Chris’ eyebrows shot up. “You’re driving?”
Greylock tapped the side of his bad leg. “I would offer, but the trip might prove to be more eventful than we desire.”
Chris gestured to the car. “Then all aboard.”
We piled into the car with Greylock taking the front passenger and Chris behind the wheel. In a few minutes we were back at the manor and Chris parked the car in the garage.
As Greylock stepped out he beckoned to the two of us. “Follow me.”
Chris paused in the open door and frowned at Greylock across the roof of the car. “To where?”
“To your future.” Chris’ scowl only deepened, and Greylock smiled. “However, you choose.” He turned and limped out through a side door that faced the direction of the house.
I grabbed Chris’ hand and tugged him around the front of the car. “What could it hurt to follow him?”
Chris arched an eyebrow. “Do you remember the woods?”
“Then we’ll come out with some strange memories and maybe a tattoo,” I quipped as I pulled him across the dog trot and into the house.
We found Greylock waiting for us at the mouth of the lower hall. He smiled at us before he turned and led us down the hall to the back. Two doors stood opposite one another. We took the right one and my mouth dropped open as an expansive library rose up in front us.
Shelves upon shelves of books covered the eighty by eighty foot room. A winding staircase led to the second floor bookcases. There was even a glass case with a few ancient guns and books covered in weathered leather. A large, long low table was parked in the middle of the ground floor, and stacks of books and open tomes covered the top.
“Wow,” I breathed.
Chris nodded as he scanned the room. “This is impressive.”
Greylock chuckled as he limped over to the far wall to our right. “A hobby of mine.” He reached one of the bookcases and grabbed the spine of one of the books. “As are secrets.” He pulled the book outward and the bookcase slid to one side, revealing a narrow passage.
My eyes widened and I scampered over to the opening. I leaned into the space which was illuminated by small Edison light bulbs. Some of them looked original. The hall ran the short distance from the exterior wall to the left to the wall that abutted the hall to the right. However, a winding metal staircase led up to the second floor and also disappeared into the ground.
Chris came up behind me and grasped the frame as he leaned in over my head. “This doesn’t look suspicious at all.”
Greylock chuckled. “Not at all, but what is life without a little adventure?” He limped into the passage and climbed down the stairs, though he paused when only his head peeked up. “Coming?”
I grabbed Chris’ hand and tugged him inside the secret hall. At our coming in the bookshelf slid back into place. We followed Greylock onto the stairs and wound our way down into the earth. The clapboard walls fell away and were replaced by rough stones piled on top of each other and held together by ancient mortar. The smell of pine became the odor of dank air.
I lost track of the number of steps but paused after a while and looked up. The spiral seemed to rise up forever, and I could barely see the soft light from the passage.
Chris looked down at me with pursed lips. “You still want to follow him?”
I examined the way below us and glimpsed a new soft light. Greylock had already reached the end of the stairs and disappeared into the new passage. “Yeah, but next time remind this cat that she only has nine lives, and curiosity might not be worth one of them.”
Greylock appeared at the bottom of the steps and smiled up at us. “Cats are hardly a good example for a prospective werewolf. But come, you’re almost there.” He disappeared again.
I sighed, and together Chris and I reached the bottom of the winding stairs. I was glad to get off the merry-go-round and onto hard ground, with an emphasis on the ‘hard’ part. The floor and walls were made of the same rough stone, though the ceiling was open timbered. The bottom of the stairs proved to lead to a wide hall. The sparse furniture consisted of a roughly hewn wooden table and chairs set against the wall near the stairs, and the area was illuminated by the same ancient bulbs as upstairs. The rest of the hall was occupied by…
“A dungeon?” Chris spoke up.
Stone cells lined the part of the hall to our right, and to our left was the open wall, but with neck shackles and bits of fresh straw.
I winced as I noticed the medieval decor. “It’s, um, homey? Could use some rugs, though.”
Greylock limped over to the neck shackles and lifted one up in his hand. “We rarely have use of this place. The last time I was down here was when the last choosing occurred.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Bonnie and Duncan?”
He turned to us with the shackle in his grasp and nodded. “Yes. I gave them a choice then the same one I’m giving the two of you now.”
Chris nodded at the shackle. “What does that shackle have to do with us?”
Greylock set the shackle back on the floor. “A necessity, should you take these.” He reached into his coat and drew out the two half-filled vials. “The blood in your veins will soon be diluted enough that what little gifts you were given will fade to nothing. Now is the time for you to make your final choice. Whichever way you choose will be the decision that you must live with for the rest of your life.”
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean by that?”
He grasped the vials close against his chest and his eyes met mine. There was almost a touch of sadness in them. Sadness, and maybe a little fear. “The consequence of taking only a little of a werewolf’s blood means you must either choose to complete the change, or let the blood disperse forever.”
Chris frowned. “What would happen if someone who let the blood disperse tried to drink werewolf blood again?”
“Death.”
I winced. “That’s a little extreme.”
Greylock studied the vials as they lay together in his open palm. “A failsafe of nature. Too many werewolves would lead to an upset in balance between predator and prey.” He lifted his eyes back to us. “Which will it be? Will you take the blood of a werewolf, or allow yourselves to remain human forever?”
Chris nodded at the vial. “Whose blood is that?”
Greylock smiled, though there was little humor in it. “You don’t need me to tell you that.”
“It’s your blood,” I spoke up.
He inclined his head to me. “Yes. As the leader of this pack my blood is used to create more werewolves. Now,” He held the vials out to us, “what do you choose?”
Take about pressure. I lifted one hand and studied the palm. The fingers were still a little swollen from the silver. Was I ready to not be able to hold a lot of cutlery?
Jokes aside, I’d never felt so much fear in my life. My heart thumped hard in my chest as my mind raced with equal vigor over the pros and cons of this decision. To be or not to be a werewolf? That was the question.
And, deep down, I had always known the answer.
I balled my hand into a fist and looked up at Greylock. “I’ll do it.”
A true smile graced Greylock’s lips. “I’m very glad to hear that.”
I reached out for one of the vials, but Chris snatched both of them. I glared up at him, and Greylock arched an eyebrow. “What’s the big idea?”
Chris held up the vials and grinned. “My big idea is that I’ll take it first, just in case we’re past the deadline for getting our second dose.”
Greylock chuckled. “Unnecessary, but I admire your intent.”
“Unnecessary or not, I’m taking it first,” Chris insisted as he held one of the vials out to Greylock. “Hold on to this one until I’m through with-well, whatever’s going to happen.”
Greylock accepted the vial and tucked it back into his coat. He gestured to the shackle beside him. “If you would place this over your neck.”
Chris and I looked first at the chain and then back to our host. “Come again?” I asked him.
“It’s a necessary precaution due to the full change.”
Chris eyed him with suspicion. “And what happens in this full change?”
“You transform into a slightly homicidal wolf.”