Vermilion Justice

by Sheri Lewis Wohl

  Lura shrugged, apparently giving in to Nicoletta’s arguments, and after fumbling with laces and yards of fabric, she discarded her gown much more quickly than Nicoletta. With creamy moonlight on her naked body, Nicoletta could almost forget they were in a race for their lives. She had never seen such a beautiful woman and never would again.

  Once her gown was off, they bundled their garments up and laid them within a thicket of bushes so that unless one was hunting them, they wouldn’t be found easily. Their footsteps were all over the ground, and anyone who put their head down to look would know they had been here. All she could hope for was that the falling snow would hide their movements before anyone riding by came to look.

  Without waiting to think about what they needed to do, she took Lura’s hand in hers and walked rapidly across the snow-covered ground. Sending up a prayer to God for their safe delivery on dry land, she stepped to the water. Silently they both slipped into the frigid lake and, after the initial shock of the icy water enveloping bare skin, began to swim.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  They were running out of time. Once Dracula and his followers were gone, Riah kissed Adriana hard and then urged her horse to go faster. They couldn’t hang around here a minute more than absolutely necessary. Fate wouldn’t smile on them much longer.

  “I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Ivy said, bringing her horse close to Riah.

  Riah couldn’t agree more. “This is too close to his death.”

  “Dracula?”

  Riah nodded. “He’s going to die soon, and trust me. It’s not going to be pretty. I don’t want to be anywhere close when blood begins to flow. We’ve got to get back to the stones and return to our own time.”

  “As sick as the thought of leaving without Lura makes me, I’m with you on this one. I don’t like the feel of this place, and I sure as heck don’t like the way Colin’s looking. He’s holding it together, bless his soul. I just don’t know how much longer he can before he collapses. We’ve got to get back home.”

  “We better ride hard and beat them to the boat.”

  “Right behind you.”

  The relief she felt at hearing Ivy’s words was immense. Under any other circumstances, she’d fight against leaving any relative of one of the Spiritus Group in a strange land and would be devastated by the resulting sense of failure. Despite that, if it meant saving the lives of others, she’d do it. If they stayed here, four of them would go down. As it was, their chance of making it back seemed to be getting slimmer by the second, and Colin was fading with each passing moment.

  As they neared the lake, the sounds of their aggressors drifted to them on the wind. Deep night cloaked them, while the snow muffled the pounding of the horses’ hooves. She didn’t glance behind to see where Dracula and his soldiers converged. She kept her eyes locked on the lake and beyond to the island that offered their only chance at salvation.

  It was a given, even without looking, that Dracula would have commandeered the small boat they’d used to cross the lake earlier. He might not know they were coming here, but it wouldn’t matter. He would make certain no one could advance on his rear. God, she hoped they could find another boat somewhere on the shore.

  Weaving in and around trees, they all scanned as they rode, searching for a boat that could take them across the lake. Surely they’d find one somewhere.

  “What’s this?” Ivy slipped from her horse and hurried over to some snow-covered bushes.

  Riah’s concentration was so intent on the shores of the lake she hadn’t noticed whatever it was that caught Ivy’s attention. Footprints, many of them, not quite covered up by new snow. Not just footprints, but women’s, judging by their size.

  “What on earth…” Ivy held up beautiful dresses, one in each hand. “This doesn’t look right. They’re not soaked through.”

  Meaning, of course, they’d been tucked into the bushes recently. She reined in her horse and stared at the clothing Ivy held. She’d lived in these times, and people did not, wealthy or poor, toss good clothing into the forest. Ivy was dead-on; something wasn’t right here at all.

  “Something’s rotten in Denmark,” Adriana said as she rode up next to Riah.

  “No kidding,” she whispered, a chill of foreboding washing through her entire body. “We’ve got to move and get to that island now.”

  Gazing over at Colin, her resolve strengthened. The fight to stay alert and involved was taking a toll on him. No more time. They had to get him back to their reality where he could receive proper medical attention. She couldn’t do much more for him here than they already had. Once they were back and on the Learjet home, she’d be able to do so much more. He’d be himself soon…if they could escape from the nightmare they’d unwittingly stepped into.

