The Van Helsing Conjecture – Excerpt No. 289

Even Julia had her hands up by this point. Their opponent was not about to take any chances. With good reason, since Clara handily disarmed the smaller group. I’d do the same here, but they will have a fallback.

There were a few reasons to worry for Julia. No matter the form, Werewolves were creatures of strength and dexterity, not speed. Those ballistas pack one hell of a punch.

That meant the angel needed to bluff, play her hand and hope they decided to stand down. However, that assumed a rational mind, which was the antithesis of zealotry. It might have taken her a century to realise it, but Evelyn did help her to understand that she was in fact a martyr. One who was taught that angels, ghosts, and old gods did not exist.

The man hesitated. Everyone of his heartbeats resounded in her mind, as though some machine was pounding steel rods into the ground.

“Uh,” the man said, denoting a rather inauspicious start. “What?”

A dramatic, high-contrast cinematic photograph of two ominous, hooded figures, their faces obscured by the shadows of their hoods, with gaunt, pale skin and piercing eyes, standing back-to-back, manning a massive, intricately carved, wooden crossbow, adorned with metallic accents, with its thick, taut string pulled back, ready to fire, positioned in the center of a grand, high-ceilinged, dimly lit, marble-floored chamber, surrounded by a semicircle of heavily armed, intimidating foes, with swords, shields, and armor-clad bodies, all bathed in a warm, golden light, emanating from unseen sources, casting long, dramatic shadows across the floor and walls.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.