegan.
 
It’s almost like he was reading our minds.”

“WELL,” yelled Abigail impatiently, “don’t just stand there like a dummy, tell us what he said.”

“Caleb followed Olaf to the hospital.
 
As soon as they’re able to transport him, he’ll be brought to McGinty Castle where a private doctor will see to him.
 
He said to hang tight until tomorrow when we all get picked up.”

“Any news yet about Elizabeth or Alucard?” Abigail asked.

“He didn’t say, so I guess not.
 
Liam’s doing well though.”

“Who’s Liam?” Magda asked.

“Just a friend of ours,” Michael told her.
 
“He’s been feeling a bit under the water lately.
 
Uh, under the weather, I mean.”
 
He chuckled in self-mockery.

About that time Ms. Voss came back in.

“Alright, Belmonts, off to your rooms.
 
There are a few things I need to speak to Magda about before bed.”

Abigail walked to Magda and gave her a tight hug.
 
She smiled warmly in return.
 
Michael followed and leaned down to her ear.
 
“You know where to find me if you need me,” he whispered to her.

He noticed Ms. Voss grinning at him suspiciously.
 
“You’re quite a boy, Michael,” she said, ushering him out.
 
“I’m keeping my eye on you.”

He just smiled and shrugged innocently.
 
You’ve done a splendid job of that so far
, he thought at her.

For the second time that night, Michael was roused from his sleep by a loud noise.
 
He rolled over on his bed and drug himself up to a sitting position, cursing in his head.
 
It was really dark, but he could see that Dane and Jaap had been woken as well.

“What is it this time,” Michael grumbled out loud.

“I don’t know,” Dane said.
 
“I thought I heard screaming.”

“Great.” Michael hopped out of bed and headed for the light switch.
 
He reached up to flip it on, and that’s when he noticed the flickering lights outside.
 
He rushed to the window and gazed out.
 
Dozens of people were standing around on the grass, most of them men, holding blazing torches in the air.
 
He scanned the mob wondering what possibly could be happening, and then his blood began to boil.
 
He saw Mihnea, standing in the center at the front of the mob.
 
At his feet was a slender blonde woman sitting on her knees and slumped over like she’d been beaten.
 
For a moment Michael thought it was his mother, but upon looking closer saw that it was Sally Voss.

“Michael,” Mihnea said as if he’d just seen an old friend from across the room.
 
“How good to see you.
 
Why don’t you come down and join us?”

Michael didn’t know what to say, or what to do.
 
He just stood staring at the man, with hatred in his eyes.

“No?” Mihnea asked him.
 
“Perhaps you need more motivation?”

Mihnea’s people began to bring children out and cast them on the grass in front of him.
 
They were crying and screaming in confusion at what was happening.
 
Michael returned to his bed, nearly plowing over his two roommates, and grabbed his bow.
 
Even before he’d reached the window, an arrow was strung.
 
He took aim and let it fly.
 
Mihnea caught it in mid-air just in front of his heart.
 
He broke the arrow in two and cast it to the ground.
 
Michael shot another and Mihnea broke that one too.

“I can do that all night long, Michael.
 
But while I’m currently in a pleasant mood, I can make no promises about staying that way if you keep wasting my time.”

“I think you’ve got things a bit backwards,” Michael heckled him.
 
“The mob is supposed to chase the monster, not follow him around.”

Mihnea grinned.
 
“I’m not a cruel man, but perhaps you need some motivation to come down and talk.”
 
He pulled Sally Voss to her feet, and then took her arm into his hands and snapped it.
 
She screeched in agony as a cold chill went down Michael’s spine.
 
He was enraged and sickened.

“If I have to warn you again, it will be her neck,” Mihnea said calmly.

“ALL RIGHT, YOU EVIL LUNATIC,” Michael screamed at him.
 
“SAY WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY BEFORE I FIGURE OUT HOW TO KILL YOU!”

“I never knew you were such a brave, rude little boy,” Mihnea told him.
 
“What I want is for you and your sister to come with me.
 
I’m offering you a trade.
 
It’s the two of you for everyone else who lives here.
 
If you refuse me, we’ll throw pretty Sally here and the rest of her children back where we got them, and then set the place on fire.
 
I learned the trick from my father.
 
He once threw a ball for some of the prominent subjects in his land, and then burned them all alive as they were eating and dancing.
 
It was quite a party- the talk of the town for many years to come.
 
You should have seen it.”

Michael was in shock.
 
Would this man really burn an entire building full of children just to get his point across?
 
Then again, he
wasn’t
a man.
 
Not anymore.
 
He was something evil, animalistic and dangerous.
 
He’d do whatever he needed to get what he wanted, that’s what Alucard had said.