  For no reason Riah could figure, Adriana rolled up the dresses and took them with her. In her mind, the move was unnecessary, but then again, she wasn’t going to second-guess her woman. Adriana had saved her ass more than once. Still, why bring them along? If everything came together, they’d be back home within hours.

  A few hundred yards from where Adriana uncovered the clothing, Riah spied something bulky on the lakeshore. She spurred her horse and, risking exposure, burst out of the trees and onto the shoreline. Her heart was racing as fast as the horse’s hooves. She sent up a quick prayer as she vaulted off her ride and ran over to a small boat tipped on its side and partially hidden by brush. It was intact and dry. Maybe God was on their side after all.

  “Hurry,” she told the other three as she grabbed hold of the side of the boat and righted it. Two oars clunked inside as it settled into the sandy beach. Plenty of room for the four of them. Her prayer had just been answered.

  It took the three of them to get Colin down from the horse and into the boat. His pale face glowed in the gloom of night, reminding them how precious time was. Her nervousness increased tenfold the moment she touched his cool skin. He was a strong, strapping man, and this was so not like him. Tamping down worry was impossible, and, if she was concerned, Ivy had to be a wreck.

  Once Ivy and Colin were in the boat, she and Adriana pushed it to the edge of the lake waters, trying to make as little noise as possible. Pulling her skirts up, she climbed inside right after Adriana. With one oar and a lot of strength, she freed the boat from the grip of the sand and they were on the water. Riah took both oars and quietly began to row the four hundred or so yards to the island…and the stones.

  *

  Hypothermia was the thought that roared through Lura’s mind with each painful stroke of her arms. The water was so damn cold she could barely feel her fingertips. Her shoulder screamed in protest, the rotator-cuff injury she’d believed healed letting her know it wasn’t. Knifing pain filled her chest every time she exhaled. She’d followed Nicoletta not because she thought it was a good idea, but because she didn’t see a better option. Not to mention that Nicoletta wouldn’t be deterred. She was clearly determined to go into the lake with or without Lura.

  Frankly, Nicoletta was right. They were out of options. Good ones anyway. Dracula and his men seemed to be everywhere. They had their boat, they had weapons, and they were out for blood—specifically hers and Nicoletta’s, judging by their determination to catch them. Two women, one of them injured, didn’t stand much of a chance.

  As painful as the swim was, she’d rather die from hypothermia than on one of Dracula’s hideous stakes. So here she was, concentrating on making one stroke after another, pushing to cross a distance no longer than any one of the sprint triathlons she’d done over the last few years. The difference between those events and now was very clear: she’d never competed in a triathlon in a snowstorm in ice-cold water. What she wouldn’t give for her wetsuit right now.

  Hopefully God would be with them tonight and they’d make it without succumbing to the very real dangers of frigid water. So far so good. Of course, even if they made the swim, the island, like the mainland, was covered with snow, and both of them upon
hitting land would still be naked as newborns. If the icy water didn’t kill them, the snowstorm would.

  Yes, they had a very good chance of dying tonight. Damn.

  Something drew her attention away from the painful swim and toward what she thought could be a boat. She wasn’t sure if hypothermia was beginning to set in because she thought she heard the slap slap slap of oars cutting through the water. If she wasn’t hallucinating because of the cold, they might have just run out of luck.

  More determined, she stroked faster. As easy as it would be to give up right now, she didn’t have the heart to quit. She certainly didn’t want Dracula or any of his men to discover them crossing the lake. The thought of what they would do to two naked women made her shudder.

  Suddenly, her fingertips touched something. After a second, her mind sluggish from the cold and exertion, she registered what it was and wanted to scream. It was the bottom of the lake, and a shot of hope roared through her body, charging her with a last sudden burst of energy. Within a heartbeat she was standing, both feet on a rocky bottom, and beside her Nicoletta was struggling to her feet. Putting a hand under Nicoletta’s elbow she steadied her as the two of them made it to shore.

