Chapter 11

Within no time at all Alucard and Seras arrived at the ruins of Carfax Abbey. The structure itself still stood, but its contents had fallen victim to the elements and the ravages of time. Alucard looked at the ruins and then looked to the distance. The old sanitarium where his ill fated servant Renfield had been held as a mad man still stood.

"You remember it?" Seras asked.

"All too well. Come on. There's no time for strolls down memory lane. Integra's life is in danger. The night is waining. We don't have much time." Alucard said as he and Seras approached the aged structure.

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Integra looked through the bars of the cage she now found herself in. Demir and Aiesha looked at her with devilish grins. She struggled against her bonds and tried to rattle the bars of her cell.

"Look at her Aiesha. Her blood burns like liquid fire in her veins. Her spirit is strong. Truly she is the virgin who will bring Lilith into the living world." Demir proclaimed proudly.

"I'll do no such thing you bastard! When Alucard gets his hands on you you'll wish you'd never set foot upon Hellsing grounds! I only hope he keeps you two rejects around long enough so I can see the looks on your faces when he rips your heads off!" Integra barked defiantly.

"Such a fiery beauty you are. It would be a shame to kill you. Dracula was a fool not to have turned you." Demir said getting close to the bars.

"He's offered to many times, and every time I have said no. For the sake of my country, my church and my queen I was born a human. And for the honor of my family I will die as one." Integra growled.

"Perhaps you will think differently when my blood is flowing through your veins." Demir said bearing his fangs.

"I'd rather die than become slave to a demonic reject like you." Integra sneered.

"We will see my spirited beauty." Demir said.

Just as he spoke the doors to the abbey suddenly imploded. There stood Alucard and Seras prepared for battle. Alucard withdrew his guns from his coat. Seras had her Harconnen Cannon over her shoulder. She glared at Aiesha remembering the attack they'd had not long ago.

"Such a big gun for such a little girl." Aiesha taunted.

"I'm use to handling big guns." Seras growled.

"And she handles them very well if I do say so myself." Alucard replied with a smirk.

Demir was unimpressed by the weapons display. He raised his hand as if signaling for something. Cloaked figures began to emerge from the shadows. Twelve in all surrounded Alucard and Seras.

"You call this intimidation? These sad puppets are nothing but target practice to me." Alucard scoffed.

"Yes. But one stray bullet could hit your master. In your attempts to protect her you'd end up killing her." Demir said.

"Simple. I won't be aiming at my master. I'll be aiming at you." Alucard refuted.

"You think it's so easy. You are a powerful vampire, but you can't be in several places at once. Remember that I only need the woman's blood, not the woman herself. I know how you are Vlad. In battle you are unhinged. You do not distinguish friend from foe. All you see is suffering, blood and death. How can you be so assured that you would not kill your master even by accident."

Alucard growled showing his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, his enemy was right. In battle he was an unbridled demon which was why the human units always stayed out of his way until his job was done. How he hated being wrong.

"Face it Vlad. With all your powers you're helpless. I hold the upper hand. As long as I hold the woman as my prisoner you can do nothing. Even if she did not value her own life, your master won't order you to retaliate. If she dies, then you will be free of your bondage, and your obligation to human kind. She'll die knowing she let a monster loose upon her beloved country." Demir replied coldly.

"To hell with you!" Integra spat.

"But isn't that the truth my fiery virgin? If you order him to fight then you will end up dead. And if he is free, then he will hold no obligation to protect your queen's precious subjects. Even if he does not kill them himself, he won't do anything to help them either when our dark mother is released. I could not imagine going to your God with that so much blood on your soul." Demir said.

"Damn you." Integra growled.

"Order them to put down their weapons." Demir insisted.

"Never." Integra protested.

Demir withdrew the blade he'd used to deflect Alucard's silver bullets in their previous encounter. He held the point to Integra's heart. She tried to back away but the cage was small and held very little room to move. He pressed the point dangerously against Integra's chest.

