by Lana Melyan
“Yes. His name is Edmond.”
“And he didn’t even tell me,” said Fray. “Why should he? I am no one.”
“You are never here,” said Gabriella, stepping forward.
“It doesn’t mean that he can do what he wants,” shouted Fray.
In the hall, the servants could hear their voices. It was clear that Gabriella and Fray were arguing, and it worried them. Henry carefully climbed up the stairs and hid in the corridor behind the pot with a bushy philodendron. He listened, trying to figure out the subject of the fight.
“He didn’t decide it himself. We all agreed,” explained Gabriella.
“I bet Samson turned him because he’s a good boy,” Fray said with irony.
“He is. You’ve seen him once. Remember the boy Hanna fell in love with?”
“Of course, love.” Fray laughed. He went to the chest and opened it. “I hope you’re all packed with lovers, because Samson will not be able to do it again.” He unclasped one side of the Book.
“What are you doing?”
Gabriella rushed toward Fray, but he roughly pushed her back, and she hit the table.
“It’s my turn,” Fray said with a savage expression on his face. “I will show you what the power is for.”
“How did you. . . ?”
“How did I find out?” He stepped to her. “I was standing right there,” he pointed his index finger, “right behind that door, when he told you. I heard everything. He kept it from me for centuries. He’ll pay for that. I’ll destroy him.”
He went to the chest again, unclasped the second side of the Book, and lifted it.
“I will not let you take it,” said Gabriella with rage. She pushed her ring to the bracelet, first to the coin with her number and then to the clasp. Alarming rays of red light streamed up from all coins.
Fray put the Book in the case.
“It’s not going to help,” he sneered. “They’re already half way there.”
“Half way where?” Gabriella glared at him.
“Half way to the Cold Stone.” Fray laughed unnaturally. “Where my people did the ritual to fish them out of the castle.”
Gabriella’s blood boiled.
“It’s all right,” she said. “I’m still here.”
Hanna and Eleanor were already on the way back when both their bracelets shone, first with green and then with red lights. They stopped their horses.
“What the hell happened?” Hanna said, gazing stupefied at the bracelet.
“It was Gabriella,” said Eleanor. “When we left, all of them were home. What could have happened?”
They stared at each other for a moment and then, without another word, spurred their horses.
The red light coming from the bracelets shone in the darkness. Riley, Ruben, Craig and Edmond had already stopped their horses around Samson before it extinguished.
“What could have happened?” asked Riley, looking at Samson’s darkened face.
“I don’t know. But it’s something serious if Gabriella decided to call us. We have to go back.”
“All of us?” Ruben asked. “What about the vampires? If several witches came together to summon us, it must be something really bad.”
“I can’t imagine what could be so urgent,” said Craig, pondering. “Nobody can even get close to the castle.”
“Maybe the Map showed something else,” said Riley doubtfully. “Something . . . I don’t know . . . more important.”
But Samson didn’t say anything. He was thinking.
“No,” he said suddenly, moving his eyes from one to another. “There are no witches. There is only one witch, who is wounded, and she is bleeding right into the circle. She’s probably dead by now.”
“Are you saying she did the ritual right where she saw the vampires? Why would she do that? They never do that,” Craig said.
“That’s the question. Why?” said Samson, still deep in his thoughts.
“If she’s there, and they can see her doing the spell,” said Edmond, “wouldn’t they drag her out from the circle? I mean, to stop the ritual.”
“They don’t know about the ritual,” Riley answered. “Many of them don’t even know we really exist. She was just a snack.”
“He knows,” whispered Samson, staring at Riley. “There is only one man who knows about the ritual and who can also enter the castle.” His eyes burned with fury. “He can because he is one of us.”
“Fray?”
“Why would he do that?” Ruben asked.
“This is a setup and Gabriella is in danger. To the castle! All of you!” Samson yelled, already speeding away.
Fray closed the case and headed to the door.
“Put the case down,” said Gabriella, standing in his way.
“Step aside,” said Fray, putting his free hand on the dagger hanging on his belt.
“Put that case down,” Gabriella insisted.
Fray lifted his hand to push her away, but this time she was ready for his move. With one hand she caught his arm in the air, then clenched the other one to a fist and punched him in the jaw.
Fray flew back and hit the weapon cabinet. The glass doors shattered into pieces.
His bleeding lips smiled.
“You know you can’t take me,” he said, wiping them with his palm.
“It doesn’t mean I won’t try.”
Fray put the case down, grabbed Gabriella by the arm, and turned her, pressing his chest to her back.
“I can rip your head off,” he whispered viciously into her ear.
“No, you can’t.”
Gabriella jerked her hand away and elbowed him in the stomach. He cringed just for a second, then turned her around and punched right into her chest. The blow threw her out of the door, and she slid down the corridor wall.
Henry, who was still crouching behind the philodendron, jumped. He shut his mouth with both hands, suppressing the gasp.
Fray picked up the case, took a step and then stopped, looking around. He walked to the chest and glanced in it. Then he approached the table.
“Missing something?” Gabriella asked, stepping into the room again.
“Where’s the Map?” he asked.
