Giant-Size Dracula Vol 1 3

Elianne Turac, a blind leader of a militia is beginning a campaign against Dracula, and her first target is the great vampire hunter Quincy Harker. Crashing a dinner party at a mansion that Quincy is attending, Elainne orders Quincy to come with them, defiance would result in her orders for her troops to kill all the guests, Quincy has no choice but to accept and leave with them. However, when they are outside, Elainne orders the people killed anyway as she wants no witnesses. Quincy attempts to escape, however Elainne knocks him out with a tranquilizer dart. With Harker her prisoner she hopes to gain access to the Montesi Formula, that could lead to the destruction of all the worlds vampires, and Elainne's revenge.

Her mind drifts back to a time long ago just after Dracula was turned into the vampire he is today. Back then Elainne was a simple maiden, her father being the conqueror named Turac. She would return home to find the castle had been attacked and all the people there -- including her own mother -- dead, drained of their blood. To her horror her own father had been turned into a vampire by Dracula. Elainne was then forced to kill her own father, decapitating him with an axe. Vowing revenge, a year later she would gain enough mystical knowledge to attempt to cast a spell of immortality so that she might get revenge against Dracula. Having to sacrifice a young boy to ancient demons in order to grain immortality, Elainne goes through with it and is granted her wish, however in a final jest the demons would also strike her blind at the same time.

As Elainne reflects on her past, in the present Dracula still operating with freedom as Harker and his charges believe him dead, Dracula feeds upon another couple adding more eventual vampires for his army. While in an office building, Elainne attempts to extract the information about the Montessi Formula using machines built by her men, however it fails to learn the secret of the formula. She then demands that Harker be taken to her cabin where they will attempt to gain the information from mystical sources.

When Steffan, Elainnes second in command, questions her use of magic, she mocks him gaining his anger. She then throws him aside, when explaining that she has made her fortune seeking out Dracula through Heroin sales, she realizes that in her quest for revenge that she has become no worse than the creature that she has been hunting for centuries.

When they drive past the scene of Dracula's latest murder (Which is being overseen by Inspector Chelm and Katherine Fraser) Quincy uses the moment to force the driver to crash the car. Injured and blinded by the crash, Quincy is confronted by Dracula who puts Quincy in his hypnotic thrall. Learning that some woman is trying to learn the Montesi Formula to destroy him, Dracula is determines to deal with her directly. When Scotland Yard spots him, Dracula makes his escape by turning into bat form and flying away. He takes note that Quincy was taken out of the Saracen Associates building.

Finding a fresh victim, Dracula bites a woman walking in the rain and orders her to walk into the Saracen building to disarm any traps sends the woman to do his bidden. Entering the Saracen building himself, Dracula trips off the buildings security systems alerting Elainne of his presence. Upon inside, he is attacked by the buildings security systems including illuminated crosses and a gas chamber releasing a mixture of garlic powder and holy water.

While Dracula fights through these defenses, in the hospital where Quincy Harker has been taken for medical care, Katherine Fraser demands the doctors revive Harker so that she might learn what has happened to the old vampire hunter.

While back in the Saracen building, Dracula breaks free from the gas chamber and fights off a laser attack before he is slowed by a sonic attack. When Elainne's minions go to try and kill Dracula they fail to stop him when Dracula's thrall arrives at her intended destination: the nearby power plant where she manages to slip inside and turn off the power source going to the Saracen building. When Elainne restores the power, she finds that Dracula has escaped and her men are dead. She is then confronted by Dracula, who then kills her lead scientist and then attacks Elainne and learns why she is trying to kill him.

The two are evenly matched in battle, however when Steffan attempts to get involved, Dracula kills him as well by throwing him out the window. Further distraught by the death of her lover, Elainne is easily disarmed by Dracula who demands that she yield to him. Deciding that suicide is a better option than being turned into a vampire, Elainne attempts to jump out the broken window, however Dracula's hypnotic powers stop her and he summons her forward and then feeds upon her, draining her dry of her blood killing her. Dracula departs amused that her schemes of revenge would end in her ultimately becoming a slave to Dracula.

Having learned the where Quincy had been taken, Katherine and Inspector Chelm would go to the Saracen building and find Elainne's body. Realizing that she would rise as a vampire, they would drive a stake into her heart, Elainne would die with a smile on her face.

Appearing in "I Was a Vampire"

Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "I Was a Vampire"

reprinted from Uncanny Tales #6

Appearing in "The Wedding Present"

Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "The Wedding Present"

reprinted from Spellbound #22

Appearing in "The Mark of the Vampire!"

Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "The Mark of the Vampire!"

reprinted from Spellbound #22

Appearing in "The Man Who Changed"

Appearances not yet listed

Synopsis for "The Man Who Changed"

reprinted from Uncanny Tales #6

Notes

Slow Death On the Killing Ground takes place after the story Death in a Chapel from Dracula Lives #6.

The name of the doctor treating Quincy Harker is Kelly Forrest (Katherine calls him Kelly, and his name tag says Forrest). This is obviously a tip of the hat to Star Trek's doctor McCoy who was played by DeForest Kelley.

Links and References

References