"Order them." He growled.

"No." Integra replied defiantly.

"Then you can explain to your God why so many of his children were slaughtered." Demir said and prepared to thrust the blade into Integra's chest.

"Stop!" Alucard barked.

Demir withdrew the blade from Integra and turned around. Alucard begrudgingly handed his guns to one of the cloaked figures. Seras looked on in shock as she saw her mentor relinquish control of his beloved weapons.

"Alucard, we can't..."

"For now we have no choice. I am bound to protect my master at all costs." Alucard said with bitter resignation. He looked over at Seras. "Give them your cannon." He ordered.

Seras wanted to blow the entire group minus her mentor and her employer all to hell. But she knew for the moment that was not a possibility. Integra's life was at stake. The cannon was too powerful to be used in such close quarters. She put it on the ground while Demir's vampire servants pulled it a good distance away from her.

"How sad. You and your mate could have saved yourselves. You could even be free if you killed the woman. Of course, even if you gain your freedom you won't be around long enough to enjoy it." Demir taunted.

"Celik, I swear that when this is over I will give my master your head." Alucard warned.

"I would prefer you not use that name anymore if you please. Celik is a name that no longer holds any meaning for me. It was my human name, and I have not been human for well over five hundred years. I gained a new name when Aiesha came to me in the darkness. Please, allow me to tell you the story. It is the least I can do before mother Lilith destroys you once and for all." Demir said and turned toward Integra once again putting the blade to her chest.

"What are you doing? We did as you demanded." Seras interjected.

"Oh, this is just a precautionary measure. To ensure you and your sire don't get any ideas." Demir replied looking toward his servants.

"If you or your mate make any attempts to escape, I will kill the woman this very moment." He warned.

"Take the girl." He ordered.

Seras felt two pairs of hands grab her arms. She wanted to struggle, but also remembered the point of Demir's blade was perilously close to Integra's heart. She felt two figures pull her away from Alucard. They took her to another cage made completely of silver bars. Demir waved his hand and the door to the cage opened. Seras was pushed harshly inside. She turned as the door closed tightly shut.

"Those bars are made of silver my dear...blessed silver. Your God has his uses even for us." Aiesha said.

"Kill my master and my mate and all bets are off." Alucard growled.

"Oh don't worry. Your master and your mate are safe for the moment. I'm going to make sure you don't try anything foolish." Demir said as he looked to the remaining ten figures surrounding Alucard. They moved in closer to him, their fangs beared.

"Tell him to remove his upper garments." He said.

"Do as he says Alucard." Integra ordered. She and Seras watched as the coat and two dress shirts vanished from Alucard's body, leaving his upper torso completely bare.

Order him not to resist." Demir commanded Integra. She lowered her head gritting her teeth.

"Servant, your master commands you not to resist." She said.

"Drain him." Demir ordered.

Ten pairs of fangs simutaineously sank into Alucard's flesh. His muscles tensed in anticipation of the attack. He bared his teeth gritting them hard trying not to show pain. Seras watched helplessly as she watched Demir's servants suck the life blood from her maker's body. Crismon tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Do not show your pain Seras Victoria. Remember you are my consort. Do not show your enemies weakness. Make your heart hard as stone even to my suffering." The voice of her sire called to her in her mind. Seras harshly wiped the bloody tears from her face leaving two red streaks remaining upon her face. Her eyes narrowed showing not sorrow, but restrained rage.

Alucard fell to his knees as his attackers continued to drain his blood from him. He groaned feeling so many teeth peircing his flesh at the same time. His body became limp as he felt his blood leave him. Demir withdrew his sword from Integra and placed it back in its sheath.

"That's enough." He said commanding his servants to release Alucard. They stopped feeding and moved away from his barely moving frame. His eyes fluttered wildly in an attempt to stay concious. Demir walked over to him and proceeded to kick him violently in his stomach. Alucard could do little more than let out a grunt. He wasn't even strong enough to clutch at his stomach. Demir laughed coldly.