After everybody had left, Gabriella watched the Map in the small living room, so she could tell Samson if any changes occurred while he was within reach. And the Map was still there.
“Why do you need the Map? To spy on us?”
“Where is the Map, Gabriella?”
“Samson took it with him,” she said without hesitation. “You made such a mess on it. It looked like there were dozens of vampires.” She watched Fray as she spoke. He was looking for the Map on the bookshelves. “They could go to other places for food. Too many for Cold Stone; it’s not that big, after all.”
“Many?” He turned to her. “You haven’t seen ‘many’ vampires.” His lips quivered from excitement. “I’m going to make armies of them.”
“Have you lost your mind? You’re a Hunter.”
“I was once. But I freed myself about two centuries ago, around the time I started sleeping with vampire women. I’ve learned a lot about them since then. They’re real and honest, and the most important thing is that, unlike you all, they appreciate me and they’re loyal to me.”
Gabriella’s eyes widened with every word.
“It’s okay,” said Fray, looking around again. “I’ll take the Map later. For now, I’ll just kill as many witches as I can.”
Henry heard Fray’s footsteps closing to the door and he ran down the stairs, where Sophie and Lucy waited for news with terrified expressions on their faces. But before they could ask anything, Henry shushed them, pressing a finger to his lips and pushing them back to the kitchen. He left a narrow gap in the door when he closed it, and all three of them leaned to it, peering through.
There was only one thing Gabriella could do. She didn’t move when Fray walked past her. But as he went out the door, she rushed to the table and opened the drawer whe
re Samson kept his dagger. She pulled it from the sheath. Gabriella knew the dagger wouldn’t kill Fray. But if she managed to stab him in the heart, he would be seriously injured and disabled for a while.
Samson had a secret room in his study. It was meant for the Book Keeper, and nobody knew about its existence but her. The room was behind the bookshelves. The button to unlock it was in the weapon cabinet. She had to push the button and then pull the shelves open. It was the perfect place to hide the Book and herself until the others returned. But first, she had to catch Fray before he disappeared. She ran out.
Fray was already in the hall. Gabriella’s silhouette flashed on the stairs. She stopped behind him and raised the dagger.
But Fray had felt the blast. When Gabriella stabbed him he was turning and, instead of the heart, she pierced his side. When she pulled the dagger out, blood gushed from the wound onto the marble floor. Fray roared from the pain and dropped to one knee. She grabbed the case and ran back to the study.
Gabriella reached the weapon cabinet and pushed the button. But in that moment she heard the blast, too. Fray took her by the arm and turned her around, and she saw the dagger in his hand.
“What is your plan now?” Fray roared and stuck the dagger into Gabriella’s heart. “Slice me with a sword?”
Gabriella’s lips parted, but there was no sound. The case and Samson’s dagger slipped out of her hands. Her big black eyes blinked once and then closed. Swaying slightly, she fell face down onto the glass-covered floor.
Fray put his dagger back in the sheath, then opened the case and threw Samson’s dagger in it. He wanted to look for the Map, but he’d lost a lot of time; the others could show up any moment. He took the case and hurried away.
As soon as Fray left, Henry, Lucy, and Sophie came out from the kitchen. The women ran upstairs, but Henry went to close the open front door. He glanced out and saw Fray slightly bent to one side, heading to the woods.
As Henry shut the door he heard screams, coming from the second floor.
He walked into Samson’s study. Sophie and Lucy sat on the floor beside Gabriella’s body, crying. Henry’s shoulders began shaking. He covered his face with both hands and dropped to the floor, too.
Hanna and Eleanor jumped down from their horses and rushed to the front door.
“Oh God,” gasped Eleanor the moment they walked inside.
Both of them were staring at the red stain on the floor.
“The blood is dry,” said Eleanor. “Whoever it is is healing.”
“Why is it so quiet?” asked Hanna. “I don’t like this.”
Following the blood drops, they went up the stairs and walked into Samson’s study. They looked at Gabriella lying on the floor and then at the sobbing women.
“What happened?” Hanna asked, glaring at the floor.
But the women only sobbed harder.
Eleanor knelt beside Gabriella and turned her face up.
“Stop crying,” said Hanna without turning her eyes from the huge red stain on Gabriella’s chest. “She’ll be fine,” she said, her voice trembling. “She probably just cut herself.”
Tears ran from Eleanor’s eyes. There were small scratches on Gabriella’s face from the broken glass. Stroking them, she looked at Hanna.
“They are wet, they are not healing, Hanna,” she sobbed. “They are not healing.”
“No,” Hanna yelled. “No. She will be all right.” Her whole body was shaking. “What happened?”
“It was Fray,” muttered Henry, coming forward.
“Fray did this?” Hanna gulped for air. “Did Samson go after him?”
“He doesn’t know. They weren’t home when this happened?”
“When did this happen?”
“Only a few minutes ago.”
“He couldn’t have gone far.”
Hanna’s eyes burned with fury. She jumped to the weapon cabinet and grabbed the biggest double ax from the wall.
“Which way did he go?” She gazed at Henry.
Eleanor looked at her, alarmed.
“No.” Henry shook his head. “Don’t go.”
