as Mr. Mistoffelees jumped over the wall. In the extreme quiet of the night, its hinges rasped so loud that she imagined it could be heard all over England. She froze, petrified, as her heart pounded against her chest, listening for the shouts of the searchers and footsteps running towards her, but in fact she heard nothing except a few crickets in the grass. Exhaling a long sigh, she almost collapsed from relief, but then steeled herself.
Now's not the time to fall to pieces.
Based on what Mr. Atherton had told her, she received the impression that her father had wanted to set up a three-way balance of power between herself, Aunt Mandy, and Aelfraed, with Sir Edward acting as a mediator in case of disputes, to prevent any party from gaining total control. As Head of the Family, she had full authority to determine its social, political, and financial fate. However, as executrix, Mandy held the purse strings, and as her legal guardian, only Aelfraed could sign documents in her name. But that worked both ways. Mandy could not liquidate any of her assets or make changes in the estate or its staff without her permission or Aelfraed's signature, and Aelfraed needed hers and Mandy's counter-signature to make any document legal. Apparently, her father had hoped they would work together for mutual benefit.
Unfortunately, neither he nor Aelfraed had anticipated the lengths Mandy was willing to go to in order to consolidate power, and what hurt the most, she hadn't either. Of course, she lacked experience, training, and discipline, but that was no excuse. She should have realized that Mandy might use her one undisputed power base, her control over the Caerleon Order, to turn traitor and try to seize it all. It was her duty, as a Van Helsing and the protector of Queen and Country. Only her incompetence and emotional weakness had prevented her from doing so. If she failed to survive the day, if Mandy won and seized control of her inheritance, it would be her sole fault, as would the consequences of her failure. She could only hope that God would have mercy on her soul and, what was more important, that her father would forgive her....
It had started out as an ordinary day, at least ordinary in the sense that it had followed the routine established by Aunt Mandy since the reading of the will four weeks prior. The weekdays were spent in classes at the prestigious Gresham's School in the town of Holt, which she had been attending since Reception at the age of four. She was finishing Year 7 at the Prep School. The afternoons, after Aelfraed picked her up and brought her back home, were spent in training, learning how to shoot and defend herself, organized by LCpl. Holt. In addition to formal martial arts such as Bartitsu, Defendu, and Spirit Combat jujitsu, he also taught her commando hand-to-hand combat and street fighting, particularly the use of any tactic that could give her an advantage. On the weekends, Aelfraed tutored her in the function, organization, and history of the Caerleon Order in the morning, followed by more defense training with Mr. Holt in the afternoon. She enjoyed those sessions with him more than Aelfraed's lectures. While stern, he was nonetheless gentle and patient, and in any event she thought learning how to fight was much more fun than reading dusty old reports.
It was mid-morning on a Sunday, and she was in the children's bedroom. She had just finished a snack Aelfraed had brought her and vainly tried to concentrate on a manpower allocation factsheet, when the alarm sounded as the armored shutters closed over the windows, both inside and out. She took a moment to turn on her desk lamp. Aside from an adrenaline rush, she did not feel anxious. The manor security staff had run frequent drills in the last couple of years, most of which were unscheduled. She knew what to do, which was essentially to stay in her room until someone came for her. Then she heard gunfire, both inside and outside the house, and she realized it was no drill.
The door opened, throwing her into a panic, but she calmed down when Mr. Holt strode in. She stood up, ready to go with him, but then he closed and locked the door, before going around and doing the same to the other three. That unnerved her; it said they couldn't get to the shelter or outside.
"What's happening?" She tried to keep her fear under control.
"There's been an incursion, Miss." He stood in the center of the room, fingering his assault rifle.
The alarm cut off, and Aunt Mandy's voice came over the intercom system. "This is Miranda Pendragon. The house is under attack. The west wing ground floor and entry hall have been overrun; we hold the east wing and great hall. All personnel evacuate to the parking lot; repeat, all personnel evacuate to the parking lot." And the intercom went silent.
"We're cut off; we'll have to wait for extraction. Under the bed, Miss."
That really frightened her, and she dropped to the ground and scrambled into hiding. The idea of an enemy loose in the manor had always disturbed her, but she had taken for granted it could never happen.
"What is it?"
"I don't know; stay quiet, Miss." She watched his boots as he nervously shifted from one foot to the other, and that scared her all the more.
By her reckoning, a half hour passed without anything happening as sporadic fire continued to echo around her, but that only made her anxiety worse. She imagined that any moment some hideous monster would break down her door and attack him. The knock that came made her jump, but she calmed herself as she realized monsters wouldn't knock. Nonetheless, her heart was racing as she watched his feet edge towards the door to use the intercom.
"Celadon," she heard him say.
"Longquan," came the reply. It was Aunt Mandy.
The door opened and she saw a pair of sensible shoes walk in, followed by a number of more official ones. "Where is Differel?"
"You can come out now, Miss."
Differel slid out from under the bed and stood up. Aunt Mandy was accompanied by five security guards and her father's nurse. Mandy had a machine pistol, while the guards carried submachine guns.
"We have retaken the back stairhall and the solar on this floor," Mandy told him. "You join the troops there; I will get her down to the shelter."
