Chapter 8
It was late, nearly three in the morning when Hellsing calmed down from the sudden chaos. Alucard was in his chamber brooding while Seras stayed by Zoey's side. Seras sat beside Zoey's hospital bed in a chair. She placed her hand gently against Zoey's forehead pushing a stray lock of hair from her face. For now her anger was spent. She'd unleashed enough in the training room. She knew the money to replace the bag she'd destroyed would be coming out of her pocket, but she didn't care. Better to take her fury out on an inanimate object than a human being which would have cost her much more than a small portion of her salary.
"We'll find them Zoey. I don't know if you can hear me or not but I swear to you Alucard and I will find them." She said quietly.
Despite the fact she'd been heavily sedated, Zoey slowly opened her eyes. Seras placed her hand upon Zoey's. Wearily Zoey tried to open her mouth in an attempt to speak.
"Seras," she whispered.
"Don't Zoey. Don't try to talk. You've been through so much already. Just rest." Seras insisted gently.
"Seras, please...listen. I have to tell you something." Zoey said.
"Zoey, can't it wait? You need to rest and focus on your recovery." Seras protested.
"Please, it is important. The sedatives will put me back under soon. Can you bring him, Alucard? He can read my mind. It's very important that you both know. It's about the club owners." Zoey plead.
"All right Zoey. I don't know what sort of mood he's going to be in, but I'll try."
#######################################
Alucard sat in his chamber. He tried to act like Integra's outburst had not hurt him, but in truth it had. How could she doubt him after he'd done so much to protect her. She would not even be around to run her precious organization if not for him. He might have been a monster, but he still demanded a measure of respect.
"She is only human." He reminded himself. She was a strong and prideful human at that, but still only a human. He glared at the emptiness of his room when he thought about how Demir and Aiesha had managed to fool him so many times. But this time it could have cost all who dwelled in Hellsing their lives. It almost cost Zoey her life. While he wasn't attached to her, he knew that Seras held her as a dear friend. And it angered him that he had not been able to protect one dear to his consort.
"I will make that bastard pay dearly. He's dared to make me look weak before the eyes of my bride and my master. He will know so much suffering he'll find Hell a more merciful fate." The elder vampire growled to himself.
"Alucard." Seras beckoned.
"This is not a good time Seras. Whatever it is will have to wait." Alucard replied trying to be patient.
"It's Zoey. She said she knows something about Demir and Aiesha. She's too weak to talk so she needs you to read her thoughts." Seras said.
Alucard let out a frustrated sigh. He couldn't believe he would have to rely on the thoughts of a human to help him track down his prey.
"Very well." He answered and vanished through his portal.
#######################################
Seras waited with Zoey. Alucard phazed through the wall into Zoey's recovery room. Alucard approached Zoey's bedside. He looked down at Seras's friend. She had tubes running through her nose to help her breathe and iv's pumping fluids and medication into her body.
"You should not be straining yourself child. You are lucky to be alive." He said.
"Please, they are planning something dangerous." Zoey answered wearily. Her voice still only a hushed whisper.
Alucard sighed and shook his head. He sat beside Zoey on her bed. Amazingly for all she had been through, she showed no fear to the elder vampire. Seras held her hand to keep her calm.
"Keep your eyes focused on mine. Now relax and open your mind to my power." Alucard commanded. He placed one hand upon her forehead. Zoey felt her eyes growing heavy as she went into the all familiar trance. Alucard concentrated upon looking deep into her mind and her memories.
He saw Demir and Aiesha standing outside the Hellsing mansion as Zoey walked toward them. It was clear her will had not been her own. He saw her being stripped and tied up. He concentrated upon any words he could hear.
"The dark mother stands offering the darkest of pleasures to all who submit themselves to her. Soon we will bring her spirit into the world of the living."
Alucard mentally recorded those words and then continued listening for anything else that would be vital to his master.