“Oh, there might be a few who are able to escape, but I assure you that what we would do to them out here would be a far less-desirable fate.”
 
He smiled happily.
 
“And who’s that little harpy hanging out of the window above you?
 
How are you tonight, my dear?
 
You seem to be unusually interested in all of this.
 
What do you think about my offer?”

“You KEEP AWAY from Michael and his sister,” Magda yelled out.
 
“GET out of here and leave us all alone.”

“Oh I’m afraid I can’t do that, my dear.
 
You see, I need these two for bargaining chips.
 
I believe their father is in acquaintance with someone I very much desire to speak with.”

Michael saw one of Mihnea’s men dragging a small blonde girl away from the front entrance.
 
It was Abigail!
 
As hard as she fought, she couldn’t get free.
 
The man holding her was as unflinching as stone as she hit and kicked wildly.

“I give you my word, Michael,” Mihnea continued, pleased to see that he already had Abigail, “that the two of you WILL NOT be killed as long as you cooperate with me.
 
I have no desire to harm you, but neither can I allow you and your family to continue to thwart my plans.”

Michael felt broken.
 
He saw no other way but to surrender.
 
How could he resist?
 
What would be the point?
 
It would only get innocent people hurt and then he would still be overpowered.
 
He’d have to wait for another time to resist.

“The clock is ticking,” Mihnea said impatiently.
 
“Shall I continue to motivate you for an answer?”
 
He pulled the screaming Sally Voss back to her feet and put his arm around her neck.

“NO,” Michael shouted.
 
“DON’T HURT HER, I’m coming down.”

“Michael WAIT,” Magda shouted from above.

“Hurry along now, I’ll be waiting,” Mihnea said cheerfully.

Michael grabbed his backpack and his bow, and walked out of the room to the worried stares of his roommates.
 
“Take care of yourselves,” Michael told them.

Dane gave him a friendly, worried nod.

As he walked down the hallway and stairs, he felt like he was walking to his own execution.
 
With each step, he desperately tried to think of a plan, but nothing came to him.
 
For now, surrender was the only option.

Magda was already waiting in the lobby when he got there.

He hugged her.
 
“You stay in here, I —”

“Forget it,” she barked at him.
 
“I’m not letting you go out there alone.
 
You’ll have to knock me out to stop me.”

“Maybe I should,” Michael shot, irritated and impressed by her loyalty.
 
But he knew she wouldn’t budge.

Magda took his hand, and they walked outside together, saying nothing as they walked toward the mob.

Mihnea smiled at them happily as they approached.
 
“You’ve made the right choice,” he told them.
 
Then he nodded to his people, and they began throwing their torches in a pile of brush near the side of the building, which despite the cold and snow lit up quickly.

“HEY, there’re still people in there,” Michael yelled at him.
 
“You said you wouldn’t hurt anyone else.”

“You worry too much, I’m sure they’ll come out when they see the flames.”
 
He looked at Magda.
 
“Who are you, his lady-friend?
 
Maybe I’ll bring you along too, just for fun.
 
How about it Michael?”

“NO,” he yelled.
 
“KEEP HER OUT OF THIS!”

“I have my answer then.”

He grabbed Magda and lifted her up by the arm as his form changed into a hideous creature.
 
His black body was that of a man, with a bat-like face and broad, leathery wings.
 
He sprung into the air carrying the girl with him, and then Michael saw that the man holding Abigail had also changed and taken her into the sky.
 
Finally he felt himself lifted from the ground.
 
He never saw who caught him up, but felt the air grow colder as he watched children dart out of the burning orphanage until it disappeared into the blurry distance below.

Michael was shivering uncontrollably as the winged nightmare flew through the castle window and dropped him on the hard stone floor.
 
He crashed to a stop against an old chair, which broke apart and fell down upon him.
 
He writhed in pain for a few long moments before turning onto his stomach and crawling from beneath the shattered pieces of wood.
 
He saw both Abigail and Magda on the floor in front of him, shivering and moaning.

Mihnea was behind them, stooped in front of a large hearth.
 
He stacked up several pieces of wood and lit a fire for them.

“Wh-what are y-you going to do with us?” Michael stuttered.

“You and your sister will be traded for Olaf Van Helsing, that is if your father values your lives.
 
Sounds like a fair exchange doesn’t it?”

“And h-her?” he asked regarding Magda.

“You seem to care about this girl.
 
Perhaps that will motivate you to behave.
 
If you want to protect her, then do as I tell you.”
 
He reached down and touched Magda’s hair.
 
“Although, I must admit that a certain part of me hopes that you don’t.
 
She is a very pretty girl.
 
I’m sure I could find a place for her here in my castle.”