  She didn’t stay standing for long, her relief at making the shore overshadowed by the realization they weren’t alone. Lura dropped to a crouch and pulled Nicoletta down to her side. Both of them shivered so hard she wondered if they’d ever be able to stop.

  Whispering shakily into Nicoletta’s ear, she said, “A boat.”

  “Is it him?” Nicoletta’s teeth were chattering and her body shook.

  “I don’t know, but if we can stay low and hold still maybe they won’t see us.”

  In the murky light of the moon she could make out the shape of the boat nearing the shore. Despite her shivering, she was afraid to move, to give away their position. Their only hope was to stay invisible.

  The boat thumped onto the shore fifty feet away, but rather than sounding like men looking for battle, the occupants slipped out of the boat in near silence. Only then did she notice something quite odd: it appeared that women powered the vessel to shore. Possibly she was hallucinating because she wanted so badly to be safe. Whatever it was, it still looked like women to her, except for the tall, slouched-over figure the smaller ones helped out of the boat. That one was definitely a man.

  As she watched, one woman turned and moonlight caught her full-on, revealing her face. Shock rippled through Lura’s quaking body. That face was one she’d known all her life: the small stature, the jet-black wavy hair, the full lips that she’d seen stretched into smiles so many times. Take away the period gown, throw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, and it would be…

  But it couldn’t be. Impossible under any circumstances.

  “Ivy?” The name rattled through her chattering lips in a cry full of trembling hope. Her mind might reject it, as hypothermia evoked vision. Her heart did not.

  For a second she didn’t think anyone heard her thready voice, and then the woman whose face she’d glimpsed in the moonlight turned and cocked her head. Again, louder this time, Lura managed to ask, “Ivy?”

  Another voice floated across the night air, as if coming from far away. “Lura?”

  Pushing to her feet, she still held onto Nicoletta’s hand. Funny, it even sounded like her cousin. It had to be an hallucination. No way could Ivy be here. Only Mom knew she’d gone to Snagov Island. They certainly wouldn’t know about the stones. Face it, she thought, the lake had won. She was succumbing to the cold and imagining the comforting arms of her favorite cousin.

  The voice came again, stronger this time. “LURA!”

  If she was going to die, this was a nice way to go—holding on to Nicoletta and with Ivy’s voice in her head. Then everything happened as if in slow motion. The women who had stepped out of the boat turned and began to race down the beach in their direction. It wasn’t a dream and she wasn’t imagining it. She didn’t know how and she certainly didn’t know why, but Ivy was here. She wanted to jump up and down, wave for them to hurry, but her feet wouldn’t move. Just standing took every ounce of her willpower.

  Nicoletta, still crouched near the ground, gave a small sigh. Then her grasp on Lura’s hand weakened and dropped. With a soft thud, she toppled to the sand, her body still as death. No, no, no, they were so close. Lura peered back toward the running figures, trying to see clearly, to make out the faces of the women racing their way. Like Nicoletta, her body failed her. Her eyes closed and her legs gave way. She crumpled to the sand next to Nicoletta, throwing one arm over her lover’s body on the snow-covered beach.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  “Oh my God,” Ivy cried as she dropped beside the two women motionless on the shore, their naked bodies so white and cold they almost blended in with the snow. Her head turned up to Riah with a mixture of disbelief, relief, and fright all showing on her expressive face. “It’s Lura.”

  Riah was busy ripping her cloak off and wrapping it around the smaller of the two women. Ivy followed suit and soon had her cousin enfolded inside her sheepskin cloak. The shaking began seconds after she had her covered up. Even through the thick wool, Lura’s body shook uncontrollably. Not a good sign.

  “What was she thinking?” Ivy muttered as she cradled Lura in her arms. “She had to know they couldn’t survive a swim in waters this cold.” She kissed the side of her head.

