The Lost Princess

Chapter Fourteen

Only when Ilona had arrived in London did she feel the slightest bit relaxed.

She had managed to hide on a freight train in the early hours of the morning, and the journey had been long and tiring. She had willed herself to stay awake for the entirety of the day, hiding in the dark shadows of the carriage. She was exhausted as she finally reached her destination.

She was still clothed in the white shift dress that Millennium had dressed her in, and the soldier's jacket. Both had been stained badly by blood so she turned these inside out to disguise herself better. She had no shoes, but it was late now in the city and she saw very few humans about who she was able to avoid.

Her next task was to find The Hellsing Organisation's headquarters, something she hadn't considered till now. She had absolutely no idea where to begin.

She walked the empty streets for some time, lost and alone, and then she heard gunshots nearby. She picked up her pace as she moved down the street quickly, spotting a large vehicle far off in the distance, surrounded by soldiers.

"Miss, are you alright?" one of them had asked her as she drew closer, her appearance startling him as she came into view. He noticed her red eyes and quickly raised his gun at her.

"Wait! Please, I need to speak to whoever is in charge of the Hellsing Organisation. I possess information about Millenium."

The soldier was speechless as she took off her jacket and turned it inside out to show him.

With his weapon still raised toward her, his hands shaking slightly, he used his free hand to grab his radio.

"Smith here. I have a female vampire. She... she wants to speak to Sir Integra. She says she knows something about Millennium. She's covered in blood and she was wearing one of their uniforms."

The soldier communicated with his senior for a few minutes. She waited impatiently, trying to calm herself.

"Roger that. Over." He ended the call and turned to her, throwing the item of clothing back at her so she could slip it back on.  "Come with me."

He led her over to the large truck, never letting his gun drop, and told her to get inside. She obeyed, taking a seat. He got in and sat across from her, the gun still positioned at her heart.

The doors slammed shut and soon the vehicle was moving. She was silent throughout the journey, not taking much notice of the man across from her, watching her every move. Although she had been successful so far with much luck, the real challenge now stood in front of her.

"Will he be there?" she thought nervously.

She shook her head gently and pushed the feeling aside. "It's not important. I need to tell this Sir Integra person what I know."

She heard the sound of a gate as the vehicle slowed, stopping temporarily. It moved for a few minutes more before it came to a complete stop. The door opened and the man motioned with his gun for her to get out.

They stood in front of a large and stately manor. She noticed at least four floors and was impressed by the immense size of it. She looked around the grounds as she followed another man inside, the other still behind her back with the weapon. She noticed they were now on the outskirts of the city, and she saw no other buildings nearby.

As they stepped inside she was lead up a set of marble stairs and then down a long hallway covered with a thick burgundy carpet. The panelled wooden walls were lined with many paintings in fine gold frames. She examined them as they passed, noticing portraits and various landscapes.

But there was something off about them. Many had been removed, and she saw the outlines of where they once hung. It was then that she recognised the scent of blood and the faded stains on some of their framings. She picked up traces of it on the floor and walls also,  as if they had been scrubbed out. To a human, they would be untraceable, but to her vampiric eyes, it was as if a black light had been cast over the space, illuminating the traces of a battle.