“Which way?” Hanna shouted.
Henry looked at her mad eyes and sighed.
“That way.” He pointed his hand to the hill.
Hanna stormed out.
Eleanor jumped to her feet, grabbed another ax, and ran after her.
Riley, Craig, and Ruben each in turn asked Samson what was going on as they hurried home. Why would Fray, the Hunter, kill a witch?
“He wanted to lure us out of the castle,” Samson said.
“The stain was big, but that didn’t mean all eight of us would go,” said Ruben. “He knew we wouldn’t.”
“You’re right. That’s why he chose the moment when he thought there were only three of us. The last time he came you were in Paris, and we told him you were planning to go to London after that.”
“But why would he do it?” Craig asked.
“I don’t get it, either,” said Riley.
“He wants the Book,” said Samson.
“What? Why?” asked Ruben.
“Oh, God,” whispered Riley, “Gabriella will try to . . .”
“I know,” said Samson, and for first time in many centuries, there were notes of fear in his voice. “All I can do is hope that she won’t.”
Samson’s heart was hammering. He couldn’t wait to get closer to the castle so that he could speak to Gabriella. The moment they crossed the familiar field, which was only a mile from the castle he whispered,
“Gabriella,” and then held his breath.
He waited a couple of seconds and then called again, “Gabriella, my love, answer me.”
But there was no answer. His heart trembled. Horrible thoughts and feelings, which had chased him the whole way, became stronger and more real. Trying to push them away, he told himself that she might not be in the castle, and he began looking for reasons that could make her leave.
But none of them were good enough. The only real possibility was that Fray really had been in the castle, had taken what he’d come for, and she’d run after him. That horrified him even more. He spurred his horse harder.
Samson jumped down from the horse before it stopped, and he entered the castle. Riley, Craig, Ruben, and Edmond stepped in right after him. When they saw the blood on the floor, they froze and looked at Samson. His hands shook and his look went blank. He stepped over the blood stain and jumped to the second floor. The others did the same.
When he burst into the study, they all heard a wild cry.
“NOOOO!!!”
“Oh, no.” Riley gulped for air.
“Gabriella,” gasped Ruben. He leaned to the wall and slipped down, covering his face with his hands.
Craig clenched his teeth, but tears filled his eyes. Edmond stood in the doorway with a shocked look on his face.
Samson fell to his knees beside Gabriella. His jaw trembled. Holding her by the shoulders, he lifted her and pulled her closer to his chest.
“No,” he whispered. “Gabriella, look at me. Please, please.” He stared at her. “My love, open your eyes.”
He kissed the scratches on her face like he was trying to heal them. Then he touched the big red stain on the carpet and rubbed his fingers. They were wet.
He pressed her to his heart. Tears dripped from his eyes.
“FRAAAY!” he roared madly, “I’LL RIP OUT YOUR HEART!”
“I doubt that. But I already ripped out yours,” he heard Fray’s gloating voice.
“He heard me.” Samson turned to the others. “He is not far.”
His hand slipped under Gabriella’s legs, and he lifted her and put her on the soft, velvet couch.
The expression on his face was wild.
“When did he leave?” He asked in rigid voice, looking at Henry sitting in the corner.
“Four, five minutes ago,” said Henry, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
Samson looked at the empty chest, then went to his tabl
e and opened the drawer.
“He took the dagger,” he said, looking into it.
“Gabriella took it,” said Henry, and everybody stared at him. “He was leaving with the Book, and she stabbed him. But I looked. It’s not here. He must’ve taken it after.”
“She stabbed him?” said Samson, astonished. “You’ll tell me everything later. We have to hurry!”
“You better, sir,” said Henry. “You didn’t notice, but your axes are missing, too.”
They all looked at the weapon cabinet.
“Why would he take the axes?” Riley asked.
“He didn’t. Hanna and Eleanor did. They went after him.”
“What?” Craig gasped.
“Oh, God,” muttered Edmond.
“HANNA!” Samson screamed, “COME BACK! NOW!”
“NO!” yelled Hanna in response.
Craig, Edmond, Ruben, and Riley ran out, and Samson stormed after them.
The wind whipped Hanna’s face, wet from the tears. She heard Samson’s voice full of pain, and it squeezed her heart, if it was possible, even more.
She and Eleanor galloped down the hill. From the darkness of the woods, they came out to a meadow, where the weak light from the crescent moon made the view a little more clear.
To decide which way to go, they circled, sniffing the air for Fray’s scent. But the scent they found, and which was becoming stronger and stronger, wasn’t Fray’s or some mortal human’s.
“Vampires,” said Eleanor.
“Do you see them?” asked Hanna, peering into the darkness between the trees.
“No,” said Eleanor.
“I can’t define the direction. It’s like the scent is everywhere.”
“Yeah. That means we’re surrounded,” said Eleanor.
The horses neighed and reared up. Nearly thirty vampires came out from the woods and stood in a circle around Hanna and Eleanor.
“What the hell is this?” said Hanna, glaring at them. “We don’t have time for this.”
Hanna spurred her horse to pass through. But one of the vampires jumped forward, grabbed the bridle, and pulled the horse aside, stopping it.