  Riah wondered the same thing. They’d been lucky to make it through the swim in this weather and still be conscious when they got here. If they hadn’t seen them, the two wouldn’t have had any chance to survive. As it was, they had to get them warm before hypothermia did its worst and they lost them anyway.

  “Let’s carry them to the monastery,” Riah said. It was the closest building and, while perhaps not warm, was certainly warmer than where they were now.

  Colin leaned down and tried to pick up Lura’s companion. A hiss escaped from between his lips, and he crumpled to one knee. In the moonlight, Riah could see the sweat that popped out on his forehead. Adriana stepped in and put a hand on his shoulder. “We’ve got this.”

  He shook his head, a frown creasing his forehead. “This is so fucked up,” he muttered, but didn’t stand in Adriana’s way. Riah knew then how badly he was hurt.

  Keeping to the shadows as best they could, they managed to get the two freezing women to a back door of the monastery. The difference in temperature was immediate, though to say it was warm inside would have been a stretch. Still, it was enough. At least there was no wind or snow, and, best of all, it was dry.

  “We need to find some food,” Riah told Adriana, who nodded and set off.

  Riah wasn’t hungry, none of them were, but the sooner calories entered the body and began to generate heat from the inside, the better chance the person had to survive hypothermia. It was time to jumpstart their internal furnaces.

  Both began to come around as their bodies warmed inside the heavy cloaks. Lura and Ivy both cried, and when Lura’s teeth stopped chattering so fiercely, she introduced them to Nicoletta.

  By the time Adriana returned with a bottle of wine and some bread, Lura and Nicoletta were once more dressed, with Riah’s help. It took some serious coaxing to get food down them. Neither one wanted to cooperate. Patience won the day and finally Riah got them to eat. A little wine and some bread brought a bit of color back into their pasty white faces. For the most part, the uncontrollable shaking subsided. Riah expelled a sigh of relief.

  “We don’t have long,” she told them. As much as she hated the thought of Lura and Nicoletta moving after experiencing a near-fatal swim, they didn’t have much choice. They were on borrowed time as it was. It was either make a run for the stones and hope for the best or stay here and die at Dracula’s hand. He was on his way. They might have managed to slip by him this time, but they probably wouldn’t get a second chance. The island wasn’t that big.

  She wasn’t really up for a date with Dracula’s sword. Her time with Adr
iana had been short so far, and she didn’t intend to give up easily. She wanted decades more time with her and would fight for that right if she had to. She had to leave this century and return to her own. They didn’t belong here, and that fact was made abundantly clear to her each and every second they remained.

  Nobody else was arguing the point either. Not that she was terribly surprised. After all, what was there to argue? Colin had to feel like he’d been through a war already, and in many ways he had been. If Lura and Nicoletta were willing to risk a naked swim through frigid waters to reach the stones, she had to believe they were more than ready to dash for safety.

  She just wanted to get home and see the faces of all of the Spiritus Group—Cam and Kara, Naomi and Tory. To all be together again. Right fucking now.

  “Okay then,” she said as she slipped her cloak back on. “We have to be careful. This is the night it all comes crashing down. We’ll have to make one hard race for the stones, and rest assured, we won’t get a second chance.”

  “The night?” Lura asked, a confused look on her face. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  There wasn’t time to stop for a history lesson, even a short one. “Dracula isn’t going to make it another day, and we want to be long gone when everything breaks loose here.”

  Nicoletta, who was putting her cloak back on, paused and looked at Riah. “The Prince is going to die this night?”

  Riah nodded. “And it’s not going to be pretty.”

  “If he dies then we have nothing to be afraid of.” Her face turned hopeful. “We do not have to hurry. We can hide and wait for his death.”

  Riah shook her head. “He dies, but we don’t belong here and it wouldn’t be safe for us to stay. You can, if you’d like. We have to go.”

  “No!” Lura spit out the word with such force, they all turned to stare at her. She said in a calmer voice, “She has to go with us. Just trust me on this. I can’t leave her behind. It’s important.”