"With all due respect, Ma'am, Sir Henry instructed me never to leave her side."
"Henry is dead; I am in charge now. Do as I say."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
Differel knew he wasn't bluffing, but she also knew he was outgunned. And while she didn't think Mandy would kill him, she also knew her Aunt wouldn't bluff either.
"It's all right, Mr. Holt, I'll be safe with her. I want you to help get the others out, and then retake my house."
He looked at her with an expression that mixed doubt and pride. "Are you sure, Miss?"
"Yes, I am. Now, please, the best thing you can do for me is drive the enemy out."
He nodded. "Very well, Miss, as you command." He saluted, then turned on his heels and jogged out into the hallway.
Mandy watch him from the doorway as half the guards moved behind Differel. "I commend you, Niece, you probably saved his life." She then shut and locked the door before turning around.
"Take her!"
Two of the guards grabbed her by the arms. Surprised, she tried to get away, but they had solid grips before she could move.
"Wha--? What's the meaning of this?! Let me go at once!" She tried to sound defiant, but she was too scared to sound like anything other than hysterical.
"Shut up, you little tramp!" Mandy barked. "I have taken as much from you and your family as I intend to stand!"
Genuinely perplexed, Differel asked, "What're you talking about? You are part of my family!"
Mandy's face clouded into a look of rage such as Differel had never seen before. "Your family?! Do not talk filth to me! I am a Pendragon! My people have been combating monsters for centuries, and we never needed on 'Order' to aid us. Compared to us, you Van Helsings are mere infants. If it was not for a Pendragon, Dracula would have killed your ancestor Abraham in the Borgo Pass a hundred years ago. Yet you usurped our duty, stole our glory, and destroyed our honour by making us subservient to your wretched family! But that ends today. I will recover what we lost, and I will reclaim what was stolen from me."
She wasn't m
aking any sense. Differel wondered if she was mad. "Stolen from you?"
"I was the oldest daughter; I should have become the Pendragon! I should have been the protector of England, the one who defended Queen, Church, and Country from paranormal threats. But my birthright was taken from me and given to my sister, unworthy though she was. And then she violated tradition by marrying your father! Unforgivable! But she was not censured, and though she gave up the title of her own free will, rather than grant it to me she held it in trust for her daughter! Unbelievable!"
"But...I'm a Pendragon, too! The same blood as yours flows thro--"
Mandy slapped her across the face hard enough to almost dislodge her glasses. "You filthy little slag! You are no more a Pendragon than your mealy-mouthed butler!"
"What have you done to him?! To my people?"
"Have no fear, your 'people' are safe. I arranged for a diversion, to keep them busy. They won't return until tomorrow, after I give the all clear. By that time, I will have finished with you, and they will be unable to do anything about it."
She turned genuinely angry. "Traitor! Wasn't running the Order enough for you? Are you so jealous that you lust after the rest as well? Are you really willing to do this?!"
"Not only willing, but prepared, Niece."
"Then you're nothing but a bloody rotten scumbag! If you think you can just kill me and get away with it --!"
She stopped when Mandy flashed a wicked leer. "Kill you? On the contrary, I intend to keep you very much alive!" And she nodded to the nurse.
She stepped forward, and for the first time Differel noticed she carried a covered pan. She stopped just in front of her, lifted off the cover and tossed it onto the bed, and reached inside.
She pulled out a monstrosity: a cross between a snake and a slug, six inches long and one in diameter, covered in glistening mucus, writhing and shrieking in a thin, high-pitched, wavering tone.
"Give it to me!" Mandy commanded.
She handed the creature over and Mandy bent down towards her.
"NO!" Differel fought, trying to get loose, as she shook her head from side to side.
"Hold her!" A guard behind her grabbed her head and pushed his fingers into her cheeks, forcing her mouth open. Mandy inserted the index finger of her free hand and wrenched her lower jaw down. She cried out from the pain and tried to bite, but the guard's grip was too strong. Mandy held the eyeless snake-slug by the tail and positioned it head-down over her mouth. She felt fluid drip of its snout onto her tongue.
Mandy lowered the monstrosity and Differel felt its snout brush against her lips. At that moment she panicked in a mix of horror and rage, and her training kicked in as she reacted out of reflex. She kicked backwards with her left leg, striking the guard holding her head in the shin. He yelped, and his grip loosened on her jaws. She slammed her mouth shut and bit hard, feeling bone grate under her teeth and tasting blood. Mandy howled and she let go, and as her aunt jerked her hand away, she kicked the person on her left in the ankle and stamped on the instep of the one on her right with her heel. Both cried out and let her go. Mandy reared back, a startled look on her face, and she hit her in the stomach, doubling her over. The snake-slug fell from her hand as it spasmed open, and she stepped on it. It burst, spraying gore and viscera over the carpet.
Mandy made a grab for her, but she ducked and bolted for the door to the nanny's room.
"Stop her!" Mandy yelled as she pulled back the bolt, and she heard a gun being cocked as she turned the knob.
"No!"
Differel heard the clattering popping noise of a submachine gun going off. Bullets flew past her as she pushed the door open, some ricocheting off the door, others flying into the room. One sliced through her sleeve across her upper
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