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After rummaging through the various weapons and equipment, we returned to the counter half expecting Abigail to have somehow arisen even though she had been decapitated. However, she and Karl were still dead and their bodies had not been disturbed. As strange as it sounded, I felt like we were being watched. The atmosphere thickened and became colder. The chill in the air was suddenly disrupted by a wisp of air that slithered past me, brushing my face.
Penelope stood still near the quilt. Her eyes became troubled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Do you sense it?”
“I felt it, actually.”
She glanced toward me with apprehension. She eased her way toward the quilting table, peeled back the quilt in progress, and found a pentagram drawn in faded blood. Beside this was a leather-covered spellbook. She took the book and slipped into her coat pocket.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.
Penelope shrugged. “I think the healer I trade with will like this.”
She took the bottle of blessed salt from her pocket and sprinkled salt over the pentagram. The tabletop burst into flames. She tried to put out the fire with the quilt, but the flames shot even higher.
“I think we’d best get out of here. Fast,” she said.
No argument from me. I grabbed the large crate filled with glass vials, dried herbs, and wooden stakes I had packed in the supply room. Penelope had found a quiver filled with arrows and slung it over her shoulder. She took new bowstrings and a leather pouch to tie around her waist. We hurried to the door and exited.
Father was halfway across the square coming toward us. “Well?”
“It’s a long story,” I said. “One that will help pass the time once we start traveling again.”
“Money?” he asked.
I nodded. “Lots of it.”
“Then we should head into the city to get supplies before we cross the Rhine.”
A hot whooshing sound hissed behind us. The fire shot through the chimney and crawled across the wooden shingled roof.
“You set the place on fire?” Father asked with a stern frown.
I shook my head. “No, sir.”
“What do you call that?”
“No denying it’s fire, Father, but we didn’t start it.”
Penelope said, “The woman had some sort of protection spell hanging, I suppose, so when they died the shop went up in flames.”
“You killed them? Son, we needed the money, but—”
“Again, it’s a long story. One we can tell on the way out of the city. But we did nothing except defend ourselves.”
“Ah, very well,” he replied.
“Still it’s best we leave before we are actually accused of burning the shop down.”
***
Thomas drove the coach into the city. The architecture of the cathedral was the most spectacular building I had ever seen, holding me in awe of its beauty and its haunting carved statues and gargoyles. These intimidating stone creatures overlooked the streets and were mirrored images of the ones in the cemetery, but thankfully, not alive. Of course, that was merely speculation on my part, and I was about to climb the towers to see for myself.
After Father and I bought essential food items that could be stored in the storage compartment of the coach, Thomas drove across the Rhine River. Dependent upon the terrain and weather we should reach Freiburg in as little as a week. But that didn’t take into account how long it would take for us to seek out the vampire inside the Black Forest and slay him.
Penelope and I told Father what had happened with the shopkeepers. He sat stunned and in disbelief, but never argued that we had done anything inappropriate. He did offer the occasional question to draw out more information, but he, like me, had never heard of someone who was half demon and half human. The thought alarmed him, and he was less cordial with Madeline and kept more distance from Varak, even though the child had taken quite a liking toward him.
For me, I could never get past looking at the child’s strange sky-blue eyes that often seemed to be trying to search into my mind and look into my soul. The strange aura that surrounded him brought chills to me, and I constantly reminded myself that getting the child to the Archdiocese was my responsibility.
With daylight hours fading she suggested that she and I nap until after the sunset, just in case more plague demons tried to kill Thomas. As long as the coach kept moving, it was unlikely we’d have to protect him, but with a week more to travel, we’d have to find a place to stop. The horse needed to eat, drink, and rest. At least we had gold and silver coins to find a decent place to stay during the night and hopefully one with a stable.