He looked over toward a wall where chains had been secured to it. He ordered his servants to drag Alucard's motionless body over to that wall and chain him to it. They picked up the vampire and carried him to where Demir ordered. Then they secured his wrists in a pair of iron manicals.

Demir walked over to his weakened opponent with a viscious smile. Alucard struggled to keep his eyes open. Demir only chuckled at the attempt. "Now that we have that little formality out of the way, where was I. Oh yes, the night I was turned." He began.

"It happened as I lay dying on the battle field after a brutal combat. The sultan had put me in charge of a small number of his troops. Thanks to you, every one of those men had been slain by your soliders. One of your own had run me through on his sword and left me to die." He continued.

"She came to me, more beautiful than even the most prized in the sultan's royal harem. I knew from the moment I saw her she was anything but human. No human woman could be so enticing. She pulled the sword from my body as if it were nothing. Then she kneeled at my side and offered me the key to eternal life. If I gave my human life and my soul to the dark mother, I would have power and pleasures beyond any human's imagination. I would serve a power to the likes that mankind has never seen, more powerful than all the kings of the Earth." He stopped for a moment and looked at Aiesha.

"I agreed and gave her my blood. She then fed me of her own once she took what she wanted of me. It was like nothing I'd ever tasted before. Her power came into me as my human body died. With the stopping of my heart and the last human breath, I was reborn as a creature of the night. I became a son and servant to the dark mother Lilith." He continued.

"For centuries Lilith's children have searched the globe for the stone that holds her essence prisoner. Now we have found it. And now we have found the noble virgin whose blood will free her at last. Tomorrow night at the waning of the full moon you will give your blood to the dark mother, and she will come into our world. At long last, she will reclaim her throne as the queen of the night."

"Celik, Demir, whatever you call yourself..." Seras called. "I sincerely hope when you reach Hell, the devil himself bends you over and sticks you in your sorry ass." She snarled with pure malice. Alucard, in his weakened condition, managed a half smile hearing her words. He couldn't have spoken the words any better himself.

"You obviously taught your mate nothing of respect for her elders." Demir said looking toward Alucard. He looked up through weary eyes at Demir.

"She gives respect to those who are worthy of it." He said.

"It doesn't matter. When the dark mother comes into this world disrespectful little brats like you will be dealt with soon enough." Demir warned.

Integra looked away from the scene trying to keep her thoughts to herself. But she couldn't help but wonder what was going on back at Hellsing manor. "What are they going to do? Will they even know where to start looking for me?"

Alucard closed his eyes concentrating very hard. Demir and Aiesha were distracted by their revelry so he managed to think of one name. "Shivana..."

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The vampiress Shivana stood inside her domicile. She heard her name called within her mind and knew something had gone wrong. She went to her bedroom and looked at a covered chest. Shivana walked to the chest and took off the wool covering. She held in her hand a key made of gold. It was shaped like the wings of an angel. The lock on the chest had the same shape, except it was the full form of an angel with hollow wings.

"Tomorrow night they will perform the ceremony." She said to herself looking at the winged key in her hand. She then pulled the wings apart and placed them in their respective resting places on the key. The chest opened of its own accord and Shivana looked within. There was something wrapped in the finest silk. She careful undid the fabric's folds to reveal a sword in an ornate sheath.

She carefully took the sheath and the hilt of the sword and lifted it from its bed. She slowly withdrew it from the sheath. The blade was made of pure, unblemished silver. The hilt was made of pure gold and wrapped in tightly wound leather. Along the sides of the blade were letters of an ancient language carved into it. A clear, sparkling crystal devoid of any imperfection was perfectly centered on the blade.

Shivana was careful not to lay a finger upon either the blade or the crystal. She carefully placed it back in its protective sheath and took the weapon belt that went with it from the chest. She put the belt around her waist and then slid the sheathed blade into the slot that would hold it against her hips. After this she took a burgandy cloak hanging on her bedroom door and put it on. After donning the cloak, she vanished from her room.