"I have seen the vision of a woman, but no ordinary woman. She appears strong and spirited. We must go back to this place called Hellsing. The woman called Integra is born of noble blood. If she is pure, then perhaps it is she who will bring our dark mother into our world."
"Our dark mistress and mother Lilith sheilds us from our enemies. As far as they are concerned we are invisible. We're right under their noses and they can't even smell us out."
Alucard suddenly broke the mental bridge. His eyes widened as he removed his hand from Zoey's forehead. He looked over at Seras with a look of grave concern and even apprehension. He shook his head for a moment.
"Alucard, what is it? What did you learn?" Seras asked nervously.
"Sleep child." Alucard said waving his hand over Zoey's eyes. At the command her eyes closed and she was again in a peaceful slumber.
"Alucard, what's wrong?" Seras asked insistently.
"Come with me Seras. I do not wish to speak of what I've learned here." Alucard answered.
Seras got up from her chair and rushed over to her mentor. "Alucard, what's going on? I don't like the feeling I'm getting off you."
"We are in grave danger Seras Victoria. We and perhaps the whole world." Alucard answered cryptically as he and his bride vanished from Zoey's room.
#######################################
Demir and Aiesha returned to see what was left of Dark Oasis. The club for now was utterly abandoned. The two vampires entered the ruined interior.
"They've destroyed our slaves." Aiesha said looking at the mounds of dust and ash.
"They served their purpose. We have more important things to worry about than a bunch of destroyed ghouls. Soon we must prepare for the coming of Lilith. The sun shall rise soon. We must return to our coffins and rest." Demir replied.
#######################################
Alucard took Seras into the Hellsing mansion's private library. He began looking through the books until he found one of particular interest.
"Alucard, what are we doing in here?" Seras asked.
"Looking for something that will be vital to both ours and Hellsing's survival." The elder vampire answered.
"I don't understand. What did you see in Zoey's mind?" Seras questioned.
"Not what I saw, but what I heard. Do you remember the creation story of Genesis in the old testement?" He asked.
"Yes. God made the world, then the animals, then Adam and Eve." Seras answered.
"According to Hebrew legend, that is only half the story. In Hebrew myth Eve was not Adam's first wife. She was made as a replacement for his first, Lilith." Alucard replied.
"Lilith?"
"Yes. Many believe her to be the very first vampire. She is said to be the matriarch from which all night creatures originate." Alucard explained.
"The first vampire..." Seras pondered.
"Yes. In Hebrew legend it was she, not Eve who was Adam's first wife. One such myth states that like Adam, Lilith was fashioned from the dust of the Earth and God breathed life into her as he did Adam. They were given the garden of Eden as Eve would later inherit as Adam did. It was believed that because Lilith was made from dust the same as Adam with the exception that she was made a woman, that she demanded to be seen as an equal to Adam. He however commanded that Lilith submit to him as his mate especially where sex was concerned. She was to lay beneath him when they were intimate. But she refused this. She left the garden of Eden seeing she was not going to get her way." Alucard explained. He paused and then continued speaking.
"Since Lilith had abandoned Adam, God made Adam a new wife. Only this time he made her from one of Adam's ribs as you've read in the Genesis story. It was believed that if Eve were made from a part of Adam, she would be more docile and would not leave Adam as Lilith did. Of course you know what happened to Adam and Eve after their little run in with a serpent. But that is not the point. What happened to Lilith after she left the garden of Eden is the topic of much debate among scholars and theologians, but we're not here to discuss theology." Alucard said.
"That brings me to what I learned from Zoey. Demir and Aiesha are indeed vampires as we thought. They are seeking to bring Lilith into this world. They have been shielded from our senses by her power." He finished.
"I have heard of her, but I thought she was just a story." Seras said.
"Believe me, she is no mere story meant to frighten small children. She was real at one point, and if we don't stop her two followers she may become very real again. That leads me to what else I learned from my mental connection with Zoey. They have learned about Hellsing and Integra. They may seek to take Integra as their sacrifice." Alucard replied.
"Sir Integra?" Seras asked.
