A/N- Okay, this is the final chapter…the end…fin…however you want to put it. However, there will be a sequel called Little Red Riding Hood. I have no earthly clue as to when it'll be out, but it will come. Right now, I'm concocting another CV fic that happens to crossover with a book series called Abarat. Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer- I don't own it.
Chapter 13
The rest of the fire whip, in which Dracula had been holding, disappeared. With his right hand, the Prince of Darkness grabbed the left side of his cloak.
"Very well," he said as pulled the cloak back. Instead of holding the cloak, however, he was now holding a long, silver bladed sword.
With something close to a war cry, Adrian lunged toward his father, sword blazing. Seeing as the room was small, Sage pressed herself up against the wall as much as she could to avoid the exchange of blows between father and son. She watched, silently, as Dracula would appear to gain an advantage just to have Adrian regain the upper hand. This also worked the other way around.
Suddenly, Sage felt very faint. She slid down the wall to come to a rest on the floor. Dracula stopped his attack to smirk at her. However, when he spoke, he directed toward Adrian.
"Oh, that's right. We cut dear Sage before she escaped. You've lost a lot of blood, haven't you, dear?" he said, as Adrian dared cast a concerned look at her.
Sage moaned. The room was starting to spin. She heard Dracula laugh. Then, the clashing of swords again that was accompanied by Adrian telling her to hold on.
I have to get to Maria, if nothing else, Sage thought dazedly.
Using the wall, she pulled herself back to her feet. She knew, as though she had been thinking it the entire time, that she had lost too much blood to do the ice spell that she had planned on previously. She tried to stand without the support of the wall but to no avail. She simply fell back on it.
"Hold on, Sage!" Adrian said as he dealt a hard blow to Dracula's blade.
I have to get to Maria, Sage thought again.
There was one way and one way only. She rested both her hands on the cold stone wall. Staring both at the fire and at the combatants, she waited for chance.
It came. Using all the strength she had, she launched herself threw the flames just as Adrian had brought Dracula to his knees.
"Sage!" he cried.
The hem of her skirt had caught fire and her skin was hot, but she had made it. Now, squinting through the light, she saw the globe. It was translucent, but a green light radiated from it. She reached out to claim it, but her loss of blood caught up with her. With her hand outstretched, she began to fall backwards into the wall of fire.
"Sage!" Adrian shouted again, but it seemed to her as though his voice came from far away.
Then, something happened. It was strange. So strange that Sage thought that it was surely a product of the lack of blood flow to her brain. The globe was levitating up off its place on the shelf!
The light from the orb expanded. As though she had seen it in a dream, she saw Adrian, with his sword at his father's throat, carefully watching both Dracula--who was still on his knees--and the magically scene before him. The fire extinguished, and Sage slowly came to rest, in a laying position, on the floor. It felt as though a hand of an angel had helped her. She wasn't even dizzy anymore.
No one was ready for what happened next. The light, or at least the inner most light, took form. Before the three of them stood Maria Renard. She smiled down at Sage.
Sage looked down at herself for an explanation of her lack of dizziness. Her wounds were gone! Then, Maria spoke.
"I've healed you, Sage," she said. "You'll be just fine."
She extended a hand and helped Sage get to her feet. Adrian looked as though his knees were about to give way. Dracula looked downright scared. Maria turned her attention to the others.
She smiled fondly as her eyes rested on Adrian.
"Alucard…Adrian. I've missed you so much. And I know that you've missed me as well."
"Maria," Adrian said.
He was so distracted by the appearance of his long lost love, that Dracula could've escaped. However, the Dark Prince seemed unable to move himself.
"Finish him, Adrian. End it for this century," Maria said.
Adrian nodded. Dracula closed his eyes. His son swept the blade and made a clean slice through his father's neck. Both Sage and even the angelic-like Maria let small gasps escape. The count turned to dusk.
Almost immediately, there was a loud rumbling. The entire castle began to shake.
"Oh, no!" Sage said, yelling over the noise.
"His and the castle's fate are intertwined. The castle is destroying itself!" Adrian said loudly.
"Quickly! Sage, get the globe!" Maria instructed.
Sage did as she was told.
"Good," Maria continued. "Now, Adrian and you two face one another and hold on. Do not break the globe."
Maria spread her arms, and the light that surrounded her engulfed all of them. Momentarily, Sage nor Adrian could see what was happening. However, when sight was restored to them, they realized that Maria had transported them to the outside of the castle. The three stood and watched as the enormous, gray structure turned to rubble. When it was finished, Maria spoke to them again.
"Thank you. Both of you. Sage, I must commend you for your efforts to find me. You have power within you," she said. Then she leaned in and whispered in Adrian's ear. When she leaned out, she said aloud, "Remember that."
She smiled at the two. "Now, you must allow me to move on. I wish the both of you happy lives together."
"How do we release you?" Sage asked.
"That task is yours, Sage. Call upon that power I mentioned, just as if you were doing a spell. Concentrate. Now, when you have it, hold the globe in the air and say ' I hereby release you to move on to whatever destination that calls you.'"
Sage nodded. She closed her eyes for this task, allowing nothing to interrupt her gathering of power. Finally, she opened them again and lifted the orb into the air.
"I hereby release you to move on to whatever destination that calls you!" she called out to the dawning sky.
The globe shattered, but the glass did not cut Sage. Instead, the shards merely floated away and disappeared into the air. Sage and Adrian both turned their attention to Maria. She smiled. She put the tips of her hands to her mouth and made a motion to blow them kisses. She mouthed the words, ' Thank you,' and then she was gone.
Sage dared a glance at Adrian. He was smiling serenely. Then, without warning, he gathered her into his arms.
"Let's say we go make a home together. A place where we can be happy," he said giving her a kiss.
"Sounds fun," she replied.
"But I don't think that'll be the first thing we do," he said, mischievously.
"Really?" she asked, giggling as they set off into the woods together.
"Yes. I thought we'd go visit your parents."
He laughed as the mixed emotions of joy and disappointment flashed across Sage's face.
End Notes: That's it. How'd you like it? I hope you did like it. It's going to have a sequel, but not for a while. It'll be called Little Red Riding Hood. Oh, and, if you want updates on anything, please feel free to email to ask. Just put the title of the fic in the subject area so I don't delete your email. Well, please R & R! Thanks!