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Back at Hellsing Manor:

"The first place we should start is at the old warehouse not far from the Dark Oasis club. Alucard and Seras said there was some kind of occult worship going on there. That may be where the vampires took Sir Integra." Walter said.

"You will not find her there." A voice said.

Fergason and Pickman immediately withdrew their weapons prepared to fire. Walter also shot his silver wires from his shirt and took a fight stance. A woman suddenly appeared before them cloaked in burgandy velvet. It was Shivana.

"What the hell?" Pickman gasped almost dropping his gun.

"I know where the woman Integra is being held. And I know that she is alive." Shivana replied calmly.

"Good. You can tell us before I shoot your bloody heart out of your chest vampire." Pickman growled aiming his gun at Shivana's chest.

She waved her hand and the weapon immediately flew out of Pickman's hands along with Fergason's gun as well. Walter found himself unable to move his wires from his cuffs.

"I am not your enemy. The vampires who abducted your leader are holding her at Carfax Abbey. There they will use her blood to release Lilith from her stone prison. I hold the weapon that can save mankind from the dark mother's destructive desires, but the woman Integra is the only one who can wield it. And only if she has remained untainted by Demir and Aiesha will she be able to use this sword against Lilith." Shivana explained revealing the sword under her cloak.

"And just how is a sword gonna save us? Why is Sir Integra the only one who can use it, and why does she have to remain pure?" Pickman asked skeptically.

"Why do you want to help us? You're a vampire are you not?" Walter questioned.

"Yes, I am a vampire. But unlike the creatures you do battle with I respect the innocent lives that are put at risk. I did not chose to become a creature of the night and I've no time to tell you the story. I can tell you that if you try to save your master now you will put her and the world of man in great danger. Demir and Aiesha don't need the woman alive. They only need her blood. They keep her alive so you will do nothing to interfere with their plans." Shivana answered.

"How do you know that Sir Integra is at Carfax Abbey?" Walter asked.

"The vampire you call Alucard and his mate came to me before Integra was abducted. I was told that two vampires were trying to free the spirit of Lilith. It remains imprisoned in a stone statue. I felt something was not right and realized that Demir and Aiesha had abducted the woman whose blood can free Lilith from her prison. I felt someone trying to get into my head. I recognized who it was and realized something had gone wrong."

"How could two vampires manage to get past Alucard and Seras?" Fergason asked.

"Demir and Aiesha cloak themselves in Lilith's power. They are her followers and are protected through her evil. Even the vampires who side with you cannot easily oppose them. They are prisoners along with your leader. For now the woman is still alive. You must wait until the right moment to strike. You must wait until Lilith's power is contained or you will all be destroyed." Shivana answered.

"What is so special about that sword?" Pickman asked.

"It is no ordinary sword. I was led to it long ago and appointed to be its guardian. Should the unholy power of Lilith ever be unleashed once again, this sword in the hands of a righteous soul is the only thing that can imprison her spirit once more." Shivana answered unsheathing the sword.

"Pretty impressive..." Pickman commented reaching out to touch it.

"NO!" Shivana hissed.

"Bloody hell. I just wanted to see it." Pickman muttered.

"You must not touch the blade. The silver is pure and unblemished as is the crystal in its center. Only a pure soul can wield this sword against Lilith. The blade must be thrust into Lilith's heart by that pure soul. When this is done, her spirit will be extracted from the body by the crystal and trapped therein. As long as the crystal remains whole, Lilith's spirit will be imprisoned once more. I must get the sword to Integra and pray that the vampires who hold her prisoner have not defiled her. They must keep her pure long enough to use her blood in the ritual. After that however, she may not remain pure if they have her way." Shivana explained.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Fergason enquired skeptically.

"If all efforts fail, then the world will become Hell. The woman Integra is the key to your race's survival. The sun will rise very soon. Until it sets again, you must wait." Shivana said and vanished from Integra's office.

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