"Yes. They need a virgin, but a virgin of strong, noble blood to bring Lilith back into the world of the living. It is possible they see Integra as such a candadite. We must protect her at all costs." Alucard said removing a large book from one of the higher shelves.
"Here. Look at this picture." He said motioning to Seras. She walked over to him and looked at the specific page as he set the book down on the table. Alucard pointed to the picture of a naked woman with demonic wings coming out of her back. She sat upon a furry beast holding in her hands a golden chalice.
"For it is written the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with her blood. And I saw her sit upon the hairy beast and she held forth a golden chalice full of the filthiness of fornications. And upon her forehead it was written: Behold! I am the great mother of harlots and all abominations." He read.
He then closed the book and placed it back in it's spot on the shelf. "That is Lilith. She is often refered to as the dark mother. But often she was anything but maternal. It is said that because she rebelled against Adam's dominion, God punished her. He would kill one hundred of her demon offspring every day if she did not return to Adam. She refused. But she swore as vengence for the death of her own children, she would stalk the night hunting down and killing the children who were to be the descendents of Adam and Eve." Alucard explained.
"Three angels were sent to retrieve Lilith after she left the garden of Eden ordering her that it was God's command that she return to her mate. She chose not to do as God commanded and thus one hundred demons would perish every day. Though she vowed revenge upon the descendents of Adam and Eve, she swore that any child who had a protective charm or amulet over it's bed with the names of the three angels sent to retrieve her would be spared her wrath." He finished.
"There is a great deal more to be learned of Lilith, but for now we've not the time to go into the subject deeper. The sun will rise soon so we must take rest for the day. Provided we can ensure Integra's safety, there is someone I know of who could be a great help to us."
"Who?" Seras asked.
"A very old friend who owes me a favor." Alucard answered.
#######################################
The next day Integra made the familiar trek to her office for the day's duties. She sat down behind her desk and was about to pick up the phone when she stopped for a moment. She found herself thinking back to the dangerously heated argument she and Alucard had engaged in the previous night.
"You couldn't sense them so how the hell do you know they didn't follow you both here! Or perhaps you didn't want me to know. Perhaps maybe you're seeing this as your ticket to freedom!"
"If I wanted to kill you master you would now be dead."
Integra rubbed her arms remembering the near iron hold Alucard had put on her. She shivered remembering just how close his fangs were to her throat. She knew better. She knew better than to provoke Alucard in such a fashion. She realized seals or not if he had wanted to kill her that instant, he could have without pity or regret. She had to remember he was indeed a monster. He was a wild animal collared and chained by the dark magic used by her ancestors to bind him.
"You may believe what you wish but these seals do not make me loyal to you. Your character and your strong spirit are what make me loyal."
Integra closed her eyes for a moment. Indeed it was her spirit that made Alucard loyal to her. If she had given into her fear and cowered before him he most certainly would have killed her, Hellsing blood or not. He was a creature of pride who despised weakness and cowardice.
"Think about that the next time you chose to question my loyalty."
She played those words over and over. How could she have questioned his loyalty after the many times he willingly saved her life. How often had he come to her rescue when the odds were stacked against her? Did she depend upon Alucard and perhaps now Seras more than she wanted to admit? A vampire hundreds of years old with such power that would make the world tremble at his feet could have torn her to shreds the moment he first laid eyes upon her. He could have tore out her throat and feasted upon her blood after having had only a taste before after her uncle shot her. Instead, he extended his arm seconds before a bullet from her uncle's gun made contact with her forehead. Many pledged to protect Integra to the death and take a bullet for her. Alucard was perhaps the only being who had literally done just that.
Integra pushed an ash blonde lock away from her face and straightened her glasses. "Who am I to question his loyalty?" She asked herself begrudgingly. She took out a cigarillo, lit it and took a drag off of it. She exhaled letting the breath cleanse her mouth of the smoke that blew forth from it.
"He is a monster." She reminded herself. "But he is a steadfast and loyal monster."